Tag: Caddy

Caddy and The Toms

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“Caddy"

Caddy “Caddy”

Tomas Dahl, (The Stanleys, Yum Yums) who performs as Caddy, is back for his sixth studio album, and this self-titled LP is his hardest rocking one to date. It’s back to the late 90’s era Posies, Stone Temple Pilots, or Velvet Revolver with intense heavy riffs. In 2023, Tomas lost both parents and two close friends all within the span of five months. So those raw emotions are in each note here, but even with the emotion, he managed to keep the melodies up front.

“In A Heartbeat” has a solid catchy chorus and its soaring harmonies make it a great start. “The Darkest Corners” and “25 Ways” give detailed descriptions of the pain of loss, all with those handclaps and dense buzzing riffs. The hooks aren’t always present, and the lack of a stylistic variety tend to weigh down the album as whole. And as much as I love a great riff, sometimes less is more. For example “Smalltown Operator” has a good song buried in there, but the heavy loud rhythms drown it out. There are some worthy songs here; check out “Everblue,” “Why Worry,” and “Someone Like You.” In fact, there are enough good ones to make this highly recommended, but don’t expect any ballads.

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“The

The Toms “Rock Paper Scissors”

Tom Marolda has continued to make great music since his breakout debut from 1979 (a must-own for any respectable fan of power pop). His style has varied over the years, always experimenting, and trying new approaches. What hasn’t changed is the amazing creative approach Tom takes toward song composition and arranging.

“The Zebra” is the theme of cool slinky temptress, enticing men like predators to deceptive “prey.” The sound here is closer to his classic sound, and the wild bass line and key changes are all over the catchy “Stationary Bike.” From there it gets a little more experimental with the next few songs. I always find elements of a song I enjoy, but it might veer off into demo mode like the title track “Rock Paper Scissors” with its start-and-stop verses. Some songs require a lot of listens to stick.

There is always a power pop classic found on a Toms album, for me it was “It’s Personal” an earnest look back to a harmful relationship set to great hook. Other goodies include the excellent pop of “Desperate Measures,” with an ethereal break of Sheyla Sherif’s ghostly verses, and “Black & White” with its angular melody line and psyche-pop touches. For Toms fans this is definitely recommended, but others will definitely want to start with his debut. Definitely music that deserves to be heard.

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Cloud Eleven and Caddy

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Cloud Eleven

Cloud Eleven “Pandora’s Box”

Last year during the Pandemic lockdown, Rick Gallego (aka Cloud Eleven) was exploring his collection of demos, song snippets, and outtakes. He found enough good stuff here to build upon, and his unique approach makes this a step above the typical rarities album.

The experimental title track “Pandora’s Box (Schone Lulu)” is an interesting 60’s styled instrumental, and the Beach Boys-inspired “Row Row Row” is another neat curio, along with “Radiant Radish.” Light and pleasant fare like “You Make Me Happy” and “Homework” feel a little underdeveloped. The blissfully romantic “Extraordinary Girl,” “Deep Down” and “Heaven-Scented Bliss” are what Cloud Eleven fans expect and love, but there are other experiments here that just don’t work. One pleasant surprise is a cover of The Isley Brothers “I’m Gonna Knock On Your Door.” For fans of the band, it’s a great addition. But newcomers to Cloud Eleven should check out Record Collection first.
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Caddy

Caddy “Detours and Dead Ends Vol. 1

Another covers album? Not quite. Tomas Dahl (Caddy) decided to do the research and cover some obscure power pop bands across the 70s and 80s. And the songs are deep tracks as well. It’s most likely you’ve never really heard these songs, and that makes them “new” to most people. Heck, even I didn’t recognize most of them, and that encourages more exploration.

Caddy has a clean hard rock sound and the opener “Walking On The Roof” (Sgt. Arms, 1982) is a really cool song, and Tomas makes it his own (as he does with all these). Lots of highlights here, my faves being “If I Call Your Name” (Junior Campbell, 1971), “Cost of Love” (The Cretones, 1980), and “No Money ” (The Freshies, 1980). Highly Recommended.

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Caddy and The Turnback

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Caddy

Caddy “Ten Times Four”

After 2015’s solid LP The Better End, Tomas Dahl took a break from songwriting and spent more time in his “day job” working long nights while spending part-time as drummer and guitarist for The Stanleys last year. Thankfully, holding back those musical impulses wouldn’t last long. In fact, it burst open to a flow of great power pop gems on “Ten Times Four.” There are tons of standout tracks here. From the grand opening chords of “Miracle Turn,” it makes a statement that cannot be ignored, with melodic guitar crunch familiar to fans of late 90’s mainstays Myracle Brah, Starbelly, The Shoes, and The Posies. “Somewhere Beautiful” starts with the lyric “First rule is lighting is everything…” And then it launches into the brilliantly catchy chorus. Continuing, it gently goes into the buzzing gem “Secret Hiding Place” a dead ringer for a lost Teenage Fanclub classic.

And the hits keep coming from the aptly named “Contagious” to the contemplative “In The Basement.” Not a single weak track, although the slow ballad “Roadblocks” feels like a sleepwalk until we get to a final burst of energy in “The Good Ones.” Overall an awesome feel-good experience for the ears. It happens every year in the fall when artists flood my inbox with great music to be considered for the annual top ten list. Caddy easily squeezes into the top of the list for 2018. Super duper highly recommended.

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The Turnback

The Turnback “Spinning the Earth in Reverse”

The Turnback have gradually moved to a heavier power pop sound (think Foo Fighters) since 2015’s Are We There Yet?  The psychedelic touches are long gone, and that’s okay because we want this band’s sound to evolve over time, right?

The opener “Here I Am” has a catchy chorus and the requisite riffs that still make The Turnback a power pop favorite. Both leads, Todd Giglio and Kenny Sherman add a heavier riff and slight growl to “This Could Be Our Year,” and the Monkees-like verses make it more upbeat. It’s a sweet and salty pop mix that continues with “Hit And Run” and the impressive “She Walks On Gold.”

“What’s The Difference Anyway” and “Untitled So Far” are mid-tempo soul-searching songs where Kenny’s vocals really shine. The duo takes on political causes with “Stand For Something (Or Go Sit Down)” and it’s good, but taking on apathy isn’t exactly as revolutionary as their past gems (like “If I Were God.”) “Your Fragile Wall” does a much better job with the hooks. Overall a very good album. It doesn’t quite reach the highs of their past work, but it absolutely deserves to be heard.

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Caddy “The Better End”

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Caddy

Caddy “The Better End”
It’s been a long time since the last Caddy album, but Swedish one-man-band Tomas Dahl makes the wait worth it. On his third Caddy album Tomas moves away from the aggressive sound to something gentle and sun soaked. The first song “Here it Comes Again” states the intentions “searching for perfect harmonies,” and the denser “Something About Carina” is very much like Teenage Fanclub or Rick Gallego’s Cloud Eleven.

You’ll also hear influence of Tom Petty on “Into The Sun” with its steady bass drumbeat and jangling rhythm. The dreamy California summer is the main theme of the Beach Boys influenced “Fangblenny” and “The Better End” with its sleigh bells and echoing harmonies. The songs get better as we move forward, highlights include: “Bring It Back, “Chasing Clouds,” and the multi-layered harmonies in the chorus of “Saint Cyr-Sur-Mer.” While there really isn’t any filler on this album, the songs tend to sound more homogeneous toward album’s last half. But, overall this is a perfect album for those long summer nights. Highly Recommended.

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