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The Scene
Music notes
1/22/07
Peel
"Peel"
(Peak-A-Boo Industries)
Grade: B+
Sounds like: Fun fodder for a high school freshman's first dance party.
Peel's self-titled debut album (set to release April 2) is a quirky blast of fanfare, irony and great percussion. Dakota Smith, Allison Moore, Derrick Cheney, Christie Cahoon and Josh Permenter make up Peel's roster. They played their debut show in March 2005 when the band members were still teens. As it whirls along to a whimsical melody, "In the City" sounds like it came from the "That 70's Show" soundtrack. Other songs highlight guitarist Permenter's witty lyrics, like "Tight-rope walking next to freeways/This blue collar won't fall easily" in "Workers, Wake Up!" Dancing harmonies and electronic melodies grace tracks like "Bells."
Yes, four twenty-somethings can still get together and write a fun, intellectual pop-rock album. The three-minute pop song has come before and will come again, but in the meantime Peel is doing it well. Native to Austin, Texas, they couldn't ask for a better pedigree than the cradle of indie-pop. Peel is said to have struggled with ADD, bickering and just plain being young and really excited about a record deal. Sounds like sure-fire signs of a band that's about to get really popular, really fast.
Peel is a new must for any dance party playlist. This album begs to be played a second and third time, proving that Peel is right on track with a highly addictive, energetic and fun first album.
-HANNA GRENE
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
"Don't You Fake It"
(Virgin Records)
Grade: F
Sounds like: Standard punk/emocore in the same vein as Taking Back Sunday and Hawthorne Heights.
When Virgin Records executives signed Red Jumpsuit Apparatus to their label back in 2005, they knew exactly what they were doing: countless teens of the Hot Topic demographic would doubtlessly shell out their parents' cash for another Taking Back Sunday sound-alike.
"Peel"
(Peak-A-Boo Industries)
Grade: B+
Sounds like: Fun fodder for a high school freshman's first dance party.
Peel's self-titled debut album (set to release April 2) is a quirky blast of fanfare, irony and great percussion. Dakota Smith, Allison Moore, Derrick Cheney, Christie Cahoon and Josh Permenter make up Peel's roster. They played their debut show in March 2005 when the band members were still teens. As it whirls along to a whimsical melody, "In the City" sounds like it came from the "That 70's Show" soundtrack. Other songs highlight guitarist Permenter's witty lyrics, like "Tight-rope walking next to freeways/This blue collar won't fall easily" in "Workers, Wake Up!" Dancing harmonies and electronic melodies grace tracks like "Bells."
Yes, four twenty-somethings can still get together and write a fun, intellectual pop-rock album. The three-minute pop song has come before and will come again, but in the meantime Peel is doing it well. Native to Austin, Texas, they couldn't ask for a better pedigree than the cradle of indie-pop. Peel is said to have struggled with ADD, bickering and just plain being young and really excited about a record deal. Sounds like sure-fire signs of a band that's about to get really popular, really fast.
Peel is a new must for any dance party playlist. This album begs to be played a second and third time, proving that Peel is right on track with a highly addictive, energetic and fun first album.
-HANNA GRENE
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
"Don't You Fake It"
(Virgin Records)
Grade: F
Sounds like: Standard punk/emocore in the same vein as Taking Back Sunday and Hawthorne Heights.
When Virgin Records executives signed Red Jumpsuit Apparatus to their label back in 2005, they knew exactly what they were doing: countless teens of the Hot Topic demographic would doubtlessly shell out their parents' cash for another Taking Back Sunday sound-alike.
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