Vitsa Blue and its garage power pop sound has been featured before, now the band has a new collection of FREE holiday music. My fave on this EP is “A ’90s Kind of Christmas” with plenty of references to that era, like the lyric “We’ll sing lots of Weezer songs this Christmas.”
Allen Clapp (The Orange Peels) brings us a solo EP that compares the California weather to his emotional states, and its an impressive musical motif. The catchy start “Moss Falls Like Rain” is classic Clapp with guitar jangle underneath its keyboard melody. “Friend Collector” is another winner combining flowing piano chords and charismatic synthesizers. The album weighs more on sonic textures than melodies for its second half, “Seasons 5 & 6” is a magical two part instrumental. Overall a great little EP that deserves to be heard and is highly recommended.
The Jayhawks “Paging Mr. Proust”
While The Jayhawks have yet to top Rainy Day Music, this is a decent album that’ll keep fans satisfied. “Quiet Corners & Empty Spaces” has that classic Byrdsian jangle and relaxed sound you expect from a Jayhawks album, while “Lost The Summer” is a fuzzy mess that sounds forced. “Lover of The Sun” is a tight Gary Louris gem with a memorable middle eight that stands with his best tunes.
Both “Pretty Roses In Your Hair” and “Leaving The Monsters Behind” have good composition, the latter having a great guitar solo break. The trouble starts when they try Wilco-like experimentation on “Ace,” however “Comeback Kids” has some great storytelling and “The Dust of Long-Dead Stars” cranks up the tempo and energy. As usual the instrumentation is top notch and its a solid addition to the Jayhawks catalog.
Mike “Bruno” Brunacini is a new face on the indie power pop scene, and “Cherry Springs” is his first full length album. “Beginning” shows that he knows a thing or two about harmonies, and a earnest approach about fearlessly doing what you love. The simple guitar melody of “Carousel’s Song” is a highlight here, very similar to Jeff Boller (The Simple Carnival).
The piano melodies of the title track and “Departed Light” feel influenced by Ben Folds, and Brunacini’s vocals are excellent here. He gets a bit poppier on “Hiding The Storm Out” and “Living Electronic Emotions” tells an android’s story that’s just infectious. While not everything here hits the mark, most of it does. Mike’s songwriting skills are impressive on the duet “Shooting Stars” and the catchy “White Noise.” Worth checking out and I expect we’ll see more of Mr. Brunacini.
Amazon | CD Baby
Review by Mike Olinger: Boston-based Seth Goodman, who travels the space-time continuum under The Grand Undoing moniker, released his newest post-punk oeuvre this past September – a richly orchestrated, dynamic record that recalls the seminal work of Warren Zevon.
Goodman, a known sparkling wine connoisseur, often sounds intoxicated on record and his psychedelic album title, Sparks Rain Down From The Lights Of Love, leads one to believe this unorthodox loquacity is bound to spill into the material. Yet the actual songs attest to his sharp sense of pop brevity and punchy musicianship. Key tracks like “Key Biscayne” are both lyrically satisfying and gloriously retro while ballads like “Falling From A Plane” exhibit a world-class knack for expressionistic balladry.
Check out some new videos I came across from some of my favorite bands:
It’s always an internet event when OK GO releases a innovative video. Even though its harder than ever to break through the clutter, one is pretty cool.
Earlier this year, videographer and musician Todd Stanton put together a video of Vegas With Randolph doing our version of his song “New Leaf.”
For all you retro enthusiasts “All She Wrote” is the third video from The Pozers’ CD, The Sun’s Going Down. Another good song from this album is “The Fascination.”
Looking for pure unadulterated Beatlesque fun? The Weeklings are a great choice, with the sound and spirit of the legendary moptops circa 1965. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, in the very same studio as The Beatles themselves. Musicians Glen Burtnik, Bob Burger, John Merjave and Joe Bellia are not your average cover band, as the band members have years of experience. Some have played with McCartney, Styx, Marshall Crenshaw and others. Some have even performed in Beatlemania on Broadway.
The songs are all originals with a few very rare Beatle covers. Start with the Rickenbacker strums of “Morning, Noon & Night” it is a note perfect melody down to the harmonica flourishes. The big single here is “Little Elvis” which has huge riffs and compares well to “That Thing You Do!” for catchiness. I could continue, but almost every song here kicks ass. This is above and beyond your average Beatlesque effort. Makes my top ten list, and should be in your music collection.
The Shadow Kabinet is the personal vehicle of Steve Somerset, talented singer, songwriter, and melodic story-teller. Nostalgia For The Future was recorded in 2013, but only now sees the light on Kool Kat Musik. Somerset’s style is solidly set in the psychedelic pop world and you’ll hear Sgt. Pepperisms everywhere.
The epic title track is a winding tale with sitar, long bending chords and Steve’s vocal is a bit like Lennon at his trippiest or a more sober Anton Barbeau. The guitar of “Angelville” continues the slow tempo with a spacey theme. “The Notebook” is a very English sounding tale about a personal keepsake. The textured “Dust Descends As Light” could have been a lost Pink Floyd track from Wish You Were Here. Additional highlights include “Lame Duck” and “The Glass Half Empty House,” but the ending track “Let It Go” is a perfect Lennoneque mind game sure to amaze. Plug in the headphones and enjoy this one.