Music
Press
Red Umbrella hails from Parry Sound, Ontario. Reminiscent of popular 60s British rock bands, this four-piece Canadian outfit brings with it a modern flare evolving the traditional “classic rock” sound. On its second release on 7 Spin Music, Living & Surviving, Red Umbrella combines smart lyrics with catch melodies for a meaningful yet fun music experience. Come and enjoy the journey.
Rating: 9 out of 10 - NewReleaseTuesday.com
With the '90s power pop influences in tow, Canadian rockers Red Umbrella have concocted a winning formula of crunchy new wave splendor. Fans of the Posies, Semisonic, and Fountains of Wayne now have a reason to live again, thanks to the delightful melodic pop on Wishing for Boardwalk. The boys have been compared to Coldplay, but all the Brit-pop sound-alikes in the universe could not muster the peppy confidence that lead vocalist/guitarist Jeremy Michaelis evokes with each note. For instance, the hook-filled "Home" sounds like it could have been lifted straight from Oasis' hit collection Stop the Clocks, complete with a piano hook bigger than Noel Gallagher's ego. But rather than sport a revivalist sound, Red Umbrella come off with a triumphantly new sonic mix that puts them in the same ballpark as the Killers. Crunchy guitars lead the first single, "Straitjacket" an open-ended query as to the meaning of life. Other winning tracks include "Run", "What about me?" and "Slide". The grungy power pop of late-career Posies makes Boardwalk a charming effort through and through. Particularly heard during the iTunes era when a generation of listeners can pick and choose single songs without ever really digesting a full album's worth of music from the same artist, Boardwalk is an achievement of consistent - and sometimes even brilliant - rock & roll. - iTunes
Discography
Living And Surviving (2008, Sony/BMG)
Wishing For Boardwalk (2006, Sony/BMG)
Photos
Bio
With '90's power pop influences in tow, Canadian rockers Red Umbrella have concocted a winning formula of crunchy new wave splendor. Fans of the Posies, Semisonic, and Fountains of Wayne now have a reason to live again, thanks to the delightful melodic pop of this group.
The boys have been compared to Coldplay, but all the Brit-pop sound-alikes in the universe could not muster the peppy confidence that lead vocalist/guitarist Jeremy Michaelis evokes with each note. For instance, the hook-filled "Home" sounds like it could have been lifted straight from Oasis' hit collection Stop the Clocks, complete with a piano hook bigger than Noel Gallagher's ego. But rather than sport a revivalist sound, Red Umbrella come off with a triumphantly new sonic mix that puts them in the same ballpark as the Killers.
Crunchy guitars lead the first single, "Straitjacket" an open-ended query as to the meaning of life. Other winning tracks include "Run", "What About Me?" and "Slide". The grungy power pop of late-career Posies makes Wishing for Boardwalk a Charming effort through and through. Particularly heard during the iTunes era when a generation of listeners can pick and choose single songs without ever really digesting a full album's worth of music from the same artist, Boardwalk is an achievement of consistent - and sometimes even brilliant - rock & roll.
- iTunes Album Review
Wishing for Boardwalk
Links
