Stands for deciBels, the debut album by North Carolina’s The
dB's, has been re-released by Propellor Sound Recordings. It’s been remastered
and is available for the first time on vinyl in the U.S (the new CD edition of
the album includes the bonus track “Judy” which was not included on the original
release).
The sounds on Stands for deciBels are made up of both older bands that had influenced The dB's but also newer musical trends that members Peter Holsapple, Chris Stamey, Gene Holder, and Will Rigby clicked with. The album contains songs like “The Fight” with
a prominent jagged guitar right out of XTC and “Tearjerkin’” has the electro-pop
of Gary Numan but with extra pop.
Both “Bad Reputation” and “Big Brown Eyes” have a real 70’s
power pop glow with the first channeling The Romantics and the second right out
of the Raspberries’ song book and “Moving in Your Sleep” recalls the hazy sound of
Big Star’s Third. My favorite of these musical tributes to bands of the not-so-distant
past is the wonderful Beach Boys-flavored “She’s Not Worried.”
But Stands for deciBels isn’t only about looking backwards;
the album became an inspiration for bands that were just starting out but also
those who were yet to be. Mike Mills of R.E.M. said about hearing the album for
the first time: “This is the one that let me know we were not alone, that there
were others out there with the same curiosity, the same willingness to dive
into melody, structure, and pop sensibility,”
And although you can hear what Mills is talking about when
it comes to the album’s melody, structure, and pop sensibility, it’s the first song
on the dB's album, “Black and White,” that more than likely hit the nail on the head
for him and his new band.
Dreamers On The Run, the new album by BMX Bandits (Tapete Records), with its wonderful arrangements of instruments and both backing and
choral voices, is, in many ways, the band’s Pet Sounds. (Need convincing? Check
out the stereo mix of Pet Sounds created for the Pet Sounds Sessions box set in
1997.) “I am dreaming all the time/Not just when I’m asleep” sings lead Bandit
Duglas T Stewart on the opening track and title song. Dreamers On The Run is
full of tales of dreams achieved, hoped for, and sometimes dashed.
In my review of “Setting Sun,” the first single from the
album, I referred to it as “jaunty pop.” Both it and the next song on Dreamers On The Run, “Time To Get Away,” are about dream vacations, whether real or
imagined, and contain this type of uplifting vibe. On initial listen so does “Hop Skip Jump (For
You Love” with its Bo Didley riff. But
sometimes in a relationship, no matter how hard one tries, you don’t make the
grade. “My best was never good enough/I go so far to win your love” – so “I’m
sick and tired of running after you.”
On the segue that connects “Time To Get Away” and “What He
Set Out To Be” we hear the tide that has washed away the dreams of the man in
this song. “He thought too much of himself/And not enough of she/He can’t
replace her smiles/Not if he walked a million miles.” Both musically and lyrically
it can remind you of a Ray Davies song from mid-period Kinks, as this sad and
lonely man may be the figure watching lovers crossing Waterloo Bridge each
evening to meet.
With “My Name Is Duglas (Don’t Listen To What They Say)” one
is also reminded of The Kinks, this time from their Schoolboys in Disgrace
album. The voices that introduce “Jack The Idiot Dunce” have the same dismissive
tone of people who have no regard for others who are different. The BMX Bandits
track gives both Duglas and Jack a chance to respond to the haters.
Like a master carpenter building and assembling a sturdy dining
room table, Tucker Bingo has been building and assembling a sturdy body of albums
and EPs. Working in his Philadelphia basement (I first heard his music on 2021’s The Basement Sessions EP) he’s
been using the same rudimentary tools as most DIY solo musicians (his Bandcamp
page’s bio includes this information: “Player of guitars, synths, piano, and percussionist)”.
His latest, Cattle & Canes (Bandcamp), continues this
trend while also bringing something new to the mix. It’s had not to think the
title isn't a nod to Grant McLennan’s Go-Between’s hit. As a result, the new album, more than his other releases, has
more of a pop sensibility (and if you’ve read more than a few of my posts on
this blog you know what a big thing that is for me). And he’s also more confident
in his songwriting, playing, and mixing. For me, Cattle & Canes is a game changer and, if you support indie music (and if not -- why?) this is a good place to continue that support.
The Pure Pop Phive
Tucker Bingo takes the PPP and all the cool kids in Philly are
waiting to hear his answers.
