Emperor Penguin, The Vapour Trails and The Hard Way

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Emperor Penguin

Emperor Penguin “Corporation Pop!”

While this collection was created and released over the months of 2020, it’s a great selection of music to have complete in one album. “Talk To Me” the bouncy pop single (with Orbis Max) has echoes of the late ’80s in the rhythm. Another great collaboration is “Tuesday’s World” with the queen of power pop Lisa Mychols, featuring interwoven male-female harmonies in each verse. They bump up the tempo on the Star Trek inspired “Planet of Love.”

Emperor Penguin has proven to be a formidable talent, with a stylistic bend towards the ’60s psych-pop in many cases, like the jangling “Maserati” or the gentle harmonies in the wonderfully melodic “Hell in a Handcart.” Other than a lite synth track at the end, there isn’t a note of filler here and it’s a highly recommended album.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik


The Vapour Trails

The Vapour Trails “Underneath Tomorrow” EP

Aberdeen-based psych-pop band The Vapour Trails are a talented group of musicians whose style emulates The Byrds, The Hollies, and Buffalo Springfield. The first few songs of this EP are loaded with hooks, “Tommy’s Tune” is just an infectious melody that sticks very quickly. “Underneath Tomorrow” and “That’ll Do It” has excellent guitar work, and fans of The Grip Weeds and Outrageous Cherry will love it. “Autumn & Spring” and “Good Morning Maudlin Town” have a lighter pop touch, all produced, mixed, and mastered by Nick Bertling. Fans of retro pop should check this out. Highly Recommended.

Bandcamp only


The Hard Way

The Hard Way “New to You” EP

Matt Wilczynski’s musical collective (aka The Hard Way) is made up of Matt on vocals, guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums with a rotating cast of musicians and friends to round out the sound – which takes influences from The Beatles, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, and The Doobie Brothers.

It’s the meticulous craftsmanship and production that you will notice right away. The opener “Walls & Bridges” starts with a slide guitar intro and Matt’s soulful vocal, then the Beatlesque harmonies in the chorus hit you. The guitar solo is Duane Allman-like in approach and simply great. “Note To Self” adds a smooth backing vocal chorus with a piano verse, and some impressive songwriting. “Open Cage” and the instrumental “Worm Underground” adds some of that Joe Perry-styled hard rock sound, and with the latter track, it’s got some funky keys and horns. “Sunshine” is an acoustic blend in the Doobie Brothers tradition and I’m proud to list this as a top ten EP for 2021. It was even reviewed by Ben Folds! In his words “Excellence everywhere…” Super Highly Recommended.

Amazon

The Stan Laurels and Rich Arithmetic

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The Stan Laurels

The Stan Laurels “There is No Light Without the Dark”

John Lathrop (aka The Stan Laurels) has taken the next leap forward in his musical vision. The band always had strong melodic songs, but the garage elements are toned down and the overall soundscape feels bigger. “Florida Man” relies on strong guitar riffs and John’s resonant vocals, while “Tomorrow” has a strong jangling rhythm, reminiscent of  The Ocean Blue with its heavily textured sound.

Next, the brilliant “Lost & Found” is both catchy and full of musical subtleties. This combination of heavy chords and gentle vocal performance, similar to Teenage Fanclub is also notable on “On Paper” and “Mo Collins.” While other songs don’t approach this level of greatness, they fit right in. Definitely highly recommended.

Big Stir Records | Kool Kat Musik


The Stan Laurels

Rich Arithmetic “Shiftingears”

Rich Arithmetic was an oddity in the Not Lame catalog way back in 1995 with Sleep In A Wigwam. The band fronted by Richard Horton is back with a potpourri of styles heavily influenced by the ’60s pop and folk. Opening with “In Our Time (Ode for The E-Types)” is an earnest tribute to a beloved one-hit-wonder of a band and it continues with a cover of the tune “She Moves Me.”  The fond look at musical nostalgia continues with the bright harmonies on “Do You Remember?” and “Haley.”

The next few songs are eclectic in style but mostly unmemorable. The psych-pop pastiche “Waiting For Isaac” and baroque pop of “Before For The First Slice” full of echoing vocals and strings are compelling distractions. “He’s A Good Man” is another standout here, with a piano pop melody full of bounce, very much in the XTC style. Overall an interesting release worth checking out.

