Category: Top Ten of 2008 Candidate

Last year I reviewed Readymade Breakup’s debut album. I was impressed then, and they suffer no sophomore slump. In fact, the group has raised the bar and jumped over it. The rousing opening on “One by One” is full of great energy and Lead singer Paul Rosevear turns it into an anthem along the lines of U2 and Squeeze. Then you can groove to the Abbey Road guitar riffs of “Honey, you might be right” with a McCartney-like vocal wailing (somewhere, Lenny Kravitz is kicking himself that he’s not doing this kind of music anymore). The songwriting is steadier here and less of the debuts stylistic shifts, terrific bass-driven leads are all over the album. A perfect example is “Surrender” that plays like Glen Tilbrook backed by Jason Falkner. The mid tempo songs are mixed well between the heavier rock, so the album flows nicely from one style to another effortlessly. This is followed by the Queen-like ballad “I Don’t Mind” minus Brian May, but Rosevear gives his best performance. Another standout is “Stretch Your Head” with it’s 70’s rock ethos and blues falsetto. The Freddie Mercury style continues on “Quiet” and the band gets quite a smooth groove on the soulful gem “Ugly” which recalls Badfinger. It ends off on a high energy note with the “Back To The Bubble,” a rousing tune that recalls the Faces and Rooney combined. With not a single dud here in a very tight set of ten songs, this is crunchy power pop at it’s best. It also makes it easy to recommend as a top ten for 2008. Don’t miss it.

My Space | Itunes | Not Lame

Listen to “Talking To Myself”

Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan – The self release of group Starling Electric’s debut record, Clouded Staircase, was back in 2006. The band has since been signed by Bar/None Records, who are re-releasing the album. the driving force behind it all is Caleb Dillon, who wrote everything and plays almost everything. The band has a pure indie pop sound similar to classic Guided By Voices with elements of Beach Boys instrumentation and bits of prog poking though. “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” starts you off with hard electric guitar riff and Dillon’s floating Pollard-like vocals. Then the first of three-parts “The Clouded Staircase” opens with a very SMiLE like mix of piano and acoustic guitar playing, with some backwards looping for effect. This comes to a head on “Camp-Fire” which resembles Sean O’Hagen’s High Llamas with steady and catchy organ and banjo touches. It continues to get better, “Black Ghost/Black Girl” is classic 60’s pop similar to Pete Townshend’s “Who Sell Out.” By mid album the sunny ‘70s pop comes out on “Clouded Staircase Pt.2” with some wonderful piano, in a style similar to Tony Bank’s early Genesis. This bit of pop combination melts together perfectly. As the album continues Dillon’s vocals begin to resemble Nick Drake playing for Marillion on “New Era.” The folk prog influences come out more on the albums second half, with “Two Dreams” resembling early Genesis ballads, with dreamy flowing acoustic guitar. Add to this a wonderful instrumental “British Boots” with a gorgeous Rickenbacker rhythm. Posies/Big Star frontman Jon Auer gave it high praise as well, “Startling and superlative orchestral pop that reminds me of why I fell in love with music in the first place…” and I tend to agree. An amazing album that deserves a Top Ten nod.

Amazon | Starling Electric Web Site | Not Lame | Kool Kat Musik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g74LAyJh4dk

