Mimi Betinis and Steve Ison

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Mimi Betinis

Mimi Betinis “Music Sounds”

Mimi Betinis (Pezband) makes a long overdue return since 2010’s All That Glitters and the arrangements are more playful, less structured on Music Sounds. “Pontiac” is the most rock oriented single here, asking some important life questions on a road trip. Mimi’s vocals are soft but clear throughout — he just sounds great.

Next “Summer Love ’68” is a descriptive slice-of-life love story that may or may not be fictional, but the strong “Corinna” is a big highlight with a sweeping guitar hook in the driving chorus. From here the album starts to resemble the McCartney solo era on the sweet “Listen to Me” and the jazz-inspired “This Girl.” The charm of Betinis approach works best on the catchy gems “She Wants You” and “Sound The Alarm,” where the sonic experimentation within each hummable melody works best. Overall a highly recommended album, and keep it coming Mimi!

Music Sounds | Amazon

Steve Ison

Steve Ison “The Stars Are Never Really Distant”

Steve Ison is a bedroom pop artist with a solid talent and knows a catchy hook or two on The Stars Are Never Really Distant.This album is a compilation of songs he’s worked on since 2006. “If I Met You Again” slowly opens with Ison’s warm jangling melody, and a bouncy guitar chorus with a big hook. But my favorite here is the jubilant “Golden Pie,” its catchy blues pop of the highest order with some nice harmonies and a toe-tapping rhythm.

“Lou Reed” echoes the music legend in his best Velvet Underground style, with echoing piano and strings. His main influences are all classic 60’s artists. “The Strangest Feeling” and “Girl On The Train” are folk melodies that recall both early Dylan and Buffalo Springfield. As Ison floats from genre to genre he demonstrates skillful musicianship, as “I Know A Good Thing” is very much like Donovan. You may also like his previous release On The Way Up. 

Bandcamp only

TUNS and Teenage Fanclub

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TUNS

TUNS “TUNS”

TUNS (named after the Technical University of Nova Scotia) is a Canadian indie “supergroup” consisting of Chris Murphy (Sloan), Matt Murphy (Super Friendz, Flashing Lights) and Mike O’Neill (The Inbreds). And TUNS doesn’t lean on any one member to make it special, it combines the strengths and experience of each member to deliver a pure power pop treasure.

Opening with the jangling upbeat melody of “Back Among Friends” where “good times, band times, never gets old.” Next “Mixed Messages” has a jaunty beat and winding lead similar to Squeeze, while the handclaps and thick riffs of “Mind Over Matter” just sink into your brain. The slow, hazy beat on “Look Who’s Back In Town Again” is infectious, just oozing psychedelic reverb.  Each track is a tightly structured gem and this 9 track album deserves a spot on my 2016 top ten list.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Teenage Fanclub

Teenage Fanclub “Here”
As a band evolves and its vision clarifies, you get a good feel of a where its members hearts and minds are at. And what the band feels at this point is pure love and gratitude. “I’m in Love” is the most optimistic song I’ve ever heard from the Teenage Fanclub, a rich uplifting melody and the hushed harmonies on “Thin Air” display their adult wisdom, a perfect example of Adult Oriented Power Pop (AOPP) with the comforting rhythm of electric guitars. The hooks continue on the song “Hold On” where Norman Blake gives his audience advice “Hold on to your life and your dreams.”

All these songs share a theme of enjoying the short moment of time we have left on this planet. From the chiming chorus on“The Darkest Part of The Night” to the guitar buzz on “I Have Nothing More to Say,” it stays on point.  The tempos gradually slow, so by the time we get to “Live in The Moment” a bit of message fatigue sets in. Vocalist Raymond McGinley soothing lead approaches a zen-like calm on “Steady State,” but goes darker on “With You,” where your fear that “life is short and life is long.” It ends on the sobering acoustic chamber pop of “Connected To Life.” Overall a solid, highly recommended album that crosses from joy to “disappear into shadows in the night.”

