Tag: Pugwash

Thomas Walsh and The Pozers

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Thomas Walsh

Thomas Walsh “The Rest is History”

Thomas Walsh (Pugwash), a musician who has a lot of great inspirations (XTC, ELO, etc.), put out his first record under his own name. Walsh moves beyond his Pugwash oeuvre a little and adds his own spin on some stylistic sounds, with additional help from heavyweights like Michael Penn and Neil Hannon.

The Jeff Lynne-like single “A Good Day For Me” is a brilliant opener that once again proves Walsh’s talent. His songwriting remains strong on highlights like “All This Hurt,” which boasts a great jangling melody. Even better is the sublime “Take Your Time,” with its fantastic bridge. He also excels at trippy psych-pop with the hypnotic bassline of “Everyone Back in the Water.” He also does a fair amount of experimental pop with the unexpected chord shifts of “Love in a Circumstance” and the tribal chanting of “This Is My Fortress.” Add the poignant counting of his blessings with “To Be That Child Again” and the orchestral sweep of “We Knew,” and there you have it. More hits than misses, and not a single dud. Highly Recommended.

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The Pozers

The Pozers “Something Pop”

This Texas band makes the most of recording at Abbey Road Studios in London and opens up with “And You Love,” a five-minute epic with soaring guitars and synths. Despite the studio gloss, lead singer-songwriter Jim Richey effectively gets across a variety of sounds with a punkish garage style.

The Pozers’ style works best on fast-tempo catchy tunes like “Alison With An Edge” and “It’s All About You.”  The ballads here are also well written, like “Make Up,” but the percussion needs to be toned down a little in the mix. The ambitious harmonies on “Her Facade” aim a little higher than the band’s ability to do it, but it settles into a nice mid-tempo groove. A big highlight is the Merseybeat and handclaps of “Missing You (Missing Me),” and the slow groove on “Ease Off My Heart.” This is a band that definitely deserves to be heard.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Highly Recommended EPs: Pugwash, David Woodard, Cape Cartel, Kid Bear

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Pugwash is one of the best-loved, hardest working bands and its talented team is led by Thomas Walsh, whose unique melodic stylings continue to amaze. This new EP is no exception and deserves to be added to your collection. “You Can Build A House On Love” starts the party and every track thereafter is a new classic. The band’s entire catalog is now on Bandcamp, so if you are missing anything – you now have no excuses. What else? How about a loving tribute to Walsh’s songwriting skill? It’s the gift that keeps giving.

David Woodard has a new EP ready, and he’s upped his game with “We’re Not Coming Back,” a Beatles-styled gem that sticks fast. The title track (“Everything in Between”) pours it on thick, with horns and a march-like rhythm straight out of “It’s Getting Better.” Next, “Nine Hundred Ninety Nine” recalls P.Hux with its melodic chorus. Not a bad track in the bunch. Get it on Amazon.

Quebec rockers Cape Cartel sophomore EP gets some influences from Beck on the opener “Vitamins,” and bounce to fast tempo power pop on “The Matador.” They also take some real risks musically on “Flying” and the catchy, breezy “I’m Still Your Man,” which will stay on my playlist for a while. Even the finale “Boy Bruiseless” has wonderful harmonies in the chorus that deserves to be heard. This is a band headed for greatness. Just listen. Get it on Amazon.

Chicago’s Kid Bear isn’t what I normally listen to, but its damn good roots-rock. A chance encounter with country legend Steve Earle changed everything for guitarist and songwriter, Matt Neuroth. As Matt tells it, “I was sitting in Matt Umanov Guitars in Greenwich Village and in walks Steve Earle. He picked up an acoustic guitar and just started strumming some chords.” Matt’s encounter inspired him, so comparisons with Steve Earle, Neil Young, or Lou Reed is purely coincidental. EP2 has some real gems; “A Simple Thing” and the bluesy riff “All The News” are just infectious. Check it out on Amazon.

Pugwash and The Stars Explode

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Pugwash

Pugwash “Silverlake”

The highly anticipated Silverlake takes Pugwash in a more polished direction as Thomas Walsh leaves his old bandmates behind and teams up with Jason Falkner (Jellyfish) to deliver a denser, more confident sound. The opener “The Perfect Summer” is a stunningly brilliant single that is everything a power pop fan could want, accessible, repeatable and infectious. The follow up “What Are You Like” with its angelic backing harmonies, and Falkner’s sparkling guitar solo is even better. It settles in after that, as most of Thomas’ great influences (XTC, Jeff Lynne, etc.) are already baked-in, so even if the audible cues are noticeable, they don’t overwhelm the song.

