The Cinnamon Fuzz

"THE CINNAMON FUZZ

With ’80s MTV-ready day-glo fashions, squiggly synth lines, and a debut EP produced by a guy who’s worked with Duran Duran, this Boston trio’s got one foot in the past (though the members are probably too young to have actually lived through it) and an eye on the future, which might be so bright they gotta wear shades (ask your parents, kids). Armed with Ocasek-ian pop tunes like “Reboot My Heart,’’ they sound like the Cars’ kid brothers."
- The Boston Globe / Boston.com

On World Coming Down, Type O Negative's 1999 musical exercise in morbidity, the New York doom-metal band closed with a cover of the Beatles' "Day Tripper," again showing off late frontman Peter Steele's obsession with darkening up some of music's more-porcelain pop nuggets. (Who could forget the band's early-'90s gloom-ization of Seals & Croft's feel-good "Summer's Breeze"?) Two years later, Needham's Jonah Burstein, the 18-year-old guitarist of Central Massachusetts death-metal band Acephalus, found himself on stage at the Worcester Palladium opening for Morbid Angel in front of 3500. Although he was aspiring to be the next Paul Gilbert and was pimping Manowar hoodies in press shots, there was a something else underneath the thrash: pure, simple pop.
"I used to get made fun of for liking Collective Soul," Burstein explains over drinks at Great Scott. "I always wanted to play pop."

A decade later, Burstein has found his form. With his younger brother Nick on drums and Matt Mitchell on keyboards, power-pop trio the Cinnamon Fuzz have taken '80s-tinged new-wave and synth-pop sensibilities and merged them with a varied platter of metal influences, notably Type O Negative — the vampiric ghost of Steele is eerily evident in Burstein's vocal delivery on the neon-coated 2009 single "Reboot My Heart."

"To me, Type O Negative is the perfect cross between the Beatles and Black Sabbath," says Jonah. "That band is so underappreciated, I feel like I'm trying to bring elements of their sound to mainstream music." Adds Nick, shaking his head: "It's weird that people catch on to it."

Jonah sees few barriers between crafting pop songs and playing death metal, finding a commonality in melody and songwriting approach. The Cinnamon Fuzz's 2010 EP, the Anthony J. Resta–produced Cruise of the Century, is soaked with soaring choruses, slick post-punk right turns, and saccharine pop hooks that suggest a modern-day Cars or an even-more-glossied-out Rentals. "I listened to a lot of metal," says Jonah, "but I never listened to Slayer, because to me, that's just aggression. It's all about melody. A lot of people write melodically, and others write lyrically. I tend to do both, but lean more toward the melody. I just always want huge hooks."

The Fuzz, who play the Rosebud in Davis Square this Friday and then open for V-66 '80s faves Rods & Cones May 14 at Brighton Music Hall, head back into Resta's North Chelmsford studio, Bopnique Musique, in June. The goal is to record two additional tracks and reissue Cruise of the Century, one of the more criminally overlooked local debuts of the past few years, on the momentum of being named one of 18 "most promising unsigned acts" by Billboard this month.

Resta's acclaimed production work with Blondie and Duran Duran, two bands that nicely complement the Fuzz's sonic canon, consolidated his reputation. But the Bursteins first approached him with more-rocking '90s undertones in mind: Collective Soul, the Christian-leaning alternative hitmakers who had Resta at the co-production helm for 2000's gold-selling Blender and 2007's Afterwards.

"Jonah and I, going way back, are two big Collective Soul fans," says Nick. "So I contacted him through MySpace, which is funny, because MySpace is this antiquated way of communicating now. But we went back and forth on MySpace, and he was digging 'Reboot My Heart.' "

Jonah sold a few Parker guitars on eBay and culled enough cash to record Cruise at Bopnique, getting lost in Resta's sea of vintage guitars and synths, which are scattered methodically about the expansive former textile mill that houses his studio.

"Basically, eBay paid for our record," says Nick. "Our first song was 'Reboot,' and since then, we've branched out into different types of new wave and pop. We knew Anthony could take it to the next level."

It helps when you have the hooks, even those born from metal.



