“I’m Trying” is the new Fallon Cush single

By Henry Lipput 

Steve Smith has been a staple of the Sydney music scene for over 30 years. With his band Fallon Cush he has released five full albums, the last being 2019’s Stranger Things Have Happened.

And then things went quiet.

At the beginning of 2020 Smith suffered a breakdown that left him with crippling anxiety, He stopped working, becoming increasingly isolated, and barely picked up a guitar.

I wasn’t aware of any of this when earlier this year I reviewed “Grain of Salt,” the second single from the new Fallon Cush Tricks EP. It seemed to me the lyrics were an ask for help during a difficult time from someone who has cried wolf or misled a friend too many times. It didn’t sound anything like an ask for help from its author, but it certainly sounds like that now.

However, the lyrics for Smith’s latest single from the new EP, “I’m Trying,” are in the first person: “The anxiety won’t subside/But I’m trying/To break free.” The sound is a bit more upbeat than the first two singles with Smith and producer/multi-instrumentalist Josh Schuberth giving it more of a full band sound; it’s as if the full strength of Fallon Cush and Steve Smith are right around the corner. It’s certainly a positive sign for the future.

You can pre-order the Tricks EP and you’ll get three of the five singles (“Hang On To Me,” “Grain Of Sand,” and “I’m Trying”).

Not such bad times after all

By Henry Lipput

It’s been difficult for me to find albums of songs by my favorite bands covered by other artists. The I Am Sam soundtrack and the series of CDs from Mojo Magazine (especially Revolver) did it for me for The Beatles. The Futureman Records wide-ranging (the digital edition had 50 covers) Garden of Earthly Delights did it for me for XTC.

Now Philly’s Creep Records, with their tribute album Let the Bad Times Roll (digital available on Bandcamp and the vinyl from Creep Records), has done it for me with The Replacements.  This collection of 13 songs that span the ‘Mats recording career is played by a group of bands and singers that I’ve never heard of playing songs I’ve been listening to for 30 or so years. And I’m really, really liking it!

The versions of Replacements songs on Let the Bad Times Roll run the gamut.  Mikey Erg channels the early ‘Mats on “Wake Up” and although Goddamnit’s “Can’t Hardly Wait,” Her Heads On Fire’s “Alex Chilton,” and Celebration Summer’s “Left of the Dial” have arrangements close to the original they just reinforce how great these songs are. “Unsatisfied” by Neckscars may be in the same ballpark but from the jangley open on it’s just a brilliant musical pledge of allegiance to what those four boys from Minneapolis accomplished. And Low Coast’s gorgeous take on “Here Comes a Regular” shows why this song should be a standard if it hasn’t become one yet.

But the real gems on Let the Bad Times Roll are the ones that feature a different take on these beloved songs. Crazy Tom Martin’s “Sadly Beautiful” is electronically infused and Sammy Kay has an acoustic take and a Tom Waits vocal on “Favorite Things.” 

New Dolph Chaney single helps to make Summer last longer

By Henry Lipput

Although Autumn is only days away, Dolph Chaney’s poptastic new single, “Cool in the Sunshine” (Big Stir Records), will help us to enjoy Summer just a little bit longer. It’s the second single before the release of the Chicago-based indie rocker’s new album MUG (also Big Stir, natch!) out in October. (The single also includes "The Old Ghosts," an exclusive non-album virtual B-side.)

On “Cool in the Sunshine” he’s awe struck in what seems to be the perfect unrequited summer romance (well not perfect if you've ever been in this guy's shoes). “I’ve set my heart on you” he says to himself about a girl who knocks him out: “Oh your casual hair flipping/Meets the smell of fresh grass clipping” (I love this clever couplet!). There’s a breezy vibe to the song and a great Revolver-like guitar solo (you can hear the influence of songs like “And Your Bird Can Sing” and “Doctor Robert"). 

Tamar Berk’s new album is reviewed and she answers the Pure Pop Phive

By Henry Lipput

tiny injuries

Tamar Berk’s new album tiny injuries (Bandcamp) hits the ground rocking and then opens up to include heart-felt and heartbreaking ballads and, with the addition of horns, she builds on her already extensive musical palette. Berk plays the quiet, acoustic card when she needs to and she and her band knows how to bring the loud guitars.

Berk has a songwriter’s gift for collecting the important parts of overheard conversations between lovers and friends especially the ones that signal the end (my favorite line is from the ballad “what’s become of me, my friend” with its feel of a self-created breakup “be what I want and maybe I’ll stay”).

