Little
Stella – S/T (Independent)
Ottawa based Little Stella is Ryan, Zach, Jeff and
James and they list their influences as the Jonas Brothers and Slayer. A lesser
reviewer might have run away and hid, but fortunately I saw straight through
their cunning ruse and went directly to the ‘play’ button. Their second
(self-titled) EP (five tracks / 16 minutes) places them securely in the same
firmament as Fleet Foxes, Mumfords and many others in the new alt-folk
movement. Obviously they’re operating in a popular genre, but the group
appreciate to stand out they’ve to be leaders rather than followers, and they
do everything they can to carve their own quite separate niche. This they do
through strong, distinctive songwriting, and there are a number of occasions on
the EP where they sound more than capable of succeeding.
First of all “Woods” provides an inspired launch.
Guitars and vocals combine beautifully and the song’s structure and arrangement
is fully realized. It’s followed by “Bluff”, a pristine three-minute folk-pop
song; the sort of thing that should be blasting out of a radio five times a
day. “Cold War” burrows in just as deep and “Highwire” indicates a willingness
to rock. All in all, a filler-free EP - try and hear it if you can.
Tony S.
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