Earlier this month a musician friend of mine sent me a message telling me a friends indie/alternative rock band from Austin, Texas was headed out on tour and that Seattle was one of their dates. He told me that I needed to check them while they were in town. So of course trusting his opinion I made time to check out the band White Label Analog when they arrived.
On September 15th they arrived in town to play the El Corazon along with Lando, Season of Strangers and Flawed Hero. As soon as WLA hit the stage and vocalist Chris Didear opened his mouth and started singing I was immediately thrust back to the 80’s band English Beat’s song “Sooner or Later”. I am pretty sure WLA’s vocalist is channeling English Beat’s vocalist Dave Wakeling! The vocals are so strikingly similar it’s freaky! Their show was really good. They were very entertaining and their music is very enjoyable to listen too. It’s got a really good beat that is great for dancing and the songs are catchy and singable. Although indie/alternative, there’s a core of 80’s that I heard in their underlying sound from many of the great dance bands of that time. It comes from the mix of the music styles with the keyboards, then the beats and guitar mixed with the vocals. This is definitely a fun band to watch and listen to.
I left the show with both of the bands CD’s and I am happy I made that decision. The first cd titled “A Little More Time” and their new one “In Case You Just Tuned In” are both solid releases. I’ve made a point since to listen to both cd’s in full and I really enjoy both of them. I do confess to having my favorite songs from each album. From their first album my favs are “Turn to Dust” and “Men Like Gods” and from the new album “Awakened By Fire” is my fav, but all of the songs are good and you all will certainly have your own favorites as well.
I highly recommend checking out White Label Analog. Some people would say this is a band for the indie or hipster crowd, but even myself who’s real rock and metal fan who’s also had time with the 80’s era dance music, I found that I too, enjoy their music. So it’s something I say can and will cross the lines into many fans collections. So take a listen and give this band a chance. If you get a chance to catch them live, do it. You may find something new that you’d never considered or a band that you’ve just not had the chance to hear before. (Video of the band at the bottom of the page)
This quintet consists of:
Chris Didear – Lead Vocals
James Millican – Guitar/Vocals
Heath Macintosh – Drums/Vocals
Aaron Herbster – Bass
Alison Pepper – Keyboards/Vocals
