The Lunar Laugh “Nighthawks!”
Oklahoma duo Connon Anderson and Jared Lekites are The Lunar Laugh and they offer up a live concert album with a pair of studio tracks on Nighthawks! The band tends to cover the musical spectrum from power-pop to folk-rock, and country. Opening with the studio tracks “I Wanna Know” and the spawling “It’s Okay,” it showcases their smart melodies and stylistic range (especially on the latter.) From here the live concert begins. Starting with “On The Road” it’s an excellent song with palatable energy that draws the audience to clap along.
The solid performances of “Winsome” and “Living A Lie” soon expand to other tracks, like bass player Campbell Young’s “Alive,” Neil Diamond’s “Solitary Man,” and Death Cab For Cutie’s “Soul Meets Body.” While these are well received, they don’t fit the band’s identity as well as a “Mama’s Boy” and “Old New Kid In Town.” With 18 songs it would’ve been a little better to get a few more studio tracks instead of covers, but nevertheless, this album is a pleasant diversion and deserves to be heard.
Dana Countryman “Pop Scrapbook”
Once again the prolific Dana Countryman is back. The unapologetic “One-man Brill Building” delivers a knockout pop punch where his meticulous production details enhance everything he does. The terrific “Mrs. Sunshine” is a collaboration with Klaatu’s Terry Draper and Scott McPherson. It sounds like a lost track from classic ’70s Klaatu mixed with ELO and Queen; it’s simply great (we need a whole album of this!) But Dana is never stuck to a single style or genre, and the classic hook of “My Little Caroline” follows in the Neil Sedaka tradition.
The breezy light jazz-pop of “City Life” and the bossa nova “Sunday Comes Along” is an idyllic slice-of-life guaranteed to lighten your mood. Dana also isn’t afraid to take chances, as the mini-musical “Record Store Employees” is a medley of melodies all dedicated to crappy customer service. It’s another winner here, and “Brand New Feeling” is a country ditty with a really nasal vocal. The shmaltz level remains high on the other songs, but nothing here is cringe-worthy (although “Butterflies” comes close). So if you love retro pop get this – it’s highly recommended.
