BIG CITY ROCK

BEFORE I begin the data:
My suggested favorite song: "Human" (Track 5)

http://www.pandora.com/music/artist/0995e8cc23bd4bc8
Data from PANDORA's listing for Big City Rock (The Band):

Forming in Los Angeles circa 2001, Big City Rocktake their name to heart with dancey, keyboard-littered rock numbersthat exhibit unabashed '80s pop influences alongside an arena rockattitude to make U2proud. Working their way through the crowded L.A. scene, the members ofBig City Rock found themselves opening sold-out shows for bands like Rooney and Phantom Planetby late 2002. The band self-released the first of two self-titled EPsthat same year, with the second following a year later. A tour with Maroon 5during the fall of 2003 helped to further broaden the band's fan baseup and down the West Coast. A third self-titled EP appeared in October2004 that contained previously released songs re-recorded alongsidethree live tracks and an acoustic version of their song "All the Way."Still not ones for album titles, Big City Rock -- made up of Nate Bott(vocals/guitar), Frank Staniszewski (keyboards), Timothy Resudek(bass), Kaumyar (drums), and Andy Barr (guitar) -- released theirself-titled debut full-length in March 2006 on Atlantic Records. ~Corey Apar, All Music Guide

http://www.pandora.com/music/album/2574c6bceb4e942e
Data from PANDORA's listing for Big City Rock (the Album):

Big City Rock's2006 full-length LP bears the name Big City Rock, as did their threeprevious EPs, so there should be little surprise that this major-labeldebut also shares a bunch of songs from those EPs. Four songs, to beexact, which is nearly half of this ten-song album, but just becausethese are the same tunes doesn't mean they sound exactly the same.Since their 2004 EP, Big City Rock has added a member and has signed to a major, recording their album with Brian Malouf and Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger; it was mixed by superstar Chris Lord-Alge, best known for his work with Green Day, Bon Jovi, Faith Hill, Alanis Morissette, Stone Temple Pilots, and Savage Garden. In the hands of Malouf, Schlesinger, and Lord-Alge, Big City Rocknow has a sound that fits their name: it's absolutely huge and shiny,playing up their new wave and '80s arena rock influences, but soundingmodern, particularly in how it pushes the hooks to the front of themix, whether they're sung or on a guitar or keyboard. Some bands would sound crushed or needlessly inflated when given this kind of treatment, but it fits BCRbetter than the relatively direct production of their EPs. After all,they make big music, so they need a big soundstage, and they get ithere, but it doesn't come across as empty pomp and circumstance, thanksin part to the savvy professionalism of their producers, but mainly duethe group's considerable pop skills. At their best, Big City Rock sounds like a power pop spin on U2, a group that embraces the cinematic soundscapes of War and The Unforgettable Fire,but has fun as they kick out infectious hooks and sing about girls,which is a bit of a relief after the stylized classicism of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. There are allusions to U2 scattered throughout Big City Rock -- "I Believe in You" and "Better Place" have the stately throb of vintage mid-'80s U2,while "Kind" has a keyboard riff that uncannily echoes the Edge,particularly "I Will Follow" -- but they're hardly the only band thatcan be heard here; there are equal parts of Echo & Bunnymen and New Order in the atmospheric surfaces, while vocalist Nate Bott can recall Sting when he reaches his upper register (as he does on "Shelter"), or Michael Hutchence when he swaggers. In fact, INXS is nearly as accurate a touchstone as U2, since Big City Rockincorporates the chilly sounds of new wave into a sound that pulsateslike rock & roll but is truly anchored by incessantly catchy pophooks. But unlike the stylized, self-conscious retro-rock of the Killers, Big City Rock's'80s fixation sounds organic and not dated, since they have genuine popskills and have a palpable sense of excitement to their music. Best ofall, Big City Rock is something that is rare in the '80s-fixated modernrock of the mid-2000s -- it's pure, unabashed fun, and that goes a longway in making this an excellent debut. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Guide