How would you describe your music?
Not sure. It’s all over the place, a bit of this, a bit of
that. I still get confused by genres. Just rock and roll.
What/who are your major influences?
Too many to count. Some, off the top of my head, are the
Flaming Groovies, Velvet Underground, The Supremes, Iggy Pop (with Bowie), The
Nerves, The Clean, The Smiths, The Clash, etc.
Do you perform live? Any upcoming gigs?
Not at the moment. Still looking for musicians who will want
to just play the songs.
How do you support yourself so you can continue to make
music?
I work in construction.
What’s an album that you can’t live without?
It would be a mix tape. I’m more of a one-hit wonder guy. I
get tired of the same stuff. I go through “music phases.” I’m selfish and
impatient with tunes. I treat music like a drunk one-night stand. I’ll listen
to a song 150 times in two days then forget about it for a year. But it I
absolutely had to choose it would be Iggy Pop’s Lust For Life album as I’d
never turn it off.
The Odd Sox collection (Bandcamp) of the Leeds UK band Nervous
Twitch is composed of home demos, B-sides, and compilation tracks. It has songs
that, like the odd socks in your own dresser drawer, are made up of various
colors, textures, and shapes. And after five albums into their recording career,
the band, made up of Erin Hyde (vocals, bass, and keys), Jamie Churchley (guitars,
keys, and backing vocals), and Ashley Goodall (drums), have a lot to share.
Hyde’s vocals on most of the songs have a real don’t-mess-with-me
vibe. On “Your Cruel Ways” she and the band’s punk roots are showing; “I Love
You Honestly,” has a big beat sound to match.
“This Song About You” relates the story of a song that was
written and recorded quickly, it was never considered as a single, and was
probably never going to be played live; to my ears it's describing a relationship
that was never considered serious (but there are serious. very cool organ fills
going on). “Keep On Moving” has a country-rock feel as it gives a friend some encouragement
to get their act together and to help them get off their couch and back in the
game. The song ends with nearly a minute of an almost mantra-like repeating of
the song’s title.
The Odd Sox collection also includes a few instrumentals,
some fully formed and others waiting for the right time to blossom. “The Birdman
Stomp” is a fab callback to the early ‘60s to bands like The Shadows. “Tarantino Hangover (Acoustic
Demo)” is a short piece that would fit nicely as soundtrack music for someone’s
next film (but from what I’ve heard he’s not making them anymore).
“Persistent
Itch” is a rocking full band workout and although Hyde doesn’t have a vocal on
this track her bass is up front and center; in addition, Churchley’s guitars
and Goodall’s drums also get their time in the sun.
Steve Conte’s new album The Concrete Jangle (Wicked Cool Records)
is being released this Saturday on Record Store Day! So find a store here and get
there early!
New York-based rocker Conte has worked with The New York
Dolls and Michael Monroe and for The Concrete Jangle he has joined forces with
Andy Partridge of XTC and, most recently, last year’s The 3 Clubmen EP. Conte
and Partridge co-wrote the five songs on side one of the album and Conte went
it alone for the five songs on side two. “I knew they’d have to stand up next
to the Partridge co-writes,” said Conte in the album’s press materials about
the songs on the flip side, “so I pulled some of the more psychedelic,
adventurous, soulful songs from the Beatles/XTC/Motown side of my musical
brain.”
The Concrete Jangle kicks off with the lead track and the first
single from the album “Fourth of July.” The song is a burst of pop goodness and
although it has trademark Partridge lyrical flourishes Conte brings the vocal
and guitar licks for which he is known to make the song his own.
“Hey Hey Hey (Aren’t You The One”) starts off with a guitar riff
reminiscent of Wasp Star’s “Playground” and continues with more riffs, a clean,
melodic guitar solo, and some neat farfisa organ fills. And then there’s Partridge
in love-struck mode: “Aren’t you the one/The one set to stun/Zap my heart just
for fun/Are you the one.” Partridge was given co-producer credit for the
co-writes and this is most apparent on “One Last Bell” a song whose arrangement
recalls XTC songs like “The Last Balloon” and “Harvest Festival.”
Side two is all Conte all the time. Highlights (and there
are many) include “All Tied Up.” It’s a cool tune about the many faces of love
and features a terrific vocal from Conte as well as some of the best guitar
work on the album (and there are handclaps!). “Girl With No Name” is a power
pop treat with a tune and arrangement that could have been a
mid-Sixties AM radio hit (and might just be one now on the interwebs radio).
