Michigan Indie Review

Band: The Wrenfields CD: "Seconds" Producer: Tyler Brown Recorded at: The Compound, Dearborn, MI. Year: 2002 From Pioneers to Patriots If the Wrenfields' debut "21st Century Pioneer" represented the bold trek of former rockers into the undiscovered alt/country, their follow-up release, "Seconds" (as in another heapin' helpin') shows they're now bonafide settlers on the Americana frontier, unapologetically staking their claim in the heartland which they both praise and defend on this record. Straddling the fence between pop-rock cool and home-cooked country corn, The Wrenfields lean towards the latter on this record without abandoning the vibe they established on their debut. The whimsy of "Gonna Be Happy", the head-bobbin' rhythm of "Lovesick" and the breathless imagery and optimism of "Carried Away" prove the band hasn't lost any of their '21st Century' appeal, but rather have evolved into a...

Band - Red September CD - Wake Up Call Label - - Static Records Produced by: Peter Schorn Recorded by: Roscoe at Roscoe's Recording, Detroit. Mastered by: Tim Pak at Woodshed Studios. If you were introduced to local indie rock in the early eighties like I was, you'd remember the new-wave power-pop that emerged in the Detroit area from bands like Rhythm Corps, Toby Redd, The Cadillac Kids, The Look and even The Rockets . Red September (Peter Schorn, Paul Brown, Frank Greenhalgh) sound like hold-overs from that era in Detroit indie rock that brings back memories of skinny ties, spiky hair, polished patent-leather shoes, parachute pants (that's pre-acid-wash), cotton blazers in pastels and memories of "Jaggers" lounge in Waterford where many, if not all of these bands, played at one time or another. Well, Jaggers is extinct and, thankfully, so is this particular flavor of Detroit pop - that is, with the exception of Red September. They are the o...

Band: Twitch CD: "Long Ride on a Short Bus" Label: - Static Records Produced by: Twitch Recorded by: Roscoe at Roscoe's Recording, Detroit. Mastered by: Tim Pak at Woodshed Studios. Since their slogan caused me a convulsive guffaw ( "Remember, weirdos are your best entertainment value!" ), the latest, and unfortunately last "Twitch" release had to be the first thing I listened to from my Static Records "Care Package" (Thanks Sue). The trio of Rob Bullock, Tim Taebel and Scott Lemanski formed in 1990 and twelve years later offer "Long Ride on a Short Bus" as their brilliant swan-song (how come I never find out about these great, quirky bands until they break up? Same thing happened with Fez ...). To stir your aural imagination and get you as close as I can to their sound in words, I offer this: If I were to describe Twitch as a gourmet meal, they'd be an entre' of Frank Zappa served on a bed of fresh Pr...