Category: EP reviews

September Singles, Freebies, and Eps: The Orion Experience, Danny Wilkerson, Canadian Invasion, Geoff Palmer, Bill DeMain, Rooftop Screamers, and more

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It’s the World Premiere of The Orion Experience‘s new single “Moving” is a loving tribute to the 80’s legend Kate Bush. A favorite artist of lead singers Orion Simprini and Linda  XO, they do a killer version with sharp riffs and harmonies. More will be coming, but for now, check out last year’s rich tapestry of danceable pop Fever Dream EP.

Danny Wilkerson (Pengwins) comes up with a sweet love tune “Strawberry Sherry,” and a new album isn’t far behind. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard from the underrated Philly band Canadian Invasion, the new EP features re-mastered tracks from Songs for the Atco Ghost (2006) – it’s a FREEBIE, so pick it up. And Geoff Palmer is back with a tribute to the great Dee Dee Ramone by Standing in the Spotlight. Highlights include “Brooklyn Babe,” “Baby Doll”, and “Emergency” which are just a few gems off this fun EP.  Missing summer yet? This FREEBIE and massive treasure trove from Ice Cream Man Power Pop, Indian Summer is a perfect gift. Plus a few more singles for you; Bill DeMain sings about the “Lone Ranger” with swooning strings akin to Jeff Lynne. Finally, the Rooftop Screamers get the great Tim Smith (Jellyfish, The Lickerish Quartet) to sing about “The Great Unknown.”






EP Reviews: Late Cambrian, Michael Simmons, The Glad Machine, Mom, Los Andes, The Legal Matters

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Lately, there has been so much good music in my inbox that I simply can’t put both singles and EPs together in a single post so…. here are my favorite EPs for September.

Late Cambrian have always been a unique blend of pop, dance, and experimental rock without sounding artificial. Future Snacks starts with the synth-blended “The Last Wave,” but comes up with a plenty of compelling melodies, like the bouncy “Its Always Something” and multi-tracked harmonies of “Sydney Sweeney.”

Michael Simmons, the super talent behind Sparkle*Jets U.K. has a lot on his plate. He has a massive group of covers called Singing In My Heart, but even better is his musical versions of rare Dutch power pop band Darryl-Ann’s singles. Each track of Happy Traum is a winner. Pure magic, so don’t miss it.

The Glad Machine goes full throttle on power pop, and fans of The Posies, Jellyfish, and Velvet Crush will appreciate the catchy “San Francisco” and the looser guitar on “Baby It’s You.” Not a bad track here, swirling guitar riffs of “Virginia” rule the day. One of the best EPs of the year among a crop of treasures.

UK-based Mom has been pumping out catchy 70’s inspired guitar nuggets every few months, and fans of The Ramones, The Cars, and The Rubinoos will dig this one. Highlight here is “To The Beat” and “Now Until Forever.”

Buenos Aires-based Los Andes has the formula down, and “Julie” featuring Xoel Lopez will hook you even if you don’t “hablar español”. The band also pulls the talents of legendary musicians Lukah Boo, Star Trip, and Hank Idory. No filler and gorgeous musicianship that proves power pop is much loved beyond the borders of the USA. Bravo!

Your token FREEBIE, The Legal Matters give you a Trapper Keeper stuffed with beautiful covers of their favorite tunes. Big Star’s “When My Baby’s Beside Me” and Teenage Fanclub’s “Don’t Look Back” are my faves here.

Late August singles, freebies, and EPs: Kurt Baker, Los Imposibles, The Jangles, Myles Josephh, The Black Watch, Dave Scarbrough, Late Cambrian

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Summer is almost gone, but the great music keeps accumulating. The great Kurt Baker is on “Electric Fire” as he rocks away on this newest single and says you “need a little rock and roll in the soul.” Spanish band Los Imposibles delivers a blistering Beatlesque rocker “Todo Al Revés” (translated “All Upside Down”) and just enough of a retro shine, but if you’d like something a little simpler, The Jangles are just as catchy, emulating classic Everly Brothers, Jan & Dean, or The Monkees (check out “The Letter”) and it’s a FREEBIE! Myles Josephh is a frequent collaborator with Kai Danzberg, and here we have his sweet debut EP loaded with epic melodies. A band that I’ve long neglected but shouldn’t is The Black Watch, and lead singer John Andrew Fredrick has been a crack songwriter for years. I love the rich sound of his newest EP. Hopefully, you heard the top-ten sounds of Dave Scarbrough‘s debut — well he had a few more songs hidden away on the “Happy Ever Extras” EP. The featured video is Late Cambrian with an early pop tune “It’s Always Something” from their upcoming album “Future Snacks” – Tasty!






Late-July EPs and more: Sloan, Richard Turgeon, Kurt Baker, Sunshine Boys, Geoff Palmer, The Happy Somethings

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Celebrating the fact that Sloan has a new album due out in October, we get the single “Spend The Day” to whet our appetites. What a prolific band, and speaking of prolific, Richard Turgeon has a sweet new EP Rough Around The Edges, check out the riffage on “I Never Loved You,” a classic power pop-sounding gem. The dense grunge-like rhythms are in contrast to the crisp re-released and remastered Kurt Baker solo Brand New Beat. This is without a doubt my favorite of his albums, and every song is top shelf, plus a boat-load of extra tracks (a total of 26) – so worth it.

Sad to say, but The Sunshine Boys are calling it quits, the trio leaves us with a pair of great tunes, both “Underwater” and “The Beginning.” If you want more buzz in your riffs, Geoff Palmer (The Connection) fits your needs perfectly. The FREEBIE this time is the lovely unpolished harmonies of The Happy Somethings from the UK. Great jangling happy melodies, full of irony guaranteed to brighten your day.





Mid July singles, freebies, and more: Johnathan Pushkar, Wesley David, Neal Mehta, Fernando Perdomo, Vitsa Blue, The Amplifier Heads

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Nashville singer-songwriter Johnathan Pushkar was inspired by the new Thor movie to make a song about everyone’s favorite Asgardian hero. While it doesn’t mesh well with the Guns N’ Roses music the movie used, it’s a pretty cool song on its own (and who doesn’t love Legos?) Old Town Crier does a damn good job with its new EP “You,”especially that guitar break in the title track. Also, check out “Coal River Mountain.” Wesley David is a recent discovery, and count me impressed with his songwriting ability – check out “I’ll Be Damned!” Another potential star Neal Mehta has a rich harmony and dense instrumentation on “Lonely Cloud.” Guitarist extraordinaire Fernando Perdomo has “greatest hits” of sorts with Jangle, and if you aren’t familiar with him — this is a perfect primer. Everything here is great, I love “Girl With A Record Collection” and “This Can Be You.” If you want a dose of Ramones-like rock, then you can’t do better than Vista Blue. Stay Gold is a FREEBIE made for blasting out the car stereo with the windows down on “Friday Night.” Finally, Sal Baglio of The Amplifier Heads wrote the single “Space Cadette” for the Nashville show They Came To Rock. Woo! Enjoy the summer!