Real Rock 'n' Roll
Aside from having a great name and subtly cool cover art, this Louisville band called Honeymoon Babies have one other key feature: They get it.
The sound this trio produces starts with early-/mid-1990s alternative rock like Urge Overkill or Ultimate Fakebook, back before radio had gotten its claws into that culture and horrifically transformed it into Blink 182 and Maroon 5. But it also wanders into straight-ahead pop, dark, Velvet Underground-influenced pop and even bluesy ballads with hints of R&B.
Jay Goldstein's vocal power drives this eight-song set – he means this shit when he sings it. Apart from that, drummer Luca Bianconcini and bassist/multi-instrumentalist Joe Scheirich are locked onto each other, be it balls-out rockers like "Days of Fire" or gentle ballads like "Magic." Scheirich also adds plenty in terms of guitars, keyboards and backing vocals to give Goldstein a place to nestle his vocals and acoustic rhythms. (Note: Jeff Cohen has since joined on bass.)
This disc serves up one strong track after another, from rockers to ballads, to mid-tempo gems like "It's Only Yourself" that layer vocals and instrumentation to create a gorgeous wall of melody.
This is a band to watch in the coming months and years – big things are ahead. Hey, they deserve a break for the band name alone.
Find 'em on Facebook to learn more.