Ramona

Toronto’s Ramona claim they were “the band that never meant to be a band.” Fortunately for us, they are now.

Ramona was started by guitarist Dave Fritz, who worked as a music producer and engineer while playing guitar in Junior Achiever. Managing to find a hint of spare time, he recorded some demos at home and gave them away to family and friends. Those home recordings would eventually evolve into Ramona.

With some positive feedback working its way back to Fritz, he recruited bassist Matt Trotter, drummer Jeremy Knowles, and keyboardist/vocalist Elliot Caroll. The quartet soon went to work completing an EP, finding a label to release it, and shooting a music video – all before playing a single live show.

The result of their recording sessions was the debut EP, Mornington Crescent Now Open. The EP’s songs are just what fans of ‘90s power pop need. With equal parts Kinks, Gin Blossoms, and Everclear, the songs are poppy, but are lined with a rough edge.

Ramona is only one EP into what will hopefully result in an extensive discography. In the meantime we’ll have to settle with Mornington Crescent Now Open, but that’s not such a bad consolation. - Canadian Musician Magazine

“Mornington Crescent Now Open” is the wonderfully named debut EP from the self-proclaimed “band that never meant to be a band” Ramona. These Canadian pop-rockers started off as a way for guitarist/engineer/producer Dave Fritz of Junior Achiever to release some steam on some solo work, and then gradually picked up other members to fill out the line-up.

It’s important to remember the work of Junior Achiever when approaching Ramona, or possibly not, depending on your outlook on things. The strong influence that Mr. Fritz has had on the sound of both of these groups is undeniable, and the similarities are strong. However, this isn’t a reason to disregard Ramona as just being Junior Achiever songs by a different group, or for Junior Achiever fans to think they know everything they need to about this new group. Anyway, even though I hate to say this, the general listening public won’t have heard of the band that came before, so for most of you, this comparison should not worry you too much.

Ramona is bubblegum pop-rock for grown-ups. Tight vocal harmonies with background “oohs” abound, very occasional profanities thrown in reminding you that bubblegum has a tendency to pop back in your face. Fuzzy guitars, solid drums, floaty synth and high-gain bass round out the highly polished sound of Ramona. It’s not often I mention the production values, but it’s certainly worth mentioning here. Independent bands can often lag behind quite significantly in this regard, but Ramona avoid that problem with a sound that is polished to a mirror shine. At times, this is actually a slight downside as it borders on sounding overproduced and manufactured, but generally they just about stop short of it going too far, and even when they do it gels fine with their overall bright and poppy tone.

If you are one of the people who did know Junior Achiever’s music, then the easiest way to describe Ramona is as a more mature take on it. “Mornington Crescent Now Open” is shiny, grown-up pop-rock. It’s what would happen if Keane tried to be Weezer, or if Coldplay stopped being pretentious and found their inner fun-loving punk. Overall, there really is nothing wrong with Ramona’s music, but yet again, nothing truly special, but how often does that roll around anyway? It’s a solid little release, with a lot of promise. I had fun with it, even if I couldn’t stop thinking of the Radio 4 show “I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue” after reading the title.

7/10

Standout Track:

Hanging On The Words

- iWillBattle Reviews

KILLER BAND ALERT. KILLER BAND ALERT. This band began as a side project for producer/engineer/guitarist Dave Fritz to record his music...but evolved into a full band. This band writes and records GREAT songs...!

This EP features uplifting melodic pop tunes delivered with swift style...and the melodies stick in your head like glue. The band also includes Matt Trotter, Jeremy Knowles, and Elliott Caroll. Our only complaint here...is that this disc only contains six tunes. Oh well...we'll be waiting on the edge of our seats for this band's upcoming full-length release.

Kickass pop tunes include "Another Mouth To Feed," "A Way Over," "The One," and "Kids In Tokyo." Great melodic pop with cool bubblegum sensibilities. An instant TOP PICK.

http://www.lmnop.com/2010-May-LMNOP-Reviews.html#anchor137826 - Babysue