The Village Green [EP] [EP]

The Village Green | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 1, 2005)
• Original Release Date: November 1, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: EP
• Label: Hidden Peak Records
• ASIN: B000BPDF60
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,461 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Let's not mince words. It's not a "safe" choice to name your band after The Kinks' 1968 pop masterpiece, The Village Green Preservation Society. Yet, upon hearing the Portland, Ore., power-pop combo's ebullient melodies, spot-on harmonies and ample supplies of deadbeat-dandy charm, even the most jaded journalists, those with the most tightly folded arms in the room, must begrudgingly admit that these very up and comers are worthy of growing crowds, noticeable local radio airplay and even their chosen moniker. And though we live in an era when backlash can set in before any actual success has been achieved, it took only a song-and-a-half before I, a model contributor to a notoriously snarky alternative weekly, turned to my +1 and uttered those rarely heard words, "These guys are actually really good." Much of the credit for the band's strong sound belongs to the singing and songwriting of J. Nicholas Allard, which owes an equal debt to the playful pop piracy (or more politely, pastiche) of early Supergrass and the dire and dramatic Plastic Ono Band- era scream therapy of John Lennon. This tempestuous young man, who until now was more legendary around town for picking an ill-fated fight with a pack of "Joey's" who were heckling his friend's band, smashing an irreplaceable '72 Telecaster while performing at a sushi restaurant and generally being a loveable loose cannon, has finally mastered his "artistic temperament" enough to snarl out lines of laziness, loathing and love for his perennially gray and provincial hometown. Like Liam Gallagher and Kurt Cobain before him, Allard is a diamond, both polished and rough, capable of transforming, with equal parts finesse and fury, the poetry of everyday life in a nowhere town into anthems for gloomed youth who don't live in London, New York or L.A.-and are all the happier for it. But upon witnessing the band live, one immediately realizes that, regardless of Allard's accomplished song-craft, his music's fullest realization is the result of assembling some of the finest musicians in a city of fine musicians. The recruitment of Rick Bain & The Genius Position mainstay, Nathan Junior, on keyboards and guitar, along with the exceptional vocal harmonies and rhythmic precision of bassist Dave Depper, and drummer Jeremy Sherrer allow The Village Green to turn heads without having to rely on elaborate wardrobes or $50 haircuts. In an era of pre-fab sensation bands sprouting from the hipster mecca of the moment, it's nice to think that a little band from Portland, Ore., could, with dirt beneath their fingernails, make music that, well-BEWARE: HUGE CLICHÉ AHEAD-means something.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic album!!, January 6, 2006

By 

Bodhi "Sattva" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Village Green [EP] (Audio CD)

I just saw Allard perform solo at a small venue in Seattle one night after the band performed a sold-out show. I dug the songs and went out and got their debut CD right away. The band reminds me of Oasis - the tunes are as catchy if not more and the lyrics are way better i.e. no "champagne supernova in the sky"!! I have no doubt that The Village Green will make it big and be heard on the airwaves very soon.

4.0 out of 5 stars Found this band while listening to pandora radio, October 9, 2008

By 

Blake Rateliff (Wichita,KS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Village Green (MP3 Download)

Found this band while listening to pandora radio, glad I did. Neat album good to find some newer bands making music that I actually enjoy. If you like this you might also try The Raconteurs, and the Black Keys.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Apparently, some confusion, July 22, 2007

By 

Todd Ryan (Fort Collins, Colorado USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Village Green [EP] (Audio CD)

I have recently bought the Village Green EP without having heard it before. I thought a band being inspired by the classic Kinks album must be a good idea and I had high hopes for a unique Kinks-sounding brand of rock & roll. They really don't sound like the Kinks to me and they definitely don't sound like "The Village Green Preservation Society". That isn't necessarily a bad thing, however, and the song, "Get Up, Get Out, Get High" is worth the cost of the EP. It is a fantastic romp that sounds like a classic, immediately. The confusion comes in with a description of the sound. They are described as sounding like Oasis and specefically Liam Gallagher. One of two things may have happened to bring about this description: 1. Either the reviewer had never heard the band Oasis or Liam Gallagher or 2. The reviewer had not really listened to the band the Village Green.