Kool Kat Musik

https://youtu.be/NiU2cVJFjPg

Singles and EPs: The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club, Nerd Magnet, Squire, Devon Kay, The Unswept, The Dowling Poole, Katie Kuffel

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So much singles goodness here, starting with the strong riffs of The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club. The Nerd Magnet (from Japan) also delivers crunchy guitar goodness that will attract power pop fans. Squire recalls a bit of the ’80s rhythm with that echoing jangle and a Beatlesque composition. Devon Kay & The Solutions has rich harmonies and a catchy chorus that made me like them “a little bit.” Our EPs feature The Unswept covering some power pop greats and The Dowling Poole has a fitting tribute to our former President. Katie Kuffel is releasing “1999” as a wistful look at parent-child relationships. Enjoy!







Matthew Sweet and Heatwaves

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Matthew Sweet

Matthew Sweet “Catspaw”

Matthew Sweet’s “Catspaw” was completed last year, but only released recently and it’s his most somber and stylistically consistent album in many years. The theme of the album was described by Sweet “Don’t ever forget life is totally cruel and the catspaw is already coming down on you.” Sweet spent his time on this one, doing all the instrumentals with drum work by Ric Menck (Velvet Crush).

“Blown Away” boasts those oppressive chords, and bluesy swirling guitar fills that are his unmistakable signature. Sweet has always had the ability to draw you into his pain, and he does it here brilliantly. Next, “Give A Little” has a solid hook that keeps giving and has “a little bit of hope” as it lurches along. Then “Challenge the Gods” shows his defiance. “Punch the world in the face. Use your time to rise above.” as he offers sound advice to the oppressive environment that was 2020. The guitar melodies seem tighter and more focused than his previous outings since he’s handling the lead by himself. Many highlights are here, and overall this stands out as his best album since 2003’s “Kimi Ga Suki.” So technically — this will make my top albums list. A great start to 2021.

Amazon


Heatwaves

Heatwaves “Complete Recordings (2017-2020)”

Jose Dolz (Shock Treatment) and Luis Sanchez (Depressing Claim, Reactivos & K7s) wanted to do covers of those Phil Spector produced girl groups like The Ronettes, The Supremes, and The Shangri-las. They “discovered” vocalist Ana Beltran at a karaoke bar and the rest is history. However, the title is a little misleading, as this is not a defunct band, nor did they stop recording.

Opening with “My Baby Has Gone” it’s got the girl-group style as far as song structure, but the guitar figures more prominent than those buttoned-down original influences. It’s a lot of fun and catchy too. “Lonely Nights” features Beltran’s version of Diana Ross as those strings swell up. Hearing these tunes, they do make an effort to grow beyond the template, but you’ll have a grand time playing “spot the influence.” Overall it’s infectious, including some Christmas and French-language songs. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

EP Reviews: The Airport 77, The Cheap Cassettes and The Lickerish Quartet

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The Airport 77s

The Airport 77s “Rotation”

The Airport 77s embody the classic power pop spirit of 20/20, Pezband, and The Knack with a modern spin; “When you’re kissing on me do you think of James McAvoy?” is a great tune that simply rocks with both attitude and desperation. “I mean, I get it — he rocks your world…” implores lead singer Andy Sullivan.

The anthemic “All The Way” has a touch of Cheap Trick in its DNA and it’s all about making that special moment memorable. A good cover of the Bram Tchaikovsky hit “Girl of My Dreams” fits right in with the band’s style. “Bad Mom!” is another highlight, with a jagged new wave rhythm, great bass line, and lyrics that obsess about that MILF in the PTA.  The band really delivers lyrically and musically. Highly recommended.

Amazon

The Cheap Cassettes

The Cheap Cassettes “See Her In Action!”

Punk pop stalwarts The Cheep Cassettes recalls The Buzzcocks and Ramones, with its catchy garage riffs and rough-hewn vocals courtesy of lead songwriter Charles Matthews. The title track bobs along with gusto, and a fantastic guitar break before the final verse. “Only Lovers” and “Lil Bit Everyday” are great in-your-face tunes that stick, especially the latter, with a great hook in the chorus. As a bonus, we get some live tracks including The Replacements “Valentine.” Highly Recommended.

Bandcamp

The Lickerish Quartet “Threesome, Vol. 2”

Those ex-Jellyfish boys (Roger Joseph Manning Jr., Tim Smith, and Eric Dover) are back! After the highly anticipated and well-received Threesome Vol.1, the band’s follow up is more of the same.  Opening with the spacey “Do You Feel Better?” with sweet

 highly recommended.

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