Conte also said in the press materials that he told
Partridge that for one of the songs “we should put on our Dukes of Stratosphere
hats.” I don’t think any of the co-writes on side one of The Concrete Jangle
fit that description but one of the songs on side two, “Decomposing A Song For
You” is just that. It may be my favorite song on the album. Conte has rummaged
through the Beatles side of his brain to fit together a “Penny Lane”-like piano, "Walrus" strings, and treated vocal and used the ingredients to bake a Dukes-like
treat. And there’s even a bit of sitar at the very end!
It’s been four years since Peter Hall’s initial solo outing,
the There’s Something Wrong With Everyone EP, where we first became aware of
his extraordinary gift for melody. Hall doesn’t rock, he swoons; and we swoon
with him.
His ability to write and record songs that touch both the
head and the heart has continued through EPs and albums. Hall’s latest, his What
Are You Waiting For? EP (Bandcamp), continues this more than ever as Hall has
become a singer-songwriter to reckon with especially if you, like me, appreciate
the kind of melodic pop that reverberated throughout the 1960s.
The new four-song EP contains the brilliant “I’m In Love With
You” which first saw the light of day on February’s Daisyland Acoustics EP
which also included striped-down versions of three songs from previous releases
(all of which deserve your attention and all of which can be found on Hall’s
Bandcamp page).
Hall’s lyrics are all about love: looking for love, finding
love, and losing love. “Two Twenty Two” from 2021’s glorious Light The Stars is
a song about found love and all but name checks The Beatles' first single. “Waiting For Nothing” from last year’s wonderful
About Last Night is, on the other hand, a look at love slowly coming to an end.
His music as well as his choir boy voice, as expected, match his words and can
be both joyous and heartbreaking.
On “This Time Tomorrow” (Tres Melo Musique), Tall Poppy
Syndrome’s take on Kinks’ wistful, acoustic look at the future, the band plugs
in their amps and turns up the volume.
As a long-time fan of The Kinks (my second favorite band
after The Four-Headed Monster) – well, since 1979 but I then searched New York
City record stores to find past releases and bought future albums and EPs as
they came out -- this cover of “This Time Tomorrow” is a welcome addition to other
cover versions of Kinks songs that get it just right. Don’t take my word for it
– original Kinks drummer Mick Avory has told Tall Poppy Syndrome he likes it!
Tall Poppy Syndrome is the classic Bee Gees Vince Meloney on
electric guitars; the multi-dimensional Jonathan Lea on electric guitars,
mellotron, and tambourine; the legendary Clem Burke on drums; and, from the Strangers
in a Strange Land band Paul Kopf on vocals and Alec Palao on bass and electric
piano.
Clocks Are Out Of Time, the terrific brand-new album from The Jack
Rubies (Big Stir Records), their first in over 30 years, doesn’t turn back in
the clocks in a daylight savings time sort of way as much as it continues the
streak the band had in the late 80s and early 90s. Or to put it another way: 2024
is sounding a lot like 1988.
And although a lot of the music on Clocks Are Out Of Time can remind you of bands and musicians like The The, Lloyd Cole, and Nick Cave it’s important to remember that The Jack Rubies, along with others at that time, were soaking up influences not unlike the bands in the 60s; it was in the musical water supply and available for the taking. And it doesn’t hurt that the band on Clocks Are Out Of Time is composed of the original line-up of Ian Wright (lead vocals and guitar), SD Ineson (backing vocals and guitar), Steve Brockway (bass), Lawrence Giltane (percussion), and Peter Maxted (drums and also the album’s producer).
For me, there are two very different musical styles on Clocks Are Out Of Time. There’s the “slightly bruised and battered positivity,” as singer and songwriter Ian Wright put it, of the songs. On the “slightly bruised” corner is the noirish “Hark” with its line “Does anyone know the way back?” “Poltergeist” is a rollicking scare fest and “Read My Mind” is a love song doubling as a warning. Wright’s vocal does nothing to reassure the listener/target he only has good intentions.
