About Me
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NEW! Radius of Action is available on iTunes
The Subtle Divide available on iTunes
The Subtle Divide also available on CDBaby
2007 Finalist: SongDoor International Songwriting Competition, "Rock" Category. Sound the Alarm by Jeff Ting.
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Mayday Radio is the latest underground rock band to surface in New York City’s ocean of indie music. The music is an electrical rainstorm of sound fueled by pop sounds and grunge hooks and inspired by bands like U2, Pearl Jam, Coldplay & Led Zeppelin to name a few. The songs are a deliberate ebb and flow between controlled intensity and unbridled passion and the lyrical themes run the gamut from personal pain to a lament on the state of society. Churning in the wake of influences from numerous eras of rock [classic, 80's, grunge] Mayday Radio has formed it's own version of stylish rock that captures great songwriting [2007 Finalist, SongDoor], true melodies and inspiring dynamics.
The creative pulse of Mayday Radio is Jeff Ting, a classically trained pianist who balanced his childhood days practicing his Beethoven sonatas and wailing on his Fender Stratocaster. Ting eventually began writing lyrics and composing music. The result is Mayday Radio.
Mayday Radio's first record, The Subtle Divide [2007], was received very positively by press and local radio and they have since cultivated a strong following.
Reviews
"We get a respectable/occasionally overwhelming amount of post in the VK mail box, as this came to us. Mayday Radio's, The Subtle Divide came to me on a particularly harried week and went into the "to listen to" pile, but something about it nagged at me, and I pulled it out for a listen. And then listened again, and again. With an impressive amount of spit and shine for a debut, this rapidly maturing rock-pop with underlying classical training comes through in a bold way. U2-esque riffs and surprising lyrics offer a lush rock punch. Fill 'er up on sweet and savory"
-The Volume Knob
"The Subtle Divide is a spectacular debut release from New York City’s own Mayday Radio. In many ways, it’s become almost cliché for someone in my position to say "this band really has what it takes to make it big!" With that in mind, I don’t wish to throw that sentiment out too loosely. However, if ever there was an indie group who seemed like a safe bet to find success, Mayday Radio would be it.
As the band’s founder and creative centerpiece, classically trained pianist Jeff Ting has put together one mesmerizing album filled with transcendental harmonies, intoxicating tunes, and a subtle cry for hope. In fact, that may be the only subtle thing about The Subtle Divide. Even the more subdued tracks have a great deal of emotion and inspiration behind them.
With this release, Mayday Radio has crafted a solid sound, bringing in elements of 90s alternative into a more modern rock presentation that’s melodic enough for the pop-rock crowd, yet creative enough for the hardest of the hardcore music buffs.
The album begins powerfully with "Sound the Alarm," displaying tight verses and a very well-composed chorus. I can certainly see why the song was a finalist in the 2007 SongDoor International Songwriting Competition. The standard set by "Sound the Alarm" carries through the rest of the songs on this CD as well. "Walk to the Sea," for instance, opens with a very relaxed, soothing melody, which then gets powered up for the chorus with spirited vocals and clever riffs. The slight contrast in sound between the verses and chorus works to mirror the song’s theme of peaceful revolution.
Personally, I find this imagery of natural cleansing to be quite moving, and it works just beautifully, considering the time in which we live. In fact, if I were forced to sum up The Subtle Divide in just one word, "moving" would definitely be my choice. Whether it’s the despair found in "The News, Frontpage" or the optimism of "Love Radiates," Mayday Radio truly has a knack for writing some memorable music.
One of the most engaging of the album’s tracks may also be its most meaningful. "Wheels of the World" is a refreshingly positive celebration of the common man and woman, featuring verses containing only lists of various everyday people in the world, such as "subway station minders," "single working mothers," and "criminal defenders." While at first, it may all feel like a meaningless mess of roles, the chorus tactfully pulls it all together.
So many other artists will spend an entire album venting on and on about what’s wrong with the world, or worse, shoveling out meaningless positive vibes for the sake of sounding catchy. Mayday Radio takes a much more respectful approach than such a lack of substance. They’ll spend a song or two illustrating life’s hardships, running anywhere from the global state of the world to a more personal desperation, then bring in a song like "Wheels of the World" as a sense of hope. This track specifically comes off as a sort of unpretentious moral, as if saying: this is where we are, this is where we can go, and this is why we should.
The Subtle Divide is, without a doubt, one of those indie gems that simply should not be missed. Most of the time, music just wants to have something meaningful to say. With Mayday Radio, the music actually does, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t listen."
-Indie-Music.com
