Reviews:: Falklands S/T 7"

I don't really have a set method for deciding what I post about on herohill. I have a couple review stacks that I organize in order of interest, countless emails with stars beside them, some playlists with the bands I want to talk about, and the best of intentions, but when you get flooded with emails on a daily basis, it's hard to prioritize and give each record enough time to really sink in.

Case in point, I was all set to start banging out my thoughts on EP Island - a new project ft members of Portico (!!) and Down the Lees (!!) - when I made the mistake of clicking on an email from one of the guys in the Edmonton quartet, Falklands and listening to the lead single from their new 7".

Once the crunch of some delightful mod-ish guitar exploded out of my speakers, I was hooked. The lead single, Stephanie reminds me of the songs that made Chisel so fantastic - I know all you Ted Leo fans have liked him long enough to remember that band - heavy on punch, melody and blissful, teenage style love sickness. The riff is a head nodder and even the heavy guitar work that shreds through the last minute and a half seems natural and gets you giving that guitar face even if you are rocking out alone.

The band shows a more diversity on the b-side, hitting the listener with the more soulful Jeez Louise. The 50's rock vibe is bolstered by surprising horn work. The crunch is still there, as are the nice drum fills, but its the blasts of horns that really grabs you and shows this band could grow into something special. This seven minutes is the type you just leave on repeat - my play count seems to prove that - and if they can come close to replicating this excitement on a full length, well, look out.

MP3:: Falklands - Stephanie
MYSPACE:: http://www.myspace.com/thefalklands
BUY:: http://falklands.ca/

Labels: Edmonton, Falklands, Music, Reviews