It should come as no surprise my favorite set of songs are the ones falling under the “battered positivity” flag. Even though The Jack Rubies were a year of two late to be included in NME’s fabled original C86 collection, the songs “Angeline Soul” and “Heaven Shook Me” would have not only fit perfectly on that cassette but would have made a killer double A-side single. You can listen for yourself here:
“Heaven” is the best of the best. It has a big, brassy arrangement and tight playing by the band. It’s a glorious track
and if there’s any justice in this world it should be the next single
from Clocks Are Out Of Time but also a major hit.
If there wasn’t such a thing as Australian Motown already there
certainly is now.
Suzy Goodwin’s full-throated, heart-felt vocal on her dazzling
debut solo single, “Ain’t No Next Time," hits you right between the ears. Accompanied
by pounding piano and drums, along with classic organ fills and a horn section
that works hard to keep up with her vocal, Goodwin puts her foot down and tells
a roaming lover that if he leaves there won’t be a next time.
Goodwin has been a long-time staple of Australia’s inner west music
scene and a pivotal member of the indie rock/alt-country band Fallon Cush (which
Bandcamp notes is “enigmatic”) providing wonderful backing vocals and harmonies;
Steve Smith of the band wrote and produced “Ain’t No Next Time.” Goodwin also
leads (no surprises here) the popular Motown covers band Suzy & The Snakepit.
On Dusted Off,
Dusty Wright’s fine new covers album, he has recorded some of his favorite songs
as well as the ones he enjoys playing live.
Wright has chosen
songs from the 1950’s to the 1970’s and in doing so he has reimagined them and
made them his own. The two best examples of this are his covers of “Walk On The
Wild Side” and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone.”
On “Walk On The
Wild Side” Wright turns Lou Reed’s glorified take of New York City’s Lower East
Side of the early 1970s into a sad, melancholic look at the sex and drugs that
permeated that time.
With “(I’m Not
Your) Steppin’ Stone” Wright’s version of The Monkees song (written by Tommy
Boyce and Bobby Hart who wrote many of the band’s other hits) a response
to a lover’s taking advantage becomes a mid-60s psychedelic journey. Wright has
mentioned that his version is influenced by the Paul Revere and The Raiders
cover but what we hear on Dusted Off is a whole different animal.
“The Mighty Quinn”
and “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” show Wright’s obvious debt to the songwriting of
Bob Dylan. Wright loves these songs and you can hear it in his voice. For the digital
bonus track “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” Wright recorded a slowed down yet
faithful version of the original with a Dylanesque harmonica topping it off.
And by slowing down the song he doesn’t try to match the avalanche of words from
Dylan’s vocal but makes them understood.
"Permanent Vacation" is the fourth single from Tamar Berk's third album
tiny injuries (Bandcamp) (there’s a PP4NP review for that). The video, directed by Brandon
Mosquero, was inspired by Berk’s first vacation since the pandemic along with
her fears of traveling, flying, and crowds. Despite these anxieties she hoped
the trip would change her and make her a different person. Mission accomplished.
The video, however, reflects the earlier concerns of both
the pandemic and travelling as Berk is dressed completely in an astronaut suit even
when doing mundane tasks like grocery shopping. (As a side note, fans of Matt Smith-era Doctor Who may recall a similar look during the The Impossible Astronaut episode.)
The Shop Window, "I Run"
“I Run” is the third single from The Shop Window’s forthcoming
two-record (16 track) Daysdream to be released in May (you can pre-order here).
Earlier albums and singles highlighted the jangle and shoegaze
elements of the band’s sound which are to be even more evident as they are to
be split between the two discs of Daysdream. In addition, the 16 songs will
showcase co-writers and co-lead vocalists Carl Mann and Syd Oxlee as they expand The Shop Window’s sound (now with a second guitarist!).
It’s clear from the DaysDream Bandcamp page that “I Run” will be leading off the collection and is what my friends from across the pond would call a banger of a tune.
Along with the previous two singles (including "It's A High" and yes there's a review for that too) “I Run” gives a glimpse into what an
amazing group of songs will be found on DaysDream.
The video for “I Run” was directed by Darren Stokes, the alternative
title for which could be “A Dog’s Life” because although the lyrics can conjure up a
lover returning home from a long recording session or a tour like in “A Hard Day’s Night” it might
also be from the viewpoint of a lost or wandering dog finding its way home.
Here is the rest of the music I've been enjoying (and listening to more than once) over the past year. I hope there's something here that you can get into as well. Next time we'll see start to see what 2024 is going to bring us.
