Scott Gagner “Reverse”
Scott Gagner’s dream of recording at the home of The Beatles came true. Reverse was made at Abbey Road, Studio 2 using the same microphone that John used to record “A Day in the Life.” The euphoric emotions come through in the opener “Friend Like You.” The bouncy pop of “My Glasses” is an early highlight here. A reasonable reaction to the chaos of a polarized society by “putting my headphones on” and tuning out the world. But the shining gem here is “Never Could See Any Other Way,” a slow, gentle Beatlesque tune with a catchy, ascending hook in the chorus, gorgeous horns, and Nick Frater on bass. The tribute “Christine McVie” pulls out several musical cues from the Fleetwood Mac songbook, but now I just want to hear “Hold Me.”
I really wanted to love this album, but it’s just too inconsistent. “There Was A House Here” uses laser synths, and he menacingly recites lyrics meant for a cheesy horror film or the next episode of Stranger Things. The slowly depressing “Jesus in Reverse,” “For Granted,” and “Her Idea” bring the mood down too. Another bright spot, “Footprints,” is a beautiful, jangling tribute to his daughter growing up. Overall, this is a good album that deserves to be heard.
The Flashcubes “Pop Masters”
The legendary Flashcubes formed in 1977 in Syracuse, New York, with Paul Armstrong and Arty Lenin on guitars, Gary Frenay on bass, and Tommy Allen on drums. The Flashcubes only put out two singles during their initial run of albums from 1977 to 1980, “Christi Girl” and “Wait Til Next Week,” both of which are now considered guitar pop masterpieces. And who better to judge great power pop? The band has been teaming up with other power pop legends to play their favorite covers. Legends like Pezband, Shoes, Pilot, The Spongetones, etc. lend both music and production help, but this is a veteran ‘Cubes band that cranks the amps up on their versions.
The band’s style is glossy and densely produced. The best collaborations are where the band and the original artist find a groove together on the song, This works best with “Baby It’s Cold Outside” with Mimi Betinis (Pezband) “Get Up and Go” with Dave Paton (Pilot) and “Get The Message” with Randy Klaxon (Cyrus Erie). Not every song fits the Flashcubes treatment, as “Come Out and Play” misses the youthful exuberance of the original. The other covers are wonderfully done, Twilley’s “Alone In My Room” and The Posies “Flavor of The Month” were standouts to me. This band still has the chops, and I expect some new originals to come soon! Highly Recommended.
