Elephant Stone — The Seven Seas

The Seven Seas

Elephants On Parade/Fontana North

Jared Morano (CHARTattack)

05/06/2009 11:09am

Elephant Stone consider themselves "Hindie rock," though that label only applies to some of their music. Some of the songs on The Seven Seas are sitar-driven ground-shakers that bring Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" and "Kashmir" to mind. The rest is pure Stone Roses.

Rarely does one band replicate another so completely, especially in the vocals, and while Montreal might seem a fine place to revive Madchester, I prefer the heavy drums and bass of "Don't You Know" to the silky harmonies of "I Am Blind." It's too bad the focus seems to be on the latter, while the former is more like the type of thing they bash out on lunch breaks. Then there's the name, Elephant Stone, which is actually the name of The Stone Roses' third single.

Now I'm all for paying tribute to better bands, especially when it's coming from a place of love and not exploitation, but don't these guys have anything of their own to say?