Paul Steel “Carousel Kites”
It’s been ten years since we heard from the production wunderkind Paul Steel. One of the most impressive bedroom pop albums ever, April & I deserved a thematic sequel. The British press considered Steel “a 20-year-old who is Brian Wilson in a parallel universe,” and his style owes much to the former Beach Boy. But it’s more than that, as Steel has been busy co-writing and producing for Mika and Empire of The Sun. So he is definitely used to making irreverent and kaleidoscopic pop confections.
What we end up with is a concept album, where one song blends into another with grand thematic arrangements akin to Brian Wilson, Steely Dan-like guitar, and Quincy Jones-like percussion. The narrative isn’t as clear as April & I, and there is A LOT of filler, but it still holds together.
The overture “Ready to Fly” opens with sweet harmonies, leading to the frantic but operatic “Last Guilt Trip.” Some sequences are simply brilliant, like “Do What Everybody Else Does,” “Skydaddy,” “Never Age a Single Day,” and “Island in The Sky.” The earliest compositions Paul created for the project still work best, like the rousing “I See Sadness.” Overall it’s highly recommended and if you are a fan of Roger Joseph Manning Jr. or Bleu McAuley this is a “must get” album!
Tony Molina “Kill The Lights”
Californian Tony Molina gets out his music in the most abbreviated way. Each song is roughly a minute long. And that’s what is simultaneously both great and frustrating about this album. The amazing opener “Nothing I Can Say” is the perfect amalgam of Byrdisan jangle and Teenage Fanclub like melody. “Wrong Town” and “Afraid to Go Outside” have that reverent church organ and gentle harmonies.
Each song hits the mark, but I wish we got more than a single chorus and verse. In some ballads, the shortness works, and “Jasper’s Theme” actually reaches the 2-minute mark. Many of the songs are elegantly constructed folk-pop, but its all over way too soon. The best way to appreciate this LP is playing it on auto-repeat. Highly Recommended.