Read more: http://thephoenix.com/boston/music/119774-metallic-pop-sheen-of-the-cinnamon-fuzz/#ixzz1LELZTfho



- The Boston Phoenix

“We have scouted the country for bands that we truly believe have the potential to break out as stars," - GM

"Electro-pop-rock-disco-smooth jam masters the Cinnamon Fuzz will set them up, crooning over neon glitz hooks and retro-future new wave goodness." - Boston Band Crush

If bands still made 1980s-style music videos where the singers’ heads get superimposed onto flies’ bodies and the bassist’s jacket changes color twelve times in one shot and other such antics, then the Cinnamon Fuzz’s “Reboot My Heart” would be a perfect candidate for a wacky video featuring the band standing on a motherboard or something, their circuit-ties getting blown about by processor cooling fans.
This is definitely one of those fun songs from a bygone era, replete with computerized puns and electronic instruments and even the occasional wacky computer sound effect. All of this electronic set-dressing would be just plain old silly if its base platform wasn’t up to snuff, and “Reboot My Heart” meets and exceeds all system requirements. In terms of production, this song is a fully realized and well-polished joy to hear. The Cinnamon Fuzz seems to be a rather musically stylish bunch, but they also refuse to take themselves too seriously. And this is good when your bassist is standing on an oversized heatsink and your drummer is spinning around on a floppy disc. The reboot complete, the system runs smooth and clear, ready to tackle whatever full-color VGA game you wish to play. - Boston Band Crush

After the briefest of overtures, this track immediately establishes its self-sustaining power source in its inertia-laden rhythm. The heavy, inevitable beat of “Strangers” has enough perpetual motion to it to last, well, as long as it needs to last. Which is just under five minutes. The deliberate pacing of the song ensures that you get your money’s worth of The Cinnamon Fuzz in this stylishly dark track.

While the tempo makes the song happen, there needs to be something interesting going on within to make you want to hop on and check things out. The Cinnamon Fuzz creates a rich texture in “Strangers” that fills the sonic spectrum with sounds both bright and dark. The bright bits - the bells and higher-register things - add some light to the band’s pop-noir sound, while the dark elements keep the bottom weighed down and the whole mechanism standing upright.

Regardless of your year of birth, this song’s aesthetic instantly evokes 80’s cool. A time when collars were turned up not just by the douches of the world, but by the world. Is the leather trench coat with the turned up collar for everyone? Possibly not, but The Cinnamon Fuzz makes the style an easy one to try on and maybe keep on, if just for a bit. - Boston Band Crush

"The villainous attack waged by RIBS contrasted sharply with the disco pop party thrown moments earlier by The Cinnamon Fuzz. I walked in just as they were discharging their robot love anthem, “Reboot My Heart,” and it struck me that this band had answered the question: “What would it be like if the beats from “Eye of the Tiger” and most of The Cars’ catalogue had a baby, and raised it with an old school Nintendo and a VHS of “Short Circuit” as its only means of stimuli?” (incidentally, this is exactly what my upbringing was like). As you might expect, the result has an unmistakable 80’s flavor and a few helpings of computer nerd goofiness, but so does every slovenly synth-pop six-piece that comes through town. The Fuzz have shinier hooks than many of them.

The Cinnamon Fuzz’s debut LP, Cruise Of The Century, was dedicated to late Type O Negative frontman Peter Steele, and you can hear a little of Steele’s rising bass-from-the-crypt in Jonah Burstein’s vocal style. Although, considering the band’s keytastic alt-rock M.O., a better comparison for Burstein might be the dude from Liquido… without the German accent or epic unibrow." - PLAYGROUND BOSTON

Reporting: 14 different radio stations and Internet programs

1. The Lights Out – Primetime
2. David Wax Museum – Everything is Saved
3. Faces on Film – Some Weather
4. The Cinnamon Fuzz – Cruise of the Century EP - Politizine Blog

The Cinnamon Fuzz - Mixed Up Obsession - RSL Blog

"...set to blow up in the 2k11: BEARSTRONAUT, THE CINNAMON FUZZ and DIRTY BOMBS."

