Tag: Tony Molina

Short Takes: The Toms, The Gnomes, Tony Molina, Ronnie D’Addario

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“The

The Toms “Sound Bytes”

Tom Marolda makes it all looks so easy; another year another album for this prolific artist. The Tom’s newest comes out of the gate with a real classic gem “Summer Without You,” loaded with hooks and an easy to love melody.  Other highlights include “Multiple Personality,” “One Day, “She Can’t Let It Go.” If you’ve always liked The Toms, this sticks to what he does best for the most part. It loses a bit of momentum the later half, but the fun, loose “Houseflies Hum in the Key of F” is another gem. Highly Recommended.

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The Gnomes

The Gnomes “Introducing… The Gnomes”

Aussie bands have made a huge splash this year in power pop, and Melbourne’s The Gnomes are no exception. Lead by musician Jay Millar, this debut album is loaded with tight rhythms and catchy melodies with a forceful, garage-styled edge. From the opening of “Better With You” it just floors you with its energy. This and other songs like it are designed for live performance, and it brings to mind the early albums of The Connection. The album rides on riff crunching guitars and an obvious love for classic power pop sounds, as “I’ll Be There” channels early Beatles energy. The further we go, the fuzzier we get too. “Open Your Eyes” and “Flippin’ Stomp” have its DNA in the late sixties beat movement. “Stung” slow things down into a churning psych-pop swirl, and Kinks-like “I Like It” round out the sound. No filler. Anywhere. It’s a top ten contender!

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“Tony

Tony Molina “On This Day”

San Francisco-based band Tony Molina has been know for making short, quick catchy songs – usually a single chorus. Here the songs are shorter and sweeter than usual. The “FC ’23” is a gentle jangling theme, followed by a piano based “Faded Holiday.” And so it goes, classical guitar interrupted by occasionally a fuzzy “Have It Your Way.” The frustration here is that I wish some of these songs hit the 2 min. mark. Highlights for me “Broken Down,” “Living Wrong,”  and “Don’t Belong” which highlight Tony’s Byrdsian influence. Like detailed demo sketches, it’s very pleasant but leaves you wanting more.

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Ronnie D'Addario

Ronnie D’Addario “Written By”

Ronnie D’Addario (Papa Twig) shows us a tribute album of sorts. The Lemon Twigs (Brian and Michael D’Addario) looked to record some of their dad’s favorite songs and a few unreleased demos. What started as a Lemon Twigs project grew, with lots of guest stars contributing. Some real magic here as the boys doing justice to “A Very Short Dream,” “Not Today” and “5th of July.” The guest spots are a mixed bag, but it’s wonderful to hear Darian Sanahaja (Wondermints) with the inspirational groove of “Be Like Him.” Plus the lovely harmonies of Matt Jardine on “Don’t Wait For Yesterday.” Another highlight is Ronnie having fun doing his best Elvis on “If I Were You.” Overall, Highly Recommended.

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August EPs and singles: Pretty Flowers, Tracy Shedd, Tony Molina, Lemonade Shoelace, Elephant Stone, Råttanson

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It’s getting hotter out there. Love the Pretty Flowers new video, as the band will “rescue indie rock from the brink of extinction,” with their new single “Hit Nothing.” Look out for the album review soon! Next, Tracy Shedd has “Let it Ride” a summertime indie pop anthem about being patient and trusting your gut, with the soothing bassline and hypnotic rhythm. Tony Molina‘s melodic jangle-fuzz returns with a new album on the way, we get a preview with “I’m Not Down.” If you’re looking to expand your psych-pop horizons then check out the EP by Belfast’s Lemonade Shoelace. The spacey pop is akin to bouncing on clouds, as described in “Hopscotch in the Sky.” Another psych-pop mention is the new Elephant Stone single “Lost In A Dream.” A band that really deserves serious consideration is Råttanson. These Swedish garage guitar masters light it up with the new EP “Trebled Region.” Lots of new releases to highlight, so stay tuned.





The Sun Sawed in 1/2 and Tony Molina

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The Sun Sawed in 1/2

The Sun Sawed in 1/2 “ Triptych”

Sun Sawed in 1/2 is a St. Louis band founded by brothers Ken Rose (bass) and Tim Rose (lead guitar) with vocalist Doug Bobenhouse. They road the resurgence of power pop popularity in the late ’90s (with the standout of 1997’s Fizzy Lift) and are often compared to Jellyfish, The Posies, and XTC.

They are back after a 9-year break with a series of digital-only EPs (Beaches In Bali, Sirens, and Before The Fall) now compiled into a 20-song set called Triptych. The band is in fine form overall, with many ideas and hooks stuffed into each song, like the opener “Dried Cherry Blossoms,” with its hand-clapping chorus, and “Soft Away” with its dreamy harmonies. Sometimes the music follows dramatic winding paths, like “Sirens” and “Call For A Good Time.” Some songs are more immediate than others, highlights include “Twist of Lemon” and the atmospheric epic “The Cool Ivory Wonderful.” They also don’t stick to a single template (“Too High Strung,” “Sitting In A Tree”) as they stylistically shift things often. Overall, an excellent collection – highly recommended.

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Tony Molina

Tony Molina “In the Fade”

Songs that last less than a minute or so get viewed as filler and can be perceived as lacking the scope or power of longer songs, but it’s a current trend I’m seeing more of with our micro-sized attention spans. The Beatles’ “Her Majesty” count as a hit in this category, and artists like 2nd Grade, Ryan Allen, Mo Troper, and Nick Frater have done albums full of it. But writing excellent music which doesn’t break the minute mark is a skill in and of itself. West Bay native Tony Molina has made it his mission to excel in this niche.

Molina has been doing this since 2014, perfecting his Beatlesque bedroom melodies and fuzzy jams. His newest In the Fade, is very much a concept album about leaving a relationship from different points of view. “The Last Time” has a low fuzz and bouncy rhythm similar to Weezer, “Leave This Town” and “Burn Everyone” effectively channels Teenage Fanclub. “Years Ago pt. 2” is a lovely closing melody, and each song works to effectively support the entire collection. The short phrases are well written and begs multiple repeat plays. Super Highly Recommended.

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Paul Steel and Tony Molina

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Paul Steel

Paul Steel “Carousel Kites”

It’s been ten years since we heard from the production wunderkind Paul Steel. One of the most impressive bedroom pop albums ever, April & I deserved a thematic sequel. The British press considered Steel “a 20-year-old who is Brian Wilson in a parallel universe,” and his style owes much to the former Beach Boy. But it’s more than that, as Steel has been busy co-writing and producing for Mika and Empire of The Sun. So he is definitely used to making irreverent and kaleidoscopic pop confections.

What we end up with is a concept album, where one song blends into another with grand thematic arrangements akin to Brian Wilson, Steely Dan-like guitar, and Quincy Jones-like percussion. The narrative isn’t as clear as April & I, and there is A LOT of filler, but it still holds together.

The overture “Ready to Fly” opens with sweet harmonies, leading to the frantic but operatic “Last Guilt Trip.” Some sequences are simply brilliant, like “Do What Everybody Else Does,” “Skydaddy,” “Never Age a Single Day,” and “Island in The Sky.” The earliest compositions Paul created for the project still work best, like the rousing “I See Sadness.” Overall it’s highly recommended and if you are a fan of Roger Joseph Manning Jr. or Bleu McAuley this is a “must get” album!

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Tony Molina

Tony Molina “Kill The Lights”

Californian Tony Molina gets out his music in the most abbreviated way. Each song is roughly a minute long. And that’s what is simultaneously both great and frustrating about this album. The amazing opener “Nothing I Can Say” is the perfect amalgam of Byrdisan jangle and Teenage Fanclub like melody. “Wrong Town” and “Afraid to Go Outside” have that reverent church organ and gentle harmonies.

Each song hits the mark, but I wish we got more than a single chorus and verse. In some ballads, the shortness works, and “Jasper’s Theme” actually reaches the 2-minute mark. Many of the songs are elegantly constructed folk-pop, but its all over way too soon. The best way to appreciate this LP is playing it on auto-repeat. Highly Recommended.

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