I finally made it to an entire appearance by The Snoods last night. Every time I've seen them I either had to leave early, or got there late. But my friend Beth and I made it to Starbucks for their acoustic set early, and stay the whole way through, yay!
You may recall I reviewed the debut CD by The Snoods in April, and I've been a fan of the band for a while now. Here's my problem: on disc, they rock. The songs are hooky, the playing is tight and while the vocals are a little weak, they are quite serviceable. I really do love the album!
But live? They really could work on stage presence. I was easily distracted, and could barely hear the vocals or the weak attempts at patter between songs. I don't get a youthful energy from them, which I would expect from guys still in high school. Maybe I'm expecting too much from a group of teenage boys, I just hoped for more. Maybe the regular, non-acoustic sets are better? I'm really hoping to check out one of those sets soon. I still love the songs, so all is not lost.
The Snoods is available via iTunes and other download sites now.
Showing posts with label The Snoods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Snoods. Show all posts
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Review: The Snoods - "The Snoods"
The Snoods are a local band of high school students from Harrisburg, PA with surprisingly sharp songwriting skills and a small but loyal following. I'd like to be able remove the word "small" from that sentence, because these guys are worthy of a much larger audience. The just started selling their first, self titled, CD. It really is the best rock album I've bought so far this year.
In some of the songs you can clearly hear some of the influences listed on their MySpace, like Led Zepplin and The White Stripes, like the opening of "Harrouka-Fula Part 2 Dynamizer" mimicking the opening of "Seven Nation Army" and an oddly Blue Oyster Cult vibe on others. But what you should be noticing instead is the lyrics: "Talk to me, dictate all my morals/What am I to wear today/What color on my face?" is the cry of a young man easily influenced by his friends or a girl. On "Young Turks Do Mando Jams" the chorus "If it wasn't for this knowledge fruit/in the center of my poison shed/I may as well be stranded/I may as well not see a light again" turns the Garden of Eden story on it's side.
It's not just the songwriting that is to be applauded, but the clever use of unusual instruments, like the mandolin on several tracks, as well as just plain playing good songs well. Acoustic tracks leave less room for error but that doesn't stop The Snoods from giving us ones like "Oh! Sun" one of the best acoustic rock songs I've heard in a while.
Only one caveat, sometimes the vocals could be stronger, they can be a little generic. But they never resort to emo whining or metal screaming, which would have been a real shame. Chris and Zack may not have voices like rock gods Freddie Mercury or Steven Tyler, but they have a honest quality that I enjoyed.
If you can get a hold of a copy, I really do recommend "The Snoods."
In some of the songs you can clearly hear some of the influences listed on their MySpace, like Led Zepplin and The White Stripes, like the opening of "Harrouka-Fula Part 2 Dynamizer" mimicking the opening of "Seven Nation Army" and an oddly Blue Oyster Cult vibe on others. But what you should be noticing instead is the lyrics: "Talk to me, dictate all my morals/What am I to wear today/What color on my face?" is the cry of a young man easily influenced by his friends or a girl. On "Young Turks Do Mando Jams" the chorus "If it wasn't for this knowledge fruit/in the center of my poison shed/I may as well be stranded/I may as well not see a light again" turns the Garden of Eden story on it's side.
It's not just the songwriting that is to be applauded, but the clever use of unusual instruments, like the mandolin on several tracks, as well as just plain playing good songs well. Acoustic tracks leave less room for error but that doesn't stop The Snoods from giving us ones like "Oh! Sun" one of the best acoustic rock songs I've heard in a while.
Only one caveat, sometimes the vocals could be stronger, they can be a little generic. But they never resort to emo whining or metal screaming, which would have been a real shame. Chris and Zack may not have voices like rock gods Freddie Mercury or Steven Tyler, but they have a honest quality that I enjoyed.
If you can get a hold of a copy, I really do recommend "The Snoods."
Saturday, April 5, 2008
The Snoods Live Acoustic Set @ Starbucks
I missed most of it, which bums me out, but I caught the last couple songs of The Snoods acoustic set at Starbucks tonight. These guys really are talented, you should take a listen at their MySpace. The standout was "Yam 51" and "Yam 52" written by Zack Fox, with Chris Bemis on sax. The saxophone worked well with the acoustic guitar, drum and vocals, not overpowering like brass so often does. Slightly proggy, but with a definite classic rock feel, it sounded perfect for a coffeehouse. The band real plays so harmoniously, it's hard to believe they are all still in high school. I can't wait for the CD to drop!
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