REVIEW: La Sera - Hour of the Dawn

Of course I don't know Katy Goodman, so I can only offer my impressions based on her music.  But her new album Hour of the Dawn seems to me to mark the time in her career as La Sera that it is evident that Goodman is having a blast as a rock musician.  That isn't to suggest that Goodman wasn't having fun before, or that her prior work was morose.   It's just that the enthusiasm, energy and unbridled joy jump out of the speakers with this album  The result is the best album of her solo career and I highly recommend it.

As compared to the prior La Sera albums, Hour of the Dawn is born of California power pop sensibilities with a good dose of punk attitude.  The songwriting is bold and packed with ideas.  You'll hear influences from the '60s to current times, but is is all bound together with spirit and clever hooks.  While La Sera's confident vocals sell the songs, Tod Wisenbaker's guitar adds swagger, muscle and a bit of glam to the proceedings.  As compared to prior La Sera work, there is less reliance on reverb and retro garage haze and more willingness, in fact, insistence, on guitar hero flourishes and clarity of sound.  And perhaps that element added to Goodman's more confident songwriting is the most tangible evidence that this record is the birth of the new La Sera. Although the fast-paced tunes carry the album for me, the ballads are well-constructed and affecting.

Hour of the Dawn is out now via Hardly Art.







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Introducing: Owl John

Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit seems to have a restless muse.  In addition to his composing and touring with his main band, he recently drew pictures of bicycles for a charity event.  Now he is launching a side project called Owl John.  In addition to Hutchison, the members are Andy Monaghan (also of Frabbit) and Simon Liddell.   Despite the connections, Owl John does not sound like Frightened Rabbit, but rather something you might hear in an American roadhouse from a bunch of well traveled and well worn musicians working with a bottle of Jack Daniels at their feet.  However, it sounds good and I'm interested in hearing more.



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REVIEW: Colin Clary - Twee Blues Vol.1

Burlington, Vermont's talented and prolific Colin Clary has released solo work under his own name and The Part-Time Losers, and has worked with a number of bands, including Madelines and The Smittens.  He also has taken a turn at label boss for his Sudden Shame Records.  However, he is on these pages today because the tasteful indie pop label WeePOP! has released Colin's latest album, Twee Blues Vol.1, and we think you should know about it.

His voice is excellent, but what impresses me the most about Colin is the quality of his songwriting.  It has the sound and pacing of great '60s guitar pop, or more recently, Math and Physics Club.  The songs are breezy, fun and clever.  And in a quiet, completely nonviolent fashion, they take up residence in your head and refuse to leave.  But they pay for their keep by delivering great joy.  You can sample the album with the start to finish greatness of "Half A Cookie" (which is one of my favorite earworms of the year), the delightfully building "Come Back From The Wilderness", and the cute video for "I Didn't Know You Were A Wizard".  There are 15 tracks, and they all are keepers.

This is a vinyl release with a very limited run of 300 copies.  Sadly, WeePOP! is closing up shop, but they are going out in style with three final releases, the first of which is Twee Blues Vol.1.  "Half A Cookie" and "Come Back From The Wilderness" are available to download free from WeePOP!'s website.  But I assure you that your summer will be better with the entire album.







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Free download: Dolorean "Miami Wine" (their final song)

I hate when my favorite bands break up. Dolorean, one of the finest Americana bands of the past decade, have announced they will play their final show on May 31. Hopefully, singer-songwriter Al James, blessed with such a strong writer's voice, will continue with others though I have a lot of trouble picturing him with musicians who would suit his songs better than the boys in Dolorean.

Dolorean made 5 terrific CDs, played a lot of shows all over the US and Europe, and were critical favorites. What will now be their final full length release, The Unfazed, now 3 years old, is a huge favorite of mine and got a glowing review here at WYMA, and was on our best of the year list  (JD Best of 2011).

But at least they have left us one more song and at a very good price, "Miami Wine" - free download here.

And lest you forget the beautiful and sad music this band gave us, we leave you with a live performance of the title track to The Unfazed:

Long live Dolorean.

"Book of Love" from Fraser A. Gorman

In "Book of Love", Melbourne's Fraser Gorman has written an outstanding song -- melodic, bluesy, and witty.  But the video is pretty damn great, as well.  It may be the only music video you watch this year in which the protagonist's sidekick is a pet chicken named Detective Greggs.  But as the chicken aids Fraser in finding a deeper understanding of love, we also are treated to assists from Fraser's band, the director of the video, and members of other Melbourne bands, including Courtney Barnett and her band.

The song is taken from Fraser's upcoming album, but it also is available as a digital download at the Bandcamp link below.  Yes folks, for one Australian dollar this infectious tune can inhabit your computer and mobile devices.  Can you resist?  Not if you are alive.






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"When The Girl Comes To Town" from Chris Devotion & The Expectations

Chris Devotion & The Expectations play muscular, swaggering, soul-influenced rock and roll.  They will be releasing a new album, Break Out, via Armellodie Records next month, but are offering one of the tracks as a free download today.  Stream "When the Girl Comes to Town" below, and download it at the Soundcloud link near the bottom of the post.  This is high energy rock and roll, and a great boost for your Monday.



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Asian Babes/Future Glue - SexxXx Tape

You know how it is, everyone needs a sex tape these days.  If you don't have one, do you even exist?  This is the dilemma faced by the label bosses at Fuzzkill Records.  How can you compete with Kim K, R Kelly and the others if there isn't at least a rumor of a sex tape?  Well, you won't be surprised to learn that the Fuzzkill boys decided that they needed a sex tape.  But being busy executives and wanting to keep their reputations clear for an eventual run at being Scotland's Prime Minister if independence is gained (and wanting to be able to face their mothers around the holidays), they arrived at the brilliant solution of having someone else make a sex tape and having Fuzzkill sell it.  So here we have a spanking new SexxXx Tape from bands Asian Babes and Future Glue.

