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…as far as the style of their music goes, I hardly know what to say. Art Rock?? These guys sound like nothing I have ever heard. Whatever you want to call it, its interesting, quite pleasing, and rather challenging, as music should be.
– Nightflying


The members of Notion believe in the band's sophomore release, “The Peak,” something fierce. They're counting on the strength of their songs, performed live on Friday, to create such an impression on those in the audience that not only will they buy a copy of the album, they'll turn evangelical about it, taking to the streets, preaching the gospel of Notion to strangers. Or at least that's what I'm guessing based on the band's promise to cover beer for everyone in attendance during its set. It might not be too much of a stretch. Particularly for fans of self-titled debuts. Like that album, “The Peak” finds the band — that's Sean Lindsey (drums, vocals), Noel Moniot (guitar, vocals), Brian Wolverton (bass, vocals), Shaun Hartman (guitar, lead vocals) — not sitting still, stylistically, for very long. Here a blazing modern rocker, there a pop anthem. Hell, there's even some Bootsy-style bass lines in the mix. All gets grounded by lead singer Hartman's big rock 'n' roll vocals. Think Jeff Buckley with more oomph. Popular local act Flash Larue open to what's sure to be a packed house. LM. Arkansas times



NEW 'NOTION': Lead singer delivers big on new self titled album (Notion).

Good rock front men are hard to find. The talented ones are often too consumed by their egos to charm an audience, while those who find it easier to connect are often less talented. Complicating the issue is that, especially these days, rock singers tend to fit into only one of a handful of molds: emo whiners, punk screamers, hard rock posers and nu-metal howlers. Striking the balance is Notion's Shaun Hartman, who possesses one of the most powerful, chill-inducing voices this city has ever produced.

Like its singer, the band also finds itself in a precarious balancing act on its latest, self-titled CD (available via www.myspace.com/thebandnotion). Various tracks are sprinkled with bits of hip-hop (“Me” features a rap by local MC Osyrus), drum circle chants (the bonus track “Who's Calling”), old-country twang (“Cigarette”) and electro knob-twiddling (“Born”). Hartman and co-guitarist Noel Moniot relentlessly scratch and scrape their guitars while bassist Brian Wolverton peppers the tunes with occasional flourishes of modern bass techniques over beats that are often tribal (percussion duties were handled alternately by Sean Lyndsey, Mark Lierly and Rob Beckwith). Overall they have a vaguely late-'60s garage vibe in that they attack their instruments with abandon, yet their sound isn't remotely punk. If the Doors had a funky bass player instead of a moody keyboardist, that might be the best description of their sound. Indeed, Jim Morrison is probably the most apt comparison for Hartman's voice.

The lyrics are thoughtful throughout. Hartman manages to find a new angle on a very old story with the opening track, “Icarus,” whose chorus is the marvelously understated “Did I fly too high?” There is little here that resembles a conventional love song; the closest candidates are the sunny, Glen Campbell-esque “Lucky” (“I'm just lucky that you're on my mind”), and the seedy “Cigarette” (“Give me 5 minutes/I'll tell you why it's all her fault”). The catchiest track, the mostly a cappella clap-along “Arcata,” is also the most insightful: “Everyone who really just wanted to get away/they all have gone to exactly the same place ... ashamed to doubt/afraid to believe.”

Hartman and his group have tapped into a sound and a groove that is utterly unique in its apparent indifference to rock 'n' roll trends. On stage, they manage to be neither swaggering prima donnas nor meticulously unkempt indie rockers. Several local bands get more press with charismatic yet tuneless lead vocalists, so it should only be a matter of time before Notion moves to the top of the Little Rock heap.
Arkansas Times, by Colter McCorkindale.



LITTLE ROCK — It's hard to pin down Little Rock band Notion's sophomore full-length release, The Peak. And why would anyone care to label an album that consistently refuses to pigeonhole itself, but instead offers sublime musical surprises with the turn of every tune, from the roaring fireball of alternative rock that is "To Begin With ..." to the feedback-driven dance-y rock of "Remember Leaving."

Formed in early 2006, the quartet — Shon Hartman on guitar and lead vocals; Sean Lyndsey on drums and vocals; Noel Moniot on guitar and vocals; and Brian Wolverton on bass and vocals — released their self-titled debut in 2007, an 11-tune effort that ended with the 11-minute long "Stay." The new album is 16 tracks in 49 minutes, and rooted in rock, but not afraid to draw the curtain and reveal it's crazy side. And unlike the friend who needs a dozen or so drinks before loosening up, Notion's The Peak lets you know right out of the gate it's an album that's not afraid to act mad as a hatter. Well, mad as a hatter, but in a tuneful, competent, extremely interesting — but mad, quite mad — manner.

It all starts with "To Begin With ...," the album's second track after a brief intro. What starts as a graceful acoustic strummer with lyrics such as "No effect without a cause/No cause without effect/Wondering how to talk through a way out of this, recover my breath, my balance, my heartbeat/And keep, marching, around, your walls," darts behind a corner and re-emerges with a vicious explosion of distorted guitars. It's just one of a dozen standout tracks on The Peak.

There's the gorgeous messiness of "Auto De Fa" with its polyrhythmic drumming, screaming guitars and Jungle Book interlude, and "Ephemera," which covers swampy guitars with grand piano rock, and interlaces Beach Boys harmonies with Sgt. Pepper horns.

The rhythm of “Uncle Sam” recalls the rough, acoustic rush of the Violent Femmes and adds spot-on lyrics such as "And say, 'God bless you, Uncle Sam’/You’re not perfect/But I'm not saying I am." The end of the bluesy, thundering stomp of the heavy rocking "Moody Hollow" reminds one at its tail end of the electronic effects of Led Zeppelin's "Bonzo’s Montreux," and "Rumi’s Tavern" is a Southern Hemisphere, acoustic swinger complete with harmonica and chicken-scratching guitar.

The last half of The Peak contains a sudden rush of under two-and-a-half minute tunes, from the solid, alternative rock march of "Starlight" to the breathless, murky rock of "Exhale" to the '60s British rock drive of "Minimum Wage."

And how does such an eclectic collection end? With The Killers-inspired rock of the aforementioned "Remember Leaving," with its pulsating bass line, howling guitars and tumbling drums.

Notion's The Peak is not the kind of music that garners radio play, but radio play is mostly for the bands willing to play it safe. Notion? Listen to The Peak, and you'll understand Notion believes playing it safe is boring. And you know what? It really is. Sync Weekly, by Shea Stewart.

Copies of the quartet's sophomore release The Peak are available through iTunes.

Notion-The Peak

The debut by Little Rock's Notion is an eclectic blend of genres that maintain a solid style.  The band isn't afraid to experiment but avoids becoming lost in excess.  "to begin with" is reminiscent of of angry late 90's rock like Seven Mary Three and Live.  Vocalist Shon Hartman pushes his voice as he frantically screams out the chorus.

"Auto de fa"  allows drummer Sean Lindsey to cut loose.  "Moody Hollow" is bluesy jam that has just the right amount of angst as Hartman sings "If you don't know me now, I guess you never will"  Arkansas Gazette, by Kody Ford. 



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