Iain Hornal “Fly Away Home”
Iain Hornal, best known as a touring member of 10cc and Jeff Lynne’s ELO impressed me with an excellent debut, and 4 years later (and a lack of a tour for 2020) we have a follow-up. I have to say, when you play for the best rock pop bands some of that greatness will rub off, and fans will love the opener “Wake Me Up, Drop Me Out.” It first brings to mind classic Graham Gouldman, but entirely original; a solid melody with soothing slide guitar accents.
The swaying follow-up “Fly Away Home” is an uplifting tune that seems a perfect theme for a long plane trip. The melancholy ballad “How Much It Means” is a deeply emotional look back to a loved one’s passing. “Try A Little Love” is another winner, similar to Andrew Gold, the chorus bursts out with layered harmonies and hooks you immediately. Iain’s adult pop smartly touches a variety of styles, so it never gets predictable. However best songs are loaded in the first half, and a few songs get overly sentimental (“I Can’t Tell You”), but melodically it’s always on point. Ends with the understated acoustic charm of “Drop This Song.” Overall, this is a highly recommended gem.
Bhopal’s Flowers “ALSTROEMERIA: A Journey On Earth & Beyond”
Bhopal’s Flowers is a new psyche-pop band and Alstroemeria is a psychedelic & conceptual record, mapping a 24 hours cycle, in which each song is linked to a specific time of the day/night. If you loved the Beatles’ “Love You To” then this is the album’s starting point. It opens with the fantastic “Enjoy Your Life On Earth,” a collection of Sitar rhythms and layered melody lines. “Napoleon Candy Sweet” adds handclaps and a hook-filled riff, try to imagine Kula Shaker with more of a power-pop sound.
This exclusive release from Kool Kat Musik recalls the 1960s psychedelia but not overtly so, and the trippy hippy elements don’t bury the melodies. The sitars have a hypnotic quality and the band’s style shifts enough to keep you engaged, like “Tomorrow’s Heroes” adds plenty of hooks to all that jangling guitar. This is a long player with 16 tracks, and while the sunshine is one half, the darker themes come out on the second half. Plenty of standouts here too, with “What About You” and the slinky “A Night At The Devachan.” High-quality arrangements are everywhere, and it ends with a cover of Cream’s “I Feel Free.” A MAJOR trip and Highly Recommended.