SexxXx Tape is a cassette release, but purchase includes digital download and access to Bandcamp mobile app.  The tape includes four concise punk/garage nuggets from Asian Babes, and one delicious nearly 8-minute atmospheric, lo-fi, surfy contribution from Future Glue.  The contributions from Asian Babes have all of the immediacy and excitement of well executed garage punk, with a good dose of fun, while Future Glue is the perfect ending - channeling Link Wray after a handful of uppers and a few shots of stock bourbon.  I've provided several songs below, but you can stream the entire sordid affair at the Bandcamp link below.

I realize that you've come to expect a bit of background about the bands, but you don't really think I'm going to put "asian babes" into a search engine on a work computer, do you?  All I can tell you is that the lead singer of Asian Babes is Kate Thorburn of Glasgow band Charles of the Ritz.  Future Glue is a less scary proposition: They are a five-piece from Glasgow that would appear to have a bright future.

"Rosalee" from Asian Babes --



"John Cooper's Clarks" from Asian Babes --



"Out of Hand" from Future Glue --



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Rolling Stones Friday: Dandelion

This week's Rolling Stones song, "Dandelion", has a killer chorus and overall great psychedelic sound. While it was released in 1967 originally as the B side to "We Love You", it became the far more successful single and essentially seized the A side status, landing on various singles compilations such as Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits, Vol. 2).




The song's first appearance was in a 1966 on a demo called "Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Blue", with Keith Richards singing, leading to some belief that "Dandelion"was written by Keith, though that's never been documented. Here's that rough draft early version:

Introducing: Cat Cat

I'm always pleased to introduce you to another band that plays melodic jangle pop.  Today's edition is Australia's Cat Cat.  The band consists of Conor Hutchison (whose From The South project featured here a couple months ago) on vocals and guitar, with Warwick (guitar, vocals), Franky (drums) and Sam (bass).  Originally from Canberra, the band now calls Melbourne home.  The band's latest album is Uralba, which is available on their Bandcamp site for "name your price".  Cat Cat is a talented band and I hope we hear more from them soon.











Here is a video and stream for a couple of more recent songs --





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REVIEW: Chain and the Gang - Minimum Rock and Roll

Ian Svenonius' concept for Minimum Rock and Roll, the fourth album from Chain and the Gang, is no-frills, economic rock and roll.  And it seems to me that it is both an interesting concept and very well executed.  The songs are punchy, stripped down rock and roll, a bit punky, decidedly R&B, and, at times, a bit rootsy.  The concept infuses the construction of the music, but it is never distracting.  And perhaps that leads us to the key point that the delights in rock and roll are found in the simple building blocks of a pulsing bass, backing drums, guitar riffs, male/female vocals, and a touch of outlaw attitude.  Of course, it works in part because Svenonius has written some very witty, entertaining songs and his lead vocals are spot-on.  Are we being preached to?  Well, maybe a bit.  But I'll happily take it when it comes with a wink and the tunes are this good.  This lot has something to preach about, so turn the volume up.

In addition to Ian, the players on Minimum Rock and Roll include Chris Sutton on bass, Brett Lyman on guitar, Fiona Campbell on drums and Katie Alice Greer providing vocals.  The album is out now via Fortuna POP! in Europe and via Radical Elite Records in the US and remainder of the world.

Ian's plea for his lover to choose him over a rival, "I"m A Choice (Not A Child)" --


"Got to Have It Every Day" --





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"Sunday Morning" by Courtney Barnett and Billy Bragg

As fans of Courtney Barnett (here), Billy Bragg (here) and Lou Reed/Velvet Underground, we are pleased to share with you this video of Courtney and Billy joining to play Lou's "Sunday Morning".  The video is from an appearance on Australian show RocKwiz.



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REVIEW: Fireflies - In Dreams

In Dreams, the latest album from Fireflies, is the kind of music that can give twee, indie pop a good reputation if listeners give it a chance.  Hushed, heartfelt vocals, jangling and ringing guitars, lush synths, and breezy melodies.  You've heard music like this before, from The Clientele, Belle & Sebastian, the Field Mice and Galaxie 500, among others.  But if you are an indie pop fan, you've never heard enough.

Fireflies is the project of Lisle Mitnik, born on the east coast, educated on the west coast, and settled in Chicago.  His work has been released on several different labels, but In Dreams is released on Seattle's Jigsaw Records.  His work reveals his interest in re-interpreting classic '60s pop with a lo-fi aesthetic and classical song arrangements.  And it is that approach that renders his music most interesting to me.  He doesn't faithfully replicate the past, but rather re-imagines it.  As a result the music has an immediacy and vibrancy that imitators rarely manage.




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REVIEW: Kathleen Grace - No Place To Fall

Kathleen Grace has a clear, bright, beautiful voice, and impeccable taste in material. She swings back and forth from straight-ahead jazz to light alt-country with a sprightliness and ease that are as enjoyable as they are admirable. She's assembled a crack band on this record, including one of my favorite instrumentalists in the world, pedal steel gunslinger Greg Leisz. Leisz has played with a host of greats, including (just to name a very few) Los Lobos, Dwight Yoakam and Beck, bringing a sad, sweet quality to their music that nothing but perfectly-played pedal steel can deliver. And it's similar here. His playing provides a nice accompaniment, and at places, a counterpoint, to her vocals. Both are just wonderful by themselves, and even better combined.

Opening with a Townes Van Zandt composition is a courageous, assured move, and Grace does a terrific job with the track that gives the album its title.



