Release Info

Name: 

Kirby

Year: 

2009

Artist(s): 

Andy!!

Label: 

Unsigned

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Downloadable on MySpace

Andy!! is a three piece, straight-ahead punk-rock outfit in the vein of early Lawrence Arms meets Off With Their Heads meets a dash of Two Cow Garage.  What stands out about this combination of bands is their overtly strained vocals, and just as with these bands, I find it to be a little too unnatural at times while fitting perfectly at other times.  I would suggest that the singer, John Hoffman, consider “singing” a little less strained.  Don’t change it completely; just take a little off the top so-to-speak. 

The songs are very well put constructed.  Hooks are abound and singing along is almost a reflex after a few listens.  Recording quality is a little low but hey, this is punk rock!  The guitar and bass tones are very fitting of this style and the percussion has a nice variance from the 4/4 norm.  To comment further on tone, I particularly like the guitar sound on this recording.  It is a nice blend of distortion and clean tones that allow it to stand out as a unique sound.  For a young group of musicians, this is a pretty tight group.  As with anything, I think a little more time together could yield a much better product in the future. 

My favorite track is Fine All The Time.  This song highlights some of what I really like about this band.  The melody is there and the vocals help lend a hand to the listener to find that melody a lot easier than on some of the other songs.  Don’t just listen to this song, though.  There is no excuse not to listen to this from beginning to end as it is up for download on the band’s MySpace page for FREE! 

http://www.myspace.com/weareandy

All in all, I give this EP a B-.  It is definitely above average in the vast pool of Cincinnati punk bands but not by much.  Potential is abound and I look forward to hearing this band progress into the future. 

The Dopamines  


  


Local Cincinnati pop-punk superstars, The Dopamines, are back with their third official release.  Soap and Lampshades is a six-song EP released on Cold Feet Records through digital distribution on February 10, 2009 and will see a vinyl release sometime in mid-March.

Kevin and the Octaves is not your average band. Check out what scene mainstays formerly of The Scrubs, Curbsquirrels, and ArcArsenal delivered with their first album, the appropriately titled Hang Your Stocking, Start the Rocking, a 12 track album filled with Christmas classics.

Read the press release from Cincinnati.com, pumping up CIN Weekly's new "Make the Charts" online band competition.

It is a good chance for local bands to get their music heard from people all over the region. 

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