Sunshine Boys and Bill Lloyd

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Sunshine Boys

Sunshine Boys “Work and Love”

Call it kismet or synchronicity, but the sweet combination of veteran Chicago musicians Freda Love Smith (Blake Babies, Mysteries of Life), Dag Juhlin (Poi Dog Pondering, The Slugs), and Jacqueline Schimmel (Big Hello, Justin Roberts) are tighter than ever and they have continued to develop as a band. The second full-length LP finds them with a more consistent and established style.

“I Was Already Gone” is a brilliant opener with the catchy hand-clapping chorus, and the jangling followup “Infinity Girl” is like REM meets Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices). Next, “Summertime Kids” and “The World Turning Around” have an infectious positive vibe that runs throughout the album, and the hooks are still prominent. Eventually, the songs become more introspective, like “No Showdown.” The insightful “Every Step” has Dag singing about coming to terms with his grown-up, moved out daughter, with its violins and acoustic guitar rhythms. Similarly, “Right Where You Need It” speaks to keeping things precious close to heart. The warmth of these songs continues, without any filler and it deserves multiple plays this summer. Highly Recommended.

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Bill Lloyd

Bill Lloyd “Don’t Kill the Messenger”

Bill Lloyd is a treasure with talent that doesn’t quit. Many artists have done “quarantined” albums recently, but Lloyd’s “Don’t Kill The Messenger” hits home with the facts we live in today, and “there’s nowhere safe inside a troubled mind.” This catchy title track is followed by “Undone,” a rocker with perceptive lyrics about “burning bridges” and a crunchy guitar solo.

“Etch-A-Sketch” takes an 80s new wave approach, with a simple percussion and angular guitar flourishes. Another highlight here is “The Girls of Sylvan Park” which is a jangling gem about mid-life dating. Another big highlight is “You Got Me,” a boogie guitar tune that’s pure passion about traditional rock & roll, like a lost Rockpile track. “Sorry, I Gotta Take This” is another great track that recalls Nick Lowe. “Baby’s In The Mood” and “I’ll Take It From Here” are workman-like efforts that are less memorable, however, there are no duds here and this album is still highly recommended.

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The Corner Laughers and Willie Nile

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The Corner Laughers

The Corner Laughers “Temescal Telegraph”

California’s tightest pop combo The Corner Laughers are like fresh lemonade on a summer day; cool and refreshing. The band is made up of veteran talent; Karla Kane (vocals/ukulele), Khoi Huynh (guitar/bass/vocals), Charlie Crabtree (drums), and KC Bowman (guitar/bass/piano.)

The music is a meticulously crafted mix of sunshine folk and power pop, “The Calculating Boy” starts as a character study, similar to XTC in its layered catchy structure and jangling rhythm.  Karla’s vocals lead the melody, but the remaining instrumentation holds it all together. The sing-along gem “Changeling” has a swaying beat and boasts a great guitar solo (it’s my favorite here). “The Accepted Time” is more serious, with hooks in verses about accepting life in the present. A few tracks are from Karla’s last solo album, but now given the full band treatment; best exemplified by “Sisters Of The Pollen” with those harmonic hums and buzzes. We don’t get some serious guitar buzz until the floral “Lord Richard” which plays like a rock madrigal. No filler here, as each song is accessible and deserves many listens. Highly Recommended.

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Willie Nile

Willie Nile “New York At Night”

There are so many musicians that define themselves as New York City bred, but Willie Nile owns that definition. He’s written and recorded many albums about NYC and its denizens, and his love for the place always comes through in each song. The theme “New York Is Rockin'” opens the album like a passionate response to Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” It mentions all the boroughs, sports teams, and local heroes (The Ramones). It will get even jaded city dwellers singing along.

