Europa [yur-ROH-pah] n.- A unique moon of Jupiter with a surface among the brightest in the solar system consquence of a frozen crust, named from the Greek mythology of Zeus and his enslaved mortal bride- Europa-ergo; means-"Slave to the King". Europas sound takes The Beatles diverse approach, combined with a "Pixies" punch. Formed in late 2004, the band has performed over 100 shows, playing through out California. 　　 　　~Ryan Valiente (Guitar/Vox/Composer/Publisher)- Was raised on The Beatles and saw his first guitar in the hands of his father, who mostly played A Hard Days Night and La Bamba. In 1992, Valiente discovered Nirvana, and then The Pixies, this was the sound he was looking for. Greatly influenced by the Beatles (John Lennon), Nirvana (Kurdt Cobain) and the Pixies (Black Francis Black), his initial desire to be a guitar player, gave way to that of singer/songwriter. Intensity/Integrity/Honesty. 　　 　　(Influences include: Pixies,Nirvana,Beatles,Frank Black,Queen,Man or Astroman,minutemen) 　　 　　Mike Sliger(Bass) 　　 　　Rob Bennett(Drums) 　　dgof Films 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　-Europa:The Filthy Kut- 　　 　　Written by Kristen Brown 　　 　　 　　"It may be proclaimed filthy, but it's fairly impressive just the same".... 　　----- 　　[10.13.06] 　　Fresh out of San Jose, California, Europa has a variety of influences. From everything to The Beatles and The Police, to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, and to Nirvana and Soundgarden, they've got a very eclectic taste and quite the range of genres backing them as far as inspiration is concerned. But as the light bulb man himself once said, genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. Europa has the inspiration part down, and they seem to have a pretty good grasp on the perspiration end of the deal as well—but…strangely, given their influences. 　　 　　While there's no given rule that a band has to sound even remotely like their influences, it's rare to find a band new to recording that shows hardly any signs or hints of their musical inspirations in their own music. Their sound is easily comparable to that of Live, but strangely enough, Live isn't listed as one of their influences. Or, at least, it's not mentioned. Most especially, "Passive Aggressive" sounds as though it could easily have been resurrected from the tombs of forgotten Live songs unheard by human ears. Vocalist/guitarist Ryan Valiente, at times, even has an uncanny vocal resemblance to Ed Kowalczyk, or even Eddie Vedder. Especially in "Cracked Pavement," the resemblance sounds like a clear cross between the two vocalists, making for almost a dream track for fans of both Live and Pearl Jam. 　　 　　For a band so new to recording to mesh sounds together and create a sound that doesn't directly mimic that of their heroes, is a rare treat and shows great musical maturity and talent. Some tracks even feature an explosive, almost 80s hair band guitar style that adds something a little different to the mix. 　　 　　With a powerful rhythm section and vocals with intensity to match, The Filthy Kut is surprisingly strong (even standing on its own) for a do-it-yourself debut. Of the eight short tracks on the album, no one song is particularly weaker than another. "Resolution 1441," while being the shortest song on the album, has a melodic sense of contentment and acceptance, but is accompanied by a heavy guitar that breaks out during the first chorus and matches the melody quite nicely. Their opening track, "Gods of War and Peace" packs a punch that, also unlike many other new bands, is maintained throughout the entirety of the twenty-six minute album. 　　 　　With such a clean and solid debut, it should be interesting to hear what they come up with for a sophomore release. With time and practice, their sound should be even further developed and could easily draw in a pretty healthy fan base.