The Judes and John Moremen

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The Judes “All That Is The Judes”
Cory, Jim and Mike are three lads from Winnipeg, Canada who formed a pop band with a soft edge and subtle harmonies. Opening with the somber “Bide Your Time” it’s got just a touch of slide guitar and ghostly backing vocals. The upbeat “Better Off Alone” is a bit more traditional in the early Beach Boys mode. Especially “Summer Days” with it’s “ooh ooh” vocals, handclaps and Dick Dale styled riffs.

It gets better when the band leaves the template behind, “Someone Like You” is a great tune. The production is very sparse, and that lets the boys harmonies shine, like on “Love The World.” But that technique (great for ballads) doesn’t quite work on “Beautiful and True” – a catchy, well written gem that literally begs for the Phil Spector treatment. The lightness reminds me of The Yellow Balloon and First Class. The album has no filler and its full of sunny innocent sounding songs, so if you ever wanted a younger band to sing about girls on the beach The Judes will suit you just fine.

John Moremen “John Moremen’s Flotation Device”
Multi-instrumentalist and composer John Moremen has performed with Half Japanese, Roy Loney and the Phantom Movers, the Orange Peels and the Neighbors, but this is his solo LP debut. He has a sweet little EP that flew below the radar in 2002, but here Moremen does something most would not — an all instrumental album.

And rarely have I heard one this good, “Floatation Device” is a great opener, with a riff that would make Duane Eddy jealous. “Stay Inside” is a great tune, you can almost hear the lyrics (if they existed). The guitar techniques are rooted in traditional garage and rock, but the melody lines are extremely inventive. Highly recommended!

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A Band Called Mithras and The Grip Weeds

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A Band Called Mithras “2”
A band called Mithras is lead by Bob Wison (bass + vocals) and joined by Dave Epperson (guitar), Nuen Dotri (keys) and Reece On (drums). The debut had a pretty eclectic mix of pop and progressive rock styles, so here we go again…

Opening with the strong hooks on “Robot Clowns” and the slow swirling funk synth and bass acoustic of “American Demon” are a great pair of songs with differing styles. However the band gets a little too quirky for it’s own good, “Nobody’s Waiting” boasts contrasting guitar and synth arpeggios. Weird, funny Todd Rundgren-like raps on “Gigo” and “Aint No Hope For The Modern Man.” It’s a bit hard to digest in spots. Occasionally beautiful passages like “Cannonball” come up, and all is forgiven. Fans of Anton Barbeau and Adrian Belew will most likely embrace this album and love it. For others, you’ve been warned.

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The Grip Weeds “Speed of Live”
The live concert album is a rarity these days, with the proliferation of bootlegs, and box sets – does anyone really listen to concert recordings anymore? This is the rare case when you should. Culled together from live Gripweeds shows between 2007 and 2010, this New Jersey band leaves the studio gloss at home and plays power pop in the raw. And these performances prove the band is tight as a bass drum and the recording is pristine – almost identical to the album versions, but with crowd applause.

For most tracks, the mix is superior as demonstrated by “Speed Of Life” and The Byrds cover “(So You Wanna Be A) Rock and Roll Star.” In fact it’s really  tough to single out any track, as this is essentially a “greatest hits live” package. If you’ve never bought an album, this is an excellent primer to one of the best melodic rock bands on the East Coast.

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Kevin Martin and Alan Bernhoft

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Kevin Martin “Throwback Pop”
A real hidden gem everybody missed, thanks to Steve F. for bringing it to my attention. Veteran San Diego musician Kevin Martin weaves the catchy magic right away on “TV News” and its comparable to Josh Fix, Secret Powers and The Nines.

Just the right mix of Beatles and Elton John with hooks that sink in fast. “I Know Why” is a dead ringer for The Honeydogs pop style and on “I Need Your Love” its another perfectly crafted piano pop gem. The 70’s style is obvious, but still irresistible on tracks like “I Wanted To Tell You” and “Let Me Go.” The album veers toward the Elton-styled ballad with “Slow Down” and you’ll hear a little Gilbert O’Sullivan on “Looking For Love.” This is a textbook example on how to emulate the past without ripping it off. Super duper highly recommended, It belongs in my top ten without a doubt.

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Alan Bernhoft “Beatlesque Four”
The latest in Bernhoft’s series is more focused on latter Beatles era, with the opener “Love Everyone” which could’ve been a Yellow Submarine outtake for a pre-school class. Many of the songs sound like exercises in composition, with a very simple structure. Several standouts include, “Following Rainbows” with its obvious Lennon approach, and “My Rolls Royce” is Ringo doing a Beach Boys song! “Mr. McIntyre” is another chuging standout, and “They Came” has that Sgt. Pepper’s circus atmosphere. “Captain Anaujiram” ends things on a very silly note, emulating the least memorable Beatle’s song “You Know My Name (Look Up The Number).” Fans will embrace this for sure.

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Marty Graveyard and Kevin Bents

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Marty Graveyard “Marty Graveyard’s Summer Holiday”
Marty was the drummer of the now broken up Dutch-Power-Pop Band The Madd!, and this is his first solo album. Starting with the bouncy “Do You Really Wanna Dance?” it’s a relentlessly catchy opener, with a Rubinoos meets Beach Boys vibe. Marty’s vocal is really reminiscent of Roger Hodgson (Supertramp).

Then Julia Reinhold guest vocals on “Why,” a nostalgic pop tune in the style of Lesley Gore. The fast paced guitar riffs and high vocals will surely make “My Heart Is Set On You” a summer classic. The relentless sunshine may be too cute for some, but this is a guilty pleasure I’ll gladly give in to. Fans of The Monkees and The Three O’Clock will also love this, recommended tracks include: “Just Friends”, “Kick Me When I’m Down” and the jangle filled title track.

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Kevin Bents “The Honors”
Kevin impressed me with his melodic 2008 album The Means, here he takes a decidedly Steely Dan vibe with his keyboard on “Not The Kind.”  Kevin gives us a touch of soul on “I’ll Wait” and “On The Spot” is a catchy suite of themes with great unexpected tempo changes. The slow ballads “Somebody Got A Hold” and “Sail Down The River” remind me a bit of Peter Gabriel. And the free form rhythm and composition of “Downtown” and metallic “Constant Contact” are also highlights. This mature LP always lets the melody lead. An adventurous album that’s hard to ignore.

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