So full disclosure I run a record label and I’ve come to an agreement with Blood Makes Noise to let me promote releases every week. The idea is every week I will present a playlist with some new Mint 400 Records music and what I think inspired our songwriters. This week we have a re-release of Bluechannel’s “Urgent Restoration” EP and a brand new single from North Jersey artist Evan Luberger and his band Rosey Bengal. It’s quite a contrast this week but still all falling within the indie realm.
Bluechannel were one of the bigger and more polished local bands of the late 90’s into the early 2000’s that were playing in the North Jersey pop punk scene although their music was always more dynamic and pulled from diverse inspirations compared to their peers. On their EP from that era it’s easy to hear the Get Up Kids influence mixed with slightly older stuff like Jawbreaker’s “Dear You”. I think the band was really hitting their songwriting stride with this EP. I always thought lead singer Brian Cerullo had a very Promise Ring sound voice over edgier music than what The Promise Ring was doing and I think you can definitely hear why I made that comparison. I think the band also pulled just a little bit from more main stream acts like Weezer which at the time was polished but heavy and poppy which is what Bluechannel pulls off. There’s something in the melodies too that I think feel like that explosion of mid 90’s alt rock radio. Next up for Bluechannel is a re-release soon of the follow up album they wrote after this EP “This As A Drawing” and some new material, re-recordings of old songs they wrote but polished up a bit.
Rosey Bengal is light and airy, completely opposite to Bluechannel. I always hear a bit of the 70’s in Rosey Bengal’s music but not as much in this new track. I compared it directly to Sufijan Stevens although it does have modern drum samples and isn’t just indiefolk. The reason I compared it to my own band Fairmont is the main riff is very similar, must be something in the Jersey water that makes us all write a certain way. Upcoming for Rosey Bengal is eventually a compilation of singles they will be putting out over the upcoming months.