The album features a few more inspired covers. Grace gives her own spin to Tom Waits' "The Briar and the Rose" and The Meat Puppets' "Plateau", as well as a suitably jazzy take on "Mood Indigo". "Plateau", in particular, is so left-field, yet so well done, it's the kind of thing you'll want to play for friends just to see if it dawns on them just what song this is. Grace, like the Puppets, is an Arizona native, which might explain both the song choice and the heart she puts into her cover.



Not only does she do great things with other folks' tunes, her originals here are wonderful. "A Fine Young Woman" is a country song that sounds like it might have been written some time ago. In fact, I started searching for it, to find out who wrote it all that time ago. Funny, Grace just wrote it recently. It is a great story song in the tradition of "Mama Tried" or "Saginaw Michigan" - great music that would almost work just as a short story.



No Place to Fall is out now (May 13) on Monsoon Records.

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REVIEW: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Days of Abandon

The path Kip Berman has chosen for his The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart isn't quite a straight line.  The self-titled debut LP arrived in 2009, bearing a rush of sounds, jangling bedroom pop with shoegaze sensibility and palpable immediacy.  Belong, the 2011 follow-up took a step in the alt rock direction.  While not quite leaving shoegaze in the rear view mirror, there was more of Smashing Pumpkins and less jangling guitar pop.  For this year's Days of Abandon, it seems that the band has tacked in a direction that is neither a continuation of the sound of Belong, nor a complete return to the sound of their debut.  The big, chunky alt rock stylings are pared away, but the fuzzy shoegaze is less dominant as well.  To my ears, the overall sound is jangling guitar pop with a deliberately clean production..  Berman has said that he didn't want to make another Belong, but to his credit he also succeed in not replicating the first album.

What deserves to be celebrated is what remains, and that is Berman's skill in shaping a melody and crafting hooks that transform a high percentage of his songs into instant earworms.  He has a keen ear for that "instant classic" sound that makes a new song both attractive and recognizable.  While a couple of his original collaborators, including Peggy Wang (keys and vocals), were not involved in Days of Abandon, Berman has assembled complementary musicians and producers to capture his sound.  For this album, the female vocals (both background and, less often, lead) are provided by Jenn Goma (People Get Ready; formerly A Sunny Day in Glasgow).  And since Goma's delivery has a more mainstream pop flavor as compared to Wang's, it serves as a more distinct counterpoint to Berman's more idiosyncratic and intimate approach.  Days of Abandon is bursting with energy and sunlight, and those are very good ingredients for a pop album.



Jenn Goma's lead vocals --


A live version of "Kelly" --


Days of Abandon is out now via Yebo Music.  By the way, the album art is by South Korean artist Lee Jinju.

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REVIEW: Guided by Voices: Cool Planet

When you've given up being surprised that the artist formerly and currently (but for a while in the middle there, not) known as Guided by Voices (with the reunited, 2010-to-present "Classic Lineup") has released another stellar album of crackling guitar rock, you, like me, will just sit down, listen and try to evaluate it on its own terms. But, hey, Cool Planet is their second FULL album in the first five months of 2014 and their sixth since the reunited lineup started issuing new material in 2012. So surprise is a proper reaction, to be certain. As is joy, once you get into the album a little bit.

Lead track "Authoritarian Zoo" is a Who-style rocker, drums flailing and guitars blazing, to kick things off with a shot of adrenaline. "Fast Crawl" is a sludgy rocker clocking in at 1:42 that does a nice job of transitioning from the former to Tobin Sprout's fantastic "Psychotic Crush" - with a guitar line straight out of Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie and a reverb-heavy Sprout vocal, it's as glam a track as GbV have done. So, the perfect antidote is a sweet acoustic Pollard ballad, "Costume Makes the Man", which features a nice lazy guitar line over the outro.

There are little touches throughout Cool Planet, the kinds of things that diehard GbV fans have come to almost take for granted. However, I don't know a GbV fan who dares take this bounty for granted. We are, to a man, properly grateful... which is not to say we don't expect four to six albums a year. We do. It's just that we're grateful for them, too.

Here's "Table at Fool's Tooth" - a 1:21 heavy rocker that changes at least three times:



And here's "Bad Love is Easy To Do" - a repeated, insistent guitar line under an understated vocal that bursts into a full rock track - the drumming is especially tasty on this one:



Cool Planet is out now on GBV, Inc. in the US and Fire Records in the UK. As with the last five albums, it's got a great mix of Pollard and Sprout tunes, high quality playing and plenty of energy. In other words, it meets the high standard set by Classic Lineup GbV and augurs well for the planned live dates for summer 2014. More about the album, upcoming dates and other projects at the band's sites below.

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REVIEW: Buffalo Killers - Heavy Reverie

"Reverie" is defined as "a state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts; a daydream". Of course, there's also a musical definition: "an instrumental piece suggesting a dreamy or musing state". The Buffalo Killers have released their fifth album Heavy Reverie on Sun Pedal Records, and it both feeds on and inspires states of reverie. As always, they feature plenty of instrumental interludes, but none of the songs are strictly instrumentals. This is not a meandering jam band - Buffalo Killers are driving hard, straight ahead, and the guitars are raging. So I'd opt for the definition featuring "pleasantly lost."

