I can think of no other skit in recent memory that really shows the world a music geek. In this SNL skit, Will Forte just lets it loose to the orchestral pop of “Casino Royale” with goofy arm gestures and Peyton Manning joins him in the “geek dance” of celebration. Together they almost resemble the Spartan Cheerleaders of Will Ferrell and Cheri O’Terri. As an audience we are laughing at the blissfully uncool cheerleaders enthusiasm for the “perfect cheer.” So it is with Will Forte’s Coach. The Bachrach-David theme music, done by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass is without peer, however to the masses (the audience and the other basketball players in the skit) it is just an awful old song, that was really cool in 1967 and now it’s just embarassing to see anyone enjoy it with this much gusto. If there ever was a perception problem with power pop fans and the rest of musical fandom, this exemplifies it. You tell your friends “Listen to this great track!” and you may get a convert who will join in your discovery of some great music (new or old) but the some of people out there will still tell you “Let’s get the f — outta here.” To see the movie’s full theme song click here.
The Go "Howl on the Haunted Beat You Ride" Preview
A special treat from Detroit is coming real soon. If you can imagine a band that plays a stratocaster with pitch perfect reverb — the sound is unmistakable and associated with some of the great 60’s bands like The Creation, The Action, The Pretty Things and The Hollies. The production here is flawless and even better than Outrageous Cherry. The Go is this band. 60’s music aficionados will go spastic over this new album, “Howl on the Haunted Beat You Ride”, due out July 24. In 2003, the sound of The Go was closer to a mix of Rolling Stones and the Zombies mash. You can get this older album on CD Baby right now. Lead vocalist Bobby Harlow and John Krautner have refined thier sound to clean retro-styled rock with less garage elements. The most immediate single is the opener here “You Go Bangin’ On” with some awesome cascading choruses. “Invisible Friends” is a fitting melodic Buffalo Springfield type of tune. “Mary Ann” opens with almost the same choral as The Four Seasons’ “Rag Doll” and then does a great job rockin’ out, complete with tamborine and driving beats. The only thing I found problematic is that not every song is as “hooky” or memorable after I heard it and my guess is you will need a few listens for it to sink in. Visit the MySpace site to hear a preview. Look for it soon!
The Go Website | MySpace
Listen to “Invisible Friends”
Future Clouds and Radar "s/t"
Future Clouds & Radar is the latest creation of Robert Harrison, of the great band Cotton Mather. Robert has basically evolved beyond the old Cotton Mather sound and what we get is a real gem of an double album here. “Birds of Prey” starts us off with lots of horns and odd drum work that is clearly indie pop friendly. The production work here is just stellar. Robert’s voice has a similar cadence to John Lennon and it helps make even pedestrian songs sound special. There is lots of stuff here, and most of it is excellent. The old Cotton Mather sound comes through on “Hurricane Judy” – a cool single full of nice little Beatle-isms, that makes this tune a joy to listen to. “Quicksilver” channels the ghost of Lennon’s “Oh My Love” just perfectly and makes an excellent ballad. In “Drugstore Bust” Robert uses lots of unique sound techniques and it’s got a great hook as well. This song my favorite on this album. “This is Really A Book” is a song with lots of sonic weirdness that play opposite to the main melody. Look out Robert Pollard, you have some real competition here. “You Will Be Loved” has a little string flourishes that recall the Bee Gees pre-disco glory. “Wake Up and Live” is a Reggae anthem given a cool pop treatment. “Our Time” is also an excellent song with classic jangle guitar riffs and melodic hooks. That mentioned, he tends to over indulge in some sonic weirdness like, “Devil no more” or “Letters to Junius.” On disk 2 “Get Your Boots On” continues with some great fuzz guitar and awesome harmonies. Disk 2 continues to deliver great songs like “Dr.No”, “Back Seat Silver Jet Sighter” and “Altitude” is sure to please old Cotton Mather fans. “Safety Zone” is a beautiful mid-tempo song that makes an excellent ending here. With a bit of editing this could have been a perfect tour de force, as it stands it’s merely really, really good and an album that needs time to be fully absorbed. It’s still one of the best I’ve heard this year so far.
Future Clouds and Radar Website | Amazon | Emusic
Listen to “Drugstore Bust”
Listen to “Quicksilver”
The Krinkles "The Mordorlorff Collection"
The Krinkles are a Chicago punk-pop band in the great tradition of Flaming Groovies and Cheap Trick. They do a pretty good job on this, their third album. We have a big emphasis on scorching guitar and rough hewn harmonies. They have a loose playing style that mixes early Beatles energy with Rick Nielsen guitar stylings. “Gimme Gimme” is good tune with choruses that remind me of the early Raspberries. “I want you” is another guitar heavy slice of rock riff heaven and my favorite on this album. “Stay with Me” is a catchy mid-tempo delight with a touch of The Records. More standout tunes include “Friday Night” and “Best Friend” The Mordorlorff Collection is a long sixteen tracks. And unfortunately a few of them should have been left off. When the band tries to be too hardcore or attempt a soft ballad it just doesn’t work as well. The good news here is there are still plenty of good tracks here to make this a recommended album. This is sold only through CDBaby.com, so far. Earlier albums are available on emusic.
Listen to “Stay with Me”
The Peaces "Is Are Was Were"
The Peaces are an NYC trio that concentrate on six part harmonies and clean classic pop. Lead singer Brian Halverson and the group do a perfectly pleasant job of weaving melodies and harmony on highlights like “Oasis” and “She Stands So Close.” If you are a fan of the light touch of the Association, Cloud Eleven and The Curiosity Shoppe, you’ll definitely enjoy this album. “Existential Me” is the best track in my opinion. It is a bit faster paced and has a killer hook similar to The Wondermints with nice harpsichord and guitar breaks. The chorus sings “I’m not so different from you…”. But The Peaces are different from you and me — they’ve got real melodic talent here and thank goodness! “Old Anxiety” gets a little bit harder with a great Badfinger-like track. “Nobody Cares” is a pitch perfect Rubinoos-styled tune that continues the gentle jangle of this album. The guitar work is also first rate as “Something Wrong could be right” contains a nice little solo. The last track “From each other’s eyes” mines a bit of the 70’s, with lounge calypso beats and makes a curious ending, but overall a stellar effort! I really look forward to more music from the Peaces. Listen to streaming samples on The Cherry Bomb records site.
Cherry Bomb Records | My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame