Yes, it’s the theme song from National Lampoon’s Vacation. Another in a long line of memorable hits from the eighties with the Fleetwood Mac guitarist and solo legend.
Oranjuly "s/t"
As a music junkie, you gotta love stumbling across a great unsigned band that deserves attention, and here is one for sure. Oranjuly is the creative brainchild of singer/songwriter Brian E. King who worked over three years on these tracks. Orangjuly is also the combination of Brian’s birth-month and his favorite color. He added a few friends like Jordan Weaver (guitar), Greg Souza (keys), Chris Erickson (bass) and Lou Paniccia (drums) to round things out.
The album recalls plenty of classic pop influences without leaning too heavily on them and making hook filled magic. Starting with “Her Camera” its perfect blend of Wilson-esque harmonies, melodies and Weezer-like guitar riffs. The bouncy piano lead of “Mrs. G” is a Ben Folds styled compact symphony with a dense chorus and wicked guitar outro. The romantic “I Could Break Your Heart” compares well with Lamar Holley, full of hand claps and clever shifts in key. Like a box of chocolates, each track is a new sweet flavor, from the indie-guitar pop of “The Coldest Summer” to the delicate harpsichord and horn arrangement on “Hiroshige’s Japan.” The retro chords of “207 Days” is another joy that combines a Rundgren-like mid-tempo sound with a chorus of “ooh la las” that is just amazing. What else here can I rave about? Every track just shines with no filler to be found makes it a slam dunk to be the best power pop debut of the year. Currently the band is on tour with The Luxury and Spirit Kid — see them now before the crowds get too big.
Chad Hollister and Nadia Kazmi
Chad Hollister “s/t”
Fans of John Mayer, Jack Jonson and Dave Matthews will find Chad Hollister’s casual acoustic style just perfect. Chad has opened or performed for Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Blues Traveler, among others. Chad is a Burlington, Vermont native with an infectious rhythmic sound that’s easy to enjoy on a hot summer day. “Grow” is a perfect example of catchy beat and strong roots riffs that recall both Jason Mraz and The Black Crowes. The light coffee house beat of “Change” is another winner here. “The Answer” is another gem that sounds effortless, and there is a killer acoustic version of The Cars “My Best Friend’s Girlfriend.” Every song has a positive message and an energetic groove with bits of rock, funk and reggae thrown in the mix. Not much else to say but… check it out and you won’t be sorry.
Nadia Kazmi “Arrival”
Once in a while I am sent something that catches my ear on a good day. Nadia Kazmi is a Canadian singer with a good voice and a love of the poetic singer songwriters John Lennon, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. The lovely piano ballad “Julian” is a nice mix of Beatlesque soul and sweetness. Unfortunately I found the remaining tracks missing that high mark. The vocal approach is similar to Joss Stone with blues influenced ballads taking up most of the album. This works with her best written material on “Volcanos,” “The Blues Always Bleed Red” and “Mother,” but the songwriting on the remaining tracks fail to generate much excitement. Some tracks are just overwrought and cliched (“Arrival,” “Martians”). Nadia is definitely a talented singer, but she should work more on her songwriting before she takes the next step in her career.
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Jackdaw4 "The Eternal Struggle For Justice"
Jackdaw4 is considered one of the best modern power pop bands out there, with 2 stellar releases (Gramophone Logic, and Bipolar Diversions) I was prepared for another fantastic production. “Eternal Struggle for Justice” starts out with a lurching organ and dark tone more suited to Bryan Scary, than Jellyfish – although an angelic choral break at the songs middle is more like it. Then the blare of a Motown styled horn section greets us on “Everyone Becomes The Road They Take” and it’s clear the album has a more varied theatrical theme. It isn’t as immediate as it’s predecessors, but there are plenty of great songs here. One gem for sure is the brilliant power ballad “We Sold It All,” starting with a gentle McCartney-like melody that evolves into a rich rock guitar tapestry full of Queen-like touches, you almost expect it to be a finale… but these guys are just getting started. Fans of XTC will love the macabre melodies like “Waiting To Die” and “Wonderful” taking the listener on a compelling journey full of rich imagery. These songs intercut dramatic piano and heavy guitar with contrasting sweet melodic breaks in the chorus, especially in “Wonderful” where it feels like an entire album’s worth of themes are condensed into four minutes. The big melodic jewel in this album’s crown is “Pornography” with a boogie beat piano melody that recalls ELO and cascading harmonies that flourish each verse, all about “Pornography, sweetest of views for a boy like me.” Another gem is the strong anthem “The Great Unknown” full of horns and guitars. The ending song “Baby, I’m a Killer” has a gorgeous chorus in this Brian Wilson influenced gem. So yes, the band comes through in spectacular fashion, in fact it would be easy to picture this album as a hit musical soundtrack.
The Mike Benign Compulsion "Rollicking Musical"
Milwaukee’s own Mike Benign has a compulsion to play rock and roll that’s not easily dismissed and with the help of guitarist Joe Vent, bassists Brian Wooldridge and Paul Biemann, keyboardists Tyler Traband and Dan Type, and drummer Mike Koch they’ve got a nice debut. “Rollicking Musical” has great songwrititng and production, and the opener “Legendary Superheroes,” gives us a catchy riff in the chorus too. The sound is a pretty good mix of influences from Elvis Costello, The Byrds, Guided By Voices, Crowded House and Squeeze with Benign’s working class vocals leading the way. The lyrics are thick with cynicism in “All The Married People” but the true gem here is “The Soothing Sounds of Seals and Crofts,” with it’s fuzz guitar and awesome hook, describing an insomniac’s rant that “…Sleep is a sign of weakness.” It’s on this album Benign has found his true voice, but it may take a few spins to get used to his Dylan-like cadence. Much of the albums second half don’t quite reach the highs of the earlier tracks, but “Hotel Bar” is a beautiful guitar ballad that is very moving. So repeat after me… I will get this album. The power of Mike Benign compels you!
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