The Dead Trees

The Dead Trees are admittedly rough around the edges and even a little rough inside the edges. With very little production on their debut LP, King Of Rosa, The Dead Trees are spreading their brand of lo-fi garage rock. "But wait," you say, "Didn't garage rock die out with The Strokes?" Well, yes and no. The Trees do have an affinity for playing loud, sloppy (in a good way) and catchy music. There is definitely some semblance of The Strokes and even a little bit of The Walkmen to be heard here.

On their song Shelter, The Dead Trees are at their best- with guitar hooks and a chorus that practically begs the crowd to sing along. It may be a little in your face for some. But it's on the track Loretta, where the guys really find their groove. Everything comes to head here. It's got a catchy hook, jangling guitars, and focused vocals. The Dead Trees will be touring this fall with The Rosebud Thieves and getting to work on their 2nd album. Hopefully a little polish will be applied to let all the potential shine through without loosing any of the luster.

The Dead Trees- Myspace
Loretta-

The Films

This band holds some significance to me because I saw them in concert twice in Athens, GA with a friend of mine. The headliner was Will Hoge and nobody had ever heard of The Films. We didn't know what to expect, but I ended up liking them better than the main attraction. Think of them as a better sounding version of The Strokes. Their songs are very straight forward and all together easy on the ears.

Their debut album Don't Dance Rattlesnake is filled with quick and dirty ditties about love, drinking, and partying. But strangely one of the best songs I heard that night (I'm Not Gonna Call You) isn't anywhere to be found on the album. But they make up for it with the beat driven chorus of Strange Hands and the more polished alt-rock Belt Loops. The Films thrive on that underground club, recorded in the basement feel without all the bad songs that usually result. A very solid effort from a band that is just one song away from hitting it big.

The Films- Myspace
Belt Loops-