Tag: The Squires of the Subterrain

The Squires of The Subterrain and Toxic Melons

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The Squires of The Subterrain “The Squires of The Subterrain”
Christopher Earl is back to his Beatles-Merseybeat fetish on this new self-titled album. Similar to DIY pop of Guided By Voices and Chris Breetveld, Earl starts us off with “The Windows” a trippy track with a really cool chorus of echoing harmonies. The “Penny Lane” styled horns lead “History” with its melodic catchiness and single note piano rhythm, then “This Charming Place” adds cellos and rich Kinks-like lyrics about a local bar. The songs early on are wonderfully layered and XTC fans will savor the first 3 songs. Earl runs into complete parody with “Private Gherkin’s Psychedelic Silly Mustache Band” along the lines of They Might Be Giants.

Clearly no filler here, from the catchy “Attitude and Altitude” to the Lennon inspired “Jet-Black Sunrise.” Then,”Dr. Van Der Jagt” goes into full “Dear Prudence” mode with Earl’s nasal vocal fitting perfectly. Unlike earlier Beatles-centric offerings this one really concentrates on the Fabs late 60’s psychedelic style. Highly Recommended.

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Toxic Melons “Bus Therapy”
I heard an advance demo of “Take Me Back” from Bus Therapy and was blown away by the crisp harmonies, rich-pastoral melody and knew it was something very special. For this new LP Pablo Melons has recruited some top notch talent to help; Eric Dover, Chadwick Salls, Taylor Locke, Chris Price, Linus of Hollywood, and Fernando Perdomo. And several tracks are just outstanding.

But Melons inconsistency is just maddening, “More or Less” is a defiant piano-organ rant that sets the stage and its a decent start. Unfortunately, next comes the sleep-inducing 4 minute instrumental “Journey” and then the low vocal “Let Me Sleep” that didn’t quite wake me up. Thankfully the Jellyfish-styled “Change The World” is next and its one of the highlights. But then comes “Disco Balls, ” a Zappa-influenced synth-guitar mess. For each good song (“Take Me Back”) we get a rotten one  (“Getting Old”). My advice is to cherry-pick this effort for maximum enjoyment.

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Dunebuggy and The Squires of The Subterrain

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Dunebuggy “Dunebuggy”
Dunebuggy came together in 1991 and were based out of Hoboken, New Jersey. The band split in 1996, and self-released several songs — but this LP is the first time that many of their songs have ever been available to the public.

The band has a D.I.Y. aesthetic of skateboarding, and an obsessive appreciation for well-crafted pop tunes, Featuring members Jon Procopio (vocals/guitar), Keith Renna (drums), Michael Reilly (bass) and with contributions from Tracy Wilson (guest vocals), the band quickly built a name for themselves by creating clever indie rock with monstrous pop hooks. Their signature sound was punctuated by angular guitars, quirky phrasing and imaginative lyrics. Standouts here include: “Tungsten” and “Green Eisenhower.”

The Squires of the Subterrain “Sandbox”
Christopher Earl from the Squires of the Subterrain has produced some great albums within the Fab Four style. Now Earl takes his turn at that other pop music paragon, The Beach Boys. The primitive Wilson styled tunes are done with sparse composition on “Idling In The Sun” and “Surfin’ Indiana”. The lyrics are intentionally ironic, about how you’ll spend more time in traffic than speeding down the highway and  the joys of “surfing” in a small creek.

Earl gets props for the Pet Sounds influenced “(I Still) Mow Your Lawn” with its authentic harmonies and falsetto. The double meaning on most songs helps me enjoy the simple homage on “The Cheatin’ Gibson Girl” and “Fun House.” The psyche-pop stream of consciousness on “Woodrow Wilson” and “Rising Waters” treat us to Smile-like “experiments”. At times the lo-fi production and over-exaggerated Mike Love nasal approach on a few songs were annoying, but after a few listens it really grew on me. Essential for Beach Boys fans.

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