The Liarbirds “Allegedly”
The Liarbirds” were formed in Athens, Greece by British born Jamie Byres (vocals and guitar) and George Dimopoulos (vocals and guitar) joined by Angel Kikira (bass), Bob Synodinos (keyboards), and Kall Nitsos (drums). The album opens with the catchy “Chewing Gum” and it proves to be a sticky tune. “Running Mind” starts out slow, but then chorus kicks and all is well. This is very light airy pop (not much power here) and although it has a retro sound on the smooth “Soul Keeper” it doesn’t linger in your head long. Unfortunately the lack of hooks and simplistic lyrics make most of the remaining tracks forgettable. The lightweight pop only takes a brief respite with the fast tempo of “I Got Lifted.” Fans of The Pearlfishers or The Brigadier may want to give this band a chance.
The Jennifers “Well Intentioned World”
I remember years ago the Colors From the Future album, and finally the Baltimore band returns with Well Intentioned World. The overall sound has gotten better and comparisons have been made to Teenage Fanclub and Echo and The Bunnymen on the opener “Roses” thanks to the clear vocals of guitarist Joe Stone and the excellent drumming of Skizz Cyzyk. Echoes of early XTC are here too as the angular 80’s beats and riffs of the title track prove to be the most memorable one here. The frenetic “Around The World” is another excellent face paced tune. Other recommended tunes here are “Elephant Heart” and the impressive guitar chorus of “Driving Out The Demons.” The songs are pure pop played with a punk aesthetic and youthful exuberance – fans of XTC’s Drums and Wires will just flip over this.
