Quick Hitters:: Bravestation

You know who gets the shaft as far as musical comparisons are concerned? Fall, that's who. I mean consider summer - and this one that's just past is a particularly good example - but there's no end of blog posts and other articles touting this song or that band as the best summer listening you can find. Spring and Winter, whilst not in summer's league, do all right themselves in this respect, but mentions of sounds perfect for fall are few & far between. Well let me remedy that with the help of Toronto's Bravestation and their dark, melodic rock.

I'm not exactly sure why I was compelled to check out Bravestation's songs after we were contacted by them, but I think there was something about the "fresh, catchy, dark" descriptor in the subject line of their email that seemed right for this time of year. And, thankfully I was right, because as it turns out, the tight grooves on Bravestation's self-titled, seven song debut EP are the perfect companion for the increasingly crisp fall winds that are starting to pick up here in Halifax. I say that now, but I on first listen I wasn't so sure that the band's sound, which hearkens back to what feels a lot of the time like 80's brit post-punk, was for me - but gotdamn these songs are catchy. A couple times through the EP, and I was hooked.

Tight guitars and propulsive drumming set the pace on EP opener Southern Company, which also switches tempos with aplomb and is likely the most post-punkish of this collection. Roaming Through The Capital, on the other hand, while still being plenty peppy, relies on more broad guitar work and Derek Wilson's solid vocal work to suck you in. The bouncy bassline, subtle handclaps and addictive swagger of the hook on Everglades make it another winner, while the fuzzed-out guitar goodness should appeal to the indie rocker in you no matter what your specific taste.

In all probability, I'm not doing these young fellas much justice in describing their sound, but they've got what many of us oldsters are claiming to desire - a great sounding rock record that only improves with each listen. So go ahead and listen for yourself.

MP3:: Bravestation - Roaming Through the Capital
MYSPACE:: www.myspace.com/bravestation

Labels: Bravestation, Quick Hitters, Toronto