Bird Streets and Lane Steinberg

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Bird Streets

Bird Streets “Bird Streets”

It’s been a long journey for New York songwriter John Brodeur. Since his 2000 debut Tiger Pop, he’s been collaborating, writing and performing for nearly two decades, and through it all maturing as a musician. John’s new project is called Bird Streets, and its a collaboration with the producer and multi-instrumentalist Jason Falkner (Jellyfish) that delivers satisfying results. Falkner has notably has brought out the best in his recent partnerships (R. Stevie Moore, Bent Von Looy) and this continues the trend.

The familiar, but fresh opener “Carry On” has got handclaps and guitar hooks, embracing the best of power pop with its layered melody. Falkner’s influence is really strong on the brilliant single “Betting on the Sun” as it mixes a jangling rhythm with its shimmering light chorus and dark lyric. “Spaceship” is a notable metaphor for the musician’s addictive life as Brodeur states “No way of stopping until life had passed me by.”

The bright “Thanks For Calling” is a great song of longing with a bouncy melody and a catchy bass line. “Heal” describes an abusive co-dependent relationship, with soaring harmonies. Most every track hits its mark, with only a few quiet moments. Overall this is easily Brodeur’s best album, and it continues Falkner’s winning track record. Highly recommended and makes my top ten list for 2018. Kudos once again to Omnivore Records for this one!

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Lane Steinberg “Lane Steinberg and His Magical Pony”

Lane Steinberg is a prolific musician often mixing experiments in melodies alongside mini pop symphonies. Sometimes it all comes together (like the brilliant 8×8 projects) and sometimes it doesn’t. This LP gathers many older singles and collaborations. Often I compare him to Todd Rundgren in approach, and the opener “You’re Not Connected To The Internet” has the catchy melody, and crashing percussion. Next, “Another Early Autumn” is a magical Brian Wilson styled composition that showcases Lane’s vocals and savvy production skills.

We do get collaborations with Stevie R. Moore (“Franklin & First”) and David Grahame (“After Taxes”), among others. More highlights include the very Ray Davies-like “Everyone Thinks I’m Happy Now” and the breezy “Portofino.” Overall, a worthy addition to your playlist and it gives the novice listener a good primer to Lane’s musical milieu.

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Mooner and Michael Slawter

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Mooner

Mooner “Satisfaction-promise”

After Mooner created the amazing Masterpiece a few years ago, I wondered what Andy Ketch would do next. We have both brilliance and experimental rock on display in this LP. Opening with “Yeah, I read it,” it mixes word association with gleefully wild guitar noise. “The Stand-In” is a sweet catchy gem about a washed-up actor, “don’t mind him, he’s a stand-in, OK?” Echoes of Big Star are all over “I Don’t Know How,” and the ballad “Desire” has a yearning chorus with some nice harmonies.

The songwriting shifts around in tone, but notable tunes are “My Sorrow” and the creeping “Slow Parade Of Love” that grows into a gorgeous chorus. Ketch and company know exactly how much distortion to use effectively, very much like Radiohead’s early efforts. While not hitting the highs of the last release, this is still a highly recommended release. Don’t miss it.

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Michael Slawter

Michael Slawter “Last Call For Breaking Hearts”

Thanks to the folks at Futureman Records, we get another blast of guitar pop from Mr. Slawter. “Summer’s Kind” is a wonderful jangling gem that sure to stay on my playlist all year. The hooks come fast and hard on “Free Fall” and the rumbling reverb of “Same Old Thing,” so fans of Bob Mould or The Well Wishers will want to check these songs out. Lots of highlights including, “The One (And Only),” and “We Belong.”

Slawter adds some archival material after the new stuff, in the form of the “Mick in ’69” EP, originally released 2013. It’s amazing how consistent Michael’s sound has been and with a total of 16 tracks, it still holds up. Check it out.

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Paul Steel and Tony Molina

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Paul Steel

Paul Steel “Carousel Kites”

It’s been ten years since we heard from the production wunderkind Paul Steel. One of the most impressive bedroom pop albums ever, April & I deserved a thematic sequel. The British press considered Steel “a 20-year-old who is Brian Wilson in a parallel universe,” and his style owes much to the former Beach Boy. But it’s more than that, as Steel has been busy co-writing and producing for Mika and Empire of The Sun. So he is definitely used to making irreverent and kaleidoscopic pop confections.

What we end up with is a concept album, where one song blends into another with grand thematic arrangements akin to Brian Wilson, Steely Dan-like guitar, and Quincy Jones-like percussion. The narrative isn’t as clear as April & I, and there is A LOT of filler, but it still holds together.

