Codeine Velvet Club “s/t”
A side project of Jon Lawler (Fratellis) and Scottish singer Lou Hickey came out late last year. This is an inspired attempt at 60’s noir orchestral pop along the lines of John Barry or the late Stan Kenton jamming with The Parlotones. The first few tracks are outstanding, starting with the dramatic “Hollywood,” and the smokey “Vanity Kills” sets a perfect big band meets goth mood. “Time” has a casual pop swing with a masterful performance by trumpeter Derek Watkins. The horns really make the band standout on the nightclub swing number “Little Sister” and the guitar reverb on “Like A Full Moon” is just dripping in coolness. The boy-girl vocal dynamic works well, although the sap is thick on the slower ballads, and when the hook isn’t there it feels like a rejected Broadway show soundtrack. But when the rocker persona of Lawler dominates (“I Would Send You Roses”) it shines once again. After listening to lots of power pop this is a nice change of pace and there is enough here to perk up your ears.

MySpace | Amazon

Sajama Cut “Manimal”
Sajama Cut is a Jakarta, Indonesia-based band that uses big rhythms and multi-part harmonies to deliver power pop goodness. Listen to the big single “Paintings/Paintings”with slick vocals by lead singer Marcell Thee.  “Twice (Rung The Ladder)” is a moody mid-tempo tune with complex vocal harmonies and is typical of what you’ll find here. “Utitled #4” is an 80’s styled synth pop gem that speaks to the bands melodic ability, but its success isn’t repeated. Sometimes the lyrics get a bit muddled, maybe it’s the just the English translations. The band’s music seems to be only available through direct mail order, but you can download the impressive single “Paintings/Paintings” from the band’s Facebook page. Hopefully we’ll hear more tunes like this in the future.

MySpace | Direct Order | Facebook