Neah Lee – The EP

9.0/10 | Download CD

When I was first given the opportunity to review Neah Lee’s new EP I was optimistic.  When I actually got the chance to sit down and listen to Neah Lee’s new EP, I was in love.  Neah Lee’s hypnotic voice carries listeners off into another plane of existence.  I could imagine myself sitting alone in my room with this EP and feeling at peace with everything…her words and music are just that moving.  Although it’s only 5 tracks (4 tracks and 1 hidden bonus track), the EP, mixed and mastered by Robin Lai, is still chock full of substance.

Sagaran Night

July 17th at Fontana’s, NYC was Sagaran Night aka Indie Day Music Festival Part 2. Sponsored by Ugnayan, proceeds from ticket and merchandise sales went to help fund their participation in “DALUYONG: Surging to Confront the Crisis of Our Times,” the National Filipino American Youth Consultation in Los Angeles, CA which took place on the weekend of July 24-26, 2009. The lineup featured such bands as: Ave, Bleud, Urban Echo, Kilusan1898, Glass Rats, The Kuwagos, The Happy Analogues and Qwadra.

Versus In The Open

Photo courtesy of Feliza Mirasol.

What could be better than a nice summer night at the South Street Seaport with a cold one in hand and a free Versus performance?  After experiencing it myself, I can honestly say, not much!  All summer long, the Seaport Music Festival, presented by the River to River Festival, is featuring various bands in an open-air setting…for free.  That night, Friday, July 17^th Versus opened for Super Chunk, an indie rock band hailing from North Carolina.

+/- and Versus @ The Mercury Lounge

Versus

On June 18^th +/- {Plus/Minus} kicked off their European tour with a show at New York’s Mercury Lounge along with bands Mascott, Gramercy Arms and Versus. When I first heard that Versus and +/- were performing, I had to go because as far as the American indie rock scene goes, they’re kind of a big deal. So big in fact that apparently neither rain nor the gig being on a Thursday night deterred fans from showing up either, because the house was packed! Fans literally came from all around. I met some guys at the sales table that drove in all the way from Rhode Island just to see the bands, caught them in Boston a few weeks ago and spent about $60 easily on vinyl…talk about devotion!

The Happy Analogues: School Tales

8.0 out of 10 | iTunes | Buy CD

With their first album release only a few years ago, The Happy Analogues have done it again, taking fans back to school with their follow up double album, “School Tales” which as the band describes is “a collection of songs celebrating school life in the Philippines.”  Even though I’ve never been to school in the Philippines, there are still similar themes we can all relate to – puppy love, youthful shenanigans, homework and the sadness that comes when it’s all over.  If one were to compare THA to the Beatles, one of their stated influences, then certainly the first album is like the mop top band of the early 60s and the second album is like their sound later in the same decade, demonstrating a definite progression with expansion and experimentation of different musical styles.