Late Model Humans
War of the Worlds
By: Kate Stephenson — 6/17/2008
Decent Xposure
In the tradition of “I’m a Believer” (performed by The Monkees
and, later, Smash Mouth), Late Model Humans rage and rollick in
their new album War of the Worlds. Funky and spunky, their
songs are catchy and pleasantly entertaining. Humorous and
playful, insightful and reflective, tongue in cheek, music that
knows how to have fun and make fun of itself.
With hints of Country Western and Ska, War of the Worlds offers
a mixture of sounds and rhythms that create a fun atmosphere of
easy listening light rock that is satisfying to the party and the chill
crowds. With influences like the Ramones, Pink Floyd and Hank
Williams, Late Model Humans have a fluid alternative rock
persona that offers diversity in lyrics, delivery, vocal style, and
geographic locality. From pining after a “Texas Girl”, to evoking
the deadly aspirations of a “Tennessee Boy”, to making love in
the “Eiffel Tower”, to inhabiting the “Invisible Prison” of the mind,
Late Model Humans lyrically traverse the globe, taking us on a
whirlwind tour of the world according to the indie rock perspective
of War of the Worlds.
It’s easy to battle your demons while listening to War of the
Worlds. It seems almost cruel to have such a good time toe
tapping and finger snapping to “Sweet Agony”. This album will
make you want to “Shout Halleluiah” (Glory be!) with glee.
An interesting juxtaposition to the rest of the album, the
dénouement is an evocative slow song that leaves the listener
wondering and wanting more. You’ll commiserate with the loss of
“Honey Belle”, a wonderfully sweet country-inspired ballad of heart
break. And you’ll ponder what other musical gems the Late Model
Humans have up their sleeves.
Late Model Humans have touched on something in War of the
Worlds that sets of endorphin rockets.
War of the Worlds
By: Kate Stephenson — 6/17/2008
Decent Xposure
In the tradition of “I’m a Believer” (performed by The Monkees
and, later, Smash Mouth), Late Model Humans rage and rollick in
their new album War of the Worlds. Funky and spunky, their
songs are catchy and pleasantly entertaining. Humorous and
playful, insightful and reflective, tongue in cheek, music that
knows how to have fun and make fun of itself.
With hints of Country Western and Ska, War of the Worlds offers
a mixture of sounds and rhythms that create a fun atmosphere of
easy listening light rock that is satisfying to the party and the chill
crowds. With influences like the Ramones, Pink Floyd and Hank
Williams, Late Model Humans have a fluid alternative rock
persona that offers diversity in lyrics, delivery, vocal style, and
geographic locality. From pining after a “Texas Girl”, to evoking
the deadly aspirations of a “Tennessee Boy”, to making love in
the “Eiffel Tower”, to inhabiting the “Invisible Prison” of the mind,
Late Model Humans lyrically traverse the globe, taking us on a
whirlwind tour of the world according to the indie rock perspective
of War of the Worlds.
It’s easy to battle your demons while listening to War of the
Worlds. It seems almost cruel to have such a good time toe
tapping and finger snapping to “Sweet Agony”. This album will
make you want to “Shout Halleluiah” (Glory be!) with glee.
An interesting juxtaposition to the rest of the album, the
dénouement is an evocative slow song that leaves the listener
wondering and wanting more. You’ll commiserate with the loss of
“Honey Belle”, a wonderfully sweet country-inspired ballad of heart
break. And you’ll ponder what other musical gems the Late Model
Humans have up their sleeves.
Late Model Humans have touched on something in War of the
Worlds that sets of endorphin rockets.
The Late Model Humans ~ American Twilight
Date: Saturday, February 03, 2007 @ 12:47:45 PST
Home: New York City
Style: Rock
Quote: "It’s hard not to like a working class band like The Late Model Humans. They sing and play honest songs,
with absolutely no pretension."
By Dan MacIntosh
Indie-Music.com
The Late Model Humans are three players, a power trio if you will. All three also sing and play guitar. Nobody plays
drums, however. I’m not sure what this says about the future of late model drummers within the evolutionary cycle.
Drummers never were the smartest humans, anyhow. No great loss, right? (Just kidding, of course).
Mike Power also plays banjo, and there is a slight country touch to many of these otherwise rock tracks. Jim Power
sings the opener “Pretty French Words” with a voice that sounds like a kindly hillbilly visiting Paris for the first time.
This track even includes a pretty French spoken word part from Rhodi Hawk.
This trio is like three solo artists joined together as one because each one also writes. Mike Kennon likes to keep
his words simple and straightforward. “Until the Day I Die,” for instance, repeats the phrase “I’m gonna love you
until the day I die,” over and over again.
