29th July 2009

Text

band hype II: stripes and lines

Old friends of my older brother, Jeremy Moss and Harley Orion (formerly of Government Grown), are back at it with another band - Stripes and Lines - based out of San Diego.

Jeremy, (drums + lead vocals), Anthony Sanudo (lead guitar + lead vocals), Evan Polselli (rhythm guitar + keys + vocals), and Harley (bass + vocals) are Stripes and Lines. SnL has been shaking up the San Diego music scene since they debuted their EP last February (Eddie Vedder, long-time San Diego-en [San Diego-an? San Diego-ite?] has been spotted at their shows).

Simply put: This group is a straight-up rock band. Their sound is reminiscient of U2 and The Police, but definitely built for the 00’s. Jeremy, the drummer, takes lead vocal duties for most of their tracks, and he’s got a very unique & powerful voice. (Also nice to see a lead singer/drummer hybrid in the tradition of Phil Collins, Don Henley, Levon Helm [of The Band]; I’m sure there are others.) Most of their tracks are rock songs, but the ballad “Skin” is a nice change-up, and Anthony Sanudo on lead vocals has the perfect vocal sound for the song. Great mix of instrumentation overall throughout their work, especially: 1) the organ lines in some of the songs that give a throw-back vibe, and 2) the gritty bass lines in “Flying Dirte” and “Size Matters.”

SnL’s EP (which came out in February ‘08) has four tracks, all of which are solid, radio-worthy, rock songs of the classic vein. Here’s my two cents on each of the four tracks (which can be listened to in their entirety on their MySpace page, and purchased on iTunes, and I’m sure elsewhere):

1. “Flying Dirte.” This song is very U2-esque, but with a stronger, tougher bass line.  Three smart details within the song: 1) The other instrumentation drops out in the 2nd verse (at 1:27), just leaving the bass, drums, and Jeremy on vocals, 2) The “Ohh, oh. Aaahh, ohh,” falsetto vocal parts just after the chorus, and 3) The organ crescendo within the chours.

2. “Size Matters.” SOLID bass part to start the song: few bands feature bold bass lines anymore. The piano theme gives a moving element to the verses that helps give the song balance; the piano is always there, but never takes over. Also very creative chorus: solid harmony followed by a cool vocal effect on the “ooh-ooh-ooh” vocal. I like how the song is, in a way, divided into two parts: the lead guitar starts a new melody just before its solo, and the melody is developed with a very unique and catchy ”house-full-of-dudes” vocal at the end (at 3:06): “Tie me up and let me go.” The track is brought full-circle as the intro theme ends the song. My favorite of this group.

3. “Blackout.” Great drum performance from Jeremy throughout, especially with all the tempo/rhythm changes. Prominent bass accompanies vocal harmony throughout the verse, and then I really dig the call-and-answer between Anthony and Jeremy in the chorus. A solid and straight-ahead 3-minute rock song. “Give me just a nickel…I’ll go out for days.”

4. “Skin.” Their very melancholic ballad; the band’s instrumentation at its best. Change-up with Anthony singing lead instead of Jeremy. The drum parts are complex, interesting, and prominently showcased through the whole song, which is tough to do with a slow ballad. The pinnacle of the song is the guitar solo overlaid with a bold organ sound (at about 3:03) that sounds like a page right out of Pink Floyd. The bridge then quickly takes over, jumping in quickly in an almost 6/8 time signature feel, until the vocals return and bring us back to the original time signature. Really creative song overall; they include a lot of musical elements within it to make it much more entertaining than your run-of-the-mill ballad.

-

So, step to it: find more out about this band.

I. San Diego local press article: http://www.bellyup.com/artists/detail/stripes-and-lines

II. Their MySpace page, where you can listen to and download each of the four songs reviewed above: http://www.myspace.com/stripesandlines

III. Check them out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stripes-And-Lines/12226602679

As a bonus, here are two of their live performances. Stripes and Lines played the Wiltern Theater in L.A. in September (just after I saw them play live at the Rock-it Room in San Francisco), and - lucky for us - HD cameras were rolling. Below are two newer songs they debuted during that show. Watch; enjoy. Thanks for reading. And give the Stripes and Lines guys some love.

1. “Is Anybody Listening?”

Slow to open, but soon enough an intense, driving bass drum beat really accelerates the song forward into the verse. Sanudo takes lead vocals here, and does a great job. “Gimme what you feel, when you know that you want to.”

2. “Slow Motion.”

I really dig this one. A mid-tempo rock groove with a teasing, staccato organ line, and a biting guitar backbone. “Something in space has got me feeling homeless.”