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The Sunchymes "Shifting Sands"
Leave it to an Englishman like Aaron Hemmington to craft an album full of Californian sunshine pop. Fans of Jellyfish/Wondermints will be drawn to the sunshine fuelled harmonies and intricate harpsichord arrangements. I wanted to give Hemmington props for just getting the sound and spirit of The Beach Boys and Curt Boettcher late sixties era right. The opening track “Greenacre Lanes” gets it rolling with a candy colored melody and catchy chorus. In fact he’s gotten positive feedback from both Jeff Foskett and Nelson Bragg of Brian Wilson’s band for his musical skills. “Free Rider” has a great jangling guitar sound that recalls Gary Zekley’s pop band The Yellow Balloon. And the psychedelic pop on the tunes “Feeling Just Fine” and “Your Smile” are wonderful harmonic diversions. The songs are at once light-and-airy in their atmosphere, and masterfully complex in their construction. There will be plenty of “spot the riff” moments, where it sounds like whole parts of Pet Sounds have been re-used (“Down At Pallisades”). Unfortunately much of the songwriting suffers from a lack of variety, as many songs start with similar piano progressions and rhythms. Unless you’re a huge Brian Wilson fanatic, it wears thin by the albums end. If you can get past that fact, you are in for a real treat. I sincerely hope there is a follow up album, as enjoyable sunshine pop is a rare find nowadays.
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Moldy Oldies: Little River Band "Take It Easy On Me"
One of my favorite oldies tunes, full of those great 70’s guitar riffs and the hook on “it’s all up to you, but whatever you do… ” Little River Band was the first Aussie band to really enjoy sustained commercial success in the US. They had plenty of hits despite the wholesale change in it’s sound each year. Have you ever heard “Lonesome Loser” and “Reminiscing” and find it hard to believe it’s the same band?
Little River Band – Greatest Hits
Daniel Carson and Martin Gordon
Daniel Carson “Aviary Jackson”
Songwriter, singer, and guitarist Daniel Carlson grew up in Chicago and, following a three year Southern California detour, found himself in New York City in the early 90’s. Using sparse arrangements and soft vocals, Daniel’s sound draws from Brian Wilson’s Pet Sounds-era and compares well with The High Llamas. Both “The Innocents” and “Ending” have that haunted synth sound with beautiful horns and piano lending to the atmosphere. A solid piano progression on “Everyone Is You” leads one of the best songs here and yet another lovely dirge about rejection. The dreamlike vocals on “Landlocked” while beautiful, sound like a long intro movement. The center piece is the six minute “Velvet” which is has a subtle orchestration that grows more intricate until it rises into chaos a la “Day In The Life.” The lazy mood of “Monday” and “Another Week” both have enjoyable pastoral arrangements. Some of the songs lack a simple verse/chorus hook, which takes away from their repeatability. But most fans of baroque chamber pop however will love this beautifully made musical journey.
Martin Gordon “Time Gentlemen Please”
Martin Gordon “Time Gentlemen Please”
Martin Gordon is ringmaster in the grotesque pop circus known as Time Gentlemen Please. After his last album, we pick up where we left off. The combination of guitars, brass, ukulele provide the raucous opening to the absurdist “Elephantasy.” Only a talent like Gordon can make a song about alcoholism with the lyric “It’s official, we’s a hero/but I’d be happier drinking a beer-o.” Gordon’s melodic talents and pessimistic viewpoint make him the perfect combination of XTC and Randy Newman. Fans of 10cc will also enjoy the catchy “On and On” layered with bright harmonies. Another standout is a dark prog ballad version of The Beatles “I Feel Fine.” The influence of Zappa is sprinkled throughout here and there. The deliciously un-PC “If Boys Could Talk and Girls Could Think” and “Talulah Does The Hula From Hawaii” are a lot of fun and will get you humming. With 16 tracks, some tunes work better than others and Gordon sparkles when he moves beyond novelty tunes. A great example of this is “Incognitio Ergo Sum,” a depraved celebration of celebrity culture. And I love the “Lady Madonna” bass line thrown into the catchy “Passionate About Your Elevator” too. If you prefer your rock/pop to have a sharp wit, look no further.
Matt Bodman and the Valentine Grind "Burn"
Emerging local New Zealand musician Matt Bodman caught my attention and his album displays good songwriting and talented musicianship that deserves to be noticed. After performing in local punk bands, Matt and his buddies Nate Smith and Matt Beckett got together to form the Valentine Grind’s debut. The opener “Better Off” leads with horns and Bodman’s earnest vocals, a little like Ben Folds or Josh Fix. The chorus is a memorable ascending scale that grows on you like moss. “My Head Again” is an 80’s styled pop tune that cleverly describes the frustration of infatuation, with a great repeating outro. A true gem here is the ballad “Hamilton Gardens” with gentle piano chords and floating harmonies in the chorus. Influenced by Randy Newman are the sad ballads like “Clementine” and “When I Burn” focused on relationship misery. The tenor percussion of “I Shot A Man,” “I Love New York” and barber shop quartet harmonies of “Join The Line” recall the late band Fluid Ounces. Another standout here is the hopeful “Light” that starts slow and builds till we get to the richly melodic chorus. All the tracks here are good slice of life pop that will not disappoint.
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