The Autumn Defense “Once Around”
The Autumn Defense, led by Wilco member John Stirratt and joined by Pat Sansone have embraced the 70’s West Coast sound with a gusto that makes the opener “Back Of My Mind” a stunning and unforgettable single. This is manna for fans of Bread and The Eagles at their mellow finest. The production and musicianship here is flawless, and the songwriting is lovingly ernest on the title track and the up-tempo “Swallows of London Town.” Echoes of early Fleetwood Mac and Neil Young are visible in most of these tracks, but nothing comes close to that dynamic first single.
Bleu “Four”
Bleu returns after last year’s “Watched Pot” to this self funded fourth album. “Four” does not disappoint in that it hits many highs starting with the catchy “Singin’ In Tongues,” the man is in his element. The anthemic “B.O.S.T.O.N.” is a loving tribute to his favorite college town, and “How Blue” is a beautiful LEO ballad that demands repeat listens. It feels like Bleu crammed everything he wanted to do here and every track has a compelling melody. The cherry on top is the Roger Manning Jr. collaboration “Everything Is Fine” making this my favorite “missed” classic of 2010.
The Silver Seas “Chateau Revenge!”
Along with Autumn Defense, The Silver Seas also knows how to mine the 70’s mellow rock style. But the band doesn’t have a slavish devotion to one aspect of the era’s sound and spreads it around. Lead vocalist Daniel Tashian’s soothing croon on “Another Bad Night’s Sleep” dovetails into “Jane” perfectly here. “What’s the Drawback?” is a note perfect companion to ELO’s “Evil Woman” (it even mentions the band). “Candy” sounds like a Beach Boys track off of “Sunflower.” You’ll hear echos of many bands here (Chicago, Seals and Crofts, Steely Dan, etc.) and yes it could be considered one of the year’s best.
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