EPs
Peter Hall, About
Last Night
The initial email
for About Last Night from the Subjangle label described the new Peter Hall release
as a mini-album and/or an extended EP. For the purposes of this blog post I’m
going with the latter although it would have been in the top five of my album
list from Part One. About Last Night (Bandcamp) is
another brilliant collection of songs from Hall whose Light The Stars album was
at the top of the list in my 2021 year-end roundup. Each EP or album Hall presents to us is a musical
step forward and we continue to be struck by how the vocals, lyrics, and soaring arrangements come together .
The 3 Clubmen, The
3 Clubmen
The
musical powerhouse trio that is The 3 Clubmen is made up of Andy Partridge, Jen
Olive, and Stu Rowe. Their self-titled EP (Burning Shed) is the kind of
musically inventive and downright fun collection of songs that you just don’t
hear much anymore. The trio made their first appearance when the first single
from the EP, “Aviatrix,” was announced back in the Spring of 2023 (a few weeks later
a glorious pop-art style video was released). In my review of the song I called
it “mind-bending” and this also applies to the
paint-splattering way all of these songs have been put together; there’s
nothing in these songs that’s expected.
Caleb Nichols,
So This Is Crimble
It’s hard to deny Caleb Nichols his Beatle fan credentials. In addition to the very Beatles-influenced Ramon,
he also released the single DoubleMantasy with covers of McCartney’s “Waterfalls” and Lennon’s
“Watching The Wheels.” The centerpiece of the EP (Kill Rock Stars) is “Crimble Medley” in which Nichols creates a wonderful mashup
of a song from a Beatles Christmas fanclub disc as well as holiday offerings
from three solo Beatles along with Ringo's "Photograph" which fits
very nicely in the mix (what's Christmas without photographs?). The EP also
includes his two most recent Christmas songs, “(I Fell In Love On) Christmas
Day” from Ramon (my favorite new Christmas song) and “Christmas, California” from his recent Let’s Look Backalbum.
SINGLES
The Bablers, “Thinking
of You"
“Thinking
Of You” (Big Stir Records), the latest single from The
Bablers, is just the latest knock-out track following “Holding Me Tight
Tonight,” “You Are the One for Me” (my personal favorite), and “Mr. King” which
was released as the commutation (as a certain Mr. Lennon might have said) of
Prince Charles was taking place. With these songs we’ve been treated to four
singles from Like The First Time, an album only available in Japan and
Finland (their home country) and things look good for a world-wide release of the whole thing in
2024.
Fallon Cush,
“Grain of Salt”
“Grain of Salt” (Bandcamp and all streaming
services) is the first new music from Fallon Cush since 2019’s Stranger Things Have
Happened album and the second single from the five-track Tricks EP
which is being released in March 2024. “Grain of Salt” is mostly a solo
effort with Fallon Cush’s main man Steve Smith with an assist from producer
Josh Schuberth. At the beginning of 2020 Smith
suffered a breakdown that left him with crippling anxiety. He stopped working and
barely picked up a guitar.I wasn’t aware of any of this
when I reviewed the song; it didn’t sound anything like an ask for help from
its author, but it certainly sounds like that now.
Confusion Boats, “I Want To
Hold Your Hand”
Brian Dear of Confusion Boats
has been coming up with Beatles and Beatles-related covers for a long time and
the fourth one to be released “I Want To Hold Your Hand” (Bandcamp) is the
best. With the slowed down and soulful vocal of Andrew Lubman, Dear and fellow
Boater Fernando Perdomo lay down the original arrangement for Abbey
Road’s “Oh! Darling” on top. It’s just such a brilliant move that I’m sure
no one saw it coming (I certainly didn't and have been playing it for people
since it came out) and the result is amazing.
LIVE
The Sylvia Platters, Summer Dreamin'
The Sylvia
Platters from Vancouver, British Columbia, is a four-piece consisting of Alex Kerc-Murchison, Stephen Carl O’Shea, Nick Ubels, and Tim
Ubels. In December 2022 the band entered Malibu Sound Studio in Burnaby BC and performed a five-song set. Recorded and mixed by Kyle Schick, the
collection was released in the summer of 2023 as Summer Dreamin' (Bandcamp). The title song is new to the band’s
catalog but the other four tunes are from the albums, singles, and EPs The Sylvia
Platters have released over the past ten years. Their sound is undoubtedly
influenced by Teenage Fanclub and “Norman 4” (a bonus track originally on 2022’s Youth
Without Virtue EP and dedicated to Norman Blake) is a standout on Summer Dreamin’.
