Salim Nourallah “A Nuclear Winter”
For Salim Nourallah, a songwriter and musician from Texas, “A Nuclear Winter” is his first full-length album since 2018. Nourallah worked with British guitarist, songwriter, and producer Marty Willson-Piper (The Church) on his 8th album. Nourallah here capitalizes on his world-weary vocal approach with this doomsday-themed album. Summer may still be here, but winter is coming.
The opener “Hazy Morning Glow” sets the stage, with financial disaster looming in each verse, it goes to a wonderfully catchy chorus “It’s just the way it is, yeah.” The instrumentation is sparse and lets Salim’s expressive vocals and composition do the work. Fans of Mark Oliver Everett (The Eels) will hear similarities in approach. Highlights include “Under Attack,” the mix of jangle and slide guitars on “I Don’t Know,” the Tom Pettyesque “The Sound of Suffering,” and “Invisible Man.” One tune that really resonated with me was “I Can’t Take Another Heartbreak.” Plenty of gems make this highly recommended.
Hurry “Don’t Look Back”
Proof that I often miss great music isn’t a surprise, but Don’t Look Back is the 5th record by Philly band Hurry. Hurry has always been a good jangle band, and lead singer Matt Scottoline’s songs are certainly catchy, and the opener “Didn’t Have To Try” proves this with its effortlessly infectious chorus with harmonies bathed across its guitar lines. Influences here include The Byrds, Teenage Fanclub, The Lemonheads, and The Gin Blossoms. Fans of Scotland’s Dropkick and The Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness will also love this album.
Scottoline’s lyrics and the emotional yearning for a failing relationship are also what makes these songs resonate so well. “Begging For You” and “Parallel Haunting,” as the latter asks “If you’re a ghost, and you’re not here, am I with you?” On “Something More,” Justin Fox’s lead guitar parts often crash through the strummed guitars, adding noise to the mix when the song needs to go epic. In some instances, the band feels constrained by its own limited theme and format. All the songs seem to be a gorgeous bummer, but things take a positive turn with “No Patience” and “The Punchline” with faster tempos and hope for starting something new. No filler here, and without a doubt highly recommended.