Wesley Fuller and Ducks Ltd.

Wesley Fuller

Wesley Fuller “All Fuller No Filler”

We all knew Perth-born, Melbourne-based Wesley Fuller’s follow-up to Inner City Dream would be good. Wesley was kind enough to be interviewed about this album while promoting the singles earlier this year. But from the opening chords of “Back to Square One,” you can see that his songwriting has improved exponentially. With the casual retro synth-pop of “Alamein Line,” or “The House of Love,” and the guitar riffs of “The Velvet Affair,” Wes takes the late ’70s influences and builds from that point.

Even though Wesley looks a lot like Jeff Lynne—and Lynne’s influence is palpable in several of the songs—there’s a lot more happening here that reveals itself after repeated listening. “Look No Further” takes a distant piano rhythm and turns it into magic with a loaded chorus of harmonies. Like the promise in the name of his record, there’s nothing here that feels like filler. Highly recommended and an early nominee for 2024’s top ten!

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Ducks Ltd

Ducks Ltd. “Harm’s Way”

In the same vein as power pop, jangle pop is an adjacent subgenre of music that has a timeless quality. Bands like REM, The Smiths, and Echo and the Bunnymen reimagined what the Byrds started in the 1960s in the late 1980s. Canadian band Ducks Ltd. follows the tradition of combining sparkling, jangly guitars with crisp vocals and thoroughly melodic songwriting.  The duo of singer-guitarist Tom McGreevy and guitarist Evan Lewis take great pains to make these songs stick.

“Hollowed Out” really does remind me of those college-era bands; The Ocean Blue or The Mighty Lemon Drops, without the psychedelic aftertaste. “The Main Thing” is another song that chugs away with a zippy chorus and a fast rhythm. Most of the songs hit that nostalgic mark, and this is another highly recommended album.

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Spooky Singles and a bagful of treats: Descartes a Kant, Willie Dowling, Wesley Fuller, Cold Expectation, Linda Lindas, and many more!


(Spoken in your best Crypt Keeper voice) It is that time of year again when little boys and ghouls are knocking on doors for a trick or treat. Good thing all we have is treats! Let’s start with Mexico’s Descartes a Kant which is like an old video game mixed with your favorite indie post-punk band. A creative disturbing retro-futuristic concept album that really sticks with you! Willie Dowling (Dowling Poole) reheats an oldie in the production oven and it will make you “Happy?” cause it’s a freebie! In another vintage-inspired gem, we get “Alamein Line” from Wesley Fuller, dig that retro-drum-beat, new album coming soon. A little more in the spirit of things is Cold Expectation‘s “(I Live With) Ghosts” with some nice guitar work in that break between the chorus. Girl punk pop band Linda Lindas takes an old chestnut “Little Bit ‘O Soul” and makes it their own. Finally, we get to the big bag of candy, The Big Stir Records Halloween Collection! For a mere $5 you get a 20-track assortment of treats from Plasticsoul, The Armoires, Steve Stoeckel, and more. Hope these satisfy your sweet tooth (and ear)! Hee hee hee (thundercrack sound effect!)




June singles: The Diners, Wesley Fuller, Brad Marino, The Gypsy Moths, Pretty, Ex-Norwegian

You wouldn’t know it was summer in NYC with that Canadian smoke cloud hovering, but the music certainly says so. The Diners are a new band, the combo of Blue Broderick and fellow songwriter Mo Troper. Paste Magazine compared the new single “The Power” to Big Star and the Raspberries, so I’m all ears here. It’s been a few years since I’ve heard Melbourne-based power pop boy wonder Wesley Fuller, and he sounds even better than before, going “Back to Square One.” Brad Marino reads off his record collection, and I could listen all day. The Gypsy Moths sing about a classic Coney Island Amusement park, with cool sax blasting away. If you want more noise distortion with your rock, give Pretty a listen. It settles down into a Cramps meets Soundgarden vibe which is kinda nice. Finally, Ex-Norwegian talks about a “Real Bad Bunny,” but he’s not talking about this guy, right? I like the B-side “Send Nudes” even better!





