Power Popaholic interviewed The Weeklings a few years ago, and now they’ve returned with a new album! Raspberry Park goes in a few different directions. There are still unique Beatles covers, but some new original sounds that recall other 60’s bands, and I dig through the origins of these songs.
Once again, I spoke with Glen Burtnik (Lefty Weekling) and Bob Burger (Zeek Weekling) about the album and how they have evolved with this new album.
I am still finding lots of great music that shouldn’t be swept under the rug because it’s a new year. Flying Underground is a terrific Cincinnati, Ohio band that deserves your attention with its debut album. The video above has really good sound and showcases Kelly McCracken’s great lead vocal. My friends, Late Cambrian have modified their sound on “Late Bloomer” to have a more melodic vibe, and I love it. Extra Arms is back with a bunch of strong riffs on its new single, “Gates of Steel.” The band Real Estate has a new album coming out, and what I hear so far is excellent songwriting. We still have a freebie for you with Willie Dowling‘s “The Simpleton,” a cool narrative of a protagonist, and dig that piano solo midway through! French band François Premiers has a glammy gem with the “Salamander Shuffle,” and that riff just sticks in your head. Great music continues!
Power Popaholic has been the happy distributor and album designer of Jim Basnight’s albums for many years. This past November, he released his most eclectic album, Summertime Peculiar. You’ll hear some pop, rock, jazz, folk, etc. We talk about the genesis of this diverse album. You can read the review here, or 🎸 listen below:
You can also check out our main Bandcamp page for all seven of Mr. Basnight’s albums, and more.
Emperor Penguin has successfully channeled a very anglophilic psychedelic pop style in Gentlemen Thieves. Following the template set in Sunday Carvery, they start out the door with the catchy “What’s the Worst That Could Happen?” It’s loaded with echo, reverb, dense melody, and lots of fuzzy energy. Lisa Mychols adds a whole new dimension to the band with her duet on the XTC-like “I Wouldn’t Put It Like That.”
Each song is a carefully constructed gem; “Silver Apples” is another dazzling example of this band’s talent, while “Driving Blind” brings the rocking riffs up front. “Sonnez Les Matines” opens with a few notes that recall Pink Floyd but quickly becomes a Middle Eastern dance track. The nursery rhyme-like “Pipistrelle” with its toy piano also sticks fast. One of the best songs here is “You Are My Atmosphere,” and Mychols adds her stamp to this one too. Almost everything here is great. My only issue is the album’s overly compressed mix. The melodies are so good, but sometimes they seem buried in white noise. I wish they gave it the Giles Martin treatment, but despite this, it’s highly recommended.
Nick Frater “Nick Frater presents The Rebutles 1967-1970”
A collection of original songs by Nick Frater, written in tribute to the pre-Fab Four, The Rutles. So it’s music written in the Beatlesque style, with just a touch of sarcastic wit. While Frater doesn’t quite measure up to Neil Innes when it comes to humor, musically, he’s spot on. “The Devil You Know” showcases duality, with John Lennon’s gloomy tendencies and a sunny McCartney-like bridge stuck in the middle because he had to “get back from the grave in 1966,” a reference to the “Paul is Dead” Beatle rumor. Fans of The Rutles and The Beatles will find Easter eggs like this scattered in the lyrics.
Some of these are genuinely fun, like “You’re A Good Egg,” a Magical Mystery breakfast without a hint of symbolism, and “One Lump or Two,” a bit of tea time for Lady Madonna. Unfortunately, they didn’t all stick with me, and once you can identify the song’s origins and intent, there isn’t much else to draw you back to listen again. Nonetheless, this comes highly recommended for Beatles fans, and you should definitely give the music a listen.
This year’s top EP list had to grow in several respects. To begin, there has been a marked decline in the release of albums compared to the explosive growth of singles and EPs, and this trend is likely to continue; moreover, the melodies produced by EP performers are often more lively and experimental. BTW, my definition of an EP is an album with 9 songs or less. Most of these have been featured, and a few I just never got around to posting. All are listenable on Bandcamp! Thanks for your patience!
As a bonus I have some new freebies! Mostly from 2023 All these albums are “name-your-price” but these are all high quality. I know music fans appreciate this pricing model, and I hope you donate to them so they can continue making great music.
