Singles: The Vinyl Skyway, Vanilla, My Little Hum, Rozwell Kid, The Inside Passenger, Joe Kane, Andrew Stonehome, The Hangabouts

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Holy Cow! There is a bumper crop of great music here. Let’s dive right in… 

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Boston band The Vinyl Skyway dazzles with this excellent single. Songwriters Andy Santospago and Michael Hayes know how to hook you with their harmonies and minor chord shifts. Worth multiple repeats!

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The band Vanilla follows up from its smart LP Mystik Knights of Tacoma with this horn-filled gem that about a tree fort that is either an emotional security blanket or the ultimate man cave.

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My Little Hum is husband and wife duo Dan Jewett (guitars/bass) and Yuri Jewett (vocals/keyboards). They do a great job here with a strong jangling melody and Yuri’s sweet vocal harmonies are comparable to Karla Kane. Part of the upcoming album Pioneer. Check it out!

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Rozwell Kid delivers a quirky punk song that just stuck with me. It’s a FREE download that starts out quiet and then breaks out (Hey, maybe Rolling Stone will pay attention?) Lyric video here.

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The Inside Passenger is a new musical project from fan-favorite Cliff Hillis. It’s definitely a different style; Melancholy pop music made for late nights.

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Glasgow treasure Joe Kane (Dr. Cosmo’s Tape Lab, The Owsley Sunshine, BMX Bandits) has put together these little glammy, fabby singles with those Ringo-like drum fills and Lennon-like vocal noodling. So much fun it will stick fast! “If you love your booty clap your hands..” Love it!

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Andrew Stonehome is a songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist from North Dakota. He deserves your attention for this excellent power-pop single. Album coming next year.

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Detroit’s The Hangabouts are also working on something new! You can hear some Elvis Costello influence here, and it’s a true gem with a soulful guitar break midway through. Keep your eyes and ears out for a new LP soon!

The Successful Failures and The Muffs

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The Successful Failures

The Successful Failures “Saratoga”

New Jersey’s Successful Failures present their 7th full-length LP, “Saratoga.” Lead singer Mick Chorba starts with the echoing fuzz chords of “Because We Are Ghosts,” and despite the simple lyric, it commands your attention. The band shuffles along on its roots-like rhythm of “Love You So” with a terrific slow boogie bass midway through the song as Mick croons “Do you love me so?” While the songs feel very loose if you listen carefully, you’ll hear the subtle details in the composition. Like Tom Petty, it’s the augmented leads and chugging beat of a song like “Ocean and The Stars” that elevate it from average to greatness.

The band moves from the traditional blues on “Ruby, Ruby” to the very ambitious “Knoxville Suite” which incorporates some very Clapton-esque touches as reaches its zenith. The follow up “No White Knight in Knoxville” is a fast-paced anthem sure to get you tapping your feet. While there are several typical rockers like “Oh Diane,” it’s also good to hear the more experimental “Already in Two.” Overall another highly recommended LP.

Amazon

The Muffs

The Muffs “No Holiday”

When you want to count the great punk-pop bands of the genre, near the top of your list should be The Muffs. While they reference The Who, The Troggs, The Kinks, Ramones and Sex Pistols, they are completely original. As punks, they can make noise with the best of them, but its Kim Shattuck’s songwriting and the tight-knit playing that makes them so formidable. Billy Joe Armstrong (Green Day) called Ms. Shattuck “one of my favorite songwriters.” So its with bittersweet feeling that I review the final Muffs album No Holiday. Kim passed away last week from complications of ALS (aka Lou Gehrig’s disease), but she left us a treasure trove of tunes in her wake. Written over a period between 1991 and 2017, the songs range from intimate ballads to punk expression. And at 18 tracks, there is a lot to wade through.

Starting with “That’s For Me” and “Down Down Down” its everything a Muffs fan expects, with the snarls, screams and punk guitars. But for the title track, Kim gets sweet with a big melodic chorus, as the next few songs are mellower than expected. “Late and Sorry” is another highlight with a perfect mix of the sweet and sour. Some great songs could have benefited from a fuller production, like “Sick Of This Old World” and “Happier Just Being With You.” On the whole, the songs showcase the band’s depth of emotion on gems like “Lucky Charm,” and “On My Own.” It’s a fine portrait of Kim’s many moods and she will not be forgotten. Highly Recommended.

Amazon


The video above is the last Muffs concert in South America

New EPs: Propeller, Bananagun, Super 8, It’s Karma It’s Cool, The Coolies

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Propeller “Three Steps to Better Listening” – The San Franciso duo of Greg Randall and Will Anderson are at it again! Not really an EP, but an A/B single with an acoustic version, but it’s so damn good. You will be hooked!

