First You Get The Sugar: Apparently, the '70's are alive and well and living somewhere in Montreal. The debut album from First You Get The Sugar has all the musical adventure and excitement of a '70's Gold infomercial. To their credit, they actually have more of an authentic 1970's sound than Seals and Crofts. I can completely understand the idea of capturing a retro vibe, or exploiting various influences of the past, but who wants to hear music nowadays that sounds like fucking Donna Summer?
Read my full review: FirstYouGetTheSugar Review
Fa Fa Fa - What Made These Holes and Rents: While we have one band forging their sound based on the most mainstream of sounds from music's worst decade, we have Reno Nevada's Fa Fa Fa taking influence from the 80's, but using sounds borrowed from some great non-mainstream scenes. Imagine the artistic ambition of Roxy Music, the deep grooves of the Talking Heads, the bleakness of The Cure, all with the amps cranked up to 11. These guys make a science of balancing delicate harmony and solid rhythms, with plenty of noise and feedback, all with lots of carefully placed ambience. Their influences are obvious, but they made one kick ass record. One of my favourites of the year.
Read my full review: FaFaFa Review
