We got some rather fantastic review this week.. check 'em out!
The Northeast Performer (CD Review)
The woman in the striped shirt really wants to get into Room #12. She is pounding on the door, and if that is indeed Jen de la Osa of Aloud, then she had best be let in that room. Her voice on this record is strong enough to possibly bust through the three locks and the door-chains and whatever else may block her way. As part of the one-two vocal punch on Leave Your Light On, de la Osa cuts a strong presence on almost every track. She shares vocal duties with the similarly talented Henry Beguiristain, whose smoothly resonating voice is also capable of rising to powerful heights, despite his normal cruising altitude of calm.
Aloud is a band that is almost impenetrably complicated in its simplicity. They are a part of the new wave of bands that pray not at the altar of greasy garage noise but that of hooky melody. They may even be riding the leading edge, judging by the complete sound of Leave Your Light On.
All signs point to Aloud being a great band: their musical and vocal performances are top-notch and their songwriting skills. It is only after a few flashes of mighty brilliance does it become apparent that Aloud is on the fast track to totally finding themselves as a band. This is never more apparent than in "All I Can Do," a song that features both vocalists working together, building refrains, and finding all the right harmonies, seemingly on the fly. The first half of the track is pleasant enough, but Aloud hits paydirt at the midpoint and never looks back. With assets such as strong writing and equally strong voices, there is no reason to look back, but plenty of reason to keep a torch burning for Leave Your Light On. And open up the damned door, already. (Lemon Merchant)
-C.D. Di Guardia
The Noise (CD Review)
This one is a grower. The first listen left me rather indifferent, but listen number two got my attention, and I was hooked by listen number three. (Im on about number 99 now.) Speaking of hookstheyre all over the place on Leave Your Light On. Some of the tracks here rock, some are slow and poignant (and, yes, poppy), but every single one of them wormed its way into my skull and took up residence. The songs are written by singer/ guitarist Jen de la Osa and singer/ guitarist Henry Beguiristain, and whoever plays the leads has impeccable taste in which notes to play and which ones not to, but it is really the vocals that set this apart. Both Jen and Henry can hold their own, but when they sing together, the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. As the press kit says, they leave the garage rock in the garage, but I can still smell some motor oil on the floor in Can You Hear Me Now and Late Last Night. Album closer Godspeed is damn near perfect, aside from being too damned short.
Tim Emswiler
The Noise (Live Review)
Aloudmembers of whom have been present since the pub stage setstear up the remainder of the evening with more enthusiasm than the dwindling crowd can cumulatively muster. I know, I know, its a Tuesday... although as they win a few people over certainly someone will accidentally miss that last 69 bus to Harvard or Lechmere. Sans gimmicky uniforms for awhile nowapparently they made the band feel like they were showing up to work and not to rocktheir big, crunchy archtop guitars, tight drumming, and neat driving bass produce a sound not unlike comfort food, which Im starting to crave a little after all the Buds. During one of Henrys vocal parts, Jen steps aside from her mic and sings along, and dammit, she means every word nobody can hear. So do they allfrom back to back-leaning pick-me-up power playing to three part harmonies on two mics, they mean itthey really, really do, closing the night with a cover of Helter Skelter that just screams for high-fives all around.
John O'Hara
A great big cheers to all of them.
-Jen
Currently listening to:
The Graduate (1967 Film)
By Dave Grusin
The Northeast Performer (CD Review)
The woman in the striped shirt really wants to get into Room #12. She is pounding on the door, and if that is indeed Jen de la Osa of Aloud, then she had best be let in that room. Her voice on this record is strong enough to possibly bust through the three locks and the door-chains and whatever else may block her way. As part of the one-two vocal punch on Leave Your Light On, de la Osa cuts a strong presence on almost every track. She shares vocal duties with the similarly talented Henry Beguiristain, whose smoothly resonating voice is also capable of rising to powerful heights, despite his normal cruising altitude of calm.
Aloud is a band that is almost impenetrably complicated in its simplicity. They are a part of the new wave of bands that pray not at the altar of greasy garage noise but that of hooky melody. They may even be riding the leading edge, judging by the complete sound of Leave Your Light On.
All signs point to Aloud being a great band: their musical and vocal performances are top-notch and their songwriting skills. It is only after a few flashes of mighty brilliance does it become apparent that Aloud is on the fast track to totally finding themselves as a band. This is never more apparent than in "All I Can Do," a song that features both vocalists working together, building refrains, and finding all the right harmonies, seemingly on the fly. The first half of the track is pleasant enough, but Aloud hits paydirt at the midpoint and never looks back. With assets such as strong writing and equally strong voices, there is no reason to look back, but plenty of reason to keep a torch burning for Leave Your Light On. And open up the damned door, already. (Lemon Merchant)
-C.D. Di Guardia
The Noise (CD Review)
This one is a grower. The first listen left me rather indifferent, but listen number two got my attention, and I was hooked by listen number three. (Im on about number 99 now.) Speaking of hookstheyre all over the place on Leave Your Light On. Some of the tracks here rock, some are slow and poignant (and, yes, poppy), but every single one of them wormed its way into my skull and took up residence. The songs are written by singer/ guitarist Jen de la Osa and singer/ guitarist Henry Beguiristain, and whoever plays the leads has impeccable taste in which notes to play and which ones not to, but it is really the vocals that set this apart. Both Jen and Henry can hold their own, but when they sing together, the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. As the press kit says, they leave the garage rock in the garage, but I can still smell some motor oil on the floor in Can You Hear Me Now and Late Last Night. Album closer Godspeed is damn near perfect, aside from being too damned short.
Tim Emswiler
The Noise (Live Review)
Aloudmembers of whom have been present since the pub stage setstear up the remainder of the evening with more enthusiasm than the dwindling crowd can cumulatively muster. I know, I know, its a Tuesday... although as they win a few people over certainly someone will accidentally miss that last 69 bus to Harvard or Lechmere. Sans gimmicky uniforms for awhile nowapparently they made the band feel like they were showing up to work and not to rocktheir big, crunchy archtop guitars, tight drumming, and neat driving bass produce a sound not unlike comfort food, which Im starting to crave a little after all the Buds. During one of Henrys vocal parts, Jen steps aside from her mic and sings along, and dammit, she means every word nobody can hear. So do they allfrom back to back-leaning pick-me-up power playing to three part harmonies on two mics, they mean itthey really, really do, closing the night with a cover of Helter Skelter that just screams for high-fives all around.
John O'Hara
A great big cheers to all of them.
-Jen
Currently listening to:The Graduate (1967 Film)
By Dave Grusin
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