emoneil
01/17/09, 09:36 PM
Cash CashCash Cash EP
Record Label: Universal Republic
Release Date: October 7, 2008
Cash Cash are a band that know how to have a good time. They're the friends that show up at your lame social gathering and turn it into a party.
In a time where today's scene consists of bands that may use similar tools in their music, like synthesizers, programmed beats, and vocoders, Cash Cash use these tools as a means to enhance their music. Where bands use these tools to define their music, and seem all too serious pursuing the idea that they're artists, Cash Cash are just trying to get you up and dancing.
Their debut EP Cash Cash does this from the get go. After a few awkward sounding synthesized beats, a poppy, simple keyboard part is played and partially mirrored in melody by singer/guitarist Jean Paul Makhlouf, and rim shot drum hits kick in. Which, at the very least, should put a smile on the listener's face. Within a few bars, the whole band comes in and gives the songs a “get-up-and-dance” vibe. The other three songs follow suit, starting in simplicity, then exploding into a frenzy that make the listener's feet do the same. Each song is filled with a lively attitude that is sure to make heads bop, toes tap, and hips swing.
The track that stands out the most, and has the most single potential, is “Party in Your Bedroom.” It starts with the first line of the chorus sung a capella through a vocoder, which follows with the full chorus played quietly, teasing at the fun to follow. Then, like the rest of the songs on this phenomenal EP, it blows wide open and invites the listener in to the festivities. There are parts to this song that tease at the idea of a 1980's influence as well. If you listen to the end of each phrase during the verse, there is a short syth chord that swells up and sounds like an audio clip from the “Ghostbusters” theme. All the more reason to get up and dance...in your bedroom.
The only downside to this EP is that there are parts that sound too much like they were produced on a computer. Analog and digital arguments aside, sometimes things are too noticeably filtered through a computer. Case in point is the song “Two Days Old.” The song, while very catchy, starts off sounding like it was made with a midi player more than with actual instruments. The digital beats, vocoder singing, and synths coalesce nicely with the rest of the parts of the songs, but the intro and bridge before the verses makes it feel like listening to a high school band's demo. Not to discredit the song, but for a release as great as this, it seems bizarre to have something sounding like a computer generated demo.
All things said, this is a great release. With catchy hooks, big choruses, dance beats, and even some heavy guitar riffs, this is a solid EP. If you're looking for the next big band to play at your party when your parents are gone for the weekend, look no further than Cash Cash's Cash Cash. It's sure to turn those awkward social gatherings into a party that will be remembered.
Forever the Sickest Kids; Metro Station; Cobra Starship
www.myspace.com/cashcash
Record Label: Universal Republic
Release Date: October 7, 2008
Cash Cash are a band that know how to have a good time. They're the friends that show up at your lame social gathering and turn it into a party.
In a time where today's scene consists of bands that may use similar tools in their music, like synthesizers, programmed beats, and vocoders, Cash Cash use these tools as a means to enhance their music. Where bands use these tools to define their music, and seem all too serious pursuing the idea that they're artists, Cash Cash are just trying to get you up and dancing.
Their debut EP Cash Cash does this from the get go. After a few awkward sounding synthesized beats, a poppy, simple keyboard part is played and partially mirrored in melody by singer/guitarist Jean Paul Makhlouf, and rim shot drum hits kick in. Which, at the very least, should put a smile on the listener's face. Within a few bars, the whole band comes in and gives the songs a “get-up-and-dance” vibe. The other three songs follow suit, starting in simplicity, then exploding into a frenzy that make the listener's feet do the same. Each song is filled with a lively attitude that is sure to make heads bop, toes tap, and hips swing.
The track that stands out the most, and has the most single potential, is “Party in Your Bedroom.” It starts with the first line of the chorus sung a capella through a vocoder, which follows with the full chorus played quietly, teasing at the fun to follow. Then, like the rest of the songs on this phenomenal EP, it blows wide open and invites the listener in to the festivities. There are parts to this song that tease at the idea of a 1980's influence as well. If you listen to the end of each phrase during the verse, there is a short syth chord that swells up and sounds like an audio clip from the “Ghostbusters” theme. All the more reason to get up and dance...in your bedroom.
The only downside to this EP is that there are parts that sound too much like they were produced on a computer. Analog and digital arguments aside, sometimes things are too noticeably filtered through a computer. Case in point is the song “Two Days Old.” The song, while very catchy, starts off sounding like it was made with a midi player more than with actual instruments. The digital beats, vocoder singing, and synths coalesce nicely with the rest of the parts of the songs, but the intro and bridge before the verses makes it feel like listening to a high school band's demo. Not to discredit the song, but for a release as great as this, it seems bizarre to have something sounding like a computer generated demo.
All things said, this is a great release. With catchy hooks, big choruses, dance beats, and even some heavy guitar riffs, this is a solid EP. If you're looking for the next big band to play at your party when your parents are gone for the weekend, look no further than Cash Cash's Cash Cash. It's sure to turn those awkward social gatherings into a party that will be remembered.
Forever the Sickest Kids; Metro Station; Cobra Starship
www.myspace.com/cashcash