CD Review: The EP Edition (Volume 1)

Jesse Smits – The Simple Things

Days Before Tomorrow – Days Before Tomorrow

Saro Tribastone – Fanusa

Lost Armada – Empty Houses

By Ara Ajizian

Since beginning these CD reviews some months ago, I've received many of your discs. To date, I've focused on reviewing full-length albums, as they make for a more robust review than an EP or sampler. So, for what it's worth, if you submit a full-length album, it's more likely to get reviewed. While we're on the subject, there are a few more criteria that I look for in choosing a CD to review. Let me give you the rundown. . .

1. Production value: For me to review a CD, it must sound like a professional recording. This doesn't mean you had to have spent thousands of dollars in a fancy studio—even home recordings these days can sound great. But it should be a "final" version of your music that's been properly mixed and mastered, not demo-quality.

2. Packaging and presentation: CD-Rs with printed, stick-on labels need not apply. The goal of me reviewing your disc is to help promote your band, and hopefully generate some sales for you. Your CD should be available for sale and should be packaged accordingly.

3. CD vs. MP3: With digital distribution on the up and up, it's not uncommon for bands to only have their music available in this format. For review purposes, however, you should have a physical CD that you can provide. So downloadable albums, at this point, won't get reviewed.

So there you have it. I think these are pretty standard requirements, so if your CD fits them, by all means send it out to me and I'll get it in the queue for review!

Now, onto the review, or reviews as the case may be this time around. As I said earlier I've focused on full-length albums, but I have received a few EPs and samplers. I've gathered four of them here to review.

Jesse Smits – The Simple Things

At 17-years-old, Jesse Smits has a ton of promise, as this four-song set highlights his mature songwriting, melodic guitar playing, and burgeoning voice.

The tracks on The Simple Things feature only guitar, bass, and vocals, and while this allows Smits' instrumentation and vocal work to stand out, I couldn't help but feel that the songs would have benefited from some drums, or at least a bit of percussion in the mix. Jesse's guitar playing throughout is fantastic, particularly the blazing, soulful leads on "All That You've Got" and "The Loneliest Road."

Lyrically Smits is on the right path. His songs aren't what you might expect from someone of his age…they focus on deeper themes like appreciating all life has to offer, dedicated love, and rebounding from pain and adversity. I know when I was 17, I wasn't too interested in stopping to smell the roses…I preferred driving over them at 80mph in my oversized pick-up truck!

Given the musical and lyrical maturity demonstrated on The Simple Things, I'm sure Jesse Smits is going to be a name we'll be hearing about before long.

Check out Jesse Smits on the web at http://www.jessesmits.com.

Days Before Tomorrow – Days Before Tomorrow

Maybe I'm just too old-school, but for me, synthesizers and rock bands rarely mix. Maybe it just reminds me of some of those awful bands from the '80s that I was witness to as a kid during the early years of MTV. However, not every rock band that uses synths is a dud, provided they use them tastefully. Days Before Tomorrow has found the right balance (for my ears, anyway).

What they deliver are hooky rock numbers with ambient synth lines and big guitars, injected with the influence of non-sucky '80s bands. Vocalist Eric Klein fits the mix perfectly with his passionate singing…he reminds me a little of Incubus' Brandon Boyd at times, who is one of my favorites. Scott Kahn and Matt Rifino, who respectively produced and mixed the album, did a superb job of balancing all the instrumental elements with Klein's delivery.

Although there are times when I wish the synths weren't so prevalent, it's a strong three-song effort, and I hope when Days Before Tomorrow finish their full-length album they send me a copy for review.

Check out Days Before Tomorrow on the web at http://www.daysbeforetomorrow.com and http://www.myspace.com/daysbeforetomorrow.

Saro Tribastone – Fanusa

Man, I love me some good Latin music. All the cool percussion, the hip-shaking beats, the smooth flamenco guitar lines. Fanusa has it all! I'm not a dancer by any stretch of the imagination, but the opening title track sure made me want to grab my girl and twirl her around like I was!

The second track, "Serenade," is a soft, sweet ballad featuring a great tabla performance by Fulvio Farkas and subtle bass work by Francesco D'Amico backing Tribastone's emotional guitar playing. "Danza de la Luna Nueva" picks up the pace again with dual guitar tracks from Tribastone. The closer is a more subdued, acoustic mix of "Fanusa."

The musicianship throughout this disc is, in a word, outstanding. Saro Tribastone's flamenco guitar playing is full of passion, and the other players he employs on these four tracks are of the same caliber. Highly recommended!

Check out Saro Tribastone on the web at http://www.sarotribastone.com and http://www.myspace.com/sarotribastone.

Lost Armada – Empty Houses

Good straight-up guitar rock here! "When the Backdrop Falls" starts things off with a riff "borrowed from The Clash" according to the liner notes, though I can't tell if it's from a specific song or just very Clash-esque. Either way, it rocks.

Empty Houses covers a lot of ground over the course of its five songs. The band's influences are apparent (The Clash, Springsteen, Neil Young, Drive-By Truckers) without sounding like copycats. I've said in other reviews that this is something I really respect. We're all the products of the music we love, but creating songs of our own without sounding like imitators can be difficult.

The highlight of the album for me is "Raton." Based around a sweet, melodic acoustic guitar line and a shuffle on the snare drum, the song fills out nicely with singer Kyle Casey's soft vocal line and the surrounding electric guitar leads.

Lost Armada shows a great deal of potential on this five-song disc. Whether they're firing on all cylinders on rockers like "When the Backdrop Falls" and "Empty Houses," or delving into classic country on "Feel Nothing Soon," the band performs strongly across the board, and clearly has all the elements needed to be a success.

Check out Lost Armada on the web at http://www.myspace.com/lostarmada.