At 35,000 Feet with Aviators

It's been one crazy weekend, and I desperately needed a group that could dull a headache while at the same time rocking hard. I found such a group in the Aviators, an alternative-rock group out of Fenton, Michigan, USA. With their progressive sound and clear hard-rock influences, Aviators will take you off on a psychedelic journey high above the clouds before dropping you into a sea of melody and rhythm.

Composed of Dylan (vocals), Ethan (guitar), Matt (keyboards), Josh (bass), and Danny (drums), Aviators' versatile sound approaches levels of space-rock, while at the same time keeping us on the ground with good, old-fashioned hard-rock and alternative. Though I absolutely loved their two tracks "White Symphony" and "Ignition" from their album We're Not Lost, what I have to ramble on about tonight is their EP, the Desert Flower Demo. With influences that span the spectrum from The Doors to Zeppelin, and Cream, to Hendrix, the Desert Flower Demo is a refreshing take on what alternative rock can be that I've been craving for quite a while. 

The title track of the album is incredible to say the least. Right off the bat I hear Doors and Pink Floyd influences mixed with Zeppelin riffs and even Radiohead-style vocals. The way Dylan composes his vocals and lets them fall over Ethan's Hendrix-like guitar riff can only remind me of Jim Morrison. As Danny builds in on the drums, favoring the cymbals in an eerily Pixies fashion, Matt's keys scream Ray Manzarek, and Josh's bass lines are tight and strong. But Aviators don't fall into a jam-band style in this one. Instead, they keep it on a Pink Floyd level, making sure every riff, every keystroke, is precisely where it should be, weaving them all together to create a tapestry of sound that hasn't been heard since the likes of "The End" and "Stairway to Heaven." Yet this song never tires, and like a Metallica masterpiece, I don't want to speed it up or rewind; everything works, and as a whole, the song is tight and powerful. I love it. 

The second track I listen to is absolutely one of my favorites. "Z Chord" is a complete departure from the Doors-esque sound of "Desert Flower." Instead, on this one Aviators opt for a more alternative approach, creating a song that makes me think more of The White Stripes and Smashing Pumpkins than Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Yet other aspects are out of place here. Matt's keyboards are clearly Iron Butterfly-inspired, and I love it. The keys give the track an "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" feel, while Josh's bass lines could easily be confused with those of Krist Novaselic from Nirvana. Then Ethan shreds in on guitar, and my face is so melted I can't see out my eye sockets. Fantastic. Above it all, Dylan's vocals remind me of Jack White's, and Danny's drumming has Keith Moon aspect to it. All around, this track is totally different from the first track, and is all the better for it. Aviators have clearly cemented the fact that they can be part of any genre, and that they're not going to be pigeon-holed. 

The last song I listen to from the Desert Flower Demo is "Hawkshaw," a track that continues Aviators' alternative stylings while at the same time crossing over into new progressive-rock territory. Here, Matt has unplugged his keyboards and graces us with a beautiful piano piece as Dylan's vocals are deeper, more stable, and clearly heart felt. Then Danny crashes in, and among pounding bass notes from Josh just above Danny's base drum, Ethan's guitar riff cries Cream influence, and coupled with Matt's piano prowess, combines to make this a must-hear track. Already a five-out-of-five track, "Hawkshaw" continues with a building rhythm, and vocals that exhibit Dylan's influences from blues-rock and alternative-rock. Amid a sick guitar solo from Ethan, the song begins to trail out, and this is easily a hit single for college radio. Before long these guys will be a household name the same as other alternative groups like Dinosaur Jr. and The Posies. Brilliant. 

Sounds Like: The Doors, Pink Floyd, Cream, Pixies, Dinosaur Jr. Radiohead

Key Tracks from Desert Flower Demo: "Desert Flower," "Z Chord," "Hawkshaw," "Ballad of a Summer Day"

Check out Aviators more at: http://www.myspace.com/aviatorsthin, http://www.unsigned.com/aviators and http://www.purevolume.com/aviatorsthin      

Elsewhere and the Bumble fly

It's a little while past noon, and I have a killer headache, but for some reason, listening to this group is helping it. I came across these guys about a day ago, but got so caught up with listening to them, I forgot to write about them. That changes today though.

So out Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, this is Elsewhere and the Bumble fly, a group I can only describe as psychadelic/alternative/twisted-folk-rock. Comprised of Elsewhere (lead vocals and lyricist), Bumble (acoustic and electric guitars), and Lezak (electric guitar), EBF's sound is so unique that I don't think I've ever heard anything quite like it.

Starting with the song "Darktime," I listen to their album Spell on U, and it's one of the most incredible things I've heard in a very long time. "Darktime" has a psychadelic effect to it, and starts on a guitar riff that is, in all senses of the word, magical. Elsewhere's vocals are creepy and prefect, and Bumble's guitar riffing is perfectly rounded off by Lezak's note progressions. This song's guitar solo is just sick, and Elsewhere's vocals are so trance-like that I feel like I'm listening to The Doors or Pink Floyd. A freaking amazing song for a crazy, out-there, brilliant album.

Track two for me is "Wonderwhy," a creepy, seemingly Marilyn Manson-inspired song with a swaying rhythm that Elsewhere uses to his advantage with melodic vocals while Bumble's and Lezak's guitar notes provide a certain sense of the unknown to the song. It reminds me a lot of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun," actually. The other effects in the song give it a Smashing Pumpkins-like sound, and really this track is so unique, I just don't have any other way of describing it. It's slow, it's rhythmic, and it's a brilliant song to meditate the meaning of life to. If that's a little too much for you though, it's still definitely a song you can be happy just listening to.

Then, as "Wonderwhy" peters out, "Circus Ride" comes on, and I suddenly understand why these guys call themselves twisted-folk. This one, though providing a brilliant platform for Elsewhere's vocals, showcases Bumble's guitar prowess, and Lezak's riffing, as it is entirely guitar centered. The guitar was so different that I felt like I was at a carnival, in a big-top tent, watching trapeze artists fly above my head. A brilliant song that actually does take you on a ride through the circus, this track definitely gets two thumbs up.

Track four, the last track I listen to, continues the circus theme in "The Sadfool." But we soon move away from the circus organ and then Bumble's guitar comes in, and it'a already promising to be an amazing track. Then amidst citar-sounding notes from Lezak, Elsewhere's vocals are more than hypnotic, and I'm serenaded into a psychadelic stupor. Just a great, Pink Floyd-esque song.

Though I'd love to sit here and describe every track, two things come to mind. First, it wouldn't do the tracks the justice they deserve. And second, why ruin the album for you guys. Go out, listen to it, and try and tell me it's not one of the most unique things you've ever heard.

Sounds Like: Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Smashing Pumpkins

Key Tracks from Spell on U: "Darktime," "Wonderwhy," "Circus Ride," "The Sadfool"

Check out Elsewhere and the Bumble fly more at: http://www.unsigned.com/elsewhereandthebumblefly and http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?AID=738621&t=7235