Mike Viola “Acousto De Perfecto”

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If you were a big fan of last year’s Electro De Perfecto,  then Mike Viola’s newest is the perfect “bonus disc” companion to it. It’s got half new songs and half stripped down interpretations. The opener “Secret Radio” is a love letter to fans,”for people like you. Who keep it turned on. for people like you. I’ve been singing to all along.” The album is sparsely constructed with the help of LA-based violists Eric Summer and Kate Reddish. The string arrangements are clean and simple, lending warmth to Viola’s unmistakable croon.

“Happy & Normal” benefits from the plucked strings and its melody is a mantra of frustration that sticks to your brain. “Primary Care” is an even more personal song that  is part confessional, part therapy. One of the best tracks here is “I’m Your Dog” a perfect 2 minute ode to unconditional love that rivals anything Stevie Wonder ever wrote. The previously released material from Electro De Perfecto also works well, especially “El Mundo De Perfecto” with the lines “It’s been a bad day for the whipping boy…” sounding even more poignant than the original. The album creates a soft intimate atmosphere that’s a real treat for Viola’s fans.

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The What Gives and The DB’s

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The What Gives “The What Gives”
A “lost” album from the late 90’s is finally released. The band is Jon Harrison on guitar and keyboards, Bret Dillingham on Drums and Stephen Naron on Bass.  Echos of vintage Lemonheads and Adam Marsland are the template here on “The Boy With The Tambourine Heart.” You’ll also hear some Db’s influence on the next few tracks, “Summer Everywhere” is a pretty solid single, and the catchy “When You Drop Dead” is a bit like a They Might Be Giants single, with a juicy jangle solo between choruses. More standouts include “Erin Grey” and “Burn Me Down.” It fizzles out on the last few tracks, but it’s worth adding to your collection for sure.

CD Baby

 

The DB’s “Falling Off The Sky”
As you might have already heard, Holsapple and Stamey got together and put together a proper DB’s album after almost 30 years. And you can hear they didn’t miss a beat on the opener  “That Time Is Gone” and the hook filled “Before We Were Born.” Like Shoes, these guys are 80’s power pop royalty and deserve kudos for giving us a heck of an impressive comeback. But these guys aren’t twenty year olds anymore, as the opening lyrics state “You better wake up, wake up, wake up, That time is gone.”

A wistful maturity has always been part of Stamey and Holsapple’s recent work, and its evidenced in the duo’s ballad “Far Away and Long Ago.” After those initial rocking tunes, the skillful melodies and slower tempos take over, as “Send Me Something Real” has a great chiming guitar lead. Comparisons to REM are apt on the jangle filled rhythms of “World To Cry” and “Collide-oOo-Scope” with it’s sweet chorus. Several songs here are simply average (“She Won’t Drive In The Rain Anymore”) but it doesn’t take away from the great stuff. Enjoy these comeback albums, they don’t happen that often.

 

Scott Grant “Gemini”

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Scott Grant follows the great tradition of those 70’s rockers, and gives us a pretty impressive debut album. Opening with the acoustic strum and shuffling melody of “Dream Away” it’s got a good hook in the chorus and a desending bridge that leads to a brilliant coda with “do do do” harmonies at the fade out. Then a baroque harpsichord opens up “Just Like We Do,” a piano melody similar to the style of Emmit Rhodes emerges, with its gorgeous Beatlesque overtones.

The organ and rhythmic funk of “What You See Is What You Get” recalls Lenny Kravitz “It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over,” Grant does a decent job though his vocal strains a bit here. After these gems the albums settles down a bit. It’s fun to play “spot the influence,” but the ballads don’t really stick with you. Grant’s voice is better suited to the soulful “Sonic For You,” a good mix of Peter Chris and Steve Forbert. Towards the albums last few tracks, starting with “Nevermind” it brings to mind a Hendrix ballad and  “Sunshine Serenade” is a blast with John Bonham drum beats and the great fuzz guitars a la Kravitz “Let Love Rule”. Our dramatic finish to the album, “Halcyon Days” and “Hold On” starts quite but slowly becomes a layered orchestration along the lines of  Derek & The Dominos “Layla.”  It’s all admittedly derivative, but fans of classic 70’s rock will still love this.

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V Sparks and Pluto The Ninth

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V Sparks “Biscuits and Tea EP” and “Medium Rare”
Fans of Marc Bolan and Bowie will flip for this prime example of classic glam rock. This Chicago band is lead by Prescott Kagan (Vocals, Guitar) and joined by Keith Hosmer (Bass) and Adam Long (Drums).

Starting with strings and the backing “ooh la la” chorus, “On My Arm” starts off and the guitar assault begins. The EP is really good and a FREE download. This appetizer warmed me up to get the newer LP Medium Rare for only $3. If you ever wanted to hear more Ziggy Stardust with a side of The Dandy Warhols, this will do it for you. The vox led “Dreaming of Outerspace” is a really cool instrumental, mixing Queen and ELO. Some of these are just quick musical ideas, but it’s still all good.

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Pluto The Ninth “1,2,3 Chicken!” EP
Pluto The Ninth are the quirky duo of singer/songwriters Jonathan Wandag and Amalia Miller. Comparisons to Pomplamoose are inevitable here, as both bands have had some commercial success with sophisticated and catchy themes.

But Pluto the 9th are just starting to emerge on the radar, their self produced EP is a great little sampler – “Nightmare Girl” and “Dead Birds and Bees” will win over fans of Bryan Scary, Queen and Jackdaw4. “Oh How It Would Be” seems tailor-made for a ipod commercial featuring Ms. Miller’s sweet vocal over toy piano. The sunny “Born Again Friends” recall The Corner Laughers and the instrumental “Molly Mechanique” wouldn’t be out of place on the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese’s Hugo.

Shoes “Ignition”

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80’s Power Pop icons Shoes are back. The self-produced and released LP on the band’s own Black Vinyl Records, Ignition proves Shoes still embrace and fly the banner of melodic guitar-driven pop.

“Head Vs. Heart” starts us off  with the sweeping chords and harmonies — it’s pitch perfect Shoes power pop. The mid-tempo jangle comes next on “The Joke’s On You” with its clean layers of guitars in the verses up to the chorus. The Shoes sound is very distinctive and the musicianship here is perfection.

The band manages to scale back the synths and mix up the formula as “Heaven Help” talks about the stifling uncertainty of love and it’s chorus reminds me of the Travelling Wilburys. The band also has some fun with “Hot Mess,” imitating the Stones with strutting Keith Richards-styled rhythms. Jeff Murphy’s political views come forth in “Where Will It End”  and most impressive is the minor key masterpiece “Out of Round” written about a departed friend.  Each of the 15 tracks manage to fly by and encourage repeat listens. The final track “Only We Remain” is a bit dragged out, but states the band’s purpose succinctly “Do what we wanna do. Livin’ for today.” Like the cover implies, Ignition is sure to lift your spirits.