The Forresters "Skin Deep"

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From the ashs of power pop favorite The Orange Humble Band, comes The Forresters. Singer-songwriter Anthony Bautovich gathered up some of Sydney’s finest players to create the debut “Skindeep”. The album is full rock and roll goodness and very much like Teenage Fanclub, the band’s opener “Are You Ready” has a pile of jangley guitars and harmonies that flow easiliy through the headphones. Bautovich’s soft vocals and the rhythmic guitars are suited well to the alternative country ballad sound as well, as “Tremblin'” illustrates. There are many layers to each song with several chord lines overlapping on some songs, like “Fool in Love” with a female vocal trailing in the background. “Missing You” has a yearning optimism, like some of Gary Louris’ poppiest compositions for The Jayhawks. I hear a bit of George Harrison guitar on the intro to  “The Way You Do” and some rockin’ blues stylings are present in “Wake Up.” In fact, this entire album is full of incredible guitar work and flawless musicianship. Every song here is great with no throwaway tracks. It even takes a very adult spin with the song “What You Want” reminding me of Jeff Larson (lyrically and musically). It also has a good balance of rockers (“Outtamyhead” and “Rescue Me”) with ballads (“Don’t Leave Me Down”). Overall this is an album of intricately crafted and emotionally honest pop music.

The Forresters Site | My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame

Listen to “Trembin”

Listen to “Are You Ready?”

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The Pharmacy "Choose Yr Own Adventure"

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Reviewed by Mike Z.
Maybe the highest compliment one can pay to a band is that it’s not very easy to decide what to make of them. After four listens I’m still mining material out of The Pharmacy’s “Choose Yr Own Adventure” and if that doesn’t scream getting your money’s worth, I don’t know what does. At one point it even occurred to me that this might be a concept album, so suffice to say I’m already hooked enough on this band’s sound that I’m getting a little carried away with things here. Let me slow it down some:

“Black Ice Cream” and “Mirror” resemble one another in that they both have great hooks but also enough balls to walk confidently on the razor’s edge where power and pop meet. “Tropical Yeti” and “Warm and Untorn” stumble and fall decidedly on the pop side of things, but even these gaffes are forgivable because they serve to move the album along and endear the listener more to the big picture here. “Little Toys on a Shelf” is at least slightly indebted to Vampire Weekend, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The lyrics, however, are. A week metaphor (guess the least creative thing toys on a shelf could represent and the work your way downward from there) is further hampered by sophomoric sentiment and totally submarines an otherwise capable tune. If that’s what it takes for this band to break, I won’t begrudge them it, because they are this close to being a ready for primetime act. “Try to Explain” is a solid track which worships at the altar of “Waterloo Sunset”-era Kinks. As the album expands away from more obvious fare, the devotion to Ray Davies’ melodic songwriting resonates even more deeply in the later, contemplative tracks on this record. This is an act who is happy to toy with discordant sounds, but is really more about crafting energetic, well-honed pop songs. Fittingly, the effort ends with “Adieu, Adieu,” and The Pharmacy leaves it all on the field with this one. Powerful, catchy, and clever, this track makes me want to start the disc over and find out when they’re playing in my town.

Don’t Stop Believin’ Records | My Space | Itunes

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Private Jets "Jet Sounds"

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Cleared for take-off. Classic Swedish power pop in the mold of The Merrymakers and Beagle for fans who have been missing it, The Private Jets have the sunny harmonies and sweet melodies with plenty of guitars and keyboards. The twin brothers Erik Westin and Per Westin have simplistic approach that can’t fail to hit the sweet spot with anyone who has a liking for power pop. Influences are clear here in the opener “I Wanna Be a Private Jet” – the bouncy beat resembles the Rubinoos. The follow up “Extraordinary Sensations” flirts with ELO and The Hudson Brothers, and “Speak Up, Speak Out” mines The Beagle sound perfectly. “Starshaped World” is a dead ringer for a Jellyfish composition (Should Roger Manning Jr. sue?). Some guitar riffs start to resemble Queen or Sweet, and the dual nature of “Fireman for A Day” and “Fire Academy” combines the poppiest side of The Move with Beach Boys chorals. Even “Hayfever” is a basic Beatlesque song that sounds lifted from a Spongetones album. It’s hard to find a bad song on the disc, although you could say these songs sound almost too familiar for the die hard fan looking for something new. And after a few listens, some tunes are missing that hook to bring the album into excellent territory. That said it’s an very good album and belongs in your collection without a doubt. “Jet Sounds” breaks the sunshine pop barrier. Listen to some tracks streaming here to hear for yourself.

My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame

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The Lost Levels "Never The First"

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Here is a great new band that emerged from NRONE records in England. The Lost Levels are four lads with a rich sound, and the single “Never the First” tells the tragic tale of being dumped. They have an mini-EP out so far – and it’s wonderful, so I am hoping for a full length soon. I’ll update you on when these guys make it across the pond.
My Space | NRONE Records

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