“Town and Country” is a sweetly made pop album by Dan Weir and friends, a Nick Lowe-styled blend of guitar and pub rock beats and melodic hooks. “Daytime Emmy” has a sticky bass line and Dan’s soothing vocal keeps the listener paying attention. The songwriting is similar to a mix of Glen Tilbrook or Al Stewart. Next in “Variations on a Theme By Mo” the theme is “you lie, you suck”- sung like a up-tempo love song. “Bella Vista” takes a slight twang in Americana pop similar to The Eagles. The best power pop standard here is “The Rest of The Night” with a wonderful jangle guitar and uplifting, harmonic chorus. This album is a perfect example of a hidden musical gem waiting to be discovered. In a rotten mix up, this EP is placed on e-music under a similar named band’s discography. However, it’s a wonderful surprise to anyone downloading it. Hopefully a full length follow up is in the works.
A lot of bands try to emulate the classic Beach Boys sound. Most have successfully copied the chord structures and instrumentation. Very, very few have been able to come close to the vocal dynamics of the original boys. The Explorers Club have done this, through lush arrangements and genuine four part harmonies. This type of sweet wistful sunshine pop is what “Freedom Wind” does better than most contemporaries. I heard bits and pieces in the previous year, that indicated a great Beach Boys-styled group. Jason Brewer’s vocals here are impeccable and if you are a Brian Wilson devotee, you can’t get any better. It’s songs about girls on the beach, circa 1966 before the ambitions of Pet Sounds would bring the boys dynamic to the brink and over the edge, with Smile. The title track “Freedom Wind” has the soulful vocal to an organ lead chorus with swirling harmonies you can almost imagine a less gin-soaked Dennis Wilson here. “Last Kiss” and “Do You Love Me?” are note perfect BB songs. “Don’t Forget The Sun” also makes use of the rich wall of harmonic sound that could fit on BB’s “Today” album. It’s not all sun and surf, as “Honey I Don’t Know Why” sounds like an outtake from a “Love You” 1976 session. And the sleepy “In the Country” is like a Carl Wilson solo track from 1972. The soaring vocals on “Forever” is so good it will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Every song here shines — not a bad one to be found. It stands alongside the work of Jeffrey Foskett or Jeff Larson easily. This top ten for 2008 nominee, picks up for millions of Beach Boys fans who want new music and the endless summer to continue into the 21st century.
This is a great example of 4 part harmonic skill during the rehearsal. And this is a really good example of why a band should leave the PR and advertising to professionals. Guys, don’t quit your day job.
Recently, I got to chat with John Gray, lead vocalist for The Swedes (shown above) and also the sunshine pop maestro, Dave Dill – both have new albums out, so I asked a few basic questions. Check out the Artist Interviews section on the right, or these direct links here:
The Ringles have lots of those crunchy fuzztoned guitars and awesome 60’s influenced pysche-pop tunes. Todd Borsch and Tom Rose keep things lively, as the songs style resemble The Resonars or The Pretty Things. The album, however opens with a lot of echo and effects on several early songs and it can mask the vocals a bit too much. Thankfully out of the massive 17 tracks here – there are plenty of great ones. “A New Day” which is an excellent Who-styled Mod tune in the mode of “Can’t Explain.” Things get really trippy with “Lisa’s Riding on Star” – so bring your incense out for this one. The fine acoustic strum of “I Am” opens up to reveal a Byrdsian guitar slice of goodness. This albums’ not called “Rickenbacker Ballet” for nothing. The McGuinn twelve-string style comes out big on “Come Tumbling Down.” The production is sometimes basic and they over treble the mix occasionally here, but the Beatlesque-chiming guitars of “Feeling Nothing at All” brings a smile to these Rickenbacker guitar lovers ears. Other songs like “The Way” get a bit overtly preachy with the Christian lyrics, but it’s a good song. Also, “Alone Tonight” has more than bit of The Beatles’ “Mother Nature’s Son” here. The fuzz earlier on the album gives way to a folk strum on songs like “Early Morning Tea” and is a pleasant pop ballad. Overall, if you love sixties style jangle pop, this one’s a winner.
A long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, a band named Phantom Planet was a simple emo-styled power pop band lead by Alex Greenwald and with actor Jason Schwartzman playing drums. Then they got pop fame and fortune with the single “California” on the TV show, the O.C. and then somewhere along the way the major label dumped them and four years later it brings us to “Raise The Dead.” Welcome home, guys. Much like Supergrass, this band is on the comeback tour. And glad to say, this is the strongest Phantom Planet album since “The Guest.” Greenwald’s music was inspired by the slavish devotion to cult leaders like Charles Manson and Jim Jones. The songs have an undercurrent of dread to them that’s hard to pinpoint, the group sounds like a wonderful Beatles Radiohead hybrid. Opening with the strong title track, it has the emotion and grit with a catchy baseline and that leads us to the awesome follow up, “Dropped” which has a hook that won’t let go and a buzzsaw guitar that will stick like glue. “Leader” has that cult-vibe for sure with lyrics like “everyone will be reborn” and creepy kids chorus in addition. Next the single “Do The Panic” is another catchy song with a kinks-like narrative. The rest of the songs shamble along, best represented by “Geronimo” which is tangle of guitars and chaos. The Radiohead influence comes out on “Quarantine” in a big way. Lots of well written songs with strong guitars like, “Leave Yourself For Somebody Else” with shades of The Strokes and The Who in the melody. The band, which has changed a lot over the years, feels comfortable in it’s own skin here.
