Imagine my surprise when I found a couple of my favorite Austin bands represented at the local record shop. I usually have to wait for my annual trip home to stock up.
I'm sure most of you remember Fastball coming from nowhere a couple of years ago. Well, with fame usually comes a sophomore album. The good news is that this band had been around awhile and made a few albums before the hit big. The latest album, The Harsh Light of Day, seems to confirm that their breakthrough effort wasn't out of their normal character. This album is quite diverse. Fastball is very distinctive but two songs rarely sound the same. Production wise this album is crisp with a precise soundstage. I like hearing fingers slide up and down the neck of a guitar.
Vallejo's Into the New is another in what is a long line of excellent efforts. Vallejo is one of those bands that is always on the edge of going huge. The result is a band whose sound hasn't been comprimised in order to make sales. For those who haven't heard Vallejo, I could best describe their sound as 'latino-grunge-funk'. their music has that unmistakable base-latin rhythm except with very mainstream lead guitar.
This album could have been better produced. I find no fault with the vocal, lead guitar, or rhythm tracks. I can say that the bass tracks are easily some of the lowest I've heard. Into the New falls short with drums and cymbals. This is common problem with rock. Rarely does a rock album come across my system with 5 stars. If you're a bass freak, Vallejo is for you.
I've got my eyes on a couple of others. I may go a little more mainstream with a couple of my new purchases (I do have a wife).
Ken
I'm sure most of you remember Fastball coming from nowhere a couple of years ago. Well, with fame usually comes a sophomore album. The good news is that this band had been around awhile and made a few albums before the hit big. The latest album, The Harsh Light of Day, seems to confirm that their breakthrough effort wasn't out of their normal character. This album is quite diverse. Fastball is very distinctive but two songs rarely sound the same. Production wise this album is crisp with a precise soundstage. I like hearing fingers slide up and down the neck of a guitar.
Vallejo's Into the New is another in what is a long line of excellent efforts. Vallejo is one of those bands that is always on the edge of going huge. The result is a band whose sound hasn't been comprimised in order to make sales. For those who haven't heard Vallejo, I could best describe their sound as 'latino-grunge-funk'. their music has that unmistakable base-latin rhythm except with very mainstream lead guitar.
This album could have been better produced. I find no fault with the vocal, lead guitar, or rhythm tracks. I can say that the bass tracks are easily some of the lowest I've heard. Into the New falls short with drums and cymbals. This is common problem with rock. Rarely does a rock album come across my system with 5 stars. If you're a bass freak, Vallejo is for you.
I've got my eyes on a couple of others. I may go a little more mainstream with a couple of my new purchases (I do have a wife).
Ken
