George Tisdale wants to be your hero. Dark shades and an omnipresent guitar is his garb, freedom is his cause, and blistering funk-rock is his weapon. On Liberation Phase 1: Born Free, his debut EP, the Atlanta-based Tisdale marinates roaring guitar chords in a stew of beats and bass lines. His style is billed as “retro-urban rock” yet it has a very futuristic slant, with ambient programming sprinkled throughout the production. “Dream Snatchers” is the project’s phantasmagorical centerpiece while the stentorian “Take Action” recalls the ferocious funk of Mother’s Finest. “Rescue” and “Hero” express Tisdale’s creed of emancipation with nimble rhythms and hooky melodies. Five songs and one 40-second introduction long, Liberation is just begging to be developed into a full-length project. The work has thematic and musical potential for a more comprehensive storyboard. While Liberation merely whets the appetite, its hero is well on his way to becoming an auteur of the grooviest kind.

• Multiple songs MySpace