Here's a recent video of them from SXSW this year, playing "Who You Are?" - the guitar tones are terrific:



And here's "Dig On In" - a real head-banging cut. I've noted before that one of my favorite features of the Buffalo Killers is the Gabbard brothers' vocal approach, a warm, full freight train of a thing that calls to mind Joe Walsh at the height of his powers, but to single that out is to shortchange the ferocious drumming of Joseph Sebaali. I wouldn't want to do that:



Nor would I want to fail to mention the spectacular guitar playing throughout this record. In addition to the Gabbards and Sebaali, the band now features guitarist Sven Kahns on electric and pedal steel guitars. There aren't many bands that combine heavy and melodic like the Buffalo Killers - you really have to spend a little time listening to appreciate it. They point back to James Gang, Crazy Horse and, in spots, classic Stephen Stills. I don't mean to brand them as solely a throwback or nostalgia act - this is all original music and they synthesize their influences through tremendous talent - to me, that's their strongest suit. They're so good, they almost make it sound easy.

Heavy Reverie is out tomorrow (May 13) on Sun Pedal Recordings. They'll be out on tour later in May and throughout the summer - read more and buy the record at their sites below.

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REVIEW: PAWS - Youth Culture Forever

Youth Culture Forever, the sophomore LP from Scottish power trio PAWS doesn't find them all grown up and matured, and we are thankful for that.  But it does reveal growth, some filling in of gaps, and extensions into previously unexplored (or at least unrecorded) territory.  While the evident influences remain '90s alternative rock, the lyrical expressions are focused on a wider scope of issues and provide sharper observations than on the band's debut LP Cokefloat.  The album is replete with recitations of things that can make us sad -- failed relationships, dead friends, lack of connection -- which makes one wonder whether 'youth culture forever' is being celebrated or mocked.  However dire the sentiment, however, the expressions are bold and convincing.  If the thought is that disappointment is better expressed at the top of your register with crashing instruments and your mates singing oohhs and aahhs in the background, I'd be inclined to agree.  At the very least, it makes this album a keeper.

On Youth Culture Forever the rhythm section rumbles manfully, the guitar is chunky and the production is solid.  But the secret sauce, if you will, is that whether the band is thrashing in garage/grunge territory or embarking on a more restrained explorations of sound, the core of each track is a worthy pop song.  And a band that writes this well can continue to provide good music as they mature.

The album is out now on FatCat Records.







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"Killer Bangs" from Honeyblood

Scottish duo Honeyblood is capitalizing on their snowballing fame with a 12-track LP release in July.  They have toured North America, including SXSW, and may be back again this summer.  But in the meantime fans can feast on the new vinyl 7"/digital download "Killer Bangs".  The track is an excellent representation of the sugar-coated garage pop this band does so well.

Honeyblood are Shona McVicar (drums) and Stina Marie Claire Tweenddale (vocals, guitar).  Both the self-titled album and "Killer Bangs" are on FatCat Records.



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REVIEW: Watoo Watoo - Une Si Longue Attente

We at WYMA tirelessly cast our suave cosmopolitan eyes … um …. ears over the landscape looking for good and interesting music.  We also have a soft spot for the cute and endearing.  Where these lines intersect is at Une Si Longue Attente, the delightful springtime musical breeze from from married French couple Pascale and Michael Korchia (with help from some friends), performing as Watoo Watoo. With doses of synth pop, jangle pop, cabaret and twee, and echoes of Belle & Sebastian, Stereolab, Galaxie 500, Serge Gainsbourg, movie soundtracks and Francois Hardy, this is bright pop that will put a bounce in your step and, quite possibly, a bit of sex allure in your sigh.  Une Si Longue Attente band's fourth full length album and, in my view, suggests that if the elevator car on the album cover represents their career, it is going up, not down.

Nine of the ten tracks are sung in French by the lovely Pascale, but I suspect that those of us who struggle with French won't mind a bit.  While Pascale handles the cooing, Michael creates the music and plays most of the instruments.  The quality of their connection and artistic pairing is evident in the result.  The songs are cinematic, and you can imagine them as backdrop for scenes of happy couples.  When you began reading you probably didn't know that you need this album for the sake of your mental health.  That is understandable -- I didn't know I needed it until I started listening.  But it is Saturday morning and I've listened to it two more times while writing this review, and I'm convinced that this is going to be a good day.

This pop gem was created in Bordeaux, France, but comes to us from Seattle's Jigsaw Records.  You can stream the entire album at Jigsaw's Bandcamp page, which is linked below.  The album is out now.  In fact, it has been out since early this year, but I had assumed that the French culture ministry required aging for all French products before marketing -- or is that only for wine?







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REVIEW: Mac DeMarco - Salad Days

Part woozy, summer beach psychedelic pop, part contemplative Lennon/McCartney, part soft rock, part house-party balladeer, and 100 percent authentic Mac DeMarco, Salad Days offers a full meal of laid back, idiosyncratic summer tunes. The young Canadian's guitar work is adept, distinctive and mellow, adding a playful foundation for his lyrics.  The latter vary between wry, sincere and even romantic, but the vibe is never too intense to handle.  In terms of songwriting and arrangements, while Mac remains Mac, there is evidence that while engaged in an ambitious touring schedule and following a slave-driving muse, there has been a little time for maturity to seep in.  And with some of the youthful rough edges and prankster urges sanded down, a bit more of the brilliance shows through.

The songs are bright, well-constructed, eminently accessible, and deceptively rich.  A couple of tracks are provided below for your evaluation.  Other favorites of mine include the title track and "Goodbye Weekend".   While Mac himself reportedly isn't fond of "Let Her Go", it also is a very good song.  My favorite times for this album have been sunny weekend mornings, and mild evenings on the patio.  And guests in the latter venue have been uniformly appreciative of this set of songs.  I submit, however, that looking beyond current enjoyment, this is an album that I anticipate wanting to turn to for a very long time.  And unless I'm wrong (for the second or third time in my life, depending on scoring systems), Mac is the kind of guy who will be able to deliver very satisfying music for a long time.





Salad Days is out now via Captured Tracks.

