The Hazey Janes “The Winter That Was”

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The Hazey Janes are an indie outfit from Dundee, Scotland and they have already established themselves as an act worthy of the following based on the 2006’s Hotel Radio. After a sci-fi inspired instrumental intro, we get to “Carmelite” – a superior 80’s styled guitar rocker that thrills along the lines of Van Halen and REO Speedwagon.

The synth and guitar combo of “Girl In The Night” opens up to a hummable melody and tight composition. Lead vocalist Andrew Mitchell has a strong presence and his vocals stand out on each track, but here he hits the pop sweet spot. The forceful “Wake Guide To Love” recalls both Utopia and Bon Jovi at once with as a stadium sized rocker with a nice hook. “Aspen” and “The Darkness Falls” adds alt country flavor and it’s appearance is out of left field, but this is still engaging. It shifts gears again on “Southern Lawns” and it’s ringing guitar textures will please fans of Blur or Manic Street Preachers. As you can read with all the above influences, the band goes all over the place, not sticking in one genre. As a testament to bands excellent musicianship, nothing here falls flat but the problem with this album is it may be too stylistically diverse to please any one audience. But don’t let that stop you from adding this one to your playlist.

Trolley and The Outfield

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Trolley “Things That Shine and Glow”
Fans of Rainbow Quartz bands and all neo-psychedelic rock rejoice! The Trolley connects the sound of nugget-era 60’s with the energy of today. The quartet has also been spotted at SXSW and IPO this year. From the opening bars of “I Woke Up” you’ll hear a chord reworking of The Seeds “Pushin’ Too Hard” and the sneering croon of Paul Wall. But the band is more than just a retro retread, as the next tune “My Obsession” shows, its got a solid hook filled melody and masterful composition. “The Calico Cat” continues this atmosphere, and the jangle filled “In The End” add bits of The Kinks, The Zombies and The Beau Brummels with each musical phrase.

The harmonies are notable on several tracks. Not everything here sticks, but the album has 14 tracks and most of them are highly recommended. Stand outs include “Out Of Love,” “Til I’m Gone” and “That Made Me Wanting You.” So light up the patchouli incense and tune into Trolley.

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The Outfield “Replay”
We’ve had a revival of sorts with several mid 80’s acts coming back to life this past summer (The Cars, Journey, Weird Al Yankovic) but I was really brought back to the era with the new album by The Outfield. It’s amazing that after all this time Tony Lewis’ voice can still hit those high notes (only Yes vocalist Jon Anderson is comparable) and it’s like we never left 1983. The band is true to it’s sound and some strong compositions are here with the anthemic “Aladdin’s Cave” and “California Sun” washes over you with it’s melodies, steady drumming, and solid harmonies.

In addition, these eighties icons grew up in the sixties and nostalgia is in full bloom with a tribute to Cream on the song “Disraeli Years.” On the other hand, if you never liked the Outfield or AOR arena rock to begin with, there is nothing here that will win you over. When it comes to reunions however I would say that this succeeds where The Cars revival feels artificial and forced. This fits rather nicely in the bands discography.

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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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