Hometown For The Holidays
The Top 10, I mean Top 12 thanks to a 4-way tie for 9th place, has been revealed for this year’s Hometown for the Holidays competition sponsored by KTCL 93.3 FM. Now, it’s up to the radio listeners (those who signed up at RateTheMusic.com prior to December 9th) to vote for their favorite acts from the Top 12. The top three vote-getters will perform at the Hometown for the Holidays concert at Casselman’s on Saturday, December 17th and the band with the most votes will receive $3,000 worth of recording time at The Blasting Room plus pricless bragging rights. Visit Area93.comto hear the Top 12 songs. Here are my predictions of each band’s chances of making the Top 3:
The Heyday – “Somebody to Someone”
The Heyday has made it into the Top 3 for three out of the last four years, so you’d have to consider them a heavy favorite to repeat this year. “Somebody to Someone” might not be as strong overall as last year’s “Fools Go Fallin'”, but the chorus is a knockout punch. I’m a little concerned that the track is more country-rock crossover than they typically play on KTCL, but I still expect The Heyday to do well in the voting. ODDS: 2 to 1 (50% chance)
The Photo Atlas – “Tell Me Again”
This one is tough to gauge. The Photo Atlas are well respected within the local music community. They’ve won a Westword Music Showcase award in each of the last two years, and may already be familiar to KTCL listeners (or Burnout Paradise video game players) thanks to their modest hit “Red, Orange, Yellow”. “Tell Me Again” is pretty poppy for the band. Ultimately it’s going to come down to whether listeners love or hate Singer Alan Andrews’ unique high, vibratto vocals. ODDS: 3 to 1 (33% chance)
Fierce Bad Rabbit – “You”
The Fort Collins based Fierce Bad Rabbits is a very strong contender in this year’s competition. “You” is ladened with the same kinds of hooks found in last year’s local hit “All I Have Is You”. But the song may be too “adult alternative” to attract the kinds of people that are likely to vote. If they can mobilize their FoCo followers through social media, they’ll have a huge advantage. ODDS: 3 to 1 (33% chance)
Churchill – “Change”
Churchill has to be commended for this savvy song choice. By choosing a song that features Bethany Kelly rather than Tim Bruns, “Change” automatically stands out as the only female-featured vocal. Plus, this song is absolutely gorgeous and capitilizes well on the success of KTCL artists like Florence and the Machine. Churchill made the Top 10 last year (and the Top 3 in 2009) and “Change” may very well put them in the Top 3 this year. ODDS: 2 to 1 (50% chance)
Saints – “Dark Country”
I first heard this song on “Locals Only” last month and wrote down the name of the band so that I wouldn’t forget it. Some of their songs have an Oasis vibe, but “Dark Country” is more Jakob Dylan meets Franz Ferdinand. While the song has a funky, chill vibe to it, it doesn’t really go anywhere. There is no difference in the music betwen the verses and the chorus, and unfortunately not even the dynamic outro can save it. ODDS: 10 to 1 (10% chance)
Reno Divorce – “Lover’s Leap”
“Lover’s Leap” is another song that stands out from the rest as being the only pure punk rock song in the competition. Fans of Social Distortion, Bad Religion, and Rise Against will vote for this song in droves and they’ve done a good job of mobilizing their fan base to vote. Still, you have to wonder why the band has failed to crack into the Top 3 after being in the Top 10 for three out of the last four years. Maybe there is some backlash for sounding too much like Social D. ODDS: 3 to 1 (33% chance)
My Body Sings Electric – “Doctor”
Like The Heyday, My Body Sings Electric was in the Top 3 last year. Their new single “Doctor” is indie-pop perfection. If they don’t make it into the Top 3, I’ll eat my hat. ODDS: 3 to 2 (66% chance)
Eldren – “Sleepy Walker”
I was a little perplexed by this decision. “Sleepy Walker” is a fairly new song and hasn’t been “road tested” much. But, I have come around to the shrewdness of the decision. It’s a short (not even 2 and a half minutes long) pop nugget that is alternately bouncy and dreamy. Eldren’s primary disadvantage is their newness. But one listen is all that most people need to become believers in this band. ODDS: 5 to 2 (40% chance)
Beats Noire – “Castaways”
Talk about a “wild card”. Beats Noire is the only band I’ve never heard of before. Hell, before the results were announced, they had fewer than 200 Facebook fans. This song’s Gorillaz-like vibe is pretty on point, but I think they would have been better served by editing the song down from its almost 4 minutes running time by removing the jazzy-piano interlude in the middle that just kills the song’s momentum. ODDS: 4 to 1 (25% chance)
Monroe Monroe – “Summon The Sound”
I don’t know whether the tally of 2010’s votes were published, but I’d be surprised if Monroe Monroe hadn’t finished in 4th place. “Squeeze” was one of the best songs to come out of Denver in 2010. I’m not sure that “Summon the Sound” was the best choice of songs to submit (I’d have gone with “Love Language (Wild Hearts)”). Still, Monroe Monroe has some good momentum going. ODDS: 3 to 1 (33% chance)
The Swayback – “What Death Cares About”
The Swayback are another perrenial favorite. I’m sure they will do well in the voting, but this song just doesn’t do it for me. ODDS: 3 to 1 (33% chance)
In The Whale – “Heels”
Nobody does more with less (members) than In The Whale. These guys have never met a gig they wouldn’t play. And whenever they start playing, newcomers get this look on their face like “are these guys serious?”. But, it isn’t long before Nate and Eric make converters out of them. “Heels” is less The Black Keys and more Clutch. It may be a little too hard rock for KTCL. And one of the things that makes In The Whale so charming and likeable is their nerdy exteriors. But, this will be lost on radio listeners. ODDS: 5 to 1 (20% chance)
There you have it. My Body Sings Electric and Churchill will fight it out for 1st place and The Heyday will round out the Top 3. Who do you think the Top 3 will be?
Everyday (in the Mile High) 