Alexis Callan

Great singer, guitarist and keyboardist. Sandman saw Alexis down Trippet's a while back and was mighty impressed. First track brings to mind Andrew Lloyd-Webber, but it does get better with some stuff that can bring a piano bar ambience to even this office. Track three would fit well in a love scene in Grease, and the last track reminds us of the Shoop Shoop Song. Restaurant music, but good restaurant music.

 

 

Evil Hearted Me

Homo Musicalis
Two track CD from a band that seems to be ubiquitous around the Sheffield gig circuit at the mo, and play more instruments than you even knew existed. Reminds Sandman a tad of the Sundays with their shuffly rhythm section and their slightly 80s indie vibe. Nice use of jazz chords too. We reckon they’re the sort of chords that require 6 fingers and have names longer thasn that of the average public schoolboy. But no matter. A good little demo, and at such a short length that no-one could get bored with it.

 

 

Tempting Fate

It's Therapy? meets Bonnie Tyler meets Aqua. Down a well. Screaming for assistance. You're unaware whether they're wearing huge shorts or spandex jumpsuits with sweat pouring from them. Either way, they're in pain. A bizarre mixture of a bizarre shouty man vocals and a melodic woman who seems to have forgotten to switch her microphone on. Final song's okay, though, because the shouty man seems to have gone to sleep. Additional rawk stress points must go to the band for being the first band to attract streakers at the Boardwalk. Ever.

 

 

50 Mile Limit

These tracks remind us of one of those Oasis b-sides Noel sings that ends up more popular than the a-side and make Liam sulk for a bit. Hint of Gomez on the backing vocals too. A very good quality demo, all sounds the same though and we've really heard it all before.

 

 

Egg Fu Yung

This band get respect from the outset for being named after this Sandman’s favourite Chinese dish. The first song is quite fun, ranging from a typical indie-rock sound to a bit reggae in parts, and features the line “I stood at the condom rack/trying to choose your flavour”. The rest of the EP consists of mainly pop-punky tracks, and the obligatory “comedy” cover, this one Elton John’s Rocket Man.
Very typical all round of a lot of young (or should that be yung?!) bands at the moment, but there is a glimmer of hope here among the derivativeness.

 

 

Substance

Some people like Eddie Vedder - apparently a personable enough bloke with some nice right-on liberal tendencies. Others, like Sandman, think he’s a whinging twat and would rather listen to that bloke who’s always the train station whining on about how he’s got to get back to his parole hearing in York and starts blubbing and telling you how you’re the first person with a heart he’s met that day.
This, of course has nothing whatsoever to do with Substance other than the fact that the vocalist has swallowed Vedder whole and it bugs the fuck out of us. This is a good band with some good poewrful hooky rock. Be influenced but don’t mimic. We turn over when Stars In Their Eyes are on.

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