CD Reviews: Indie Round-Up for June 15 2006 - Chapin, Splitsense, Graffin, Apollo 13 - Page 3

The hard-rock screamer "The Bomb" leads into the smooth techno of "Interference," followed by the melodic "Up Up & Away" which spreads 80s-style harmonies over a thumping dance beat. "Rollin' On" takes on hard southern-rock, with Shannon Savoie's amped-up tenor shredding the high notes. The slinky "Another Lovely Day" suggests Robert Palmer recorded underwater, "Grandiose Palaces" sounds like Queen meeting the Turtles, and there's a bit of soul in "Landslide to Oblivion." Yet there's consistent melodic and lyric depth beefing up the clever creativity of the production.

Its songs interspersed with theatrical instrumental interludes, Lovebombisn't quite categorizable, yet it's both modern and accessible. That's a tough thing to pull off. These lines from "Rollin' On" sum up Apollo 13's union of the tried-and-true with the up-to-the-minute: "I'm a-rollin' down this old highway / Gonna find me a brand new life / Well I'm a-rollin' rollin' on / Don't bother checking your GPS system girl / 'Cause I'm gone yeah."

Available, with extended clips, here.

Article Author: Jon Sobel

Jon Sobel is Co-Executive Editor of Blogcritics. As a writer he contributes most often to the Culture section, where he often reviews NYC theater; he also writes a semi-regular review round-up of independent music releases. …

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