Emperor Penguin “Sunday Carvery”
While London band Emperor Penguin’s sound is rooted in late ‘60s UK psych and ‘90s Britpop, they’ve updated the music closer to what 21st-century audiences expect. Starting with the heavy fuzz emo and beats of “Desdemona” it then settles into the catchy “Sputnik Sweetheart,” a love song about a Russian space satellite. The brilliant narrative of “You Don’t Know What You’re Missing” is like a joyous mix of XTC and Smash Mouth, about a dysfunctional marriage. “Motorway” is a jaunty tune with happy Sgt. Peppers horns following our hero down a British highway. And the “Queen of Power Pop” Lisa Mychols joins the boys for the duet “Let Me Take You On Holiday,” continuing the positive vibes.
The stylistic diversity of songs and subject matter prevents any predictability. “Fran Times a Zillion” is a unique “sports team chant” for New York photographer Fran Lebowitz (?) and you take it all in. And not a note of filler here, and these are all songs where details emerge on multiple listens. The richness of the experience makes this one both highly recommended and a check box for my top ten list of 2022.
Shake Some Action “Wide Awake”
James Hall is back with the addition of Corey Knafelz on drums, keys, and guitar on a new Shake Some Action LP, and just in time for the warmer weather. Wide Awake is neo-psych-pop at its finest, with a wicked jangle and the right amount of echoing reverb, mixing influences from the late ’60s through the ’90s into something very appealing. “Paint You A Picture” is the expansive opener, meant to be cranked up with the car windows down. The title track has Hall’s harmonic chorus drifting across the dense rhythms, as with the steady follow-up “Crash Through Or Crash.”
Hall successfully constructs these songs with ringing Rickenbackers but takes great care not to repeat himself. “Night Train to Munich” can resemble The Ocean Blue, and “Don’t Take It Out On Me” warps the guitar sound almost like U2. Add to this no filler, and the variety helps make this one of my favorite SSA albums. Added faves here include “Angel of Night” and “Overboard.” Highly Recommended.
