After a hearty Thanksgiving, and an early Hanukkah this year – it’s now a countdown to Christmas. That means an overflow of Christmas music has started hitting my inbox. Thankfully, we have plenty of new tunes from a variety of artists (and more to come!) Enjoy!
The Peppermint Kicks are Sal Baglio (The Stompers, The Amplifier Heads) and Dan Kopko (The Shang Hi Los, Watts), and very much like chocolate and peanut butter, they blend together just fine. The two share a love of classic power pop and punk, as evidenced by the opener “When Rock & Roll Met Your Dad” a huge love letter to many, many bands, especially the Ramones. You could spend days picking out all the references, but the song itself is a fine example of a “teenage tragedy song” updated for middle age. Next along similar lines “Hey Fanzine!” recalls a fondness for those homemade band newsletters and rock magazines (Creem, Circus), and it’s got sweet hooks too.
I thought “I Don’t Hear A Single” was a theme for a popular blog, but it’s more about “pointless rock and roll.” Fans of Cheap Trick will eat this album up, as the beats and nostalgia are once again the targets on “Shag ’72.” Every track here will speak to rock and roll fans’ experiences; from visiting old venues like “Johnny D’s (Play It Again)” to playing in bands that aren’t “loud enough” on “Stooge” and “Rock and Roll Rampage.” It also looks back to history with a fondness for the last era of independent rock and roll, prior to the domination of corporate rock on radio airwaves. There are more than enough gems here to make this a highly recommended pick.
The Aerovons secured their role in rock and roll history with only a few singles. Signed to The Beatles’ label Parlophone, The Aerovons recorded “Resurrection” in 1969 at Abbey Road, and were hailed by the UK press; “It’s like hearing newly discovered Beatles tracks!” Beatles’ sound engineers Geoff Emerick, Alan Parsons, and Norman Smith worked on the sessions. The album was produced by their prodigious 17-year-old leader Tom Hartman. But it remained a “lost” classic until it was finally released in 2003.
Tom left the rock and roll life back then, but he’s back for “A Little More” and has proven that age hasn’t dimmed that talent. The eight songs on the album make for a smooth transition from the ’60s to today’s adult pop format. Unapologetically Beatlesque, the tracks “Stopped!” and “A Little More” was written in 1969 and are the big highlights here. Tom proves skilled at bringing The Aerovons back to life, and like Dana Countryman remains a skilled producer in retro pop sound. The newer songs don’t feel entirely out of place but do feel written by a more mature voice. “Swinging London” looks back on those times, and “The Way Things Went Tonight” is a lush ballad, perfect for a wedding anniversary. As a whole, it’s a transitory album with enough for fans of the original and proves you can come home again. Hopefully, Tom will not make us wait another 50 years for more. Highly Recommended.
Listen to the 1969 classic “Resurrection”