Cactus Flower Vinyl - Pablo
Alternative/Alt. Rock, Power Pop
Colorado, United States
Overall Impression: Energetic performances and solid writing help make "Pablo" a competently put-together piece of alternative rock songwriting that is both terrifically catchy and heavy on the hooks. Cactus Flower Vinyl has done a great job of capturing that classic 90's era alternative sound whilst still managing to put their own contemporary twist into the mix, resulting in one rip-rollicking good time that manages to balance its raw sense of attitude with a feeling of accessibility that will allow it to appeal to a broad range of music lovers.
Strongest Point(s): The performances are both strong and stylistically fitting for this style of track and whilst they feel tight and well-executed, there's still a welcome feeling of looseness in the performances that help give the track its energetic qualities and easy-going nature, so much so that this is more akin to a captured live performance rather than a studio-recorded track and it's all the better for it. The arrangement is stellar and the way in which the instrumentation is used to effectively convey transitions between the song's various distinct sections is excellent, such as the way vocal layerings are used in the chorus to give it a heightened feeling of immediacy and bombast as well as the way in which the instrumentation is stripped back in the interlude at 2:16, allowing the track to take a momentary breath before kicking back in full swing.
Target Audience Appeal: This is definitely a tune for the alternative rockers and fans of the style will find "Pablo" to be a welcoming listening experience.
Artist target suggestions: Spin Doctors, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Gin Blossoms, Hootie & The Blowfish, Fastball, Better Than Ezra, Semisonic, The Wallflowers, Counting Crows, Vertical Horizon, Third Eye Blind, Soul Asylum, Matchbox Twenty
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About the Reviewer:
Andre Avanessian is a freelance session musician, composer, and sound engineer based in the U.K. Having studied music production and composition at a degree level, he has taken his passion for all things audio-related to a level that has allowed him to become both a competent musician and performer. Being a self-confessed "Guitar Nerd" Andre has been continually studying the guitar, as well as teaching it, helping students both learn the instrument, develop their songwriting, and how to become proficient in home recording.