Dialtone

7.4 Out of 10
Production 8 (Hey Bruce great job on Production!!!!!)
Lyrics 7
Music 7
Vocals 8
Musicianship7

"Trio of rockers fronted by singer/guitarist Paul Orea have a decided garage punk edge that glories in poking fun at the foibles of modern society and do so with good garage-y hooks and sly humor. A solid simple rocker, 'Two Left Feet' has a Violent Femmes vibe to it, especially in Orea's vocal tude. Sarcasm suffuses 'Simon Le Bon,' taking the retro-'80s crowd to task. 'Do You Love Your Cell Phone?' has terrific guitar bite and is the most memorable chorus here. The band's songs beg for video treatment." - Music Connection Magazine - Music Connection Magazine

"Hey it's the early 70s; hey it's when Brian Eno still loved being in Roxy Music, hey its Rick Okasek fooling around with a dream Beach Boys monster created by Mathew Sweet. NO It's 2008 and you are listening to 'Summer' the opening track of Dialtone's new album. It's a skewed new wave, incorporating the tension of the best of indie of the past years, with a love for the hooks and sly glamour of the neon ghosts from way back then. The single, ' Emo T-shirt' is a ragged anthem for those self aware college fans tired of the too clean sad eyed beautiful fakes that sing to them normally. This is what happens when you take the pristine structure of the PoP song for indie kids, and roll it around in the street and dirt outside the punk club. Stand out track and a glimpse of edgier paths soon to be followed, is, 'Still Sleeping' which manages to combine the scary side of Cheap Trick along with the quirky emotional harmonies of leftfield artists like Sufjan Stevens. This is a CD to be played often, allowing its (not so) tender charms to eat their way inside your rock n roll heart." - NBT (Next Big Thing) Blog
- NBT Blog

Playing with a grin and a wink, Dialtone is a three-piece band from LA and they just want to rock. The band consists of brothers Paul and Mike Orea and George Maiale. Paul writes the lyrics and plays guitar; Mike is the drummer and George the bass player. Their debut album, No Hang-Ups, releases on June 4. Pick it up and enjoy.


They've been jamming together for about two years and have devised a simple, unpretentious, straightforward style of “New Wave/Grunge/Disco/Punk” rock that has a vinyl, nostalgic air. The music is a little fuzzy 'round the edges and the band has a lighthearted approach that is refreshing. Their name, Dialtone (as opposed to ringtones), even hearkens back to older times.

So, they've got a vintage sound while singing about the detriments of modern technology. A nice contrast. Cell phones, text messaging, instant messaging, etc., is ruining existing personal relationships and the art of building new ones. The cool robo-girl cover art embodies this human-electronic integration going on all around us and like the present generation, she's happy with that and who she is. She's “content in all her cyborg glory,” as the band says. They speak on these themes with some jaunty and pertinent songs.

The title track, “No Hang-Ups,” is a bright song, with a nice shuffle on the snare drum throughout and some distorted guitar picking. It starts with the lament: “Always on your telephone/even when we're all alone” but seems also to be a good love song about accepting a person as is.

The second track, “Do You Love Your Cell Phone?” is a plea for all of us to reign in our obsession with gadgets. It's pretty funny with its mentions of “Bluetooth dreams” and the request “on my hands and my knees/baby please put that thing away.”

By no means is this the only subject on the album. “Simon Le Bon” is an absolutely fabulous tribute to '80s pop. It'll make you think of Aqua Net and synthesizers. The Duran Duran vibe commingled with '70s fuzziness makes for an interesting combo. “Gardening” is their snappy, lascivious entry. “Still Sleeping” is a dreamy, yet boring track. There's a nice beat wrapped up in it – the ring of the snare was especially appealing - but it becomes to repetitive and hazy.

Among the songs included from Wait For is the track “Two Left Feet.” This was the best song on the EP and it still holds that title on No Hang-ups. The vocals are consistent; the song builds a gorgeous atmosphere. Everyone can identify with the feelings of adolescent sorrow and lack of confidence it exudes. “You can't dance/won't take a chance/it's true what they said before/you're wasting her time,” they sing and you're wrapped up in the song immediately.

The band's simple sound is strong and full. It's easy to pick out instruments. The drums sound crisp and tight, the bass is strong, the guitar prominent. The rhythm section lays down some good tempos and creates strong backbones for the songs. The vocals are sometimes reminiscent of the Beatles, sometimes the Doors. They oscillate between baritone-game-show-host to nasal and whiny to stringy and tremulous, youthful and strong.

This is their first full length album and it shows much promise. The band has an identity and a voice. With a little more consistency and some better structure they've got the ability to go far. This band will grow on you without a doubt.
- Blogcritics Magazine