TOM ALFORD
Second Foundation (A.L.F; CD)
     Tom Alford plays a jangly guitar pop that could only have come from Southern California. There are echoes of The Last in his gentle melodies, oozing with guitars that softly chime and jangle behind breathy, boyish harmonies.
     On this CD Tom sings all the lead and backing vocals, guitars, bass and keyboards. In fact, he plays everything except the drums, which are played by his brother Mike. Tom is a veteran of several L.A. bands, notably Wednesday Week.
     At his best Tom's original compositions makes for a sweet, tuneful jangle. Tunes like 'Shiloh' and 'Someday Girl' evoke a beguiling and breezy innocence. The mood can be slightly fey but always charming, as on the chorus of 'Wasps Lands On a Sunflower' and in 'I'm The Only One' where "..She don't fit in with other girls, she won't come into my secret world".
     Tom was clearly aiming for a restrained and tasteful approach, yet one or two of the songs could follow the example of the fine 'Look To the Stars' where the guitars come to the fore and the sound is a little punchier. Sometimes when you play all the instruments the more robust band feel is lost.
     It seems this CD was released in 2004. Hopefully this review is 'better late than never!
www.tomalford.com
Phil Suggitt

THE BADGE
The EP Collection (2004-2005) (Detour; CD)
     This compilation of three recent EPs from the Mod-influenced Badge doesn't quite reach the standards of their previous full-length CD, Calling Generation Mojo, which was received very positively in a previous review. The songs here are diverse and show a band willing to try things out in the studio, but they simply aren't as strong as the best material on Generation Mojo; in particular, the vocals and backing vocals aren't as well arranged. There is some fine Hammond playing, but sometimes it props up rather uninspiring songs like 'Superfine'. Pop lyrics don't have to be deep poetry, but they shouldn't make you cringe either. As devotees of 60's mod and soul, The Badge should know that only James Brown could have gotten away with lyrics as bad as "Your sexy lips, your sexy hips". Similarly 'Scarlett Johansson' is a pleasant ballad, but a song about a current movie babe should be more lyrically inventive and interesting than "Scarlett I Want To Hold Your Hand".
     There are some good tunes here, such as 'Random Road' but three EPs in six months may be a case of a band releasing too many songs too quickly. Hopefully their next full length release will showcase the band at the peak of their song writing powers.
www.detourrecords.co.uk
www.thebadge.com
Phil Suggitt

THE COFFIN LIDS
Round Midnight (Bomp; CD)
     The Coffin Lids sound is ideally suited to the old seven inch format. The best song here, 'I'm Going To Have My Way (With the 5,6,7,8's)' would be the perfect lead song on an EP; it has a tongue in cheek sense of humour, a decent garage pop tune and backing vocals from the Coffinettes. It tells the tale of a guy who is carried away by the photos on his 5,6,7,8's records. Somehow I suspect the Japanese trio would eat him for breakfast!
     Elsewhere The Coffin Lids display the usual garage fascination with horror schlock trash in their name and song titles. I'd really like to see a garage band write songs about Matisse. Camus and Kandinsky instead.
     I would add to my imaginary EP most of the tunes which feature Zack Brines' Farfisa, as the snaky organ embellishments make the basic three piece sound like more than a standard rock trio. The openers 'Frankenstein' and 'Teenage Shakedown' would do, along with 'Shake' and 'Creepy Crawl', completing a tasty collection in 80's garage style. 14 songs is rather too much, as the band aren't able to maintain the quality and the pace and style need more variation. Some of the tunes are less inspired and pedestrian, such as the cover of The Lime Spiders' 'Cave Girl' or the crass 'Tonight You're Going To Die In My Garage'.
www.bomp.com
Phil Suggitt

THE CRUSTACEANS
I'm Happy If You're Happy ( Popboomerang; CD)
     On this CD Sydney's Crustaceans show two sides. The quirky rock songs are lyrically interesting but just pleasantly average pop/rock fare. In this category I include 'Telecaster', a song about a tree that is cut down for guitar wood, or 'Caribou' a strange song about Canadian habits. The Crustaceans obviously have a sense of humour, which might explain why there are pictures of cows rather than any band photos.
     I prefer the gentler, more acoustic pop side to the band, which is apparent on over half the songs here. Although the band will probably groan at comparisons, the sound of the early Go-Betweens springs to mind on beguiling story tunes like 'The Heavy Metal Temptress' and 'Out Of The Library And Into The Street'. These and other decent tunes like 'What I Miss Most' whilst still lyrically interesting are less upbeat but have better hooks, good harmonies and less predictable rhythms.
www.popboomerang.com
www.thecrustaceans.com
Phil Suggitt