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Bananagun “Do Yeah” – Is this a long lost gem from the early ’70s? It’s a hypnotic mix of afrobeat and psyche pop that wouldn’t sound that out of date on a retro beatnik soundtrack. Groovy.

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Super 8 “Head Sounds” EP – UK-based Singer/Songwriter Paul Ryan has been very busy this year. The cover is a parody on Pet Sounds,  and the music is an interesting mix of compulsive melodies, and it does have horns and harmonies. This EP is a prelude to the full-length version scheduled for release in 2020.

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It’s Karma It’s Cool “Hipsters and Aeroplanes” – Jim Styring (The Popdogs, B-Leaguers) is back with this hook-filled gem of an EP available on Kool Kat Musik. It’s got an catchy energy and Jim’s vocal inflections are similar to Buddy Holly. It’s also a grower that gets better with multiple listens.

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The Coolies – “Uh Oh! It’s​.​.​. The Coolies”  Three amazing artists: Kim Shattuck (The Muffs), Palmyra Delran and Melanie Vammen. They make magic here and 100% of profits will be donated to The ALS Association in the memory of Kim’s passing. Originally released in July, It’s bittersweet that this was the only project for the three, but at least we have it.

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Slumberjet and The Jellybricks

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Slumberjet

Slumberjet “World of Sound”

It’s been almost ten years since Irish power-pop artist Barry O’Brien decided to follow up his acclaimed debut, but he did bring in the heavy hitters for his return. Produced by Duncan Maitland, he is joined by Colin Hare (Honeybus), Johnny Boyle (Pugwash), and Eric Matthews along with original bandmember Keith Farrell. Barry’s melodic gifts remain unchanged, and Duncan’s amazing instrumentation and sonic arrangements give this collaborative album a timeless quality.

Opening with the dreamlike harmonies of the title track it launches into a Jellyfish-like pop gem with “Round x2,” it’s driving beat marches along with a shimmering guitar lead. The band successfully navigates a variety of pop stylings from the gentle jangle of “Float” to the insanely catchy “Across The Divide,” with an earnest Elvis Costello-like approach. All the songs are good, but a clear majority are simply great. For example, the XTC-like “Big Snow” is a colorful narrative from a child’s POV, about the wistful joy of a snow day. Another big standout is “Why Do You” with its sing-along chorus about repeating the same relationship mistakes over and over. The album shows a great variety of tone and never gets predictable. Overall a nice fit for my 2019 best album list and Super Highly Recommended.

Amazon | CD Baby

The Jellybricks

The Jellybricks “Some Kind of Lucky”

Harrisburg, PA favorites The Jellybricks are back delivering their glossiest and most mature outing to date. Signed to Wicked Cool Records, the band’s sound moves from indie club intimacy to arena-sized soundscapes. The echoing guitar chords of the opener “Corner of My Eye” are suited to the modern rock crowd who enjoy good melodies with their layered crunchiness, like The Goo Goo Dolls or Super Deluxe.

But despite the stylistic shift, the melodic skills of The Jellybricks shine through. Lead singer Larry Kennedy is in fine form on “Brooklyn,” an anthem which describes getting lost going to a certain gig. Catchy choruses reign on “Can’t Get Over You,” and it will stick in your head for days. The frantic “Ms. Misery” is a garage rock gem about “The girl I used to love,” who still nags at you, but one of the best songs here is “Faith.” This is a perfect mid-tempo power ballad about a broken relationship. Not everything here is as serious, “No Money” bounces along with its pop melody about simply being broke. “DOA” and “When It’s Gone” also are more alt. rock focused, it reminded me of The Mighty Lemon Drops with heavier layered guitars. Overall an excellent album that shows the band’s maturity and versatility. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

Video Singles: Eli Musser, The Turnback, The Laissez Fairs, Orouni

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So many albums of great music… so little time. These are a few advance singles to upcoming albums. Really excited to hear some of these, and I hope you look out for these artists!
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Eli Musser “Smile (‘Cause Somebody Loves You)” – Eli is a West Virginian, now living in New York. This soulful track is one of the best singles I’ve heard in a while.
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The Turnback “You Kill Me” – The Turnback return with this neat animated video and a “killer” single. The band plays to its melodic strengths and we are all the richer for it.
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The Laissez Fairs “Lillie May” This band has the retro sound down perfectly. “Count” Peter Zaremba (The Fleshtones) listened and called it “Pretty psychedelicotic!” I agree!
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Orouni “The Lives Of Elevators” The song is inspired by a New Yorker article, that tells the story of an employee stuck for 41 hours in an elevator of the Rockefeller Center. Very interesting.