Pretendo: ]{
Pretentious over the top indie tripe is the first impression of this lot. Songs range from the alright to the downright bloody awful. Cheesy guitars & drums, lame lyrics and weak signing abound. Check out "Lee" for proof of this. Obviously there is a market for this sort of stuff or no one would release it. I am happy I never have to hear it again, quite frankly. I have to say it's rare I have a visceral reaction to anything like this. Ugh, please get it off the CD player now. Obviously the college indie scene will love this...but no one else.
Sleddogs: Take Me Away
Lead singer sounds like a combo of Scott Snapp and the bloke from Barenaked Ladies... however there is something deeper going on here. I was quite impressed by how much this CD grew on me. After repeated listens I started to appreciate the depth and quality on here. I have to say "Medicine Man" was the first to really grab ahold; quickly followed by the excellent "Take Me Away".
This CD does not jump out at the listener first time round; but rewards repeated listens quite a bit. And how can you possibly like the laid -back louche of "Sweet Lorraine". I bet this track is cracking live. Its not that often one finds a grower like this one. I am glad I gave it a chance and I think you will be too.
Tempestt: Bring Em' On
This lot obviously admire Dream Theater in spades. That is not a bad thing at all; when they manage to do the genre this well. The fact they have roped in Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey et al) to lend a hand on a track speaks oodles about the quality of this lot. "Insanity Desire" with its power prog styling and JSS' backing vocals really works. The name might seem a bit daft at first and ripe for misspelling, but don't let that put you off.
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