Demitasse, Perfect Life, 2020

Album Review

By Henry Lipput

What would you call a musical side project that's more active than the main unit?

You might call it Demitasse.

Demitasse are Joe Reyes and Erik Sanden who are also the driving force behind the San Antonio, TX, rock and roll band Buttercup. Demitasse have released three albums since 2014 and Buttercup's terrific 2017 album Battle of Flowers was the band's first in eight years.

These differences aside, there are some things -- especially how Reyes and Sanden make their albums -- that are similar. All of the parts on Battle of Flowers were performed and recorded live. The new Demitasse album Perfect Life uses early live takes, few overdubs, and tight vocal harmonies.

Perfect Life has a lovely, loose vibe with acoustic guitars being the primary instrument and hushed vocals from Reyes and Sanden. Many of the songs, despite the album's title, are about breakups or relationships that never happen which, for some people, could make for a less than perfect life.

For example, the opening track "Flamenco" is less about a Spanish dancer than thoughts of a departing lover (who may in fact be nicknamed Flamenco): "You and I / were good in our time" and it's suggested that she "Dance your way through the hurt." There are moments in the song that are reminiscent of McCartney's "Junk," and there's a paraphrase of a Leonard Cohen lyric from "Ring The Bells:" "The crack in the cup / Lets the dim light through."

"Always Good" is one of the songs on Perfect Life that has wonderful melodies and less-than-hopeful lyrics. This song shuts out the world to deal with a problem and could be a prelude to Lennon's "I'm Only Sleeping." "I just crawled back to bed today / My girl has my heart / But she's gone for good." It's a small thing, but I really like that they didn't use the rhyme "back to bed today" and "she's gone away." It would have been too easy, and it reinforces the idea that even a perfect life is never easy.

"Coming Out Wrong Again" is another stellar tune with lyrics that ask why someone showed up in a life but wasn't going to be part of it: "Why'd you have to cross my path / How'd you know I would react?" "You don't know I exist" hits like a punch to the gut.

"I Found You" is one of the few songs on the album that has more of a band feel and shows that there is hope on the other side of heartbreak. When you're in love, you see that person in everyone you come across: "I met a boy / He looks like you / I couldn't avoid his eyes" and "I met a girl / Her voice sounds just like yours / I love that she turns it down / All the way down." Later in the song: "I met a boy / I met a girl / I found you."

Perfect Life is out now on Bedlamb Records.

Paul Kelly, Paul Kelly's Greatest Hits: Songs From The South 1985 - 2019, 2020

Album Review

By Henry Lipput

Paul Kelly's Greatest Hits: Songs From The South 1985 - 2019 is a collection of songs that chart Kelly's remarkable journey through pop, rock, folk, bluegrass, and story songs and ends up with a sound that fans of his music have come to love. The album is available as a two-CD set with 43 tracks and a double LP with 26 songs.

The first CD begins with the joyous jangle of "From St. Kilda To Kings Cross" from 1985 and 1986's "Before Too Long." When listening to these songs it's hard not to think of fellow Australians The Go-Betweens and the songs of Grant McLennan who were making similar music at the same time. Also from 1986's Gossip and 1987's Under the Sun are the rockers "Darling It Hurts" and "Dumb Things" that show Kelly may have been listening to other Australian bands like Hoodoo Gurus.

The live acoustic versions of "Everything's Turning to White" originally from 1989's So Much Water So Close To Home and 2010's "When I First Met Your Ma" on Songs From The South make it clear that Kelly, with simply an acoustic guitar and his voice, has no problem holding an audience.

"From Little Things Big Things Grow" from Comedy has Kelly making use of Bob Dylan's basic tools of acoustic guitar and harmonica (with some banjo thrown in for good measure) to tell stories about his native Australia. Comedy's "Winter Coat" is a grand yet sad tale of an item of clothing that brings back memories of a lost love.

The bluegrass gem "Our Sunshine" from Smoke kicks off the second CD. The live version of "Every Fucking City" is a delight and details missed opportunities.

The simple and lovely "If I Could Start Today Again" from 2001's …Nothing But A Dream is a request for another chance to save a relationship. And "The Oldest Story In The Book" is a finger-picking charmer of a story song. 

"You're 39, You're Beautiful and You're Mine" (an updated, in more ways than one, of Johnny Burnette's "You're Sixteen") is a wonderful ode to a woman who continues to dazzle and sounds like a perfect fit for a 60s Nashville crooner with its tinkling piano in the mix. And on "Sonnet 18" from Kelly's Seven Sonnets & A Song, he uses Shakespeare's words and a bluegrass template to compare his love to a summer's day.

Long-time fans of Kelly's will be happy to know the compilation includes his Christmas song "How To Make Gravy." This song is so popular in Australia that the country has made December 21st (a date mentioned in the song) a national Gravy Day. Songs from the South also includes "Every Day My Mother's Voice" from 2019 and the previously unreleased "When We're Both Old & Mad," a marvelous duet with fellow Australian treasure Kasey Chambers.

Paul Kelly's Greatest Hits: Songs From The South 1985 - 2019 is out now on Gawd Aggie / Cooking Vinyl.

Marshall Crenshaw, Miracle of Science (reissue), 2020

Album Review

By Henry Lipput

I know exactly what Marshall Crenshaw meant when he recently said, "I love it that phonograph records are popular again."

I was able to buy his first four albums, the brilliant self-titled debut as well as Field Day, Downtown, and Mary Jean & 9 Others, on vinyl when they came out. But even before 1989's Good Evening, records seemed to disappear in the United States.

Crenshaw has regained ownership of the five albums he released on the Razor & Tie label between 1994 and 2003 and is going to reissue all of them on vinyl, CD, and all digital platforms.

1996's Miracle of Science, 1999's #447, 2003's What's in the Bag?, 1994's live My Truck Is My Home, and 1998's early demos collection, The 9 Volt Years, will be released as expanded editions. Each album will include two newly recorded, previously unreleased tracks which will appear on a bonus 7" single on the vinyl editions and as bonus tracks on the CD and digital versions. The Miracle of Science reissue includes "Misty Dreamer" by Scottish indie-pop artist Daniel Wylie and "What the Hell I Got," a 1974 number by Canadian Michel Pagliaro.

It's clear on listening to the reissue of Miracle of Science (after listening to the original CD release for a number of years) that, during his Razor & Tie years, Crenshaw lost none of his talent for hooks, licks, and lyrics. Songs like "What Do You Dream Of?," "Only An Hour Ago," and "Starless Summer Sky" would have been stellar additions to his first two breakthrough albums. The co-write with Glen Burtnik, "There And Back Again," is a delight; and the reissue of Miracle of Science also includes a backwards version of the song.

Crenshaw has always included cover versions of songs on his albums starting with "Soldier Of Love" on Marshall Crenshaw. Miracle of Science includes two: Hy Heath's "Who Stole That Train" with some amazing guitar playing and a horn-filled "The 'In' Crowd."

Marshall Crenshaw's Miracle of Science reissue is out now on Shiny-Tone (via Megaforce).

Jah Wobble, A Very British Coup EP, 2020

EP Review

By Henry Lipput

Britain has just left the European Union under the Brexit agreement, and Jah Wobble has something to say about it.

