Chris Church and Strand

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Chris Church

Chris Church “Backwards Compatible”

If you like heavy rock fused with hook-filled melodies, then Chris Church will scratch your rock and roll itch. What makes Church special is the details of the song, as he starts with “Begin Again” and it’s more than the layered guitar fuzz, but the addition of backing harmonies, organ and a ripping solo to the anthem. “Coulda Fooled Me” and “Dumb It Up” are straight-forward rockers, but the hook-filled choruses lifts them above the ordinary. The chunky guitar chords don’t drown out the vocals, much like Chris’s retro influences: Cheap Trick, The Raspberries, Tommy Keene, Billy Squier, and Dokken.

Church also has some top talent in the studio with him, including legendary Bill Lloyd and Lindsay Murray (Gretchen’s Wheel). “Left In The Summer” has a very Def Leppard feel, but adds soaring harmonies behind those guitar licks. “No Letting Go” layers even more guitars, and “Pop Dreams” are all about the days when every kid wanted to be a rock star; “When your best friend is your mirror…” Later on “These Daze” focuses on the darkness in our present times. No filler here, but also no ballads or slower tunes to break things up. That will not bother most listeners, as every song is really good. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik


Strand

Strand “Can’t Trust The Rain”

Niall Toner is a veteran musician of Dublin, Ireland. With new band Strand, he’s joined by guitarist Ger Kiely, guitarist Duncan Maitland (Slumberjet/Pugwash), producer Les Key (bass), drummer Kevin Malone (Van Morrison) and keyboard player Darragh O’Kelly. The sound is a hybrid of Steely Dan meets Teenage Fanclub with a touch of Gram Parsons.

The production work stands out here, right from the start on the smooth “Best Laid Plans,” along with multiple bass riffs and a catchy synth organ melody. “Stole A Train” has lots of nice details from the flourishes of steel pedal to the backing chorus of “chugga-choo-choo.” The jangling gem “No Underground” is an effortlessly beautiful pop composition and the bluesy piano ballad “Country That You Came From” features the subtle vocals of Niall at his best. The distinct influence of Big Star is part of the title song and “Roadkill.” Overall not a note of filler and worth multiple listens. Kool Kat Musik is offering an additional 4 song EP with purchase. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

The Dowling Poole and Tommy Sistak

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Dowling Poole

The Dowling Poole “See You, See Me”

Willie Dowling and Jon Poole are back, and by combining strong production values and the influences of XTC (specifically, Andy Partridge) continue to bring us great music. The album theme is an unrepentant political protest of the Trump-era. Starting with the title track, “See You, See Me,” Willie laments “the dumbing down of a nation in defeat” by weaving multiple themes together. “The Product” has a more techno rhythm and beat, and with “Hope” the influence of Prince is obvious. Technically the band has never been better,  although the melodic hooks are buried a little deeper than I would like.

“Alison’s Going Home” opens a scenario sounding more akin to Jellyfish with a wonderfully inventive composition about an Afghanistan War veteran returning home and taking in “the armchair medicine” on TV. “Made In Heaven” and “Keeping The Stupid Stupid” about the state of our political mess is right on the nose; “don’t let the facts get in the way… and history repeats.” “The Last Train Home” is a lounge-styled lament about a “Never Trumper,” and stating “when his sanity was normalized, we whispered someone should be notified.”  Highly Recommended (unless you are a Trump fan.)

Amazon


Tommy Sistak

Tommy Sistak “Music For Sale”

Tommy Sistak returns with his Beatlesque talents to give us Music For Sale. “Come Find Me” and “Away From You and Me” has that infectious early Merseybeat sound, and it’s a lot of fun. The lead guitars are less prominent here than his last LP Ready Set A Go-Go, while the rattling rhythms and vocal harmonies remain.  The quaint music hall stylings of “A Good Friend” and “Then All The Hearts Were Broken” bring to mind both early solo McCartney and Harry Nilsson.

While derivative, Sistak puts enough of his signature style in it to keep it interesting. Some of the songs also bring to mind The Searchers, like on the standout “With My Imagination.” Tommy plays all the instruments on the LP, with drumming provided by Gerard Pagliuco. On an acoustic version of “Come Find Me” the additional harmonies make this closer to an Everly Brothers single. Fans of this retro-rock style will really enjoy it, so pick it up! It’s music that deserves to be heard.

Amazon | CD Baby | Kool Kat Musik

Freebies and EPs: Liars Club, Batteries Not Included, Vapour Trails, Peter Baldrachi, Richard Turgeon, Mammals, Vista Blue, Sandy McKnight

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We know many artists and labels have been hit especially hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, very possibly including you. Some musicians are offering their very best to you for a “Name-Your-Price” point. Please give generously!

A gift from Jayson Jarmon (Vanilla) who was in this band Liar’s Club from 1989 to 1995. This album has many great songs and the most un-politically correct Christmas song ever.


