Summer Magic and Michael Roberts

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Summer Magic

Summer Magic “Sharks and Other Dangers”

This St. Louis-based “band” is basically Kevin Bachmann (Lapush, Troubadour Dali, Jon Hardy & The Public), who worked on his debut album with David Beeman (Pokey Lafarge, Tristen) and David Vandervelde (Father John Misty). Sharks And Other Dangers is a summer LP coming out at summer’s end, but when you start out with the infectious jangler “Hey!” its like popping open a crisp beer. With an understated vocal and a Rickenbacker rhythm, it sets the stage for this short (but sweet) LP.

Using a variety of surf guitars, shakers, and classic rock stylings Summer Magic cuts through the haze and sticks with you. “Charles de Gaulle in The Afternoon” shuffles along like an updated Tommy James classic, and “Attraction Corridors” is like Teenage Fanclub with its “ba-ba-ba” vocals and descending verses. The fast-tempo “A Certain Little Chord” is another big highlight, with its driving guitar lead. Overall not a wasted note and it deserves a spot on your playlist, for any season. Highly Recommended.

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Michael Roberts

Michael Roberts “There Is No Blue”

I know little about Mr. Roberts other than he’s from Wales (UK) and he’s made several “best-of” lists last year with Suspended In Space. This year I caught up to his latest LP, There Is No Blue. A plinking toy piano opener “Stardust Symphony” is a mainly a baroque instrumental, but most of the tunes are solid ballads where Michael’s hushed vocal floats over a melody with great orchestral flourishes like “It’s For Real” and “Home.” A little like John Mayer meets Eric Matthews. The vocals are also done by Nathan Corbett, who’s got a great voice too.

Props also go out to Donna Howell, who often duets with Nathan on several tunes, like “Sometimes” and “Turn Your Face Into The Sun,” plus she sounds a lot like Debbie Harry. More high-quality songwriting and catchiness on the upbeat “And Again” and “Cats Like Us.” Highly Recommended.

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Freebie Fridays: William Duke, Richard Turgeon, Lund Brothers

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Richard Turgeon just keeps going! After the release of his new LP Lost Angeles, he decided to cover one of the most popular power pop bands of early the 2000’s, The Gin Blossoms (who have a new release out, btw.)  Richard does a pretty faithful rendition of that band’s biggest hits. These are both FREE downloads. Enjoy!


William Duke

William Duke “Quatro”

William Duke is back with a fine short LP (or extended EP) with an assortment of goodies. Duke’s sound is like a mix of The Pernice Brothers and Eric Matthews, with elements of Roots, Soft Psyche, and Baroque pop. He gives us the opening “Caroline And The Silver Screen,” a near five-minute jangling epic. The infectious beat and harmonies stay with you on “Junk #2,” and the moody mid-tempo “Hotel’s End” and “As Good As It Gets” tugs at your emotions. No real filler, and super highly recommended. Plus, it’s a FREE download.

Lund Brothers

Lund Brothers “Live!”

OK, it’s NOT a freebie. I rarely review live concert albums, but this one was worth it. The Lund Bros’ historic set at Seattle’s Experience Music Project (EMP) showcases a band that captures that “live” vibe with maximum impact. As a stripped-down trio of Chris Lund, his brother, Sean and Gwon Chang – they pull off a great set. Highlights include “Plastiscene” and “In My Hands,” fans of Cheap Trick and Redd Kross will want to check this out!

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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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