Caper Clowns “A Salty Taste To The Lake”
Caper Clowns are a band from Ferritslev, Denmark, and their sunny debut The Buca Bus came out in 2016. The band is Rick Kingo, Peter Højgaard, Christian Højgaard, Henrik Krogh and Søren Daugaard Jensen. Rick, Peter, and Henrik play multiple instruments, and the songwriting is spread out amongst everyone. The group doesn’t suffer from the sophomore slump and has been firing on all cylinders. In addition, the band has played at the IPO Festival in Liverpool at the Cavern Club these past 2 years.
The opener “The Way I Dream” is a wonderfully catchy composition, with its bouncy rhythm it sets the stage nicely. In contrast, “Lifeline” adds some darker guitar riffs but the chords change to sunshine by the end of the harmony-filled chorus. The Caper Clowns biggest strength is its diverse sound akin to The Wellingtons or Roger Joseph Manning Jr. The light acoustic guitar of “Kissing Daylight” is a winner, as well as the Squeeze-like magic of “Pretty & Underwear.” The album is both unpredictable and refreshing without a single filler track. Overall a great album that gets a top ten best nomination for 2018.
The Persian Leaps “Pop That Goes Crunch!”
The Persian Leaps from Saint Paul, Minnesota has released this massive 18-song anthology presenting their best work over the years, remastered and remixed. The songs are full of blistering riffs and jangle-pop harmonies, selected by lead vocalist Drew Forsberg and producer Neil Weir. If you are unfamiliar, it will totally appeal to fans of Guided by Voices, The Smiths and Teenage Fanclub.
My favorites here include the very GBV-styled “Fire Starter” and “Picture My Reaction.” The catchy fuzz-guitar dominates most songs, and at times the tracks seem to blend together – but there is enough distinction on several standouts like “About The Lions,” and “Truth=Consequences.” The brand-new track “Time Slips” is a nostalgic song that Forsberg wrote in memory of his grandparents. Overall an excellent compilation that is highly recommended.
