Quick Takes: Silvertwin, Life on Mars, Well Wishers, Novelty Island

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Silvertwin “Silvertwin”

The work of UK musician Isaac Shalam, who uses 1970s pop-rock as an influence and touchpoint. Fans of Supertramp, Andy Pratt, and ELO will really enjoy this but rarely do the songs go above and beyond their influences. “Ploy” and “Doubted” are early highlights, and Isaac’s technique is perfect. Keep your eye on this band for next year. Highly Recommended. Get it on Amazon

Life On Mars “At Stars End”

Earl Kayoss, Denny Seiwell, and Fernando Perdomo deliver a subtle rock gem. Kayoss sounds a bit like Cat Stevens and Perdomo is able to let his inner Steve Howe (Yes) fly free, or is that his inner David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)? Denny Seiwell (Wings) keeps each song anchored, and provides needed structure. What a treat. Highlights include; “She’s Already Gone,” “Rock People” and “What Have I Done” Get it on Bandcamp

The Well Wishers “Spare Parts”

Jeff Shelton gathers his outtakes and turns it into a pretty good album. “Growing Old” is a terrific rocker that follows The Well Wisher formula, and the other songs are just as interesting. Highlights include “Let’s Drive (All Better Now)” and a cool take on Love and Rockets “It’s All In My Mind.” Jeff even emulates Gary Numan in “Love and Science.” Check it out. Get it on Amazon


Novelty Island “How Are You Coping With THis Century?”

Liverpool-based songwriter/producer, Tom McConnell made this charming bedroom pop project. Mostly acoustic with memorable melodies like the opener “This Bird.” The quirky “Cowboy On A Bicycle” boasts a creative video along with Tom’s twee vocalizations. Fans of early McCartney and Emitt Rhodes will fall for these effective hooks. Not a single dud here, and the earworms are plentiful. Highly Recommended. Get it on Amazon

Más Power Pop español: Octubre, Coke Belda, Javier Miramontes, The Starkwells, George Harrison

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Since my last Spanish power pop post, a few notable new releases still needed to be highlighted. Octubre from Madrid, Spain has been a local favorite, and a few called it the best pop album of the year, and the opening track “Todo se lo lleva el viento” (translates to “Everything is carried away by the wind”) compares well to Teenage Fanclub. The grand jangle of “No sé qué hacer” is another standout track with plenty more. The sound is just mesmerizing! Get on Amazon

Coke Belda (a long-time fave here) is back with a tribute album to the legendary Beatlesque band Los Brincos. The four-piece Spanish rock band from the 1960s was often compared with The Fab Four, and Belda takes the classic sound and updates it with modern studio polish. Fans of the classic power pop style will simply love it. Don’t miss it! Get on Amazon

Javier Miramontes (aka Howdy) and his previous band, The Starkwells pay tribute to Big Star here with an original and a cover.

Not Spanish, but in case you missed it… a Celeb-filled “My Sweet Lord” video in celebration of the 50th anniversary of George Harrison‘s classic solo album, All Things Must Pass. 

 

It’s Karma It’s Cool and The Laissez Fairs

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It's Karma It's Cool

It’s Karma It’s Cool “Homesick for our Future Destinations”

James Styring and his Lincoln, UK band take on a more subdued approach with their latest album. The low-key instrumental “Homesick” leads to “All Branches Break In Time,” a slow-building song with a jangling atmosphere and guitar dramatics at its peak. Unlike past work, the atmosphere is key as opposed to melody, and a song like “Wild Fire Flames,” is a good example, with its complex rhythm. The spacey “Absent Transient” is another highlight with echoing textures and riffs.

