independant music reviews by Kevin Clow

My Girlfriend's Favorite Band (self titled)

Call it a weakness, but I’m often prejudice against any music which is hard to describe, yet doesn’t sound like They Might Be Giants. However, MGFB are not to be passed off as weirdness for the sake of weirdness. If I had to decide on a way to describe them, it would be surf/lounge-influenced indy rock. And it’s quite impressive that there’s 9 songs here, and all of them fit in somewhere; quite often demos like this will have one or two songs that could be called "filler". Also refreshing is the way they dedicated it to the memory if W.W. Wane, their bass player, without coming off like a sappy tribute. Contact Acidsoxx Musicks, PO Box 365, Tremont, IL, USA, 61568. www.acidsoxx.com

Dyno-Mites - ...According to Reabo Feathers

Dyno-Mites are actually kind of new by some standards, but they are one of PEI’s longest lasting indy bands. Lovingly packaged in a zip-loc® bag with multi-purpose stickers, this is a fun little 6 track demo (well, 4 if you don’t count the ‘intro’ and ‘outro’). Like most good indy bands, Dyno-Mites are much better live than on tape, but this recording is a very good example of their talent. I heard that they were a little unsatisfied with the mix, but I actually think it’s one of the best mixes I’ve heard on a demo since hHead’s "Fireman". My main complaint is that it’s so short, and the intro/outro thing didn’t really do much for me, except to fill in some space. Contact: Dyno-Mites, 251 Queen St., Ch’town, PEI, Canada C1A 4B9

the Monoxides - Hints and Shortcuts

I was not fortunate enough to hear The Monoxides previous works, but this live compilation is a high- energy thrill ride of sound. (hey, sometimes cliches and buzzwords actually work!). It’s very rare for independent bands to put out live albums, but these Moncton, NB rockers were definitely up to the task. Again, at 6 tracks, it’s too short, but any serious collector of indy music should get a hold of this CD. "Little Bitta Rosie" alone is worth the price of admission. Contact the Monoxides Worldwide Fan Club, 1562 Danforth Ave., Box 72072, Toronto, ON, M4J 5C1. www.monoxides.com

demolisten
po box 20006
summerside, pei
c1n 5z3
canada