Once known as the Years and signed to the currently bankrupt TVT Records, LIONS IN THE STREET left behind an onerous deal and a debut LP thrust into limbo for artistic freedom and a new life as an independent rock & roll unit. The band put the excellent Cat Got Your Tongue EP out in 2006 on its own Hand to Mouth label; after a couple of years of roadwork and recording, the Vancouver quartet releases another aperitif as it readies the new version of its first album.
The Mixtape EP, available as a download from the quartet’s website, combines tunes recorded with producer DAVE COBB for the aborted TVT album with a demo and a preview of the upcoming full-length. “Shangri-La,” the latter, is a primo ass-kicker, the kind of tune the ROLLING STONES haven’t been able to knock out since Exile On Main Street. The other four songs, whether rocking (“Never Make a Fool Out of Me”), rolling (“Oh Carolina”) or romancing (“Still the Same”), are damn near as good, especially the brooding ballad “Ruthless.” Worth every megabyte, especially for fans of rock & roll in the style of the Stones and the FACES.
http://myspace.com/lionsinthestreet
