The Doughboys story is a fascinating one. A band that broke up 30 years ago, with members all going in different directions come back together. Now it’s been made into a feature length documentary with the emphasis on the reunion performance at Arlene’s Grocery in NYC. I had no clue when it first surfaced that it was Richard X Heyman‘s first band and now you can get the film from the distibutors directly. Check out the and view a portion of the movie here.
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This came out earlier this year, and despite almost no PR effort at all it has managed to become a favorite amongst music bloggers. It’s also been really tough to get ahold of. Shazam frontman Hans Rotenberry, and Shazam’s former producers Brad Jones unite to forge a Americana album with a sweet power pop spin. The compelling jangle of “Count On Me” and “A Likely Lad” have Jones (Guilt Flake) fingerprints all over them.
Rotenberry’s “Froggy Mountain Shakedown” and “Back To Bristol” have a Kinks “Muswell Hillbillies” flavoring. The melodies shine brightly and both artists work to make the album as repeat-friendly as possible. These two titans of Nashville power pop have also kept things understated enough on tracks like “Puttin’ On Airs Tonight” and “Buffalo Daughter” to keep things poppy, but still clinging to those country roots. Also one track alone doesn’t carry the album, nor does one songwriter dominate – each track just sounds great. Simply put, the best musical collaboration this year and yes – it makes my best of 2011 year end list.
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Based in Perth, Australia Timothy Nelson has a reputation as the “must-see” band in that corner of the globe and he’s also great example of a band that blends alt. country and power pop. The jangly, guitar is reminiscent of Big Star and Wilco, with lush, melodic arrangements and plenty of steel pedal twang on the slower tunes.
The slow build of “You Don’t Know What You’re Waiting For” is typical cowpoke pop, but the gorgeous harmonies on “Run For Cover” are more what we love. The songwriting compares to Gary Louris (Jayhawks) and its the focal point of the album. Another single that just gives me goosebumps is “Nothing’s In Tune,” with its sweet chord progressions and key shifts – it’s the only pure pop play here. Boasting a large, lush and world-class sound, the 12-track album contains not only the band in full swing but a variety of added delights such as strings, horns, auto-harp, mandolin and harpsichord, resulting in a very big, bold statement of ideas for a first record, exactly as it was intended and even better it was mastered at Abbey Road studios in London. The other songs are all decent, but these singles will keep you hooked for multiple listens. Seek it out!
This is a bit of good natured fun by animator Harry Partridge for BBC. I especially like the Ringo-like voice over and Oasis “Spat Mode”. You can even download the spoof Oasis song in the video here called “Fags n Booze.” All the bands mentioned have been accused in the music press at one point of being “a copy” of the Fab Four. It’s a common lazy critique by uneducated music snobs — when we all know these bands have more depth than that and the Beatlesque tag should be worn proudly, not viewed derisively. Otherwise… where are the Monkees in this spoof?