I got a late start to the week, but the goodies are here, and all this music is available as name-your-price, or free download from Bandcamp:
Gleeson is out of Austin, Texas this band has been quietly toiling away for over 3 years on this massive 22 song album. Lead singer Ty Chandler gives us a great multi-faceted approach, “Pro Tool” is similar to Sloan, “Queen of Boulevards” channels ELO strings with a Fountains of Wayne. They prove to be adept at alt. country with “Out Of My Mind,”similar to The Jayhawks. “Meanwhile Back At Home” shifts around like a Jackdaw4 or Bryan Scary song. They even cover Guided By Voices'”Smothered In Hugs” and Big Star’s “Blue Moon.”
They are all over the map stylistically and prove they can do it all. The bottom line is that each song is melodically sound and demands repeat listening. It makes my top ten list this year, so you have no excuse not to get this and spread the word. You can also get it from CD Baby, if you wish to donate $9.99
Ghost to Go is a Brooklyn based garage pop band, and they approach “Icy” with the same gusto as Jet’s fave “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” Influences include The Rolling Stones and The Replacements.
Hector and The Leaves gives us some great power pop, starting with the catchy “Problems” its the kind of debut that gets noticed. “Goodbye” has those light harmonies that float above the guitar and piano. Fans of Elliott Smith, The Beach Boys and Paul McCartney will just love this. One of my favorite EPs this year. It will make my top ten too!