Features To Australia and NYC
The Exploders
At first listen you might assume that Australia's The Exploders are a quartet or perhaps even a quintet.
If you're like us you'd be surprised to learn that the band's core is TJ Allender and Paul Doer with a “touring” backup band to help fill out the band's rockin' sound.
There are very few bands out there right now that have the sound The Exploders offer up and that helps put this band ahead of all the others. If you're looking for stripped down, straight away, gimmick free rock and roll look no further than this Australian quartet. Case and point, take their track “Straight Ahead.” It's just that, it's a straight ahead rock song that hasn't been heard since the days of rockabilly rock and early roots rock. The tune features a solid rock groove and a catchy chorus.
Showcased on the band's Myspace page are six tunes that continually prove that this is a band that doesn't need the flash other bands need. Their lyrics are what song lyrics are meant to be: a poetic story without the rambling nonsense that has become so popular with many modern rock bands. Despite the stripped down sound, The Exploders are in fact very big sounding. Their tune “I Can't Dance” not only is a prime example of a stripped down, no frills rock song but it has many of the features that could place this band amongst the many arena rock bands.
We wouldn't be surprised to hear that Ray Davies and the Kinks were amongst this band's influences as it shines through on tracks like “Country Brain” which really shows all the wanna-be bands that its possible to rock hard without adding a bunch of clutter to the mix. “Big Hair Revolution” is another song that is simplistically clean without all the overdubs that are so attractive in the studio but remains a solid, rockin' song that holds its own.
We can't recommend The Exploders highly enough for those who are looking for that different sound. They're playing rock and roll without the frills and they've proven that they don't need any of the gimmicks. The Exploders rock, plain and simple.
Check out The Exploders on their Myspace page at www.myspace.com/theexploders.
The Vesties
Over the last year we've become sensitive to female musicians. Perhaps we'd been living blind to the sheer number of female rock bands but it seems that they are in endless supply. Take the raw punk sounds of New York's The Vesties for example. 
With a touch of rock, punk, pop and yes, even country (take a listen to the vocal work on “Redheads”) The Vesties play the type of punk that would have fit in perfectly in Max's Kansas City or even CBGB's. The band is reminiscent of Blondie with their sing-song style of spitting out the lyrics and of New Wavers with their synth solos.
The Vesties are bringing back the sounds of New York the days of Talk Talk, the Talking Heads, and Patty Smyth. One listen to their songs “Metro” and “Start a War” reminds us of some of our vinyl from the days of New Wave. No need to dust it off when you can pop over to The Vesties' Myspace page and take a listen to the great songs they've collected there.
To check out The Vesties, visit their Myspace page and rock out at www.myspace.com/thevesties.
