Well… here we go again. Enjoy the sounds while we countdown the days until the new year and my year-end top 10 list. I have several more reviews to post and of course, brand-new Christmas music. I made an exception with The Minus 5, but everything else here is new. Both Vista Blue and The Happy Somethings are a “name-your-price” download. Enjoy!
Tag: Super 8
Happy Labor Day Singles and EPs! Erik Voeks, Brent Windler, Vista Blue, The Junior League, Ken Sharp, Lisa Mychols & Super 8
Enjoy these fresh singles for the long weekend.
Erik Voeks has been one of my favorite DIY rockers for years, but this timely political gem is one of the best singles I’ve heard in a long time. His new band The Ghosters have bumped up his stock quite a lot here!
Brent Winder the singer/songwriter for “Sons of Great Dane” is back working on a new solo album, and this single “Around The Bend” is a richly arranged gem. It’s a FREEBIE that shouldn’t be missed.
The ever-present Vista Blue is back, saying goodbye to summer in a mashup of Ramones and Beach Boys glory. Speaking of the Beach Boys, are you a fan of Brian or Mike?
The Junior League (Joe Adragna) kicks major ass here with Scott the Hoople on this Monkees meets Dylan single “Summer of Flies.” Great summer tunes on this EP.Ken Sharp gives us “Halyx Rising (Lora’s Song).” It is a Queen-like gem that dazzles with the effects and guitar riffs. Inspired by a new documentary, “Disneyland’s Forgotten Sci-Fi Rock Band.”
Lisa Mychols and Super 8 dropped some “bonus” session tracks from their latest album. These sessions are a glimpse into the recording process and “unplugs” these cool songs.
Szuters and Lisa Mychols & Super 8
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN9i0UaRZx0
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.
The Foreign Films and Super 8
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.
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.
New EPs: Propeller, Bananagun, Super 8, It’s Karma It’s Cool, The Coolies
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!
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.