Corin Ashley "Songs from the Brill Bedroom"

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Corin Ashley (bass player for The Pills) made this album a few years ago, and I’m surprised it fell under my radar at the time. Opening with the Lennon inspired “Theme from The Brill Bedroom” it makes a big splash with “Gin and Panic,” one of the best George Harrison songs that George never wrote. “File Me Under Regret” is good Let It Be-era Beatlesque song that is performed with conviction and attention to detail. The lighter acoustic tracks like “Foolproof” and “Being Twelve” has a tinkling banjo that mirror the type of chord changes and pop sensibility of Mike Viola or Paul McCartney. Another highlight is the bouncy “Ladybug” with tight “la la la” harmonies and a hook in the chorus that won’t let you go. The slower “Your Moment of Weakness” is another warm melodic ballad that recalls David Mead. It’s all good, even the ukulele strum of the confessional “Daddy’s Song.” Overall, this debut is superbly crafted pop music that definitely belongs your collection. Corin also made a huge impression kicking off IPO in Boston and he is currently crafting a follow up at Abbey Road studios. I for one can’t wait for it.

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A huge pile of FREE holiday songs for you!

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Zach Curd strikes again! Suburban Sprawl Music put together a holiday compilation available for free download full of weird and wonderful holiday classics. In fact, there are holiday compilations dating back to 2002! That a massive amount of tracks, some good – some painful to listen to. To listen/download everything visit Suburban Sprawl Xmas Music page.

Here are a few more holiday gifts for you. Dave Milligan from Penguin Party has released a Christmas song “It’s Only Christmas – It’ll Soon Be Over” as a free download. Another free goodie comes from The Sexy Accident. They have released a new version of “A Merry Christmas To You.” Remixed by Steve Fisk and features lead vocals by Michelle Plaitis, and featuring clips from It’s a Wonderful Life. And finally, Swedish powerpop band The Genuine Fakes have a free download of their
version of Mariah Carey’s hit “All I Want for Christmas”. Ho, ho, ho!

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Bobby Emmett "Learning Love"

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Bobby Emmett (The Sights) has a new solo album here, and it’s got enough to make power pop fans cheer this holiday. Emmett channels Big Star, John Lennon and The Lolas in this exciting release. The entire album has a very classic 70’s arena rock feel, and “Queen of Hearts” starts out with a riff straight of out of The Raspberries and a tight vocal harmony that resembles Roger Manning Jr.’s multi tracked goodness. It’s the main highlight of this impressive album. The follow up “Broken Hearted” is another catchy melody, with a more modern pop feel. Every track here sounds like a winner, and “Still Wanna Be With You” is a good example. The echoing Dick Dale styled guitar solo and dense vocals add to the tracks wall of sound. Another great tune, “Moving Ahn” has distinct hooks and remind me of The Bay City Rollers or Sweet, but with an extra heavy riff break toward the back end. The songwriting is also consistently excellent, so if you are to complain here it would be that the production sheen is too thick, with Emmett’s vocal being over modulated in spots. But the combination of guitars and melodies will linger long after the last track plays. “Not Gonna Take It” glams it up with rough buzz riffs, and a strutting chorus that takes no prisoners. The bombastic finale “Love Is Real” piles it on really thick with guitars and psyche-pop distortions, but the melody pokes it’s way through to win you over. Overall, a strong contender for this years top ten, no doubt. For fans of the above influences, this is essential listening.

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George Michael “December Song (I Dreamed Of Christmas)”

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December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas)” is a holiday single released by George Michael on December 25th, 2008. The track originally had been written for the Spice Girls, but never made it and was then going to be given to Michael Buble, but ultimately George sang it himself. It is scheduled to be released commercially in December 13, 2009, but this delightful video is viewable now. It’s a slow ballad with a gorgeous bridge in the chorus. Why can’t we get more presents like this? More info at George Michael’s site

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Andy Lehman and Ray Mason

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Andy Lehman & The Night Moves “Low Country”

Andy Lehman’s debut “Landline” showed a lot of promise, and his development continues here. With help from his new band, The Night Moves, he’s left the harder guitar sound to a softer, glossier approach. An excellent single is the emotional “An Arrow Flew” where the strings build to an exuberant chorus. The production has a wide open sound that works well on ballads “I Smelled You On The Breeze” where it conveys brilliant pop longing, I’ve not heard since George Michael. Unfortunately it doesn’t help on lighter pop like “Million To One” where a catchy song drowns in echo-filled instrumentation. On “Wolf’s In Sheep’s Clothing” Andy sounds a little like family friendly alt rockers The Fray or Train here. Songs like this and “All Along The Roads We Walked” sound too commercial to me, but they are good quality songs. For me, the gorgeous ballads like “Missing At The Docks” and “Moving With You” make up for this. Give it a try, you can get a FREE sampler on Andy’s site.

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Ray Mason “Like Bugs Chewing On Paper”

Americana rocker Ray Mason is an amalgam of The Barenaked Ladies and Tom Petty, where you can hear a song about almost anything, like an earnest tune about your “Lunch Box.” Mason with his trademark Silvertone guitar has been pumping out music albums since 1996, and it’s an acquired taste. The slow tempo of “Shooting Over The Head” gives way to a full upbeat rocker, with tempo shifts and strings for emphasis. All this is pretty melodic, even the title track, with goofy lyrics about aliens/bugs… “what’s it about a desert in outer space, don’t these creatures like any other place.” Mason has a speaking/singing approach on most of the album that contrasts with his brilliant musicianship. But after albums mid point, it really takes off. My favorite here is “Tourist In Town” – like Stew (Passing Strange) or Todd Rundgren, it’s a funky mix of rock and storytelling through a stream of consciousness narrative. Another highlight is the fun “Everything Worked” with Ray’s best vocal performance. When you hear “Ceiling” you will wonder, Ray could probably write an ode to a lawn sprinkler and you’d love to hear it.

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