REVIEW: Passed Up - 5 EP

Genre: Hip Hop
Origin: Las Vegas, Nevada

You almost have to take today's generation of hip hop with a grain of salt. Don't get me wrong, it's usually still good to listen to, but it's such an infiltrated and widespread genre at this point that it's pretty difficult to find outstanding artists that break from the mold. What's the mold, exactly? Well, the idea of hip hop now being as popular as it is, popularity seems to be the name of the game. As long as it follows successful formulas and not really adding anything else to the table, then you've got yourself a hip hop record. Again, it's successful because it features the stylings of a potentially great tune, but sometimes the void isn't really filled.

For instance, upon listening to "New Shh" on Passed Up's debut EP, I am instantly reminded of "Wait (The Whisper Song)" from The Ying Yang Twins. Not the most original hip hop song in the world, but perhaps it's within the title's telling statement "New Shh" as another way to tell you what's in, or perhaps it's reason to believe a new hip-hop duo is trying to one-up their superiors with an additional outtake that doesn't have its own voice. Though "New Shh" talks about something drastically cleaner and ups the vocals a few decibels from whispers (which I suppose doesn't "say" much), the overall construction - from the smooth tempo featuring a thumping house beat, high hat and vocal content - is eerily similar. As the kick off track to a debut EP, this can either raise eyebrows or shake heads. You decide.

But one might reconsider the Vegas natives' objectives in order to see through to their production. The Ying Yang Twins had a dancey tune that was immensely popular and grew into a radio hit, and that feeling of riding the popularity train is found throughout the duo's 5 EP. It doesn't necessarily have the slickness of a highly popular single, but just the way songs are formulated like "3 Minutes," "I Heart Nerds" and "Watch Me (Ima Do It)" give you a sense of urgency, as if these are NOW hits, where you should listen to them NOW because they are a sign of the NOW times. These songs are perfectly capable of attracting listeners into a club playing Top 40 where as long as you can dance to it it's acceptable, but for it to stand on its own through earbud headphones can be somewhat difficult.

To call them derivative would be taking it a little too far, but their showing of 5 does walk a fine line. Passed Up look to give you candy that tastes good but won't won't fulfill you, and if you're more interested in being at the party than being the one hosting it, then they have seven tracks that are dancey and catchy for the time being. Time being, mind you. The duo is probably capable of making music that can last beyond our years, but what's in is in, and they know it.

Passed Up - "New Shh"


Passed Up - "Catch Me In The Rain"


Passed Up's 5 EP is available on CD Baby, Amazon, and iTunes through the JaHMa record label.

REVIEW: George Ellias - Self-Titled EP

Genre: Folk/Acoustic
Origin: Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles doesn't have too many folk acts coming around these days, but L.A. native George Ellias appears to want to be the exception. Why, you ask? It's hard to say. Folk can be troubled waters to tread since the wealth of that genre has always relied on underground sensibilities, retained to giving the average listener a second thought. It's not entirely something attainable in a city like Los Angeles where rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers and Silversun Pickups have a huge following.

But to George Ellias, folk is here to stay. It's understandable, too, that this notion Ellias charges at us with is very much the vision of an artist well-deep into his influences. That isn't to say he's purely imitating, but rather he is providing the music we once loved, a kind of nostalgia that seems to be recurring throughout current popular music such as 70's soul punchers Fitz and the Tantrums (an L.A. act, no less). Perhaps that is key to the possible success of his niche and, of course, timing. Timing is everything.

We get his first foray into the music world with his self-titled EP, which does a pretty good job of giving us a glimpse into certain possibilities of ol' folk. Reinvigorating the days of Bob Dylan with spot-on lyrical playfulness and guitar-picking intricacy, he's able to withstand that sound without being generic. Lyrically, he benefits from relying on messages that spark the same kind of interests of Dylan's followers and possibly even today's listeners. The song "Ghost Town" insinuates the lost lifestyles of old, which is perhaps a summation of what folk is all about in the first place. Kudos to that.

The rest of the EP steers its course in a similar vein, even if they play off as more of a showcase than a concept. We get the somber "A Farewell Song" and we get a lively "Stand Ashore," and we get these tracks as merely accepting Ellias' talents. If that is the thread that defines the EP, it can appear somewhat flat, but this reviewer is willing to find that his pros outweigh this small issue.

The EP mostly stays in tune for its seven tracks (six if you don't include the outtake of "Wonder Babe"), varying in terms of "quality." Songs like "Stand Ashore" and "Take My Advice" have a more "produced" approach, while songs like "Wonder Babe" and "A Farewell Song" are of lower fidelity. Either way, the use of reverb gives each song a very live, acoustic feel, and his track placement is finely interweaved as to not make the overall sound become counterbalanced.

Ellias gives a fine number of songs to link us to fonder days. As this is only his first EP, one can only imagine what his full-length will consist of, but this EP provides us with enough optimism. Each song brings us closer to classic folk, and whether or not that is Ellias' prerogative, he's managed to make us feel good about it.

Check out two tracks from the EP, and if you like what you hear, make sure to visit Amazon, iTunes, or George Ellias' Bandcamp webpage.





George Ellias' EP is available now from End & Co. Records.

In Case of the Mondays: Mesia's "Point of No Return"

If you thought Hard Rock was making a quick and fateful exit from the mainstream, just take a look at Mesia, an up-and-coming San Fernando Valley outfit that takes an ode to the accelerated speed of Josh Homme and his crew in Queens of the Stone Age and the brushstroke-like musicality and vocal range of Soundgarden. Vocalist and guitarist Mike Lerman shoots toward the sky as far as Chris Cornell is concerned, adding the rest of the band's talents into a sum that's both immediately pleasure-seeking and confidently binding. "Point of No Return" comes off of their self-titled EP set for release on May 27th, and it's the right start for a band looking to excel in this often fringed category of rock and hoping to make it more accessible. It blares from the get-go and doesn't stop across its run time, and it's the perfect rush of blood to the head that you need to begin your week. Be on the lookout for upcoming shows and their self-titled EP, and you can find out more information on their ReverbNation page.

Mesia - "Point of No Return"