The blues-rock guitar and Nile’s raspy vocal work to great effect on “The Backstreet Slide” as he channels both Bo Diddley and Lou Reed. “Doors of Paradise” slow synth rhythm is both calming and catchy as Nile mentions that those doors “swing both ways.” The title track is another effective rocker and “Surrender The Moon” keeps the monologue of nighttime life in NYC going strong. Nile’s ballads are stylistically comparable to Bruce Springsteen, “Under This Roof” being a standout. A solid effort and highly recommended.

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FOW Tribute and Singles: Ken Sharp, Vegas With Randolph, Hank Idory, François Premiers

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Can’t Shake That Tune: A Tribute to Fountains of Wayne

It’s still hard for me to believe that Adam Schlesinger is gone. As expected, numerous artists have done tributes, including the remaining members of Fountains of Wayne. Now we have a great new collection of covers from Radiant Radish Records. Some artists play the songs faithfully, like American Wood’s “Denise” while others vary the style, like Jonathan Pushkar’s acoustic version of  “Stacy’s Mom.” It’s FREE to download – don’t miss it.


SINGLES

Ken Sharp does a modern power-pop arrangement to The Who classic “The Kids Are Alright.” It’s pretty cool, and if you like that version you should visit the Poprock Record blog to hear a large section artists’ playing this song.

Do you enjoy a friend with benefits? Vegas With Randolph delivers a kick-ass single about living N.S.A. (No Strings Attached) – the band really packs this song with sonic details and it’s a catchy theme!
From Valencia, Spain the talented Hank Idory returns with this bright and sunny single in Spanish which means “For The First Time.” In any language melodic power pop is easy to recognize. Bueno música!

From Le Havre, France we have this melodic rock band with heavy leanings. François Premiers are a little power pop with a touch of prog rock. Plus a cool cover of “Don’t Put Me On” by The Flamin’ Groovies.

Coke Belda and Andrew Gold

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Coke Belda

Coke Belda “4”

Coke Belda certainly wears his love of McCartney on his sleeve. Opening with an unapologetic fanboy love note on “Thank you, Paul,” you can have a fun time counting how many Macca songs are mentioned by name. But this doesn’t take away from the fact that Coke writes catchy melodies that just stick. “Another Day” is a gem that adds a little ELO to the mix with its deep chords about avoiding internet trolls. The short “Believe” is a bouncy acoustic ballad, and the rich production and vocal harmonies take center stage on the mid-tempo standout “6×8 Basement.”

Belda varies his style enough on the impressive Hollies-like “Just A Dream,” and the hippie folk tune “1968.” So far this album is really good, but on “Harlan, Kentucky” Belda takes it up a notch. The catchy verses build on each other, the riffs are infectious and by the middle eight it’s transcendent. At another time, this would be a huge hit song. He also indulges with a syrupy six-minute love song on “Watching You,” which eventually builds to a flowing guitar solo. Simply no filler here, and it makes my top 10 list this year for sure. Super highly recommended.

Kool Kat Musik

Andrew Gold

Andrew Gold “Something New: Unreleased Gold”

Andrew Gold was best known for hits “Lonely Boy,” and Golden Girls theme song “Thank You For Being A Friend.” He was a great songwriter and helped rocket Linda Ronstadt to fame. His genius was often overlooked, and he passed away in 2011. But his widow Leslie Kogan discovered a collection of demos Gold recorded in 1973. These songs would ultimately land him a deal with Asylum Records who would release his first album in the fall of 1975. Thanks to Omnivore Recordings, it’s seeing the light of day.

The potential hit here “Something New” was eventually given to Playboy model Barbi Benton in 1976, but Andrew’s version is fresher with less studio gloss. Additional “finished” songs include the country-pop of “Prisoner” and “Resting in Your Love.” These are not typical Gold, but very enjoyable. The remain tracks are all solo demos and not everything here sticks. Highlights include the fine melodies of “Come Down To Me,”  “The World Tomorrow Brings,” and “Don’t Bring Me Down.” Despite the fact that these songs are underdeveloped, they all hold potential. This collection will mainly appeal to Gold fans. Others should start with Essential Gold.

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