HEADSTART

-- Portland, Maine's music scene has provided both the major and indie music scenes with some pleasant surprises over the years. A simple internet search will show oodles of bands spanning many genres with one thing in common - Portland knows its music. Headstart is yet another addition to a long line of successful acts from the small city, bringing straightforward pop rock (loudly) to your ears. The band has seen several Portland Phoenix Best Music Poll awards since coming onto the scene in 2004, including Best Song ("Do This") and Best Live Act. In the past 5 years they've managed to put out a whopping 5 releases (2 EP's and 3 full-lengths), each one made independently by the band with no help from labels, big or small.

-- With "A" the 5-piece brings back the frantic pace of their first album (self-titled) but these songs, while pop at the core, show the maturity the band developed after that first release. From the get-go "Ready,Set." showcases the band's knack for packing hooks, dynamics, and riffs into a song that barely passes two minutes. The song has a throw-back rock feel with big guitars and keyboards and also features both vocalists (lead singer Kevin Kennie and rhythm guitarist Ian Blanchard) nicely. That trend continues on the painfully radio-ready "Don't You Dare," with gang vocals galore emphasizing singer Kennie's throaty, sarcastic delivery. On "Face It" the band slows things down, at least with tempo, but still throw out an energetic pop song. I'd like to get the word count on the vocals for this song, because in 3:00 they throw out enough words to cover an entire album. "Ha Ha," at first listen, seems to be another straight-forward pop rock song (and with an evil hook that you'll be humming all day), but upon deeper inspection you find an over-the-top cheery song about.dying? The band layers acoustic, electric, and heavily-effected lead guitars over piano, synth, multi-layered vocals (nice falsetto also) and a very solid rhythm section. This rhythm section is best showcased on the EP's ender, "Spinning My Wheels," which is nicely spaced and sparse in instrumentation. Here, rather than stack up parts, the band makes each individual part count and it's perfect for Kennie's sing-songy/hip-hop delivery.

-- It's a great return for Headstart, who at this point have logged countless spins on local radio, racked up a staggering amount of song and album sales, but somehow still find themselves in their own backyard. With "A" the band shows itself to be growing in skill, in years and, somehow, in fun. Maybe this is the release that will get them a little further from home.