Customer Reviews

Hello, Hello

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am so impressed with "Hello, Hello." It's a pop masterpeice on par with "Pet Sounds" or "Odessey & Oracle". It's as creative and quirky as the best Flaming Lips album you can think of. As garagey as The Kinks and as cute as The Monkees. It's as fresh as The Shins AND it's produced by Brian McTear, the man behind the Lilys. How could you go wrong?

From the rocking first track, "Sidewalk Chalk" you are hooked. Then a dreaming little ditty called "Greetings" floats you into the catchiest damn song I've heard in years called "Everybody Knows the Way". The rest of the album is a familiar, but unique trip. There is not a slacker on here. The music is upbeat and full of hooks. I could rattle on about each track, but I won't. To top it all off, the album ends with a track titled "Here or There" which is a trippy, shoegazer-ish jam. This is definately best when listened to with headphones, but try it in a car or a picnic or the beach and it will be the soundtrack of your summer.

Do yourself a favor and spend the $10(!) to check out this album. You won't regret it.

The A-Sides have produced an album of such magnitude and pure pop genius that it may be placed beside such great records as Pet Sounds (The Beach Boys) and Odessy & Oracle (The Zombies). Each and every track is absolutely excellent- 11 tiny masterpieces, that when listened to one after the other, make for a cohesive and spell-bounding whole. Each and every song is a masterpiece, but the stand-out kickers would be "Sidewalk Chalk," "Only Michelle," "I'll Come Around," and "Here or There."

Bands have been trying to do this for years, and The A-Sides are one of the few that have actually succeeded in combining 60's Mod and Surf Rock and Pop with indie rock and shoegazing sensibility, making for a delightful and mind-blowing long-player.

This is one of those records that came across my desk one day. I was willing to give it a chance. I heard a few songs and it felt special. I felt like I wanted to listen to it again. This band is from Philadelphia and is into the Beach Boys and The Zombies. That sounded interesting to me. People on the east coast are obsessed with the past and record collections. This band is part of the mod revival. It's about the fifth time they have revived that corpse. The A-Sides have played with some of my favorite bands like British Sea Power, Adam Green, and Enon. Every song is a quality tune here. The band's name sounds like a novelty. Let's hope that they stick around. Songs like "Everybody Knows The Way" are classics.

This is the best cd I have heard since the last shins album. It's so good I want to touch myself, and probably am right now.

There have been a slew of great new bands since 2005. The A-Sides are definitely one of the better bands out there. I saw them at SXSW and although their live show is average, this CD is truly remarkable. There are some four-part harmonies that with astonish.

Elements of Beatles (bass lines and song structure - Revolver in particular), Beach Boys (harmonies) and Strokes (punchy guitar sound). This could be a collection of A-sides from some long forgotten 1960's band.

I can wait for their new disc.

Buy it now.

[DW]

How can a band this great be this obscure? It's preposterous. Gorgeous sing-along melodies and layers of harmonies, yet loud, fuzzy, and rawky. These guys easily rank with the Shins and the New Pornographers as best songwriters in pop music today.

As a fan of Philadelphia pop music I gave the a-sides a try. It is well produced....sonically, but lacks any particular distinction or direction. It sounds to me like a bunch of kids who listen to the Beatles way too often. Sometimes young bands will almost bypass the grueling process of finding their own voice and leap right into trying to make records they're clearly not ready for. The A-sides are a band of potential but need to look themselves in the mirror and figure out how they can use their talents in a NEW and unique way. I already own sgt. pepper's and pet sounds....I don't need to hear it again.