- The Boston Phoenix

"After four years, Ryan Spaulding’s life is still smashing. Spaulding, who runs the music website Ryan’s Smashing Life, hosted a four-year anniversary show at T.T. the Bear’s on Friday night that drew family, friends, and Spaulding’s many music-industry admirers. The lineup for the night included the Cinnamon Fuzz, Bridges and Powerlines, and RIBS. Guests included music fan (and writer and photographer) Mark Jenko and Spaulding’s sister Krista, of the band Beerdozer." - Boston Globe

"The Cinnamon Fuzz "Cruise of The Century"EP
Remember the 80's? I lived through that era. This Boston band has passing musical resemblance to Duran Duran and Orchestral Maneuvers in The Dark on the first few tracks. But that's just the start, as the band goes into power pop territory with heavy guitar riffs on "Now I Know" and the slinky Depeche Mode meets Bryan Scary styled "Strangers." This EP is available at a "pay-what-you-like" price from Bandcamp. I would encourage the band to continue on the power pop path, as the production and musicianship is top notch and Jonah Burstein vocals remind me of both Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode) and Andrew Eldritch (Sisters of Mercy) simultaneously." - Powerpopaholic

"The Cinnamon Fuzz - Cruise of the Century: Five songs from one of Boston’s best new bands and one that we think we’ll be hearing a lot of in 2011. The band excels with a power-pop/new-wave vibe on standout tracks “Reboot My Heart” and 'Now I Know.'" - Boston Music Spotlight

"The night features an electronic troika of OTD faves: BEARSTRONAUT, THE CINNAMON FUZZ and DIRTY BOMBS, with DJ sets by Ryan and I, my first non-pill DJ gig in ages."

- The Boston Phoenix

"The Cinnamon Fuzz bring balance to the bill, countering RIBS' stomp with their glossy, rock-pop disco dust."

- The Boston Phoenix

"The Cinnamon Fuzz bring balance to the bill, countering RIBS' stomp with their glossy, rock-pop disco dust."

- The Boston Phoenix

Boston's The Cinnamon Fuzz play synth-oriented power pop with a sound that falls pleasantly between The Cars and Fountains of Wayne. The band captures some of the best elements of 80's new wave on the disc's five tracks which range from the funk/Nile Rodgers style guitar work on "Reboot My Heart" to the exuberant Kim Wilde syle harmonies on "Time Bomb Tickin'" to the Depeche Mode style melancholia of "Strangers". - BrooklynRocks

"It's not every day a glossy, neon-lit, new-wave pop band cite Peter Steele as an influence and inspiration. But not only is the Cinnamon Fuzz's debut EP dedicated to the late Type O Negative frontman, his vampiric vocal delivery is also eerily — and oddly — present in the band's saccharine-smacked standout single, "Reboot My Heart." The track is not about Steele's April death from heart failure but rather a cleverly written ode to computer-programmer geek love. Lines like "Reboot my heart/Because of you I can restart" and "Let's fall in love to interface/We'll share cyberspace" are rendered even more l33t with a Cars-esque '80s synthesizer squeal, but the track keeps its high-tech cheek in check just enough to prevent an overfried sonic motherboard. If they still made teen movies and today's version of Jennifer Love Hewitt were about to walk awkwardly into a wild house party looking for a dude upstairs wasting time on the internet (likely stalking her on Facebook), "Reboot My Heart" would soundtrack it. But Cruise of the Century isn't the EP equivalent of some fleeting internet meme. Enhanced by the slick production of Anthony J. Resta (Duran Duran, Scissor Sisters) at his Bopnique Musique studio in Boston, it's a five-song joyride — complete with vintage DeLorean DMC-12 pictured on the album cover — through love-sick city streets drunk on smooth pop-music craftsmanship. Vocalist/guitarist and chief songwriter Jonah Burstein smartly drops the Steele vocal shtick on "Mixed Up Obsession," a shark-toothed, post-punk twirl waltzing confidently across the dance floor, and "Now I Know" is a squeaky-clean power-pop reminder of the long-forgotten early promise of the Rentals. Although Steele might have publicly scoffed at an '80s sound fit for the Pretty in Pink high-school-hallway scenes, turns out he influenced more than just the metal kids. " - Michael Marotta

- The Boston Phoenix