The Fast Camels “Full of Strange”
The Glasgow UK five-piece band, rooted in late ’60s psychedelic sounds recalls Mod-era Who, Jefferson Airplane, Love and Pink Floyd. The opener “Blissful Serenity” chugs along with its slowly building jangle rhythm, overflowing with reverb and a touch of backward guitar. It slows down to a simple acoustic guitar on “Caught In A Dream” which brings to mind The Moody Blue’s Justin Heyward and the harmonies are strong on the flowing “Storyteller.”
The band sounds tighter overall, and the songwriting has improved from previous efforts. The acidic lyrics of “The Wedding” tell a wicked tale of a cheating bride during the reception and atmospheric guitar work is excellent. The follow up “Sordid Dreams” showcase the dark vision of how “she messed up my mind.” Another highlight is the loopy “Family Tree,” with sounds like Syd Barrett’s version of a circus. The quite ballads work well as a contrast between the more sonically vibrant songs. “Honeymoon” is my favorite here, with a power-pop riff that carries the tune along with its pounding beat. Overall a great psyche-pop album, highly recommended.
Ken Sharp “1301 Highland Avenue” (Reissue)
Ken Sharp has gone back to his debut album from 1994 and added more than a fresh coat of paint to a classic that’s been a Japanese out-of-print LP for almost 25 years. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of “1301 Highland Avenue,” he has remastered each track and added new sonic arrangements.
An excellent example of power pop sounds better than ever, he opens with the wistful memory of the session on the brand new title track. You hear the influences right away, primarily The Beatles, Rubinoos and The Raspberries. Each track loaded with hooks – I don’t want to call out a single track (they are all good) and fans of 90’s power-pop should pick this up without hesitation. Trust me, you’ll love it. Highly Recommended!
Baby Scream “Just Covers”
Juan Pablo Mazzola (Baby Scream) had made several cover tunes between album projects and decided to share it with us. A few bands I wasn’t too familiar and that helped somewhat. Mazzola has a unique vocal that’s part John Lennon and part Tom Waits and it fits nicely with Aaron Neville’s “Tell It Like It Is” and Culture Club’s “Karma Chameleon.” Other tracks are good, like “Secret Agent Man” and the understated Psychedelic Furs classic “Love My Way.” Deconstructing other songs to minimal synths like on 10cc’s “I’m Not In Love” and Sepultura(!)’s “Roots Bloody Roots” makes them nearly unrecognizable. However, you may want to check these covers out.