BNI is Batteries Not Included, a Chicago band that jangles and jams with the best of them. A full album FREEBIE! Best track: “Winning Ticket”


I love the chord shifts on this tune by The Vapour Trails. The harmonies are great too.

I’ve been waiting for some for Peter Balderachi‘s new music. And yes it’s worth the wait! “Change” is what we are all going through now. I vote this as the anthem for these self-quarantined times. All these tunes seriously rock!


Richard Turgeon wrote this single for a documentary about the positive impact of competitive athletics. Inspiring!

This trio from Chicago is called Mammals – fans of The Jam and the Nerves will enjoy this style of power pop. I really liked “In The Darkness”.

Vista Blue has reliably delivered free music for years. “I think Cathy is Crazy (About You)” is a keeper here.

Sandy McKnight is a veteran NYC indie rocker in the vein of Elvis Costello, and he’s got Fernando Perdomo helping! “Facing the End of the World” is the lead song and another contender for the Covid-19 theme of the month! Music that deserves to be heard! Get it on Amazon

The Overtures and Travel Lanes

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The Overtures

The Overtures “Onceinaworld”

Move over Weeklings, you’ve got some competition.  The Overtures are the UK’s finest Sixties tribute act, performing for the likes of Sir Paul McCartney and Elton John at their private parties. With this debut, they put themselves on that map as more than a cover band in a big way. British invasion and Beatles influences are front and center here, but the songwriting and musicianship are what carry the day.

Starting with “Till Your Luck Runs Out” it’s got a chorus that sticks to your brain fast, full of Rickenbacker jangle and precision similar to The Spongetones. The title track is just as good, and they don’t stand still stylistically either. The “Don’t Wait Too Long” is a top-notch ballad and “Watching The Grass Grow” reminded me of the Idle Race a bit. Then “Find Out What You Mean to Me” has a wicked skiffle beat and a deadly hook. Every track hits the mark and this easily makes my top ten for 2020 list. Super Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik


Travel Lanes

Travel Lanes “On”

Philly band Travel Lanes is back, and it’s a lot of fun. Lead singer/songwriter Frank Brown has a wonderful sense of melody and style in all his music.  You’ll hear Rockpile (a la Dave Edmunds,) Tom Petty, and Elvis Costello as major influences here. Vocally he sounds a lot like Dan Isreal and at the starting point “True and Tried” is pretty inventive with unexpected key changes and layered guitar riffs.

Next, the honky-tonk “Answer My Prayers” has catchy pedal steel, and it sticks to your head fast. “Mr. Lux” is another fast-paced crowd-pleaser, then it settles into a comfortable “Routine,” with some odd synth breaks in that song. I found that the country slanted rockers like “Lover’s Lane” resonated with me a little more. With only eight songs it’s a short album however, the songs are high quality. Even the finale “Can’t Lose” is pretty compelling. No filler and highly recommended.

Amazon

Disq and An XTC Celebration

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Disq

Disq “Collector”

Disq is a fresh Wisconsin band started by middle school classmates Raina Bock and Isaac DeBroux-Slone. Now at 19 they recently expanded the band to a five-piece band and from the album’s beginning, it makes a great impression. “Daily Routine” is a very relatable look at modern drudgery as Issac sings “This is my daily routine. Spend my hours on a computer screen…” I love the video too, which borrows the appearance of old The Monkees TV show. The duo has a great knack for hooks and layered melodies reminiscent of Pavement, Weezer and Teenage Fanclub.

The earnest “D19” is a love song about a microphone (and not a metaphor for anything else). “Loneliness” is a great tune that builds to its defiant strummed chorus mourning a lost relationship,  and “Gentle” is very much in the Weezer style, with a crunchy layer of fuzz guitar between verses. The tone shifts from the acoustic “Trash,” then it goes into the riff-heavy garage tongue-in-cheek nihilism of “I Wanna Die.” Each song is carefully constructed to fuse all of the band’s influences to a single distinct sound, so no filler here. Yeah, power pop is not dead to this new generation of kids. Highly recommended.

Amazon


The Overtures

Assorted Artists “Garden of Earthly Delights – An XTC Celebration”

This is not the first artist tribute to XTC, that honor goes to 1995’s Testimonial Dinner.  But Futureman Records new tribute is much larger (49 tracks!) and a more comprehensive selection from the entire career of this well-loved band.  I really like it when an artist puts their own spin on Partridge and Moulding’s songs;  a few good examples include The Shellye Valauskas Experience “Wonderland,” Chris Price’s acoustic “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead,” and Michael Simmons “Wrapped in Grey.”

With so many tracks here it can be hit or miss at times, but these talented artists with strong pop sensibilities can’t do much better than to cover some of XTC’s songs. Overall an impressive collection and downloads benefit The Wild Honey Foundation.

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