Nine Times Blue “Matter Of Time” EP
After a solid debut, Kirk Waldrop and the band continue to forge ahead with melodic rock in the tradition of The Gin Blossoms, Fountains of Wayne and Matthew Sweet – heavy on the guitar licks and earnest on the lyrics.
The band sounds even tighter here, with a more balanced sound than before. “Falling After You” is a pretty mainstream single that non power-pop fans will gravitate to. “Matter of Time” is the collaboration of Waldrop and Cliff Hillis, but my favorite track here is “Only Lonely (The Shovel Song)” where Kirk has a terrific guitar solo under the chorus. Give it a spin.
Bandcamp | Amazon
Tiny Volcano “Tiny Volcano”
This is a blast from the past, around 2003 Tiny Volcano was featured in the Not Lame Catalog, this Washington state band was led by Scott McPherson. Critic Eric Sorensen called the single ” ‘You Wanna Go’ a perfect combination of Beatlesque and jangly pop as I have heard since the Spongetones were recording material in this genre.” Well, now its re-released on Bandcamp and if you missed it years ago here’s your chance to get it.
The album touches on all the genre’s influences from piano pop bounce of “Loaded Gun” lead to the heavier guitar melodic gem “Mary Goes Around.” How cool is it to have a song named “Liam Gallagher” sung in the Oasis style and “Wonderful Sun” done in “Blackbird” finger picking style, just trust me and re-discover this lost gem.
Bandcamp | Amazon