Sean Ashby "Brass and Gold"

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Sean Ashby is one of Toronto’s most successful musicians, being a leading member for the band Jack Tripper and also as a long-time guitarist in Sarah McLachlan’s band. His new solo “Brass and Gold” is produced with help of Todd Fancey (member of The New Pornographers) and several others. The opening riff of “Dreamin” has the melodic riffs and guitar overdubs that remind one of Brian Ray playing the guitar with John Cougar Mellencamp doing the vocals. Stylistically, Sean jumps around from muscular rock of “This Machine” to gentle ballads (“Brass And Gold,” “Nova Girl”). But the big hooks here in “Star 98” and “Gone” are so thick, they beg to be played loud, with a cutting buzz saw sound like Heart’s “Barracuda”.  The song “Baby Yes” takes the same style down a notch. Not all the ballads work for me (“All I Need” tries to be Coldplay a bit too much) but when they hit the mark, with “Paper Tiger” it’s like the second coming of Mark Oliver Everett. The album finale “Come to Me” evokes a Lou Reed ballad and fades out. This is a strong eclectic debut that would be welcome in your collection.

Sean Ashby’s Site | My Space | Itunes

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Joe Jackson "Rain"

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It’s been four years since “Volume 4” and Joe Jackson returns better than ever. Impeccable musicianship with great songwrtiting leads me to say this is a return to form that doesn’t feel as forced as “Volume 4.” Jackson has done it all the past decade from soundtracks, to jazz, to blues and has come home to his pop roots for “Rain.” For a start, he’s reunited with Graham Maby and Dave Houghton, both players on his classic eighties albums. He has constructed an album with the polished melodies and the massive hooks that borrow from different styles of his earlier catalog. The opening track “Invisible Man” is a piano pop classic that states his celebrity status among today’s musicians and stands alongside his greatest songs. “King Pleasure Time” and “Good Bad Boy” have a nostalgic feel and approach that would fit just fine on “Look Sharp”. Another new classic and my favorite here is “The Uptown Train” – a song that couldv’e fallen off of “Night and Day.” Another amazing track “Too Tough” that has the concert hall feel of his album “Body and Soul.” The other songs here are excellent too, “Wasted Time,” a very Rundgren-like, soul ballad, and the gentle strains of “Rush Across the Road” are pure pleasure for fans here. Jackson is above all else a musical survivor of the skinny tie era and enjoying every minute of this. It’s tough to argue against it, when so much passion is on display here.

Joe Jackson’s Official Site | My Space | Itunes

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Andy Lehman "Landline"

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Andy Lehman begins “Landline” with the haunting “I Don’t Think of Love” which utilizes a heavy echo and synths, emulating the Doves a bit. The melodic multi-tracked chorus tells you this isn’t the usual pop rock. The vocal stylings are closest to a young Lindsey Buckingham with a bit of Weezer thrown in. “Time to Go” is a better representation of Andy’s unique style of power pop. The layered vocals flow together in a stream of self-conscious lyrics. His humor and simple melodic sense makes “Summertime” a lot of fun to listen to – I almost expected more goofiness here to match the melody. Things get mellower as the album continues forward and although beautiful, “Lovely and Magic” almost lulls you to sleep. Some of the other ballads don’t do much either however, a good epic ballad here is “Lightning Fell” with a dramatic ending worthy of Oasis, and is my favorite track here. If you like your wall of sound with a bit of melancholy,”Ghost” fits the bill nicely as well. Overall a good debut with some ipod worthy tunes.

My Space | CD Baby

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"The Backroom" Reagan Era Rocketship

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The Backroom started when long time friends Keith von Kaenel and Matt Greenfield met up with drummer, Matt Jankowiak and they started jamming in the “back room” of Keith’s garage. This is a quality release with a radio-friendly sound and smooth psyche-lite touches. The opener “Lost Without You” is really a good pop tune with clean harmonies and violin accents. The rhythm guitar leads the way with the mid-tempo “Flat Lined @ Zero” and has a Weezer-like quality. Much of the remaining tracks, although flawlessly produced don’t always hook you. The exceptions to this are “Loads Of Love” with a great dual vocal harmonic, excellent lyrics and “The World That Revolves Around Me” with a catchy chorus and piano that is similar to the group, Field Music. That dual harmonic of Keith and Matt is also present on “Deserve”,”One Night Stand” and “Better Time Than Now” – in most cases it works beautifully. This is a promising debut worth checking out. Enjoy it!

The Backroom Site | My Space | CD Baby | Kool Kat Musik | E-music

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