Wobble, the great British bassist and a member of the legendary post-punk band Pubic Image Ltd. (Metal Box, anyone?), has just released the A Very British Coup EP. He is joined by, among others, Pop Group singer Mark Stewart, guitarist Keith Levene, and drummer Richard Dudanski (both PiL veterans), producer Martin "Youth" Glover on additional bass and keyboards, and DJ / Producer Andrew Weatherall and Nina Walsh adding loops to the mix.

A Very British Coup was originally released on vinyl only in Europe at the end of 2019 and quickly sold out. Other than this limited-edition CD EP no physical copy of A Very British Coup is currently in print. The EP contains music not included on the original release including a very chill dub mix by Youth which is only available on the North American version of the EP (it's a real treat).

The first track, "A Very British Coup ft Mark Stewart," is the complete version of the song. It sounds great with Wobble playing in his trademark dub style, Levene's guitar scratching at the margins and finding ways to be front and center in the mix, and Dudanski bringing the fills and beats that drive the song. Stewart speak-sings lyrics intoning "What they didn't want the world to know / Down in the sewers the city rats / Forbidden London / Secret Britain / Sordid sentimental / Sick souvenirs / It's the cement of the structure / If you only knew / A very British coup."



A Very British Coup is out now on 80 Proof Records

Our Final Year-End Post

2019 In Review

By Henry Lipput

My year-end review this time around is not so much a "best-of" or a countdown as it is a list of favorites, the music I've been listening to and enjoying in 2019, the albums, EPs, singles, a compilation, and a reissue / live album. I've listened to nearly 50 albums in 2019 and have reviewed many of them for CoolDad Music. I've chosen 12 of them as my favorites.

Thanks again to CoolDad for, six years on, allowing me to continue to be part of the team and write about music.

I've also put together a Spotify playlist with my favorite songs from my favorite 2019 releases. If you like what you hear or what I've written about, buy a download or a CD to support indie music.



ALBUMS

The Pearlfishers, Love & Other Hopeless Things. This is an absolutely wonderful album full of gorgeous pop tunes with echoes of the work of Burt Bacharach, Laura Nyro, and Jimmy Webb. The title song is inspired by Cilla Black and "You Can Take Me There" is a pop treasure. If I had to choose a very most favorite album of 2019 it would be this one. I liked it so much that I bought the vinyl. (Marina Records)

Bill Pritchard, Midland Lullabies. You could call it supper-club pop or a recital at a local town hall but whatever name you give to Bill Pritchard's latest collection of songs, you'll have to agree that Midland Lullabies is a brilliant album. Following 2016's splendid Mother Town Hall, Pritchard has upped his game by stripping down his sound to just voice, piano, and the occasional strings. (Tapete Records)

Armstrong, Under Blue Skies. Armstrong is Julian Pitt, and Under Blue Skies was originally self-released in very limited quantities on CDr. The Beautiful Music label and Country Mile Records decided to give the album a proper release and added demos and otherwise lost tracks. The album is a true find and the songs on Under Blue Skies are, as The Chills once said of one of their own tunes, heavenly pop hits. (The Beautiful Music / Country Mile Records)

David Mead, Cobra Pumps. Since I've been a long-time fan of David Mead's music (since 1999), you can imagine how excited I was to learn that he had released the excellent Cobra Pumps, his first solo album since 2011's very fine Dudes. The new album is, as expected, full of top pop tunes but there's also more than a little funk on songs like "Poster Child," and the gorgeous "Hopalong" is reminiscent of his superb Indiana album from 2004. Cobra Pumps is a welcome addition to his marvelous body of work. (DavidMead.com for CD and vinyl and digital vendors for downloads)

Fallon Cush, Stranger Things Have Happened. Stranger Things Have Happened is this Australian band's third release in three years and they never sounded better. Led by lead singer, songwriter, producer, and guitarist Steve Smith, the current lineup includes a core group that played on 2018's Morning and toured Australia to support that album. You can hear it in the interplay of the musicians on Stranger Things Have Happened. (Bandcamp)

Empty City Squares, 337. John Fotiadis is an architect by day and a one-man rock-and-roll machine any time he can fit it in. 337 is full of Squeeze-like hooks and crisp guitar solos as good as Glenn Tilbrook's (Fotiadis's bass playing is right up there too). He uses instruments that aren't new or unique but add flavor to his songs like the electric organ on "Sometimes You Need To Look Back (When You Look Ahead)" (think the Ray Charles classic "What'd I Say") and the harmonica in the rocking "It's Your Day." And the closing moments of "Talk About The Weather" may remind you of "The End" on Abbey Road. (Bandamp)

Robert Forster, Inferno. Inferno is Australian singer-songwriter Robert Forster's first solo album in four years and his third since 2008's The Evangelist which followed the untimely death of Forster's bandmate and Go-Betweens co-founder Grant McLennan. Forster has described Inferno as a "performance record" and you can hear the give-and-take between Foster and the other musicians and a new-found looseness in his voice. The title song, "Inferno (Brisbane in Summer)," was an early warning sign of what's happening in Australia right now. (Tapete Records)

The Magic Es, Dark Star. Since The Magic Es released their terrific debut album It Goes On in 2017 they've released six excellent singles. The Magic Es are Pete Thompson on vocals and guitars, Jasper Stainthorpe on bass, and Stuart Catchpole on drums and background vocals. Over the course of the last two years, they have become a tighter, more focused group and they continue to be the best British rock and roll band since the Gallagher Brothers. Dead Star is ten songs of pure power-chord delight. (wearemagic.uk)

Gretchen's Wheel, Moth to Lamplight: A Nada Surf Tribute. Lindsay Murray, the singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (she plays everything except the drums) provides intelligent covers of Nada Surf songs like "Killian's Red" (from Let Go) and "See These Bones" (from Lucky). But she's accomplished something of a musical mind-meld on a few of the early Nada Surf songs I'm not familiar with. This connection is so strong that there were times when I could forget that it was a Nada Surf song and think I was listening to a brand-new song by Gretchen's Wheel. (Futureman Records / Bandcamp)

RW Hedges. The Hills Are Old Songs. Hedges and his writing partner Luca Nieri have produced a suite of songs that imagine the American West of 1877. The songs are both quiet and melodic like the lovely "Haven't Seen Her In A While" and "Girl In The Story." "Down To Venezuela" adds a little more of a pop vibe to the album. Hedges is a self-described lover of songs from the Golden Age of Broadway (Rodgers and Hart and Rodgers and Hammerstein are touchstones), so it's not surprising that the songs on The Hills Are Old Songs could by the basis of a future stage production. (Wonderful Sound)

Chris Stamey, New Songs For The 20th Century. Chris Stamey, with his remarkable new album, returns us to a world in which John F. Kennedy is in the White House, the British Invasion has yet to happen, and the New York Mets are having their first regular season. Stamey is an indie rock pioneer having been in the legendary dbs, worked with the great Alex Chilton, and released more than a few well-received solo albums. But from a young age, Stamey has kept his ears open to the popular music and show tunes of the 30's, 40's, and 50's. His knowledge and love of this music resonates throughout his new collection.( Omnivore Recordings)