THE HYPSTRZ
Live At The Longhorn ( Bomp: CD)
     When the Hypstrz first LP was released in the early 80's I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It's raw, stripped down live sound didn't sound like the careful recreations of the other 80's garage bands I was attracted to.
     Almost all of The Hypstrz recorded output comes from tapes of two live dates at the Longhorn Club in April 1979. This includes the whole LP, EP, and 15 unreleased tracks also included on this 37 track CD. You also get three 'new' live tracks recorded 25 years later. The band still sound like a human jukebox, an imaginary juke box playing all your favourite 60's garage punk tunes, with a little bit of R&B and rock'n'roll. If such a thing as a 'Pebbles Top 40 Favourites' ever existed, virtually all of them would be in The Hypstrz set list; 'Action Woman', 'Little Girl', '96 Tears', 'Tried To Hide', 'Shake' and scores of others. Almost no-one was doing this kind of stuff in the late '70s.
     On these recordings the band have a raw, direct approach. Bill Batson's vocal, backed by frantic guitar, bass and drums, with the occasional backing vocal. You can almost hear the Batson brothers saying to each other "If there are any real complicated bits in these songs we'll just miss 'em out and strip 'em right back to their basic essentials!" Sometimes this approach works really well, and they are spot on. Others songs don't really suit their approach. You decide. The songs that never made it to vinyl are just as good as the ones that did. In fact, some are better. Given that the band only recorded one or two of their own songs, it's surprising that they didn't put out the catchy original 'Only A Matter Of Time'.
     Today I prefer to hear the band's sonic assault in small doses. 37 songs is a little too much in one go. Maybe some people who enjoyed the originals first time around felt The Hypstrz had just punked up their favourite songs, but the band will always have a place in my heart for encouraging me to track down the original versions at a time when most of the world was listening to Disco and AOR.
www.bomp.com
Phil Suggitt

PERRY KEYES
Meter (Laughing Outlaw; 2- CD)
     Perry Keyes drives taxis in Sydney, hence the title. On the strength of the songs on this CD, he will be able to give up the day job, if he hasn't done so already. The first song, 'Sweaty Sneakers' is an unlikely name for a love song, but is an absolute belter. It starts with a memorable riff and a big sound, and by the time the "She's so wonderful, you know" chorus comes round you are completely hooked.As soon as the voice comes in there's no avoiding the fact that Keyes rootsy style is highly reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen in tone, phrasing and pitch. The band performances are strong throughout. Bek-Jean Stewart is not only a fine drummer who really drives the songs, she also adds great vocal harmonies.
     The songs have intelligent and interesting subject matter which also draws Springsteen comparisons – Perry sings about the working class chancers, dreamers and losers of inner city Sydney (as opposed to Noo Joisey). The powerful drums, the inspiring choruses, the big keyboard fills, the slower, folkier, quieter numbers; - all have echoes of The Boss.
     O.K. so it used to be a disadvantage to be compared to a world famous artist. Does a Springsteen comparison mean this album is derivative? Nope. Does it mean this album is no good? Not at all! This album bristles with quality, well produced songs, from the anthemic 'Growing Up In the Dark Is Wrong' to the wry lyrical observations of inner city life in the slower 'Service City' and 'NYE'. Special mention for a song titled 'Discount Bottle Store'. Different qualities of the songs become apparent on each play. With songs as strong as this Keyes doesn't have to worry about comparisons with anybody.
www.laughingoutlaw.com.au
Phil Suggitt

JAMES MACDONALD
Naked Soul (Laughing Outlaw; CD)
     James MacDonald is something of an exception in that he prefers gently orchestrated, jazzy soft melodies to the big, beaty, in-your-face hooks and riffs we have come to expect from Australian power-pop bands. MacDonald is a capable songwriter and singer, and plays almost all the instruments as well. When all the elements fit into place, he can produce subtle, warm and uplifting tunes such as the opener, 'Ordinary Life'. Producer Nicky Bomba is also a really good drummer, adding an inventive percussive feel to the songs. The use of trumpet or flute flourishes is also well done.
     Lyrically some of the songs are more ambitious than they first appear. On first hearing it isn't obvious that 'Smoking Gun' is about the war on terror, for example. The chorus is to Bush; "I'll play Robin to your Little John, Cisco Kid and Hopalong, We'll rid the world of every wrong"..
     The problem with some of James' songs is that some, like the title track, are a little too sweet and unthreatening, veering dangerously close to MOR or lounge – i.e. towards the kind of thing admired by nice well brought up girls who only buy a couple of CD's a year and love James Blunt. Sometimes the lavish strings or the scat singing don't help. And yes, this criticism may sound strange coming from a reviewer who often berates modern garage rock bands for their lack of melody, subtlety or vocal abilities, but there you go. James has the songs and singing ability in abundance – he isn't and shouldn't be trying to make a rock record, but some of these songs would benefit from a bit more punch, which would stop them becoming pleasant background music.
www.laughingoutlaw.com.au
Phil Suggitt

