Welcome to the debut of Beat Blvd., Heard Mentality's new weekly
review of local releases. If you're an OC musician or band with something new
to offer–vinyl single, full length album, CD, cassette–we want to hear
from you! Send copies, along with any photos and PR material, to Beat
Blvd., c/o OC Weekly, 2975 Red Hill Ave., Suite 150, Costa Mesa, CA 92626.
Free Lions
Free Lions EP
http://www.myspace.com/freelions
Huntington Beach sextet Free Lions are out for a bit of melodrama
on their self-titled debut–and this is not a complaint. Any number of
recent bands across the country have aimed for the suddenly epic in recent
years, and it's been a nice contrast to all the politely scrubbed demi-power
pop that gets labelled “indie rock” a lot of the time.
]
Free Lions look for
this as well, so this five-song release is less strikingly new than it
is a
good starting point. It's well-recorded and performed throughout. The band's
ace in the hole might be a sense of restraint as needed, with opening
song
“It's OK” beginning with a measured atmosphere in music and singing
that
could almost be a lost song by underrated Seattle legends the
Walkabouts.
Pianist Emily (first name only, like the rest of the band) often
provides
the core of each song's performance, shifting on a dime from gentle
vocal-only accompaniment to full-band pounding on “Never Go Shopping,”
while
the blend of singers Shayne and Jocelyn's voices, while working well
enough
on the louder moments, feels all the stronger when the band strips down
the performance to a close, intimate level. (Also, nice touch on the
concluding “Georgia” by having the classic Ronettes “Be My Baby” drumbeat appear midway through the song instead
of starting it.)
