Tag: You’re Among Friends

Winter Singles, Freebies & EPs: The Nobility, Whelligan, Brad Marino, Rigbi, Bloody Norah, Ryan Allen, Jay Byham, You’re Among Friends, Rum Bar Records

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I waited long enough to restart all my singles reviews, so now it’s time to separate the wheat from the chaff. Nashville’s The Nobility has been leaking singles for nearly a year, so we have the newest share with “No Doubts” bringing to mind a western-themed 10cc, and London’s Whelligan and their single “In Our Name” is full of orchestral majesty and it also merits further study. Brad Marino fresh off his great 2021 LP, is back to banging out great power pop with “Girl, I Want You.” More appropriate to this bleak winter landscape is Rigbi’s emotional “I’m a Mess In Winter” as the sparse beginning opens up to a rich arrangement. Bloody Norah has a great reverb rock sound with harmonies on its single “Shooting Star,” so keep your eyes out for more, like the single “Joy.” Bloody damn good too.

As for EPs, the reliable Ryan Allen moves to a retro power-pop sound for I’m Not Mean, full of echoing vocals, and layered guitars; check out “Count With Me,” and the excellent “Cut Your Teeth.” Jay Byham is a Pennsylvania-based singer-songwriter with a bouncy acoustic “Tick Tock,” classic rocker “Just A Matter of Time,” and the gentle ballad “The Only One,” it’s a solid debut that deserves many repeats on your player.  As for Freebies; Cleveland, Ohio’s You’re Among Friends take a very laid back approach on this new release, “Here in the Middle of the Pack” is like a stoner Spin Doctors tune and the melodic funk of “You Know What You Want” will appeal to NRBQ fans. Rum Bar Records has a loaded sampler as a Freebie too, get a ton of bang for your buck and you’ll discover a rocker or two.

Singles




EPs and Freebies




Freebies and EPs: The Turnback, Nick Lowe, Brad Marino, Brian Mello, You’re Among Friends, Nick Bertling, Portable Radio, The Amplifier Heads

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The Turnback had these three songs recently re-mastered by Grammy® Award-Winning mastering engineer Brian “Big Bass” Gardner (Foo Fighters, RUSH, Eminem, David Bowie, Cheap Trick). They are a FREE download and the band just asks for you to give a tip to the next essential worker you come in contact with (grocery clerk, fast-food worker, etc.). Now is the time we all need to be there for each other and PLAY IT FORWARD!

The masterful Nick Lowe returns with another EP, delivering pleasing pop gems in a timeless fashion.

Brad Marino (The Connection) is back in fine form with “False Alarm” and “At Night.” Guitar pop the way it should be, plus a cover of the Hoodoo Gurus classic, “What’s My Scene?” Get it at Kool Kat Musik

Brian Mello, the guitarist with The Morning Line, has a very unique EP out. It starts out like a spacey Western with “Landscape With Ruins” and stays kind of mellow until the riff-heavy gem “Adios.” A real grower here, so check it out.

You’re Among Friends, plays out like a fun jam in someone’s basement studio. Love the funk melody on “Once the Toothpaste is Out of the Tube.” More terrific casual rock, like “Just Keep Being Nice” make this a great FREE album to chill with.

Nick Bertling heads out to the audio twilight zone and gives us a personal work that seems to channel Todd Rundgren. Love those harmonies on “Perhaps” and the retro synth on “Mall Dreams ’87.” Another grower you need to live with.

Manchester UK pop band Portable Radio has a neat retro style and great harmonies. “Great In The Sun” and “Flight Home” remind me of the Cowsills.

JUST IN! Boston’s The Amplifier Heads are led by vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Sal Baglio (The Stompers). This is a real treat, as he channels mid-period XTC. Fans of similar bands (like The Sun Sawed In Half) will LOVE this.

Tuesday EPs: Cotton Mather, Orouni, You’re Among Friends

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Cotton Mather

Cotton Mather “Young Life” EP

Following Cotton Mather’s Wild Kingdom album from April, bandleader Robert Harrison’s ambitious goal of his “Songs From The I Ching” project is near the halfway point. The project includes writing 64 tracks, one for each hexagram of the I Ching, the ancient text which he refers to as an “extraordinary book about ordinary life”

Young Life E.P. adds six more originals to the project and its sadness is apparent as these are the final recordings with the band’s late bassist, George Reiff, who’d been with them since the Kontiki days.“Mighty Girl” is a standout with a jangling riffs and poignant chorus. “Dutch Light” continues the somber tone, with the sole rocking songs here “Eleanor Plunge” and “Shepherds Purse.” Harrison’s music is consistently excellent and highly recommended.

Amazon

Orouni

Orouni “Somewhere In Dreamland” EP

French band Orouni isn’t power pop, but it is a lot of fun to listen to. I enjoyed “Makeshift Fans” from their 2014 album Grand Tour. This EP was a little more mainstream reinterpretation with French-British artist Emma Broughton (Bon Iver, Lisa Hannigan) providing the lead vocals. The distinct percussion is what stands out, “Speedball” is a quick bouncy tune, and “Unca Pugilator” has catchy synth chorus with Emma’s light as air vocals. This short EP is definitely worth exploring.

Amazon

You're Among Friends

You’re Among Friends “One Day You’ll Look Back” EP

This Cleveland rock band has been described as “bluesy power pop,” but it sounds to me a little bit like a really loose version of Steely Dan, the jazzy “I’m Happier Now” and funky wah-wah chords on “Back To Work Tomorrow” are worth exploring. The production is a little muddy, but the band does a good job in composing each song. And you can explore the band’s entire output on Bandcamp and you can name-your-price.

Bandcamp