Combining Latin rhythms, rock, folk and a bit of jazz, Common Ground is best taken in small doses to avoid the sense of sameness. The Spanish group boasts first-rate musicianship in Ismael Inarejos (vocals/guitar), Mercè Pastor (harmony vocals), David Lozano (guitar), Rodri Pizarro (drums) and Agustû Calomarde (bass), but the title is all too literal:…
A cliché: Music is an international language. Another cliché: Rock and roll is an international language. A fact: well-intended efforts at cross-cultural communication through rock and roll don’t always work. Barcelona, Spain’s Chest has managed to take rock and roll, add its own spin, and come up with exuberant music that defies nationalization, but it…
From the surging melodic attack of “Good Morning” to the Revolver-informed “Big Sea” to the modernized merseybeat of “Feelin’ Afraid” to the beautiful ’60s-styled “Falling I’m Falling,” All the Children Sing By… is a surprising power pop delight that could, if not for the clean, modern sound, easily masquerade as a lost Anglo-American Nuggets relic.…
In the ’60s, American garages were the breeding ground for countless aspiring bands. Inspired by a myriad of influences, encouraged by a “Hey! We can do that!” mentality and ready to have fun thrashing guitars, drums and the occasional keyboard, they created a musical movement, one whose legacy is raucously resumed by the Shake. The…
Vocalist Paul Smith, guitarist Duncan Lloyd, keyboardist Lukas Wooler, drummer Tom English, and bassist Archis Tiku formed Maximo Park in Newcastle in 2001, naming their group after a park in Havana where revolutionaries once gathered. If not pop rock revolutionaries, at least Maximo Park sounds different than a lot of the rank and file. In…
