Steve Brown is an underdog in the modern pop rock world. He’s been pumping out catchy guitar riffs since his stint as guitarist in the early 90s hairband Trixter. After 'giving it to us good', he impressed us all with his musical makeover in the band 40 Ft. Ringo, in which he served as the primary songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist. 40 Ft. Ringo was a terrific reinvention: still present were the arena rock choruses, but they were placed in the context of music that sounded very modern, along the lines of Marvelous 3, American Hi-Fi, or SR-71. Steve Brown continues to evolve with his new band, Stereo Fallout.“The Other Side” (2007) almost feels like the next record 40 Ft. Ringo would have released, but I think it is even more melodic and contemporary sounding. From start to finish, nearly every track is upbeat, catchy, and fun…making me long for the days when feel good rock like this dominating the airwaves (check out Steve's own homage to this on the track "Back in the Day"). Steve has kept the philosophy of Trixter, but has dramatically updated the sound and style of the music delivering that message. It is a very similar trajectory that Butch Walker has also taken (who used to be in Southgang, remember? "Tainted Angel"? Anyone?).
There are more hooks on this record than in a tackle box and the production is top notch throughout. Hardly a dud in the bunch, but my favs include "End of the Girl", "Stop Calling Me", "Brand New Me," and what I gather is a song for his daughter, "Everything I Have To Give".
iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
Stereo Fallout on MySpace. Official Site.
No comments:
Post a Comment