EP reviews: EWAN SIMPSON, DROPOUT DAN, SHOOTING SIGNALS

Dropout Dan “Forever, Instead” (Anchor Music)

“Forever, Instead” is a five track acoustic EP from Dropout Dan, Dan being Cambridgeshire’s Daniel O’Dell. The songs sound like they are yearning to be performed by a full band as opposed to the way they are played here and actually sound like they have been written in that way and then played acoustically.

The two songs that stick out here are “Puppy Fat” and “The Sound of Faking”, unfortunately after that it does begin to sound a bit samey. There is a raw talent here however and in a band environment this will no doubt thrive.

**1/2

Nikk Gunns

Ewan Simpson “The Spin” (ewansimpson.bandcamp.com)

Another self financed and produced EP and this time it’s a bit different. Bristolian Ewan Simpson has recorded “The Spin” in Scotland and Australia and tells us that “time signatures must be messed with”- and that he has done.

Title track “The Spin” goes from lo-fi to epic sounding within a minute and features guitars that slice through a bass driven background and is the pick of the five tracks on offer, however, opening track “We Know You Lied” at times feels like confused jazz with random vocalisations. “Cradle” feels like an acoustic interlude whilst “Come Quietly” is reminiscent of say Moby or lo-fi Bowie before opening up into a full track. The final track “An Ending” is near on ten minutes long and goes from musical tinkering to a sonic dirge of lush harmonies after three minutes and then appears to shrink back down again before you are left with several minutes of what sounds like quietly crashing waves- and I do mean quietly, one of the most bizarre endings I have heard for a while!!

Nikk Gunns

The Resistance “Rise From Treason” (earMusic)
Swedish band The Resistance feature former In Flames bassist Jesper Stromblad and guitarist Glenn Ljungstrom, alongside vocalist Marco Aro and drummer Chris Bakensjo and this Swedish four-piece are aiming to be the extreme metal band of 2013. They’re not hanging about either, having signed to earMusic the band will follow up this debut EP with a full album in May.
Whether you like your rock this heavy or not, there is no denying that the band are melodically strong and tracks “My Fire, “Face to Face” and the bruising “Slugger” can only confirm this.

**1/2
Nikk Gunns

Shouting Signals “Stand Your Ground”

Shouting Signals are a new five-piece band hailing from Essex and debut EP “Stand Your Ground” features five tracks of modern English sounding rock music that will appeal to fans of the likes of You Me at Six and 30 Seconds To Mars.

“Never Run Away”, One Forty” and “All My Answers” have the hooks to capture the ears and the melodic sensibilities to keep them tuned in, although it does tend to sound a bit samey after a couple of tracks. The EP will be released digitally this Spring and the band will no doubt follow this up with live dates.

***

Nikk Gunns

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)