Tag: Caddy

Cloud Eleven and Caddy

powerpopaholic
Cloud Eleven

Cloud Eleven “Pandora’s Box”

Last year during the Pandemic lockdown, Rick Gallego (aka Cloud Eleven) was exploring his collection of demos, song snippets, and outtakes. He found enough good stuff here to build upon, and his unique approach makes this a step above the typical rarities album.

The experimental title track “Pandora’s Box (Schone Lulu)” is an interesting 60’s styled instrumental, and the Beach Boys-inspired “Row Row Row” is another neat curio, along with “Radiant Radish.” Light and pleasant fare like “You Make Me Happy” and “Homework” feel a little underdeveloped. The blissfully romantic “Extraordinary Girl,” “Deep Down” and “Heaven-Scented Bliss” are what Cloud Eleven fans expect and love, but there are other experiments here that just don’t work. One pleasant surprise is a cover of The Isley Brothers “I’m Gonna Knock On Your Door.” For fans of the band, it’s a great addition. But newcomers to Cloud Eleven should check out Record Collection first.
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Kool Kat Musik


Caddy

Caddy “Detours and Dead Ends Vol. 1

Another covers album? Not quite. Tomas Dahl (Caddy) decided to do the research and cover some obscure power pop bands across the 70s and 80s. And the songs are deep tracks as well. It’s most likely you’ve never really heard these songs, and that makes them “new” to most people. Heck, even I didn’t recognize most of them, and that encourages more exploration.

Caddy has a clean hard rock sound and the opener “Walking On The Roof” (Sgt. Arms, 1982) is a really cool song, and Tomas makes it his own (as he does with all these). Lots of highlights here, my faves being “If I Call Your Name” (Junior Campbell, 1971), “Cost of Love” (The Cretones, 1980), and “No Money ” (The Freshies, 1980). Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

 

Caddy and The Turnback

powerpopaholic
Caddy

Caddy “Ten Times Four”

After 2015’s solid LP The Better End, Tomas Dahl took a break from songwriting and spent more time in his “day job” working long nights while spending part-time as drummer and guitarist for The Stanleys last year. Thankfully, holding back those musical impulses wouldn’t last long. In fact, it burst open to a flow of great power pop gems on “Ten Times Four.” There are tons of standout tracks here. From the grand opening chords of “Miracle Turn,” it makes a statement that cannot be ignored, with melodic guitar crunch familiar to fans of late 90’s mainstays Myracle Brah, Starbelly, The Shoes, and The Posies. “Somewhere Beautiful” starts with the lyric “First rule is lighting is everything…” And then it launches into the brilliantly catchy chorus. Continuing, it gently goes into the buzzing gem “Secret Hiding Place” a dead ringer for a lost Teenage Fanclub classic.

And the hits keep coming from the aptly named “Contagious” to the contemplative “In The Basement.” Not a single weak track, although the slow ballad “Roadblocks” feels like a sleepwalk until we get to a final burst of energy in “The Good Ones.” Overall an awesome feel-good experience for the ears. It happens every year in the fall when artists flood my inbox with great music to be considered for the annual top ten list. Caddy easily squeezes into the top of the list for 2018. Super duper highly recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

The Turnback

The Turnback “Spinning the Earth in Reverse”

The Turnback have gradually moved to a heavier power pop sound (think Foo Fighters) since 2015’s Are We There Yet?  The psychedelic touches are long gone, and that’s okay because we want this band’s sound to evolve over time, right?

The opener “Here I Am” has a catchy chorus and the requisite riffs that still make The Turnback a power pop favorite. Both leads, Todd Giglio and Kenny Sherman add a heavier riff and slight growl to “This Could Be Our Year,” and the Monkees-like verses make it more upbeat. It’s a sweet and salty pop mix that continues with “Hit And Run” and the impressive “She Walks On Gold.”

“What’s The Difference Anyway” and “Untitled So Far” are mid-tempo soul-searching songs where Kenny’s vocals really shine. The duo takes on political causes with “Stand For Something (Or Go Sit Down)” and it’s good, but taking on apathy isn’t exactly as revolutionary as their past gems (like “If I Were God.”) “Your Fragile Wall” does a much better job with the hooks. Overall a very good album. It doesn’t quite reach the highs of their past work, but it absolutely deserves to be heard.

Amazon | CD Baby | Kool Kat Musik

Caddy “The Better End”

powerpopaholic
Caddy

Caddy “The Better End”
It’s been a long time since the last Caddy album, but Swedish one-man-band Tomas Dahl makes the wait worth it. On his third Caddy album Tomas moves away from the aggressive sound to something gentle and sun soaked. The first song “Here it Comes Again” states the intentions “searching for perfect harmonies,” and the denser “Something About Carina” is very much like Teenage Fanclub or Rick Gallego’s Cloud Eleven.

You’ll also hear influence of Tom Petty on “Into The Sun” with its steady bass drumbeat and jangling rhythm. The dreamy California summer is the main theme of the Beach Boys influenced “Fangblenny” and “The Better End” with its sleigh bells and echoing harmonies. The songs get better as we move forward, highlights include: “Bring It Back, “Chasing Clouds,” and the multi-layered harmonies in the chorus of “Saint Cyr-Sur-Mer.” While there really isn’t any filler on this album, the songs tend to sound more homogeneous toward album’s last half. But, overall this is a perfect album for those long summer nights. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik | vinyl on Sugarbush Records