Ramona – Mornington Crescent Now Open

It’s hard to track these guys down on the internet to get background as they are pretty new. Luckily Engineer Records sent us some info with the CD. This band from Toronto, Canada skirt around indie with a sound that touches on Skatepunk but heads into older UK indie rock territory too. The music is very catchy, pop and yet punk and quite odd. Sounds old at times and yet is surprisingly up-to-date. An interesting mixture that should impact the scene. -Daniel

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This mini album is the debut of Ramona and well done to Engineer Records for bringing it to Europe. Ramona come from Toronto in Canada and their music is in the pop-punk / rock range, with traces of classics such as Weezer or Tom Petty, which speaks for itself. The digi pack contains photos and information on the group as well as six tracks over 16:46 minutes of sophisticated work in this genre. To be honest, it’s not long, but it is sufficient. Fairly straightforward pop-rock with enriched guitar riffs, unexpected drumming and vocal parts. Just an interesting mini album that will make you want to hear more. They have a lot of listeners in the UK, Canada, USA and Japan so hopefully in Europe soon too.

http://rockstorm.radiobrod.cz/index.html

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Aaaand I’m back, eager to treat you to another quick review before heading to the beach to enjoy the summery weather. The next band to be ‘victimized’ is Ramona, a pop/rock four-piece from Toronto, Canada, who are on their very first release with the EP “Mornington Crescent Now Open”.

The sound the band trades on this first offer of theirs is a chilled out, easily enjoyable brand of poppy rock, with bright keys al� Motion City Soundtrack supplementing the simplistic guitar chords and a relaxed vocal delivery al� Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) in charge of delivering supposedly catchy lyrics. There are six songs on offer, and of those, all are easily digested and enjoyed. As for being easily remembered, I’m not sure the quality is quite as consistent, but especially tracks two and six, “A Way Over” and “Kids In Tokyo” seem catchy enough to have some staying power….

http://www.rockfreaks.net/index.php?page=albumreviews&

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Canada have brought me maple syrup, and for that point only they will always have a special place in my heart – what else would I put on my French toast? Ramona is another good Canadian export, following in the heels of Junior Achiever, a band that lead singer Dave Fritz was once part of, and that Ramona are not a million miles away from either.

This is a very clever EP. We have six songs that are not too long, don�t try and be clever, and that are instantly accessible. It might be easy to write them off as being too good; offering a sound that is deliberately constructed to be catchy and radio-friendly, but personally I think that this is actually a sign of good song-writing and the bands cunning knowledge of musical marketing within the industry that can certainly be more than a little bit fickle.

The first song on �Mornington Cresecent Now Open� is the high-tempo happy tune, �Another Mouth To Feed� which sounds like a cross between Everclear and the Zebrahead-spin-off band, I Hate Kate. Whilst the harmonies and vocals sound like the former, it is the slight experimental Pop/Rock of the later that injects the song with something a little different. �A Way Over� is a gentle plod of a track that could be on the soundtrack to a movie. With verses that have bass, drums and vocals it works well by using the basics to build a great song. The chorus is punchy and catchy rounding off the track well. Then in, �The Heart Is Awake� we have a good solid melodic rock track. The guitars happily go from chunky riffs to melodic licks, and the rhythm section is tight, plodding and pounding together.

�The One� is another very strong track showing that there really are no weak tracks. This is slightly Pop/Punk but more intelligent, mixing up the great Punk riffs with Dave�s soothing vocals over the top. �Hanging On The Words� is the token slow track, and it�s very good. The lyrics are thoughtful and not clich�d like the trap a million other bands fall into. The vocals, strumming guitar and keyboards come off well, and even as the song matures, the bass and drums know their place so appear without taking over. The song builds up nicely towards the end too. Now, the last song, �Kids In Tokyo� show the band at their best. This is as catchy as Swine-Flu with thick bassline and some loveable Punk riffs. This is classic Ramones clashing with MXPX and Silver Sun�and of course this is the sort of music that goes down an absolute storm in Japan, and I�m sure that is not by coincidence�! Clever.

I was/am a big fan of Junior Achiever, and Ramona seem to be a well-crafted and well-polished version of that band. This is great rock that is uplifting and intriguing and ultimately leaving you wanting more! 13/13!

http://www.roomthirteen.com/cd_reviews/10935/Ramona__Morn

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Ramona is like earwax candy. I love it. The album MORNINGTON CRESCENT NOW OPEN is terrific. It’s like listening to a hidden album made from a mixture of Weezer, the Replacements, Nerf Herder and Tom Petty. There’s drums, guitars, synthesizers, singing, and a whole bunch of rock ‘n roll! Trust me, you’ll like this stuff!

I knew when I first put this CD into my stereo that I was in for a treat. I warm, fuzzy, almost illegal treat. And, I was right. These guys (and girl) know how to rock. I’m not surprised if you’re saying to yourself that you haven’t heard of Ramona. But, you need to. You need to know a lot more about them. You need to be one of those people who says: OH, RAMONA? YEAH, I KNOW OF THEM. I HAVE THEIR ALBUM. IT’S PRETTY GOOD. I WAS INTO THEM BEFORE THEY WERE BIG.

