Another gem from the label that brought us Higgins, Secret Dakota Ring is
a project from OK GO guitarist Andy Ross and is a striking example of how
freeing these kinds of projects are for major label artists --- and whose
enjoyment exceed their main band`s releases. Ross steers his project
towards beautifully realized stylistic extremes of pop. Each track
reveals a bevy of musical surprises. Echoes of early McCartney and Emit
Rhodes can be found in here(Track #5) and Not Lame fave Willie
Wisely(Track #1 and 4 below). From the multi-layered summer-of-love
psychedelia of �Losing Eyeballs� to the stark strings-only arrangement of
�They Got The Wrong Guy� to the Hitsville USA pep of �The Fade to Black,�
SDR have crafted a uniquely detailed and completely individual half-hour
of ultra-catchy and unpretentious pop music. "An intentionally
fragile thing that isn`t trying to be anything else -- it`s a vision of
rock & roll that begins with the Left Banke and the late Zombies, with a
heavy dollop of Sean O`Hagan`s string arrangements for the High Llamas
and elsewhere." - AMG. "87% out of 100. On this disc, we get a real
jumble of sounds: strings-augmented orchestral pop on "They Got the Wrong
Guy," Man-Made era Teenage Fanclub cloning on "I Blew Myself Up Over
You," and My Bloody Valentine-esque shoegaze on "Sell Us a Spaceship."
Despite the songs` impressive variety, however, Cantarell is a remarkably
together album - it has its own distinct and recognizable sound, which
bodes well for repeated listens. Indeed, this album begs you to come back
again, with an abundance of pop gems eager to hook you.
Enthralling "The Fade To Black" is the album highlight: a boppy rhythm is
combined with piano and strings to create an insanely infectious pop song
in the vein of The Meligrove Band."- Indieville. EXTREMELY HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED!
 Song #1 - mp3
Song #2 - mp3
Song #3 - mp3
Song #4 - mp3
Song #5 - mp3 | 
