Union City @ The Mod Club

The last time that I saw Union City they were known as The Scene, and I was very impressed with their authentic Brit-Pop sound. Well, in a matter of only a few months, the band has changed their name, morphed from a four piece into a three piece and released an outstanding EP. But the sound that they have carefully honed has remained very much in tact.

Their show at The Mod Club on Saturday night was touted as their Toronto CD release show, although basically it was more of a warm up show for all those who came out to dance the night away afterwards. I was obviously one of the few who was there to actually see the band, but I wouldn't be surprised if their performance had won them a few more fans. Upon seeing them this time, as well as listening to the EP in heavy rotation this weekend, there's no doubt in my mind that the band has been feeding on a steady diet of all things musically British. They come across as a cool amalgamation of The Kinks and early Oasis, minus the 'tude. On some of the more slightly downbeat numbers, such as Nowhere Left To Hide, vocalist Matt Crowley's voice sounds eerily similar to Lee Mavers, the vocalist for The La's. This is awesome to me because The La's are one of those bands that I wish put out more stuff. The other two members of the band are Jason Wells on bass and Mark Chamberlain on drums.

Like last time, their set was relatively brief, consisting of only a handful of songs, but the energy was highly infectious. This was heightened by the fact that there was some sort of bridal party stagette thing going on at the venue, and seeing as the girls were definitely making their presence known, the band dedicated their set to them. Also like last time, the band pulled out their cover of The Beatles' She Said, She Said, and Mod Club founder and Platinum Blonde frontman Mark Holmes joined them onstage for the vocals. Like the show, the CD also blasts by, clocking in at a rapid fire 21 minutes, forcing repeated listenings. All the songs are great but I highly encourage listening to the album closer Paris on auto repeat. This song is an example of pure rock 'n roll. No gimmicks. No posing. No catering to the MTV crowd. Just pure, unadulterated, authentic, classic sounding rock 'n roll. I almost forgot what that sounded like.

I highly encourage picking up this CD when you get the chance. I know that it's available at their live shows. They'll be at The Moho in Peterborough on June 6th and the live lounge in Ottawa on June 13th.

Photos: Union City @ The Mod Club on flickr
Myspace: Union City

The Fratellis - Costello Music

I have to admit that when I first heard of an album called “Costello Music” by a band called The Fratellis, I thought that it was an album’s worth of Elvis Costello covers. Nothing could be further from the truth, because there is nothing even remotely prolific about this album which, of course, could not be stated about Mr. Costello’s catalogue. The album is a lot of fun, and it’s quite catchy, but overall it’s a little bit forgettable. It travels a territory very similar to the one that Jet had traveled a few years ago, to great success. A lot of the riffs you’ve heard before, but that’s not to say that there aren’t a few standouts. The lead-off single, “Flathead” has a slightly rockabilly rhythm section, and the songs’ hooks are definitely catching. I actually really like the song “Whistle For The Choir,” which is probably the lowest key song on the album but it has a terrific melody and takes me back to the early days of brit-pop. “For The Girl” is another happy-go-lucky kind of 60’s style rock song with lots and lots of handclaps and “la-la-la’s!” It’s also a lot of fun. The CD has sold really well in the U.K. and it will likely do the same here, but for me, I don’t think it’s an album that I’ll be pulling out on a regular basis. It probably translates very well to the live stage, and the individual songs will likely sound better when listening to my music on shuffle, where it’ll be interspersed between other songs by other artists.

Listen to their music on myspace and purchase the CD at their online shop.