Now living in California and having grown up in Chicago, Berk has written what might otherwise be throwaway lines but instead illustrate how she also uses her own life and memories in her songs.  On “if you know, u know” she sings “and I haven’t seen snow in over three years” and in “sunday driving” it’s not clear whether the trip is to or from Chicago but “then you’ll say ‘you’ll be okay 3000 miles away.’”

Perhaps even more importantly, Berk creates the melodies to those lyrics that conjure up the feelings her words have. “if you know, u know” starts with the line “The sun comes up and I’m already down” and the music reflects the feeling of knowing it’s not going to be a good day. The music of the piano-based ballad “cash out” has a sense of resignation as things come to an end in a relationship and there’s anger in both the words and music of “another drop in the bucket.” And if you’re looking for a positive message from a strong woman who’s had enough just take a listen to “gonna call it,” Berk’s version of Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing” (it certainly sounds like he’s playing piano on the track).

The Pure Pop Phive

Tamar answers the PPP, the questions all the cool kids are talking about:

How would you describe your music?

I’ve heard indie pop, pop rock, power pop, alt pop. I don’t know…what do you think?

What/who are your major influences?

Beatles, Classical, Elliot Smith, early Liz Phair, Lana Del Rey, David Bowie

Do you perform live? Do you have any upcoming gigs?

I do perform live and currently I’m working on booking some shows, but I am more of a loner and prefer being in my studio writing and recording rather than playing live…so I really have to push myself to get out there!

How do you support yourself so you can continue to make music?

Sell music, sell paintings, freelance VoiceOver and composing, and using my savings! Yikes!

What’s an album you can’t live without (that's not one of yours)?

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie

SUPER 8 has it covered

 By Henry Lipput

Since his second album, Turn Around Or …, in 2018 (one of three released that year as part of a musical hat trick), SUPER 8 has included songs written by others on nearly every album and even a few singles. He has now collected these covers and added more to create the groovy personal jukebox that is Raindrops On Roses (available as a free download on Bandcamp).

These songs run the gamut from music released decades ago to those recently reimagined. There are hits from the ‘60s like Lulu’s “It’s My Party,” Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman,” and Neil Diamond’s “Cherry Cherry” (which was paired on SUPER 8’s HiLo album with his brilliant “Angels & Neil Diamond”) and deep cuts like The Kinks’ “Autumn Almanac” (one of my favorite Kinks songs).

There are songs that the man known as Trip (real name Paul Ryan) no doubt grew up listening to: The Beatles’ “Across the Universe,” The Smith’s “Back to the Old House” (a lovely acoustic guitar and mandolin arrangement), Psychic TV’s “Goldstar,” and “Ride A White Swan” by T. Rex. More recent picks are BMX Bandit’s “Serious Drugs” (the one on Turn Around Or … that started it all) and The Replacements’ “I Will Dare.”

Then there are some amazing things SUPER 8 has done to reimagine and/or finish up two songs.  “Susan Revolving” is based on a fragment by XTC’s Andy Partridge and has a cool Dukes of Stratosphere vibe. The other is “Now & Then (reimagined)” from a demo recorded by John Lennon in the 1970s; it’s a haunting listen not only because of the arrangement but also knowing Lennon wasn’t around to give it a proper recording.

Speaking of arrangements, some songs like “I Will Dare” start off as if SUPER 8 is doing a faithful recreation of the tune but then he makes a left turn and gives us a clever and surprising twist. And that happens a lot on Raindrops On Roses which is one of the album’s delights.

I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining but one of my favorite SUPER 8 covers didn’t make the cut: it’s “X Hits the Spot” by Michael Head & The Strands which appeared on 2019’s Backers & Maracas album and is worth checking out. Also worth checking out is the rest of SUPER 8 releases on Bandcamp and while you’re there you could, since Raindrops On Roses is a free download, buy yourself an album, a single, or a download to support this extremely talented musician and songwriter.

Eight is a great number

By Henry Lipput

Despite a gap of 24 years between albums, The Boo Radleys great new release Eight (BooSTR Records) continues the band’s brilliant sonic journey. Eight is not only where the new album fits in Boo Radleys discography, it also makes it clear there’s a throughline in the history of a band that before last year had not released an album since 1998 and where the band is now.

