Reviews - week 7

The Waving Tree

Sunday Afternoon (Vinyl Ep)

(Siesta)

- Once upon a time there was a little country in the south-east of Europe...
- Albania?
- Where all the people that were in bands played punk or a bad version of rock...
- Yes, that is Croatia!
- Until two brothers by the name of Veis came along and wrote a song called If She Doesn't Smile (It'll Rain). They recorded it for Cherry Red, and made this corner of the world a bit of better place for pop kids.
- Was that before or after Milosevic?
- That was in 1984... When I was only three! As years passed more and more people listened to the song and were inspired. They formed their own bands and played their own pop songs until this sunny country became a little bit famous for that.
- That might be Greece then!
- Now it's almost twenty years later but the Veis brothers have not given up. They're still making songs to make the world smile. Because that's exactly what this record with the lovely-looking cover is! Are you listening?!
- ...
- The Waving Tree is the solo project of Alex Veis and A Sunday Afternoon is exactly what I would call music to make you smile. It's happy and sad, but more happy than sad, bitter and sweet, but more sweet than bitter, and above all, it's sunny. It's pop and a little bit jazzy and rather lazy and dreamy; in short, all the things a nice Sunday afternoon should be like. And I might have run out of adjectives about it now but you should have a few reasons to want to listen to it!

Dimitra Daisy
(with a little help from Stefano Santabarbara)

Winnebago Deal

Plata O Plomo (7 track mini-album)

(Fierce Panda)

Winnebago deal are two twenty-something's from Oxford who don't feel the need for a bassist or the need to hold back. Their mini album Plato O Plomo is a 7 track treat of rock 'n' roll greatness. It whips by you like storm and leaves you dizzy, disorientated & wondering what hit you.

The two members of Winnebago Deal just seem to not understand the meaning of the words 'holding back': the guitar screams through the tracks, often at a blistering speed and the drums play alongside the guitars perfectly giving the songs that extra bit of bite. At the band's recent shows they have been selling out of their demo tapes/cd's and I believe this is their first ever release on Fierce Panda (or any other record label for that matter). The band play with a lot of speed and belief that they are doing something different than other bands around them, and although they have many old influences they take these influences and tear them apart and play everything in their own unmistakable way.

Winnebago Deal are young, fresh-faced and ready to rock us all, and I'm sure sooner or later they will make enough noise for people to sit up and take notice of them.

David Strange

(email us here in case you want to send your demo to be reviewed on the friends of the heroes)