Pulling together roots rock and pop has never been easy, but The Bellfuries do it with smart gusto. The opener “Welcome to the Club” has the right blend of guitar and rockabilly beat with catchy melody sure to please fans of Rockpile and Dave Edmunds. The merseybeat rythyms of “Sung by Someone Lonely” has a bit of Elvis Costello flavor as well as a little early Beatles, with really impressive guitar work. The simplicity and honesty of early rock and roll is the appeal on another standout “Give It Get It” complete with handclaps and flowing vocal harmonies over a great bassline. This melting of genres gives the album instant ipod appeal and the even the Hollies-light “Cheerleader” packs a strong pop punch. Another great song is “There could only be one you for me” with impressive chord and time signature changes that is comparable to Bleu and Mike Viola. Even lead vocalist, Joey Simeone sounds a little like Mike Viola on shuffling jangle of “This Love Ain’t So Bad.” “Big Surprises” also sounds a bit like Costello, but with more energy and force than the other tunes, and it never gets dull even at over 4 minutes. Other songs don’t reach these heights, but they come close. The ballad “The Only Ghost There is Me” is the only misstep here with violins and low organ, sounding like it belongs on a different album, with a tone closer to Gerry and The Pacemakers. “All My New Friends” fairs much better as a mid-tempo tune. But even this doesn’t take the shine off a brilliant album. The musicianship here is flawless and “Palmyra” sounds like both a cohesive album and a compilation of hit singles. No filler here and after a few more listens the hooks on these tunes draw you in all over again. If that doesn’t deserve a Top Ten nod, I don’t know what else does.

My Space | CD Baby

Listen to “Give it Get it”

This was one of those discs from last year that passed under the radar, but no more. San Francisco native Josh Fix is a true phenomenon with his debut album “Free At Last.” If you combine a host of 70’s rock icons like Queen, Billy Joel and Elton John and the majestic sweeping pop they are known for, you’ve got a good idea of Josh’s sound. The rousing opener “Don’t Call Me In The Morning” uses all these influences to perfect effect. The densely produced, rocking, accessible Elton-esque mid-tempo ballad “Jethro” uses amazing piano, unconventional chord changes and that multi-track chorus to great effect. And Josh does this all almost single-handed (except for Andy Korn’s drums). Like Jackdaw 4 last year, fans will appreciate the familiar sounds gift wrapped in new melodies.”Whiskey & Speed” and “Rock and Roll Slut” would feel at home on Queen’s “Day At The Races.” Some of the other songs lean more towards the piano based, “Burn it Down” and “Bad With Superbad” remind some listeners of Ben Folds for sure. The multi-choral, multi-instrumental flourishes of “The Water on My Brain” echo the sound of 10cc. The piano in “I Thought About it First” is a classic mid-tempo end of the album finale with some guitar thrown in. Some may dismiss the derivative nature of the sound but a good line emerges from the albums end, “Well, if everyone’s heard this before, what’s the point?” The point is it’s great power pop and like comfort food, it is mouth watering and a pleasure to consume.

Josh Fix Website | My Space | Emusic | itunes | Not Lame

Detailed and handcrafted pop hooks dominate this Michigan-based foursome, produced by Andy Thompson. The opening track “Secondary Players” typifies the groups sound which combines dense 70’s styled pop of Supertramp and the harmonies of The Carpenters, with a bit of Queen’s guitar theatrics sprinkled in for good measure. But lead singer Zach Curd doesn’t sit still here. Each song offers up a slightly different style with bandmates Dave Lawson (guitar), Adam Kempa (drums), and Will Yates (bass).  This is a fine pop pastiche that continues with the very 80’s pop sounding “Coerce” reminding me of Toy Matinee and Squeeze. The song ends with toy piano and sweet harmonic choruses – it’s an excellent track. The following song “Never Got The Breaks” is a full biography set to music a la Ben Folds or even Adam Marsland, and it’s another stunner. This approach works again with “Someone Who Would Understand.” The entire album shares a quirkyness with Tally Hall in that every song is swoon-worthy and has undeniable energy. Except this is the work of experienced musicians, and thus much better. The lyrics are clever and the instrumentation goes everywhere (so it never gets stale and invites multiple listenings). Each song is so dense with ideas, it may appear overwhelming to the unprepared (as with a Bryan Scary album). As a final treat the last track “You’ve Won The Lottery” is a smooth sonic coda that would fit nicely on 10cc’s “How Dare You” album, with a circus organ ending that fades into the synth keyboard beat. Showcasing the talents of three songwriters, the album is carefully buffed to an overly theatrical shine. Add this one to your top 10 list.

My Space | Pop Project Site | Not Lame| Suburban Sprawl

Listen to “House of Books”