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MP3 EX~PO - Central Meaner Street
10 MP3 Songs in this album (28:13) !
Related styles: ROCK: College Rock, ROCK: British Invasion
People who are interested in Mercury Rev The Apples in Stereo The Shins should consider this download.
Details:
Central Meaner Street represents the culmination of four years of life-experience, writing and recording for Toronto-based musician Dean Marino (under the moniker EX~PO). Dean describes EX~PO as: “well-crafted indie pop, filtered through sunny vocal arrangements, fuzz-guitar, punchy rhythms with psychedelic ‘studio-head’ tendencies.”
Like most kids, Dean grew up on his parent’s record collection. These stacks of vinyl and 8-tracks contained typical British invasion and West-Coast pop but his folks also had a penchant for oddities like the Velvets, obscure soul and jazz. Unlike most kids, music completely saturated Dean’s life. His father played in several Brit influenced garage bands with names like “the NYC Teens” and “the Spiders,” while his grandfather on his mother’s side was a prominent jazz bassist. Inevitably, Dean started his first band (Lucid Dream, which later became Smile) in high school with his brother Pete and current collaborator Jay Sad. Influenced by the local indie and punk scene, Pete and Dean went on to form Knacker, a pop-via-punk outfit, which after a string of minor successes and two albums, went on hiatus in 2004. In that same year, Dean released Harsh Lenses Point Homeward under the EX~PO moniker. This limited-run release garnered critical acclaim, with wide-ranging comparisons to Belle and Sebastian, Mark Bolan, Sonic Youth, Wilco, Elliot Smith and Sloan. Upon listening to Harsh Lenses or Central Meaner, one will notice that Dean has expanded his influences beyond his inherited and teenage roots and while one can undoubtedly hear George Harrison and Brian Wilson in his work, one can also find heavy traces of Sid Barrett, Wayne Coyne, Kevin Shields, Jason Pierce, John McEntire and Elvis Costello.
In addition to fronting EX~PO, Dean is a well-known studio engineer and record producer and currently plays electric guitar for the Toronto-based roots rock collective "Yonder." He co-owns Chemical Sound Recording Studio with long-time collaborator Jay Sad and has produced or engineered many notable records there.
Central Meaner Street comes as a limited CD/LP package with high-quality 12” vinyl, stunning artwork (hand-drawn by Dean himself) and a digital copy on enhanced CD featuring bonus tracks, live footage and photos.
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A few select track descriptions:
Banana Republic (Reprise) ~ A dreamscape-like song about corporate greed, textured with a mildly Latin-influenced 5/4 backbeat, backwards string section, tape loops and a “trippy” half-time 4/4 interlude featuring an echoing tubular bells solo.
Tasty Bites ~ Comes across as a marriage between Brit-rock and Burt Bacharach.
Constant Commuter ~ Driving rhythms, MBV (Kevin Shields) influenced swirling guitars and fuzz overtones, vibraphones and female backing vocals tell a story about highway driving, paperwork and computer-induced hypnotism.
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Praise For "Harsh Lenses Point Homeward" (EX~PO''s previous release):
"Marino''s sleepy voice is at times reminiscent of a Marc Bolan with more gusto, particularly on last track “Liddy”, which isn’t a bad thing at all."
Soul Shine
"Marino treads the fine line of those guitar chords that sounds perfect together. His voice drifts almost effortlessly through the song. The song deserves a friendly sigh when it’s done, leaving the listener a little happier."
CD Reviews
"His velvety voice, bright guitars and appealingly tangled-up melodies make it easy to lose focus on the music and simply let it flow through you."
Splendid Magazine
"There''s enough beauty to fill the coldest heart ..."
Russell Barker
"He (Dean) creates a dreamy, complex sound for his smart songs ... a lovely little EP ... "
Luna Kafe
"...creative use of instruments and soulful sounding voice, laid back, never rushed and draped with pop sensibilities ... a headphone experience, enriched with Elliot Smith styled vibe and atmosphere..."
Alternative Rock Review
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