Some great songs that you can’t miss out on are KIDS IN TOKYO, ANOTHER MOUTH TO FEED, A WAY OVER, and HANGING ON THE WORDS. These songs are superb!

http://biggestletdown.com/content/view/331/58/

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�Mornington Crescent Now Open� is the wonderfully named debut EP from the self-proclaimed �band that never meant to be a band� Ramona. These Canadian pop-rockers started off as a way for guitarist/engineer/producer Dave Fritz of Junior Achiever to release some steam on some solo work, and then gradually picked up other members to fill out the line-up.

It�s important to remember the work of Junior Achiever when approaching Ramona, or possibly not, depending on your outlook on things. The strong influence that Mr. Fritz has had on the sound of both of these groups is undeniable, and the similarities are strong. However, this isn�t a reason to disregard Ramona as just being Junior Achiever songs by a different group, or for Junior Achiever fans to think they know everything they need to about this new group. Anyway, even though I hate to say this, the general listening public won�t have heard of the band that came before, so for most of you, this comparison should not worry you too much.

Ramona is bubblegum pop-rock for grown-ups. Tight vocal harmonies with background �oohs� abound, very occasional profanities thrown in reminding you that bubblegum has a tendency to pop back in your face. Fuzzy guitars, solid drums, floaty synth and high-gain bass round out the highly polished sound of Ramona. It�s not often I mention the production values, but it�s certainly worth mentioning here. Independent bands can often lag behind quite significantly in this regard, but Ramona avoid that problem with a sound that is polished to a mirror shine. At times, this is actually a slight downside as it borders on sounding overproduced and manufactured, but generally they just about stop short of it going too far, and even when they do it gels fine with their overall bright and poppy tone.

If you are one of the people who did know Junior Achiever�s music, then the easiest way to describe Ramona is as a more mature take on it. �Mornington Crescent Now Open� is shiny, grown-up pop-rock. It�s what would happen if Keane tried to be Weezer, or if Coldplay stopped being pretentious and found their inner fun-loving punk. Overall, there really is nothing wrong with Ramona�s music, but yet again, nothing truly special, but how often does that roll around anyway? It�s a solid little release, with a lot of promise. I had fun with it, even if I couldn�t stop thinking of the Radio 4 show �I�m Sorry I Haven�t A Clue� after reading the title.

7/10

http://iwillbattle.wordpress.com/2010/05/08/mornington-cr

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KILLER BAND ALERT. KILLER BAND ALERT. This band began as a side project for producer/engineer/guitarist Dave Fritz to record his music…but evolved into a full band. This band writes and records GREAT songs…! This EP features uplifting melodic pop tunes delivered with swift style…and the melodies stick in your head like glue. The band also includes Matt Trotter, Jeremy Knowles, and Elliott Caroll. Our only complaint here…is that this disc only contains six tunes. Oh well…we’ll be waiting on the edge of our seats for this band’s upcoming full-length release. Kickass pop tunes include “Another Mouth To Feed,” “A Way Over,” “The One,” and “Kids In Tokyo.” Great melodic pop with cool bubblegum sensibilities. An instant TOP PICK.

http://www.lmnop.com/2010-May-LMNOP-Reviews.html

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Ramona is a unique band in that it was never planned, but just kind of happened. Band founder Dave Fritz who is a producer, engineer and guitarist was playing guitar in other live acts and recording demos in his house when he made the decision to make up a 5-song EP that he would then give away to his family and friends. After others started to show real interest in it though Fritz decided that it was time to go for it with a full band.

The completed band line up had finished the EP, secured a record deal and filmed a music video before they had even played a single show together. I guess that it shows that when something is meant to happen it will find a way.

�Mornington Crescent Now Open� is Ramona�s debut EP. It was recorded in Toronto, Canada at Savile Row Studio. The band says that they made a conscious effort to, �make a recording that was rough around the edges and organic, a sonic departure from the heavily produced rock albums that dominate the music scene in North America.�

The track, �Another Mouth to Feed,� get the music off to a good start with its steady rocking beats. Track-2, �A Way Over,� is another up tempo guitar filled rock track that also offers up some nice distant sounding backing vocals along with other instrumentation and assorted noises that are also found on it.

�This Heart is Awake� offers up some fast paced pop meets rock beats. �The One,� starts off with a nice big guitar part. �Hanging on the Words,� is the band�s slow song that starts out as a soft ballad and closes as more of a power ballad.

The first several tracks deal with relationship type of issues, mostly when there not working or turning bad.

The last track though, �Kids in Tokyo,� is all about having fun. This fast paced rocker is a salute to Japanese rock show audiences. Dave Fritz has performed in Japan several different times with the last one being when he was in Japan for a seven date tour playing guitar with Junior Achiever.

When asked about the song Fritz said that, �the experience has left a lasting impression on me, so much so that I�ve written a song called �Kids in Tokyo.� It�s dedicated to all the great audiences that came to see us.�

No matter where you live you should be able to find this EP because it will be released in the USA on Pacific Ridge Records in Europe on Engineer Records and in Japan this spring on Fixing a Hole Records.

One closing note- you�ll find several uses of the f-word in the band�s song lyrics. That being said I really enjoyed their music.

http://writercwross.wordpress.com/2010/04/10/

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