Tag: Goodman

Goodman and Vanilla

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Goodman

Goodman “Goodman Versus The Nostalgia Machine”

NYC musician Michael Goodman has evolved over the years into a real power-pop powerhouse. And this is latest album has both an equal amount of hooks and attitude. The opening “Nostalgia Machine/Disappearing Act” features a churning guitar rhythm and a Kinks-Beatles styled mantra, about hiding within the cushions of past influences, but the guitar buzzes forward on “Raymond Burr” with plenty of energy. Similarly “Rachel K” has a swagger similar to Jeff Whalen (The Brothers Steve) and its hooks get you pretty easily.

Goodman excels with a gem describing the sudden end of a relationship “Gone In The Blink of An Eye” where “hey it sucks here/everyone’s stuck here.” “I Want To Spend The Day With You” and “Three Camellias”  are short sweet love songs, with some nice minor chords and the latter boasts a great string break and harmonies. “You’re Doing It Wrong!” seems a perfect song for 2020 and is another big highlight among many. In fact, each song has a catchy melodic quality and the styles vary enough to keep you on your toes. Hard to believe, but this album is better than last year’s Era of Buckets. And this one will also make my top ten list. Super Highly Recommended!

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Vanilla

Vanilla “Limerence”

Jayson Jarmon (Liar’s Club) and his band of friends are exploring his love of music with Limerence (defined as acute onset, unexpected, obsessive attachment) as he flys through several different musical styles with each track. The playful “Treefort” describing a childhood tryst with some improv jazz guitar at the end. “Sentimental” is a catchy little pop confection about his obsession and it brings us to the glammy “Velvet Rope,” fans of Sweet or Gary Glitter will enjoy this one.

The orchestral pop of “Haunted” has a Sinatra-like quality and the quirky “Easy as Pi” is a kids math song with an infectious bounce akin to Schoolhouse Rock. Because of the nature of the LP, it’s never predictable and mostly entertaining. Sometimes it falls flat or sounds forced (“The Call”) and I found the best tunes in the first half, but you can find a favorite anywhere – I really enjoyed “Let’s Start Over Again,” a McCartney-like ballad. Overall it’s fun and definitely worth checking out.

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Goodman and The Gershwin Brothers

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Goodman

Goodman “The Era of Buckets”

When I hear people say that classic power pop is an old niche genre with older influences, I generally agree. So what does the future of the genre sound like? I listen to artists like Michael Goodman, who has been steadily increasing his musical skills over the past ten years. Goodman plays electric and acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, banjo, piano, and synths. He is assisted by producer Oliver Ignatius and studio drummers Jordyn Blakely and Jeremy Kolker. The Era of Buckets pulls no punches melodically and takes in influences from psychedelia, shoegaze, and slowcore.

“Don’t” is a brilliant opener, with guitar strums across a light layer of xylophone and  Goodman’s emotive dual-tracked vocals. The next track is the super-catchy anthem “Watch Your Mouth” with its passive-aggressive chorus. “Wildcat” is a droning shoegaze melody about obsession, and “Wasting Away” adds a snappy synth beat to this minimal dance jam. Although the tone is melancholy on most tunes, like “She Finds Me Out,” or “Somethings Happening” it still retains a very compelling melody line. “Shallow(Completely Shallow)” reminds me of Brendan Benson, and its a great break-up tune. “Headrush Baby” is another winner, a richly layered composition with great minor chord shifts. The expansive “Life Begins!” bathes itself in a psyche-pop glow as it describes the (lack of) meaning in life. This is Goodman’s best album and it’s highly recommended. Plus it makes my top 25 nominee list for 2019.

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Gershwin Brothers

The Gershwin Brothers “God Is A Bully”

The duo of Dave Foster and Lane Steinberg (aka Sol and Al Gershwin) are joined by a local NYC musical crew (Mike Fornatale, Charles Roth, Tom Shad, Tom DeVito, Mary Spencer Knapp, Erica Smith) for this stylistically diverse band debut.  I’m a big Steinberg fan and his contributions to the album are clear to those familiar with his work. All songs are written by Foster and Steinberg, and we start with “Deleting You,” a witty song about culling your “friends” from social media, and then we get the Beatlesque opus “Unbroken.” The song is an impressive ballad that recalls McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” in the chorus, beautifully done – it’s the albums high point.

