Thursday, October 2, 2008

Review: Signal Hill Transmission "Starting Gun"


LA-based Signal Hill Transmission was formed in 2001 by Scott Warren and Scott Schoen. They recorded their first album, “Tomorrow, The Stars,” in the spring of 2005 and a second, “An Empty Space,” in early 2007. This year, they won a songwriting contest that landed them a recording contract with ATO Records.

This four song EP, “Starting Gun”, is the result. Recorded with producer Brad Wood (Liz Phair, Pete Yorn), these songs "aim" to please. The songs are pure pop rock bliss, recorded with perfection with ringing guitars, crisp drums, and thumping bass. The vocals are smooth and strong, just the tone you would expect for power pop.

"On and Off" is my favorite track, containing a big fat hook that instantly stakes a claim on your memory cells. "Pause, Then The Punchline" is another catchy rocker wiht some great backing vocals and a driving melody. There is a definite Meadows (Todd Herfindal) quality to these tunes, and for good reason: Scott Warren has penned some tunes with the Meadows. So if you dig The Meadows, Gin Blossoms, or Del Amitri, head over to Signal Hill Transmission's site now.

The EP is available in digital format only - check them out here.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2

Signal Hill Transmission on MySpace. Official site.

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