I was lucky to get an interview with Stephen Butler of The Smash Palace. We talked about the new release “Some Kind of Magic” and please ignore my ignorance about the order of album releases, as I was pointed out that “Extended Play” and “Live at The Auction House” came out before the last full LP “Do It Again”. We’ve been covering Smash Palace for years and we hope they continue to make great music.
A Fragile Tomorrow and Marco Rea
A Fragile Tomorrow “Make Me Over”
The Kelly Brothers; Brendan, (lead guitar) Sean (lead vocals/guitar) and Dominic (drums) plus friend Shaun Rhoades (bass) are the players that make up A Fragile Tomorrow. The band is poised on the bleeding edge of power pop and the opening single “Make Me Over” swirls with heavy riffs over a melodic chorus backed by harmonies and thickly textured rhythms. It’s the sound of a band that is restless and not going to play it safe. “Tie Me Up” is a mid-tempo soul searching drama and lead singer Sean Kelly does a great job here. You also hear a some beautiful subtleties in the tight harmonies of “One Of Two, Two of Three” and the sweet composition of “Tell Me How To Feel” make these tracks big highlights.
Various light psychedelic touches are in the lush ballad “In My Mind” with its 12 string strum and orchestral majesty; reminded me a bit of 10cc or ELO. You hear numerous influences from REM to Cheap Trick on the layered “Hit Parade” and “Can’t You Hear Me.” The final track “One Way Ticket” with guests Joan Baez and The Indigo Girls, is just mesmerizing as both a tribute and a re-make. This is a densely packed album that deserves multiple listens and its highly recommended.
Amazon
Marco Rea “Wallpaper Music”
This is the first solo release of Marco Rea (The Wellgreen, Euros Childs, Linden). Born at the kitchen table in Cerasuolo, Italy the album has the melodic grace and simple production style that recall Paul McCartney’s first solo effort. After the shuffling instrumental of the title track, “Someone’s Picture” is a sweet piano melody that will stick in your head for days. “Time” is a like a Left Banke ballad with a gentle tempo and honest delivery; Marco even sounds a little like John Lennon in spots.
“Sunday” has a vaudeville piano, recorder solo and it is very much like a mid 60s novelty hit. The slowly building “To” is another winner, with its layered guitar melody, choral harmony and deep lyric; “One day you might look back, you might move on.” Not every song approaches that level of Beatlesque greatness, but “When You Fall Down” and “Try” both have that Ringo styled beat. Most of the tracks on the albums second half are quite somber, and some classical piano instrumentals slow the albums momentum. Still, the impressive songs here make this digital only release highly recommended.
Warm Soda and Paul Starling
Warm Soda “Symbolic Dream”
Matthew Melton’s band Warm Soda wears their late ‘70s, early ’80’s power pop influences quite proudly on the new LP Symbolic Dream. The band would not sound out of place on a double bill with The Romantics or The Beat. The fast tempo of the opening track “I Wanna Know Her” is a pure sugar rush with its simple power chords.
Elements of punk and glam are thrown in on “Just Like Me Before” but unfortunately this approach without much variation gets too formulaic (even for me). Songs repeat the same lo-fi riff and drum beat, with minor changes to chord progressions. And it really could have used a slow ballad here to break things up. Melton’s cool, almost detached vocal works great on “I Wanna Go Fast” and the title track, but like eating too much Halloween candy, starts to loose its sweetness halfway through the album. Still recommended, but in small doses.
Paul Starling “The Wild Wolf”
Paul Starling is back with a vengeance, on the title track of “The Wild Wolf.” It’s a magical combination of Brian Wilson and Lindsey Buckingham with an inventive percussive rhythm. Its the big standout as “Endless Waiting” is a pleasant, but more predictable tune as he pleads “goodbye baby” in front of a fast tempo strum.
Starling carries “Midnight Turns Into Day” and “Seven” and both tunes have a catchy dream-like quality. He gets a lot of mileage with a simple melody, gentle harmony and chord strum on the easy going “Waiting” and he’s mastered those Beach Boys-like ballads with multiple instruments (banjo, ukulele, bass) on “Broken Bones.” Paul describes this as “nautical pop,” and I guess that works as these soothing tunes float into your conscious effortlessly.
Wyatt Funderburk and John Dunbar
Wyatt Funderburk “Transients: 1999 – 2009”
A collection of demos and rarities from Wyatt – a few show up in finished form on 2013’s Novel and Profane. There is plenty to sift through, and many of the songs are good. Some snippets like “Only You” and “Alone Again” simply demonstrate Wyatt’s mastery of Beach Boys three-part harmony. “Everything You Are” and “Dear Mrs. Curtis” are great songs, particularly the latter as it describes the struggle of the musician as starving artist, “waiting for that perfect song.”
Wyatt’s demos are so polished, it’s not hard to imagine any of the tunes fully developed. It’s not all perfect, as he hasn’t got the falsetto mastered on “Stand Off,” and he goes experimenting with instrument sounds on “Bross – Please Stop By.” A few songs are fully fleshed out and just deserved release like the brilliant “Why Does He Have To Be So Good To You” and the cocky “One Night With Me.” This is essential for Funderburk fans and others can pick and choose the most polished gems.
Bandcamp only
John Dunbar “From Expectation To Surrender”
John Dunbar marches to his own beat, his latest self produced album combines influences from The Beatles and The Kinks. Considering he developed The Rutles-like tribute to The Kinks (The Kunks) he’s incorporated the style into the opening title track with its neat chorus and backing harmonies. The production is clean, but fairly basic and unlike his last album Third Guessing, John shows a lot more humor and melodic skill here with “She Walks Her Dog In Pajamas” and “Credit For Not Taking Credit.”
Often the rhythms are infectious enough to carry the songs like “I Didn’t Know I Was Saying Goodbye” along, even if they go on a little long. Worth checking out for sure, if only for “The Old Switcheroo” where you suddenly realize you’re too old to be part of the “In Crowd.”
Book Review: The Death and Life of Mal Evans
What if The Beatles never broke up and made a few more albums? Fellow blogger and author Peter Lee (www.hooksandharmony.com) puts in print what Beatle fans have argued and guessed about since that fateful year 1970, when the world’s greatest band called it quits. Peter’s narrative is in first person from the point of view of former Beatles assistant Mal Evans, who in 1976 died from a gunshot wound by police.
Lee magically transports Evans prior to the the band’s breakup at a critical point in John Lennon’s history. This creates an alternate timeline where Evans stops the break-up and The Beatles continue to create great music beyond 1970. Its all meticulously researched and a blazing good read as you feel like you’re in the room with the John, Paul, George, Ringo and the select group of people who knew them well. Peter sets up these great fictional albums, made up of tracks the solo Beatles produced in the years after their partnership dissolved and lists them in his blog as well. An excellent book that’s a must read for Beatle fans and musical historians will enjoy too.
Amazon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIpglscU6Jg
“Now and Then” is officially the last Beatle track that can ever be made, as it was part of the Lennon demos that included “Real Love” and “Free As A Bird.” Unfortunately the remaining 3 Beatles agreed to pass on it because of the sound quality, but producer Jeff Lynne and Paul McCartney indicated they might return to it someday.