The Resonars "Lunar Kit" 2002

The Resonars Lunar Kit's self-titled full-length is the type of record you hear on CD and want to get on vinyl. It's warm grooves and hip-shaking rhythms recall the old rock 'n' roll records you grew up on, as much about fun and dancing as it is about writing and performing great songs. It's the type of record you put on your turntable, blast into your ears via the headphones, and dance the night away while the party goes strong into the wee hours of the morning. However, on CD all is not lost because it is such a solid record, such a testament to the power of the influence of rock 'n' roll, recalling The Stones as much as it recalls Buddy Holly. If you like your rock with guitars that make you want to shake your hips rather than make your head pound, this is your ticket. - By Alex SteiningerIt’s been three years since the previous truly brilliant retro Bright And Dark album from sixties incarnate, Matt Rendon. As you lucky listeners in the know may recall was a warm psychedelic pop gem awash in wavering layers of vocal effects laden with echo to say the least. He has refined his one-man band methodology giving the illusion of a four-piece combo who is practically imperative to the spot-on harmonies, drums and bass. Arresting to the level of the guitars nothing is as loud as Rendon seems to have absorbed every significant gauge of classic Rock and Roll tunes, but friends let me tell you these are not pastiches. Rendon has widened his range. The Resonars’ Lunar Kit all but channels the ghost of a young John Lennon and hooks the listener in the process according to the Resonars’ mastermind, Matt Rendon. Matt says his first acquisitions from the Apple catalog came in the form of Please, Please Me and Help! Thus, his new second offering from Get-Hip Recordings stands as a blatant homage to those albums and provides a welcome trip down memory lane for Matt and the listener. The standout tracks like "She’s In Love With Her" and "Everything You Said" is rented straight from the Beatles’ stylistic guidelines, lifted from Ringo’s percussive tambourine to the beautiful background "aaaahhhhhhs". Unlike the Elephant Six Crew, The Resonars make no attempts to update the classic sound. One could say they have a penchant for an all-but extinct sonic motif which could mean disaster for others, but not with the Resonars reverent tactful approach to the ghost of pre-Dylan Beatles. Lunar Kit is soundly in the restrains of most polished songwriting skills and clever lo-fi production. This is a product of a musical era all too often alluded to but rarely given a proper tribute. Lunar Kit is a very catchy album and repeated listening will immerse one into hook-filled sounds that have morphed the early Beatles with each listen. The hooks become more relevant and the lyrics evolve into a sound that serves The Resonars well. Check out the eighth song, "Lunar Kit", you will hear part of just what I am ranting about. This has the expected jangly, Folk-Rock sound powered by the Keith Moon style of drumming along with the soaring harmonies, augmented with a touch more distortion of the guitars and listen to the invigorating, Hollies-like "Under Garden". But "Retro Rocket" is a head-long rush bustin’ thru’ to mod-psych influences, but not limited to of early Who. "Little Spoiled Baby" is the first and last sign of any leanings toward bloozy Boogie. As one might hear an elixir of the finest ingredients, able to make a blind man being driven out of a fit of depression. These ears so enjoy and often prefer a nice chorus to full out rock attacks as compared to other hot acts on the indie labels of today. As one man put it, while mainstream radio continues to fall in love with modern rock’s new retro sound, this might be a time for it to think about just where it all came about. I also think The Resonars most surely know. - from http://www.circleskyrecords.com/trax:
01 A Slice Of Today 02 Under Garden 03 Why Does It Have To Be So Hard 04 Retro Rocket 05 She's In Love With Her 06 Funny Old World 07 Flood Lamp Eyes 08 Lunar Kit 09 Way Way Way Way Out 10 Everything You Said 11 Little Spoiled Baby