Tag: Danny McDonald

EP Reviews and Singles: Danny McDonald, Popular Creeps, Zach Jones, Vanilla, Arthur Nasson

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Danny McDonald

Danny McDonald “Modern Architecture”

Danny McDonald is skilled in several genres. “Cordyline” bursts from the speakers with authority, very much in the mold of Paul Westerberg and it hooks you right away. Unfortunately, it’s only a minute long. Next, “The suburb I grew up in” is a country-style duet with Anna Burley, and its a nice jangling slice of roots-pop.

Then we get about a minute of punk and another minute of power pop. “Keeping The Dogs At Bay” is another catchy chorus, and thankfully it’s over 2 minutes long. I like short songs, but most of this was just way too short. However, the sampler just made me want more McDonald, so it is successful in marketing his talent.

Amazon

Popular Creeps Detroit

Popular Creeps “Bloodshot Red”

A motley crew from the Motor City, Popular Creeps do a good job playing fast and loose rock and roll, and the opening track “Out of My Head” is a super-catchy tune that will get you following along with handclaps and a kick-ass guitar solo. The sound is a little like The Replacements, with a barroom vibe similar to The Connection. “Down & Out” builds a solid core riff and keeps you interested with its well-written lyrics and melody. “Metal Kid” is a good vignette about a kid who “smells like smoke on a Friday night.” Lots of great tracks, and highly recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik


Singles

“Like The Tide” boasts a solid twang and Zach’s soulful lead keeps this sounding like a hit single Neil Young might have done back in the day. The bonus here is that Zach has an audio “behind-the-scenes” feature in addition to the song demos. Sweet!


Jayson Jarmon and those dudes from Vanilla are back with a heavier rocker. It’s got some cool riffs — check it out.

Arthur Nasson is back, and he’s “Unglued” – This is a catchy theme that reminds me a little of Roy Wood.  Get this on Amazon

Singles: Kurt Baker, Danny McDonald, Suspect Parts, Willie Wisely, Richard Turgeon, Francis Lung, Nick Bertling

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The Kurt Baker Combo has been putting out a few tracks over the last few months, including (I Can’t Help) Falling In Love. It’s good to hear the classic Kurt Baker sound after a few punkier projects. Look for a new LP soon I think.

A truly excellent power-pop single by Danny McDonald but it’s so short (1:10) — is it too much to ask for another chorus? Hear more for FREE on the Shake Yer Popboomerang Vol. 3 compilation.

Suspect Parts are a German band with influences coming from 60s pop and the 70s California beach sound, all the way through to 77-punk. Nice three-song EP here.

As previously noted, Willie Wisely does country music as well as power pop. The ballad “No Suprise” has four mixes here, all with steel pedal and soulful vocal performance.

Richard Turgeon just keeps putting out cool tunes, this single has plenty of guitar muscle. He also recently added “Jolene” which is a FREE download. I liked this song better, like a hybrid of The Who and Oasis.

The holidays are fast approaching. This sweet pop treat by Francis Lung is most welcome! Beautiful vocal harmonies join clarinet, tenor sax, flute, bass clarinet, and baritone sax to create this bittersweet seasonal gem. It’s a FREE download too.

Last week we featured Nick Bertling‘s Monkee covers, now he’s doing a faithful instrumental overture from The Who’s “Tommy.” A FREE download, and a fine job, Nick!