Declare your independence from the lamestream music machines and pre-programmed, autotuned crappy corporate pop. Support your local artists and donate to them, so they make more great music! These are full albums – all for “name-your-price.” It’s been some time but the awesome Empty City Squares delivers a collection of great singles collected during the year. The opener “Hail To The Cheato,” a decidedly vicious takedown of a certain president. The songs are really good here, so download and enjoy! The Eisenhowers were quiet for over 12 years, but they came back to ‘Judge a man by the company he keeps’a worthy album that I discovered a bit late, but if you want a taste of Raymond Weir’s band, then get the “bonus tracks” on ‘Too Much Music.’ New Jersey’s Ruby Bones pays tribute to their favorite indie bands, and they do such a good job it’s worth way more than the $3.50 they are asking. Gentle Hen‘s 2017 LP ‘Sneaking Up On The Moon’ is our final entry here, but it’s stuffed with indie-rock gems, like “Made Up Stars” and “Life of Leisure.” They say the best things in life are free, and these are likely the best free albums you’ll get this year, so toss these bands a few bucks!
OK, this aint free — but at $3.50 it’s close enough to make my list.
A boatload of great new singles! Check these out… and some are FREE downloads!
This is some great power pop hero worship with strong riffs. The Cudas deserve kudos for this!
Fresh after working with Nick Puinti on his new LP, Ryan Allen gets to work on his own music for a cause. 100% of the proceeds for downloading these songs will go to the Black Lives Matter movement.
New Jersey band Empty City Squares describes a world that is spinning off its axis thanks to COVID-19. The band also has a single out exclusively with Big Stir Records called “Parmenides” which is quite good.
Mike Daly is releasing a somber song for these troubled times. A bit depressing, but “I guess this is my life now, I hope that it lasts.”
NY based The James Rocket does it all right; wearing a mask, washing your hands, social distancing, and getting freakin’ frustrated with the whole thing,
Japanese power-pop-punk band The Starbems are part Knack and part Ramones. This single kicks ass all over the place. Frank Burns was a band in the mid-90s that existed just long enough to record two songs. North Carolina’s Chris Church was part of that effort and delivers these rare artifacts. But why name your band after the most annoying character from M.A.S.H.?
Jayson Jarmon from Vanilla has a knack for tasty power pop. I love both the catchy “Easy As Pi” and the Western-styled pop of “Easy.”
West coast rocker Richard Turgeon keeps cranking out material for his new upcoming LP.
Lannie Flowers is an amazing talent and despite not having a new LP since his Live In NYC album, he’s been very active. Worth the wait, Home boasts Lannie’s strongest songwriting to date. It starts quietly with the upbeat and catchy “Running.” The layered guitar hooks are familiar to Lannie fans, and the title track is a comforting mid-tempo rocker that encompasses the album’s main theme, which is that “home” is where the heart is, and wherever you are in life.
The album is very introspective, as Lannie lightly strums “My Street.” The observational lyrics are sweetly endearing, and the follow up “Anyway” is another brilliant bit of songwriting that recalls Paul Simon or Adam Schlesinger. The Texas-style comes through on “Free To Dream” and “I Got A Secret,” with its mellow verses and slow rhythms. Thankfully the rockers come back with the melodic bliss of “Just Go To Sleep,” the Lennonesque “Shine A Light,” and the wicked bass-driven melody for “It’s All Over.” And Lannie wears his heart on his sleeve with each of these songs of heartbreak and doubt, like on “Missing You Tonight” and “He’s Got Himself.” Every song here is fined tuned to resonate with emotion. Highly Recommended and earns a spot on my top ten list for 2019.
New Jersey’s John “Yanni” Fotiadis is the main songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of Empty City Squares. This artist has been mostly under the radar, but now he should be getting a little more attention. Fotiadis has a gift for composition and production, his influences point directly to the mid 70’s peak of post-McCartney rock (Wings, Andy Pratt, Gilbert O’ Sullivan, David Essex).
The opener “Neighborhood Van Gogh” is a shimmering example of power pop, with handclaps, layered percussion, and a driving beat. The technique is very compelling, “A Big Sunset” and “Sometimes You Need To Look Back (When You Look Ahead)” reminded me of 70’s pop oddity Brian Protheroe, but with Abbey Road like ambitions. I found “Campaign Song” especially rang a lot of those melodic bells with terrific musicianship and dramatic lyrics. “Overly Sentimental” is another big highlight with a boogie-woogie guitar rhythm that’s simply infectious.
However some songs weave in more than one style during a chorus, and while interesting, it loses melodic hooks in the process. John packs many musical ideas into each song and often the songs run over 5 minutes. Another issue is that his vocals don’t always rise to the material written. For example, “Just Play” proves a great tune that simply falls short without an aggressive rock vocal. Despite these flaws, most of the songs are worthy of repeat listens. This is music that deserves to be heard, and I can’t wait to hear what John does next.
