David Brookings and the Average Lookings “Scorpio Monologue”
David Brookings took the slow road to power pop stardom. His eighth album shows how much he’s grown as an artist. Scorpio Monologue goes further with both melody and musicianship compared to his past work. He also experiments with a variety of styles; power pop, rock, folk, and even Bossa nova.
The jangling rhythm anchors the opening progressions of “And It Feel Like.” The song carries a maturity with its solid chorus and shredding guitar solo. But the seriousness eases with the catchy “I Grow Up Fast,” a breezy autobiographical strummer where “the future catches up with the past.” The buzzing power ballad “Time Takes You By” makes the mood with relatable and hopeful lyrics. Brookings also has a good sense of fun with the folky “Silicon Valley” describing the area like a goofy travelogue of Northern California, ending with the choral hymn “Steve Jobs!” The band lets its Chuck Berry flag fly next on “She’s Mad At Me Again,” and it’s simply infectious. Its also takes guts to cover one of the most covered songs ever, but David makes Badfinger’s “Without You” work just fine. Overall not a single weak track, and easily a candidate for my top 10 of 2019 list. Super Highly Recommended.
The Lund Brothers “Loser” 1993-97′ – Remasters and Rarities”
Chris and Sean Lund, aka “The Lund Bros” occupy a unique place in the annals of power pop. In 1995 they were bankrolled by Geffen Records to produce six tracks, but ultimately they were rejected for sounding “too much like the Beatles.” While objectively the band’s music fits more between bands like Extreme or Zebra, what the hell is wrong with The Beatles? The virtuoso guitar shredding skills and multi-track choruses are simply great. The duo continues to produce material, and perform around Washington state.
The demo tracks used these recordings as a basis for their first full-length record, the self-titled “Loser” released in 1998. Chris Lund’s Demon Studios have remastered all these tracks, including songs that were never released! Favorite tracks: In My Hands, Invisible Man, Told You So, Such A Ride and You Know. Highly Recommended.
