Author: powerpopaholic

From Nottingham England, Richard Snow is known for his jangle fueled guitar and impressive melodies, evidenced in past releases. Richard formed his band The Inlaws in 2005 so he could bring his music to a live stage, and now includes the band in his third release. Opening with the gorgeous “Stop Your Crying?” is the kind of ballad that combines The Byrds jangle and Steve Winwood styled harmonies. The updated merseybeat is more pronounced on “Middle Class Girl” and the acoustic sadness of “If You Don’t Rescue Me” is a sweet folk diversion, with a nice choral coda.

The album’s centerpiece “21st Century” is another gem with some Mod backing vocal touches, and its retro theme, “It’s modern life I fear… the 21st Century sucks.” Another impressive ear-worm “Take Me Back Home” with its multi-tracked chorus is both simple and very catchy. Occasionally the rhythms on songs can get predictable but it’s performed with such skill, it’s hard to complain. Every song here is good, without any filler to be found – and a special treat is the title track with it’s wicked riff that builds and its obsessive-compulsive lyric “Am I really that boring? Yes I am, and I don’t care.” Fans of jangle rock  and smooth harmonies will love this album. Highly Recommended.

Tony Cox “On The Way” 
Tony Cox is joined once again by Nigel Clark (Dodgy) on vocals, keyboards & bass and Darren Finlan on drums & percussion for this sophomore album. Unlike the previous effort, this set of tunes is more oriented to the early 70’s with it’s retro approach. The opener “We’ll Get High” is similar to The Climax Blues Band with its soulful riffs and steady beat. “Hold Me Angeline” and “Alicia” both harken back to The Hollies, and it’s a great showcase for Clark’s great vocal harmonies. “The Way” has a bit of Lennon in the chorus with an open cavernous sound. One of the best tunes here is “Feel The Ride” a Beach Boys styled song that lingers long after the chorus finishes. The power ballads also do well with “Curse of Love,” a Zombies styled gem with flowing strings under the guitar melody. For those who enjoy the retro styled pop of decades past, this is a rare find that you shouldn’t miss.

The Title Tracks “In Blank”
Washington DC musicians John Davis, Andrew Black and Michael Cotterman perform as The Title Tracks, and the fast-paced power pop style emulates early Elvis Costello and Squeeze back when they flirted with a punk pop sound. The pounding rhythms and frenetic riffs sound garage-style, but seem to lack the spontaneity of true punk. “Shaking Hands” and the tracks that follow don’t let up the pace, and as a result nothing really stands out till we get to the guitar play of “Light Sleepers” and  “I Can’t Hide” where the poppier side takes over with some decent harmonies emerging. “Forget The Ghost” is another standout with a shadowy organ melody that resembles The Smithereens slightly. The melodies are good – and even great in some tunes. For example “It’s Wrong” could be a lost Rockpile song, but the lo-fi mono production often left me flat. Davis is a talent worth nurturing, but he needs to refine things a bit.