Mekons, Deserted. Mekons started out in 1977 as a punk band that didn't know how to play their instruments. Along the way, they created the Americana genre with their 1985 Fear and Whiskey album and mixed rock and roll with politics on albums like 1989's The Mekons Rock'N'Roll. Deserted is much like that album and includes three long-time vocalists: original members Jon Langford ("Lawrence Of California")and Tom Greenhalgh ("How Many Stars")and the golden-voiced and Mekons secret weapon Sally Timms who joined up in the 1980s ("After The Rain"). I saw the band last summer at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and they were just fabulous and rocked out big time. (Bloodshot Records)

EPs

Super 8, Head Sounds the EP. Last year, SUPER 8 released three amazing albums; and, this year, we've had the Backers & Maracas compilation and the singles "Love Like Ours," "Days Like These," "Island Girl," and "TIMEBOMB (featuring Lisa Mychols)." Head Sounds the EP has five songs including the Graceland-influenced "Bones," a wonderful cover of "Across The Universe," and he sings about his dealings with the music industry on "I Just Wanna Be Me." (Bandcamp)

The Memory Fades, She Loves The Birds. Stephen Maughan is the musical mastermind behind the British band The Memory Fades. They released two-and-half EPs last year my favorite being She Loves The Birds (the half is a remix of songs from their Space Pilot EP). One of the songs on the Space Pilot EP, "listening to the marychain," is a clue to the delightful shoegaze sound that Maughan and company are producing. (Sunday Records / Bandcamp)

Annie Booth, Spectral.  Annie Booth is a singer-songwriter from Edinburgh, Scotland. Her EP, Spectral, is a wonderful collection of songs that, especially on "Still," sound more than a little like Joni Mitchell's Blue. I first heard her "Magic 8" song on the "Postcards From The Underground" internet radio show. I was taken with Booth's songs and her quiet, spare arrangements and immediately went to Bandcamp and pre-ordered the EP. (Scottish Fiction / Last Night From Glasgow / Bandcamp)

SINGLES

The Hangabouts, "Who Wants Cilla?" / "Mrs. Greene." The Hangabouts are a great power pop collective from the Detroit area. "Who Wants Cilla?" is both a musical question as well as the answer in a love-letter and tribute to this former coat-check girl at the Cavern Club who later had a career as a singer of ballads. "Mrs. Greene" is a country-rock throwback with it's Carl Perkins-like guitar solo. The song is also reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson." (Futureman Records / Big Stir Records / Bandcamp)

Close Lobsters, "All Compasses Go Wild." Close Lobsters released two albums and a bunch of singles in the 80's but not much was heard from the band until two EPs came out about six years ago (one in 2014 and the other in 2016). (To be honest I didn't discover Close Lobsters until a year or so ago when Wally Salem of The Beautiful Music tweeted a song from one of the EPs. Thank you, Wally.) "All Compasses Go Wild" is the first single from their new album Post Neo Anti: Arte Povera in the Forest of Symbols coming out in February 2020. They continue to mix politics and Rickenbackers, and it continues to be an amazing sound. (Shelflife / Bandcamp)

Teenage Fanclub, "Everything Is Falling Apart." Teenage Fanclub have been giving us great pop music for close to 30 years. There were questions circulating on social media about the future of the band after Gerald Love, the bass player and one-third of the writers, left the group. But Norman Blake stepped up with this track and, it's classic Fanny material. (Merge Records)

COMPILATION / BEST-OF

the black watch, 31 Years of Obscurity: The Best of the black watch: 1988-2019. I keep asking myself "How did I miss this?" The title of this career-spanning compilation shows that I'm not the only one who missed out on some terrific music over the years. 31 Years of Obscurity contains twenty two first-rate tracks selected from the band's full-length CDs and LPs as well as EPs and singles. And because the songs on the album aren't in chronological order you get the sense that the black watch have been consistently amazing throughout their career. However, this outstanding anthology of tunes by the black watch will hopefully bring loads of new fans to the band. (ATOM Records)

REISSUE / LIVE ALBUM

The Replacements, Dead Man's Pop. If you ever wondered why The Replacements' 1989 album Don't Tell A Soul didn't rock out as much as their previous release, the great Pleased To Meet Me, it was the mix. Matt Wallace, the producer of Don't Tell A Soul, wasn't allowed by the record company to mix the album; the result sanded off the band's rough edges for a more glossy, radio-friendly sound. Wallace was brought back to mix the album the way he and Paul Westerberg wanted it to sound, and we now have Dead Man's Pop with new sounds to check out like the banjo on "Talent Show." The box set includes the new mix on vinyl and CD, a CD of outtakes and unreleased material, and two CDs of a most excellent Replacements concert from 1989 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Emily Jane White, Immanent Fire, 2019

Album Review

By Henry Lipput

In the three years since Emily Jane White's last album, They Moved in Shadow All Together, it's clear that she's done a lot of thinking about our planet and the state it's in. With ice caps melting and sea levels rising, there have also been raging wildfires in California and Australia.

With her new album, Immanent Fire, White is addressing those concerns head on. For example, on "Infernal," she sings about the damage being done to Mother Earth: "And she a holy vessel breathes / And you sit and watch her bleed / And you, torched a hole in the sky / And you, watched your earnings fly / And you, sit there as she lies / In blood, right before our eyes."

"Washed Away" begins with a gentle acoustic guitar as White sings, "Modern industrial life / Takes a soul in its fangs / We might as well be / All washed away" and builds with a marvelous string arrangement. But as dire as the opening lyrics are, White still thinks there's some room for hope: "The burden of modern life / The heart it beats and it prays / Forever to walk in the night / And never be washed away."

There are wonderful images in "Dew" that bring to mind the power struggle in a relationship: "I watched the wind make the roses bend" and "I held the wings of a dove / As you held me like hand in glove." The song has a gorgeous solo piano and string arrangement.

Some of the songs on Immanent Fire, produced by White and Anton Patzner, contain pounding drums like those used in a procession ("Infernal" and "Shroud"). In addition to the wonderful string quartet on "Entity," string arrangements on "Drowned" and especially "The Gates At The End" give these songs a cinematic feel.

Immanent Fire is out now on Talitres.

The Monochrome Set, Fabula Mendax, 2019

Album Review

By Henry Lipput

The Monochrome Set, known for being purveyors of fine pop since 1979, has been doing a bit of time traveling lately.

On the band's 2018 Maisieworld, they created a concept album about the not-too-distant future in which parts of the young are used to upgrade the old.

The new album, Fabula Mendax, is based on manuscripts written in the 15th Century by Armande de Pange, a companion of Joan of Arc. The songs follow Armande as she becomes a part of Joan's expanding group of followers and travels into the war zone of Northern France.

The journey of Joan's army through all kinds of weather is reflected in two songs. "Summer Of The Demon" is a galloping country-western number that could have been a Johnny Cash standard. With female backing vocals singing "Glory to the sun," it sums up the feeling when the rain stops and the sun comes out.

"Sliding Icicle" has lyrics about socks becoming threadbare as the march goes on and chattering teeth as the weather gets colder. It's also a rocker with some great slide guitar work.

And the opposing forces that Joan is facing are heard from in the dark, menacing "Eux Tous," a wish for enemy troops not only to be defeated but also to be drowned or hanged.

