As noted in a previous post, I purchased Parasol‘s Sweet Sixteen, Volume 7 promo album last time I was in Champaign. I’ve been listening to it for a couple of days now.
It’s all good stuff, as one might expect from a “samples from our labels” disc, but there are a few standouts:
- Strange Living—Menthol
- Hypnotic and catchy. It’s got a simple, unwavering beat up until the end of the song, with effects that sound like those made by UFOs in old B-grade movies. It produces an eerie feeling that helps the song live up to its title.
- Snobs & Slobs—The Like Young
- It’s a little bit like Weezer meets Franz Ferdinand. The vocals wail à la Rivers Cuomo with sharp, percussive guitar riffs like those in The Dark of the Matinée.
- The Break (It’s Been There All This Time)—Absinthe Blind
- Like a lot of the other material from Rings, this vocals and effects on this track are a little bit ethereal. Combined with the lyrics, you can close your eyes and feel yourself drifting away and making a break…
- Wide Eyed Fools—Bettie Serveert
- It’s a little bit abrasive, it’s a little bit sweet. Not a girl, not a grrrl, but somewhere in between.
- Walking On Air—Mark Bacino
- It’s cheesy, it’s got nice vocal harmonies, it sounds like something your buddy would play on the acoustic guitar that happens to be sitting near the couch at a party. What’s not to like?