Scott Brookman and Todd Herfindal

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Scott Brookman “Smellicopter”
Brookman has expanded his sound from the charming debut and funded his efforts with Kickstarter. A more sophisticated arranger and songwriter emerges, as we start with “Tim E. Redmond” with equal doses of Brian Wilson and Paul Simon influencing the structure.

Fans of the bedroom DIY pop symphonies will appreciate “Summer’s Two Weeks Notice” with its layered Beach Boys harmonies, and then “To Find Your Happiness” has a healthy dose of Burt Bacharach worship. Some of these tunes are very lite sketches, like “Inspected by Curly,” but others cross into greatness like “Iceberglar” and the McCartneyesque “I Could Use Some New Friends.” Brookman’s production has also improved, so even a fun character study “Weirdos” makes for enjoyable summer listening. Highly Recommended.

Only on Bandcamp
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Todd Herfindal “Right Here Now”
On his 2nd album Todd Herfindal plays solid roots oriented power pop, and like his bandmate, Rich McCulley (who co-wrote many songs here) makes it sound great.  Starting with “Keeping Me Up Nights” it’s a sweet jangling melody along the lines of Tom Petty. “She Can Run” and “More Than I” lean more alt. country, but are also up-beat and memorable. Some singles in this collection have been previously released, but they fit like a glove with the newer material.

The environmental anthem “Shine Shine” is another big standout, along with “Closer To Home.” After the mid-point, a bit more slide guitar becomes prominent on “Everything Is Ours” and “You Might Just Make It.” Many talented sidemen (McCulley, Adam Marsland, Will Kimbrough, Ryan Bradley, etc.) keep the sound rich and pitch perfect. Overall, no filler here as fans of Americana styled roots rock will absolutely love this.

Amazon | Itunes
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Adam Marsland “The Owl and The Full Moon”

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It’s been a long road for Adam Marsland from the days of punk pop favorite Cockeyed Ghost to his development as a solid session performer and music producer. After a the blue-eyed soul of “Contamination,” he makes the most of his experiences with The Beach Boys, with gentle harmonies throughout the album. The title track mixes that soulful approach with a classic rock melody. One of the best songs here ironically is “No One’s Ever Gonna Hear This Song.” It’s a ballad of anguish and frustration, and it builds layer after layer, and the harmonies are classic.

On his past with Cockeyed Ghost, he reelects “Do you remember the power pop days?” with the song “Power Pop Days.” It’s a cheery and bouncy melody of being “…choked By A skinny tie.” In fact this is the first mature Marsland album without any punk invective, and it suits him well. The baroque “I Wanna Be In Love” is composed like a Left Banke song, and “Happy Face” is another bouncy gem. The self reflection on “To Be Human” and “Song 11” is taken to grand heights with full orchestration similar to Brian Wilson. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Joel Sarakula, Donovan’s Brain and Wood Shampoo

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Joel Sarakula “The Golden Age”
Born in Sydney, Australia, and now based in London, Joel’s debut album was a great start, and in this new LP Sarakula expands his influences, starting with “I Deliver” its composition is straight from 80’s era David Bowie. But it goes back to classic 70’s and 60’s styled arrangements for the remaining songs. “Old Yellow Photographs” is a more traditional pop piano with a nostalgic melody and a touch of bitterness. “Lows” and “Bohemian” are also good songs with catchy hooks, but some songs just stand out more, like the compelling “Present Tense” which reminds me of Jason Falkner.  There is no filler here — so give this a listen. Highly Recommended.

Buy at Itunes
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Donovan’s Brain “Turned Up Later”
A collective of musicians, Donovan’s Brain is made up of Deniz Tek (Radio Birdman) and Bobby Sutliff (The Windbreakers), Tony Miller (Ideal Free Distribution), bassist Bob Brown (Deniz Tek Group), drummer Ric Parnell (Spinal Tap, Atomic Rooster), and Scott Sutherland (Model Rockets). The band creates modern mid-tempo psychedelic jams with folk-rock tendencies. “Take Me With You When You Go” is pretty typical, a steady rolling bass line and plenty of room for a guitar solo after the main chorus. Some orchestral elements help along “My Own Skin” and “Small Circles” resemble The Doors. Some nice pop tracks are also buried here, “Restless Night, Many Dreams” and “Fulcrum” are standouts.

Amazon | CD Baby (older LPs)
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Wood Shampoo “Crack, Crack Heart Attack”
This is a band that wants to have some fun, with a combination of punk, bar room metal and pop. Made up of Murph Daniels and veteran sidemen, Wood Shampoo members have worked with Joan Jett, Stray Cats, Alice Cooper, Elvis Costello, and many more. The songwriting isn’t consistent, but with 17 tracks you are bound to have some gems. The funny “Wanna Be A Dead Rock Star” is a signature tune where these guys can poke fun at those headliners they’ve played with for years. The wicked “Around” has a great heavy riff, it will have you digging out your old Ratt or Twisted Sister LPs. Murph does a good job vocally, but I can’t help picturing other singers (like David Lee Roth) with great material like “She’s So Fine.” Overall, a fine diversion.

CD Baby | Amazon