"Rest, Unquiet Spirit," the opening track, may be addressing the spirit of Joan herself with its feel of a church service and lyrics in Latin. The closer, "La Chanson De Pucelle," is a gorgeous, string-laden ode to Joan, the Maid of Orleans. With lyrics about visions and lying in pastures, it's easy to imagine that the song is about her final moments at the stake.

Fabula Mendax is out now on Tapete Records.

The Tor Guides, Backwards In Reverse, 2019

Album Review

By Henry Lipput

It’s not surprising that Futureman Records decided to release the very cool and tuneful new album from Sweden's The Tor Guides. On Backwards In Reverse you can hear echoes of Futureman artists both past and present. There's some of the pop tunes that are the trademark of The Hangabouts as well as the harmonies of The Legal Matters. In fact, Keith Klingensmith, head honcho of Futureman and one-third of The Legal Matters, adds vocals to one of the tracks on Backwards In Reverse.

Your tour guide for the journey through Backwards In Reverse is Torbjorn Petersson who, except for a little help from his drummer friends, plays all of the instruments on the new album. In addition, he's written all but two of the songs. One of the covers is his delightful take on "Just A Smile," a song originally performed by the Scottish band Pilot in the 1970s. The pop music of that decade seems to be a big influence on Petersson.

"To Be" has a swell pop melody, a Macca-like bass riff, and a clean, crisp guitar solo. If you told me that the piano-led "In A Good Place" was a song from Raspberries" back catalogue, with its Eric Carmen-sounding lead vocal and 70s backing vocals and guitar solo, I would have to believe you.

"My Midas Touch" is a jangle-pop treasure with a wonderful bridge and terrific harmonies. And "My Hippie Mess," one of my favorites on the album, features a cool 60s organ. Like most of the songs on Backwards In Reverse, it has more hooks than most albums.

Backwards In Reverse is out now on Futureman Records.

Comet Gain, Fireraisers Forever!, 2019

Album Review

By Henry Lipput 

If you don't know anything about Comet Gain, the London-based indie band, you've probably heard their great 2001 pop single "You Can Hide Your Love Forever" on the Fortuna POP! label. As Fortuna POP! was going out of business in 2016, it released a series of singles including the truly wonderful Fortuna POP! All-Stars cover of that song. 

"You Can Hide Your Love Forever" is just one side of Comet Gain. Founded in 1992, the band also seem steeped in the British punk and post-punk political legacy of groups like The Mekons, The Clash, and Close Lobsters. 

You can hear all of this and more on Fireraisers Forever! the new album by Comet Gain. Founder, singer-songwriter, and guitarist, David Feck, had led an ever-changing line-up of musicians over the years that seem to have hit their stride on this new collection of songs.

The opening track, the blistering "We're All Fucking Morons," has short, sharp guitar licks and bursts of organ. With the lyrics "We're all fucking morons / Don't you know it's true / We're all fucking morons / My finger's pointing straight at you," the listener is included in the accusation. "Victor Jara Finally Found!" is a tribute to the Chilean folk singer and activist who was killed by his own government in 1973. In many ways it's Comet Gain's "Spanish Bombs." "Society Of Inner Nothing" has some fine intertwined guitar work and also recalls The Clash's London Calling.

Moving from the political to the personal, "The Godfrey Brothers" is a lovely, jangly pop tune. "Your Life On Your Knees" tells the tale of a guy who has really messed up his life: "Four A.M. in an alleyway crying / Wishing I was loved by someone."   Two songs on Fireraisers Forever! contain echoes of The Replacements on Don't Tell A Soul/Dead Man's Pop. "I Can't Live Here Anymore" is about the end of a relationship and finishes with the heartbreaking sound of a child repeating his parent's "I can't live here anymore." And on "Her 33rd Perfect Goodbye," about a girl who glued her hopes to a sunset that never came and dances alone in her small room, Feck's vocal has a similar sound to Paul Westerberg on "Achin' To Be."

Fireraisers Forever! is out now on Tapete Records.

New Single From Dusty Wright

"Bad Moon Rising"

By Henry Lipput

Dusty Wright describes his acoustic version of John Fogerty's "Bad Moon Rising" as being "dedicated to climate change warriors everywhere."

The song begins with an acoustic guitar and harmonica that might remind you of an early 60s Dylan protest song, and it's a sign that Wright is going to turn the Credence Clearwater Revival classic into a protest song of his own. And like The Imposter / Elvis Costello's cover of Paul Simon's "American Tune," Wright doesn't have to change the words to make the song relevant to today.

With lyrics like "I hear hurricanes a-blowing," "I fear the river's overflowing," and "Looks like we're in for nasty weather," Wright couldn't have written a more apt description of our current situation. And he warns, as Fogerty did, "Don't go round tonight / It's bound to take your life."

And, it may just be a coincidence, but in the same month that Wright releases his single the Oxford Dictionary names "climate emergency" as the word of the year.



"Bad Moon Rising" is available on all digital platforms.

the black watch, 31 Years of Obscurity: The Best of the black watch: 1988-2019 / Magic Johnson, 2019

Album Reviews

By Henry Lipput

I keep asking myself, "How did I miss this?" I was listening to indie music in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s and beyond and no one ever said to me, "You really need to check out the black watch" because, if they did, I certainly would have checked out the band and bought whatever I could find. Of course there were bands in the mid-1980s, like The Go-Betweens and The Smiths,  that I didn't start listening to until after they broke up and both of which may have influenced the black watch. But under the leadership of John Andrew Fredrick, the black watch didn't break up and they kept recording. So, again, why didn't I know about them?

The Los Angeles-based the black watch have released two new albums, a career-spanning compilation and a brand-new collection of songs. The title of the best-of, 31 Years of Obscurity: The Best of the black watch: 1988-2019, doesn't make me feel any better even though it shows that I'm not the only one who ignored the band. However, this outstanding anthology of tunes by the black watch will hopefully bring loads of new fans to the band.

31 Years of Obscurity contains twenty two first-rate tracks selected from the band's full-length CDs and LPs as well as EPs and singles. And because the songs on the album aren't in chronological order, you get the sense that the black watch have been consistently amazing throughout their career.

There's the jangle pop of 2018's "Georgette, Georgette," "Terrific" from 1991's Flowering is the Cure in a pop vein; and "Come Inside" (1994) and "I Don't Feel The Same" (2013) are straight-up rockers.

"Dear Anne" is from 2014's Sugarplum Fairy, Sugarplum Fairy album and not only recalls the finger-picking guitar work of Lennon and McCartney on The Beatles double album, but the title is a reference to the count-in that Lennon used on a song from another Beatles album. You might think of Lennon again when listening to "Not Forever Blue," also from the Flowering album. It's "I Am The Walrus" filtered through Robyn Hitchcock and produced by Nile Rodgers.

Things slow down on the lovely "Moonlight Thru Ivy" from The Innercity Garden EP of 2005 and the gorgeous, string-drenched "Christopher Smart (1722-1771)" from 2001 that could have fit very nicely on XTC's Nonsuch album.

Two of the songs on 31 Years, "Me & You & Me" and "Mad," do the neat trick of leading you right to the new black watch album. On Magic Johnson, John Andrew Fredrick, the black watch's songwriter, lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist, is joined by long-time band members Scott Campbell on keyboards and bass, Andy Creighton on guitars, bass, and drums, and Rob Campanella on piano. On the new album, the band also includes Andy Campanella on drums, Rodrigo Moreno on bass, and Andrew Lynch on trumpet.

