Payola Reserve One Long Apology. Release Date : 2006. Label: Independent. Rating: Great. (Screw points. To each his own!) An amusing combination of Matt Mays-type country rock, Ocean Colour Scene-like vocals, and plucky happy little Arcade Fire-like chimes. The Payola Reserve have created a happy-sounding record overall that flips and flows between swift-moving hand-clappers and stoid sleepy road-trippers. The vocals carry a semi-strained intensity that makes it all very real. One Long Apology starts off surprisingly gentle. I'm reminded a bit of Ocean Color Scene. Pleasant chipper guitars, harmonicas, and a happy bassline trip through the song amongst oohs and ahhs and layered lightly-wailing vocals. Slide guitars swing us over easily into "An Eastern Western." From there, the album picks up tempo a bit, forging soundscapes out of crazy grinding synth noises and chattery vocals. Song of choice : Totally dig "Illegal" -Andy Scheffler Elsewhere Payola Reserve website Published : January, 2007.