Tag: The Incurables

Rich Arithmetic and The Incurables

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Rich Arithmetic

Rich Arithmetic “Pushbutton Romance”

The follow-up to 2021’s Shiftinggears takes a big step in the right direction for Rich Arithmetic (aka Richard Horton). The catchy standout opener “When You Want Somebody (To Make Love To),” features a combination of jangling guitar and a solid chorus with a swirling psychedelic break midway through. The influences; The Knack, XTC, and Martin Newell are easy touchpoints here. While the similarities to Newell are evident in the quirkier pop moments like “Battered & Broke,” his crisp 12-string guitar, understated bass lines, and harmonies on “Moral Blight” are closer to XTC’s Colin Moulding. There are excursions into folk in “Up To You” and surf guitar in “Saving Sunset.”

The three-part suite “A Teenage Hymn” recalls Pet Sounds (especially the first part) but takes its way to get through a vintage courtship, ending in a well-executed baroque instrumental finale. Getting back to power pop, “You are Always Right” is another winner, and Rich takes a bold chance with African-themed “Thema Toh Selah (Zambia Zombie Samba),” and it works beautifully. This is a wonderfully complete album that is highly recommended!

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

The Incurables

The Incurables “Inside Out & Backwards”

Michigan quartet The Incurables are cousins Ray and Darrin Lawson on bass and drums, along with their lifelong friends Pat Kelly and Dennis Pepperack on guitars. They toiled on the local garage punk scene for years, and now Big Stir Records lets them loose. Influences here are The Ramones, The MC5, and Iggy Pop. “When I Grow Up” is like a punk slacker anthem that sticks a middle finger at that old Beach Boys chestnut with its ridiculous goals (“Never gonna happen!”)

The band plays it straight for the familiar-sounding “Far Away,” and the catchy, but repetitive “Soda Pop.” The frantic rhythms of “Back Into Eloise” have great energy and a solid hook, Additional highlights include the very Iggy-like “Funhouse” and dueling leads of “I Told Myself (Absolutely Nothing).” When they don’t take themselves seriously, it’s appreciated. It’s a record that deserves to be heard!

Big Stir Records | Amazon

Holiday Videos and singles: The Kut, Kai Danzberg, Librarians With Hickeys, The Incurables, Ken Sharp, Radio Days, The Weeklings

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So I let loose the flow of Christmas music again! We start with a re-release The Kut‘s Christmas Single “Waiting for Christmas,” while the reliable Kai Danzberg has two great singles; firstly the jingle-jangling “Making It Shine” and then the energetic “Could’ve Been You” featuring Andy Patchell (and it’s a FREEBIE!) Next, we deck the halls with Librarians With Hickeys and The Incurables, courtesy of Big Stir Records where you’ll find more goodies. Two more new singles are out; Ken Sharp‘s “Mr. Sun” seems to channel the late Davy Jones and Italy’s power-pop powerhouse Radio Days returns with “Mercy Baby” and “1998.” Both are impressive singles, and how could we forget  Lefty, Rocky, Zeek and Smokestack (aka The Weeklings) with “Christmas Day” which has an Elvis Costello/Beatle vibe! Enjoy. We have 3 more weeks of last-minute reviews before our year-end countdown!







The Incurables and Labradors

powerpopaholic

The Incurables “The Fine Art of Distilling”
St. Louis musician Jimmy Griffin is a virtuoso guitarist that has a band with more than enough ability to create memorable singles in a “Wings meets Wallfowers” style. Starting with “16 Lines” its a masterful use of the slow building verse to a rich chorus. “Fall So Hard” has a great barroom jangle, very much in the Tom Petty meets Beatles mode. The unassuming song dresses its melodies with breaks full of amazing Stratocaster solo magic. Griffin’s raspy vocal is perfectly suited to “Famous Last Words” with Byrdsian styled riffs and lovely male-female harmonies. This is followed by “FM” a gem about the loss of the art of radio DJ where he asks “Is there anyone alive on the other side of my radio?” All the tracks grow on you and have surprising lyrical depth, like the subtle “Wish” and the hook filled “I Will Burn” which remind me of the Honeydogs. You’ll also here echos of The Stones on “Break the Heart of the World.” Highly Recommended!

Labradors “Growing Back”
Hard rocking band from Italy in the vein of Sugar, Weezer, and Nada Surf. One would never know, as they sound exactly like most American rock bands without any accent. “Punch” starts out the hard charging set with its punk undertones where they sing “I deserve a punch in my face,” and “Be My Camille” sound almost identical to The Virgins. “Astrology” has a Thin Lizzy-like swagger and then “Sundance” finally gets laid back and casual… remember Sugar Ray? While everything here sounds good, its a case of having the influences prevent the band from really standing out on its own. The vocals are also uneven, occasionally they’ll use dissonant punk harmonies that just don’t work. However, a handful of tracks are memorable including “Afraid/Happy” and the Guided By Voices-like “Some Of The Kids.” Give it a try.