Hello there.
This will be the first of (hopefully) a series of posts where I'll shine the light on some lesser known artists in the music industry. They could be upcoming musicians, or even those behind the glass panel, producing, songwriting etc. If you'd like me (or any other blogger here) to review a group, you can just comment in the cbox on the right and we'll try to do a post up as soon as we can.
This week's spotlight is on the indie band Saint Motel. This LA-based quartet consists of AJ Jackson on lead vocals and guitar, Aaron Sharp on lead guitar, Dak on bass and Greg Erwin on drums. I first heard of them when they performed on the Late Late Show, and I remember thinking that though it was not a fantastic performance, it was still a good performance and that song they played (My Type) was freaking catchy (Just a point to note: I tend to give such artists the benefit of the doubt because I can't remember any band/artist having their talk show performance be the best performance of their entire career). I decided to look them up and I don't regret my decision. Just a heads up: I'll only be referring to their current EP so if I make any generalised comments that doesn't really reflect the band, I'll edit it later on.
I feel like My Type is a good EP for the band because despite there being a number of similarities between tracks, it is just their sound and they're basically showcasing themselves (well, not that much of themselves since it's only 4 tracks long but it's still quite good).
One of my favourite tracks off the EP is the first track "My Type". It has this upbeat, cheeky vibe to it, which goes really well with the narrative of the song. It's basically about this persona picking up someone who's "just (his) type". The song really represents that typical confident guy who's quite the ladies' man (I suppose), but results unknown. This track reminds me of Mark Ronson, and I'm guessing it's because of the sax and the trumpets, but yes, it also has that funk and R&B feel that is similar to Uptown Funk. As someone who dances (I refuse to call myself a dancer), this song feels like a hoot to choreograph to as it is just one of those songs where you cannot not dance to. In the words of Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars, don't believe me? Just watch (listen).
Another track I must talk about is "Cold Cold Man". It also has this carefree vibe to it, and I feel like this is a continuation of "My Type", but now the persona is just assuring his partner that he/she is the one (well, it's the age of Tumblr, and since I don't know the sexual orientation of the songwriter/band members, why limit?). It really is a cute and happy song, especially since it's using a very common chord progression that is annoyingly happy that even I cannot help but just smile. I guess I'm also kind of partial to the song because the piano features quite heavily in this track.
I guess that's it for now. Do listen to the other two tracks "Ace in the Hole" and "Midnight Movies" as they are just as good as these two I've highlighted in their own right. If I were to be honest, I don't know how big these guys can be but I do hope that they'll make it big, and that I'll be hearing more from them.
Here's to hopefully hearing more from these boys in the future.
Dan out.
- Wednesday, July 15, 2015
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