Tag: Richard X Heyman

Sloan and Richard X. Heyman

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Sloan

Sloan “Steady”

On their 13th album, Sloan retains its title as the best indie power pop band left standing. The Canadian quartet has a career that spans over 40 years, and “steady” not only describes the band’s lineup but also its consistent stylistic approach. The chugging guitar on “Magical Thinking” starts us off, with hooks a plenty and a “ba-ba-ba” chorus. Then we launch into the catchy rocker “Spend The Day” a song that’s defined Sloan’s sound for years with a wicked guitar break, and it leads right into the gentle harmonies and handclaps of Jay Ferguson’s “She Put Up With What She Put Down.” Each song leaves an impression, and the album gets even better the further along we go.

Chris Murphy’s “Human Nature” is a brilliant piano-based song about our love of gossip. But what’s amazing is how the band can take Beatlesque elements and make it totally their own, my favorite track here is “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” a dreamy Rickenbacker riff based on “Day Tripper” – it’s an instant classic. Not a weak track to be found, and without a doubt (like their 2018 opus 12) this easily gets added to my top ten list for 2022.

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Richard X. heyman

Richard X. Heyman “67,000 Miles An Album”

For many years Richard X. Heyman was the original power pop DIY, one man band, and even though he branched off playing with The Doughboys several years ago, he remains a singularly unique songwriting talent. 67,000 miles an hour refers to the speed of the earth as it moves in orbit around the sun. RXH goes through a variety of styles here, but he starts off with an absolute gem “You Can Tell Me,” full of harmonies and sweet chord progressions. The rich horns of “Misspent Youth” goes through visions of his life in New York, and “Traveling Salesman” is a garage rocker with a distinct riff.

With 18 tracks you’ll find plenty of great songs here like “Crave,” a bouncy rocker with synth keys and pounding drums, and the mature hooks on “When The New Dawn Comes.” The soulful vocals of the mid-tempo ballad “Plans” are another highlight. Sometimes RXH finds a musical idea, like “Ready For A Fall” with its stylized harmonies, but it doesn’t quite work. However, enough tracks do work and that makes it highly recommended in my book.

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Salt and Richard X. Heyman

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Salt

Salt “The Loneliness of Clouds”

This is a power pop supergroup that skipped under the radar, so you should check it out. Salt is a French-American band born in 2016 during sessions for a Game Theory tribute in Abbey Road Studios. The band was formed around Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, REM, Big Star), Anton Barbeau, and Stéphane Schück, all collaborators and friends of the late Scott Miller, despite never having met. Quickly joined by Fred Quentin and Benoit Lautridou they set about recording an album. Influences range from the Beatles to XTC, REM and Game Theory as it feels like progressive rock filtered through a pop lens.

The swirling guitar chords of “A Song For Jerome” are matched by Barbeau’s strong vocal presence, the instrumentation is highly layered as the chorus sticks with you. Another gem, “Plastic Future Plans” recalls ’80s pop rock, accented by Lautridou’s strong drumming and the angular guitar chords. “Blast With Happy Guru” has more of a Posies influence, with a touch of John Lennon. Some brilliant guitar work is highlighted on “Eastern Colors,” but as we continue forward the complex instrumentation supplants the melodies (“Shiny Leather Sun”) as things sound more like a psychedelic jam session.  Despite this, a majority of this album is catchy and worthy of the label: Highly Recommended.

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Nick Lowe

Richard X. Heyman “Pop Circles”

The venerable Richard X. Heyman delivers his newest solo LP, Pop Circles with an eye on the past, but a focus on the future. RXH is an exemplary solo artist who has been very productive over the past decade with both his solo work and The Doughboys. “Guess You Had To Be There” is an appreciation of pop’s past in the ’60s with richly composted strings (Thanks to Julia Kent and Chris Jenkins) and a steady bass line (Thanks to his wife, Nancy Leigh ).

The vintage jangling sounds throughout the album are well utilized to give his music a timeless quality and Richard’s vocals are strong and steady.  “Action Screams Louder Than Words,” has an urgency and conviction, along with a solid solo guitar break. The romantic mid-tempo songs are also a big highlight, “As Love Would Have It” and the piano-led “Marlena” stand with RXH’s best work.  Some of the more casual pop, like “A New Light” has echoes of Todd Rundgren and the harpsichord rolls and harmonies on “About Time” makes it a pure joy to listen to.  While not every song resonates as well, a majority of them do. Overall, this is a triumph. Highly Recommended.

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Cliff Hillis and Richard X Heyman

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Cliff Hillis

Cliff Hillis “Many Happy Returns” EP

The reliable Cliff Hillis is back with his new EP, starting off with “Time An Evangelist,” a riff powered gem about the times we live in, where “a sad politician don’t know right from wrong/and every day he changes what side he’s on.” The catchy title track is another winner built from a steady rhythm, infectious melody, and smooth guitar solo at the break.

From there Cliff takes it down a notch to the understated blue-eyed soul on “Superfluous” and subtle pop of “With All The World” with its sweet horn section. The power pop comes back with “Never In A Million Years,” and while each song is perfectly fine, it doesn’t hit the highs of last years Make Love Not War. Still, an excellent EP worthy of purchase.

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Richard X Heyman

Richard X Heyman “Incognito”

One of power pop’s DIY pioneers Richard X Heyman continues his musical journey. At the same time Richard works with The Doughboys, his 11th solo album was being prepared. Unlike his semi-autobiographical double album Tiers, the musical focus here is primarily on short guitar melodies. The jangling psyche-pop opener “Incognito” is a mood piece with some nice layered rhythms. Next, “A Fool’s Errand” is a great Heyman original, very much like his past solo work.

Heyman doesn’t rush things, and his craftsmanship is what sets him apart from other indie musicians. A multitude of bouncy, interesting songs are standouts; “And Then” utilizes Heyman’s skillful harmonies and Motown-influenced “So What” has its playful horn flourishes. And when it comes to solid pop-rock check out “Her Garden Path,” “Lift” and “Terry Two-Timer”. Like many veteran artists, he thinks about aging (“Miss Shenandoah Martin”) and political dysfunction (“Everybody Get Wise”). Overall a good representative of Heyman’s work and highly recommended.

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Richard X. Heyman “X”

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Power Pop veteran Richard X. Heyman returned this year to give us “X,”  aka his tenth album. Starting out similar to the biographical Tiers, “When Denny Dropped Out of the Scene” describes a friend who slowly fades from the friendship. Next “Please Be Mindful” is an orchestrated piano epic and a little bit of The Doughboys garage style rubs off on the rocker “Compass.”

Heyman delivers with his jangling guitar on “Firing Line,” and “Somebody Has Finally Found Me.” The ballads slow things down a bit and it loses some momentum after the mid-point, but then “If You Have To Ask” is a classic melody that compares with the best he’s ever done. More gems include “Hangman Smiles” and the finale “Will To Go On.” Overall, this is a terrific return to form and an essential album for fans. Like other DIY “one-man-bands” (Paul McCartney, Emitt Rhodes or Todd Rundgren) Heyman is a master of melody and he proves it over and over again.

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