Pareidolia by Record Hop

Quality rock n' roll for the discriminating music lover, Record Hop plays the soundtrack to your sexiest nightmares, not your drive to work.

***************REVIEWS*************

From The Fold Magazine - AUGUST 2004, Issue 004 www.thefoldmagazine.com

Record Hop : Pareidolia

Written by Cody Robinson

After months of anticipation, the latest release from Record Hop, Pareidolia, landed in my lap last week. I suppose it's only fitting that in my own sweet time I got around to writing this review at the last possible minute.

I'll be blunt. I'm a fan of Record Hop; both as a band and as people. After all, in a Kevin Bacon sort-of way, you could credit the birth of "The Fold" to the early efforts of Record Hop bassist Cory Ward and guitarist Scott Porter and their short-lived 'zine "denton Rock city", but more on that in a later issue. Today it's about the music.

The directions scribbled on the front of the disk were simple:

Band: Record Hop, Title: Pareidolia, Advice: Crank it up, fu.. reviewer.

That would be the musical equivalent of Lather, Rinse, Repeat...or CAUTION:

Contents Are Hot. It goes without saying, but unfortunately there are always a few people out there that may burn themselves, have insufficiently cleaned hair, or not rock out properly if you just don't walk them through the process.

The first track, "B'Day", starts off with an uneasy guitar, dangling like a short but slow burning fuse that sets off what seems to be a nice girl who's had enough.

The minute she opens her mouth, singer/guitarist Ashley has you. I hear every word, but somehow I have to listen again to get it. There's an air of mystery in the emotion, and just when you start to understand it all the melody carries you away.

Every track is well worth mention, but in the interest of time and space,

I'll give you the rundown of my three favorites:

Track 2, "First National Skank": I have to admit I've heard this one live many times before, but on disk it's twice as nice. The angular guitar riffs are served up Chicago style, battling it out for the center of the stereo spread but nicely tied together by the steady beats of John on the drums.

Track 6, "Last Second": This one makes me think of a dream, where I'm driving down some dark and spacey road with a priest in the seat next to me listening to all of my sins, swaying his head to the music. There would be a term

for that scenario, had it not been bastardized by the name of that one band. May rock have mercy on their souls.

Track 10, "Shotgun": In true form to the rest, I couldn't tell you what the song is actually about, but there's a delicate but hurried pace to this one. It drags out for a bit, but it's more like you're being let down easy. They sit you down pat you on the hand, kiss you on the cheek, give you the 'ol "It's not you It's me" speech, then, at the last minute, they jump up and bolt out the door. It's ok, you can just tell your friends they had issues.

Rumor has it (ok, I saw it @ recordhop.com) copies will be available for sale starting August 13th at Good Records, Seasick Records, live shows, and various websites to be named later.

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From The Denton Record Chronicle's "Denton Time"

Record Hop skips back to the scene

10:20 AM CDT on Thursday, August 12, 2004

By Jennifer Robertson / Staff Writer

It's been almost a year since Record Hop released its first EP, Spiderbite - just a taste of the raw energy the foursome creates on stage. But fans seemed appeased.

On Friday night, the band releases its long-awaited full-length, Pareidolia, and has scheduled two shows this week to toast the occasion.

Singer Ashley Cromeens, guitarist Scott Porter, bassist Cory Ward and drummer John MacIntyre recorded the album this past spring at the Echo Lab with producer Matthew Barnhart.

If you can't remember the last time you saw Record Hop, you aren't just imagining the hole the band's sporadic appearances have left.

At the beginning of the summer, Record Hop decided to take a break from Denton's scene and concentrate on gigs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Minus a few spontaneous shows at Cool Beans and the Block Party for Peace, the band members felt the Record Hop-free summer was good for the band and the fans.

"We like playing so much that we found ourselves saying yes to every offer we got," Porter said. "We thought it would be a good idea to build some anticipation, what with the record coming out. So we had to remove ourselves from the action for a bit. We've played a couple of short-notice rooftop gigs this summer. But for the most part, we've just been laying low until we're ready to promote this record.

"I guess you can call it the Jetscreamer model," Porter said, referring to another local rock band. "They play so infrequently that, well, when you find out that they are making an appearance, you make sure you don't miss it, because you never know when your next chance will be."

It's actually easier to find Porter playing around town than Record Hop. He's a member of three different bands - Record Hop, Spitfire Tumbleweeds and the Fabulous Badasses. He splits his time between playing music and organizing shows to showcase Denton's talent-saturated scene. He used to have a local music column in the monthly DentonScramble.

"I moved to this town to be a part of the music scene - not school, not work," Porter said. "So I immersed myself into it, made some great friends, and I get to play with a wide assortment of people. Sometimes I feel like the music guy position that I held for a while at the Denton Scramble was the greatest thing that's ever happened to me, because it provided me with a way to shout out into the wild, letting people know that there were bands in this town besides Bowling for Soup and Brave Combo."

Now that the CD is finished, Porter says Record Hop will "keep on keepin' on - as loudly as possible."

Record Hop

Friday at Cool Beans, 1210 W. Hickory St. With 2Mai, Sleezus Fist and the Latter Day Taints, and Jack the Giant Killer. The free show starts at 9:30 p.m. Call 940-382-7025.

Wednesday at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios, 411 E. Sycamore St. With Bullet Train to Vegas and the Skin Trade. Show starts at 10:30 p.m. Cover is $6. Call 940-387-7781.

************CD INFO**************

RECORD HOP - PAREIDOLIA

All Songs by Record Hop

Recorded and Mixed in Argyle, Texas at the Echo Lab by Matt Barnhart

Mastered in Denton, Texas at The Satisfactory by Justin Collins

Layout and Design by Darren Paul for www.iceplanet.com

Photography by Tony Wann, Darren Paul and Daniel Vi

Executive Producer: Dimitri for Dimitri Productions

www.recordhop.com

www.dentonrockcity.com

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