Apostrophe S'

The Apostrophe S – There Are No Animals in the Zoo EP
Review by Michael McKenna 2/2/11

I describe it as a mixture of Electronica + Americana = Spacerock! Doing the club thing for the past 4 years, they have progressed from a garage type band to a band that has a decent following that one witnesses when they gig locally.

Hailing from the Lehigh Valley area, Billy Kleinberg and Josh Roland on Vox & Strings, and the Beitler Brothers, Ronnie on bottom and Robbie on percussion, with occasional appearances by Dan McKinney playing synth, put together compositions and lyrics that when you hear them, you’ll remember them and the catchy titles that are attached to them last in your brain bucket.


Their new demo EP is entitled “There Are No Animals in the Zoo” which was recorded at Dan McKinney’s home studio. There are 6 tracks which are all very different to say the least. “Year 3000.com” opens with synth and riffs to energetic head banging futuristic sounds. The melody is simple yet interesting and refreshing. A new previously unreleased track “Space Song” has some eerie cosmic string work that morphs into a semi-acapella vocals that is really cool and different. The rhythm track kicks in with nice accompaniment comparable to some early Bowie during his Space Oddity days.

“Kandy Kane” has instrumentation that reminds me of some of the great wave of the 80’s. At about 150 BPM, this high energy rocker steps up, then down and keeps one interested throughout. Once you get comfortable, BANG, it‘s back upstairs to the energy that drops off the precipice for an outro. “Insomnia” is a monster! The dueling rocking guitars give this a much heavier sound with the electronica kicking the hooks into the next dimension. My pick as the best track on this EP!

“Blow Me” catches your attention immediately! It sounds like a punk version of Bob Dylan, the Sex Pistols and UK Subs all mixed into one. How’s that for a comparison! The lyrics are suggestive, telling and leave a lot to your wandering imagination. The storyline is awesome and is another one of my best picks! “Humble”, another new song, is the most commercial track on the EP since it is something that AOR/Alternative formats would play. Strong vox lead into clean harmonies that are complimented by dual string riffs. - Michael Mckenna

"Bethlehem, Pennsylvania’s mix a post-punk approach with a new wave melodic sound and just a touch of psychedelia to create a sound that sounds a bit like a lot of people and exactly like no one I know. Influences include Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, Weezer, The Pixies and The Cars. No Nature In Space is the band’s first full-length demo, mixing high energy with Lo-Fi antics. Let’s check it out.

Garage rock. Lo-Fi. Call it what you want, but there's a certain attraction to the raw form of Rock N Roll that is practiced by bands everywhere.

The first breakthrough comes on Skeletons, the 6th track. Skeletons mixes a reggae sound with that lo-fi mystique behind one of the better vocal performances on the album. There is life and energy to the song that has been somewhat muted on the first five tracks.

Ode To The Sea goes for a minimalist ballad that relies on subtle progressions and an almost ethereal air that reminds me a bit of The Rheostatics. Other songs of interest are Until I Find You, 423 and Untitled.

Assuming the mix of songs is somewhat progressive for time, it sounds like The Apostrophe S is searching successfully for their sound. I am not sure that they've found it yet, but it sounds like they've got a couple of possible directions that sound promising. - Wildy

Commercial Radio WZZO backyard bands. Regular rotation.

On air DJ - “These guys are so good” “I am very excited for this band to record a proper album!” - DJ Jain - HOST - DJ - Jain