The Dashing Suns “Really Like You”
The summer wouldn’t be complete without a band full of swaggering garage pop that makes the best use of indie lo-fi esthetic and power pop catchiness. Oakland based Dashing Suns take inspirations from many places, but the sound is a nice combination of The Buzzocks, Weezer and Apples In Stereo. The single “Sally Moore” will get your attention, full of lead jangle, blasting bass line and fast paced rhythm. But this is just the opener and the Kinksian “What I Want” is another great song, where the lead croons about a crush on the local slut, who treats him like crap. My favorite composition has to be “Future Thunder” which combines T.Rex and the Elephant Six with a massive guitar attack in the chorus between light campfire acoustic strums. “Shot Down” is a great piece of punk pop and “My Best Friend” is a perfect theme music for a”bromance.” The remaining tracks stay true to the indie pop energy that was on their debut EP. This album is a leap forward in growth without losing their soul, and making everything here even more infectious. This album is almost a guaranteed party starter.
Billy Goodrum “Weightless”
This album is a culmination of songs written by musician Billy Goodrum over an extended period, where he has primarily written for the feature films of the Farrelly Brothers. Goodrum’s originals are blessed with excellent compostion and stellar production. Starting with “I’ll Stay With You” the guitar melody shimmers and the album’s theme of love and romance rings true. “Hold On” is another sweet pop melody with a sticky chorus. Much of the lyrics aren’t that revelatory and pretty straightforward, like on the Elenor Rigby-like “Finished” where he states “a single man is incomplete, but a married man is finished.” Like Seth Swirsky, this is a gentle pop that is a very pleasant addition to your easy listening collection. Other standouts are “Everlasting” and “Nerve Up” which is the most punchy pop track on the album. Both “We Should Always Be Together” from Kingpin and “The Way” from Something About Mary are included as bonus tracks. Overall, very enjoyable.