Salim Nourallah and Hurry

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Salim Nourallah

Salim Nourallah “A Nuclear Winter”

For Salim Nourallah, a songwriter and musician from Texas, “A Nuclear Winter” is his first full-length album since 2018. Nourallah worked with British guitarist, songwriter, and producer Marty Willson-Piper (The Church) on his 8th album. Nourallah here capitalizes on his world-weary vocal approach with this doomsday-themed album. Summer may still be here, but winter is coming.

The opener “Hazy Morning Glow” sets the stage, with financial disaster looming in each verse, it goes to a wonderfully catchy chorus “It’s just the way it is, yeah.” The instrumentation is sparse and lets Salim’s expressive vocals and composition do the work. Fans of Mark Oliver Everett (The Eels) will hear similarities in approach. Highlights include “Under Attack,” the mix of jangle and slide guitars on “I Don’t Know,”  the Tom Pettyesque “The Sound of Suffering,” and “Invisible Man.” One tune that really resonated with me was “I Can’t Take Another Heartbreak.” Plenty of gems make this highly recommended.

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Hurry

Hurry “Don’t Look Back”

Proof that I often miss great music isn’t a surprise, but Don’t Look Back is the 5th record by Philly band Hurry. Hurry has always been a good jangle band, and lead singer Matt Scottoline’s songs are certainly catchy, and the opener “Didn’t Have To Try” proves this with its effortlessly infectious chorus with harmonies bathed across its guitar lines. Influences here include The Byrds, Teenage Fanclub, The Lemonheads, and The Gin Blossoms. Fans of Scotland’s Dropkick and The Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness will also love this album.

Scottoline’s lyrics and the emotional yearning for a failing relationship are also what makes these songs resonate so well. “Begging For You” and “Parallel Haunting,” as the latter asks “If you’re a ghost, and you’re not here, am I with you?” On “Something More,” Justin Fox’s lead guitar parts often crash through the strummed guitars, adding noise to the mix when the song needs to go epic. In some instances, the band feels constrained by its own limited theme and format. All the songs seem to be a gorgeous bummer, but things take a positive turn with “No Patience” and “The Punchline” with faster tempos and hope for starting something new. No filler here, and without a doubt highly recommended.

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August singles and EPs: Tamar Berk, The UniBoys, The Evening Sons, Kai Danzberg, Pretty, Julez and the Rollerz

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New month, new singles, and EPs. Tamar Berk has a video for her upcoming Tiny Injuries album and it’s a grower with layered guitars and her hushed vocal, as she dances around. Coming out in another week, and yes we will review it! The UniBoys are also coming back with their skinny-tie-inspired power pop, “I Want It Too” which has so many neat audio cues, I can’t wait for the rest of this one. The Evening Sons are also on Curation Records and impress with “Superspreader,” a solid hook-filled chorus. Myles Josephh & Kai Danzberg write a lovely ballad “On My Way” for a song contest (I voted for it), pick it up. Toronto band Pretty has a funk-punk time with “Coca Cola Deathsquad,” but I liked  “Food For The Moon” and its dense Soundgarden-like chorus. Finally, the sweet rocking Julez and the Rollerz from LA, deliver on this deserving EP. Check out “Sorry I’m Just A Waste of Time” and “Confess.” Cool!





The Summertimes and Meyerman

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The Summertimes

The Summertimes “The Summertimes”

So a new Aussie power pop band has arrived this summer, appropriately called The Summertimes. Guitarist Ashley Naylor (Paul Kelly and The Church), drummer Stephen O’Brien (Tumbleweed), and bassist Steve Bull (Icehouse) joined songwriters David Beniuk and David Challenger in the studio. Right from the start they hit the ground running with “Inside,” and influences like Teenage Fanclub, The Go-Betweens, and You Am I are evident. The production is flawless here thanks to ARIA award-winning producer Paul McKercher (The Hoodoo Gurus, Midnight Oil).

The tight guitar playing on “Password” and the melodic chorus of “My Beautiful Girl Harbour,” makes them instant classics. The chugging lead guitar on “White Pointer,” and the jangling gem “Love (It’s A Word)” are very much in the mold of Ice Cream Hands. The tone shifts mellower on the back end of these 10 tracks, but it doesn’t break the flow of the album. “Athens, GA” is a solid romantic tune flowing with a rich melody. Even the ending track “The Perfect Wave,” is an Aussie beach anthem that recalls the Yardbirds, and references Midnight Oil. Unabashedly Australian in scope and style and Highly Recommended. Makes my top ten nominee list for 2023.

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Meyerman

Meyerman “Happy To See You”

Twelve years after their exciting debut, Meyerman finally returns with a sophomore album. Theo Meyer’s vocal sounds a bit rougher on the title track “Happy To See You,” but he’s lost none of his melodic skill as its hits a vibe similar to The Posies. New bandmates Jeff Preischel (bass), Rob Sadowski (guitars), and Danny Diaz (drums) are supported by fine production from Kurt Reil (The Gripweeds). The guitars are soaring on the brilliant “Katie Wong,” an early highlight here.  Then it slows considerably on “Witchita” and the next few songs are done in a ’90s hard rock style. While this sounds fine, it’s the lack of hooks that are concerning here.

I need not worry too long, as “WWDAT” is a pretty cool tune, with an unexpected style shift towards the end. At this point “Meyerman” is the perfect theme song (why didn’t they lead with this?) that rocks (turn it up!) and Theo is on a roll at this point. “Princeton Bells” has a cool swirling harmony during the chorus, and “Nova” is another great rocker that’s just infectious, akin to Enuff Z’nuff. Each song from this point hits the mark, “T-Shirt,” “Hello, Hello,” and “Handclaps and Tambourines” all focus on band life. This is the rare instance where the album’s backend is much stronger, and it brings things over the finish line. Highly Recommended.

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The Make Three and Super 8

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The Make Three

The Make Three “You, Me & The Make Three”

This New Jersey band is led by vocalist/guitarist Jerry Lardieri, and he’s joined by Peter Horvath (The Anderson Council) on bass and Chris Ryan on drums. This strong rock and roll, as the guitars blare out on “Against The Tide” recalls riff-heavy bands like The Successful Failures and The Well Wishers. “Black Cloud” and “Under My Skin” have a late ’90s indie vibe akin to The Lemonheads. Of course, The Anderson Council’s shadow falls over a few songs like “Emily Strange,” and “Local Scene” with its driving rhythm.

At the mid-point, it smartly slows down the tempo for “Hurry Up and Wait,” as a welcome pause it shortly takes off again. This is meat and potatoes rock that fits neatly in your mix with those other bands I mentioned earlier. Does it innovate or distinguish itself? Not really, but it’s not bland either, and after a few listens some of these songs will stick with you. Check it out.

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Lane Steinberg

Super 8 “HOOPLA”

Paul ‘Trip’ Ryan is back. It starts with a low-key charmer “For My Friends,” a dedication with soaring strings, and preps the listening audience for some blissful fun. “Susan Revolving” has a Sgt. Pepper-styled bass groove that makes it easy to love. The mellow vibes continue with “All My Worries” with its Lennonesque quality, referring to the calm zen-like state when he was in the “submarine.” From here it gets less Beatlesque, but the spirit remains very trippy, hippy, and idyllic on “Out of My Head,” “Jennifer Anne,” and especially “Our Town.” The fab references continue with the jangling love songs “Be My Yoko” and “Moments In Time.”

The tone is very consistent throughout the album, and maybe that’s what the problem is. The songs tend to blend into one another, creating almost a jangling soundtrack to put you to sleep. The previous album Universal Journey had some fuzzier guitar songs mixed in to prevent this. ’60s pop enthusiasts will enjoy this for sure, but others might want to start with the last album. Still, it remains music that deserves to be heard.

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