From there we go to “Antelope Canyon” starring Erica Smith’s delicate vocals sounding like a hybrid of Laura Nyro and Basia. Another strong composition with some jazzy overtones, that get a little psychedelic on “Heaven In My Head” with lots of drama and synth organ. Lane sings the title track, a smart and catchy mid-tempo ballad. The album sometimes ventures into weirdness; like “Notre Amour Fantastique,” sung by Mary Spencer Knapp; an operatic show tune sung like Édith Piaf! The rare “Mama’s Love” has all three leads sing together.

Despite the incohesive nature of the album, there are a lot of good songs here; “Sugar-Free,” and “Endless of Summer of Love” are great tunes with neat harmonies.”He’s The New You” is a lovely folk anthem of empowerment after divorce. Definitely something for everyone here, so check it out on Bandcamp.

Bandcamp

V-Sparks and Goodman

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V-Sparks

V-Sparks “New Sensation” EP

It has been a long time since this Chicago band has had some new music. The group is lead by Alan Lewis (Vocals, Keys) and Prescott Kagan (Vocals, Guitar) are joined by Zach Duran (Guitar), Sam Libretti(Bass),and Adam Long (Drums). What follows is a dizzying amount of rock n’ roll energy and pop smarts similar to The Strokes and Vampire Weekend. “Hey Love” is a hyper-catchy anthem similar to Locksley’s “The Whip.” But it’s no one-hit wonder, as each tune mines the best earworms of the past, as “New Sensation” slowly builds from synth beats and keys into a riff heavy gem similar to The Cars.

More impressive is the glam punk “Death of Star” with wild dramatic guitars, strings, and piano, bringing to mind Queen meeting Green Day. You’ll hear the T-Rex/Bowie strut in “Sebastian,” with Brian May guitars ringing along. It effortlessly blends the old and new without sounding like a cheap homage. Each song is a winner and my only beef is that it’s merely a 6-song EP. Get’s my first nod to the top ten EP list of 2017. Get this one!

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Goodman

Goodman “Vicissitudes”

NYC’s Michael Goodman is back after a year-long break with a new LP. The title is defined as “a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant.” Despite the amateurish cover art,  “She Sez” is a deceptively brilliant opener that moves from dissonance to melodic rock quickly, with its fuzz guitars picking up the catchy chorus. But it’s also clear these are break-up songs, “Modern Girl” talks of “misdirected rage and sexual anxiety.”

Each song is well-structured, as Goodman has found his sound here on “Weathervane” a mix of anthemic melody and post-rock distortion. Lots of highlights here; “Hourglass,” the catchy bass backbeat and handclaps of “Hiccup” and the Velvet Underground meets Brit-pop gem “Love Alone.” Highly Recommended.

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EP reviews: The Persian Leaps, Goodman, Yes You Are

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The Persian Leaps “High and Vibrate”

This Minnesota band brings us a wall of heavy fuzz guitar riffs on “The Infection” and the big standout here “Dottie. Queen of The West.” The tempo and approach remind me of Echo & The Bunnymen or The Smiths. A faster pace and steady beat on “Frozen” is another solid song with ringing guitar chords and harmonies thanks to Adam Brunner(bass guitar), Drew Fosberg (lead guitar) and Michael McCloskey (drums). “Anthem” keeps the pace and makes this a highly enjoyable EP – check it out!

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Goodman “Goodman”

These four tracks were originally cut from Michael Goodman’s upcoming release, not because of quality, mind you, but because a 16-song album seemed excessive. “Lessons Learned In Love” has a bedroom pop vaudevillian style, with a cool coda full of Beach Boys styled harmonies and old piano echo. “Telegram Girl” has a mod hook and its a real gem about breaking up, as he intones “Why should I waste my life on you?”  The shuffling beat of “Movies” is another fun song with hand-claps and echoing vocal brimming with cool confidence. I really look forward to the full length after hearing this!


Yes You Are

Ex-Tilly and the Wall lead singer Kianna Alarid is part of a new band that plays an intense pop style with sing along hooks in the chorus and snyth-covered rhythms. A bit too close to mainstream pop in “Echo,” but “World Without End” is a little Annie Lenox mixed with U2. Listen for free at http://weareyesyouare.com/sound/