Tag: It’s Karma It’s Cool

It’s Karma It’s Cool and The Laissez Fairs

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It's Karma It's Cool

It’s Karma It’s Cool “Homesick for our Future Destinations”

James Styring and his Lincoln, UK band take on a more subdued approach with their latest album. The low-key instrumental “Homesick” leads to “All Branches Break In Time,” a slow-building song with a jangling atmosphere and guitar dramatics at its peak. Unlike past work, the atmosphere is key as opposed to melody, and a song like “Wild Fire Flames,” is a good example, with its complex rhythm. The spacey “Absent Transient” is another highlight with echoing textures and riffs.

Overall it incorporates more psych-pop and prog influences than past works. That’s not to say the singles don’t stand out. “She Slept With The Radio On” is fantastic, and the big guitar hooks of “Coffee Cup Circles” are true highlights. A good combination of the melodic and atmospheric is “Guest on a TV Talk Show,” and most of the songs go past the four-minute mark, so you will need a few spins to appreciate this. A very good album that deserves to be heard.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik


The Laissez Fairs

The Laissez Fairs “Curiosity Killed The Laissez Fairs”

God bless John Fallon and his band of electric acid dandies!  The retro-fuzzed guitars and Farfisa organs recall the golden age of late 60s psych-pop mixed with the Paisley Underground of the mid-80s across 11 tracks. The musical structure of each song is densely composed, sometimes crowding out the vocals — but the spirit and skill of these musicians cannot be denied. Listening to the opener “Image” and Joe Lawless guitar jangle is all you need to get a perfect mashup of The Byrds, Stones, and The Who.

“Sunshine Tuff” is a garage-laden mod rocker loaded with the kitchen sink, and “Tell You What It Means” is very much like The Small Faces. “Somewhere Man” and “Two Sides of The Same Coin” are also highlighted with bits of The Move and The Rain Parade in their DNA.  Almost every song hits its mark, with the album’s end track “Upside Downer” a stoner meditation. Turn off the lights and stare at some blacklight posters while listening to this. Highly Recommended.

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Halloween Treats: Dolph Chaney, Vista Blue, Chris Church, Nolan Potter, Brilliant Mistakes, It’s Karma It’s Cool, The Sunchymes, Roller Disco Combo, Robbie Rist, Nick Piunti

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Scary to think October is almost over, but we’ve got you covered with great power pop. Dolph Chaney has a fun party vibe on his new single “This Halloween,” as he ends a toxic relationship. Vista Blue reliably combines Beach Boys and The Ramones on its annual Halloween EP, and Chris Church rocks with his Triple Play Single, featuring a track from each of his three LPs. Texas musician Nolan Potter gives us a frighteningly good EP, that channels Todd Rundgren, King Crimson, and more – check out “Holy Scroller.” Overall great prog-rock throughout. The Brilliant Mistakes brings us back home with “The Stories We Tell” and Its Karma It’s Cool is back with an advanced single “She Slept With The Radio On” – and I do that each weekend. The Sunchymes tap the late 60s retro vibe at “Station X” and Roller Disco Combo from Spain is nothing like their name, but they are great power pop, check out the rich “Indonesian Breakfast” and jangling “Dear Mean.” Finally, Ballzy Tomorrow (aka Robbie Rist) covers a great Todd Rundgren tune (it’s a freebie too!) and the always reliable Nick Piunti made a sweet single this past August, and it still sounds great. Happy Halloween!










September Singles: Ward White, Kurt Baker, It’s Karma It’s Cool, Death Party Playground, Bryan Estepa, Mom, The Well Wishers

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With the fall comes a brand-new premiere single “Dirty Clouds” from LA crooner Ward White, from his upcoming album The Tender Age. The gentle chords give way to space-themed resignation assisted by a terrific guitar break. Kurt Baker is also back with a tight pop track that reminds me a bit of Rick Springfield, meanwhile, It’s Karma It’s Cool gives us a frantic vocal and crunchy punk guitar on “Coffee Cup Circles.” If you love that old-school ’70s rock then check out Death Party Playground, but if you crave a more singer-songwriter vibe, you can’t get much better than Bryan Estepa. Swedish band Mom gives us a nice freebie; a collection of covers and a highlight is Marshall Crenshaw’s “There She Goes Again.” Finally, Jeff Shelton (The Well Wishers) donates his guitar crunchiness to California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund for this sweet track, a worthy song for a worthy cause.







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)

Dan Israel and Ward White

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Dan Israel

Dan Israel “Social Distance Anxiety Disorder”

A follow up to last year’s Social Media Anxiety Disorder Minnesota musician Dan Israel continues to develop insightful rock that sticks in your head. It’s slow going on the weary “Wit’s End,” but it picks up quickly with the spirited “Bewildered,” which is like a Tom Petty – Bruce Springsteen hybrid. Even better is the power pop of “Bustin’ Out,” with its distinct organ lead it’s my favorite song on this short LP.

The style of Bob Dylan is clearly part of Dan’s vocal approach, and it’s best shown on “Don’t Think They’ll Say.” The self-conscious lyrics and solid hooks on “Little Bit Of Your Love” make it another winner. Next, “Something For Pain” is a rocker that recalls something Joe Walsh or NRBQ used to write. There are only nine tracks and not everything here sticks, but it shows that Dan has plenty of gas in the tank. A good companion album to last year’s LP, It’s definitely music that deserves to be heard.

Bandcamp


Ward White

Ward White “Leonard at the Audit”

Los Angeles based art-rocker Ward White is an acquired taste, but it’s a gourmet meal best enjoyed in deliberate sound bites. I’ve often compared his croon to a lighter version of David Bowie, but that’s just a starting point. Leonard at the Audit is easily his most ambitious work. The concept is something about Leonard Cohen’s 1960’s-era dalliance with Scientology. 

Starting with the industrial “Bubble & Squeak,” it describes a soul-crushing day at work, “another shift another accident” and the oppressive story is punctuated by those deep synth-bass notes, and it’s pure brilliance. “Ice Capades” is another winner with it’s jangling texture in the chorus, intricate baroque arrangement, and sweet guitar solo. “Edmund Fitzgerald Is a Wreck” is a near-perfect tune of the suffering protagonist who “didn’t need to be alone.” On”Try Me” it shows Ward at his most cynical and vocally dynamic. The lyrics are acidic poetry that paints the stories just right, reminding me of Warren Zevon. Take your time with this one, it’s definitely highly recommended.

Bandcamp