Tag: Nick Lowe

Biggest disappointments of 2020

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Just let me start by saying this isn’t a “worst albums” list but a collection of mediocre albums that I will likely not listen to again. I tend to pick on established stars who should’ve known better. Let the hate mail flow…

 

Billy Bremner

Billy Bremner “Rockfiles: A Tribute to Rockpile”
Bremner paying tribute to his old band Rockpile (with Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds) sounds like a decent idea, but he can’t pull it off. Musically it sounds like a lame cover band, and Bremner’s vocals just aren’t up to snuff — it’ll have you reaching for the original almost instantly.

 

Kevin Godley

Kevin Godley “Muscle Memory”
Godley was an integral part of 10cc, one of the most innovative rock bands of the ’70s. Unlike his counterpart, Graham Gouldman who’s done a great job this year with a new album, Godley’s work is as non-melodic and experimentally boring as can be. Godley’s vocal is still impressive, and it makes the experience listenable. Barely. “Periscope” is the only tolerable tune here.

 

Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello “Hey Clockface”
Many critics fall over to the “master craftsman” who mixes styles and moods “brilliantly.” This scattershot mess feels like a series of loose demos. He goes for weird moody Arabic instrumentals, ballads he croaks out (his vocals are shot), and tin-pan alley pop that seems better suited to Randy Newman or Leon Redbone. The song “Radio is Everything” has him doing narrative poetry. Maybe he thinks he’s Bob Dylan now? His one “angry old man” song “No Flag” is pure cacophony compared to his last album Look Now.

 

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney “III”
Sir Paul figures he could just indulge himself, playing lots of loose jams and sketches. But unlike McCartney which was a home-tooled response to The Beatles, and McCartney II which was an attempt to incorporate new music trends, “III” feels like he’s noodling around and bored. The septuagenarian multi-millionaire pop star still has legendary talent, as “Seize the Day” proves he can still fart out good music whenever he wants to. But after all that promotional build-up, he’s just taking it easy here. Ho hum.

 

The top 25 best power pop of 2020 is coming soon…

More Xmas Presents: Another Sleigh-load of Holiday Singles and More!

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Wow! The space under the tree is just packed now. Notable goodies include a full album of music inspired by the classic A Christmas Story by Ralphie’s Red Ryders (a regular contributor to our pages under a new pseudonym) and our annual single by The Slingsby Hornets. Nick Lowe adds his Christmas standards and The Martial Arts do a fine job – check out the brilliant original “Snow Flakes.” Add to this The Decibels, John Dunbar, Stop Calling Me Frank, and The Heatwaves and you’ve got another great holiday mixtape!








Freebies and EPs: The Turnback, Nick Lowe, Brad Marino, Brian Mello, You’re Among Friends, Nick Bertling, Portable Radio, The Amplifier Heads

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The Turnback had these three songs recently re-mastered by Grammy® Award-Winning mastering engineer Brian “Big Bass” Gardner (Foo Fighters, RUSH, Eminem, David Bowie, Cheap Trick). They are a FREE download and the band just asks for you to give a tip to the next essential worker you come in contact with (grocery clerk, fast-food worker, etc.). Now is the time we all need to be there for each other and PLAY IT FORWARD!

The masterful Nick Lowe returns with another EP, delivering pleasing pop gems in a timeless fashion.

Brad Marino (The Connection) is back in fine form with “False Alarm” and “At Night.” Guitar pop the way it should be, plus a cover of the Hoodoo Gurus classic, “What’s My Scene?” Get it at Kool Kat Musik

Brian Mello, the guitarist with The Morning Line, has a very unique EP out. It starts out like a spacey Western with “Landscape With Ruins” and stays kind of mellow until the riff-heavy gem “Adios.” A real grower here, so check it out.

You’re Among Friends, plays out like a fun jam in someone’s basement studio. Love the funk melody on “Once the Toothpaste is Out of the Tube.” More terrific casual rock, like “Just Keep Being Nice” make this a great FREE album to chill with.

Nick Bertling heads out to the audio twilight zone and gives us a personal work that seems to channel Todd Rundgren. Love those harmonies on “Perhaps” and the retro synth on “Mall Dreams ’87.” Another grower you need to live with.

Manchester UK pop band Portable Radio has a neat retro style and great harmonies. “Great In The Sun” and “Flight Home” remind me of the Cowsills.

JUST IN! Boston’s The Amplifier Heads are led by vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Sal Baglio (The Stompers). This is a real treat, as he channels mid-period XTC. Fans of similar bands (like The Sun Sawed In Half) will LOVE this.

Nick Lowe, The Morning Line and Sofa City Sweetheart

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Nick Lowe

Nick Lowe “Love Starvation” EP

Nick Lowe is like a fine wine — and his ability to craft catchy melodies with meaningful lyrics get better with age.  Supported by masked guitar greats Los Straitjackets, Lowe has penned three original tracks: “Love Starvation,” “Trombone,” and “Blue on Blue.”  The A/B sides have a Spanish flavor similar to Richie Valens. However, the real classic here is the tender ballad “Blue On Blue.” Highly Recommended.

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The Morning Line

The Morning Line “North”

San Francisco, CA-based The Morning Line delivers a follow up to 2017’s Smoke. They start with the slow building “Antennas,” a droning guitar melody with reverbed basslines. “Given Up” has a good guitar riff, with a 90’s style very much like Collective Soul.

The band picks up the speed a bit on “1982” and lead vocalist Stephen Smith is like a mellowed Elvis Costello at times. Wistful midtempo songs like “Complicated” and “Sickness” are good, but the folk-rock “Tripwire” slows the momentum. Thankfully the energy level is just right on “Nostradamus” and “No Love Lost.” The catchy “South Carolina” is another highlight. Check it out!

Kool Kat Musik


Sofa City Sweetheart

Sofa City Sweetheart “Super(b) Exitos”

LA musician Juan Antonio Lopez (and assorted bandmates) have made a deeply personal statement and a hell of an album. “The Same Old Song (You Were Always On My Mind” is a great low-key opener comparable to Elliot Smith with its “la di da” chorus and “Stanely Waited” is a richly textured character study with a western rhythm that soars during the bridge. Acoustic guitar and strings echo along with the verses of “Annie Stays Home” and the gentle falsetto and harmonies all by itself carry “Floating” along. Every song here is a pocket symphony with really high peaks like “Stop The Thinking” that are simply catchy power pop with the addition of Spanish horn accents that takes it over the top.

“In This Lifetime” is another brilliant single that’s a hopeful pep talk, and following that are the melancholy “I am On My Own” and “Song For Alex.” The album slowly unwinds with more balladry, but it remains compelling musically, especially the ender “So Long / Lucky Nuff.” Lopez pours his heart out in the lyrics and even on the few instrumentals. He designed this album to be listened to as a complete concept, a little adventure that begins when you drop the needle down before the first song and isn’t over until you hear the record crackle at the end. It serves that purpose and earns praise as one of the best LPs of 2019. Highly Recommended.

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