The Pearlfishers “Love and Other Hopeless Things”
It’s been five years since their last album, and Glasgow’s magnificent Pearlfishers return with another wonderful album. Lead singer-songwriter David Scott has always mined the rich vein of adult-oriented pop, with influences like Brian Wilson, Burt Bacharach and Laura Nyro. The title track out of the gate is a brilliant example of the rich melody Scott can produce, burnished by strings and brass. The combination of joy and sadness are a reoccurring theme, best heard on “Could Be A Street, Could Be A Saint” with the wistful refrain that “people are beautiful. So beautiful.”
Scott makes his lyrics both inspired and deeply personal. The autobiographical “Once I Lived In London,” starts with a simple acoustic guitar melody as he describes the memories of how he “went busking every day… cold and nervous, closed my eyes and kept believing.” That pastoral track and the wistful “You’ll Miss Her When She’s Gone” reminds me a little of Martin Newell’s recent nostalgia for youth. The charm of a show tune mixed with a little soul makes “You Can Take Me There” another winner. The music is permeated in rich details and each composition is delicately arranged. I vote this album most likely to make you tear up in 2019. Highly recommended.
Sorethumb “Sorethumb Remastered”
Back in the 1980’s Freddy Monday started his music career with a band out on Lindenhurst, Long Island. Sorethumb was a true product of its time, as the opening track “Not Ready For Love” is a “shoulda been” hit mix of Hall and Oats, Billy Joel, and Huey Lewis. The band played legendary bars and clubs all over Long Island and NYC: Oak Beach Inn, Right Track Inn, Kenny’s Castaway’s and The Bitter End to name a few.
Many of the songs are stylistically similar to Billy Joel circa Innocent Man. We also get a live track from Xenon nightclub (“She’s A Teazer”) and “Sentimental Heartache” definitely had hit potential. Unfortunately, the band ran into a streak of bad luck including numerous record deals that fell apart and a major label showcase that quickly descended into a fiasco. Sorethumb never got the fame it deserved, but if you are a fan of the era this is a true hidden treasure. Check it out!
