The Stangs

There are a handful of bands out there whose sphere of influence is so great that they not only birth a genre but several with specific songs spawning styles all their own. Some claim that every Black Sabbath song has given rise to its own metal subgenre. Hearing the first two songs from Welsh band, The Stangs' four song EP American Sessions, one immediately catches strong parallels with a particular cross-section of The Beatles' catalog. Specifically, a pair of oddball cuts spliced amidst Abbey Road's sprawling seven-song final medley, 'Mean Mr. Mustard' and 'Polythene Pam'. The two tunes feature Lennon mashing together disparate colloquialisms while singing songs detailing the lives of idiosyncratic characters about town, a practice seldom employed by Lennon but used in abundance by McCartney. It's no wonder The Stangs consider themselves descendants of the skiffle movement, the style Lennon first played with his band The Quarrymen and reincorporated into his sound for these two 1969 tracks.

Album opener, 'The Beekeeper' plays on a bouncy post-garage backbeat and jaunty bass line. Guitars aren't flooded with distortion, remaining tight and crunchy to punch through a tight, catchy melody. Singer Graeme Heath voice is spiced with a nasal, medium rasp, cutting through the mix with a steady buzz. He even gives Lennon a nod in the lyrics, singing “He sings Instant Karma while his instant coffee goes cold”. This tale of their beleaguered hero is the EP's 'Polythene Pam'.

They follow up with 'She's a Stranger' laying back on a beat that uses chugging acoustic guitars to drive this lyrical leapfrog of a song a la 'Mean Mr. Mustard'. Lyrics toss out odd references to teacups and layer cakes in relation to the protagonist's travels and heartaches. The verses spill into a sunny Weezer style Whoa-oh-oh sing along chorus.

The EP's second half includes a couple of nostalgia-tinged, summery alt-rock numbers. Hooky, well-constructed pop songs, albeit less poetic than the deconstructionist pieces of the first half. American Sessions is a light, fun collection of smartly crafted tunes.