Sunchymes and Howl Griff

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The Sunchymes “Let Your Free Flag Fly”
After a good debut LP, Aaron Hemmington has fulfilled his promise of making The Sunchymes album that marries the Wondermints/Curt Boettcher like arrangements to hook filled melodies. The intricate techniques of 60’s sunshine pop are on full display with “Revelations In Her Mind” and the solid hook in “Aquarius Summer” make it sweet ear candy. Most of the album fits stylistically within the genre of British psyche pop and 60’s California sound.

The west coast sounds on “Enchanted Girl” are kissed with harmonies along the lines of Cowsills or the Zombies. Then “Astronomical Clock” mixes Brian Wilson Pet Sounds with a swirling psychedelic mellotron.  This playful ambience is also a big part of “Uncle Alfred’s Slide Show.” Fans of Magical Mystery Tour era Beatles will love “Your Disguise” and Beach Boys fans will enjoy “On A Summer Ride.” Most every track here impresses, and my next suggestion would be to expand his harmonious range, but this is pretty incredible and one of the year’s best retro flavored albums.

CD Baby | Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

 

Howl Griff  “Fragile Diamond”
It’s tough to neatly fit Howl Griff in one genre. The music is a combination of new wave guitar, psychedelic mellotron and classic rock rhythms – with multi-part harmony in English or Welsh. Similar to Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci they have a sound that catches up to you after a few listens. The casual strums and vocals of “Fragile Diamond” is a wonderful sing along and the wicked bassline of “Sharkfins in The Sky” make it another winner.

On occasion a song will overstay its welcome (“You Don’t Have To Leave On Your Own”) but you also have flashes of absolute brilliance, like the epic pop story of “Puppet Operation Time” and the spacey “‘FÜßßBÜKKËR.” You’ll hear the echos of The Kinks on “Runaround” and “She Walks On By The Flame,” and this band is more than the sum of its influences. It’s got what few bands have, a genuine competence in a variety of styles. Bravo.

Band Website | Amazon

Music Film Reviews: Beatles Stories, Live Vibes

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Beatles Stories
Power pop icon Seth Swirsky (The Red Button) got access to a ton of celebrities and musicians about their Beatle memories. As a documentary its very fast paced and full of rare photos and interviews you will not find anywhere else.

From Sir Ben Kingsley to Sir George Martin, Brian Wilson to Brian Skiff, all these people recollecting stories about meeting a Beatle, having lunch with a Beatle, and playing Monopoly with a Beatle (Jackie DeShannon) plus a touching meeting with long time Beatles sound man Norman “Hurricane” Smith (likely his last on camera interview before passing away in 2008). Seths like the investigative reporter here, always giving the spotlight to his subject, and the commentary is really insightful and honest. If you are even a casual Beatle fan this is a “must-buy.”

The Grip Weeds Live Libes
A great companion to the last album Speed of Life, it starts out as a peek behind the scenes with The Grip Weeds. At The House Of Vibes studio in Highland Park, New Jersey, there are interviews with members of the band (Rick Reil, Kurt Reil, Michael Kelly and Kristin Pinell), about the recording process and band history.

But most of the DVD is about the concert performances, live and in the studio. These sound great and are simply shot with a minimum of effects. If you’re not a big fan of the band I’d start with the albums first. However if you’d like the experience of The Grip Weeds playing live in your living room, this film gives you a good idea of the experience.

Buy it at Amazon

Spygenius and Onward Chariots

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Spygenius “The Comforting Suture”
Spygenius is one of those quirky bands that shifts style with each album, sometimes you never know what you’ll get. Opening with a surf guitar instrumental it blasts into “Furniture Boats.” Its a quick paced song with jangley guitars, obtuse lyrics and its kinda like Ian Anderson joined REM.

This really gets obvious on “Kevin” which sounds like it fell off REM’s Document No.5 album. The formulaic approach changes on “All My Skeletons” with its memorable chorus, and the double-tracked vocals of “California Sunshine” thrills with its pop hooks. It takes a dark turn from that point, till the beautiful whistling “The Void.” and the bouncingly jovial “K is Mentally Ill.” The band creatively use horns and xylophones throughout its compositions. Loads of fun for everyone.

CD Baby | Amazon

Onward Chariots “This is My Confession”
Originally these guys were called Chariots of Tuna, but now the band has solidified into a skillful prog-pop art band. The opening is akin to ELP and the title track is an effective thematic rock jam with a nice guitar solo at the end. The fun of “Mel Gibson” is next and asks the question every fan of the actor wants to know, “What Happened? Who guessed Mad Max was really mad?”  After this the album goes into light pop mode.

Some wonderful harmonies and sweet hushed melodies come up on “Sisters and Brothers” similar to 10cc. Lead vocalist Ben Morss has an angelic voice that makes it all work. More highlights include the gentle “Forever Never Ends”  and “You Don’t Have To Be Unhappy.” Sounds to me like a combination of Todd Rundgren and Art Garfunkel. It keeps the listener guessing… is there a rock opera buried in here somewhere? Not everything is fully baked, but amongst the 16 tracks you’ll find some gems that will make your playlist for sure. Update: The band has just been signed by an indie label for a release on January 29th. Pre-release tracks are available now.

Bandcamp only (pre-release special)

Stay and Dot Dash

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Stay “The Fourth Dimension”
Another band from Barcelona, Stay caught my ear, a groovy retro-rock similar to Liam Gallagher’s Beady Eye (so it’s no surprise that Stay opened for them on tour). “The Change Is Coming” has those familiar rhythms and a carefree melody. Continuing with “Yellow Rainbows” it’s got harmonies similar to The Small Faces or Supergrass, depending on your reference.

The blues ballad “Everything” and sun kissed anthem of “You Got Me Going” are very clean and well performed. To get the ambiance right, the album was recorded in Liverpool by the producer Fran Ashcroft (Damon Albarn). No missteps here, but nothing distinctive steps out here to blow me away either. Fits in very neatly with all my Rainbow Quartz artists and a welcome addition to my hippy rock mixes.

Dot Dash “Winter Garden Light”
The industrious D.C. band is hard at work after their debut, Dot Dash leaves behind some of its rough edges, and packs hooks into its 2nd album. Highlighted by “Countdown” its got a little Joy Division, The Vapors and early REM in its DNA. The jangle break on “Two Octobers” is a fine new wave progressive tune, “La-La Land” continues the flowing goodness with “oooh” backing vocals to a blistering guitar solo. The tempo increases on the latter album tracks, “Shouting in The Rain” is another standout to be savored. It’s nice to hear a band find its “voice” and Dot Dash does it here.

CD Baby | Amazon