Album – This is Grand Atlantic – Grand Atlantic

• Band / Artist : Grand Atlantic – mySpace
• Genre : Alternative / Rock
• Sample Track Download : Nice Guys?
• Buy CD : CD Baby
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes
• Rating : 8.5 out of 10

Australia has a lot to answer for, like Neighbours, Home and Away, Young Doctors and Paul Hogan. It’s not all doom and gloom however, there are the odd rays of light that shine from our down under cousins. Not being immersed in Australian music, means it’s very hard for me to find new bands and know what’s hot and what’s not. It’s great then when listeners to the podcast, pipe up and make some stellar recommendations. I was tipped off about Grand Atlantic a while back and in fact had their album sitting in my in pile for the longest time. A couple of weeks ago, I was reminded that I hadn’t yet mentioned Grand Atlantic, so decided to come back to them with renewed interest. Imagine my delight, and utter guilt when realizing this was an amazing album, that had somehow flown under my radar.

The first few tracks, remind me a lot of Oasis, however the harsh lead vocals are replaced with vocals that are somewhat easier on the ear. The whole bands sound is very reminiscent of the Brit pop scene of the 90’s, but with a strong 80’s rock influence. The album opens with “Prelude”, which is a much softer song than would usually open this kind of rock and pop album. “Coolite” very much exudes Oasis goodness and it’s here that the real nature of the band comes to the fore. Again with “Smoke and Mirrors” the influence of other bands seep out, but there’s much here that is fresh and interesting.

“Wonderful Tragedy” sees the band take a slightly different, more theatrical turn, very reminiscent of Marc Almond, there’s that hint of kitsch, but only the merest hint, as the vocals cover the kitsch with just the right bend of testosterone, but make no mistake, this is very much a track aspiring to be a classic rock ballad, but just misses the mark ever so slightly.

It’s hard to make the Oasis comparisons, and not have that nagging wish in my gut for the laddish singalong track. Unfortunately this never transpires, but we do get a small homage to the Beatles, with “Burning Brighter”, which just has that great combination of lyrics and a melody at times, which reminds me of “Getting Better”. “Moth and Rust” is a bizarre little peel away from the rest of the album, but it does give a nice touch of levity, especially in the opening moments. “Peace Be with You” again pains homage to some 60’s icons, but here it’s more the Beach Boys, rather than the Beatles and is just a wonderful track to lay the 13 track album to rest.

Conclusion : A very strong album, which has a nice mix of freshness and timeless influences. A great find from Australia that shows there is some amazing talent just waiting to be discovered. I look forward to find some more great talent from Australia and will be keeping a keen eye on this exciting band.