Jeff Whalen “10 More Rock Super Hits”
Jeff Whalen was the lead vocalist for the power pop band Tsar. The group split in 2005, but Jeff is back with an amazing, Linus Of Hollywood-produced, solo debut. The music is a hybrid of bubblegum/glam/power pop with an infectious enthusiasm that’s hard to ignore. “Goofing Around” is an easy going catchy opener, and “Jendy!” is a sugary pop nugget straight out of the Linus playbook. “Ground Game for Worm” is a straight-ahead jangling gem.
The most impressive song on the LP for me was “The Alien Lanes” where the guitars take a more central part of the melody. It’s like a Cheap Trick tune with less bombast and a more layered chorus. “Don’t Give It Up” is another slice of ear candy you can dance to. In fact, I could not find a bad song here – it’s all killer no filler! This released late in 2018, but only in select outlets — it sees wider release in February. If I could shoehorn this into my 2018 top ten list I would but for now, it’s at the top of my 2019 list for best LP. Highly Recommended. As a bonus, I recently did an interview with Jeff Whalen you can read right now.
Yorick van Norden “The Jester”
This was high on David Bash’s list and I had never heard of Yorick van Norden before. He is based in The Netherlands and is very adept at crafting melodies. Having a good sense of psyche-pop influences he starts with the trippy “Forest of The Mind” which sounds like a lost Grip Weeds track. But then he launches into the catchy jangle gem “Train In The Station” and I perked up. His classic pop influences and production techniques are solid as each track gets better than the next. “Another Day in London Town” has a great Beatlesque melody and stream of consciousness lyrics that stick fast.
“More Than Words” is a wonderful sunny mid-tempo gem that recalls Belgian artist Bent Van Looy. He also has 2 musical suites, which use orchestral flourishes to highlight a medley of delicate compositions. “A Song For You” is his own explanation of why he writes music, as the Christmas harmonies of “Winter” bring to mind a warm fireplace. No filler and it’s highly recommended. It definitely would’ve found a spot in my top 20 for 2018.
