Tag: Nick Frater

EP reviews : Cupid’s Carnival and Nick Frater

powerpopaholic
Cupid's Carnival

Cupid’s Carnival “Clapham Junction” EP

Cupid’s Carnival wowed us before, and they are back with a much too short EP that gives Beatlesque faves The Weeklings a run for their money. Opening with the Fab-tastic “She Don’t Care,” it will make all those old Beatles fans swoon. From there it gives us several Lennon-styled piano ballads. The sparse “Clapham Junction-Platform 1” is modeled after “Imagine” and the follow-up “Looking For Rainbows” is a little more “Hey Jude,” but these songs are purely original and they definitely resonate.

“Yoko’s Smiling” is another slow tempo ballad, but the production is more layered with some nice slide guitar, organ and percussion. The song is a message of hope and love, about a Lennon fan honoring his idol’s passing. They repeat two tracks here with alternate versions, and it all ends way too soon. Highly Recommended, and btw more, please.

CD Baby | Amazon

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/gAASHWrd0LA”]

Nick Frater

Nick Frater “Something/Nothing?” EP

I reviewed Nick Frater earlier this year and looked through some of his earlier EPs. This one from 2017 had a Rundgren-y looking cover so I gave it a spin. “Sleep It Off” is a sweet piano intro that leads us to a dreamland of melody, with the forceful “Best Intentions” has an echoing verse and a strong chorus that’s more like Elvis Costello than Todd.

Frater excels at making a dreamscape with banjos, floating harmonies and verses in the round for “So The Wind Won’t Blow It Away Part 2.” Another highlight is “Hotel Radio” with its swiftly changing tempos and melody lines. Overall a fine EP with very little filler, and mostly great music.  Highly Recommended, and I would check out all his music, as its totally infectious. What makes it even better is that Kool Kat Musik has included two EPs as bonus tracks. And of course, the bonus music is awesome!

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

 

 

Secret Friend and Nick Frater

powerpopaholic
Secret Friend

Secret Friend “The Divorce Album”

Songwriter Steven Fox is back as the enigmatic Secret Friend with a new series of songs split into two sides and sung by a variety of artists, including some power pop favorites. Side One is six new songs produced by Secret Friend. Side Two has the exact same six songs produced by other artists. The sides do compete with each other, so you could mix your own perfect EP here. Fox is a talented songwriter and knows how to create ambiance. All the performances are good, but some tracks stand out more than others.

The opener “Castaway” sung by Taylor Locke (Rooney) is an amazing song with layer upon layers of harmonies and makes good use of the double meaning of the song title. And while Roger J. Manning Jr. (Jellyfish) does a great job on “Undeniably Blue,” it drags on for over 7 minutes. Jimm McIver’s “Difficult” is more in keeping with the theme, and the chorus is catchy here. The band Perfectly Violent Dream does a great job with their version of “All The Things We Had.” I also liked Wyatt Funderburk’s version of “Over Now,” from the guy’s POV. Overall, a good album to pick through.

Amazon

Secret Friend

Nick Frater “Goodbye Kayfabe” EP

Nick Frater is a multi-instrumentalist from Croydon, UK. He starts out with an impressive opener “Built To Last,” one of the best retro-Raspberries singles I’ve heard this year. It’s almost impossible to top, but “Paperchase” leads with a nice tropical beat and a solid chorus.

“More Than This” is another strong melody that is like a mix of Squeeze and Andrew Gold. The bouncy “Remoaner” is another winner that sounds like BBC sitcom theme with a little Jeff Lynne in its DNA. Overall not a bad track, and one of the better EPs I’ve heard this year. Highly Recommended.

Amazon