Reviews - 2nd album "PASS IT ALONG"

THE ULTRASUMMERY ULTRASOUNDS OF ULTRATONE
By Tim Roberts, Louisville Music News 9/05
Read the article here
and the review here

Ultratone brings pure, simple pop:
Review by Chris Quay, Velocity Magazine Aug 10-16
"Pass It Along," Ultratone The Louisville group's second full-length album oozes wispy pop rock and sentimental imagery, but never tries to overachieve. Joe Scheirich, who writes most of the music and lyrics, keeps it simple and beautifully shows that minimalism is just as effective as experimentation. Tossing aside over-exaggeration, Ultratone strings together 13 songs that are just plain pure and stimulating. The title track is a pop ballad that has Scheirich pleading inside a surging chorus, "Why are we afraid to see a smile anyway/We need more love today." "Burning Daylight" is a moving alt-country jaunt, and "Where Did You Go" and "Over the Waves" could be emotional Brit-pop at its essence. The acoustic balladry on "Right on Time" winds things down, and the sultry piano-driven "Towards the Sun" finishes off an otherwise diamond-in-the-rough album. How much that diamond is sparkling could be due to WFPK naming "Pass It Along" as an album of the week back in the middle of July. On the surface, it's just reassuring to know that a talented guy like Scheirich is out there making music that aspires to more than simply filling a popular niche.

Ultratone - Pass It Along: Smother.net 7/05
Hook-laden "Pass It Along" pickles pop-rock with catchy vocals and lyrics that undermine thousands of therapy sessions. What's most amazing is that this is merely their debut, imagine what could happen five albums from now? Hailing from Louisville, Kentucky, Ultratone makes their own slugger out of infectious pop hooks that you'll be humming bars of weeks after your initial listen. Ultratone is a refreshing change in pace from the plethora of mainstream artists today.

Reviews - 1st album "ULTRATONE"

Return of Joe: Review by James Bickers, Courier-Journal 4/26/03
Ultratone's wonderful debut album could not have come at a better time. For those of us who have totally burned ourselves out on the most recent Coldplay disc, Ultratone is the next logical obsession. Expect it to stay in your car stereo for months. The six-piece band is led by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Joe Scheirich. Fans of the vastly under-appreciated Louisville band Joe's Report need no reminder of the man's songwritting skills -- he deftly combines pop/rock catchiness with a tremendous depth of meaning and makes it look easy.
These are not mere hook-fests that grab the ears on first listen only to lose their appeal after the third or fourth. They might take a few spins to get under your skin but once there are not likely to leave anytime soon. A melancholy vibe runs throughout; even the upbeat songs are laced with a compelling seriousness. "Ultratone" is thoughtful but never weepy, introspective but never maudlin.
"Hangover," "Never Get You Back" and a few other cuts rock in the old Joe's Report fashion -- thick and fuzzy sound, a stylistic blend of Jeff Buckley and latter-day King Crimson. The rest of the disc is more modern, crisp and brightly produced. "Come On" and "Loser's Club" are particularly excellent, but the standout track is the final one: "The Girl That Never Was," a heartbreaking ode to what-might-have-been. It begins as a simple vocal-and-guitar lament, but suddenly morphs into a lovely rock waltz. True lump-in-the-throat material and a perfect encapsulation of Scheirich's style: emotion, intelligence and class.

Even a Restraining Order Can't Help You: Review by Kory Wilcoxson, Louisville Music News, July 2003
After one listen, I decided Ultratone's debut disc didn't have anything to offer. After two listens, I found one or two songs that stuck out. After three listens, I was subconsciously humming half the disc. That's the way Ultratone's music works: it's cool rhythms and covert hooks sneak up on you and before you know it the disc has been in your CD player two months.
Ultratone is led by Joe Scheirich, who formerly fronted the local band Joe's Report. The whole disc is WFPK-ready; the songs are short on bells and whistles and long on heartfelt songwritting that goes beyond surface emotions to capture the bittersweet essence of things like being in and out of love. The best two cuts, "Loser's Club" and "Once in a While," kick off the disc and come closest to having sing-along hooks. The rest of the album is strictly Adult Alternative, a sound that Ultratone has nailed, as it moves through melancholy tracks like "Never Get You Back" and "The Girl That Never Was."
There's certainly nothing cheery about Ultratone and even the more upbeat songs like "Hangover" have a taste of sadness to them. But Ultratone doesn't dip into sappiness or fake self-pity; instead it mirrors the common laments of life with emotional depth and beautiful sincerity.

ULTRATONE: Review by Michael W. Bright LEO 7/2/03
We all have our favorite rainy day music. It evolves from - and in turn, accompanies - the kind of delisiously indulgent introspection that causes us to make an unnecessary trip around the block so the song ends before we park the car. Louisville's Ultratone has come up with a handful of stellar stormy weather selections on their debut release.
Singer-songwriter-producer Joe Scheirich and friends marry melancholy moods to bouyant acoustic guitars and dovetailed harmonies on the catchy and unforgetable "Loser's Club" which welcomes the weary and opens the album. Hello, hi, how are you now? Sit right down, got a place by the fire. Have a drink, we all could use it now, we sympathize.
So you can see it's very cozy spending a little time with Ultratone. Remember and shed a tear for "The Girl Who Never Was". Their idea of a "Lovely Day" is the same as mine: The rain is on it's way. You and I should just hole up here today. Don't get the wrong idea: It may rain and there are tears, but we are not whiners here. The songwritting is strong, mature and versitile, and it allows the band to flaunt it's polished style and ultra-sharpened hooks. The production is occasionally cluttered. Ultratone's multi-layered approach sometimes clouds arrangements and masks lyrics that would benefit from a more stripped-down sound. But this is a club I'm joining, and I expect to stay for a while. Check them out yourself: Ultratone plays July 5 at Gerstle¹s Place.