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Chicago has just been an endless wealth of musical riches for the last two years with new bands/performers cropping up regularly (certainly to this writer) and here again is a new band, Nice Motor.  Formed from the ashes of  two bands, Jonny Rumble and Super Happy Fun Club (now there’s a name for ya!), this four-piece plays a crisp, thoroughly enjoyable pop with no pretension or pomposity.  To this point, they’ve released two tracks and now have issued their debut E.P., Seminary St.

“All The Neighbors” has a nice, very ’60’s-meets- early ’80’s vibe; great reverb on the guitars with clean strums and a strident rhythm – and listen carefully for the very subtle underlying “ah”s on the chorus; “Turn To Stone” jogs along with sweetly picked acoustic guitar as its body, but the pulsing bass and foot pedal keeping time on the drum keeps it lively and builds toward the end.  “High Maintenance” is ripe with melody and a very nice mix of twangy guitar, gentle keyboard embellishes and a taut drum pattern that holds the song together just right and “Thick In The Head” is a very ’80’s-style piece (reminding me at moments of The Church’s “Reptile”) with echo-y guitar riffs that yields to intense, rave-up choruses.

These four songs are a very good indication of what Nice Motor are capable of.  Hopefully, a full-length album is on the horizon because I, for one, would be more than willing to buy it.  A very, very good debut.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Seminary St. is available now (listen below)

http://www.nicemotorband.com/

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About the Author

Rob Ross

Rob Ross has been, for good, bad or indifferent, involved in the music industry for over 30 years - first as guitarist/singer/songwriter with The Punch Line, then as freelance journalist, producer and manager to working for independent and major record labels. He resides in Staten Island, New York with his wife and cats; he works out a lot, reads voraciously, loves Big Star and his orange Gretsch. Doesn't that make him neat?

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