Tag: The Orange Peels

Oscar Lang and The Orange Peels

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Oscar Lang

Oscar Lang “Chew The Scenery”

Young UK musical phenom Oscar Lang proved his long-awaited indie-rock debut was worth the anticipation. Heavily indebted to Brit-pop’s past, Lang excels at fuzzy hook-filled melodies with buzzing electronic flourishes. After an extended fanfare, it leads into the first single “21st Century Hobby,” focusing on the dark side of social media, and the catchy chorus is layered with guitar lines. Without missing a beat “I Could Swear” bounces along and it’s all very infectious.

“Stuck” then gets even denser and louder with a self-loathing akin to The Dandy Warhols, before it goes full-on dance Madchester funk like The Happy Mondays on “Yeah.” So far we’ve got track after track of energy and excellence until it pauses with the piano ballad “Write Me A Letter.” This demonstrates Oscar’s subtle talent and emotive pull, and as the album continues it feels more relaxed from “Are You Happy?” to “Quarter Past Nine.” As we run out of gas at the end, “Final Call” feels pulled from the Coldplay or Radiohead playbook. Overall, it’s an effective and strong debut that’s highly recommended.

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The Orange Peels

The Orange Peels “Celebrate the Moments of Your Life”

With a title straight out of a commercial, Allen Clapp, Jill Pries, and Gabriel Coan continue to move the band beyond guitarist John Moremen’s influences. Clapp goes for a shimmering jazz-pop sound here, with a mix of arty psych-pop and electro-pop flourishes. Coan’s percussion takes the lead mostly, as Clapp drives the droning synths of “2×2” and the next several tracks meander along a theme of birds.

Clapp does get soulful on the piano ballad “Thank You” and the jangling bounce of “Whenever” is a standout for fans of the band’s classic sound. But this album is more experimental, and as far from power-pop as you can get. Clapp is a genius when it comes to atmospherics, and my favorite track here is the instrumental “Two Shores” — get some good headphones for this one. “The Ghost of You” and “Human” bring to mind Tears For Fears, and the loose, trippy “Mindego Hill” is a gem. The final section of this massive 17 track album is flower-themed as the music is more about ambiance and sonic environment than melody. The band has drifted in this direction since 2020, so it’s not a big shock. However, if you’re looking for those 3-minute earworms I’d visit their earlier works.

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Odds, Ends, and Reissues: Nick Frater, Spiraling, The Orange Peels, Roger J. Manning Jr.

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If you thought 2nd Grade’s songs were a bit too long, Nick Frater has the solution for the ADD music fan. 59 songs all under a minute! I have to admit, the first two hooked me right away, “Intro” and “Say It’s Alright” are stunning Beach Boys recreations. Not everything is that good, but some have little clues to the influence; like “Another Nod To Todd.” Irresistible!

New to me (maybe to you) is this 2003 release from New Jersey musician Tom Brislin. Spiraling is a mix of many pop styles, but what stood out to me is the piano tune “The Girl On Top (of the Piano)” which is as catchy as anything Ben Folds has ever done. An overlooked gem, re-issued on bandcamp.  Get it on Amazon
Hard to believe it all started in 1997 for Allen Clapp. The Orange Peels “Square” is a timeless classic, that still sounds fresh today. This new re-issue is labeled “Square³” and it boasts 40 tracks with demos, bonuses, an alternate album… what else do you need? Get it on Amazon

During my last interview with Roger Joseph Manning Jr., he mentioned a re-release of his solo output was coming, and here it is. These albums have long been out of circulation and its good to have them back dutifully remastered by mixing engineer John Paterno under Manning’s supervision. This catalog threesome consists of 2006’s The Land Of Pure Imagination, 2008’s Catnip Dynamite, and his 2018 PledgeMusic EP, Glamping.

Visit rogerjosephmanningjrofficial.com to get these re-issues directly.

Arthur Alexander and The Orange Peels

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Arthur Alexander

Arthur Alexander “One Bar Left”

Arthur Alexander is a power pop legend, born in Warsaw, Poland then immigrated to NYC where he helped form The Poppees in the mid-‘70s, often dubbed “The Fab Four Of The Bowery.” They played regularly at Max’s Kansas City and CBGB’s and became the very first new artist signed by the visionary Greg Shaw to his Bomp! Records label. Then he started another band Sorrows in the early ‘80s, signed a label deal with CBS Records and released two albums, before moving to LA to produce other artists. Finally, after all this time Arthur is releasing his first solo LP.

These songs have been collecting for decades, and its great to finally hear Arthur unleashed. He touches on all different genres from New Wave, Blues, Punk, and Rock.“One Bar Left” is a rousing rocker that is undeniably catchy and loaded with energy. Arthur’s vocals are slightly grizzled, but expressive and clearly melodic on “Psycho-Automatic,” with a touch of ’80s instrumentation and solid beat. You’ll hear The Monkees meets George Thorogood on “(She Got Me) Wang Dang Doodle” and Beach Boys guitar and harmonies on the ballad “It’s You.” Yet, its all uniquely Arthur’s sound. And yes, some of this sounds like filler tracks from The Poppees/Sorrows era. And yes, it could’ve used some editing, but enough are keepers here; “Shot In The Heart,” “Ecstasy,” and the Beatlesque “I’ll Get Your Love Someday.” Fans of John Wicks (The Records) and Paul Collins (The Beat) will also enjoy this LP. Highly Recommended.

