Ho Ho Holiday Singles: Loop Line, Bill DeMain, Cotton Mather, Nicole Atkins

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Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

Loop Line is back with a holiday song, but it can’t decide if its a Beach or Christmas tune. I guess its both… get the FREE download while it lasts.

​​Robert Harrison (Cotton Mather) teams up with one of my favorite voices in pop, singer Nicole Atkins for “Faded” a wonderfully written ballad. It is part of the new EP ‘Cotton Mather with Nicole Atkins‘, arriving on December 30th. Get this FREE download now!

New Zealand DIY pop dude Stefan Reyners also has a holiday single. A nice simple statement

While not a Christmas tune, this was way too good not to share. Bill DeMain delivers the goods with an orchestral cover of The Beach Boys “Wendy” for an upcoming album.

The Connection and Pseudonym

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The Connection

The Connection “Just For Fun”

A sweet holiday gift from The Connection – this new set of covers is Just For Fun, as the band paying homage to their musical heroes. Some of these tunes are right up the band’s alley, like using the Johnny B. Goode template for Bob Seger’s “Get Out Of Denver.” Some classics including “Teenage News” (Sylvain Sylvain), “No Expectations” (Rolling Stones), and “Southern Girls” (Cheap Trick) make for a great listen. Even oldies like “I Can Read Between The Lines” by Gary Lewis and The Playboys have a distinct Merseybeat feel, and because many songs aren’t automatically familiar, there’s little predictability. Like the title says, these guys are just having a good time and after listening to these tunes you will too.

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Pseudonym

Pseudonym “Pack Of Lies”

California Musician Paul Desjarlais with his friends (aka Pseudonym) deliver one of the better LPs this year with Pack of Lies.  Each track is a reminiscing on a painful breakup, guitarist Waylan Solo offers up an interesting story in the “liner notes” on the Bandcamp page related to it. He knows what we power poppers will gravitate to right away, but listen through the entire album to get a better understanding of the story. Its a slow build from the first isolated vocal track of “I’m Fine” to the jangling guitar on “All The Little Things.”

The combo of fuzz bass and harmonies work great on “I Don’t Care About Love,” plus the easy going melody on “Victimless Crime” is super catchy. Then a trio of slow tempo ballads starting with “Don’t Leave Me This Way” show the isolation of the songwriter, but things go back to rocking mode on “Lorraine” and “Round and Round.” On “Foreign Talk” the beat quickens even more, reminding me of The Cure. Overall an excellent album, and on top of all this its a FREE download until Jan. 1st (then buy it on Amazon). Highly Recommended.

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George Usher and Lions In The Street

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George Usher “The End And The Beginning: 1990-2009”

Described by the Village Voice as “one of New York’s best pop craftsmen,” singer-songwriter George Usher has a long, storied history that is expertly curated in this multi-disc retrospective The End And The Beginning. While it doesn’t have everything, its pretty thorough collecting tracks from across Usher’s career. The set starts with the bands House of Usher (1990) and George Usher’s Lazy Gentlemen (1991) where he develops a solid rep doing jangle pop with a baroque style.

When we hit the single “Not The Tremblin’ Kind” from Miracle School (1997), its melodic magic with a strong Beatle vibe that we’re used to. Great songs like “Begging For Rain” and “Days Of Plenty” make you question why Mr. Usher wasn’t a bigger star, but his talent as a songwriter and performer is beyond question. The ballads become more prominent later on, like the pastoral “Love By Any Other Name.” Since much of his earlier work is out-of-print and in some cases hard to find, this collection is essential for power pop fans. Get it directly from George on his website.

George Usher Direct

Lions In The Street

Lions in The Street “The Years”

Playing tough, swaggering ’70s-styled rock & roll influenced by the Small Faces, Eagles and the Rolling Stones, Vancouver’s Lions in the Street are a band that persevered in spite of years of record company interference. The album “The Years” (named after the band’s original moniker) was held up in lawsuits. Recorded for TVT Records(Lil’ Jon, Pitbull) in New York City with Grammy-nominated producer Dave Cobb (Jamey Johnson, Jason Isbell), a legal dispute with the label put the band in debt and stalled any career progress.

Fortunately, this is now finally released and is a pleasant surprise that still holds up. The gentle harmonies and muscular guitars start on “Someday” are almost like a mix of Badfinger and The Faces. The soulful vocals of Chris Kinnon on “Still The Same” and “Carolina” compare well with Mick Jagger. The country harmonies on “Can You Hear The Sea” strongly contrast with the heavy rock riffs of “In Cold Blood” and “I Know You Wanna” is almost AC/DC-like. Strong songwriting and performances sustain all 11 tracks. A lost gem that’s finally uncovered and highly recommended.

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Check out this FREE bonus track from the album.

Ho Ho Holiday Singles: Seth Timbs, Steve Eggers, and Michael Carpenter

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Each year a number of artists release Christmas singles. We already featured one set last week. I will continue to showcase new holiday tunes this week in between my final reviews for 2016. A best of the year list will ready shortly into the new year.

Seth Timbs enjoys a “Bellyful”

Steve Eggers (The Nines) has been so busy (and we love it) but still found time to drop off this Christmas song released on the Japanese label This Time Recordings.

One of my favorite artists down under, Michael Carpenter has just “One More Christmas” to sing about.

The Unswept and Real Numbers

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The Unswept

The Unswept “Fake It” EP

Chicago band The Unswept’s latest EP starts with “Fake It,” sounding more like The Rutles, than the original fabs but you have to love the Merseybeat riff that opens this song up. “The Boy Who Wakes You Up”  is more a low key indie pop tune, and “She Just Knows it’s Over” has a distinct Yorkshire accent. ”SALLY” is like a Velvet Underground tune, sung at double tempo, and also quite enjoyable. These tunes have less polish and 60s influence than previous albums but the songs have charm, and they’ve included mono mixes as well.  Check it out.

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Real Numbers

Real Numbers “Wordless Wonder”

After several EPs Minneapolis, MN band Real Numbers brings its jangle pop and shimmering rhythm to its full length debut. They multi-tracked the guitars delivering a sound that’s like The La’s jamming with The Smiths. Both “Frank Infatuation” and the title track both involve heartache and awkward inner monologue.  “Only Two Can Play” and “Sisters Serving Tray” intermingles a bouncy tempo and the low-key vocal delivery. “New Boy” delivers a catchy fuzz-bassy rhythm and “This Happy Sadness” appeals to both your warm nostalgic side and your moody side.

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