Mike Damante
The Fashion
Denmark’s latest export comes in the form of one of the best new bands in The Fashion.
The Fashion plays a style of modern, original dance-rock that deviates away from The Killers vibe that haunts the indie dance trends. Already popular in its home country, The Fashion should be taking the states by storm soon. The band secured an opening spot on the Alkaline Trio/American Steel tour last summer, winning over many jaded punk-rock kids with a unique sound that somehow fit the bill.
Immediate comparisons can be drawn to another one of Europe’s best, Bloc Party.’ The Fashion incorporate influences from disco to hip-hop, with a post-punk mentality in making some of the catchiest music across the Atlantic.’ Sony/BMG Denmark signed The Fashion in 2003 and the band was a staple on Danish radio and MTV Europe. The band’s sophomore, self-titled album hit the states last year and they made its live debut on U.S. soil at last year’s South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin.
The Lion of Wall-Street
Local rockers The Lion of Wall Street takes its influence from the old school, rather than the new wave of bands disguised as hardcore.’ This isn’t music for the girl’s jeans and eyeliner screaming crowd. The Lion of Wall Street play music for the ones that grew up on Suicidal Tendencies and Black Flag.
The formula is simple, straightforward and fast hardcore with hints of punk, thrash and metal. The Lion of Wall-Street has shared the stage with diverse touring bands, opening for the likes of Broadway Calls and The Hoods.
The self-released EP Sidewalk Slam was put out by the band’s own label, This That Records. The EP can be purchased at shows or at www.thisthatrecords.bigcartel.com.
Roshan Bhatt
Shawn Hewitt
Every so often, an artist comes along and you wonder why it took so long for you to find them.’ Shawn Hewitt was the most recent finding of mine that did not induce disappointment and headshakes.’
His debut album, Spare Hearts, is a sonic journey exploring the realms of love.’ Now you might be thinking, ‘Oh, another sad album about a broken heart,’ but Hewitt has shown he is capable of writing innovative and captivating songs about a tired subject. ‘Keep Them at Bay,’ and ‘One by One,’ are some of the best songs in the album.
Hewitt is also as visual as he is auditory. His music videos play as if every frame could be captured as a photograph. Do yourself a favor and head to his MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/shawnhewitt.
Colin Munroe
Much like Shawn Hewitt, Colin Munroe is also a genre bender. After gaining recognition for his personal take on Kanye West’s ‘Flashing Lights,’ Munroe buckled down to release his first mixtape, Colin Munroe is the Unsung Hero.
Despite being a mixtape, Unsung Hero plays more like a full-length album. There are no DJ drops and the songs are of studio quality. Colin Munroe seems to be heavily influenced by hip-hop, as the tape features production from Black Milk and guest vocals from Wale and Mickey Factz. One interesting thing about Munroe is that he produces the majority of his own music, which allows him to be in complete control of the final product.
Some of the standout tracks on the mixtape are ‘Will I Stay’ and ‘Piano Lessons.” Other notables include a vocal remix of Bob Dylan’s ‘Who Killed Davey Moore?’ and an outstanding cover of U2’s ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday.’ To sum up, you should head to http://www.onsmash.com/unsunghero to download the free mixtape.’
