Reviewed by Mike Z.
The fact that the opening track of Buddy Love’s Now…and Then is titled “ Where Do We Go From Here?” is apt in that the song answers its own question: it’s more of the same in that this band has not broken character for a split second over the last twenty or so years. That is not necessarily a bad thing, however.

Buddy Love doesn’t exactly defy description, but they certainly have an interesting combination of sounds going on. Mostly they sound like an American band imitating a British band imitating an American band, if that makes any sense. They have a sound that flirts with progressive pop, sockhop rock, and commercial new wave. One can’t help but listen to this disc and imagine these geezers having the time of their lives while ably working the crowd at your favorite pub this coming Saturday night.

Essentially, the band delivers a smattering of good, fun tunes. You’re guaranteed not to have to think too hard about any of the lyrics, but more importantly, you’ll very likely catch yourself tapping your feet instantly and within a day or two you might even be humming some of the tunes. The standout from “Now” is the almost atmospheric “I Can’t Get Up,” which flirts with headier matter, but at the end of the day is just another rocking pop tune. While the “…and Then” side is curiously a little more on the lovelorn side, so do not miss “Party Girl,” the track most emblematic of what Buddy Love is all about.

Buddy Love Homepage | My Space

According to the Daily Mail, classic rock gods The Kinks will have a reunion tour. Lead singer and guitarist Ray Davies said the band’s original members, which included Davies’ brother Dave on guitar, Mick Avory on drums and Pete Quaife on bass plan to play together for the first time in nearly four decades in 2008.

I guess the money being pulled from recent geezer reunion concerts (Led Zeppelin, Cream, Rolling Stones) is too great to pass up. Like most fine wine, the Ray Davies back catalog of hits has gotten better with age and gained even more fans since they split up the band in the mid 90’s. And a new Kinks anthology will be released with the tour.

As for other reunions, the Zombies are planned for March 8, 2008 – Details Here. Sorry Paul, no Wings reunion for you, but you can always “Get high with a little help from your friends.”

The House of Summer Nights is a singer/songwriter Jason Kesler’s EP project. It has a poppy alt. country feel on the opening title track. “We Were Young” has a bouncy piano with a respectful nod to Brian Wilson. “Umbrella Sky” stays in that mode complete with sleigh bells. The remaining ballads are jazzy and countrified respectively.
My Space | CD Baby | Itunes

Swedish Fish “Dark Light” is similar to The Cranberries in style and sound lead by Martha Bouchier’s sweet vocals. Formed in 1985 they recently reunited at IPO Toronto. The synth and drum beats surround each tune, and a standout is the dramatic “Dark Light” and the guitar heavy “Lisp.” With 16 tracks, it has a lot of stylistic variety to choose from. It ranges from the sunshine pop of “See You in the Morning” to the angry “Secrets.” If you like new wavey power pop, this is a decent pick up produced by Jamie Vernon at Bullseye Records in Canada.
Bullseye Records | My Space

HIJK “The Pen and The Letter” is a different kind of indie pop band. They take influences from all over the map, and lead singer David Tsui weaves the melodic and the angst together similar to Loud Family meets U2 by way of the New Pornographers. This is very hard to pigeonhole, but it is original and interesting. If you want something hip from your alternative pop, you can’t do better. Each track is engrossing and unpredictable and that’s enough to put HIJK on your music radar. Listen to “Alibi” on the My Space page for a sample.
HIJK Site | MySpace | itunes

Bryan Scary made our top ten last year and already he’s got a follow up on the way. “Flight of the Knife” is due for release April 1, 2008. It was recorded with producer Brian McTear (Apollo Sunshine, Matt Pond PA) between tours last fall. Featuring a harder rocking sound and heavy emphasis on ensemble dynamics, Flight of the Knife captures the band’s acclaimed live sound while expanding upon the studio wizardry and lush eccentricities of Scary’s self-recorded debut, The Shredding Tears. As a special treat to their fans, the band is offering a FREE track to download every week leading up to the release, starting January 8th at FlightoftheKnife.com

Full album review will come soon.

Beachfield is a new project for Go-Betweens drummer, vocalist Glenn Thompson, and it will appeal to fans of The Go-Betweens, Aztec Camera and Crowded House. It’s got a casual breezy feel and tempo. The catchy “One Way Ticket” is a great hummable song and most of the album follows that template. Glenn Thompson’s stories range from the weather (“Wintertime Again”) to his Aussie neighbors (“Suburbian Life”). Most enjoyable track for me is the summery “Birds Eye View” complete with a wonderful silent break before the chorus. A lot of the album takes awhile to grow on you, as the tempos are all similar and this can lead to an auditory monotony. The ballads here like, “Demons” and “Danish Kronor” are okay, but nothing to get too excited about. This album is not so easily available in the states, except through Tower Records Online.

My Space | Eric’s Music | Amazon UK