Lovebomb by Apollo 13

What does it smell like? It depends on your angle of approach.

From the bow you'll get a big whiff of Mike MacFarland and John Wirt's ultrasonic guitar rock, reminiscent of The Kinks and Lenny Kravitz. At the stern is the haze of MacFarland's sub-woofer pleasing electronic mixes, conjuring images of The Chemical Brothers and Massive Attack. Off the port and starboard you'll catch scents of drummer Danny Rojas and bassist Will Dinkel's R&B flavorings, steeped in the spices of The Roots and Mint Condition. Tingeing the entire odorous cocktail are the bombastic vocals of Shannon Savoie, the band's efficacious lyricist and frontman.

This olfactory mélange permeates the band's sophomore full-length album, "Lovebomb". Featuring an electro-rock vibe with hints of techno, pop and singer-songwriter flair, the disc doubly illustrates Apollo 13's maturity as song-crafters and applicability to today's mass-media markets. They are invariably comfortable in all modern musical venues: live performance, video games, feature films, television, etc. Listeners won't find it surprising that their material has successfully been placed in all of the above.

A valued ally in this cause is the 6th astronaut: the Apollo 13 digital studio. In fact, the studio is the elder, the band the progeny. Originally assembled by MacFarland and Savoie to cheaply preserve their musical musings, it began life as a discombobulated cabling mess, prone to malfunction (thus the naming reference to the similarly star-crossed NASA mission). With time and success came repairs and upgrades, eventually resulting in a finely tuned music-making machine.

The oft-elusive beast that is critical acclaim has not been a stranger. The initial pressing of "Lovebomb" was made possible by winning the Dance/Electronica Grand Prize in the 2004 John Lennon Songwriting Competition. The Apollo 13 trophy case also accommodates honors from the International Songwriting Competition and the Independent Music Awards. Internet denizens have joined the chorus as well, with recognition from esteemed music sites including purevolume.com, sonicbids and Onlinegigs.

Accompanying the album's release is a self-powered Internet and independent radio push. Live appearances throughout the Midwest are to begin in the heart of summer 2006, with tentative ventures to the coasts later in the same year. Tune all television sets and radio antennas to http://www.apollothirteen.com for up-to-date intelligence.

Apollo 13 Members:

Will Dinkel - bass, backing vocals

Mike MacFarland - lead guitar, keyboards, samples, backing vocals

Danny Rojas - drums

Shannon Savoie - lead vocals, rhythm guitar

John Wirt - guitar, backing vocals

Average Customer Review: