Thanks to XFM, The Charlatans “You Cross My Path” is available as a FREE download. Speaking to Xfm frontman Tim Burgess revealed “We always knew this album was gonna be given away for free, even before we started writing so we wanted to make it the best album we’ve ever made. This isn’t a case of left over tracks and b-sides, we wanted to give our fans a quality record.” And after listening to it, the album is pretty good: plenty of Brit-pop guitars and pounding beats – read the rest of the PR here. An extra thanks to TooPoppy blog for finding this.
The Not Lame Blog has also announced an albums worth of FREE music for download, as well. Bruce is calling it “The Official Not Lame Blog Soundtrack” and it’s got tracks from a big list of favorite artists like, Doug Powell, P. Hux, The Shazam, Bleu and many others. You can’t go wrong with this. The more people hear these artists the better it is for power pop.
I reviewed Tally Hall last year, and this April they are planning a re-release of the album. I noticed that a video for the song “Good Day” was posted on You Tube, so I’ll share it with you.
Best remembered as the bassist for the Californian pop band Sparks, Martin Gordon has built a stellar reputation for himself as a solo artist since 2003. “How Am I Doing So Far?” is a kind-of greatest hits record with tracks from Gordon’s first three solo releases and a good starting point for the noivce. There are Beatles, ELO, Todd Rundgren and ABBA influences here and there. My first thoughts were “Where has this guy been hiding? ” The production is highly polished and the guitars riff away on “Oh no, What shall we do?” remind me of “Baby’s in Black” by way of 10cc. The hooks and new wave-y keyboards in “Love Power” are so catchy, you almost are required to listen again to hear the wacky lyrics. You’ve got to give Martin credit for doing a glam version of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Captain of the Pinafore” – a tough song, done right (Todd would be proud). Even the quirkiness of his early Sparks records show up in “Land of Nod.” The attention to sonic details are very impressive here as well, “Plug and Play” resembles a Cars meets The Move mix. “Anyway Goodbye” lists a pile of health advice you should ignore. The Euro-centric humor and melodies will draw the listener in. With a track titled “Her Daddy was a Dalek, Her Mummy was a non-stick flying pan” how can you not? Also one notices that this is a massive 20-track collection. The Pysche-pop that surrounds songs like “Bad Light Stops Play” is top notch, and fans of The Pillbugs should pay attention too. The subject matter is also about rock star self-awareness (“Next Big Thing” and “Girls Fight Over Me”). There are few miscues here, and occasionally the production gloss is a bit too thick, but if you like good power pop this will encourage you to explore more of Gordon’s amazing work. Maybe my next review will be his current album “The World is Your Lobster.”
Before I share the new interview news, I’d like you all to sign-up for those great popcasts by Ed James and James Deem. You can download them on their Charlotte Pop Fest page or through Itunes. Since I broke news of this a few months ago, they have amassed several good interviews with some of my favorite artists; Frank Royster, Leisure McCorkle, Jerry Chapman and more. Both Ed and James have a nice on air banter, even if they do act like total fan-boys with their guests. It’s free, what else do you want?
I also have posted an interview with Andy Goldberg of The Goldbergs whose new album “Under The Radar” was reviewed last week. Visit the artist interviews section or click on this direct link to The Goldbergs Interview
P. Hux hunkered down in L.A. studios with drummer Gordon Townsend and bassist Dan Rothchild, the same lineup that brought you “Purgatory Falls” and put together this “Monster” of an album. “Perfect” is the classic jangle opener, complete with cathcy choruses in the REM vein. P. Hux vocal multi-tracking on “Yet To Say” is snappy and filled with great energy and use both acoustic and electric guitars. “Wear My Ring” has a slow meaty electric guitar strum with a laid back chorus which is exactly what I look for in a P.Hux album and it stands out as a great single. The next song “Bones” is a slower, melodic song with gentle horns and strings that reveal itself to be the best song on the album. It reminds me of McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” in it’s epic balladry. “My Friend Hates Me” has some nice crunchy guitar before we get to a very Jason Falkner-like pop tune, complete with musical break and blistering solo that inspires air guitar moments. The rest of the album has a harder time meeting the quality of the first half, as a pleasant cover of The Beatles’ “I’m Looking Through You” seems extraneous, but “Better Than Good” has a wonderful melody and great guitar riffs that makes it an instant classic. The closing track “Everything’s Different Now” is a sweet John Lennon-like ballad with some great lyrics that lament the life changes after a baby’s arrival. True to the promo materials, these tracks are all “ear-tingling” and may be the best P. Hux album ever.
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