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VIDEOS: Cheatahs feature acoustic versions of "Fall" and "Kenworth", tour dates

The Cheatahs, whose terrific album we reviewed here earlier this year, recorded a couple of acoustic duet performances at a recent stop in France. Given that their appeal to me is largely based on layers of sound, built-up vocal harmonies and guitars, I will admit I wasn't sure how well acoustic versions would go over. But they are terrific - with two acoustic guitars and two voices, the vocals and the songs' melodies really shine. Here's "Fall":



Here's "Kenworth":



And just in case the earlier review and tracks we posted didn't close the deal, they've shared another single online. Here's "Leave to Remain". Layer upon layer of guitars and vocals - just wonderful rock music:



They're out on tour, Europe now and U.S. in June:

MAY
19 – Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands (With Cloud Nothings) (Tickets)
20 – La Fleche, Paris, France (With Cloud Nothings) (Tickets)
21 – 100 Club, London (with Great Ytene and Henge) (Tickets)
22 – Deaf Institute, Manchester, UK (With Cloud Nothings) (Tickets)
23 – Stereo, Glasgow, UK (With Cloud Nothings) (Tickets)

JUNE
4 – The Crocodile, Seattle, WA (with Eagulls) (Tickets)
6 – The Shred Shed, Salt Lake City, UT (with Eagulls) (Tickets)
7 – Larimer Lounge, Denver, CO (with Eagulls) (Tickets)
9 – 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, MN (with Eagulls) (Tickets)
10 – Beat Kitchen, Chicago, IL (with Eagulls) (Tickets)
11 – Brillobox, Pittsburgh< PA (with Eagulls) (Tickets) 12 – New York, Mercury Lounge, NY (headline – early show) (Tickets) 22 – Best Kept Secret Festival, Netherlands (Tickets) JULY 3 – 6 – Vida Festival, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain (Tickets) 26 – Deer Shed Festival, UK (Tickets) AUGUST 9 – Beacons Festival, UK (Tickets) 20-23 – Paredes de Coura, Portugal Cheatahs website
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Wichita Recordings

Rolling Stones Friday: Ride On, Baby

We've been featuring well known songs of the Rolling Stones most Friday's here at WYMA. But this week we're digging deeper into the catalogue for a true gem you might not know.

"Ride On, Baby" was recorded in 1965 for the Aftermath sessions, but not released until 1967 on the Flowers collection. It was not a single, got no airplay, and in England at least, was more associated with Chris Farlowe whose Mick Jagger-produced version was a hit single in 1966.

It says a lot about the Stones during this period that they had a song this good which didn't even make the record it was recorded for. "Ride On, Baby" certainly represents Brian Jones at his peak - he contributed harpsichord, piano, marimbas, autoharp, congas, and Rickenbacker guitar - creating such a striking sound here.

   

Late Friday addendum:
WYMA's Founder / CEO / President, John Hyland, reminded today there is a very fine and recent cover of "Ride On Baby" by WYMA favorite Tommy Keene, which appeared on Excitement At Your Feet (WYMA review here) .  Listen to Keene's "Ride On Baby" here:

 

"Expensive Dog" from Total Control

We recently featured "Flesh War" from Typical System, the upcoming LP from Melbourne's Total Control (link).  That track was a gloomy, synthy dose of post-punk.  The second track from the album is not available, and "Expensive Dog" stays with the post-punk gloom, but proudly displays bulging biceps and rough edges.  Where "Flesh War" held you at a distance, this track is breathing on your neck, whether you like it or not.  What does this mean for the album?  Same thing as before, mark your calendars and be prepared for shock and awe.



Typical System will be out in late June, self-released in Australia and New Zealand and via Iron Lung Records in the rest of the universe.

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REVIEW: Tunabunny - Kingdom Technology

Athens, GA's Tunabunny has released Kingdom Technology, their followup to last year's Genius Fatigue (WYMA review here).

It's a very good record, and it's all over the place... there's dance-rock, guitar-based postpunk, intensely focused krautrock, and throughout, in selected spots, the soaring vocal harmonies that first attracted most folks to their previous records. I get the sense that Tunabunny (Brigette Herron & Mary Jane Hassell) doesn't particularly care what you call their music, as long as you listen and recommend it to your friends. Which is what I'm about to do.

First song is "Airless Spaces", which calls to mind the Deal sisters fronting Kraftwerk, or something like that. That segues directly into "Canaries in Mine Shafts", which is pop-punk perfection along the lines of Breeders, GbV - opening with guitar feedback, and featuring squalls of guitar and vocal noise - a lot in less than 2:00. "Save It Up" is one of the dance numbers, featuring heavy bass, breathy vocals, synths and what sound like handclaps but are probably just snare cracks.

Here's "Different Jobs":



This is the advance track, and though it's not the catchiest one, it's very representative of their approach on this album. The catchiest track, to me, would be "Coming For You", unless it's "Empire", which anybody reading this who is a GbV/Breeders fan should go download immediately.

Here's "Power Breaks", a bit along the lines of "Save It Up", kind of a dance number based on a motorik beat, building out of some electronic blips that sound completely random at the beginning and somehow coalesce:



"Pump on the breaks now", they say, and somehow it makes perfect sense. Not brakes. Breaks and beats.

Somehow, they pull all this together into an album that flows pretty well, and the sequencing sustains interest from song to song, until the final track, "They Say This Is Where Our Dreams Live". While longer than the two more ambient numbers, it's intense and guitar-based from the beginning - at times featuring nothing but a ragged electric guitar line and vocals, and the vocals are beguiling... and then it changes, the second half serving as a narrative. Like the rest of this album, it's strange, beguiling and holds your interest all the way through - if for no other reason than to answer the question: "how are they gonna end THIS one?"