 

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The Orange Peels

The Orange Peels “Trespassing”

The Orange Peels sound shift that began with Begin The Begone continues, as leader Allen Clapp adds more textures into his jangling melodies. Having moved to the Northern California mountains, the entire album has an expansive new wave feel. Starting with “Camera 2,” it has more synth layered into the melody that contrasts with its organic strumming. The guitar influences of John Moreman recede in the distance as those hypnotic synths take over.  “Running Away” and “Room 222” both have a robotic quality, but Clapp’s warm choruses shine through in each case.

“Dawn Tree” boasts floating harmonies and strings that recall Field Music or The La’s. The ambitious title track piles the synth-pop melodies on top of each other and it feels like a futuristic techno soundscape/dance track. Thankfully Clapp hasn’t forgotten how to do power pop, as “All Our Tomorrows” is a joyful guitar gem that boasts a strong hook. While The Orange Peels have always delivered strong material, it has gradually evolved away from its power-pop roots. Fans have grown alongside the band and find it just as hypnotically satisfying. Highly Recommended.

 

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Big Star “Complete Third” and Friends & Frenemies

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Big Star

Big Star “Complete Third”

Big Star’s third album is a big deal in that it appealed to fans outside of its loyal power pop base, and its raw emotions cemented the band’s legend. At this point the band was cut in half, with Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens doing what they really wanted, commercial considerations be damned. Chilton’s lyrics showcase deep depression and frustration, and his vision was highly influential in the development of alternative rock, still felt decades later.

Recorded in 1974 but not released for the first time until 1978, Third would be subsequently re-released, renamed and re-sequenced many times over the years. While some demos and alternate versions and mixes of songs have dribbled out on various compilations, all extant recordings made for the album are presented for the first time on Complete Third. This definitive collection boasts 69 total tracks, 29 of which are previously unheard session recordings, demos and alternate mixes made by producer Jim Dickinson and engineer John Fry. The set allows the listener to track the creation of the album from the original demos, through sessions and rough mixes, to the final masters of each song. The box set contains extensive notes from original participants and artists influenced by Big Star. It’s comparable to The Beach Boys Pet Sounds Sessions in terms of its thoroughness.

While this may be overkill for the casual fan, this is a “must have” for serious Big Star fans and music audiophiles. Highly Recommended.

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Mystery Lawn Music

Assorted Artists “Friends & Frenemies”

Mystery Lawn is a Northern California label that’s home to many great West Coast power pop bands like The Orange Peels, The Agony Aunts, The Corner Laughers, Anton Barbeau and more. But what I love about a compilation like this is I can discover other bands I have not heard before like The Variable Stars on “The Lights Above Los Gatos” and the light airy vocals of Arts & Leisure on “Can’t Breathe.” And its not all rock and pop, examples of classical (Henry Plotnick) or folk guitar (Black Butterfly Gang) are featured too.

If you dig harmonies and female lead vocals you will love The Flywheels (“Counting To Eleven”) and Alison Faith Levy (“Rainbow Tunnel”) who clearly channels Jackie DelShannon. While not everything here is as infectious as “Oh Please” from the brilliant Marshall Holland, I didn’t really find a really bad track among the 18 songs on display here, and many are exclusive – so pick this one up! Highly Recommended.

Bandcamp exclusive

Agony Aunts “Big Cinnamon”

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It’s been too long, but the Bay Area supergroup returns after 2010’s Greater Miranda, with even more harmony-laden psych-pop.  The band is basically The Corner Laughers; KC Bowman, Karla Kane , Khoi Huynh, and Charlie Crabtree. Add to this many guest stars including Gil Ray (The Loud Family), Anton Barbeau and Allen Clapp (The Orange Peels). So can all those cooks spoil this brew? Not likely.

Opening with the kaleidoscopic “Twenty-four Mergansers” it’s a lot like the Laughers with a bit more Magical Mystery Tour thrown in. Then it follows up seamlessly with “Family Drugs,” the lyrics repeating over with crisp harmonies on the “bottle it up” backing chorus. The psychedelic sheen on everything is comparable to The Pillbugs on the title track. And if you ever wondered what a modern day Mamas and Papas would sound like, listen to “Back To Back Bills.”

The second half is more rock oriented, those dual tracked guitars stand out on the perfect “We Got The Jekyll.”  Raspberries fans will flip for the intro on “Uranium My Love,” a riff heavy melody full of hooks about science. Its not predictable either, “You’re So Vague” is like a combo of Todd Rundgren and The Explorers Club. It ends with the mysterious story behind “Cool Fresh Nights” and Barbeau’s quirky country “Trouble Was Born.” Not trace of filler to be found, production is clean and sounds great through headphones, so its hard to not love this album. Multiple listens make it better and it makes my top ten for 2013 easily. Get it now!
power pop review score 9

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