Wesley Fuller and The Successful Failures

Wesley Fuller

Wesley Fuller “Inner City Dream”

Wesley Fuller is an Australian singer/songwriter multi-instrumentalist and producer, who quickly received national attention with the release of his debut EP, Melvista. With a sound rooted in the late 70s and early 80s pop, this full-length debut is everything promised and more. Fuller reveals a growing maturity both technically and melodically, as you’ll hear influences from The Talking Heads, The Cars, The Bay City Rollers and Electric Light Orchestra.

The opening title track “Inner City Dream” is a glorious combo of T-Rex and Jeff Lynne. “Someone To Walk Around With” is another catchy gem lead by guitar riffs and tambourines, that reminds me of the hit that Jet scored with “Are You Gonna Be My Girl.” The 70’s cowbell and fuzz bass are joined by heavy synths in the equally amazing “Skyways,” but its honestly impossible to find any filler throughout the album. Another highlight is the infectious “#1 Song” about pop star dreams and “the chance of a lifetime.” Each song boasts a modern production sheen, with a finely crafted sense of pop songwriting – making the results pretty damn incredible. Overall the music varies in tone enough, with mid-tempo love songs reaching the album’s second half on “Wish You Would” and “Miranda Says” contrasting with the heavy anthemic and danceable first half. Makes my year-end top ten for 2017. Don’t miss it!

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 The Successful Failures

The Successful Failures “Ichor of Nettle”

The Successful Failures’ sixth LP, “Ichor of Nettle,” adds more roots rock influence to its power pop core. Fans of Tom Petty, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gram Parsons, and Cheap Trick will appreciate the band’s sound. Opening with “The Ballad of Julio Cuellar,” a real-life tale of illegal immigration with a sympathetic Julio “left to die” by his smuggler.

The hard-charging riffs of “Misguiding Light” are more of what we expect from Mick Chorba’s band, and its a great tune. My favourite on this album is the folk hero story “Sam Houston,” who was a “…Southern Democrat who followed his own rules.” It’s a great combination of melody, grit and Americana. The bluegrass acoustic “Tennessee Boy” is a romantic gem with a standout mandolin solo and great blue-collar anthems “PA Fight Song” and “The Shit That Drags You Down” are also highlights. A few missteps, like the plodding “The Devil Took A Liking To Me” and “All Rise” but at best these songs just aren’t as compelling as the earlier songs on this album. Highly Recommended.

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Wesley Fuller and Cool Ghouls

Cool Ghouls

Wesley Fuller “Melvista” EP

Wesley Fuller is the newest kid on the retro power pop block from Melbourne, Australia with a debut EP.  Full of jangle and 60s influences, the opener “The Dancer” has a glam guitar similar to Sweet and the mid-tempo pop of “Shock Me” is upbeat, but kind of generic.

One of the highlights is the jangling, heavy beat of “Runaway Renee” with its irresistible sing along chorus. The title track is also pretty sweet ear candy with its hand clapped beat and multi-tracked harmonies, and “Change Your Mind” has a that glam beat (think Gary Glitter) and a simple melodic phrase. Check it out.

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Cool Ghouls

Cool Ghouls “Animal Races”

San Francisco’s Cool Ghouls absorb those classic 60’s influences on their third album, Animal Races, produced by pop maestro Kelley Stoltz. The band has a roots-garage psyche rock style and the opening title track is the keeper here with its catchy chorus. “Sundial” has a Byrdsian jangle that combines with the ghostly vocals, also makes it an effective song with a gorgeous “ba-ba-ba” coda.

From there we get even more psychedelic on “Time Capsule” which is a bit like re-filtered Jefferson Airplane. The mood is mellower on “When You Were Gone” and the piano led “Days,” which has a warmth that belies the lyric “Morning through your window gives you no reason to get up.” It gets kind of western with that slide guitar on “Brown Bag,” but for the most part its echoing reverb drenched pop. And despite the dark, paranoid lyrics there is a playfulness to each song. Highly Recommended.

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