"Get Me Out Of Echo Park" is a shoegazing delight, and "Me & You & Me" features a full-throated vocal from Fredrick and a lot of Rickenbacker in the mix. The moody "April Fools" is a highlight of the album. "Upsy-Daisy" finds the black watch in Syd Barrett territory, and the title song is the result of a chance meeting between the songwriter and one of his sports heroes in an LA restaurant.

The Magic Johnson album also includes the 2018 The Paper Boats EP and contains "Jingle-Jangle Loop De Loop," another jangle pop treasure from the black watch.

31 Years of Obscurity: The Best of the black watch: 1988-2019 and Magic Johnson are out now on ATOM Records.

Fallon Cush, Stranger Things Have Happened, 2019

Album Review

By Henry Lipput

Stranger Things Have Happened, the new album from  Australia's Fallon Cush, is the band's third release in three years following Morning in 2017 and Bee In Your Bonnet in 2016. And they've never sounded better.

Led by lead singer, songwriter, producer, and guitarist Steve Smith, the current lineup includes the indispensable Suzy Goodwin on backing vocals, Casey Atkins on guitars and backing vocals, Tim Byron on keyboards, Peter Marley (late of The Nature Strip band) on bass and backing vocals, and Russell Crawford on drums. The core group of Smith, Goodwin, Atkins, Byron, and Marley all played on Morning and toured Australia to support that album. You can hear it in the interplay of the musicians on Stranger Things Have Happened.

There's a real 70s AM radio sound to some of the best songs on Stranger Things Have Happened especially "Benny," with its Elton John meets Steely Dan vibe. About a hookup after a concert, the end result is not good; but the feelings linger on: "Got a pick in my bottom drawer / Had it for years 10 years or more / Can't speak her name or forget her perfume." The song has some great lead guitar work, a really cool electric organ solo, and the rhythm section swings.

"Your Halo's Bright" rocks out and will be a live favorite. It has an excellent bass line from Marley and some piano pounding from Byron in the mix. Byron also adds a delightful honky-tonk piano to "Sit With Me." And featured player, Josh Schuberth, shines with his lap steel on the country-flavored "Yarraman."

At this point in the band's career, it's fair to say that a song is a classic Fallon Cush track, and "Sleep Her Away" fits that description. It has a strong melody, a steady back beat from Crawford, and fine guitar work from Smith and Atkins. "Try as I might," sings Smith, "I can't sleep her away / Made my bed / And in it I lay."

In the achingly beautiful piano ballad "I Don't Care What You Wear," a guy is obviously besotted with the woman he's with, and he's just fine with what she does: "I don't care what you wear / Don't care what you bring / Don't care what you say / But if you were to sing / 'Cause for me right here / You are everything / And more." It's a close relation to Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight."

Stranger Things Have Happened is out now and available on Fallon Cush's Bandcamp page.

Interview with David Bash, CEO and President of International Pop Overthrow

Power Pop to Nearly Every Corner of the Globe

By Henry Lipput

This year marks the 19th worldwide International Pop Overthrow (IPO) Festival. With concerts in every place from Los Angeles to Stockholm to Liverpool at the Cavern Club, IPO has brought power pop to nearly every corner of the globe.

As the current festival season draws to a close, the IPO will be in Manhattan at Pianos from November 7th through November 10th featuring 35 pop and rock acts from the New York area (there will be both afternoon and evening shows on Saturday November 9th and Sunday November 10th). A complete listing of the musicians and bands appearing at Pianos is on the IPO website.

I had the opportunity to interview David Bash, CEO and President of International Pop Overthrow, through email about the New York City shows and some more things relating to IPO and power pop in general.

Henry Lipput: Hello, David. Congratulation on the success of the International Pop Overthrow Festival.

David Bash: Thank you very much, Henry!

Henry: The International Pop Overthrow 2019 season is three cities away from finishing up and the shows have played everywhere from Stockholm to Liverpool. What has the response been from audiences? 

David: It varies from city to city. When we began the festival in '98 we had tremendous response, and that continued for the first few years. Then, when we took it on the road, the response was always great for the first year or two. Other than in Liverpool, at The Cavern Club, the response has diminished somewhat since then, but that's much more a reflection of the general response to live music than it is to IPO. I'll definitely say this: Those who do come to the festival virtually always have a great time!

Henry: The next stop on the International Pop Overthrow Festival is at Pianos in New York City on November 7th thorough November 10th with bands from the New York area. How were these bands selected?

David: More or less the same way we always select them. My wife Rina and I do a lot of searching on the various internet music pages, going through tons of bands to find the ones we like. Also, bands will apply to IPO, either through our web partners, Sonicbids, or via direct e-mail. It's a fairly exhaustive process, but in the end it's all worth it because the bands are excellent!

Henry: The CoolDad Music review of Volume 22, the latest International Pop Overthrow CD compilation, mentioned that many musicians seemed to be influenced by The Beatles, The Kinks, and Marshall Crenshaw. Do you feel that there are other musical touchstones that influence the current crop of power pop musicians?

David: Well, most cool 60s bands for sure, e.g., The Beach Boys, The Kinks and The Who, 70s bands like Big Star, ELO, etc..., and several indie-rock bands of the 90s and beyond.

Henry: The International Pop Overthrow Festival has been around since 1998. Over that period, what changes have you seen in the music industry and how musicians make their music available?

David: Do you have 10 hours? Seriously, the changes have been profound. First, of course, the advent and proliferation of the internet, allowing for vast communication and avenues for bands to get their music heard all around the world; the further developments of web technology, where bands now had the, ahem, bandwidth to put their music online; Pro Tools and other home recording software, which allowed artists who otherwise wouldn't have the resources to record their music at home; social media like Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, etc...; music platforms like Napster, and then Reverbnation, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, and of course wider-reaching ones like Spotify and Pandora.

It's become a whole different animal. As for the, again ahem, industry, it began imploding in the late 90s, mainly because they couldn't, or wouldn't, see the writing on the wall. Bands no longer perform because they're trying to get signed, they do it almost solely because they love it. I think that's a lot more genuine.

Henry: What’s next for International Pop Overthrow?

David: Hopefully to add more cities, especially international ones. Maybe we'll have a surprise or two in 2020...and to keep doing this as long as I can. I can't have an office job.

Thank you, David.

International Pop Overthrow NYC takes place November 7th thru November 10th at Pianos in New York.

Futureman Releases from The Hangabouts and The Vapour Trails

Single / Album Reviews

By Henry Lipput

The Michigan-based Futureman Records is run by the lovely and talented Keith Klingensmith. In addition to releasing his own collections on Bandcamp, he's one of the three members of the most excellent power pop band The Legal Matters, whose 2016 album Conrad was my favorite album from that year.

Futureman has also released some other super albums in recent years including those from Chris Richards and the Subtractions, Gretchen's Wheel, and The Hangabouts. Last year, Keith put together the amazing Altered Beast, a tribute to Matthew Sweet that featured covers from those artists as well as contributions from members of The Legal Matters. And another tribute album, this time for XTC, is in the works.

