Tag: The Cry

The Bye Bye Blackbirds and Tommy Ray!

powerpopaholic
The Bye Bye Blackbirds

The Bye Bye Blackbirds “Boxer At Rest”

It’s been a tense time for the band The Bye Bye Blackbirds, reflecting on the passing of friends, and loved ones — the band’s founding member Lenny Gill required a heart transplant and months of hospitalization and rehabilitation. The band patiently worked on the album and waited for Lenny to recover and contribute. The result is a more personal take on loss and an extremely strong album. Add to this producer Doug Gillard (Guided By Voices, Nada Surf) and engineered by power-pop legend Chris von Sneidern, and you have a potential classic. The production here is flawless.

“You were All Light” is an excellent start, with a driving beat and heavier riffs, and notable horns overlaid onto the lead melody towards the end of the song. Lead singer Bradley Skaught and Kelly Atkins add some rich harmonies on “So True” to go with the simple rhythm and the jangle-tinged rock of “Baby It’s Still You” is another winner. The acoustic ballad “Words and Signs” bring to mind Big Star, and “Watch Them Chime” is a rare burst of optimism with its climbing major riff. That feeling continues on the 7-minute groove-fest “If It Gets Light.” It’s got an infectious beat that gives way to wild guitar theatrics. “All Our Friends” is a fitting and uplifting end. This LP makes my top ten for 2020 list, so it’s super Highly Recommended!

Pre-Order from Bandcamp


Tommy Ray

Tommy Ray! “First Hits Free”

The Cry! had a pair of great glam-styled power-pop albums over 5 years ago. Lead singer Tommy Ray’s solo LP is the long-awaited follow up and will not disappoint fans, as it keeps the gritty punk energy and layered guitar riffs with an even harder edge. “Aint No Use” sets the fast pace, a song that recalls The Damned, The Real Kids and The Only Ones.

The songs all have a fun anthemic punk quality, “Life Goes On” is a sing-along that rumbles to its catchy chorus. The storytelling aspect of the lyrics is emphasized more than the previous work. Highlights include themes of obsession and hard luck rejection on “Suzanne,” “Tuesday’s Girl” and “Take A Chance.” Tommy Ray finally turns things up a notch on “No Better Than This,” with an impressive composition and multi-instrumentation that I wish he did more often. Like Geoff Palmer (The Connection) recent solo work, Tommy Ray’s music is meant to be played loud, so crank it up. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

 

The Cry and Paul Starling

powerpopaholic

The Cry “Dangerous Game”
The Cry are back with a terrific power pop album, as the opening chords of “Discotheque” are part Lou Reed, The Soft Boys and Ramones wrapped up in those strutting lead riffs. The pop punk vibe of “Hanging Me Up” keeps up the quick uptempo pace, and “Nowhere To Go” adds a touch of greaser doo-wop styled vocal harmony.

“Shakin'” is particularly catchy with the wicked chorus “Shakin’ like a vibrator..” Similar to The Connection, the party continues through all 10 tracks meant to be played loud. And although it would be nice to toss a ballad to give us a breather,  you’ll find this a fine workout that’s filler free and a sure-fire contender for my top ten list this year.

Bandcamp | Amazon

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Paul Starling “Suit Of Armor”
Paul channels the nadir of 60s singer-songwriter era with “Natale Wood Reciting Lines” and the catchy chorus of “Watching The Candles Burn” makes it another standout. He has some wonderful shifting keys in “We’re All Becoming Policemen” and the echos of Brain Wilson’s melancholy are all over “If,” a yearning love song that really hits the mark.

“The Push & The Pull” gets inventive lyrically with a line like “I love you much more than anything/you’re the Benjamin Franklin to my kite string.” The production is pretty sparse which suits most songs, with Paul’s strumming guitar leading the way. It losses stream towards the albums end, but fans of melodic retro folk pop will surely enjoy this.

Bandcamp