Lawrence Arabia, better known as New Zealander James Milne wraps his bright baroque melodies together with a thick retro-60’s bow. “Apple Pie Bed” is the sugary pop sing along single that starts us off, and it’s got a jangling hook, and steady tambourine beat . The Lennonesque treat “Look Like A Fool” continues on this precious path of both desolate longing and sweet melody. “The Undesireables” features lush multi-layered vocal harmonies, and it’s perfectly hypnotic.  You get some forgettable hometown shout out on “Auckland CBD Part Two,” but most of the album does it right and has lots of repeatable tracks, fans of Jim Noir and The Ruby Suns will love this. “The Crew Of The Commodore” is a psychedelic pop dreamscape worthy of Outrageous Cherry. The Kinks’ styled mid-tempo “I’ve Smoked Too Much” is another highlight here, that shows Milne takes his influences and songwriting seriously. It ends off with the effective Beach Boys “In My Room” styled clone “Dream Teacher.” A satisfying album that shows plenty of growth potential for Lawrence Arabia. Get the MP3 of “Apple Pie Bed” FREE from Amazon

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“Apple Pie Bed” was directed by Luke Savage.

Sons of Great Dane “Why Ramble?”
This is a Kansas City trio lead by singer/songwriter Brent Windler. Brent has an excellent melodic instinct and writes roots rock similar to Rhett Miller or Jay Bennett. The bass slapping, muscular guitar riffs are effortlessly catchy. It also helps to have Wilco producer Lou Whitney’s assistance here. The combo of alt. country and power pop is seamless here and brilliant on the pop openers “Early Train” and “Bullet Left It’s Barrels Head.” The galloping rhythm of “Always Right, Always Wrong” reminds me of the Nashville band Joe, Marc’s Brother.  The somber “Ballad Of Lou Baker” is an Elliot Smith inspired composition that starts out simple and builds to a strong chorus. My favorite song on the album is the Wilco-like “Drug Queen Beauty” with a terrific rolling beat and riff combo. “Question” turns into a dense alt country version of The Beatles’ “A Day In The Life,” including overlapping instrumental chaos.  Every single track shines here (no filler for this bunch) and the blended styles work beautifully together. But most of all, Windler knows how to write great songs by the seat of his pants. I can’t wait to hear more from The Sons of Great Dane.

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The Antennas “s/t”
From flood-ravaged Nashville comes The Antennas. This traditional power pop band is comprised of brothers Layne and Landon Ihde and drummer Mark Niemiec. In the tradition of The Knack, The Who and Matthew Sweet the band knows how to rock pretty well on the opener “A Call To Arms.” The band has a full guitar dominated sound and plenty of energy throughout. “We Are The Rabbits” has a catchy rhythm leading to the punkish chorus. The falsetto lead on  “Stop Running Their Mouths” and synth touches on “I Found Out” brings to mind many of the great 80’s power pop bands (The Beat, 20/20, Shoes, etc.). The band rarely misses the mark (“All Aboard”) but for the most part is consistently good and plays it safe songwriting-wise. The superb guitar playing prevents any lesser efforts from spoiling the momentum and the catchy riffs on almost every song pull the listener in. The keyboard/guitar combo of “You Really Bring Me Down” is a treat for fans of The Cars and the album highlight for me has to be the closer “Walk Out Your Door” full of sparkling harmonies and tight composition. A very impressive debut that shouldn’t be overlooked. They are even working on a follow up EP as you read this. The band also has a FREE iphone app where you can hear the whole album – how cool is that?!

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The Successful Failures “Three Nights”
Mick Chorba (Dipsomaniacs) returns with a much more focused third album. The chugging guitars and manic drums of “Armadillo Boy” are supported by solid melody and catchy chorus. The sound is heavily Replacements influenced, especially on bouncy “Sinkhole.” The band has a good sense of humor on “Waiting For A Ride” and “Houston, We Have A Drinking Problem” and both songs will remind you of the nerdy, but funny slice-of-life rock that Weezer used to make. The band’s compositions are also much stronger here, with no filler to be found. Even “Fletcher” has an epic feel that recalls those classic Who tunes without sounding retro at all. The alt country/lo fi sound comes out on “College Scholarship Blues” and you can picture the scene, as our young protagonist croons “I don’t belong here anymore.” When it comes to power, “Leave Me In A Coma” has blasting guitars that dominate the latter part of the album. These guys just keep improving with each release.

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Victor Stranges “Hello Me To You”
Yes, Australian musician Victor Stranges looks pretty menacing on the cover here, but his inventive compositions are full of soft rock warmth that recalls Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello’s gentler moments. The solid “Morning Star” is full of complex chord structures and an infectious combo of hand claps and “do-do-do” chorus. “Hello Me To You” echoes 70s rock style and tells the tale of a record store romance.  The bouncy “When The Morning Comes” is led by a solid keyboard bridge and the most Costello-like, it’s my favorite on this album. Some songs tend to wander on (“Restoration Blues,” “Nineteen Years Ago”) and get a bit too maudlin for my tastes. “Tonight” is a real gem here, full of strong guitar work and energy that seems it’s buried amongst the other lesser songs. Still a very strong debut, I expect to hear more from Victor in the near future.

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