Recent releases from Futureman include a digital single from The Hangabouts and the debut album from The Vapour Trails.

"Who Wants Cilla?" b/w "Mrs. Greene," The Hangabouts, 2019

The Hangabouts' double-A side digital single "Who Wants Cilla?" and "Mrs. Greene" is the first collaboration between Futureman Records and Big Stir Records.

The Hangabouts are a wonderful power pop collective from the Detroit area and are comprised of John Lowry, Gregory Addington, and Chip Saam. Their 2017 album Kits & Cats and Saxon Wives was one of the best albums from that year. The band's new single is their first release since then.

Cilla Black was a former coat-check girl at the Cavern Club who later had a career as a singer of ballads many of which were written by Paul McCartney. "Who Want's Cilla?," is both a musical question as well as the answer in a love-letter and tribute to her. It's a marvelous power pop tune about listening to her singles on headphones with her voice "stuck between my ears."

"Mrs. Greene" is a country-rock throwback with it's Carl Perkins-like guitar solo (or maybe even George Harrison's on "Honey Don't"). The song is also reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" with the lyrics "Have you seen Mrs. Greene when she was young / When she was so much fun."

"Who Wants Cilla?" b/w "Mrs. Greene" is out now on Futureman Records and Big Stir Records.

See You In The Next World, The Vapour Trails, 2019

If you're like me and don't spend the time that you should listening to an entire album but instead the first few tracks, then you're really missing out on The Vapour Trails' debut album See You In The Next World.

The first three songs, "Sonic Wave," "On A Nearby Bay," and "The Inner Truth" are well-made Byrds-influenced numbers and set the stage for the treasures that follow.

The Vapour Trails are a five-piece outfit from Scotland that released the single "Godspeed It" and "The Inner Truth" earlier this year. See You In The Next World contains both of these tracks as well as another ten songs written by Scott and Kevin Robertson who are also two of the three singers, along with Nicholas Mackie, in the band.

"Drag It Around" is folk-rock in Nick Drake's "Hazey Jane" mode. "Gently Swaying" brings out the band's jangle and may remind you of Teenage Fanclub, another band from Scotland.

It's no surprise that "Godspeed It" was The Vapour Trails' first single because it comes on full force and the tune rocks with the excellent bass and drum work of Andrew Crossan and Kenny Munro. And "Written In the Breeze," a song I'm really liking a lot, is a slower number with a trademark Roger McGuinn Rickenbacker-style lead guitar, a brilliant tune, and very cool vocals.

See You In The Next World is out now on Futureman Records.

Fastball, The Help Machine, 2019

Album Review

By Henry Lipput

Fastball's seventh album, The Help Machine, is chock full of excellent tunes and first-rate music-making from Tony Scalzo on vocals, guitar, and keyboards; Joey Shuffield on drums; and Miles Zuniga on vocals and guitar.

Fastball have been around since 1996 when they released their debut album Make Your Mama Proud. In 1998, the band hit the big time with their best-selling All the Pain Money Can Buy which included the Grammy-nominated song "The Way." The Help Machine is a follow-up to 2017's Step Into Light and sees the Austin, Texas-based band playing better and tighter than ever.

Some of that has to do with the crisp, clean production of Steve Berlin of Los Lobos. Berlin created an organic atmosphere that allowed the band members to break out of their comfort zones and brought in friends to add to the trio's sound. These included Bruce Hughes (formerly of Cracker and Poi Dog Pondering) on bass and Wye Oak member Andy Steck playing multiple instruments.

With Scalzo and Zuniga now both performing guitar duties, the album has more crunch than earlier releases. The best example is the sinister "Surprise Surprise" with the dual guitars sounding like the axe-wielding Beatles on Revolver. And "Surprise Surprise" has a really awesome, nasty guitar solo.

The Help Machine opens with "Friend or Foe" a slow pop treasure, with swell backing vocals, about trying to find out who your real friends are. The piano-based "White Collar" has a very cool chorus, some splendid organ playing in the mix, and another terrific guitar solo.

"Redeemed" starts with an a capella, gospel-like vocal and has a funky vibe throughout. Shuffield's drumming takes center stage on the rocking "All Gone Fuzzy." And the title song is a moody, synth-drenched track with another melody-rich chorus.

"The Girl You Pretended To Be" is a rockabilly tribute with Austin legend Charlie Sexton on lead guitar. "Doesn't It Make You Feel Small" has the drum beats, bass line, and guitar licks of an early XTC track. "Never Say Never," the closing song, is a lovely Tex Mex-style tune with a wonderful near-Flamenco guitar solo. If the song wasn't written with Willie Nelson in mind it's certainly only a matter of time until the song is covered by him.

The Help Machine is out now on 33 1/3 Records.

Recent Releases From Tapete Records: The Catenary Wires, Til The Morning and The Proper Ornaments, 6 Lenins, 2019

Album Reviews

By Henry Lipput

Although Tapete Records is based in Germany they've released a bunch of albums by musicians in the UK including last year's terrific self-titled album from Davey Woodward and the Winter Orphans and this year's wonderful Midland Lullabies by Bill Pritchard. Two recent releases are from The Catenary Wires and The Proper Ornaments, two British bands with long-standing roots in indie music.

The Catenary Wires, Til The Morning

Til The Morning is full of post-breakup songs; but, unlike the devastating aftermath of the situation on albums like Beck's Sea Change or Duncan Sheik's Phantom Moon, The Catenary Wires are sad but not devastated and seem content to simply report the facts. This extends to the musical arrangements which are sparse but effective and give ample room for the lyrics to be heard and resonate.

The Catenary Wires are Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey who have been part of legendary pop bands like Tender Trap, Marine Research, Heavenly, and Talulah Gosh. They're assisted on Til The Morning by Fay Hallam on the organ, Nick and Clare Sermon on brass, piano from Matthew King on the title track, and producer Andy Lewis providing cello and percussion.

Fletcher and Pursey sing duets on most of the songs on Til The Morning, but also bring individual viewpoints to the mix. For example, on "Dream Town," she sings, "When he took off with all his things / I changed the locks and cried;" and he sings, "I don't think that I'll get much better if I tried / I might just forget her."

In "Dancing," both realize that a relationship is about to end but there's little that can be done to fix it. "I don’t wanna talk," both Fletcher and Pursey sing. "I just wanna see you dancing / Put a record on / Let the music freeze the air." And then he sings, "Did I really say that? / Could I take it back?" about, no doubt. something hurtful that was said in their past.

"Dark Brown Eyes" begins with what sounds like a snyth-generated horn right out of an 80s Blue Nile track. And on "Back On Hastings Pier," Fletcher's lead vocal and the arrangement echo the work of Sam Phillips of Gilmore Girls soundtrack fame.

The Proper Ornaments,  6 Lenins               

6 Lenins is the third album from London's The Proper Ornaments. Led by James Hoare (also of Ultimate Painting and Veronica Falls) and Max Claps (Toy), the band also includes Danny Nellis (Charles Howl) on bass and Bobby Syme (Wesley Gonzalez) on drums.

The album is filled with some excellent tunes and there's more than a bit of shoegaze going on in songs like "Crepuscular Child" and "Song For John Lennon" (Doesn't that make for seven Lenins / Lennons?). "Where Are You Now" has a haunting organ playing around the edges.

Although it's sometimes difficult to make out the lyrics because the vocals have been made part of the mix like another instrument, the ones that stand out are keepers. On "Bullet From A Gun:" "When you know the feeling has gone / You better run / Like a bullet from a gun." And on the title song, which includes some jangle: "You like to be colorful / But it only comes out black / Your friends they all forgot / How it was to see you smile."

"Please Release Me" has a bit of the Velvet Underground's Loaded in its sound. But it's the closing track “"n The Garden" where that influence really flowers. The song ends with some great guitar playing and, at less than four minutes, it's something you're going to want to hear for twice that long. "In The Garden" has become a live favorite, and it's easy to see why.

Til The Morning and 6 Lenins are out now on Tapete Records.

Various Artists, International Pop Overthrow: Volume 22, 2019

Album Review

By Henry Lipput

Question: How does one review an amazing three-CD collection of pop music from ten different countries?

Answer: With great pleasure.

International Pop Overthrow: Volume 22 is the latest entry in the long-running International Pop Overthrow series. The first collection was released in 1998 as a single disc and this year's compilation is made up of three discs and 69 tracks by artists from all over the world. Although the International Pop Overthrow festival is essentially a showcase for unsigned bands; over the years, the compilation has featured some signed acts and some who have gone on to be signed. 

International Pop Overthrow (or IPO) is a pop music festival which has been held for the past eighteen years in Los Angeles. It also holds IPOs in various cities around the world including -- and this is really cool -- the Cavern Club in Liverpool. You can get information on the remaining shows this year in New York and Boston on the IPO website.

Volume 22 is a collaboration between Omnivore Recordings and The International Pop Overthrow Music Festival. It includes just about every sub-genre of pop music including power pop, pop/rock, folk/pop, psychedelic pop, garage, indie-rock, and modern rock.

Here's my take on my favorite songs from each of the three discs. Your results may vary.

Disc One: 

The Bishop's Daredevil Stunt Club's "Christine You're  Mean" is power pop in a Raspberries mode. "Sunshine After Rain" from Nick Frater is a real toe-tapper with a lovely pop tune and arrangement. There's some major jangle going on with Danny & the Doorknobs' "Heroine."

The Pecker cut, "They Painted With Their Fingers," has a real cool early Joe Jackson vibe to it.
With the Bird Streets (featuring Jason Faulkner) tune "The Rabbit," we're in Big Star territory. The Kinks, especially their "Everybody's Gonna Be Happy," seem to have been a big influence on Slumberjet's "(Theme from) Our Street."

Popdudes's "Dance With Me Tonight" has a fun early rock and roll arrangement with a swell Sun Sessions guitar solo.

"If You Get Home" by The Lilacs is just good old power pop about a guy worried about when his girlfriend will come back: "I will clean up my room for you / I will be a bridegroom for you." The Wolf Circus indie-pop tune, "I Will Answer," with its perfect pop vocals and a wonderful just-long-enough guitar solo, recalls songs from the first two Marshall Crenshaw albums.

Joanne Hodges is the first woman on this collection and her "Amanda," although a bit denser in sound than other entries in this collection, is a real find.

As I am a sucker for pastiches of Sgt. Pepper / Magical Mystery Tour-era music done well, The Pozers' "The Time and Place" hits the nail right on the walrus’s head. "Sorry" from The Shudders is another indie-pop gem with a top-notch melody.

Disc Two:

The Top Boost and their "Dreaming (featuring Roger Joseph Manning, Jr.)" is a combination of Roger McGuinn's Rickenbacker, a tune like George Harrison's "If I Needed Someone," and some wonderful Beach Boys harmonies.

"She" from The Brothers Steve is another throwback to early Marshall Crenshaw power pop songs like "Rockin' Around in NYC," and The Brothers adapt a line from John Lennon's "God:" "She don't believe in Beatles."

Three Hour Tour show their Beatles influences on the excellent "Lonely Place," with its Lennon-like vocal, Ringo-style drumming, and late-period Harrison guitar. It's a real keeper and a song that could have been on a Cotton Mather album.

The Kinks are back again on Jimmy Haber's upbeat "I Was In Love," a sample of the music hall style that the 60s Brits loved so much (see "When I'm 64") and a song that would have fit easily on The Kinks Something Else album from 1967.

"Turns to Black" is a gorgeous song by The Vinylos with an acoustic guitar lick right out of Lennon's "Julia." I would mention Trotsky Icepick only because it's a really cool band name, but their song "Clutch" is a terrific example of power pop and the band rocks. Emperor Penguin's "Brand New Yesterday" has some outstanding backing vocals and bass line and the lead vocal is nothing to sneeze at.

Sue Hedges from Liverpool brings her sad and beautiful ballad, "I Know Now," to the collection. In case you've forgotten, ballads are pop, too (see McCartney's songs for Cilla Black or almost any Bacharach/David song).

"Joy Comes In The Morning" by The Jeremy Band is a full-throated band attack with twin guitars leading the charge. It would have been a major hit on AM radio in the 60s. Dirty Echoes’ "Mandela" updates a 60s melody with a nifty 80s power pop arrangement.

Disc Three:

"Lord Cornelius Plum" from The Anderson Council has its roots in 60s psych-rock by way of The Dukes of Stratosphear with crunching guitars and (!) mellotron. Danny Wilkerson’s "Too Much of a Good Thing" starts with the sound of Supertramp and then morphs into an excellent take on Emitt Rhodes.

The Magnaphonic song "Daydream" is very much in a Mary Lou Lord vein and features a quiet 60s guitar intro and the delicate double-tracked vocals of Marianne Galassini. "Flat Cat" is another 50s throwback, by way of The Stray Cats, from Kimberly Rew and Lee Cave-Berry, with echoes of Bill Black's slapped bass and Scotty Moore's guitar.

The Expected's "The Riff Song" is another first-rate example of early 80s power pop. On Brenyama's "Rick Moranis" the band's Ramones-like urgency in its playing is combined with vocals that are more shouts than whispers. Where's CBGB when you need it?

Rickenbackers take center stage in an intro that is more than a little Phil Spector on Joe Benoit's "Waiting For Revolution." And there's a bridge that just soars. Butch Young makes a widescreen sound worthy of a John Ford western on "Beautiful Dreamer" that recalls George Harrison on his Cloud Nine album (The song has a lot of the sound of Harrison's guitar playing from that period.) or even the best of ELO.

"Saturday in the Sunshine" by The Last Hurrah has a dancing-around-the-living-room beat with its shimmering guitars and Fab vocals. The song is not so much a copy as an homage to Revolver's "Good Day Sunshine."

International Pop Overthrow: Volume 22 is out now on Omnivore Recordings.

Recent Releases From The Beautiful Music: James Clarke Five, Parlour Sounds / Armstrong, Under Blue Skies, 2019

A Pair of Album Reviews

By Henry Lipput

The Beautiful Music, the Canadian label run by Wally Salem, recently released James Clarke Five's Parlour Sounds and Armstrong's Under Blue Skies, two albums of wonderful pop music in new formats. Salem liked these albums so much that he wanted to put them out as physical and full-color CDs.