The album is out now (released late April) on HHBTM Records.

Tunabunny at HHBTM Records
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Wild Cub cover Chvrches - "The Mother We Share"

Nashville electro-rock band Wild Cub has made this song, a cover of Chvrches' "The Mother We Share", available for free download - just in time for Mother's Day:



Apparently, if you will "Shazam" their song "Thunder Clatter" (which we shared previously on WYMA), you will receive this new song as a free download. Wild Cub's music is pretty invigorating stuff, and they certainly have raised their visibility lately. They will be on Conan next week (5/13) and you can view upcoming tour dates at their Facebook page.

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REVIEW: The Moles - Flashbacks and Dream Sequences: The Story of the Moles

We welcome you to the wonderland that is the musical genius of Richard Davies' work as The Moles.  It is a tribute to Davies broad palate that writers invoke as comparisons artists as diverse as The Bats, The Chills, Mercury Rev, Guided By Voices and The Flaming Lips.  It is wide-ranging, lo-fi pop that shouldn't be approached with expectations, but rather a open mind to be taken where Richard wants to take you.  The delightful music is collected in Flashbacks and Dream Sequences: The Story of the Moles from Fire Records.  With 35 tracks over 2xCD or 2xLP +2xCD, it covers The Moles' two albums, Untune the Sky and Instinct, as well as other songs

Davies formed the original iteration of The Moles in the late '80s in Sydney, Australia, where they recorded Untune the Sky.  They moved to New York, and then London.  By '94 the original line-up disbanded.  Davies moved to the United States, and continued The Moles as a solo project, recording Instinct and other records with the help of such able friends as Hamish Kilgour of The Clean.  This later work displays the evolution from a more punk approach to the chamber pop Davies created later in his career in Cardinal.

This set was a 2014 Record Store Day release, but copies remain available.  There have been other collections, but this is the only one that contains all songs and retains the original order of tracks.  Long-time fans likely will consider it essential, but it delight any indie pop fan.

"Bury Me Happy" shows the band's New Zealand influences --


The lead track from Untune the Sky will resonate with fans of Guided by Voices --






Psychedelic "What's The New Mary Jane" was an attempt to write what a supposed lost Beatles tune would sound like --






Fire Records page for album

New music from Glaciers

Sim, Nals, Tom and Tilly are the Glaciers.  We featured them a few months ago (here) when they made a couple of great tracks available.  They create jangling, atmospheric guitar pop that seems to suggest wide vistas and long horizons.  I love what they do, and I wish I had more of their music to fill my day.  But today's good news is that their latest track, "Learning", is available for "name your price".  Yes, I know, I made your day.  You are welcome.

"Learning" --



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"Electricity" from Model Aeroplanes

As you can discern for yourself, well, those of you who are sober enough, the lads of Dundee's Model Aeroplanes are not exactly grizzled veterans of the indie music scene.  In fact, I'm not sure that any of the young Scots has reached age 20 yet.  But they are appearing on these pages for the second time, so they clearly are doing something right (and according to my banker, the "something right" does not, sadly enough, include bribes).  Last August we featured their track "Crazy" (here), and now we are happy to present "Electricity".  It seems to me that the band is maturing fast, and this track is a great stride forward.  It sounds good, it makes me feel good.  What more could anyone want?



Model Aeroplanes are Ben Buist, Grant Irvine, Kieran Smith, and Rory Fleming-Stewart.

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"Used To Be The Shit" from Miniature Tigers

I'm beginning to think that Miniature Tigers' Cruel Runnings, set for a June release, may end up being one of the better albums this summer.  Bright pop tunes, sweet melodies, a sense of humor and a keen understanding of the kind of music summer demands.  We featured the infectious "Swimming Pool Blues" recently (here), and now they are back with the dreamy sugar that is "Used To Be The Shit".  With those two tracks and the previously released "Oblivious", that's at least three great tracks for the album.


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NEW SONG: Radio Moscow - "These Days"

Radio Moscow is back... here's a hard-stomping, heavy guitar freakout "These Days" which will be featured on their next album, Magical Dirt. It's been a couple of years since their last album The Great Escape of Leslie Magnafuzz (WYMA review here), and Parker Griggs' voice and the psychedelic guitars sound better than ever.



They're heading over to Europe for the next month or so, then back to the states to support the album:

RADIO MOSCOW EUROPEAN TOUR DATES
May 15 @ L’escargot – Hossegor, France
May 16 @ Bootleg – Bordeaux , France
May 17 @ La Nef – Angouleme, France
May 18 : France TBA
May 20 @ Secret Place – Montpellier, France
May 21 @ Sala Appolo – Barcelona, Spain
May 22 @ Shoko Club – Madrid, Spain
May 23 @ Cafe Antzokia – Bilbao, Spain
May 24 @ Sala Bukowski – San Sebastian, Spain
May 25-26-27 : France / Spain TBA
May 28 @ Vk – Brussels, Belgium
May 29 @ Freak Valley Festival – Siegen, Germany
May 30 @ De Piek – Vlissingen, Netherlands
May 31 @ Winston – Amsterdam, Netherlands
June 1-2 : Benelux / France TBA
June 3 @ TBC Cav’Conc TBC – Mayenne, France
June 4 @ Glazart – Paris , France
June 5 : Germany TBA
June 6 @ Loppen – Copenhagen, Denmark
June 7 @ Truckstop Alaska – Gottborg, Sweden
June 9-10 : UK TBA
June 11 : Germany / Swiss TBA
June 12 @ Init – Roma, Italy
June 13 @ L’ars Festival – Siena, Italy
June 14 @ Rocka ‘n’ Roll Festival – Mentova, Italy

We'll have more here once we have had a chance to hear the album...

