Wednesday, April 06, 2011

CD of the Day, 4/6/11: Cirrone-Uplands Park Road


In the 90s it was Oasis who took the sound of 60s and 70s rock of The Beatles, the Stones, The Who and others and brought it into the present day. In the 00s it was Jet who found success with this template. And now picking up the torch in the 10s is Italy's Cirrone (originally known as Apple Scruffs), a band of three brothers who are making the old sound new again in what's my favorite discovery of 2011 to date.

The lovely Beatlesque "Here is My Song" announces their arrival, while the title track mixes Oasis-style swagger and Big Star-like guitars and song structure. The quiet/loud dynamic of "I Still Remember" recalls Sloan, and "Let the Wind Blow" melds the McCartney of "Here, There & Everywhere" with the McCartney of "I've Got a Feeling". By about the fifth track rolls around, the Chiltonesque power poppin' "All I Know", you get the feeling these guys can do no wrong.

"Brand New Life" is another impressive piece of work, starting out as a pretty ballad that builds to a rocking 2-minute crescendo of guitar outro, something you don't hear a lot on power pop albums these days. "How Does it Feel?" is a piece of cheerful, "Good Day Sunshine"-styled pop with all the attendant bells and whistles, and "Your Eyes Are Wide Open" has that Lennon-by-way-of-Noel Gallagher feel.

The back half of the disc is no letdown, either, no mean feat in an age when so many discs peter out around this time. "Just Tell Me" is a moody, midtempo rocker that could be the best track on a lot of other albums, and the boys prove proficient at psych-pop with the trippy "You're Not Alone". "Here We Will Go" earns points for being different than the rest, an assertive rocker with some horn help, and "In the Sun" is a "Because"-styled ballad with ethereal harmonies. Again, there isn't anything here you haven't heard before in some form or another, but like the best power pop it makes it all seem fresh again. It'll be criminal if these guys don't find a wider audience like their forebears mentioned at the beginning of this review.

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow. Great find. This may be the best Badfinger album in about 35 years! Terrific stuff. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

This is a great site, discovered a lot of great music thanks to you!

Anonymous said...

Another great "find"- hard to believe these guys are from Italy!

Anonymous said...

I downloaded it... the best cd I've been hearing in the last ten years!!!
Where can I find a phisical copy of the album?

RobJamm said...

This album is really great!

Anonymous said...

When is the cd coming out?
I want the ahrd copy of this one!

ANTONIO MATRANGA said...

COMPLIMENTISSIMI CARISSIMI !!!!! YOU DESERVE TO BE KNOWN VERY WELL IN THE WORLD !!!!!

Dead Poet Society of One said...

Thanks for the tip. You didn't lie. Very impressive album and I love every track on it!

Anonymous said...

This is link to buy cd....
http://cirrone.bandcamp.com/album/uplands-park-road
I just buy it!!!!