Category: Reviews

Posted on

Full Body Anchor – The Restless EP (2011)


Full Body Anchor
The Restless EP
2011

Everyone is all worked up right now because Foo Fighters finally stopped wallowing in mediocrity and put out a great hard-hitting record. If the song “1 in 150” was on that record, it would be one of the standout tracks. But, hey, it’s not. It’s on Full Body Anchor’s The Restless EP.

“1 in 150” is the kind of song Full Body Anchor does so well. It is aggressively catchy. It will hunt you down and make its presence know. It is determined. It does not come in peace, but it means no harm. It’s doing all of this for you own good. You need this song, and it knows it.

Don’t let your guard down for the next three tracks, either. “Offering”, “Sound Searching” and “Overload” are full of intensity. They will exploit your weaknesses. One thing Full Body Anchor is not is meek.

The Restless EP closes with “Dead Inside”. Rice Edmonston’s vocals are riveting as they soar above the beautiful racket. Let it ring out. Amazing.

Where to get it:

Posted on

The Rationales – The Going And The Gone (2008)

The Rationales - The Going And The Gone (2008)

The Rationales
The Going And The Gone
2008

The Rationales have a new CD coming out next week. In anticipation, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at their debut EP, The Going And The Gone.

The majority of these six collected songs are a pleasant mix of Wilco, Tom Petty and Big Star. It’s a sound they do well. “On The Vine” is a fine example, with its layers of acoustic and electric guitars, organ and harmony vocals. There’s a hooky chorus with just enough grit to drive the song along. The delicate closer, “Ruby Colored Halo”, features some beautiful pedal steel work.

The standout tracks on this EP are the ones that don’t fit the mold. “No Guarantees” is an infectious power pop song with fantastic vocal harmonies. It’s the kind of song the repeat button was made for. The Rationales also deliver a near perfect retro pop number in “Far Away.” If you’re a fan of the work Paula Kelley was doing with her band Boy Wonder at the end of their run, you owe it to yourself to check out this song. While the whole CD sounds very good (kudos to Ed Valauskas, Joe Tooley, Darren Burke, and Nick Zampiello for their work), “Far Away” sounds flawless.

The Going And The Gone was a very promising debut. Have The Rationales continued to effectively mix up their roots rock and pop on their new record? We’ll find out soon enough.

Full Disclosure: The design work for The Going And The Gone was done by the lovely and talented Nicole Anguish of Daykamp Creative. That doesn’t make “No Guarantees” or “Far Away” any less addictive. Just letting you know.

Where to get it: