THE 88
Not Only…But Also
Island Records CD
www.myspace.com/the88
The 88 are Los Angeles’ quintessential indie rock band, and would certainly be considered so for Shindig! readers as well, as they take Kinks and John Lennon influences and, as Elvis Costello once said of his music, make photonegatives of them and rock them up pretty good. Lead singer Keith Slettedahl’s emotive, gritty Davies-esque vocals are the perfect complement to his striking chord changes and the band’s angular, gutsy playing.
The 88 have enjoyed a commensurate buzz in LA, always drawing huge crowds and getting their songs placed in movies and TV. So, it was no wonder that at long last, they grabbed the brass ring and scored a deal with Island Records. While their fans were happy for them, some were concerned that with the victory comes the spoils, meaning that their music could have been spoiled by that ‘major label production’, a fear made more plausible when news that ‘hot’ knob-twirlers like Matt Wallace and Babyface Edmonds were to produce their major label debut. Yikes!
Worry not, my friends – Not Only…But Also is an excellent disc that does not compromise the band’s musical integrity. The signature touchstones are still there and the songs show great variation in style, but while the production values are not too glossy or commercial, they do tend to homogenize the overall sound a bit more than fans might be used to. Nevertheless, rockers like ‘Go Go Go’ and ‘I’m Nothing’, the TV staple ‘Coming Home’, and R&B styled numbers like ‘No One Here’ prove that The 88 are still a force to be reckoned with, and also prove that being on a major does by no means have to be an indie band’s death knell.
David Bash
THE BONNEVILLES
Good Suits And Fightin’ Boots
Motor Sounds CD
www.motorsoundsrecords.com
Just a while ago I read something about The Black Keys teaming up with Billy Gibbons for some kind of a soon-to-be collaboration. Had someone played me this album, telling me that it’d already happened, I’d be foolish enough to believe. What’s more, with the Keys starting to experiment in a more-polished-than-usual way with Danger Mouse, this might as well be the replacement, as good as any for their swampier early stuff.
The album opens with a noisy Motor City-fuelled pair, an obvious explanation why the main Bonneville, Andy McGibbon, named his label the way he did. It’s from the third number, the title tune, that the above reference becomes pretty obvious. It continues throughout the rest of the album, all rooted knee-deep in the swamps of the deepest of American South, as opposed to their Northern Irish origin, and put through their own kind of ‘Honest to God Punk-Blues-Rock-’n’-Roll-Lo-Fi-Trash’!
Goran Obradovic
TONI BORLOTTI E I SUOI FLAUERS
A Che Serve Protestare?
THE STRANGE FLOWERS
Aeroplanes In The Backyard
LOS IMMEDIATOS
Second Chance
All Teen Sound CD/LPs
www.mistylane.it
Some may find it awkward to listen to in Italian, but then again, the variety of (mostly) mid-60s influenced sounds heard on any of Toni Borlotti’s releases, provides an experience that is sure to make you forget about the language itself. As usual, alongside a choice of cool covers, most of the songs are originals, ranging from conventional Merseybeat (‘Lei Se Ne Va’) or less conventional quirky beat music (‘Un Tipo Beat’), through classic soul or Kinky balladry (‘Un Giorno Ancora’, ‘Il Peso Delle Ore’ respectively), to folky protesting (the title tune), with occasional harmonies worthy of The Association themselves (‘Viaggio Di Un Provo’).
Another type of Italian “flowers” come in the shape of The Strange Flowers, being just as ’60s influenced, but of a more psychedelic flavour. An instant reference that comes to mind are The Grip Weeds, sharing an almost identical contemporary way of mixing up all-things-mid-to-end-60s, both rockin’ and poppin’. The lyrics are all English and well sung, which could’ve been of help to climb up the charts if given a proper chance (which hasn’t happened yet during their decade of existence).
The only non-Italians among the bunch, Los Immediatos, are a sort of Spanish ’60s revival supergroup. The variety of sounds clearly shows that each of them has been digging throughout the beloved decade for some time now, knowing their basic R&B just as well as they know their pop-sike. However, the tunes that my own needle keeps coming back to are the Graham Gouldman-like minor chord beat of ‘Something’s Wrong With You’, the 12-string Mersey jangle of ‘Everybody Knows’ (on par with The Gants’ genre-defining classic ‘I Wonder’, which they cover here as well), or ‘Sad About Me, Sad About Us’, having more similarities to the early Who than the title itself.
Goran Obradovic
DELETED WAVEFORM GATHERINGS
Baby Warfare
Rainbow Quartz CD
www.rainbowquartz.com
Ever since he started the band Dipsomaniacs and had them morph into Deleted Waveform Gatherings, Norwegian singer/songwriter Øyvind Holm has specialised in frenetic, loud psychedelic power pop most reminiscent of their Rainbow Quartz label mates, Cotton Mather. However, on Baby Warfare, while the reedy Cotton Mather similarities are retained, the freneticism is not as this is a softer and more varied album than the band has ever done. For example, ‘Tiger Rider’ is almost a bubblegum tune (definitely meant as a compliment), ‘Even A Black Cat’ and ‘Razor Light’ are downright pretty, and ‘Mental Balance Movement’ might remind one of The Cardigans (!). Long-time fans of the band will definitely delight in the signature tune, ‘All Our Futures’ and ‘Backwards To Zero’.
All in all, Baby Warfare is the best album in which Holm has ever been involved because the songwriting is richer and more melodic than ever before.
David Bash
THE DIALS
Amoeba Amore
No Fun CD
www.nofunrecords.com
Lock Josie Cotton in a room and sustain her life solely on a diet of Pezband records and garage punk 45s and you’ll have something approaching the sound of The Dials.
This Chicago quartet’s sophomore effort comes charging out of the stall, armed with a brighter production than its predecessor and an arsenal of nasty guitar sounds, Lemmy-cum-Peter Hook bass tones, driving Farfisa and precision drumming that are perfectly juxtaposed with the angelic sounding shared vocal duties of Rebecca Crawford and Patti Gran.
Sacrificing none of the pop sensibilities of the first album, some strong contenders for singles would be ‘Bloodsucker’ and ‘Joe Lies’, but to be honest, it’s hard to pick just a single song from an album of so many high points.
These songs stick with you like a fine meal.
Eric Colin Reidelberger
DRAGON TEARS
Tambourine Freak Machine
Bad Afro
www.badafro.dk
Criticism and ill-comparison will surely follow when singers attempt to summon the vocal spirits of still-living rock stalwarts.
“Awkward” isn’t a word I’d use, but it’s the first word that comes to mind since it’s frightening how close to Robert Plant’s influence Lorenzo Woodrose (also of On Trial) steers on Tambourine Freak Machine. Nevertheless, ‘Sunrise’ is a fantastic, repetitive and unrelenting number that makes positive use of unabashedly “strange sensations”. Although their take on Bob Dylan’s ‘Masters Of War’ is all but null and void with the overly epochal guitars and keys adding nothing to its already ominous construction.
As the album rides off into the distance inside a vehicle of industrial drumbeats, whatever stance you take toward my uncertainty about this record, there’s no denying that it will split your consciousness as much as it will your opinion. It’s a definitely a talker, but my cosmically indecisive ass however remains firmly fixed on this here metaphorical fence.
Richard S Jones
THE GREEN CIRCLES
Tavistock Street
Off The Hip CD
www.offthehip.com.au
Two long-players and a UK comp down the road, these 21st Century mods from down under carry on dreaming “of circles in the air, and in their heart and everywhere”, as Plonk might have put it himself.
At their best, The Green Circles would’ve been a perfect fit to Mojo’s recent Heavy Mod CD. Along with ‘I’m So Glad’ and ‘Kneejerk Reaction’ from the previous albums, it’s the ‘21st Century Blues’ that I’m keeping on my iPod. However, there are quite a few other reasons for you to take a long walk down Tavistock Street, starting with the heavy opening pair of riff-laden freakbeat stompers (‘Shaken And Stirred’, ‘Five Blue Moons’), which should appeal to fans of The (‘90s) Clique, The Prisoners or Jarvis Humby. ‘Time Stops Moving’ is a quirky little piece of Britpop, with traces of Tomorrow and Blossom Toes and, had The Byrds ever tried to give it a shot at being Monkees-type “rock ’n’ roll stars”, ‘Balloons’ would’ve been as close as they’d get.
Don’t know if this’ll make your mind go round in circles, but it’s sure worth the spin.
Goran Obradovic
ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE VENUS 3
Goodnight Oslo
Yep Rock Records
www.yeprock.com
Three decades after his emergence, Robyn Hitchcock remains interesting not because he continues to draw on ’60s influences, but because he’s still able to write catchy tunes inspired by those influences. With this second full-length outing with The Venus 3, the former Soft Boy is back in familiar jangle folk territory. But this time he adds some unexpected elements, like the Stax soul rhythm that drives the opening number, the deliberately silly love song ‘What You Is’. The title track finds Hitchcock ruminating on his own past, documenting the wild days and trippy nights of long ago.
As on Hitchcock’s previous album, Olé Tarantula, veterans The Venus 3 chime in with sympathetic accompaniment – especially dependable guitarist Peter Buck of REM. Elsewhere, Colin Meloy of The Decemberists and Sean Nelson of Harvey Danger offer spirited background vocals. But the show remains Hitchcock’s, mostly because songs like the nostalgic teen anthem ‘Saturday Groovers’ are as good as anything he’s ever written.
Tony Sclafani
KINGS OF FROG ISLAND
Kings Of Frog Island
Elektrohasch
www.elektrohasch.de
Maybe they are somewhat reluctant to play too heavily on their roots but Kings of Frog Island at times are so sprawling, grandiose and far from the point, they inadvertently strike progressive gold. Whereas other times, they are so succinct and original it leaves you feeling a little less ordinary. The opening sound bites of railway public service announcements on ‘The Last Train’ for instance (“All amphibians wishing to travel to Frog Island”), diminishes the real credence of it’s gravity, leaving it victim to it’s own majestic and over-wrought ideas.
When they are sprawling on tracks like ‘The Watcher’, they truly hit the mark. And the linkage between ‘Laid’ and ‘Ride A Black Horse’, two solid two tracks (that should have been one, takes this writer with his meagre years of musical referencing back to the finer highs of Jason Pierce and pocket-money spent on Holyground reissues. Still, deadly dropped D guitars and acute rock hymns. I’m sold.
Richard S Jones
APRIL MARCH & STEVE HANFT
Magic Monsters
Martyrs Of Pop LP/CD
www.martyrsofpop.com
Quiet since 2002, April March teams up with filmmaker Steve Hanft for her new album, Magic Monsters. March has always picked her collaborators carefully, whether it be garage punks The Makers or French pop genius Bertrand Burgalet, to create a series of inventive records.
As is her trademark, March sings in both English and French in her clear pop voice, while Hanft takes the lead on several tracks with his slacker tones. Although there are some sparky moments on Magic Monsters, like the spacey disco guitar of ‘Flashback Part II’ or the mixture of psychedelia and electronics on ‘Mind Phone’, it’s a disappointingly average album. There’s neither a consistency of sound nor a pleasing diversity; Magic Monsters instead gets stuck in the no-man’s-land of undifferentiated US indie.
Anyone new to April March is advised not to start with this album but to seek out her masterpiece, ‘99’s Chrominance Decoder, instead.
Jeanette Leech
MOLTEN UNIVERSE
No Love Around
Off The Hip CD EP
www.offthehip.com.au
Ex-Lime Spiders Tony Bambach and Gerard Corben are the core of Molten Universe, and their old partner Richard Jakumyszyn plays guitar on two tracks, so it isn’t surprising that they sound like a heavy, but ‘Blood-less Lime Spiders’, as the throaty roar of Mick Blood is replaced by a vocal and sound not a million miles away from Husker Du. The Spiders’ tune ‘Captor And The Captive One’ is reprised to good effect, but some of the new tunes, such as ‘Voodoo Vibe’ and ‘Freedom Of Choice’ aren’t really up to the mark. Sadly this sounds like they are just covering old ground.
Phil Suggitt
JONATHAN RICHMAN
?A Que Venimos Sino A Caer?
Munster CD
www.munster-records.com
As Jonathan Richman regularly tours Spain, this mostly Spanish language album is intended as a treat for his Spanish fans. Some of the tunes are versions of older songs, such as ‘Woman Vampire’, whilst others are brand new. You even get a song in French and one in Italian. Long time fans will buy this regardless, but new non-Spanish speaking fans should try his other albums before checking this out. Artists with a largely instrumental focus sound fine any language, but the lyrics are really important to Jonathan’s simple, heartfelt and mostly acoustic tunes. And if like me, your Spanish isn’t fluent, you’re missing something. My favourite tune is the charming ‘My Baby Loves Loves Me’, partly because it’s in English and I can understand what it’s all about!
Phil Suggitt
THE TOMORROWS
Jupiter Optimus Maximus
Kool Kat Musik CD
www.myspace.com/tomorrows
Born from the ashes of the great Vancouver, British Columbia band, The Roswells, this foursome specializes in psychedelic-tinged powerpop, which certainly pays homage to the ‘three B’s’; The Byrds, Big Star and Badfinger, without ever sounding exactly like them.
Jupiter Optimus Maximus is a nice mixture of up-and-down-tempo (mostly the former). Singer/songwriters Scott Fletcher and Marc Stewart have penned eleven top shelf tunes bursting with melody and harmony, and the band’s knack for arrangements should put them in the upper echelon of contemporary power pop groups. Standouts include the absolutely wonderful, swirling ballad ‘Effortless Lee’, which might remind one of the great Chewy Marble, the harmony-soaked balled ‘Such A Shame’, the awesome power popper ‘Pity Her’, and ‘Anime’, which interestingly is not unlike that ‘cartoon’ band from the ‘90s, The Vandalias.
It’s only January as this review is being written, but I’m bettin’ that in December Jupiter Optimus Maximus will find a place in many a Top 10 List Of 2009.
David Bash
THE TRAVELLING BAND
Under The Pavement
Sideways Saloon
www.myspace.com/sidewayssaloon
If there was ever a single, solitary bone of contention amongst the six players of The Travelling Band, I bet it was amputated long ago or swapped for a tambourine. On songs like ‘Angel Of The Morning’ and ‘Desolate Icicle’, lead singer Adam Gorman serenades sweetly, as the band strip complicated arrangements away, like peeling back gentle layers of an onion; leaving you tearful with the sort of wry smile that often follows the inevitable.
‘Diamond Flighted Arrow’ best exemplifies their humble and delicate good-nature with a porch-centred singalong, whereas ‘Lonley Day To Take A Train’ contradicts this niceness with a modesty and confidence that suggests (although whisper it) The Travelling Band know full well how good they are.
They succeed in the impossible task of stirring a genuine sense of pleasance from every part of your person, especially the parts of your person that are pleasant to others.
Richard S Jones
VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Paisley Polka Dot Picnic Party
Brand Medway CD
www.myspace.com/paisleypolkadotpicnic
In the liners Graham Day writes that there has never been a ‘Medway Scene’. He is correct that the Medway bands have never been in if for fame and fortune, and have never aspired to be “the next big thing”. However, there is a “scene” insofar as like-minded Medway musicians have always shared stages, studios, and group personnel, as shown by the final track, a one-off from involving members of several combos. This comp of six contemporary bands is the spiritual successor to the old Hangman LPs.
If you enjoyed all The Milkshakes and Prisoners-related bands, and The Discords, Daggermen, etc, you will certainly like the Bresslaws, Deccas, Effectives, Sawdust Caesars, Lovedays and Vandebilts, who get two or three tunes each. Strong pop vocals and songs, driving back beats, Hammond(ish) organ, unfussy production and ’60s rock and beat influences abound, all for a bargain price!
Phil Suggitt
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Trip In Time Volume 3: Psychedelic Adventures On Planet Earth
Trip In Time
www.tripintime.de
So many bands, such a pitifully small word count. Let’s begin.
Kicking off German label Trip In Time’s newest instalment of this ongoing series is Electrical Mystical Soul Vibration, who start the gloriously unreal proceedings by bouncing wildly atop planets, sealing Pink Floyd firmly in Can. Serpentina Satelite make for a notable mention too. Hailing from Peru they furiously speed on the toke of their own steam through heavy drum fills, carelessly hammering out malleable rhythms, equal parts stone and water. A stark contrast when placed alongside the inspired Black Box Massacre who leave you questioning how best to stand firm when you are socked to the side of the head by ‘Djingis Kong’.
Even though some tracks here scrape through quite poorly (Fuzz Mantra, Jenda Wright) the sentiment and enlightenment present still manages to heighten an already higher than high compilation. One that really should have been titled, Why We Get Up In The Morning.
Richard S Jones
NANCY WALLACE
Old Stories
Midwich CD
www.midwich-cuckoos.co.uk
Nancy, a member of both The Memory Band and The Owl Service, is well-qualified in the finer points of psych-folk; but for her debut solo album she’s chosen a simpler, more rustic approach.
Old Stories is full of lovelorn misery and thwarted optimism, making it the perfect accompaniment to a dark winter evening. Wallace’s voice is reminiscent of the bluesy approach taken by Liz Green, and the judicious use of accordion and violin throughout the album is truly heartfelt. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the final track, ‘The Drowned Lover’ – a swirling, unsettling piece of music with an appropriately dark narrative.
Wallace, much like Espers’ Meg Baird did on her solo album, uses her knowledge and love of the folk canon with an innovative slant gained from her acid-folk day job to create a deeply satisfying piece of work. Old Stories comes from Nancy Wallace’s soul, and will nourish yours.
Jeanette Leech
JIMMY WEBB
Live And At Large In The UK
The Jimmy Webb Music Company
www.jimmywebb.com
This is an aural souvenir of the month-long tour Jimmy did in the UK in November 2006 where, with just his piano and voice, he presented songs from his long career, interspersed with anecdotes about many of the friends who had recorded his songs.
The result is like having a private recital in your own living room as Jimmy, an excellent raconteur, conjures up an intimate atmosphere with stories that are often tinged with sadness as many of the artists he speaks about have passed on.
The big hits are here, ‘Galveston’, ‘Wichita Lineman’ and ‘All I Know’, each given Jimmy’s unique take on them. But pride of place goes to the closing ten-minute version of ‘MacArthur Park’, complete with the rousing instrumental middle section performed so expertly you don’t miss the orchestration.
Highly recommended.
Pat Curran
DAN BAIRD & HOMEMADE SIN
s/t
Jerkin’ Crocus CD
www.jerkincrocus.com
This is the sound of musicians having a whole lot of fun. The influences are honest and obvious; Neil Young and Dave Edmunds clearly get a lot of time on Dan Baird’s stereo. The guitars (Dan Baird and Warner Hodges) are up front in the mix and even in the quieter passages they simmer, looking for a chance to rock out. There are some highly infectious, uplifting roots rock tunes with strong three part vocals to complement the driving guitars, ‘Two For Tuesday’ and ‘Runnin’ Out of Time’ being among the best.
‘Just Can’t Wait’ is such homage to Brinsley Schwartz and Rockpile that Nick Lowe should be included in the writers credits for the use of the chorus to ‘Fallin’ In Love Again’.
Phil Suggitt
BASKERVILLES
Twilight
Secret Crush CD
www.baskervilles.net
Not long into the first song it occurred to me ‘These guys (and girl) love Steve Harley’. Sure enough song 12 is a cover of the Cockney Rebel classic ‘Make Me Smile’. Elsewhere the songs abound with Harleyisms. This isn’t a shameless rip-off; Baskervilles just love that late ‘60s/early ‘70s pop vibe, and they do it really well. There are some insanely catchy hooks and choruses on songs like ‘Caught In A Crosswalk’, and fine male/female vocals from Rob Heath and Stephanie Finucane throughout. The brass and string arrangements are economic and effective, and Mitch Easter’s production always adds a bit of extra pop magic. If you aren’t singing along by the end, I’ll be surprised.
Phil Suggitt
THE BROADFIELD MARCHERS
The Inevitable Continuing
Rainbow Quartz CD
www.rainbowquartz.com
The Broadfield Marchers’ sound is refreshingly uncomplicated and direct. It sounds like they decided to record songs they could play on stage, deciding a good tune doesn’t need dozens of guitar tracks and fiddly embellishments. Most of the 19 relatively short songs are based around Dan and Mark Zdubyak’s high and confident Byrdsy harmonies and a simple three piece set up.
The brothers are clearly big power pop fans, and there are Shoes’ influences on songs like ‘Raul’ and ‘Panic Imposed’, but in general there are few power chords and the guitars tend to be melodic and subtle. The Marchers’ create a really good sound with some good, but (not yet) outstanding songs.
Phil Suggitt
BOZ BOORER
Miss Pearl
Vibrant CD
Boz Boorer has taken time out from his role as a Morrisey’s sideman to record an album of tunes inspired by the music he loves, namely early rock’n’roll and rockabilly. Boz has authentically recreated a sound that owes almost nothing to any music created after 1959. The only exception is a cover of The Ramones’ ‘Rockaway Beach’, but even this is given a rockabilly makeover.
Like blues, the ‘50s rock’n’roll style is bound by strict conventions which make it really difficult to create tunes which transcend the originals, although many of Boorer’s tunes are good examples of the genre, even if they don’t break any new ground. The guitar playing and vocals powered my car along the M25, and also sounded good in heavy traffic on the A10. ‘In the Witchin’ Hour’, a guitar duet with Steve Hooker is the only tune that pushes the boundaries a little.
Phil Suggitt
DANNA & THE CHANGES
Consonant Cacophony
Popboomerang CD
www.popboomerang.com
The muted colours and the musician’s ‘Little House On The Prairie’ clothes in the cover photo practically scream ‘Folk/Roots album’, but this ain’t the case. This is a confident modern pop/rock debut from Australian singer, songwriter, engineer, guitarist and keyboard player Danna. The songs are firmly in the ‘B’ band tradition, a tradition so rich that there is always room for more, if the songs are of good quality. Danna’s tunes are genuinely uplifting, and he is right at home with raucous, anthemic power pop like ‘Good Times’, solo piano ballads (‘Long Time Alone’) and the excellent pop of ‘Good Times’.
The Changes are a revolving cast who are only listed by name. Shame, as the playing and singing is strong throughout, and it would be good to know who played what.
Phil Suggitt
DAVILA 666
Davila 666
In The Red CD
www.intheredrecords.com
There could well be dozens of good little bands in Puerto Rico, but this is the first one I’ve come across. Davila 666 cite the likes of The Stooges and Dolls as major influences. Although it’s true that on one song the guitars are very Ron Asheton, (and another track sounds like the JAMC singing in Spanish), these Puerto Rican garage rockers have several other strings to their musical bow. Many of the vocals and tunes are close in spirit to the likes of Stiv Bators and The Ramones, adding a strong helping of tuneful pop to the 14 original songs, which are mostly sung in Spanish.
Phil Suggitt
RON FRANKLIN
Ron Franklin
Alive CD
www.aliveenergy.com
This CD is refreshingly different from the majority of the heavy modern garage rock that constitutes most of Alive’s output. Many of Ron Franklin’s songs are acoustic folk-blues. Sometimes he plays an electric or a harp and is backed by bass and drums, but in all cases he has a really big sound. Ron sounds like one of the few performers who has the presence to keep an audience’s attention with just a guitar and his own voice and personality. The lyrics are consistently literate, off-beat and interesting, and it all comes together on the driving, haunting ‘Dark Night, Cold Ground’.
Phil Suggitt
FENTON WEILLS
Viva Villa
Jellyfant CD
www.jellyfant.com
On first hearing I decided there should be a law against surf/instro bands recording songs like Hawaii Five-O, Jack The Ripper, Peter Gunn, etc, as we have all heard them a thousand times before. On second glance I realised that Fenton Weills’ recorded these tunes in the ‘80s, when they were a good deal fresher. This CD reissues the German group’s original album with some unreleased tracks. Some bonus tracks have vocals, and, like many instro bands, you wish they hadn’t bothered. Elsewhere the choice of instro covers is more inspired, such as Shocking Blue’s ‘Venus’, but the versions here are not that great. Easily the most interesting and original tune is ‘Jeden Tag Neue Angst’, an ambitious 20 minute original, which has stood the test of time far better than the other songs, which are ordinary by comparison. Presumably occupying a whole side of the original LP, it is perhaps over-long by three or four minutes, yet has a trance-like, dreamy and hypnotic quality, with slow, subtly shifting patterns that are reminiscent of an Indian raga. Psychedelic music for people who don’t need drugs?
Phil Suggitt
THEE MINDSHOTS
Falling Leaves of Prysm; live 2006-7
Tryp CD
www.myspace.com/themindshots
As Thee Mindshots are no more I can see why leader Jason Tryp would want to document their work, but sadly the quality of these live recordings is so poor that it does them no favours at all. It sounds as if someone in the audience just held up a small cassette player. Any subtlety in the guitar playing is lost, vocals are barely audible and the drums sound like cardboard boxes. It’s impossible to judge the true quality of the band on the basis of a sound this bad.
Phil Suggitt
THE ROMANEE COUNTEEZ
Barry Wine proudly presents The Romanee Counteez
Soaf CD
www.myspace.com/theromaneecounteez
As they are based in Burgundy it isn’t surprising that The Romanee Counteez make a lot of wine references. The amusing liners describe the band in the style of wine labels. To use the same parlance, some of their tunes are a good vintage, but others are corked. On songs like ‘The Trip’ and ‘Sugar and Spy’ you expect the initial suave rock’n’roll vibe to develop melodically as the songs progress, but you wait in vain. The best tunes are less one-paced and have a much better sense of dynamics, like ‘Tastewine’ and ‘Sometimes She Wants’, where the slightly mannered style of the singer is abetted by the Romanettes on ‘Wildside’ style backing vocals.
Phil Suggitt
SURFADELICA
Surfing On the Desert Shore
Pisces CD
www.piscesrecords.co.br
The basic ‘surf trio’ line-up puts a lot of pressure on the guitarist to be sufficiently interesting and creative to maintain interest over a whole album. Surfadelica, a Brazilian group, are up to the task, particularly song writer and guitarist Carlos Nishimiya . The 11 songs generally follow a subtle, almost understated approach, concentrating on exotic, atmospheric moods, which is presumably the psych connection. Several of the song titles reflect the dreamy and romantic psych feel, such as ‘Flowing Through The Purple Sea’ and ‘Falling Into The Heart Of The Sun’. However, there is still enough twang to make this a surf instrumental album.
Phil Suggitt
THOMAS FRANKLIN
Celebration
Alive CD
www.aliveenergy.com
The first couple of songs show a lot of promise and a mix of influences. Zach Wilson’s reedy keyboard work is fun throughout, and ‘Can’t Say No’ is a good mix of garage, pop and folk influences with female vocals from guest Charlise Thornton. If only the band had persuaded Charlise to sing all the lead vocals. Sadly guitarist Josh Macero also does most of the singing. His voice is often an annoying trebly whine. Worse still, he continually veers in and out of tune. The result is similar to the worst vocal excesses of early ‘80s US ‘New Wave’. Sorry guys, but I just can’t get past the vocals to the songs themselves
Phil Suggitt |
