The Tunes and Tones
Apple
The Florida-based group The Tunes and Tones seem out of place in their hometown. The band’s electrifying clash of garage rock, ’60s British Invasion guitar pop, and quirky indie stylings give them a New York City vibe. However, unlike contemporaries The Strokes, The Tunes and Tones are no one-trick pony; while the Iggy Pop influence is also apparent, the group isn’t shackled by genre boundaries. So many of today’s college-radio acts ape the latest flavor of the month from trendy blogs, but The Tunes and Tones are oblivious to current trends. If a few of their tunes are reminiscent of Modest Mouse, it isn’t because they’re attempting to imitate them; rather, they simply share stylistic roots, in that case the undying spectre of arty British band XTC.
Given their free-thinking attitude towards rock music, The Tunes and Tones could be categorized as punk in the purest, original sense of the word. After all, how else would you describe a group that holds Bob Dylan, The Sex Pistols, and The Beatles with the same degree of respect and admiration? You can hear all three icons in The Tunes and Tones’ songs; their spirit lives within each rebellious, no-compromise groove. “Keep Us On the Payroll” is a witty delight, and it’s probably the highlight of the record. But this is not a singles’ bar; instead, this is a CD that is best enjoyed from beginning to end, letting The Tunes and Tones cut loose as the album itself becomes a greatest-hits iPod playlist.
Tunes and Tones: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tunesandtones2
