Beebe Gallini is the newest garage rock, girl pop hybrid and they can shred like nobody’s business. The new LP Pandemos is her first full-length album, made up of demos she cut earlier in the pandemic. Nashville’s The Nobility delivers a theme of celebration and The 1957 Tail-Fin Fiasco doubles down on the quirkinesses, with key changes everywhere! Gentle Hen‘s freebie channels They Might Be Giants here with every parents’ cry for help. Plus, Mo Troper is doing a cover of the entire Revolver album. Darn good too! Speaking of covers Finnish-born talent Janita gives us a solid cover of Peter Gabriel’s classic “Digging in the Dirt.” With WandaVision in the rearview mirror, Timmy Sean did a quick cover of the jingle “Agatha All Along” and it’s his biggest viral post yet! Where is Reed Richards?
The Gold Needles “What’s Tomorrow Ever Done for You?”
UK band The Gold Needles gets ambitious with this new release. The title track is a fantastic start with its earworm chorus and country rhythm. The band’s sound is akin to The Grass Roots, Sweet and late-era Moody Blues updated to today’s era. “I Get The Pressure” is another gem with its neat bassline and spacey synths. The band takes the Hollies “Have You Ever Loved Somebody?” and owns it, nearly outdoing the original. The band proves its rock creds with “Dead Man’s Hand” and “Susie Is Sorted (She Doesn’t Care).” While the chugging rocker “Billy Liar” references the classic British flick, I was really impressed with “Realm Of The Black Dog,” an awesome psych-pop gem about depression that sinks into your soul. Overall, not a single note of filler here and highly recommended. Don’t miss it!
Rob Fetters is an immense talent and although it came out last year, it’s always a welcome addition to your playlist. “Turn This Ship Around” is all about changing your destiny and making your own luck. It’s a great message and richly delivered – very much in the Tom Petty mode. “Artichoke” is another impressive song, with its sweeping synth and guitar lines that bring to mind late-era Genesis. From here Fetters gets a little esoteric on songs like “Prophets” and “Me & Eve.” But there is the kick-ass single “Can’t Take It Back” with a riff that grabs you right away. You also get weirdness with “Dog Is God” and a few near misses like the self-pitying “Nobody Now.” Greatness pokes through again with “Queer Year,” likely the best song about gay acceptance I’ve heard. Definitely check this album out, it deserves to be heard.
Another late 2020 album I missed that deserves your attention. Dunbar’s music has evolved over the years to become more melodic and catchy, and Oh Wellness does a great job of mixing his cynical style with a simple hook. “Born To Bore” is a sweet mid-tempo gem all about the clueless friend who just won’t shut up. Dunbar has several personal irritants set to music, like the lack of appreciation for punctuality on “The Problem With Being On Time” and job insecurity on “Easy to Replace.” The songwriting is great throughout, and John keeps these songs simple and to the point. Subjects like dating and relationships are all part of “The Girl Who’s Heard It All Before” and the excellent gem, “A Sentimental Heart And A Skeptical Mind” and it makes this LP a great listen. Highly Recommended.
Lots of goodies to comb through to satisfy that power pop fix. Italy’s finest import Radio Days teases us with a ballad, then Boston band Justine and The Unclean misses those great drinks I used to get at bars near Faneuil Hall. On a similar party note; The Sorels just can’t wait for the winter to end with this rockin’ theme. Ken Sharp covers Kiss luminaries Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, so those debates about “Is Kiss power pop?” can start all over again. Cult Stars From Mars are created from the ashes of legends Fuzzbubble. This is top-shelf power pop, and if you want a freebie; check out their One Chord Progression.
The Boys With Perpetual Nervousness “Songs From Another Life”
Andrew Taylor has been doubling his output since this past summer, not only with his main band Dropkick, but his side project with Gonzalo Marcos aka The Boys With Perpetual Nervousness. Like the highly-rated debut, this new BWPN album is a continuation of catchy jangle-filled themes. It’s loaded with sticky pop hooks akin to Teenage Fanclub.
Opening with “I Don’t Mind” is a great start with a strong flowing tempo that ends just as you get into a groove, but even better is the Byrdsian guitar signature in “Play (On My Mind).” Each song is a gem, but some of my favorites include the sweet look back on “Rose Tinted Glass,” “Summer,” and “Lethargy.” Although many of the songs share a similar tempo (my only pet peeve here) there is enough distinction to prevent them from blending together. Highly Recommended and a contender for my top 10 in 2021 list.
Nashville singer-songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan is hard to pin down, and he likes it that way. “Sunday Women” is a deceptively simple song, a phrase repeated over and over, like a daydream. Then “Computer of Love” establishes an easy-going feeling before it launches into the catchy chorus “My little avatar/I’ll never know who you really are” all about casual dating and friendships on the internet. Echoes of Tom Petty are on “Up All Night” and Tasjan’s guitar actually emulates the sound of synths on “Don’t Overthink It.”
“Another Lonely Day” and “Feminine Walk” in some ways remind me of Bleu McAuley, with its acoustic bounce, and a multi-harmonic vocal. The melodic qualities and songwriting are top-notch. “Now You Know” is a confessional that just draws you in with just a vocal and bass line. A superb album that’s very inviting, and reveals more with every listen. Highly Recommended.
Glasgow native Joe Kane (aka The Poppermost) follows up his single from November with a smashing EP pulled out of the 1964 – 1965 Merseybeat era. “Well I Will” nails that early Moptop style, but “Laziest Fella In The Realm” is more like Freddie and The Dreamers, and the catchy “In & Out” is another winner. Excellent retro-pop that’s highly recommended.
Dutch power poppers Tommy & The Rockets do several simple three-chord gems as part of twofer with the band Psychotic Youth. Punchy songs that recall Kurt Baker and The Connection in approach are primarily covers, and my faves are The Jags “Back of My Hand and Chris Montez’s “Some Kind of Fun.” Check it out!
Peaces is a quartet from Germany. Love the opening heavy jangle of the title track and even though the vocals are a bit lacking, the spirit is there on “40 Days & 40 Nights.” A sweet rock song about Harry Potter’s wizard school is lamented on “Sorcerers Get All the Girls.” This is a band that deserves to be heard.
Stephen’s Shore is a band from Stockholm, Sweden with a dreamy jangle not unlike Dropkick with a bit more laidback attitude. “Skogen” and “Up To No Good” have a sound akin to the moody late 60s folk-pop of Scott McKenzie. Worth checking out for sure.
