Stephen Clair and Palisades

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Stephen Clair

Stephen Clair “The Small Hours”

Stephen Clair’s understated effort The Small Hours is a perfect example of an album that grows on you. The easy-going bass line of “Come Down” hides the misery of “the blues turned to gray” and the divided state of our country. But it’s not all a downer, as the catchy lead “Is This Thing On” is power pop magic with its vibrant melody. Clair’s storytelling peels back the layers of emotion below the surface, and when he goes in a jazzy direction on “Dorothy” or the dour “Marie” its poetry in the same vein as NRBQ or Ray Davies.

The bluesy jazz approach includes some humor on “Fixing To Fly” about a chicken looking for a way out of the henhouse or the bouncy percussion of “Pig In A Poke” which will get you moving. The serious timeliness of “Hurricane Coming” is contrasted by the rock-funk of “Cheap Date.” Clair remains an underrated treasure and deserves your attention.

Amazon


The Palisades

The Palisades “Almost Night”

The Palisades were a Hawthorne, CA band that played the live music scene in the South Bay from 1982-83. They were heavily influenced by 1960’s rock and roll, and but never got signed as this was the age of synth-pop dance music. Those mullet-haired teens remained friends and recorded a few rough demos highlighted by “Let The Young Live” and “All Around The World,” which is a little like a poor man’s version of The Records or The Knack.

Thankfully the band re-recorded these tunes, and they sound much better.“Disappear Away” is a strong song about the dreams of youth, and “Lies” is classic power-pop with its strong riffs, and the melodic chorus of “ooh, girl.” Other highlights include a cover of The Turtles “Let Me Be” and the surf guitar of “Suicide Surf.” The album is packed with 27 tracks of nostalgia. Check it out.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

SLD and Rick Hromadka

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SLD

SLD “Lost”

SLD (aka Sounds Like Digging) is back – Tom Parisi and his cousin Paul Costanza return with a smooth rich sound on “He’s Got You Now,” a slick single with a grand chorus backed by psyche pop guitars. This is like a double album with 17 tracks.

“Fly Away” is a McCartney-like piano gem, that slowly picks up steam to its magical chorus, with an upbeat “ooh-la-la,” rhythmic harmonies, and a wicked guitar break that begs for repeat listens. “Don’t Want Get Over You” is a wonderful jangling pop gem full of great chord changes and Tom’s guitar riffs are supported by Paul’s bright vocal that defines the SLD sound. A few songs get bogged down where the rhythm, not the melody is the focus (“No Way,” “She”) but even these are decent.

There are many highlights here: “12 to 5” has brilliant harmonies across each verse, “Lost” is ultra-smooth pop, and “Last Night” is a polished, atmospheric song with an expansive melody. Using synths and an ’80s slow pop rhythm, “Circles” could’ve been a Tears For Fears hit, and “Midnight Eyes” boasts a hand-clapping beat with underlying phased guitar chords. Fans of ELO, Pilot, and The Nines will really enjoy this. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Rick Hromadka

Rick Hromadka “Better Days”

A solo new album from Rick Hromadka (Maple Mars, Ruby Free) is a tour de force plus it’s loaded with talented guest stars. Very polished compared to his last LP, starting with the title track it makes clear that’s he’s embracing the “dad rock” label with a variety of vintage rock influences – almost a combination of his previous bands.

“State Of Mind” boasts an addictive chorus and inventive lyrics throughout. Both “Searchlight” and “The Ever After” have terrific guitar work, reminiscent of Thunderclap Newman. As a break from the seriousness, the whimsical “I’m Here To Entertain” makes use of many musical circus tropes, as the video shows.  Additional gems include “Full Blown Freakout,” “Pinwheel,” and the epic harmonies are all over “The Last Volcano.” No real duds here, so it also makes my top ten for 2020 list. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

September Singles: Brad Brooks, Mike Daly, The Amplifier Heads, Shadow Show and Irene Peña

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Brad Brooks is back! The title track to his new LP has been released as a single. Its a rabble-rousing rocker that recalls The Black Crowes and demands repeat plays!

Mike Daly‘s first single for Big Stir Records and he hits one outta the park with echos of Elvis Costello here. This is a catchy gem that deserves to be heard.

The Amplifier Heads have a Beatlesque styled single with its meta approach describing power-pop perfectly; “a one minute 50-second hit song that I just can’t get outta my head.”

Shadow Show is a Detroit band that combines elements of garage and psychedelic melodies into a blender as they offer a psychotic reaction to an increasingly chaotic world.

This is a lovely tribute from Irene Peña to Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne). It arrived at the end of this sad summer since his passing due to complications from COVID-19. The players here include John Borack (Popdudes, The Armoires) on the drums, Jeff Colchamiro and Ron Allen on guitar, Steve Zeilman on bass and Irene herself on vocals.

