Danny McDonald “Modern Architecture”
Danny McDonald is skilled in several genres. “Cordyline” bursts from the speakers with authority, very much in the mold of Paul Westerberg and it hooks you right away. Unfortunately, it’s only a minute long. Next, “The suburb I grew up in” is a country-style duet with Anna Burley, and its a nice jangling slice of roots-pop.
Then we get about a minute of punk and another minute of power pop. “Keeping The Dogs At Bay” is another catchy chorus, and thankfully it’s over 2 minutes long. I like short songs, but most of this was just way too short. However, the sampler just made me want more McDonald, so it is successful in marketing his talent.
Popular Creeps “Bloodshot Red”
A motley crew from the Motor City, Popular Creeps do a good job playing fast and loose rock and roll, and the opening track “Out of My Head” is a super-catchy tune that will get you following along with handclaps and a kick-ass guitar solo. The sound is a little like The Replacements, with a barroom vibe similar to The Connection. “Down & Out” builds a solid core riff and keeps you interested with its well-written lyrics and melody. “Metal Kid” is a good vignette about a kid who “smells like smoke on a Friday night.” Lots of great tracks, and highly recommended.
Singles
“Like The Tide” boasts a solid twang and Zach’s soulful lead keeps this sounding like a hit single Neil Young might have done back in the day. The bonus here is that Zach has an audio “behind-the-scenes” feature in addition to the song demos. Sweet!
Arthur Nasson is back, and he’s “Unglued” – This is a catchy theme that reminds me a little of Roy Wood. Get this on Amazon