The Tangerines “In Season”
Those missing Swedish power pop need not fear, The Tangerines have returned to lighten things up. Starting with “You’d Better Stop” it shimmers with jangley 12-string guitars and high harmonies that fans of Cloud Eleven, The Beatles, and The Byrds have come to love. The vintage pop compositions all hit the right sweet spots and the arrangements are gentle and welcoming. With 16 tracks you could run into jangle overload here, but each song is carefully constructed and Per Tolgraven and Håkan Eriksson take care not to repeat themselves. There are even echoes of The Hudson Brothers on the harmonic interplay with “New Sensation.” The more aggressive songs resemble The Raspberries, beginning with the piano lead “Seeing Someone.” The chords and melody are what’s important here, highlights include “Hey Hey Michelle,” “Get Out,” and “The Beat Goes On.” Not everything is as memorable, but there are no weak songs here and the band’s clean production gives everything that extra polish. This CD shouldn’t be missed, and even though it came out last year (in Sweden) I will include it in my top ten for this year.
My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame | Kool Kat Musik
The Easy Outs “s/t”
East Coast music veteran Bruce Ferguson (Captain Sensible, The Damned) have put together this debut with Bobby Kennedy (guitar), Bernie Branz (drums) and Gage Rowley (bass). The Easy Outs have mined the classic three chord rock sound that lends comparisons to Thin Lizzy, The Buzzocks and The Ramnones. Opening with the gritty “Little Miss Innocent,” it’s perfect rock and roll for a Saturday night. The old school punks throw a welcoming shout to today’s generation in “Emo Boy” along with the screaming guitar riffs. Other tracks use the same forumla with varied degrees of success, but “I Ain’t Got Nothin’” and “I Walk Alone” stand out as the best of the bunch. “Sweet Revenge” has a catchy chorus and great riffs, but the harmonies here are a bit rough. Fans of old school power pop are also sure to dig this album, along with anyone who grew up with Kiss or Joan Jett on your turntable.