More June EPs, singles, previews: Nick Lowe, Candy Whips, John Wlaysewski, Lisa Mychols, Golden Richards, dB’s

Nick Lowe keeps on rockin’! With the help of his reliable bandmates Los Straitjackets on every track, Nick showcases his impeccable songwriting skills over a wide range of musical styles. Indoor Safari proves that Nick Lowe is just as influential as he was when he first entered the music industry fifty years ago. Next, Candy Whips brings a fusion of new wave and pulsating synth-pop while John Wlaysewski (Late Cambrian) adds his synth melodies, so check out “Doing Shit, Trying Not To Be Sad.” Power pop queen Lisa Mychols has been very active on social media lately, with new recordings from The Masticators! coming up. Check out her demo of “PopSound.” Golden Richards has a great single about an old-school rapper, “Doctor K” trying to impress a girl. Finally, I wanted to shout out about the new re-issue of the dB’s Stands for deciBels a classic power pop album that was way ahead of its time. The remastered sound is just amazingly well done. Enjoy!





October Singles: Portable Radio, Golden Richards, The Lunar Laugh, The House of Jed, Deer Friends, Super Cassette


October starts the busiest month, as music floods my inbox and doesn’t let up until Christmas. That’s okay. We start with the bouncy Sunshine pop “I Feel Like A Dog” by Portable Radio taken from the forthcoming LP Counting To Three. Gotta love those harmonies and cascading chords. A missed summer hit, Golden Richards rocks that ice cream truck with “Hey Mr. Softee,” and its power pop perfection. The Lunar Laugh has a new single “Born Weird,” with its cool song structure and a neat psyche-pop break. The House of Jed offers up an EP that deserves some attention, rock funk “Coming Off Pretty” and the danceable “Everybody Lies” are excellent.  Our freebie “Magic Fruit” from Deer Friends has a bit of glam guitar and honey-sweet hooks, it’s a keeper! Finally a sneak peek at Super Cassette‘s new album with the single “Continue?” which feels akin to Dowling Poole! Rich melodies that deserve to be heard!





Summertime Singles, Freebies and EPs: Dan Israel, The Glad Machine, Golden Richards, Kevin Robertson, The Blendours, Believe It – It’s Easy, Robby Miller, The Foreign Films

It’s a hot, humid week in NYC and I am waving the white flag of surrender. Too much heat and too much music. I’m far behind on album reviews, but as far as singles and EPs we have a treasure trove of power pop goodies. I’m proud to start it off with the excellent Dan Israel single “The Hang of It,” which is a perfect highway traveling song, and he’s got a video too. The Glad Machine/Golden Richards split singles are catchy gems all on their own, and Kevin Robertson (Vapour Trails) has been super active recently, he’s got a new solo album, EP, and single. All great jangly treats. The Blendours are a duo from Iowa that resembles an acoustic Bowling For Soup, and they serve up some fun-filled folk punk. A new band Believe It, It’s Easy from Connecticut has its moments on the first 3 songs of this freebie. Robby Miller is another rookie with a hook-filled love song. Finally, The Foreign Films’ next LP ‘Starlight Serenade’ is almost ready, so here are 2 tracks early to keep you cool this summer.