Starling
Electric- Clouded Staircase (Bar-none.com)
Starling Electric's subterranean grooves
and colorful drones are impressive and unlimited.
The sound doesn’t wear thin, or become
cumbersome ,and the listener benefits from
the strong material. This is the type of album
where you’ll look forward to the next
song, after enjoying what’s come before.
Starling Electric has a traditional sense
of rock craft, combined with a late 60’s
Pink Floyd/ Spooky Tooth vibe, and youthful
spunk. Good-natured, tortured/romantic lyrics
with a distinctive style. The songs and lyrics
contain a translucent elegance that resembles
the Velvet Underground at their most restrained.
This neo-psychedelic band shares its nostalgic,
instrumental colors, but definitely is on
a plateau of it’s own. Noting self-indulgent,
just quality and quantity. - Phil Rainone
The
Mint Chicks- Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! (Flying
Nun Records)
Ok, Imagine if you will, your parents aren’t
home, you’re down in basement with your
band practicing and your older sister and
her hot girlfriends are upstairs in her room.
You want to try to impress the hell out of
them so you start riffing - playing some of
you best original songs like “This is
Your last Chance to be Famous, My Love,”
or “Welcome to Nowhere.“ Then,
when you think you have their attention, and
you really what to impress them enough to
actually come down to the basement to watch
your trio rock out, you play your catchiest,
punk rocker, “Real Friends.” All
of a sudden that babes are out on the carpet
moshing and yes, crowd surfing (hey your sister
is a hottie and has a gazillion g/f’s)!
So, now comes the moment of truth: Do you
play another original, or do you go for the
cover tune that they all know? The three of
you look at each other for a moment, than
that knowing look comes across each other’s
faces. You’re each thinking you’ve
got these babes in the palm of your hand and
you know that they want you - yeah, you sis’s
b/f’s, those hotties with the bodies,
are ready!
Then you count off, “One, Two, Three,
Four” (in perfect Dee Dee Ramone tradition)!!
The three of you know just where to go, blasting
into “Funeral Day,” The other
two follow, hitting that perfect punk rock
chord, all of you giving it all you’ve
got, creating an energetic slice of simple,
raunchous rock ‘n’ roll!
After one minute and fifty-five seconds of
pure punk bliss, you all open your eyes, breathing
heavy from the adrenaline rush looking around
for the hunnies that were moshing and crowd
surfing. GONE! All of them disappeared! Went
back up to your sisters room, closed the door,
lock it, and went back to listening to their
Dashboard Confessional CD’s.
Right then and there, all three of you realized,
you new album, “Crazy? Yes! Dumb?No!"
was going to be a smash! - Phil Rainone
CD Reviews 