It’s hard not to like a working class band like The Late Model Humans. They sing and play honest songs, with
absolutely no pretension.
Late Model Humans- War of the Worlds Review
Style: Alternative / Indie / Rock
Rating: 8.2 out of 10
By C.W. Ross
The Music Freelancer's Blog
Late Model Humans is a band that's not afraid to
walk down their own musical path. On their latest
release War of the Worlds the band's songs
range from talking about being in Paris on the
Eiffel Tower making love to sitting on a bed in a
seedy hotel room with a shotgun lying across your
body.
The songs are set against everything from all out
rockers like, "That Texas Girl, "Real, Real Man"
and "Sweet Agony" to the country folk ballads,
"Tennessee Boy (It's All Over)", and "Honey
Belle." You'll also find some retro-sounding
moments in several of the songs along with an
island rock number, "Invisible Prison."
It's the guitar parts that drive the songs along with
drumbeats that both mark time and control the
tempo of each song. The vocals are solid and
hold their own against the strong instrumentation
found in the songs.
This band has a lot to say and does it well in the
songs found on, War of the Worlds. If you like
your rock mixed with some Americana and retro
ala bands like, The Kinks, Creedence Clearwater
Revival, and The Clash then you need to add this
CD to your music collection.
Late Model Humans
Fallen Angels
Rock and roll is here to stay thanks to bands like Late Model Humans. On their fourth album Fallen Angels, released
this year, they channel artists like Buddy Holly, The Ramones, and early Beatles. This New York five-some bellows
straightforward rock ‘n roll without a hint of pretension. But don’t just dance to this album. If you listen you’ll quickly
find poetic verse and bare emotion that boost these fourteen songs to a higher level of cool.
The album covers a pretty good range of mood and subject matter. The opening track “The Little Things You Do” is
an enthusiastic love song, but it’s followed by the Clash-esque “Pick Up the Gun.” This tune shows us a montage of
gritty scenes and includes the lyric “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice I’ll kill everyone.” That tune and the
others written by James Power tend to have a darker edge than those by his band-mates, including his brother and
long-time collaborator Michael. There are also some melancholy moments, like the title track “Fallen Angels,” a
series of eccentric biblical allusions, and the poignant ballad “Your Broken Heart.”
The band’s vocals were an acquired taste for me. The band members take turns at lead and they all sing in a
markedly unpolished style. After a couple of listens, however, I couldn’t imagine the voices any other way. Their
rough vocals are essential to the honest, unassuming character of the band, and the more aggressive, punk-rock
moments ring true like when a great actor really nails a scene.
I’m glad I came across the Late Model Humans and I think other rock and roll fans will be, too. Their refreshing
sound is full of unmistakable intelligence and musical maturity. Fallen Angles is an excellent reminder that simplicity
and depth go great together, and honest emotion always blows pretentiousness out of the water.
Fallen Angels
Rock and roll is here to stay thanks to bands like Late Model Humans. On their fourth album Fallen Angels, released
this year, they channel artists like Buddy Holly, The Ramones, and early Beatles. This New York five-some bellows
straightforward rock ‘n roll without a hint of pretension. But don’t just dance to this album. If you listen you’ll quickly
find poetic verse and bare emotion that boost these fourteen songs to a higher level of cool.
The album covers a pretty good range of mood and subject matter. The opening track “The Little Things You Do” is
an enthusiastic love song, but it’s followed by the Clash-esque “Pick Up the Gun.” This tune shows us a montage of
gritty scenes and includes the lyric “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice I’ll kill everyone.” That tune and the
others written by James Power tend to have a darker edge than those by his band-mates, including his brother and
long-time collaborator Michael. There are also some melancholy moments, like the title track “Fallen Angels,” a
series of eccentric biblical allusions, and the poignant ballad “Your Broken Heart.”
The band’s vocals were an acquired taste for me. The band members take turns at lead and they all sing in a
markedly unpolished style. After a couple of listens, however, I couldn’t imagine the voices any other way. Their
rough vocals are essential to the honest, unassuming character of the band, and the more aggressive, punk-rock
moments ring true like when a great actor really nails a scene.
I’m glad I came across the Late Model Humans and I think other rock and roll fans will be, too. Their refreshing
sound is full of unmistakable intelligence and musical maturity. Fallen Angles is an excellent reminder that simplicity
and depth go great together, and honest emotion always blows pretentiousness out of the water.
Nathaniel Rolnick – MuzikReviews.com Staff
November 17, 2009
