Tag: The Airport 77s

March Singles and EPs: The Airport 77s, Juan y La Hormiga, Skeleton Staff, Cmon Cmon, Strawberry Moon, Bret Tobias

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The Airport 77s are back with a new single “If It’s On, I’m In,” and its a great little tune about dating. Look for more coming up, but first a soothing song from Juan y La Hormiga (aka Muchas Hormigas and Juan Pablo Mazzola) about the romance “After The War” in Valencia, Spain. Big News here is the long awaited return of Skeleton Staff with a neat EP ‘Hepto-Altruism’ where they scale back their operatic ways, but lean on baroque harmonies and pop jangle. Everything here is a a gem so listen all the way through. Belgian alt pop band C’mon C’mon is as polished as you can get, check out “Turn off The Lights” and “All the Other Kids.” Strawberry Moon are a Virginia punk pop band with a measure of cool, check out “Rearview” and the rocking “Polly Pocket World.” and it’s a freebie – so download away! Finally, a sweet single from The Bret Tobias Set that is an ’80s-styled jangle that hits the sweet spot. Enjoy.





The Airport 77s and The Smithereens

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The Airport 77s

The Airport 77s “We Realize You Have a Choice”

After a year of teasers, videos, and singles, The Airport 77s finally released their full-length album, and I’m glad to say it was worth the wait. The trio consists of guitarist Andy Sullivan, bassist Chuck Dolan, and drummer John Kelly. From the opening riffs of “One Good Thing About Summer,” you’ll hear a compelling combination of The Who, The Cars, and even T-Rex.

The band really delivers lyrically and musically. “Birthday Girl” has a great party spirit, and “Losers Win” has a fun descriptive lyric set to a Raspberries-like riff. The band rocks out on the fast-paced “The Way She Moves,” and goes full bore 1980s with the synth-driven “Bad Together.” Stylistically it moves from the glam-styled guitars on “The Illustrated Book of Cupid” to the Rubinoos-like power pop of “All Torn Up Over Tina.” Not a note of filler here and it makes my top ten list for best power pop album of 2022. Highly recommended, so don’t miss it.

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The Smithereens

The Smithereens “The Lost Album”

It’s been nearly 5 years since the passing of Smithereens lead singer Pat Dinizio, but the band has remained a fan favorite and continues to play at venues, often in tribute to his distinct songwriting skills. Originally recorded back in 1993, after the New Jersey quartet found themselves dropped by Capitol Records, and before they signed with RCA. It’s a time capsule for the band, and surely a “lost” treasure by fans.

As an album, it does feel more like a group of clean demos. The band admits the album is “80 percent finished and rough mixed.” The trademark guitar sound that exemplifies the Smithereens is not always there, but you can imagine it there in songs like “Everyday World” and “Pretty Little Lies.” In fact, you do have plenty of potential hits here including “Out of This World,” “A World Apart,” and “Face The World With Pride.” Other tracks aren’t filler, but just don’t stick as well. Fans will surely love this, and that’s who this album is for. A great addition to the band’s catalog.

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