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"Perfect Vision" by Cheerleader

Sometimes what the beginning of your week needs to make the world seem in place is a bright shining gem of a pop song.  One that reaches anthem territory and allows, even demands, repeated plays.  Today's suggestion is from Philadelphia.  No, really.  From Philadelphia.  Cheerleader is a five-piece from the City of Brotherly Love that combines guitars, synths, and hazy vocals into a beachy power pop that is uplifting and sticks to your ear canals.  Riding a well-received set of demos and an enthusiastic reception at SXSW, the band is releasing their first official single, "Perfect Vision".  The track is available digitally now, and the vinyl will be available in June from Young and Lost Club in the UK, and from Bright Antenna Records in North America.  For UK fans, note that the band is touring your island this month.



The band was founded by Connecticut natives Joe Haller (vocals/guitar) and Chris Duran (guitar).  The duo moved to Philadelphia and completed the line-up with Joshua Pannepacker (keys/guitar), Paul Impellizeri (bass), and Carl Bahner (drums).

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REVIEW: Tuff Love - Junk EP

Today, we brink you junk -- and you will thank us.  Specifically, we bring you the Junk EP from Glasgow trio Tuff Love.  Kicking off with the standout "Sweet Discontent", which could be a C86 Popguns/Flatmates nugget except for the fact that this band loves putting the bass up in the mix (and I love the band for loving to put the bass up in the mix).  Next up is the more garaged/grunged, but still jangling, "Flamingo", with echoes of Big Star or Teenage Fanclub.  Track three is "Copper", which adds a dose of Pavement-style alt rock to the set.  Tuff Love gives us their biggest muscle flex on "Poncho".  The sweet "Penguin" closes the proceedings with a taste of the band's soft side, and leaving us wanting much more.

The easiest thing to write about the EP is that it is well executed garage pop.  However, that really doesn't do it justice.  The vocals transcend that genre, with well inflected lyrics bracket by timely oohhs and aahhs.  However, perhaps most notable is the range.  There are beefy guitar lines and stout rhythms, but there is plenty of summery shimmer to balance the noise.  At times their music reminds me of the late Leeds outfit Manhattan Love Suicides, but Tuff Love has a more direct and accessible approach.

Tuff Love are Julie Eisenstein (guitar), Suse Bear (bass) and Michael O'Hara (drums).  The Junk EP is out now in vinyl and digital formats from Johnny Lynch's Lost Map Records.






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New Guitar Rock Discovery: Sam Page - The Slog In Uncertainty

Sam Page is an Orange County-based singer/songwriter playing well-realized, catchy guitar rock. His music pulls together a number of notable post punk influences - as an example, check out "Doubt", which calls to mind Dinosaur Jr.:



And here's album track "Shine Your Little Light" - a fine piece of power-pop with a good backbeat and strong lead guitar, and what might be Page's best vocal on the record:



But the guitar is the best thing about most of these songs - like the lead-in with strummed electric and acoustic that opens up "Release Me":



The Slog In Uncertainty is his third album - Page is a very assured performer, but I'm sure the process of creating, mastering, releasing and marketing one's own music is chock full of uncertainty. And it's to our advantage that guys like Page continue onward, slog and all. This is a very good album. Listen, buy and learn more at his website.

Sam Page website
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The Kooks - Down EP

The Kooks’ new single “Down” is sort of a funky little tune - they've taken a different approach, with a staccato beat and a chorus that's like a call-and-response sea chanty. It's an attention-getter, which makes it a good choice as an advance track for their upcoming album, and to anchor this four-song EP.



The other three songs on the Down EP (“Hooray For Henry,” “Hold On,” and “Melody Maker”) are exclusive to the EP, and they each explore a slightly different approach to guitar pop, which is what you come to The Kooks for, after all. To me, the revelation on here is "Hold On" - it's an extremely funky blast of Curtis Mayfield-inspired soul with a racing drum beat, bouyant strings and psychedelic lead guitar. I'm no label scout or even a radio guy, but to borrow a phrase, I think I hear a single.



The Kooks are: Luke Pritchard - vocals and guitar, guitarist Hugh Harris, bassist Pete Denton and drummer Alexis Nunez. More about the upcoming album, Listen, and tour information at their website.

The Kooks website

REVIEW: Bradford Lee Folk and The Bluegrass Playboys - Somewhere Far Away

Bradford Lee Folk is a bluegrass singer and guitarist who's based in Nashville, though he's originally from Louisiana and raised in Missouri. Folk lives outside of town and farms during the day, then comes into town to play at night. He says he grew up listening to country, blues and old time string bands, but when he was in high school he encountered the high lonesome sound of bluegrass via a Flatt & Scruggs cassette, and since then he's been devoted to that sound.

He's terrific - as a vocalist, he's nearly the equal of Del McCoury. But I swear I also hear a little bit of Dwight Yoakam twang in there, too. And his band of pickers are in that same echelon. Check out album track "Foolish Game of Love" - it's just about a perfect bluegrass tune:



And here's one about his Nashville neighborhood, "Trains Don't Lie" - just beautiful:



Here's the video of them playing "Wood Swan" at Pickathon in Portland:



And here's "Never Looking Back" from a set played at Music City Roots:



Folk’s worked on a dairy farm, led a touring bluegrass act named Open Road that finally succumbed to the strains of business expectations and the touring lifestyle, and has run his own honky-tonk in Colorado, so there isn't going to be much to intimidate him. It also lends his music an engaging strain of world-weariness and hard-won wisdom that's pretty rare.