Speaking of the 2022 release, Keep on With Falling brought back three members of the band’s original lineup with Sice on vocals, guitar, and keyboards; Rob Cieka on drums, percussion, and vocals; and Tim Brown on bass, guitar, keyboards, and vocals. It was wonderful the hear them making music together again and I really enjoyed the album especially the singles, “Keep on With Falling” and “A Full Syringe And Memories Of You” as well as the songs “I’ve Had Enough I’m Out” and “I Say A Lot Of Things.”

Eight, however, is a giant step (I couldn’t help myself) in the band’s regeneration (I prefer that to “reboot”). I’m not sure if the album’s fuller sound has anything to do with the fact it’s the first Boo Radleys album I’ve had on vinyl (the 1990s were a vinyl wasteland in the U.S.) but there’s the confidence of the three members and their musical associates having a great time (by the way, it’s also sounding more than fine as a download). The album begins with a banger called “Seeker” and keeps going with “Now That’s What I Call Obscene” (a pro-LGBTQ anthem comparing military killing machines with loving same-sex couples and the people who have no problem with the first one), “Wash Away That Feeling” (a showcase for both Brown and Sice), and the closing rave up “How Was I To Know?”

I started listening to Boo Radleys about halfway through their original run with 1995’s pure pop blast Wake Up! and then eagerly moved on to the glorious From the Bench at Belvidere EP (I still LOVE the title song and “Almost Nearly There”), the little-loved but time-for-a-rethink What’s in The Box? (there is the lovely “New Brighton Promenade” and the very cool “Annie and Marnie” B-side), and 1998’s Kingsize, an album I consider to be the band’s crown jewel and not only my favorite Boo Radleys album (Eight is in second place) but one of my favorite albums over all.

Over the past few days, I’ve been listening to all of this music on shuffle to find the throughline I mentioned in the opening paragraph of this review and it’s more than obvious there are many songs that would fit side by side as examples. But to hear the best of these all you need to do is listen to Eight’s “Sometimes I Sleep” alongside the title song from Kingsize and you’ll hear it too. Welcome back Boos!

Moving to Nashville must be working for Maia Sharp

By Henry Lipput

Having moved to Nashville from her native California, Maia Sharp has taken advantage of the local music scene, a city that American Songwriter magazine described as “the natural songwriter’s habitat.” The result was her album Mercy Rising, (one of my favorite albums of 2021) and her first solo release in six years.

Her superb new album, Reckless Thoughts (maiasharp.com), builds on the relationships she’s made with the many musicians and songwriters she’s met in Nashville and has also had over the years with friends and colleagues since her debut in 1995. The new album, like Mercy Rising, is a self-produced collection and recorded in Nashville’s Resister Studio. It contains co-writes with Dean Fields, Mindy Smith, Garrison Starr, and Kim Richey but Sharp’s views of life and love are always front and center.

Working with a supporting cast of seasoned musicians, Sharp’s production on Reckless Thoughts is a low-key affair highlighting each song’s melody with subtle arrangements that wash over you like a warm bath and then come back to revisit you. The literate lyrics are polished to a gem-like finish with just enough detail in the characters and conversations to double as a pitch meeting for a Netflix series. (If you look up ‘literate’ in the dictionary you’ll find Sharp; she’s part of a pantheon of currently working great American singer-songwriters that also includes Lucinda Williams and Freedy Johnston).

Standout tracks on Reckless Thoughts include “She’ll Let Herself Out” (“She’ll let herself out/The gate to the cages she’s been living in/Now that she’s realized they lock from the inside/She’ll never be something she’s not/Not again”), “On A Good Day” (“There are days it’s harder not/To bring you up in conversation/All the ways you still exhaust her/Move in steady slow rotation/With a good day”), “California” (“You were always good to me/I never thought that I would leave you/California”), and, my favorite track (hence the extra lyrics), the glorious, bluesy “Fallen Angel” (“She said, ‘Honey don’t fall for this fallen angel’/I said ‘Don’t tell me what to do/If I want to drop to my knees all fuckin’ faithful/Well it’s really not up to you/Besides you with a halo is like me with a crown/And that ain’t the way we make a joyful sound/I’ve been waiting so long’”).

It’s a joy

By Henry Lipput

“It’s A High” (Bandcamp) is the latest single from The Shop Window and it’s a sunny, jangle pop delight. Songwriters Carl Mann and Syd Oxlee have crafted yet again another wonderful song that is a joy to listen to. “It’s A High” employs the sun and clouds as metaphors for how the light from a loved one’s eyes can make life so much better: “When I’m feeling down/Your light of day just washes over me/A sun within a cloud.”

