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!
Category: free downloads
Late-July EPs and more: Sloan, Richard Turgeon, Kurt Baker, Sunshine Boys, Geoff Palmer, The Happy Somethings
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
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!
July Singles, EPs and Freebies: Any Version of Me, Dana Countryman, Eric Barao, Anatomy Class, The Valery Trails, Supercrush, Ryan Hamilton
July is here and the AC is on full blast. This is why I like to check on new music from old friends. French artist Any Version of Me does his best Brian Wilson tribute with “Away,” perfect for the beach. If you’d like classic pop greatness, you have the talented Dana Countryman offering up a FREEBIE that you can’t miss; made of assorted selections from his catalog, and “Summer Sand” is another sweet Beach Boys-styled gem. It’s been a long time, but Eric Barao has a delicate ballad that just tugs at your heart; “Whoever You Are.” Aussie rockers Anatomy Class impressed me with its anthemic rich melody, fans of Lemonheads, Swervedriver, and Pixies will adore “Expo 88,” and another band from down under The Valery Trails celebrates the summer with “Jaisalmer,” a bouncy rocker stocked with guitars and horns. Seattle’s Supercrush seriously reminds me of Superdrag and other late 90’s power pop on its perfect EP Melody Maker. and finally, Ryan Hamilton is back and he tells you to write your troubles down, then fold your worries into “Paper Planes.” Hope it flies far!
Even More June EPs and Singles: Walcot, Timmy Sean, Brian Jay Cline, Geoff Palmer, Mom, Ex-Norwegian, Big Star
While the band Walcot was formed in Chicago, they moved to Charlotte, NC. and released their debut Songs For the Disenfranchised. The catchy single “Dreamin’ Away” is joined by some equally good songs; “Another Man,” and the laid-back gem “It Feels Alright.” The songs are so skillfully done, I expect great things in the future for them. With the legend Paul McCartney hitting age 80 this month, our friend Timmy Sean covers the Wings classic faithfully. While it shares the same title as a Bond movie, Western rocker Brian Jay Cline always comes up with something uniquely good, and here it is with “Never Say Never.” Geoff Palmer (The Connection) dusted off his 2010 debut album, originally under the name “Geoff Useless” – fans will enjoy this one! The Brits known simply as Mom released a pair of singles, and I really like “Scary Mary,” and it’s a FREEBIE. Enjoy the tunes!
REISSUES OF THE MONTH
The debut album of Ex-Norwegian was re-mastered and re-released. If you missed my review, it was posted on Virgin.com before it was rudely deleted. But take my word for it… “a terrific album that delivers superior melodies along with adventurous arrangements,” check out “Something Unreal” to get a taste of this classic.
Did you know that Big Star is now on Bandcamp? Know your musical history, bro. This is one of the most influential rock bands ever and of course a seminal power-pop band.