Cool and Controversial singles: Badfinger, Rick Gallego, Zak Nilsson, Starbelly, Dungeon of Skeletons, Frankie Siragusa

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“Baby Blue,” taken from the 1971 Badfinger album Straight Up, is rated one of the band‘s greatest power pop songs. An updated version of this classic features vocals by Badfinger’s sole surviving original member, singer/guitarist Joey Molland, with Matthew Sweet adding backing vocals and guitar. Molland has been working on a new album Be True to Yourself, with veteran producer Mark Hudson. This new version is pretty controversial, as fans on Facebook have let loose some blistering criticism that this version is akin to sacrilege. Judge for yourself. 

Thanks to Rick Gallego (aka Cloud Eleven) we have a jingle for the health food store Brian Wilson owned from 1969 to 1971. Wilson went on a big health food kick at the time exemplified in the song “Vegetables”, written for the Beach Boys’ album Smile in 1966. It sure makes me smile!

Zak Nilsson (son of legendary musician Harry) wrote this song about his dad. Produced by Fernando Perdomo & Jason Berk, all proceeds benefit the City of Hope Cancer Research and Treatment Center. To hear a tribute to Harry’s music from last year that Zak participated in, listen to This is the Town: A Tribute to Nilsson, Vol. 1

The great Starbelly returns with this new single featuring the incredible Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (Jellyfish, Beck, The Lickerish Quartet) on piano, backing vocals, and other lavish orchestrations. Drink it all in — it’s a winner!

Dungeon of Skeletons is a new band from Nashville, the always excellent Justin Kline is the driving force behind it and he’s developed two excellent singles. I can’t wait for the full length!


Frankie Siragusa (who played with The Posies) has a solo track under the name Jebb. It’s a grower about our ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

The Vapour Trails and Andrew Taylor and the Harmonizers

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The Vapour Trails

The Vapour Trails “Golden Sunshine”

The echoing jangle of the Vapour Trails new LP shares those neo-hippie vibes, as this Scottish band feels more like it belongs on the streets of Haight-Ashbury than Aberdeen. The title track, “Golden Sunshine” is a cascading series of dream-like guitar arpeggios with muscular wah-wah riffs close behind. Fans of The Byrds, Beatles, and Buffalo Springfield will really enjoy this music. It’s psychedelic with a capital “P” on “Dr. Barnes” with its sitar and tambourine rhythms.  Another gem here is “Lonely Man” with its catchy melodic composition and “Different Girl” dazzles with its harmonized verses.

It’s the unique vocal arrangements of male and female voices that make The Vapour Trails standout from the crowd. “Sometimes (Thinking of You)” is a great example of this, with a simple acoustic guitar and layered acapella. In addition, each song has a compelling approach, either “Strange” with its trippy jangle rhythm or the stunning Rickenbacker melody of “Behind You.” The styles and mood shifts often enough to keep things unpredictable, additional highlights include “You Wonder Why?” and the epic closer “Seabird.” Fans of the classic California sixties pop sound should not miss this one. Highly Recommended.

Amazon


Andrew Taylor and the Harmonizers
Andrew Taylor and the Harmonizers

Andrew Taylor and the Harmonizers “Lockdown Session: May 2020, June 2020”

What started in April with Andrew Taylor (Dropkick) as a Covid-19 lockdown songwriting session in Scotland during April – has expanded to a monthly full-band effort. Andrew gets help from Alastair Taylor (Guitars,) Ian Grier (Bass, Keyboards,) and Iain Sloan (Pedal Steel, Guitars). In the May sessions we start with the workmanlike pop of “St. Leonards,” and those harmonies and steel pedal chords lead the way. Other highlights include “I Wouldn’t Be Anywhere Else,” “Turn Around,” and “Change of Heart.” The country-folk jangle is easy on the ears and the musicianship is solid, even if the songs tend to blend together a bit.

The June Sessions are more varied in style, and “I’ll Never Win” adds a little synth to the catchy melody. Between two slow almost somnambulistic ballads, we get the optimistic “For This To Pass,” and it’s great to hear those electric guitar riffs. “Ploughing On” is closer to Dropkick’s normal sound. The final song “You’re Not Right” (written in 1997!) is another highlight. These sessions are all a “name your price” download, so there are no excuses. Check it out!

Kool Kat Musik


The Power Popaholic Interview: Jesse Malin

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PHOTO CREDIT: STEVEN SEBRING

PHOTO CREDIT: STEVEN SEBRING

I was fortunate to speak with Jesse Malin last month, and I’ve got the interview here. Jesse’s last album Sunset Kids was a soulful pop gem that I discovered earlier this year. It did make a few best-of lists in 2019, so it’s worth checking out. We talk about his new projects and performing during this pandemic, plus his time with Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joe Armstrong (Green Day). Check out his new single “Backstabbers.”