The line-up for The Shop Window continues to be Mann on vocals and guitar, Oxlee also on vocals, Martin Corder on bass, and Phil Elphee on drums. They are now joined by Paul Reeves on guitar, saxophones, and assorted instruments; Reeves became part of the band when The Shop Window toured behind their last album A 4 Letter Word after it became too difficult for Mann to play two guitars at the same time (and you just know he tried to do it).

“It’s A High” is also the lead-off single from The Shop Window’s next album Daysdream out next year. It’s a two-record event with the “Days” disc filled with summer jangle and the “Dream” disc full of melancholy melodies. Daysdream is the first album released on the band’s very own Jangle Pop Records, a very DIY affair, and you can preorder it here.

The New Fools are not phoning it in

By Henry Lipput

seashells, the excellent new album from The New Fools (Bandcamp), adds trumpets and saxophones to the mix and the result is a hornucopia of sound. It’s their first “full-length” album (being more than the eight songs of previous ones) and their best yet (although I have a very soft spot in my heart for 2020's papillion -- the "lockdown" album [have you heard "D.N.S"?]).

It’s not the first time The New Fools have added horns to their songs. Their previous album, last year’s vanille, had horns especially on “Better Days.” But there’s something different about the band’s sound on the new album. It’s hard to know if the horns were recorded at the same time as the band was playing but the Fools sound better and tighter than ever before.

The band shares duties on creating lyrics and tunes for seashells. For example, bassist Dave Seabright was asked to write a theme song for the band which could be used to open shows. The resulting instrumental “Mr. Grimsdale” opens the album with a burst of sound. It’s both an overture and a statement of intent.

The horns are used again on “Tickets Still Available at The Door,” one of two songs about being in a band and also being a fan. “Tickets” describes a Thursday evening pub gig for a local band and it doesn’t go well: “The guitar’s not quite in tune/The singer comes in too soon/And the drums are too loud for the room/And what’s that buzzing?” But you just know there’s some lonely fan (is it you? it might be me) standing at the back of the room taking it all in and enjoying every minute.

In the fast-moving pop of “Chortle and the Wheelies” lyricist and vocalist Tony Jenkins reminisces about the music he grew up with and thinks about the music of the present. It’s a discussion many of us have had not only with friends but also in our heads on a daily basis. He sings about being late for school so he can hear the rest of his favorite song on the radio or trying to get home in time to watch a favorite TV program after buying a new single. Jenkins wonders about the shelf life of new bands: “I said to Dave/Hey Dave, I was watching Get Back I thought my head was about to explode/And do you think in fifty years people will be listening to Idles and Black Country New Road?”

Although XTC’s “Making Plans For Nigel” was a slap at British Steel, The New Fools’ take on the song, “(Oh yeah) I’m Making Plans for Nigel,” uses it as an opportunity to put it to Nigel Farage, a well-known UK broadcaster, former politician, and former Brexit supporter: “Oh yeah I’m making plans for Nigel/I only want what’s worst for him/Start with a long walk on a short pier/A wicker man to lock him in.” Using some of the lyrics as well as the melody and some of the arrangements of the original song this new version becomes an ear worm (especially if you’re from the UK) to gloat by.

The lost-love treasure that is “Hopelessly Alone” has a wonderful acoustic guitar solo from The Druid and there’s as a lovely flute solo too. Sitting outside during the summer is, for this person, a time to recall the one who got away: “To the girl in a million/The one that got away/And if I hadn’t been stupid/She’d be here today.”

New single from Tremendous and the premier of the Pure Pop Phive

By Henry Lipput

 New Tremendous single

“Fingerprints,” the terrific new single from the UK’s Tremendous, is more than another break-up song. It begins with a quiet, solo guitar but then bursts into a full-band rock fest as lead singer Mark Dudzinski relates his feelings about the split with some new ways to describe it: he’s left looking like “the boy for the poster” for loneliness and he feels as if his now-gone love has left “fingerprints all over my heart.”

The new song is the first release from the band since 2020’s Relentless album and continues the trio’s dips into the music of ‘70s glam and pop like T. Rex and Eric Carmen’s Raspberries with a bit of Cheap Trick thrown in for good measure.

“Fingerprints” is available at digital vendors (Amazon and Apple Music) and on streaming services (Spotify and YouTube).

Here’s the video for “Fingerprints”:

The Pure Pop Phive

Dudzinski has kindly agreed to answer some questions (five to be exact) in the premier of the exciting new PP4NP feature: the Pure Pop Phive.

How would you describe your music?

Classic rock/glam punk

What/who are your major influences?

T. Rex, Hanoi Rocks, The Beatles, Johnny Thunders

Do you perform live? Do you have any upcoming gigs?

Looking for a new drummer so shows are on hold at the moment.

How do you support yourself so you can continue to make music?

Whatever we can.

What’s an album you can’t live without (that not one of yours)?

The Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks

Pure Pop’s Songs of Summer 2023

By Henry Lipput

As we approach what used to be called the dog days of summer (now most of the season is being dogged by the high temps), I wanted to put together a playlist of recently released summer-themed songs and a couple of classics.

The playlist starts out with songs that celebrate the joys of summer (“Summer,” “Summer Dreamin’,” “Summer Blue,” and “The Version” [which doesn’t mention summer but in my review I called it “a horn-driven burst of sunshine” and wouldn’t you just love to hear it blasting from a car driving by?]). It’s the feeling you got when school was out for the next few months and except for maybe mowing your parents’ lawn you just hung out with friends. For the rest of us maybe we can get some time off from work and enjoy the longer days spending time with family and friends.

There’s a song about summer love and falling for someone at the local pool (“Right in the Middle of Summer”) and two songs that reflect what Nat King Cole called the hazy, lazy days of the season (“Sunlounger” and “Summer Be Gone”). Then we have two classics: a song about what it’s like to live in the concrete jungle (“Summer in the City”) and another classic as a nod to the dog days (“Hey Bulldog” – did you really think I’d put together a playlist that didn’t have a Beatles’ song?).

All these songs can be found on the accompanying Spotify playlist.

But because not everything is on Spotify, I’m also including another celebration of the season, “Summer Is Here,” which is available on Bandcamp (as are most of the songs on this playlist so you can get yourself a download and support indie music).

Music by Pritchard, words by Woodcock

By Henry Lipput

You may think (as I did) that after having written both words and music for wonderful songs like “Mont St. Michel” from 2016’s Mother Town Hall and “Lullaby” from 2019’s Midland Lullabies that Bill Pritchard would have little need or incentive to collaborate with the Canadian poet Patrick Woodcock.

But it turns out this is a genius move and has resulted in the stunning new album Bill Pritchard Sings Poems by Patrick Woodcock (TapeteRecords). Woodcock has written nine books of poetry that reflect his work as a migrant writer, volunteer, and teacher. As a long-time fan of Pritchard’s work, during the pandemic lockdown he reached out to the musician and asked it he would like to write a song based on one of his poems. The songs were created from poems in Woodcock’s latest collection Farhang Book One out on September 5^th (the poems on the album are included with the CD and vinyl releases of Sings Poems by Patrick Woodcock).

Pritchard has lost none of his ability to create brilliant melodies and songs like “The Lowering” and “Art in G Sharp” that knock me out. The vocals and simple arrangements make you stop what you’re doing and listen to the words and give the poetry the attention it must be paid.

Two of the eleven tracks on the album are spoken by Woodcock with music written by Pritchard. “Floe” and “Balcony” are darker poems and it’s terrific to be able to hear the words in the author’s voice.

What comes from doing nothing

By Henry Lipput

Starting out with what seems to be an apology to a friend for not visiting them in the hospital during their last days, Graham Parker’s new song “We Did Nothing” (Big Stir Records ) is instead an acknowledgement of what we have done, and continue to do, to Planet Earth. It’s the second single before the release of his new album with his band The Goldtops, Last Chance To Learn The Twist, out on September 8^th (Big Stir Records).  

Strumming an acoustic guitar, and with an understated backing from The Goldtops, Graham sends an urgent, if late, message about what we are seeing as a result of our less-than-caring global stewardship: “I knew you were slipping away by the day/What did I do?/I did nothing/The tone of your sky was a gun-metal grey/What did I do?/I did nothing.” And then there’s swimming in the cool waters of a melting ice cap.

The first time I listened to “We Did Nothing” I thought of the quote/prose poem by German Pastor Martin Niemoller which begins “First they came for the socialists and I did not speak out.”  Whether Parker used these words as a template for his song I have no way of knowing. Following the devastation of World War II Niemoller had hoped things would be different in the future.

But Parker knows there may not be a next time because of where we are with climate change. We’re already there. And it’s not looking good.