Mike Sands - Shot of Reality

2014 – n/a

By Phillip Smith; June 27, 2015

Songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Mike Sands dishes out lush positively-charged servings of power pop on his album, Shot of Reality.  This is the kind of music one can just settle in for a nice listen with.  Sands is joined by Paul Avgerinos for backing vocals and performances on all other instruments.

It’s easy to get lost in “The Wait is Over”.  The poppy rhythm and relaxed vocals are reminiscent of Matthew Sweet.  Full of catchy riffs and inspirational lyrics about starting over, “Wander No More” reminds me a lot of REM, one of my all-time favorite bands.  It’s no doubt I was instantly drawn in from the first listen. Another fantastic song with that REM texture is the twangy “Closet of Skeletons”.  Smooth harmonies and the infectious melody make this one a damn cool tune.  Sands delivers the goods again on “Love Letters”, a poetically soulful ballad about an empty relationship.  This is still swimming in my head.

Shot of Reality has a certain raw charm about it, reminiscent of the great garage bands of the Sixties.   The songwriting is reflective of real life and the music is tight and solid.

http://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/

  

For more information on Mike Sands, visit his website http://www.mikesandsmusic.com/

Alejandra O'Leary and the Champions of the West - Heartspace Timepiece

2014 – Sheepdog Sheethog Music

By Phillip Smith; Feb 14, 2015

It just takes one listen to Heartspace Timepiece from Alejandra O’Leary and the Champions of the West, to acknowledge it as a beautiful masterpiece.  This indie rock band based in Michigan and North Carolina, craft and perform amazingly lush pop music with outstanding vocals and deep lyrics.   

The spacy and futuristic, “Now Now” reminds me a lot of synth-pop band, Missing Persons.  Echo-filled vocals, and attention-grabbing guitar licks make this one a great track to open up with.  O’leary’s angelic voice flawlessly flows through the folksy “Skin to Skin”, with the softness of Juliana Hatfield. “New Low” is the song most likely to get stuck in my head.  This deliciously poppy song ironically tells the tale of an unraveling relationship. 

The Champions of the West definitely come from a space heavily influenced by bands like the Strokes. This adds a nice substantial and meaty texture to tracks “Positive Drag”, “Talk Me Down”, and personal favorite, “Mine That Groove”.

O’Leary nails this one down, as there are no skip-overs on this album.  Each of the nine songs on Heartspace Timepiece is definitely a ‘keeper’.       

http://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/