Free Music Monday: Yonder, Ballard and Baz Francis

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Yonder is a Seattle Band self described as “a blooming penumbra piercing a livid pitch.” Yeah, whatever. Big echoing alt. pop music. It’s all good.

 

Ballard is back! The raw punk pop goodness is ready for you just like his past goodies. Build Break Repeat is no exception, plenty of driving beats and head shaking riffs. Gratis! Enjoy!

 

Baz Francis (Magic Eight Ball) was as a guest writer for the UK blog Über Röck. He put together an article about one of his favorite bands Everclear and their 1995 album ‘Sparkle And Fade.’ As a companion to the article Baz did a cover of “My Sexual Life.” Another great freebie!

Mike Dees and Shake Some Action

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Mike Dees “Something Like Glitter”
Dees has tapped a rich vein of power pop along the lines of Velvet Crush, The Posies and Richard X. Heyman with his newest LP Something Like Glitter.  The opener “AM Radio” is a terrific riff about the joys of growing up in an analog world.

The songs vary in style from the muscular rock  of “Little Know Nothing,” to the slow tempo “Bring It Down.” Dees vocals seem to shift in tone based on the song so you get the grizzled rocker on the title track, but on “Bring It Down,” you get a nasal version of Pat DiNizio. Dees best vocal is most consistent on “Better?” In fact the base lines are very much like The Smithereens too, “Babble” is one example, with a driving chorus that chugs along. Absolutely worth checking out.

CD Baby | Amazon

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Shake Some Action “Catch The Sun”
James Hall found a real groove with his last album Full Fathom Five, so this follow up isn’t far behind. “Color Exploding” is another gem that evokes a sunny trip, and “Wait For The Summer” flows right into your head as perfect modern beach music, complete with surfer beat.

“Fall Into The Sky” and “Moonlight Mind” are both full of Byrdsian Rickenbacker guitar and “You Don’t Know What It Means” leads with heavy drumbeats. The variety here is just enough to distinguish the songs, but a few tracks (“Wings”) feel a bit generic. Otherwise there is no filler here and this album is sure to please fans of Oasis, The Hoodoo Gurus, and The Grip Weeds. Highly Recommended.

Bandcamp | Kool Kat Musik | Amazon

Adrian Bourgeois “Pop/Art”

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It’s been a while since his debut album, and Adrian Bourgeois can hold it back no longer. Adrian returns with a massive collection of songs, 24 tracks that feels like an anthology. Richly melodic, the singer songwriter covers all the bases here.

Opening with the delicate ballad “New December” that swells to a full orchestral production. Another early standout is “Everybody Knows Its Me” a sweet combination of both Todd Rundgren and Nilsson. Then the album veers into folk singer mode with “Pictures of Incense” and “Jonah.” Comparisons to Robert Harrison (Cotton Mather) come out on certain tracks, “Waterfalls” slide guitar goodness and the sharp lyrics on “Hanging Day” stand out. The Phil Spector wall of sound approach works well on “Aquarium” and the yearning ballad “Don’t Look Away” is another winner.

And although not every melody sticks with you, so many pop styles are explored its hard to find an outright flop here. More gems include the “Shot In The Dark” which is a memorable duet with Paige Lewis. “Sunflower” is another epic love story in pop form. He explores a roots rock sound with “The Howling Wind” and bouncy electronica on “Better” and “Parachutes,” but Adrian really shines with the orchestral ballads throughout. There is a lot of music here, so give yourself time to drink it all in. Highly Recommended and it gets added to my year end list. Available on Bandcamp and Adrian’s web site, plus you can pick up his debut for free.

Stoney and Midrone

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Stoney “More Than Animals”
The media is always looking to find the next “big” musical rock star to move the masses, and Mark Stoney is positioned to be it. Fans of Arcade Fire and Coldplay will find Stoney’s dramatic vocals and stadium sized themes most pleasing as heard on the opening track “Sweet Release.” The echoing background harmonies are layered just right into a pretty well slick pop hook. “The Score” goes in a different direction, getting darker almost shoegaze like, but maintains a driving riff that keeps you hooked till the end. “Defiantly Loved” goes back to that big theme, with a huge chorus that demands attention.

Stoney doesn’t sit in any genre too long, so labeling him is difficult but its clear he appreciates a good pop melody. “Devil On My Back” goes back to the catchy goth angst that bands like Muse and The Doves thrive on.  “Bedpost” proves to carry the most emotion – it feels like an album finale, and the tracks after it lack the energy to carry Stoney over the finish line until the very Beck-like blues-pop of “Round Here.” There is plenty here to love and recommend, so catch Stoney now before fame catches him first.

Bandcamp

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Midrone “My Kingdom”
Paul J.N. is a musician from Madrid, Spain known as Midrone. He favors a polished synth-pop sound, that is highly influenced by Nik Kershaw and Howard Jones. While the song “Addicted To You” takes a while to build up, it rewards the patient listener with a fine melody. If you enjoyed the melodies of Dynamo Bliss, you will also like “Blood On Your Hands” with its excellent chord shifts. Paul’s vocals are a bit pedestrian, but the vocorder effects keep songs like “the Best Day Of Your Life” fresh and exciting.

What makes Midrone special is the compositions, “Another Land” is a big highlight, a beautiful piano melody comparable with Julian Lennon and the disco rhythms of “Ghosts” and “Little By Little” will bring you back to the Godley and Creme era of pop. My only pet peeve here is that the songs are too long (a few over 5 minutes) but don’t let that stop you from sampling these impressive synth-pop songs.

Itunes | Amazon