The Explorers Club and DC Cardwell

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The Explorers Club

The Explorers Club “The Explorers Club/To Sing And Be Born Again”

The Explorers Club is a band that specializes in harmonic retro-pop, and what started as a terrific Beach Boys sound-alike band with a flair for songwriting, has gradually shifted to include many more influences of the late ’60s and early ’70s. The band’s line-up has shifted through the years, but the one constant has been lead singer-songwriter, Jason Brewer. He’s also enlisted the talent of Los Angeles-based Emeen Zarookian (recently from Bebopalula.) Brewer explores his musical milieu like his own mixtape, and you can spot influences throughout each song.

Starting with “Ruby,” you’ll hear distinct echoes of the Turtles “Elenore,” and the horns on “Don’t Cry” clearly evoke Burt Bacharach. But it’s much more as these original songs are equally strong compositionally and the execution is flawless here. That includes those sparkling Wilsonesque harmonies, which can turn “Love So Fine” from an average song to a great one. “Mystery” brings The Righteous Brothers back to life as well. There are so many highlights including “One Drop of Rain,” “Dawn,” “Say You Will,” and “Dream World.” Almost every song hits that retro “sweet spot,” and it is sure to be on my top ten list at the end of this year.

The covers album To Sing And Be Born Again puts additional emphasis on how well this music would fit in that “AM Radio Gold” era. The two LPs fit perfectly together. Boyce and Hart’s “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight,” Danny Hutton’s “Roses and Rainbows,” Paul Revere and The Raiders “Kicks,” and the rest are expertly done.

Amazon



DC Cardwell

DC Cardwell “Crystal Set”

It’s been a long time, but DC Cardwell is back with a new album full of hooks and simple, direct lyrics. The album opens with the late ‘70s power-pop of “Friendly Fire” and its charming, almost tinny guitar riffs. But the songs gets richer (and better) with each song moving forward. “The Spirit Is Willing” has a great Beatlesque Rickenbacker riff, and the breezy “I Can’t Run Fast Enough” has a brilliant bassline and it’s one of the most memorable songs he’s ever done.

Another keeper is the politically-charged “Lies Are All You Speak,” calling truth to power in the best Nick Lowe tradition. Another terrific song in the Nick Lowe mold is “Just Try Me Out” as a pitch for the author of his new book. One of the most thought-provoking songs here is “Rock and Roll Isn’t With Us Anymore.” The simple acoustic strum brings to mind Ray Davies, as he opines on the changing times and how things “will burn away.” Another fine tune is an ode to his pet “Stay At Home With Your Cat.” Highly Recommended.

Amazon

Gary Olson and Ex-Norwegian

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Ward White

Gary Olson “Gary Olson”

Gary Olson is the frontman with the band Ladybug Transistor. His first solo album is full of lush arrangements and as it opens, “Navy Boats” recalls early ’70s AOR pop with its delicate horns and strings. “Giovanna Please” has a similar wistful presentation, and the flowing folk-pop of “Some Advice” keeps things moving along. The breezy “All Points North” makes the best use of the brass here, and its a standout track.

The songs do tend to blend together as the tone and tempo barely change much. A few moments like the guitar instrumental “Initials DC” break the pattern, and the chiming jangle of “A Dream For A Memory” and “The Old Twin” quicken the tempo a little, but the lack of hooks can be an issue with these songs. There is only so much that fine musicianship can accomplish here. Still, fans of The Pearlfishers and Belle & Sebastian will definitely enjoy this album. It’s music that deserves to be heard.

Amazon

Ex-Norwegian   Ex-Norwegian

Ex-Norwegian “Hue Spotting/Spotting Hues”

Ex Norwegian chugs along with their 10th studio album “Hue Spotting.” Like the cover design suggests, its a modern psyche-pop collection that utilizes synth beats, echoing guitars and Mellotron keys. Starting with “Fear Backwards” it’s driven by a solid rhythm and lead singer Roger Houdaille’s layered vocals. “Comfort Sands” incorporates these older influences (Farfisa organ, sitar) with modern guitar and bass structures to create something unique. “Bloody Parrots!” is another standout with its warbling vocal about an occult crime scene over an organ solo. It can stray into some quite trippy moments that bring to mind Pink Floyd, Spaceman 3, and The Resonars. But there are still great hooks here, as evidenced on both “Something” and the amusing gem “Post Post Malone.”

As a bonus, Roger also released “Spotting Hues,” an album that covers rare nuggets from the psychedelic era. Songs from The Nice, The End, West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Billy Nicholls, and more. Many of these songs are so obscure, for most it will be like “brand new” material, making it a perfect companion album to the originals. Both are highly recommended.

Amazon (Hue Spotting) | Amazon (Spotting Hues)
Kool Kat Musik (Hue Spotting) | Kool Kat Musik (Spotting Hues)