Noise Will Be Noise

Noise Will Be Noise - Holy Rolling Empire (Burning House Records)

In Tucson, we're lucky to have a vibrant music scene that nurtures all kinds of sounds. From country rock to pure pop to old-school punk, pretty much all music fans can find something to satisfy.

Where Holy Rolling Empire is concerned, suffice to say that if you like good music, you can't help liking this band. A rock-pop amalgam, HRE plays tight, exuberant songs often with a lyrical edginess that underscore their love of high-energy, well-produced pop, classic rock and hip-hop.

The guys in HRE - Orin Shochat on vocals and keyboards, Noah Horton and Ian Carstensen on guitars and backing vocals, Bryan Moran on bass and Dave Mertz on drums - have played together since middle school in a variety of incarnations. HRE's aggressive attack and confident synth-drenched hooks combine to conjure The Kinks, The Beatles, Radiohead and Beck.

"Let's Get Contagious" is a joyride of vocal acrobatics and lyrical mayhem that employs pleasing chord changes and swells of harmonies signature pop elements, deftly executed. On "Keep it Together," punchy horn accents and tambourine claps pepper Shochat's strong, angsty vocals. The last track, "Up for Air," is dosed with a taste of ELO-ish keys.

The band's 6-song, 7-inch vinyl EP release was Saturday, June 12 at Plush, 340 E. 6th St. Mister Loveless and The Ghost of 505 opened. Check out their tunes online at MySpace.com/theholyrollingempire.