Nick Capaldi and The Fadeout

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Nick Capaldi “The Golden Summer” EP
 A budding star is evidenced by Nick Capaldi’s The Golden Summer is a short EP with its glossy power pop. The opener “In My Shoes” is a catchy Tears For Fears styled pop hit that’s ready for radio, and “Dumb it All Up” another gem with its infectious beat has mellotron and horn flourishes. Next, “The Right Time” is an light airy ballad with swelling strings, reminding me of Seth Swirsky and closer “First of the Runaways” has a great Andrew Gold styled piano melody. Each song is a potential hit here, so you’ll want to check out his previous album,  A Shade of Orange with fresh ears. Easily one of the best EPs this year.

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The Fadeout “Shapes of Animals”
The Fadeout are a band from Montreal that specialize in sun-drenched melodies that take its cue from the Beach Boys playbook with a twee touch. Staring with the light “Wake Up (I’m Not There)” the band uses the same instrumentation and harmonies as the Wilson brothers or Phil Spector pioneered. Lead singer Sacha Philippe Hebert-Jodoin has a slightly fey, high-pitched vocal  (similar to a young Michael Quercio) that is very soothing.

Each song follows a consistent pattern with some nice compositions found in “Sinkin’ Ship” and the “Sloop John B” clone “Fantasy.” And therein lies the problem, as the band fails to move beyond their influences to keep things catchy or memorable. The group certainly has the skills and talent to pull it off, but they need better songwriting to move forward.

Greg Pope’s Giant Monster Playset

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One of our favorite musicians, Greg Pope is a filmmaker too and  we reported about Giant Monster Playset and it’s music a few years ago. The film made the rounds at a few festivals and now its online (see above) and on DVD.

The DVD release includes the film and extra features like commentary track, visual effects reel, production gallery, etc, AND the entire Monster Suit album (which served as the official soundtrack). Get it at Amazon.

 

Sam Phillips and Felsen

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Sam Phillips “Push Any Button”
Prolific singer-songwriter Sam Phillips returns with her 10th studio album, Push Any Button. Thankfully she leaves behind the wanderlust of her recent past and brings us melodic pop that comes closest to her masterwork Martinis & Bikinis. Starting with the organic percussive effects on “Pretty Time Bomb” it sets the stage for the compelling melody of “All Over Me,” with neat little horn flourishes and a churning guitar rhythm. The catchiest song is next, “When I’m Alone” with its fast paced beat and Phillips expressive vocals.

The minimalist orchestral base and plucking strings suits Phillips well on tracks like “Going”and “Speaking Of Pictures.” Another gem “You Know I Won’t” is another sing along melody and with barely a wasted noted, its a perfect showcase of an artisan at her best. Highly recommended AOR listening.

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Felsen “I Don’t Know How To Talk Anymore”
Oakland band Felsen is a hard working local band made up of guitarist Dylan Brock, singer/guitarist Andrew Griffin, bassist Christian Hernandez, and drummer Art McConnell. Felsen has toured throughout the West and puts together a workman-like effort on this new album.

The songs take a while to reach the hook, but they do get there. The lead track “Rock and Roll’s Not Dead” certainly takes its time, as we don’t get any rock guitars till the four minute mark. Much better are the melodies of the title track, “Better Days,” and the catchy “Tokyo Electric .” Where Felsen falters is in the slow meandering epics (“Gunfighting At Dawn”), but if you’re patient you’ll appreciate both the environmental message and the music.

Free Music Monday: Mooner, Prevrat and Andy Klingensmith

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Mooner “Making Americans”
Mooner has a new single and b-side, recorded as a quick follow up to the Unpronounceable Name EP from last year. You just gotta love that opening with a multi-tracked guitar riff. Enjoy!


Prevrat “Symbols”
This a bit off the genre path; its a mix of ambient psychedelics and I like the trippy jangle rhythms of “I You Two” and the industrial-techno guitar on “Safe Distance.” The highlight for me is the mix of acoustic and electrics on “Abandoned.” The vocals kinda get drowned out and at times you’ll wanna skip a track or two, but overall a worthy freebie.

 

Andy Klingensmith “Pictures Of”
Son of Futureman Records producer Keith Klingensmith, Andy takes a lighter approach towards ambient chamber pop, with light indie harmonies in the style of The Free Design or The Sea and Cake. A very engaging debut.

 

Keith Klingensmith and the TM Collective “Volume 2”
Well let’s not forget about Keith’s own covers series with the TM Collective. Gotta love the note-by-note perfection on The Who’s “Kids are Alright” and Davies’ “Waterloo Sunset.” They also know how to rock out, hear The Soft Boys cover of “I Wanna Destroy You.” Thanks for the goodies Keith!

Carnival Season “Misguided Promise: Carnival Season Complete (1984-89)”

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Carnival Season “Misguided Promise: Carnival Season Complete (1984-89)”
As a music collector you often spend some some time looking over “lost” bands that never got the attention they deserved, and thanks to the internet nothing is “lost” anymore. Through a connection with Tommy Keene (FYI: new album coming up next month), I came across this obscure ’80s power pop band from Birmingham, AL that toured with The Replacements and Redd Kross (to name a few). Made up of guitarist Tim Boykin, bassist Brad Quinn, and drummer Mark Reynolds they broke up just as the Seattle grunge scene emerged in the early ’90s.

They certainly deserved more recognition than as mere footnote in power pop history, as Misguided Promise gathers up the bands entire output in one neat package. Read the full review on BlogCritics.org

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

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Carnival Season “In Our Time”
Carnival Season drummer Mark Reynolds passed away in December of 2012, the band had been sharing song demos for possible inclusion on their first album in 25 years. “In Our Time” would have been one of Mark’s songs to be included on the album. The song was recorded In Kobe, Japan, and Birmingham, Alabama, by Carnival Season’s Brad Quinn (bass, keyboards, vocals) and Tim Boykin (guitars) with guest drummer Eric Wiegmann. So this is the official last single of Carnival Season, it makes as perfect epilogue to the above mentioned anthology.

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