The overture “Ready to Fly” opens with sweet harmonies, leading to the frantic but operatic “Last Guilt Trip.” Some sequences are simply brilliant, like “Do What Everybody Else Does,” “Skydaddy,” “Never Age a Single Day,” and “Island in The Sky.” The earliest compositions Paul created for the project still work best, like the rousing “I See Sadness.” Overall it’s highly recommended and if you are a fan of Roger Joseph Manning Jr. or Bleu McAuley this is a “must get” album!

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Tony Molina

Tony Molina “Kill The Lights”

Californian Tony Molina gets out his music in the most abbreviated way. Each song is roughly a minute long. And that’s what is simultaneously both great and frustrating about this album. The amazing opener “Nothing I Can Say” is the perfect amalgam of Byrdisan jangle and Teenage Fanclub like melody. “Wrong Town” and “Afraid to Go Outside” have that reverent church organ and gentle harmonies.

Each song hits the mark, but I wish we got more than a single chorus and verse. In some ballads, the shortness works, and “Jasper’s Theme” actually reaches the 2-minute mark. Many of the songs are elegantly constructed folk-pop, but its all over way too soon. The best way to appreciate this LP is playing it on auto-repeat. Highly Recommended.

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International Power Pop: The Sick Rose and The Mayflowers

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The Sick Rose

The Sick Rose “Someplace Better”

Italy’s The Sick Rose has a new LP that really rocks your socks off. It’s solidly produced by The Posies’ Ken Stringfellow and clearly inspired by power pop bands of the early 1980’s. Fans of The Records, 20/20 and Shoes will find a lot to love in these 11 original songs.

“How To Be Your Friend” features vocalist Luca Re’s strong (non-accented) lead and a jangling melody. “Fortune and Fame” echoes The Raspberries with its guitar and drum combo, with a wicked solo midway through. “Frustrated,” is pure guitar bliss with harmonies floating under the lead. Dom Mariani’s (DM3) style is also imprinted here, as you’ll hear the bounce on “Milk and Honey” and “Sweet As Punch.”

“Stand Tall” is straight from The Records playbook, and “Nobody” adds that 1960s-Farfisa organ for this retro-soul rocker that’s perfect to dance to. Overall, not a bad or slow song here – although a ballad to break things up would’ve been a nice change of pace. Highly Recommended.

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The Mayflowers

The Mayflowers “The Wild One”

Over the years I’ve often said The Mayflowers continue to be one of the best power pop band’s in Japan. Formed by Osamu Satoyama they’ve been active for over 12 years and now we have a new release that lives up to its title.

The opener “Rollin’ Stone” incorporates a musical tribute to the famous band, and yet it’s an original psyche-pop gem that builds into an impressive jam (fans of Jeremy Morris, take note).  The title track borrows a bit from AC-DC’s “Highway To Hell,” but if you are looking for guitar bliss “Getaway” does the trick. It’s like The Posies and The Red Hot Chili were playing together and a cover of The James Band “Funk #69” fits in perfectly next.

Satoyama’s ballad “Starlight” is a great melodic break here with some good chord shifts. “Comes Alive” and “Dirty Mac” is a little more retro and closer to The Who and The Beatles in style. The finale “Shine On” is another impressive highlight that reminded me of The Turnback. Highly Recommended.

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Seth Timbs and Dot Dash

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Seth Timbs

Seth Timbs “Record and Pause”

After reviewing Seth Timbs career a few years ago, I was looking forward to his next album. Timbs still plays those jaunty piano melodies that made his old band Fluid Ounces a long time favorite. His musicianship leans more towards classical pop on Record and Pause, so he is less Ben Folds-like and more in Billy Joel’s camp here.

“The Pay Off” is a marching melody that builds in both lyrical frustration and crashing percussion. The music consists of confessional stories, one of the best being “Church Van,” a vivid coming of age tale. The catchy single here “Feel Good” utilizes a booming beat and guitar riff to get across this anthem of youth and hedonism. The album then drifts into longer ballads like”False Alarm,” “Once More (Again),” and “Long Goodbye.” While these songs are good, they aren’t as memorable. However, fans of soulful piano pop will find that Timbs hits their sweet spot. Check it out.

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Dot Dash

Dot Dash “Proto Retro”

Washington, D.C. band Dot Dash moves away from the fuzzed out distortion and embraces jangling power pop. In the process, they deliver a great return to form. It all starts with “Unfair Weather,” a catchy rocker that’s brimming with energy. “Grey Blue Green” recalls classic REM and The dBs, with a wonderful rhythm guitar line floating under the melody.

The next few tunes are also sweet ear candy; “Dead Letter Rays,” “Parachute Powerline” and then “Tamed A Wild Beast” recalls The Ocean Blue a little. The shimmering guitar leads of “Triple Rainbow” boasts some wonderful chord shifts and “World’s Last Payphone” is another big highlight. Overall not a bad track, and very consistently produced. Highly Recommended.

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