Joe Giddings and Nick Pipitone

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Joe Giddings

Joe Giddings “Better From Here”

Joe tells us right away ‘I don’t want to sing like the Beatles again, but I’m gonna do it anyway’ on the title track. It’s got a little bit of everything, but what stands out is that’s got some real guitar muscle. The next tune tones it down with slide guitar on “Always Raining Somewhere,” his songwriting here is in top form.

The influences are never stuck in one place, and it’s stubbornly original. “Gone So Far” is another brilliant example, with sweet harmonies and chord shifts. His guitar can shred with anyone, as he plays with a post-punk sprightliness and a less overtly British Invasion-inspired melodic sense that’s closer to the power-pop greats of the ’90s.  Fans of Velvet Crush and Fountains of Wayne will enjoy “Amity Horror” and “Rock and Roll.”  The high harmonies just burst in again on “If I Don’t Have Love.” Not a whiff of filler here and each track hits its target.  This is looking to be in my top 10 of 2020! Super Highly Recommended!

Kool Kat Musik


Nick Pipitone

Nick Pipitone “Thiensville”

Milwaukee’s Nick Pipitone has delivered a concept album in Thiensville, about a middle-aged man’s life in a small Wisconsin town. Inspired somewhat from The Kinks Village Green Preservation Society it touches on a lot of local names and places. The most distracting thing about Nick is his nasal Elvis Costello meets Bob Dylan styled vocal delivery. If you can get used to it, you will enjoy this album.

Starting with “Century Estates,” it’s a look back at a housing development that was “top-of-the-line” in 1969. The guitar riffs are great, similar to The Raspberries, but his songwriting style is clearly modeled after Mike Viola. “Skippy Had A Dream” is another early standout, and the album gets better the further you go along.

The ’60s influenced “The Prime Minister” with its psychedelic fuzz, very much recalls The Beatles “Rain” and “The Gathering” is a great slice of life tune about reliving your past, at a reunion with wine in hand comparing diamonds and Range Rovers. These song stories are very well written and musically smartly composed. Big highlights include “Coffee War” with a terrific guitar melody and “Village Scoop” with its catchy percussion. “C.O.C” about The College of Concordia goes to great lengths finding words to rhyme with “Concordia” and I love the line “No. 2 pencils and No. 3 girlfriends, Both are quite handy in the dead of winter.” Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Nick Frater and Greg Pope

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Nick Frater

Nick Frater “Fast & Loose”

Nick Frater has been very productive, after last year’s top-ten album Full Fathom Freight-Train, he released the experimental 59 Vignettes and like an Energizer bunny, he keeps going. This new album Fast and Loose is out on Big Stir Records label.

After a nondescript instrumental we get the optimistic “Let’s Hear It For Love” a driving opener with a memorable chorus, with just enough of a Beatles vibe to make a favorite. While “Luna” marches along to a pounding beat, the best is yet to come. Frater’s ability to craft a lovely ballad with “That Ship Has Sailed” and “Moonstruck” remains in fine form. The albums second half doesn’t loose stream with the pensive “So Now We’re Here” as the hooks take hold in the verses, and the Beach Boys styled magic is all over “Would You Like To Go?” Fans of The Explorers Club will like that one, and the only misfire here is the bombastic “Cocaine Gurls,” a two-minute song stretched to four with a chaotic guitar solo laid over it. However, Nick’s songs are primarily memorable, and that makes this one highly recommended.

Amazon | Big Stir Records

Greg Pope

Greg Pope “Wishing On A Dark Star”

Greg Pope, the Nashville power-pop powerhouse since 2008’s Popmonster is back with a new album. Pope, now joined by his sons Asher, Noah, and Finn has moved in a more enlightened direction with his music. The influences are simply much more varied than in past works with less reliance on a single lead guitar melody.

The opener “Gone” starts with a methodical verse about a breakup with some nice Queen-like guitar touches. “Blue Skies Above” has a great catchy chorus that recalls The Police and the bright “Morning Sunshine” embraces some prog-bass along the lines of Yes and Genesis with its calming harmonies. The title track brings to mind classic Pink Floyd with its strong bass-percussion focus, and the acoustic “Jump Back From The Light” has inspiring lyrics to help a friend in need.

The heavy guitar riffs and fun lyrics on “Vacation (From My Vacation)” is another big highlight, but it’s nice to hear Pope expanding his sound like the jazzy blues rhythm on “Blue Bird Fly” and the gentle guitar and synth ballad “Crawling Back To You.” Like all his music, it is Highly Recommended.

Bandcamp | Greg Pope’s site