Quick, name a musical artist from South Dakota! Uh-huh. I couldn’t either, at least not until I started checking into The Weather Machines. This Rapid City four piece plays catchy Ted Leo-esque power-pop songs with friendly power chords, fat bass lines, and understated drums. Jason Ward’s voice especially reminds me of ol’ Ted, but overall they’re a more straightforward rock band. Highlights include the chiding “Northern Lights” (”Stop showing your scars / because it’s never been clear who got the worst of what you say”), the stutter stop of “The Latest In Company Brides,” and the riffed out “32,000′ Above Suck City.” Clocking in at just over a half hour, the dozen solid songs of The Sounds of Pseudoscience are catchy, concise, and definitely worth a listen.
You can stream the whole album at The Weather Machines’ site or download a couple of free mp3’s. There’s also a few songs to listen to at MySpace. And if you like what you hear you can grab yourself a digital copy at eMusic. Special thanks to our good friend Mike over at ex libris for pointing this one out a while back.
Let’s see – you mentioned Ted Leo – OK, you got me. I’ll have to check out this group sometime.