COMPILATIONS
Dot Dash, 16 Again
The wonderful Dot
Dash collection, 16 Again (Country Mile Records [sold out]/Last Night From Glasgow: vinyl/
Bandcamp: digital), is the first time these songs have been on vinyl and it’s a
great way to hear them. It’s also a terrific way to introduce new fans to the
band and a way to remind current fans why they liked Dot Dash so much in the
first place. The title 16 Again refers to the fact that these songs (all but one)
have been previously available on all ten of their albums released by Wally
Salem’s The Beautiful Music label between 2011 and 2022. You can think of these songs, hand-picked by the band, as "a greatest hits album by a band with no hits" as the Bandcamp page says. But there's a difference between songs not being hits and songs loved by fans that should have been hits ("Unfair Weather" immediately comes to mind).
Various Artists,
Let The Band Times Roll (a tribute to The Replacements)
Philly’s Creep Records, with their Replacements tribute album Let The Bad Times
Roll (digital available on Bandcamp and the vinyl from Creep Records) have put together a tremendous collection of 13 songs that span the ‘Mats recording career 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.Her Heads On Fire’s “Alex Chilton” and Celebration Summer’s “Left of the Dial” have arrangements close to the original but they just reinforce how great these songs are. The real gems 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.”
REISSUE
Pernice Brothers, Overcome By Happiness
I know I sound like a broken CD at times (because for a decade or so it was very difficult to buy a vinyl copy of an album in the US) but like 2001's Meaningless by Jon Brion (the vinyl release was in 2022) the Pernice Brothers great 1998 album Overcome By Happiness (New West Records) has finally been made available on a wonderful sounding remastered vinyl. Thanks to an arrangement with New West you can not only get yourself a single vinyl version of the 25th anniversary edition of Overcome but there's also a gorgeous deluxe edition with a second disc of pre-Overcome singles (the single version of "Monkey Suit" featuring both Joe and Bob Pernice is nearly worth the price of the whole thing), album demos, and a hardback book with comments by Joe and as well as lyrics. Another bonus of the coming together of New West and Pernice is the upcoming new solo album Who Will You Believe from Joe Pernice (now available for preorder here).
Another year, another year-end list. Twelve albums are featured in my round-up of favorites from 2023. Once again there are the bands and artists I've enjoyed for a while as well as new faces and voices and two collaborations. I've reviewed many of these albums last year so I've edited them for this post and wrote new text for the entries I either didn't get to in 2023 or missed until recently. Part Two of the Pure Pop blog will include my favorite EPs, singles, a live one, compilations, and a reissue.
For each album I've included a link to where you can buy the music (as well as a song from each album) and, as aways, I encourage you to support indie music by purchasing a download, a CD, or a record.
In 2022, following a
gap of 24 years, The Boo Radleys released Keep On With Falling, an album I
liked a lot. Their new album, Eight, is not only a giant step in the band’s
regeneration, it continues their brilliant sonic journey. It’s also
where the new album fits in Boo Radleys discography and 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. Favorite song: “Seeker”
On Reckless
Thoughts Maia Sharp builds on the relationships she’s made with the many
musicians and songwriters she’s known over the years since her debut in 1995.
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 for each song are polished
to a gem-like finish. Favorite song: “Fallen Angel”
Bill Pritchard – Pritchard Sings Poems by Patrick Woodcock
(Tapete Records)
You may think after having written both words and music for
wonderful songs on 2016’s Mother Town Hall and 2019’s Midland Lullabies that
Bill Pritchard would have little incentive to collaborate with the Canadian
poet Patrick Woodcock. But it turns out this is a genius move. Pritchard has
lost none of his ability to create brilliant melodies and his vocals and simple
arrangements make you stop what you’re doing and listen to Woodcock’s words.
