Wow. A feature, who would have thought? Yeah, me either. But here it is. Between Too Much Rock and URININE and El Torreon, a lot of demos end up on my desk every week and some of them even get listened to. So that's what this is -- a glimpse into the stacks of CDs on my desk. I've spared you the trouble of the hideous ones (and trust me, they're out there) and just picked a few of note, value, or general interest. Maybe I'll do this again if it turns out to be fun.

All of the releases I'm covering today are from greater Kansas City, and no one has taken the phrase "The Kansas City Sound" more literally than Woodson. Although playing in basements for over a year under various names, the band ultimately decided to name themselves after a Get Up Kids song -- what could be more appropriate? The band's poppy emo-come lately isn't exactly refreshing but they have done their homework. Combining all the break downs, big choruses, and broken hearts from all your favourite The Get Up Kids' songs, the band has put together a four song demo that is enjoyable in spite of itself. The arrangements aren't as tight, the recording isn't nearly as professional, the musical ideas are often ahead of the musicianship and the vocals (both lead an backing) definitely need work, but this is a demo and this is a young band, and you need to be less critical. Go ahead, give Xanidon't a try.

My definition of a demo may not jive with yours, but I'm making the rules and you're stuck with it so you might as well learn to adapt. Although the twelve tracks presented on Sound Transmissions debut CD are exquisitely presented and packaged, they did release it themselves, and it was recorded in a tiny basement by Dan Smith at about $15/hr so I think it belongs here as much as anywhere. Besides this is a survey of Kansas City bands for chrissakes. While the band has held a low profile for the years they have been together, they're now starting to step out into the clubs with their thick guitar-based noise pop. At over seven minutes April Sky showcases the band's depth, their sense of the grandiose and that of the minute. Sounding like the bastard child of Jesus & The Mary Chain and Joy Division, this song is an excellent example of what the band is capable of and quite luckily the band packs their CD First Construction with another 46 minutes to back up it.

You have to like a band that tosses their demo out from a stage in the middle of their set. I've long thought that instead of paying $300 for an ad in Alternative Press I'd just rather give away 400 CDs locally and that'd do me better. Oscar Edison Jones won this time for sure. The three quick songs on this ten-minute low-fi demo showcase the variety the band offers in their psychedelic-tinged dream-pop package. Carousel, the most effective track on the EP, shimmers and flows effortlessly reminding me of mid-seventies Pink Floyd. Although the quality of this demo is a tad painful, and the arrangements are a little loose, this band has possibilities.

Another band with a take on the Kansas City sound, although little less obvious, is Moneypenny. The thick churning guitar from KC days of old is all over this seven song EP entitled Couch Proud [a go-go] but instead of being propelled by a rock foundation it's driven by disjointed emo. The deep and forceful female vocals jump out at you immediately and it's obvious that vocalist Megan Elcrat isn't afraid of her voice. Unfortunately sometimes the audience may be... She seems to have made a conscious decision not to allow her sweet pop alter-ego too much time (though we get a bit of a taste on Two Weeks) and really belts out the songs in a voice that I'm not sure is naturally there. The EP is redeemed by some great guitar ideas (particularly in Bored with Myself), but before making any commitments I'd let Megan refine her voice, and let the band sure up their writing. Then Moneypenny might fall into the area of my heart previously held by Ashes.

No one in Kansas City expected dream-pop veteran David Gaume to disappear long after his last band, Aerialuxe, dissolved. He has returned and, along with some other familiar faces from the KC Music scene, is recording and performing as The Stella Link. The band's demo (aptly titled demo winter 2000) is, not surprisingly, a space rock offering. However you'll be pleased to hear that the feedback-infested genre hasn't sat stagnant since the days when My Bloody Valentine created/ruled/killed the genre. Occasionally the band allows the churning noise and sculpted soundscapes to die out yielding to a sparse and lonely silence that is purely divine and directly from Godspeed You Black Emperor's playbook. This approach is perfected on the final (well kinda) song on the disc entitled Valium Cowboy. Cynics fear not, this band isn't a clone -- just aware of the world around them and willing to be influenced by it. The next big hurtle for this band might be increasing their recording budget and figuring out which songs should be 20 minutes, and which ones are better the shorter they are. The three songs presented here seem a little hurried, under-produced, and under-realized, in short, they sound like demos.

I believe in saving the best for last, so here it is: namelessnumberheadman. It's a mouthful but somewhere in there is both rhyme and reason. On the band's debut/demo EP 100,000 Subtle Times they have managed to create an incredibly warm and organic sound with mostly electronic instruments and managed to record it mostly live into an eight track in one of their living rooms. The band shows an incredible sense for composition and an ear for pop in the bouncy midsection of Suddenly Winter while they focus on layered atmosphere in Punch Hung-Over. This track flows effortless despite the multiple complex rhythm tracks and the masterfully arranged keyboards and synthesized strings. All said this band easily fits in between Stereolab and Sea and Cake -- only sacrificing the avant-garde nature of one for a supreme gift of melody from the other.

So this is what Kansas City is offering me now a days. Any of these bands I would go and see (and I have in most cases) and I'll try to keep my eyes and ears open to all of them, but just in case… you should probably keep your eyes and ears open too. No need putting your entertainment in the hands of a biased man.