Amazon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxqIkUaH5_M

Tony Low and The Cleaners From Venus

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Tony Low “Rendezvousing”

Tony Low, a founding member of New York’s renowned garage-psychedelic pop band The Cheepskates, is back since his Tone-Wah EP from a few years ago. The simple sing along “Should’ve Known” and strummed “The Awful Dream” are good mid-tempo songs, and the well written “Pictures Of Your Son” has nice light fuzz guitar behind the melody. The best tune here is “Hey Now,” a 4 minute fully fleshed out jam that will please fans of late ’60s era bands.

Fans of jangle pop will enjoy the Rickenbacker led “You” and the funny dance number “Do The Mikey.” A few folk-psyche pop numbers aren’t as memorable (“Flicker”) and I felt that Tony’s vocals are a bit too light in the mix overall. But it’s still very good to hear Mr. Low making music.

CD Baby | Kool Kat Musik

The Cleaners From Venus

The Cleaners From Venus “The Last Boy In The Locarno “

The Wild Man of Wivenhoe is back. English songwriter Martin Newell is one of the most prolific post-punk songwriters and he’s been releasing more material than ever before. His memories of the old girl groups is displayed on “The Crystals and Ronettes” with its Phil Spector styled approach. The lite ballad “Gorgeous Day” is a great example of how Martin makes a minimalist masterpiece.

Many of the tracks are reflections on his loves (“Pauline,” “You’re Looking Great”) and life (“English Pier”) all done economically, and similar in style to Ray Davies. The doo-wop nostalgia of “Eight O’ Clock Angel” is faithfully rendered as well as the pub atmosphere in “Victorian Doll.” Newell’s very English point of view fits this stroll down memory lane, and it’s definitely worth your attention.

Amazon

Don Ciccone passes away

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Don Ciccone, a singer-songwriter who was a member of the Four Seasons, the Shondells, and the Critters, died Saturday at 70 years old. Born in New Jersey, Ciccone was a founding member of the Critters, who had minor hits in the 1960s and helped the American front hold its own during the British Invasion years. Their “Mr. Dieingly Sad,” written by Ciccone, and “Younger Girl” both made their way to the Billboard charts. After serving in the Vietnam war, he was tapped by Frankie Valli to join the Four Seasons, where he played guitar and bass. He also contributed lead vocals to songs including “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” and “Rhapsody.”

“Mr. Dieingly Sad” is one of my favorite nuggets from the post British Invasion era, full of lush harmonies, soft melodic vocals and I was proud to review The Critters last album. Thanks for the memories Don, you will be missed.

Et Tu Bruce and Ex Norwegian

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Et Tu Brucé

Et Tu Brucé “Et Tu Brucé”

Despite having a terrific debut with Suburban Sunshine over 2 years ago, this British group’s sophomore LP has slipped quietly under the radar. The self-titled sophomore release slowly fades in with “The Light,” a Creedence-styled rocker with dense layers of crisp electric guitars and smooth harmonies. And the complexity increases with “Make Up My Mind,” a gem with multiple vocal layers all played to a simple melody. While brilliantly performed, these songs unfortunately don’t tend to stick in your head for long.

Luckily there are several exceptions. One of the best tunes here is “Hey Blue” with its sunshine-filled strumming and the sweet chord shifts on the melodic “How Do You Ever?” Unlike the debut, the influences are less power pop and more spread around (although the ‘70s California style is dominant). The bands musicianship is beyond question, as each tune has subtle details that pop fans will gravitate to. It may be a case of the band trying to do too much, but I’d keep my eye on these London lads.

Amazon

Ex Norwegian “Glazer/Hazerr”

Roger Houdaille and Lucia Perez are back with a decidedly more fuzzed out garage effort on Glazer/Hazerr. The anthemic “Life” is something that would’ve fit nicely on an Outrageous Cherry LP (I still miss the Rainbow Quartz label.) The reverb drenched “Reverse” is another highlight of this 60’s influenced album. Houdaille’s echoing vocals harken back to the classic era of melodic song writing on the simple riff driven gems “Sensation” and “Modern Art Brigade.” Perez gives a spirited vocal solo on “Father Goose” that sounds like a lost Jefferson Airplane single. While it doesn’t exactly break new ground, this is a good album and will fit nicely in your retro pop collection.

Bandcamp

https://youtu.be/PByabUvXt64