Pelle Carlberg "In A Nutshell"

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Swedish songster Pelle Carlberg has a good sense of humor. In his self-titled opener “In A Nutshell” starts with two minutes of bleak boring piano, then two minutes of silence before the “pop” song begins “They say I need a hit song…” And the hilarious lyrics continue “I’d rather wear a leather thong.” Not bad. Pelle has a kind of soft pop approach similar to Belle and Sebastian or early Sondre Lerche. “Showercream and Onions” has a bouncy chorus that contradicts the distrubing lyrics “I like you, despise you.” Most of the album is low key and mellow, and fans of Nick Drake styled pop will enjoy it. “Middleclass Kid” has a bit of Billy Bragg styled storytelling with a great beat and a catchy hook. Pelle’s clever lyrics are easy to overlook, but they are brilliant and filled with sardonic wit. Other gems here are “Crying all the Way to the Pawnshop” and “I Love You Imbecile” – each with memorable chorus and rhythms. He kind of overreaches with the choir on the overly dramatic anthem “Pamplona” and the ballad “Why Do Today What You Can Put Off Until Tomorrow?” didn’t really impress me. But overall a solid effort that pop fans will enjoy. Stream the entire album here or get a free download at the Labrador site (Swedish).

Pelle’s Website | MySpace | itunes | Amazon

Listen to “Clever Girls like Clever Boys much more than Clever Boys Like Clever Girls”

Listen to “I Love You Imbecile”

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The Deadbeat Poets "Notes From The Underground"

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Deadbeat Poets members — singer-guitarist Terry Hartman (Backdoor Men, Napoleon In Rags, Terry & The Tornadoes), singer-bassist Frank Secich (Blue Ash, Club Wow, Stiv Bators Band), guitarist-singer Pete Drivere (Infidels, Pretty Demons) and drummer John Koury (Infidels, Slackjaw) are a varied group of musical professionals with a common love of a great guitar pop song. A good comparison to other like-minded groups would be Scott McCaughey and The Minus Five. Lots of influences here include The Stones, The Cars, The Who, The Byrds, and Tom Petty. Fans of these bands will enjoy The Deadbeat Poets. The opener “The Truth About Flying Saucers” is a cool guitar centered song, that evokes classic Cars. “The Green Man” cribs a little bit from Pete Townshend’s “Behind Blue Eyes” but is also full of original hooks. My favorite song is the energetic “No Island Like The Mind, No Ship Like Beer” – an excellent hook filled anthem for drunken philosophers. I expect a group of guys named “Bruce” to be singing this with mugs raised (Monty Python fans know what I’m talking about here). Some great guitar twang on “Where Was I When I Needed Me” is alot like typical Southern Culture on The Skids. More Brydsian brilliance is on the amazing song “It’s Nothing.” This is a great album that fits like an old favorite pair of jeans. No filler here either, it’s all great stuff. Listen to some tracks on MySpace and pick up this one.

MySpace | Kool Kat Musik | Not Lame | Digistation

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Lee Hazlewood R.I.P.

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Lee Hazlewood, the pop svengali who wrote the Nancy Sinatra hit ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin”, died of cancer in Las Vegas on Saturday (August 4). He was 78. He was a recording eccentric who refused to acknowledge mainstream tastes; a songwriter capable of crippling fatalism (“My Autumn’s Done Come”) and playful country corn (“Dolly Parton’s Guitar”), and songs that use elements of both (“Dark in My Heart”); it’s all part of the highly contradictory legend of Hazlewood. His influence is felt all over today’s Alt. Country movement.

Listen to him sing “Summer Wine”

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Jeremy Messersmith "The Alcatraz Kid"

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Jeremy Messersmith is an Elliot Smith-styled singer, with a gentle wistful voice that make his new album “The Alcatraz Kid” easy to follow and enjoy. Wonderful lyrics and thoughful melodies that have just enough hooks to keep you involved. “Old Skin” is a heartfelt love theme and very memorable here. Bits of Sufjan Stevens, The Eels and even Bowie peek through as influences other than the late Mr. Smith. The instrumental tune on “Day Job” would fit fine on an Apple iphone commercial, but the story in the lyrics is compelling here as well. “Snow Day” is an upbeat tune here and conjures up images of warm cozy nights in front of a fire place, looking for that first snowfall. “Novocain” is also another keeper, with a great chorus about deadening heartache by “Passing another needle…” My only issue here is that album is pretty downbeat, all the way through without anything that exciting to get your blood pumping. But thank goodness the lyrics are not all bleak.This is a great start for Jeremy and hopefully we’ll hear more from him in the future. Purchase the album straight from MySpace or itunes.

Jeremy’s Website | My Space | Itunes | Princess Records

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Kurt Hagardorn "Ten Singles"

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Kurt Hagardorn loves to play music. Simple as that. His album “Ten Singles” is a relaxing series of songs that recall the great power pop influences of the past.The production is clean and perfectly done here. On first listen it is a nice Beatlesque Alt. Country album in the early Wilco vein, but after a few listens it really grows on you. It opens with the excellent Beach Boys’ Holland-era single “International Travel Advisory.” Then the Neil Young-ish “You are my Girl” follows. It’s got a wonderful chorus that recalls You Am I’s countrified power pop. “Please Make it Last” is the best song Harry Nillson never wrote and a real standout as well. The Badfinger comparisons are most apt on “Rock Scissors Paper” a rollocking number with awesome riff work. The style takes a more contemporary spin with “Leanne” – a wonderful song with more of an electric sound, and great lyrics about losing the girl. Most every track here is really good, and the stories on even the slower ballads remain interesting. Recorded between 2000 and 2006, Kurt has given us the cream of his crop here. It feels like a carefully handcrafted project and you couldn’t ask for more than that.

MySpace | Itunes | Not Lame | CD Baby

Listen to “You Are My Girl”

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