“Better Than Nothing At All” is an earnest Walsh ballad, and “Without You” has the slickness that Falkner applied to Bent Van Looy‘s work. The pastoral acoustic “Sunshine True” is supported by orchestral strings and the jangle gem “Easier Done Than Said” is another excellent tune that highlights Walsh vocal chops and the solid arrangements. Not a note of filler, as each song hits the mark. It ends with “Autarch,” a slow-burning layered Beatlesque gem. In Falkner, Walsh has found a like-minded collaborator who knows exactly what he wants and delivers excellence. Easily makes my top ten list for 2017, and a must-buy album.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

The Stars Explode

The Stars Explode “Too Late to Save the World”

The Chapel Hill-based group The Stars Explode is back with founding member, Doug Edmunds (Gladhands) and a new lineup that includes Dewey McCafferty (Lead & rhythm guitar), Lance Westerlund (Bass) and Jackson McGee (Drums). The bombastic opener “Apocalypse Blues” boasts a darker rock edge and less of an alternative rock buzz. “The Long Way” is driven by a combination of layered guitar rhythms and harmonies, and it does recall The Gladhands late 90’s era. The tribute “Matthew Sweet” is an especially good tune that opines on the iconic artist “Do you remember hearing Matthew Sweet/Our girlfriend would play it on infinite repeat?” It mimics Sweet’s slowly buzzing guitar chords very nicely.

While the song “Some Girls Pt.2” is a Stones-related macho rant, it doesn’t recall that classic band as well as “Untitled #1.”  The guitar arpeggio rhythm highlights “From Daylight To Midnight” a nice slice-of-life rocker in our dog-eat-dog world. The songs are clear and aggressive, as the lone ballad (“Love Alone”) is soulful and sombre. The sonic textures in “The Real World” and “Rainy Days,” are a little closer to 80’s pop, but remain well-written songs. The ender “Our Last Stand” is a real treat with a terrific choral break followed by an energetic guitar solo. Overall a highly recommended collection of music.

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Album Previews: Brendan Benson and Pugwash

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The Raconteurs’ Brendan Benson has teased his forthcoming album (set for 2018 release) with a new single, “Half A Boy (And Half A Man)”

Pugwash is back with a new album “Silverlake” due for release in November.

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OLD MEDIA NEWS: Rolling Stone is being sold by the ever-shrinking media empire of  Jann Wenner. Like virtually all of print media, Rolling Stone magazine has struggled to stay alive with more and more eyeballs focused on the web. As a music critic, Rolling Stone was considered the zenith of cultural influence and an invaluable affirmation of your credibility. It was so important for an artist to “make the cover of Rolling Stone,” that it counted as having attained rock stardom (as Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show sang below).

But as the years wore on its influenced diminished. It started focusing more on politics, less on music and the reviews were relegated to fewer pages. It did outlast many competitors, but its days as a trusted brand in music criticism are numbered.

 

Pugwash and Herb Eimerman

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Pugwash

Pugwash “Play This Intimately (As If Among Friends)”

Opening with guitar riffs of “Kicking and Screaming” Pugwash is back in familiar form with an impeccable Thomas Walsh melody and its neo psychedelic flourishes. However after that initial rock blast the band puts aside the aggressive tempo to concentrate on more pastoral pop. “Lucky In Every Way” is a catchy ear worm with its “do do do” backing chorus and Walsh ’s influences while similar in tone to XTC leans more toward Jeff Lynne’s softer side for most of the album.

“Just So You Know” has an almost weightless feel with a classic guitar break and an ELO styled chorus that floats away to the bossanova rythym of “Clouds.” The standout ballad “The Fool I Had Become” is a slowly building gem with its looping bass line and its sad chorus. Thankfully we don’t stay in the dumps, “You Could Always” is like a lost Wilburys tune with its chugging honky tonk melody. And the sun really comes out for the Beatlesque “Hung Myself Out To Dry,” it’s got that perfectly Pugwash combination of layered guitars and harmonies. “Silly Love” has a little McCartney DNA built in, recalling both “Uncle Albert” and “Silly Love Songs.” Walsh and crew keep the vibe very relaxed and easy going, even on the spacey final “We Are Everywhere.” A highly recommended album for sure, and perfect for a lazy weekend among old friends.

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Herb Eimerman

Herb Eimerman “Five Dimensional Man” EP

Herb Eimerman is no stranger to power pop, influenced by The Beatles and The Byrds he’s been releasing solo albums since the ’90s, worked on The Nerk Twins project with Jeff Murphy of The Shoes and has been a vocalist and bassist for The Britannicas.

On this new EP, Eimerman contrasts manic guitar strumming (similar to Bob Mould) with his understated vocals on “Just Wishful Thinking,” then the familiar Rickenbacker guitar returns on “Live To Tell.” Herb channels Roger McGuinn on the folk-pop of “Believe that I Do,” making it a compelling personal statement. Each song has its own emotional component (dimension) worth exploring. Keep on rockin’ Herb!

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