Favorite song: “The Lowering"
Since the 1970s, Martin
Newell, has released music under many monikers including The Stray Trolleys,
The Brotherhood of Lizards, The Cleaners From Venus, and his own name in the
90s when he gave us the wonderful The Greatest Living Englishman and The
Off-White Album. For the last few years Newell has released an album’s worth of
material each year as the one-man band that is The Cleaners From Venus. His latest, K7,
is once again filled with tunes that jangle (he’s known as the Jangling Man) and
lyrics that recall the working-class vignettes of Ray Davies. There’s also the
gorgeous “Postcard to Heaven” about the loss of a friend and “The Beautiful
Stoned” where he cranks up the jangle. Favorite song: “Postcard to Heaven”
I’ve been
a fan of Tony Molina’s work since his great Kill The Lights album in 2018. A
master of short, extremely melodic songs recorded in a very lo-fi DIY way, all
of his labels (In The Store is the fourth since Kill The Lights) release his full-size
records (about 15 minutes of playing time) that are to be played at 45 RPM for
“maximum sound quality.” On In The Store Molina is joined by Sarah Rose Janko
of Dawn Riding who provides a wonderful take on his lyrics. The duo is joined
by Nick Bassett on drums and keyboards (he also supplied the basement in which
the album was recorded) and Jasper Leach on piano and Hammond organ. Favorite
song: “For Today”
Loveless has an
awesome voice that makes it clear it’s not going to take crap from anyone;
she’s also very good on the album’s more emotional turns. Along with her crackerjack
band the results are not unlike Carlene Carter on her 1980 Musical Shapes album
where she matched her twangly vocals with the lads from Rockpile (just check
out “I’m So Cool”). On Nothing’s Gonna Stand In My Way Again, Loveless has
songs that alternate between hitting the big time (“Sex and Money”) and leaving
behind a bad relationship (“Toothache”). Favorite song: “Toothache”
Robert Forster – The Candle and the Flame (Tapete Records)
Robert
Forster had three years’ worth of songs he had written for a new album before
his wife and musical partner Karin Baumler was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
While Baumler underwent chemotherapy, Forster set out to quickly record songs
at a local studio in Brisbane. The sessions turned into an extended family
affair with their son Louis taking part along with Adele Pickvance, a long-time
friend and bass player on the last three Go-Betweens albums (and the Adele of
Adele and the Chandeliers). The result is a literate and heartfelt album. Favorite
song: “Tender Years
What do
you get when you put a musical mix of styles in a blender and hit the puree
button? If you’re lucky (and it turns out we definitely are this time) you’ll
end up with The Power Of And the debut solo album from Steve Stoeckel. The
Power Of And alternates between the Rockpile rockabilly of “Laura Lynn” to the
wonderful acoustic treats of “Heather Gray,” “Birds” (a lovely melody as good
as anything on a McCartney album), and “Strange Cameo” with its “I’ll Follow
The Sun” vibe. Favorite song: “Birds”
The music and lyrics of Deleted
Scenes recall the 1970s, a time when young people -- artists, writers, actors,
filmmakers – flocked to New York City. Gramercy Arms fits into the zeitgeist of
the time as it’s a collective led by Dave Derby who was also a member of another
collective of sorts: The Negatives, a band led by Lloyd Cole resulting in 2001’s
The Negatives. Cole, it turns out, is
also part of Gramercy Arms and co-wrote and plays on “Yesterday’s
Girl,” the first single from the album. Having worked with Cole for more than
20 years, Derby has, especially on this song, picked up some of the former’s
vocal mannerisms. Favorite song: “Fucked Up and Beautiful”
On tiny injuries Berk
hits the ground rocking and then opens up to include heart-felt and
heartbreaking ballads and, with the addition of horns, she’s building on her
musical palette. Berk plays the quiet, acoustic card when she needs to and she
and her band know 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 of relationships. Favorite
song: “sunday driving”
HOOPLA is a cornucopia of musical delights. Written and performed by
the super-talented one-man band Paul Ryan, also known as Trip, he’s been
releasing high-quality tuneage since 2018 (including the amazing hat trick of
three albums of all new material that year). The new album not only continues
his streak of presenting technicolor melodies (the title of his first 2018
album) but the time he’s spent since then, tinkering in his shed, has given his
songs more textures, sounds, and arrangements. Favorite song: “Out of my Head”
On seashells, The New Fools adds trumpet and saxophone to the
mix and the result is a rousing blast of sound. It’s their first “full-length”
album (being more than the eight songs of previous ones) and their best yet. 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. Favorite song: “Nice One Pete”