Overall it incorporates more psych-pop and prog influences than past works. That’s not to say the singles don’t stand out. “She Slept With The Radio On” is fantastic, and the big guitar hooks of “Coffee Cup Circles” are true highlights. A good combination of the melodic and atmospheric is “Guest on a TV Talk Show,” and most of the songs go past the four-minute mark, so you will need a few spins to appreciate this. A very good album that deserves to be heard.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik


The Laissez Fairs

The Laissez Fairs “Curiosity Killed The Laissez Fairs”

God bless John Fallon and his band of electric acid dandies!  The retro-fuzzed guitars and Farfisa organs recall the golden age of late 60s psych-pop mixed with the Paisley Underground of the mid-80s across 11 tracks. The musical structure of each song is densely composed, sometimes crowding out the vocals — but the spirit and skill of these musicians cannot be denied. Listening to the opener “Image” and Joe Lawless guitar jangle is all you need to get a perfect mashup of The Byrds, Stones, and The Who.

“Sunshine Tuff” is a garage-laden mod rocker loaded with the kitchen sink, and “Tell You What It Means” is very much like The Small Faces. “Somewhere Man” and “Two Sides of The Same Coin” are also highlighted with bits of The Move and The Rain Parade in their DNA.  Almost every song hits its mark, with the album’s end track “Upside Downer” a stoner meditation. Turn off the lights and stare at some blacklight posters while listening to this. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

Kris Rodgers & The Dirty Gems and Wendi Dunlap

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Kris Rodgers and the Dirty Gems

Kris Rodgers and the Dirty Gems “Still Dirty”

Kris Rodgers upped his game. Kris is a talented pianist, vocalist, songwriter, and his band, The Dirty Gems are a solid crew; Tom Hall is on guitar, Ryan Halliburton on bass, and Craig Sala on drums. The band signed onto Little Steven Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records this year. And Still Dirty starts with a funky “She Likes To Party,” which could be a lost companion to Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music.” But Rodgers’ energy and melodic power are more akin to a young Elton John playing in the E-Street band. “Across the Galaxy” and “See You Again” showcase his superb vocal chops and songwriting skill.

And the band rocks away on “I’m Your Man” and gets stronger with each song, “Don’t Turn Around” has a touch of Motown DNA, and he gets jazzy on “Tortuga.” Plenty of varied influences and most of these tunes hit the mark, even a cover of Elton’s “Take Me To The Pilot” is inspired. Super highly recommended.

Amazon


Wendi Dunlap

Wendi Dunlap “Looking For Buildings”

Wendi Dunlap has an elegant vocal that catches your ear right away on the opener “Buildings.” The album was produced by Ken Stringfellow of the Posies, and despite his recent controversy – his solid work helps Wendi shine here. The guitar jangle and heart-felt “Season of Loss” is a bittersweet rocker about the Pandemic, with a hook-filled chorus. Next, the sophisticated “Field of View” shows a depth of emotional joy seldom heard. This trifecta is hard to follow up on.

Wendi slows the tempo, and “You=Spring” is a nice slice of dream pop, and things pick up with “Wonder Whys,” another catchy gem that tries to decipher a partner’s bad behavior. However, toward the second half of the album, Wendi broods about rejection on “Don’t Throw Me Away” and “Second Heartbreak” and the hooks are missing. Still, this is a strong debut that deserves to be heard. Check it out.

Amazon

Papa Nez takes the last train

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59-atxl1

What can I possibly say that hasn’t been said about the “smartest” Monkee, Michael Nesmith. I’ll pull a quote from one of my favorite music writers Bob Lefsetz who said:

“So when it was over, Nesmith was the only one who had any traction as a musician. Dolenz stayed in TV, Jones went to legitimate theatre and Tork faded away, but Nesmith had the First National Band, and consensus was they were good, and credible, which was quite a leap if you consider his start in the public eye as a member of the Monkees.”

Here is his first hit song by himself, a rare version of “Different Drum”

It’s taken me some time to process the loss of Mike Nesmith. I have been lucky enough to interview him a few years ago for the Ernie Kovacs Award.
As for his work in the Monkees, a TV show about an imaginary band … that wanted to be the Beatles, he helped turn this “fake band” into a real one. By May of 1967, Headquarters proved to the world that these guys were real musicians with great songs. To honor him, please listen to the music that made this a uniquely American band that has stood the test of time, and long outlasted those early naysayers of the music press. Rest in peace, Papa Nez.