The music is bluegrass primarily, with other influences (country rock or Americana, in places). But it's not the least bit watered down, faux or derivative. Brad Folk and his band - Robert Trapp on banjo, Christian Sedelmyer on fiddle, David Goldenberg on mandolin and John Fabke on bass - play with skill, yet at the same time with the kind of abandon that makes one take notice. As you know, we'll feature anything we like on WYMA - and I'm happy to throw some bluegrass on here. If you are a fan of McCoury, Tim O'Brien (who we featured recently) or the great old stuff like Flatt & Scruggs, Ralph Stanley and Bill Monroe, this album will not disappoint you.

Bradford Lee Folk and The Bluegrass Playboys website
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Rolling Stones Friday: Jigsaw Puzzle

Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger

While The Rolling Stones supposed "rivalry" with The Beatles always drew a great deal of media speculation, the more interesting dynamic to me was how much The Stones, Mick Jagger in particular, were influenced by Bob Dylan. Certainly that influence was seen on one of the Stones' signature songs, "Sympathy For The Devil", that we featured here on Rolling Stones Friday two weeks ago.

But maybe the most overtly Dylan-esque song the Stones ever did was "Jigsaw Puzzle", an underrated country folk gem recorded and released in 1968 on Beggars Banquet:

Everything about it speaks of Bob Dylan - the ragged acoustic guitars, bluesy slide guitar, Nicky Hopkins's barrelhouse piano, and certainly most obviously the crazy cast of characters in the word-heavy, odd story lyrics. With the bishop's daughter, a luger-toting gangster, 20,000 grandmas waving their hankies in the air, and the Queen, all that's missing is Napoleon in rags. Note Mick's references to his band members (for the legendary groupie hound Bill Wyman: "And the bass player, he looks nervous about the girls outside.").

I love the sound of the opening slide guitar, played by Keith Richards not Brian Jones who was technically still in the band but out of action by this point.  "And the guitar players look damaged, they've been outcasts all their lives."

To the best I can uncover,  "Jigsaw Puzzle" has never been played live by the Stones, which is inexplicable and unfortunate.



   

REVIEW: The Steinbecks - Kick to Kick

Josh and Joel Meadows have been treasured members of Australia's guitar pop scene for a few decades, first as The Sugargliders, and now at the central figures in The Steinbecks.  But despite the passage of time, their music still is fresh, full of youthful vigor and wide-eyed acceptance of the world.  As to be expected, there is some nostalgia and a bit of regret here and there.  But these fellows aren't mopes.  However, more than anything else, the set of songs comprising The Steinbecks' new LP Kick to Kick convey the Meadows brothers' love for music (theirs and others), for telling a story set to chords and rhythms, for finding the right hook to sell the lyric, for a life's work crafting an art form to satisfy yourself and, if you are lucky, a bunch of other people as well.  And while the general style is not unexpected, there are some muscular riffs echoing alt-rock influences, as well as some psychedelic touches.  Time hasn't stood still and neither have The Steinbecks.

The album begins with "Homesickness", the somewhat unsettling lyrics offset by a bright guitar pop arrangement.  Next is "At Arkaroo Rock", which was featured on these pages last year.  The song compares the layers of the geological formation with the layers of a relationship.  Other standouts for me are the Dunedin-like "Blow the Limen", the jangling "Trying to be Someone", which boasts a robust bassline as well, and the title track, "Kick to Kick".  And then there is "I, Radio", which may be the most distinctive track on the album, musically and thematically.  Initially via spoken word, and then via singing, the narrator provides a paean to indie rock and the value of radio to the music experience.

Long-time fans probably need no more encouragement, but I urge new fans to experience the delights of The Steinbecks.  With Kick to Kick, they have made it easy to be loved.









Kick to Kick is available in the Americas and Europe via Matinee Recordings, and in Australia, Asia and Africa via Popboomerang Records.

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REVIEW: Muuy Biien - D.Y.I.

Athens punks Muuy Biien are back - following up on last year's This Is What Your Mind Imagines (WYMA review here) with an even better, more fully-realized album. D.Y.I. has the bouncing rhythms, slashing guitars and guttural vocals that made their first album so memorable, but the ambient interludes (this time entitled "Cyclothymia" I, II and III) are better, and the music overall is even stronger. "Crispin Noir" in particular is an amazing track, just under 3:00 of constantly changing guitar sounds and a rhythm section that dares you to sit still while listening.

Here is album track "She Bursts". It's a good selection as the "single" or advance track, as it contains the irresistible bass line, slashing guitars that drive most of Muuy Biien's best songs:



Plus, it's 3:24, long enough to pound you into submission without feeling like they've stretched the slightest bit outside their comfort (or discomfort) zone - and to allow for a bit of the ambient stuff at the end, leading into the second "Cyclothymia" interlude.

By the way, the title stands for "Do yourself in" - a statement, taken in concert with track titles like "Human Error", "White Ego" and "Virus Evolves", that lends itself to the conclusion that we humans are often our own worst enemy. Josh Evans doesn't spare himself from the rage that this album throws off...you get the sense that when he's screaming "be a man/do yourself in" he's not talking to anybody else, but rather he's sort of trying to see how far he can push himself and still retain some hope. Of course artists frequently explore unpleasant topics in order to generate emotional reactions, but Evans is really pushing it here... and the results sure grab your attention.

Whatever the genesis of its up-front, powerful emotions - crappy jobs, grueling travel, relationship problems - this is just a hell of an album. In 1977 it would have been a hell of an album, but especially today, with so many punk pose-strikers, Muuy Biien's D.Y.I. stands out as the real thing. The album is out this week (Apr. 29) in the US, later in May in the UK on HHBTM Records.

Muuy Biien at HHBTM Records
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