In the press release for Parlour Sounds, Wally wrote, "One of the greatest things about running a label is getting to share with the world some of your favorite artists and digging up treasures that are sometimes lost in the mists of time."

James Clarke Five, Parlour Sounds

James Clarke Five is the brainchild of keyboardist / singer Jimmy Hughes. Hughes played in the short-lived 80s Liverpool band, The Cherry Boys, who only released a handful of singles and broke up before releasing a full album.

Parlour Sounds was originally released in a digital format on Amazon and iTunes in June 2018. But, because no physical format was available, Wally got in touch with Hughes who sent him the album files so it could be released by The Beautiful Music.

Parlour Sounds is full of the sounds of other albums but all of the songs are given a unique spin by Hughes and company. For example, "Rock and Roll (Took Me To The River)," with its nod in the title to both Al Green and Talking Heads, recalls the sounds of XTC's Colin Moulding, especially on albums like Mummer and The Big Express.

"Under My Skin" lifts the beat from The Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb;" but, instead of putting down a woman, Hughes's take on it involves a woman who's getting to him, but in a good way. And maybe it's love: "She's under my skin / And she's welcome to it."

"Someone Out There Somewhere" is a funk-fest with groovy guitar licks, a terrific guitar solo, and some Stevie Wonder-like electric piano riffs.

"Mairead" is a melancholy gem. The lyrics are a letter from a young soldier to his girlfriend as he waits for the fighting to resume during World War I. There are some lovely and sad horns, and I really like the wordplay of "You can rain (reign) over my parade anytime you like."

Parlour Sounds is out now on The Beautiful Music.

Armstrong, Under Blue Skies

Armstrong is Julian Pitt, and Under Blue Skies was originally self-released in very limited quantities on CDr in a photocopied black and white cover. The Beautiful Music decided to give the album a proper release and added demos and otherwise lost tracks. The album is a true find, and the songs on Under Blue Skies are, as The Chills said of one of their own tunes, heavenly pop hits.

One of the things that attracted me to Under Blue Skies was its comparison to the work of the great David Scott and The Pearlfishers. It's fantastic company to be in, and the melodies and harmonies of Under Blue Skies' "Crazy World" and "Baby You Just Don't Care" are definitely in that rarefied class. The absolutely gorgeous "Sorry About Lately" has more than a little early Pernice Brothers sound to it.

The musical touchstones of Under Blue Skies also include the mid-60s work of Ray Davies of The Kinks. Imagine if Ray, leaving behind his satirical edge, wrote more songs like "Waterloo Sunset" for other groups like The Hollies, and you might end up with Armstrong's "September Skies." "Try And Find The Answers" sounds like a bonus track from Lloyd Cole and the Commotions' Rattlesnakes album.

Under Blue Skies is out now and is a joint release by The Beautiful Music and Country Mile Records.

The Magic Es, Dead Star, 2019

Album Review

By Henry Lipput

When The Magic Es released their debut It Goes On in 2017, it quickly became my favorite album of the year.

Since It Goes On, the band has released six singles none of which were on that album. I've reviewed two of these singles, "Nothing In Your Way" and "Splinters" for CoolDad and only "Splinters" is on the new album; the single "Into The Fading Light" was released in July to whet appetites for the release of Dead Star so I'm not counting it as a separate single. It's pretty impressive that, after all these singles, The Magic Es have come up with a completely new set of songs for Dead Star.

The Magic Es are Pete Thompson on vocals and guitars, Jasper Stainthorpe on bass, and Stuart Catchpole on drums and background vocals. Over the course of the last two years they have become a tighter, more focused group.

And they continue to be the best British rock and roll band since Oasis. Dead Star is ten songs of pure power-chord delight. But the Magic Es have no problem bashing out the tunes, and aren't afraid to slow things down from time to time.

"Everybody Knows" hits listeners right between the eyes. Just when you think you know where it's going, the song slows down for a breath and then rocks out again. The single, and now album track, "Splinters," features a three-pronged attack on your earbuds with Stainthorpe's melodic bass, Thompson's rhythm and lead guitar work, and some major drum action from Catchpole.

"New Starts" is a straight-ahead pop/rocker with crunching guitars and the rhythm section of Stainthorpe and Catchpole really hitting their marks. The catchy "Someone Like You," which is about someone who just makes you feel good when you're with them, is not far behind in this album's pop tunefest.

"Spaces" slows things down a bit and recalls the splendid "Cellar Door" from It Goes On. It contains some fantastic drumming from Catchpole that's right up front in the mix and a terrific guitar solo from Thompson.

"This Is A Feeling" is in the same vein and is another reminder of The Magic Es' great sense of moods and rhythms that drew me to them in the first place. And it includes the line "Here we are / Wishing on a dead star / Dreaming of a last chance / Where do we start?" that gives the album its title. Catchpole's drumming again is a major factor in the song's arrangement, and Thompson provides a strong vocal that matches the dynamics of the song.

Dead Star is out now and available at wearemagic.uk.

SALT, The Loneliness Of Clouds, 2019

Album Review

By Henry Lipput

SALT is a new group made up of both French and American musicians. In addition to Stéphane Schück on guitars, electric sitar, and keyboards, Fred Quentin on bass, and Benoît Lautridou on drums, there's the psych-pop maestro Anton Barbeau on guitars and keyboards and Ken Stringfellow on guitars, keyboards, and percussion.

Schück, Barbeau, and Stringellow first joined up in 2016 to support the recording of the late Scott Miller's last album Supercalifragilistic Game Theory. They were joined by Schück's old bandmates Quentin and Lautridou and, as SALT, they rehearsed in Berlin and Paris to developed The Loneliness of Clouds and recorded the album in Abbey Road studios with Stringfellow handling production duties.

You may be familiar with Barbeau and Stringfellow, the two Americans in the band. I've reviewed 2016's Magic Act and last year's Natural Causes by Barbeau for CoolDad; and he played on, wrote, and produced the fantastic Little World album for the wonderful Allyson Seconds. Stringfellow was part of The Posies who released some very fine albums in the 90s and beyond including the vocally amazing Dear 23. In addition to supporting R.E.M. on tour, he and his Posies partner Ken Auer joined Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens in the Big Star reboot.

The Loneliness of Clouds is very much a group effort, but because Barbeau translated and co-wrote the lyrics with Schück and sings lead on almost every track, it sometimes seems that this is another Anton release. It sure points in that direction with song titles like "Blast With Happy Guru," "Miracle Soul Pow(d)er," and "Shiny Leather Sun." 

The main difference between Barbeau's other albums and The Loneliness of Clouds is that SALT is a proper group and not Barbeau leading a group of side men (if you want to refer to the likes of former XTC songwriter and bass player and now half of TC&I Colin Molding and Robbie McIntosh of Pretenders and a stint with Paul McCartney as sidemen). This is a side to Barbeau that we don't often see or hear, and it would be great to have SALT take to the road.

SALT is a terrific band and has a Beatles and XTC vibe drawing from records like Revolver and Oranges and Lemons as well some recognizable Barbeau sounds. No matter what he's singing Barbeau has distinctive phrasing, and this even feeds into Stringfellow's vocals on "Blast With Happy Guru" which becomes a sprawling psychedelic workout and highlights the power and range of SALT the band.

The Loneliness of Clouds is out now on Beehive.