Sunbears! and The Farewells

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Sunbears! “You Will Live Forever”
Jonathan Berlin and Jared Bowser are the orchestrated indie rock band from Florida known as The Sunbears. Opening with “You Will Live Forever,” it’s a solemn piano intro akin to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata with harmonies. It charges right into the heavy handclap and beat of “Give Love A Try” with it’s echoing hippy chorus. The classic influences are spread around, like if Radiohead, Muse and Phil Spector are all sharing a toke. Both “I’m Crazy” and “Together Forever” share that wall of sound, with the latter tune evoking Lennon’s “Give Peace A Chance.” The psychedelic vibes get heavier on “Strung Out! On My Own!” with a solid hook in the chorus, surrounded by a symphonic cacophony. Another grand chorus is found in “They Think They’re Soooo Philosphical” the album’s true centerpiece. Fans of The Flaming Lips, Polyphonic Spree and MGMT will definitely want to add this to their playlist.

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The Farewells “Litterbug”
Peter and Samantha Linnane are the husband/wife duo called the Farewells. This is subtle and unassuming indie folk pop done with superior musicianship and polish. The slow jangle of “Beehive” is an lovely atmospheric portrait of the autumn season with some dreamy harmonies.  “Lovesick” has the easy going mood of Bread or The Autumn Defense, and a catchy guitar rhythm and chorus that sticks in your head. Another highlight is the sweet pop of “Nightlight” with it’s Byrdisan strums, and the title cut has a slow blues tempo with distorted twang over handclaps to the lyrics “Don’t use me up/ Don’t throw me out/Oooo my Litterbug”. However the easy going atmosphere can make listing to the  jazz-touched “Burgundy Red” or gentle instrumental “Biking Song” an effortless, and forgettable experience. But when it melodically hits the sweet spot I can’t think of a better set of folk compositions.

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The Kavanaghs “Love Conquers Pain”

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Argentinean rockers The Kavanaghs return for their sophomore album, and they have a more modern sound here. Singer and composer Tiago Galíndez tells us “In our first album we wanted to sound and to look retro. We wanted to be like our heroes, like the bands that influenced us. There’s a change in this new album”. Opening with the charging “Tonight” it favors 80’s styled angular riffs with a repeating synth keyboard melody. The next song “Come On (Before The Wind)” displays the band’s harmonies, drummer Seba Cairo does the vocal lead here and his accent is pretty thick. And those retro influences are less overt, but still there (thank goodness).

The mid tempo number “It’s Real” has a 70’s rock vibe with thick layered guitars,  and the songwriting is excellent. Another winner is the wonderful “Emma Peel” – a gorgeous bridge here that describes the singer’s obsession with swinging London’s favorite TV heroine. The band continues with the powerful “That’s All You Need To Know,” it has solid guitar melodies that recall both Badfinger and The Rollers. The ballads are also well written, with the group harmonies lifting “Those Days” and the McCartney-like croon of “About Tomorrow.” A few tunes here lack some hooks, and some ideas seem under-baked but when the band hits the mark, like on “Away From All We Know” it’s just magical. As a bonus; get 4 tracks for free at the Eternal Sunday promo page!

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Kelly’s Heels “Playing Into Your Hands”

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If you’re looking for great British power pop, then look no further than Kelly’s Heels. Bob Kelly’s guitar licks and solid vocals have been a reliable favorite of mine over the years, joined by the ferocious drumming of Jim Kimberley and the groovy bass lines of Isobel Kimberley. The band has been putting out quality music for over a decade now, so this album was most welcome. The sound of the band fits squarely in between Squeeze and Elvis Costello with a bit of  The Replacements thrown in. The mid tempo “After Tonight” is a brief intro that echos the classic Kinks romantic period as Bob intones “after tonight, I doubt we’ll ever see each other again.” Then the manic paced rock begins, “Anything But This” has a middle eight that will thrill fans of Glenn Tilbrook.

With the punk elements of the band put more in the background, pop songs like the pastoral “First To Say” hold your attention between the more frenetic tunes. Every song here is great, like “Next Time You Walk Out” with a bouncy harmonic and undeniable hook in the chorus. The Beatlesque “SundayMondayTuesday” is another winner and you may find yourself either energized or exhausted by the richness of earworms here. Fans of Mike Viola will appreciate the lyrical sweet poison of “Common As Conquest” as the compositions here are also the strongest to date, it really earns a top ten for 2011 nomination!

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Deer Park Avenue and Bubble Gum Orchestra

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Deer Park Avenue “Stop and Go”
A pair of Californian sisters (Sarah and Stephanie Snyder) named the band for a street they lived on during childhood in Long Island, NY. The duo performs a combination of melodic rock and pop  (fans of Jana Perri take note) – the harder rock stuff  starts off first with “Hey Maria” full of driving guitar chords and a strong chorus. More subtle is the mid tempo “Darkness Hides Me” as it slowly builds, getting louder as the mood and lyric become more defiant.

“Millionaire” is another slow builder but with a strong drum section, a bit like an 80’s arena power ballad with shouts of “Hey! Hey!” in the chorus background and “Over Again” recalls the heavy pop guitars of Tonic or The Goo Goo Dolls with sweet female vocals.”Waiting For You” is another good rocker with a nice charging set of  power pop riffs. A good debut, sometimes I felt the girls sweet vocal style may be better suited to country that rock, but that contrast is also what kept me listening.

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Bubble Gum Orchestra “Out Of This World” 
Some say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, if that’s the case then Michael Laine Hildebrandt (aka Bubble Gum Orchestra) worships the ground Jeff Lynne walks upon. Everything from the cover art to the lyrics are related to all things Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). I will admit that such slavish devotion will turn off some listeners, but if you forgive this the first single “Night In Shangri-la” is quite good, with a catchy chorus that name drops several ELO songs. Next, “Lights Over London” has a bouncy rhythm and it’s a good follow up.

Unfortunately the next few songs tend to drag along, with long effects laden intros and synth breaks that slow the album’s momentum. In technical terms alone, it’s quite an achievement — but the album is so in thrall to ELO it precludes any chance of  Hildebrandt imposing his own identity on the material. If you are an ELO fanatic however, then this may find a place in your music collection.

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