Tag: Super 8

Szuters and Lisa Mychols & Super 8

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The Szuters “Sugar”

The Szuter brothers; Mike and CJ were always guitar heads that played melodic rock, much like The Lund Brothers. In the late ’90s they formed The Szuters and let loose a great rare LP in Japan, but then changed the band to heavy alt-rock and their name to Magna-Fi. They ended up at Ozzfest in 2004 supporting Sevendust, but the band faded from view six years later.

Coming back to their power-pop roots, “Sugar” is everything we missed from The Szuters, and it lives up to the title. Opening with the Beatlesque “Two We Will Always Be” its a super catchy melody with sticky sweet harmonies. The piano-based “Don’t Lie To Me” is another winner, with a wild psyche-pop riff mid-break. Fans of  The Raspberries and Cheap Trick will love “Baby Don’t You Be So Blue,” and “She’s Coming Home With Me.” The Beatlesque gems return with “If You Only Knew” and “I Don’t Wanna Cry.” They turn up the amps for the heavier “Good Thing,” and not a note of filler anywhere. It’s a perfect balance of melodic sweetness and guitar crunch. Easily gets a top ten nomination for my year-end list. Highly Recommended.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN9i0UaRZx0

The Yum Yums

Lisa Mychols & SUPER 8 “Lisa Mychols & SUPER 8”

The “Queen of Power Pop” Lisa Mychols joins forces with British psyche-popper Paul “Trip” Ryan to deliver this playful confection for the ears.  Lisa’s light harmonies open thing on “What Will Be?” a hippie-infused psychedelic intro that seamlessly blends into the bouncy “Trip & Ellie’s Music Factory” and this is where the chemistry of the two artists play to each other’s strengths.

“Time Bomb” is another great example of kaleidoscopic pop. The tone of the music ebbs and flows from romantic (“Honey Bee”) to wry humor (“The Monkee Song”) but never loses momentum. It does mellow significantly towards the album’s second half with “Your Summer Theme” and “Laguna Night To Remember.” Mychols vocals are as lovely as ever, and Trip even adds his vocal lead to the acoustic “Peaceful.” This is music designed to relieve stress, so spin it and snap along to the music. Highly Recommended.

Bandcamp only

The Foreign Films and Super 8

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The Foreign Films

The Foreign Films “Ocean Moon (New Songs and Hidden Gems)”

Bill Majoros (aka The Foreign Films) is back after the masterful Record Collector with something a little mellower but no less wonderful. Setting up a nostalgic date circa 1964 on “Dream With Me Tonight” it has echos of early Beach Boys innocence (without sounding anything like them.)  The subtle lead and strings of “Katie and the Crystal Hearts” feels bittersweet, reminding me of Kyle Vincent or Jeff Lynne.

The Rickenbacker strums of the title track make it the most impressive and catchiest song in the group, plus its got a lovely harmonic coda. The echoing piano ballad “Down On The Boulevard (Pinball Kid)” is another highlight that paints a dramatic memory with only a few lyrics. Each song resonates and even though the last three tracks are from Record Collector it matches up nicely with the new material. Another bonus is that this a FREE Bandcamp download, so you can try before you buy. Highly Recommended.

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Pop Co-Op

Super 8 “Head Sounds”

UK artist Paul Ryan is certainly prolific and unique. He’s got a homespun pop aesthetic and a poppy-hippy charm that can be quiet infectious at times. The opener “Dragonfly” layers several sounds to great effect, creating a nice jam melody before it shifts to an easy-going shuffle asking “If you could only live one day/What would you do?” Very disarming and charming.

Using jangling rhythms very much in the spirit of Elephant Six collective bands, “Love Like Ours” catches you and doesn’t let go. “Sweet Norah” slowly devolves into a psyche-pop jam and really takes off when that bassline begins. “Millionaire” is a funny tune about songwriting gone wrong, and “I Just Wanna Be Me” also moans about the unfairness of the music business. The second half of the album doesn’t quite carry it over the finish line, with covers of “Across The Universe” and “In My Room.” But this is definitely the most engaging Super 8 LP to date and it’s certainly music that deserves to be heard.

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New EPs: Propeller, Bananagun, Super 8, It’s Karma It’s Cool, The Coolies

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Propeller “Three Steps to Better Listening” – The San Franciso duo of Greg Randall and Will Anderson are at it again! Not really an EP, but an A/B single with an acoustic version, but it’s so damn good. You will be hooked!

Bananagun “Do Yeah” – Is this a long lost gem from the early ’70s? It’s a hypnotic mix of afrobeat and psyche pop that wouldn’t sound that out of date on a retro beatnik soundtrack. Groovy.

Super 8 “Head Sounds” EP – UK-based Singer/Songwriter Paul Ryan has been very busy this year. The cover is a parody on Pet Sounds,  and the music is an interesting mix of compulsive melodies, and it does have horns and harmonies. This EP is a prelude to the full-length version scheduled for release in 2020.

It’s Karma It’s Cool “Hipsters and Aeroplanes” – Jim Styring (The Popdogs, B-Leaguers) is back with this hook-filled gem of an EP available on Kool Kat Musik. It’s got an catchy energy and Jim’s vocal inflections are similar to Buddy Holly. It’s also a grower that gets better with multiple listens.

The Coolies – “Uh Oh! It’s​.​.​. The Coolies”  Three amazing artists: Kim Shattuck (The Muffs), Palmyra Delran and Melanie Vammen. They make magic here and 100% of profits will be donated to The ALS Association in the memory of Kim’s passing. Originally released in July, It’s bittersweet that this was the only project for the three, but at least we have it.

Phil Yates & The Affiliates and Super 8

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Dropkick

Phil Yates & The Affiliates “Party Music!”

Burlington, Vermont’s Phil Yates has released three albums and has been a fixture in the local clubs for years. But he’s packed up and moved to a bigger music scene in Chicago. In this final Vermont hurrah, he lets his power-pop freak flag really fly on the opener “My Favorite Bag,” a solid catchy melody with a speedy tempo. Yates also knows how to get a powerful narrative out about domestic violence on the impressive “Nothing Happened.” The production is dense and at times threatens to overwhelm the vocals, but the music is what ultimately wins you over. Yates vocals sound like a cross between Anton Barbeau and Tom Petty.

Yates also airs some dirty laundry with “Fixin To Die” and “One Man’s Trash (Sour Grapes)” about his struggles as a working musician. Frustrations with insomnia are the focus of the forceful “Peter Francis Geraci” and the state of our politics is accurately summed up on “Bite Your Tongue.” Definitely, music that deserves to be heard.

 

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik


Super 8

Super 8 “T – T – T – Technicolour Melodies! ”

UK musician Paul Ryan, aka Super 8 is a laid back troubadour as he opens with “Tomorrows’ Just Another Day,” with its Spanish styled horn flourishes over a strumming melody. Ryan excels at acoustic compositions; you’ll hear varied influences from Wilco, Lou Reed, and Bob Dylan. “Catsuit” is a good highlight, with Ryan’s harmonized vocals and harmonica building a richly layered gem. Equally fun is the soulful mid-tempo “Last Final Cigarette” where you contemplate life; as he intones “Guess we’re all looking for something.”

Another notable highlight is the rhyming mantra of the title track and the deep melodies on “Traveling Light” with its impressive chorus.”Hey! Non-Believer” is like a lost Beck tune from his early period. For some, this may be a bit too laid back and sparse – for others it’s a soulful potpourri stew. The songwriting is thought-provoking, and the styles shift enough to prevent any predictability. So if you are so inclined, pick it up and let it sink in.

 

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik