I updated the CD widget on the right with some new CDs and lowered prices on everything. All CDs are from my private collection and not demos. A few rare out of print gems are there and more titles will be added soon.
Writing the blog isn’t that easy, and I sometimes get in a rut. I’ll check out this blog for few creative writing tips. Any suggestions? Let me know.
The Brixton Riot “Sudden Fiction”
The Brixton Riot is a gathering of four rock veterans from the New Jersey area (The Christies and Electraluxe) and the debut EP is smooth indie power pop all the way. “Sudden Fiction” as the title suggests deals with the writing process and the opener “Battle of The Band” about the rigors of touring, has jangling guitar riffs that bring to mind REM, The Lemonheads and Wilco. Each song on this EP is a gem – my favorite being a wonderful song “(There’s) Something in The Air” about the Stanley Kubrick movie “The Shining” about a writer who wants to kill. The entire EP is listenable on My Space. I can’t wait for the full length.
My Space | CD Baby
The Smith Brothers “Lost”
The Smith Brothers are not the guys on a box of cough drops. It’s another group featured at Charlotte PopFest, and the Smith Brothers have a great classic power pop sound, very much like Teenage Fanclub or Cheap Trick. Pat Dollenmayer and Mike Clark have a true enthusiasm for the music, and it comes out in the opener “Lost” – a Teenage Fanclub styled slice of greatness. The classic guitar sounds continue on “Way We Know” another melodic fuzz covered gem. The pace slows down a bit for “Ducky” which goes for a classic Elvis Costello meets You Am I sound, with wonderful guitar solos and gentle harmonies. Elements of Fountains of Wayne are found in the songwriting style, and I picked this up on “Blame on You” and mid-tempo “Words Fail Me.” Another classic here is the bouncy “Addicted To You,” with Squeeze-like chordplay and vocal approach. No bad tracks, and you’ll surely get addicted to the music here. I hope these guys get bigger distribution, as this is a great CD that all power pop fans will love. A new disc this year is planned for spring — get this while you wait.
The Smith Bros. home | My Space | Indie Rock
The band Shake Some Action is working on the new album “Sunny Days” for June release. In the meantime, they have a goodie for you powerpopaholics – a free track! Check out the video above to see the band hard at work.
Listen to “Looking for Someone”
And you can download the track directly from here. This sounds like it’s gonna be a great summer.
This album comes out of nowhere, and blows me away with amazing songwriting and playing. Brooklyn’s Brandon Wilde has a Paul McCartney meets Elliot Smith musical sensibility. Opening with “Whatever You Want” will remind most listeners of Chris Brown or David Grahame, with delicate strum and irresistible vocals. Even the slow alt country ballads like “Ever After” or “Rag Doll” have an amazingly catchy bridge that keeps you engaged. Most of the album is full of low key ballads, but with those clean Macca-styled hooks and arrangements. The ballad “Highway to The Moon” takes a very Radiohead-like turn with wonderful touches of acoustic folk and multi-tracked harmony. The thickest, stickiest hook and my favorite on this album is “Love in Cars.” This sole mid-tempo song will have you singing and clapping along in no time. It’s been on my ipod all week! The ballad “Cannot Say” evokes a bit of The Small Faces ballads and Brandon’s voice almost morphs into Rod Stewart’s cragginess. He ends the album with “Hollow” – a Beatlesque ballad of “Blackbird” proportions. My only nit pick here is that there is nothing on the album that is faster paced. But Mr. Wilde is an extremely talented musician and his “Songs From The Deep Sleep” are a well executed collection of subtle musical beauty.
My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame | Kool Kat Musik
“Jupiter Falls”
The Pinder’s debut is a sweet affair with a bit of modern mid-tempo pop with “Goodbye Say Hello” and playful lyrics and innocent harmonies bringing the listener along for the ride. The space themed follow up “Jupiter Falls” you hear the falsetto in the chorus and great potential. “Hang on Tight” closely resembles a Rembrandts song and has a pretty good hook too. Another shining example on this album is “Nicolina” which is great first crush-type love song that resembles Toad the Wet Sprocket’s mellow, melodic folk-pop. “First Kiss Goodnight” is a ballad where the falsetto takes off and other than the overly sappy lyric (“Somthing in your bright blue eyes says sex is overrated”) is a wonderful song. The ender here, “Sunflower” is a delicate and inspirational ballad that is a strong finish here.
CD Baby
“Ordinary Man”
The follow up album gets a bit stronger with “Dear Diane,” a mainstream adult pop single. There is more electric guitar in this album, although the sweet California-style melodies continue to inspire, like in the next song “Hold Me Tonight.” The feel and chord changes of “Waves Crash” is very much like Tim Finn, and my favorite Pinder Brothers song so far. The lyrical content is more mature as well, “Inside Me” is evidence of this with a song about faith in oneself. I miss the high falsetto taking center stage, but all the songs reflect thoughtful songwriters having something meaningful to say with guitars, great lyrics, and lush harmonies.
CD Baby
Like other brothers (Nelson comes to mind for some reason) – both Matt Pinder and Mike Lee Pinder have pop music running through their veins. Actually, the closest sound the Pinders have is to The Rembrandts. This is smooth easy going pop full of romantic subtext. Not every song has a good hook, but the ones that do are true gems here. Both albums here are recommended.