JOHNNY SOCIETY
Coming To Get You (Messenger; CD)
     The opening tune on New York band Johnny Society's third CD, 'Don't Talk Me Down' sums up all the best things about the band. It is a really strong, memorable tune that reflects a love of early 70's pop. On the ballads the sound is reminiscent of classy pop bands like Blue (the good 70's version) and even the mighty Badfinger. Main songwriter and frontman Kenny Siegal has a good vocal range and adds clever keyboard parts. In addition Brian Geltner's drumming has real clout and powers along the best songs, such as 'Witch's Plea'. The best of the bunch have a full sound that would be difficult for the three piece to duplicate on stage, so it would be interesting to see how they approach live shows.
     The songs are not limp pastiches of early 70's pop, but suffer from the same problems that affected a lot of the music of that era. There are two distinct sides to the band, the keyboard dominated, melodic tunes work really well, but some of the songs suffer from the excesses of the early 70's; plodding, monotonous guitar or synth/organ riffs and overblown, bombastic vocals that try a little too hard. 'Coming To Get You' and 'Bloody Blade' are evidence for the prosecution; they plod on for over five and six minutes respectively. According to one of the reviews quoted in the press release the band "add a dash of Queen's power pomp…to its coolly abrasive melodies". In my opinion Johnny Society would make consistently good albums if they cut 'the curse of Freddy' from their music.
www.messengerrecords.com
www.johhnysociety.com
Phil Suggitt

STEVE MAYONE
Unfortunate Son (Umver; CD)
     Steve Mayone's first CD, 'Bedroom Rockstar' was an excellent record, brimming with good tunes. (Review, June 2005). Unfortunately this second release isn't in the same class. Although everything here is tastefully played and sung, there is little that stands beside his first release. This can't be explained by the 'write songs for the second album in a hurry' syndrome, as Steve likes to develop songs over several years, and the songs on 'Unfortunate Son' have been written over a five year period. Perhaps Steve's songs need to cook more slowly in the studio. 'Rockstar' mixed confident, upbeat power pop tunes like 'The Sweetest Thing' with rootsier numbers such as 'Deeper In The Well', but there is nothing to compare on 'Unfortunate Son'. Although there is a similar mix of Americana and pop, the songs tend to be polite and ordinary, lacking the hooks and distinctive touches to stay in the memory. Some of the roots songs like 'Truckee River' have adept acoustic picking and good lyrics. In general the songs are not poor, but rarely reach the level that Steve Mayone has proved he is capable of. Hopefully this capable singer and multi-instrumentalist has only temporarily lost his way.
www.stevemayone.com
Phil Suggitt

CHRIS MURPHY
Elbow Room (Popboomerang; CD)
     The opening song 'Movie Star Beautiful' is a great love song, the kind of epic ballad that deserves to be a big chart hit. It is the best song here, and is presented in two different versions, which open and close the album. I like both arrangements, the first with standard rock instruments and the second, orchestrated version featuring flute.
     Chris Murphy has been singing and playing guitar with Perth pop band The Rhymes for a decade, and this is his first solo venture. I confess to not having heard his previous work, although his brothers Kieran and Courtney from the Rhymes appear here, as presumably do the rest of the band. The tunes cover a variety of styles which, I would guess, didn't all fit in the band format. Some show versatility but don't really sit well with the others, such as the 30's jazz stylings of 'Good Deeds'. Chris is a good songwriter who is most comfortable on love songs and classic pop like 'Bigger They Are The Harder They Fall.'
     Chris has a wide vocal range. On several songs Chris' breathy vocals sound very similar to the Eagles, or Bryan Adams. I realise some people consider these artists to the epitome of uncool, but Chris isn't trying to imitate anyone else, that's just how his voice comes out.
www.popboomerang.com
Phil Suggitt

THE PLAINTIFFS
La Familia (Career; CD)
     Joey Kline of The Plaintiffs has written a series of "hard-boiled", "true crime", "film noir" songs, which explains the cover painting of a prison and the band photo of a bunch of thugs carrying weapons and babies. Chronicles of low life losers and hoods can be more interesting than the standard pop fare. In 'Final Chance' the singer considers whether to free his hostages. 'Happy New Year' has an extreme "She done me wrong" chorus; "Merry Christmas, happy new year….bitch!"
     There are some strong economical songs, such as 'Damned' and 'Final Chance' with catchy but unflashy guitar fills. Elsewhere the tunes are rather ordinary, standard rock songs which are hindered by Kline's deep, Americana –style voice, which doesn't always suit the music. Sometimes he dwells on the note a little too long and sounds like he's trying too hard to sing tough, as on the laboured 'Skipjack'. He sounds a lot more comfortable on the two quieter, more melodic tunes, 'La Familia' and 'Can I Ever Get Away With Anything'.
www.careerrecords.com
Phil Suggitt

SAM SHINAZZI
Stories You Wouldn't Believe ( Laughing Outlaw; CD)
     Sydney songwriter Sam Shinazzi excels at world weary songs of loneliness, loss and broken relationships. In Sam's world he is usually alone in a bar or bus, and things remind him of what he has lost; "There's a girl in the corner, wearing the same shirt you wore the first night that we met". Sometimes he can justify the girl walking out with another guy on her arm; "You're like a book I once read but it wasn't worth keeping". Even the most moving love song here, the wonderful 'My Friend And A Free Day' deals with being apart; "I visualize you among strangers all the time, May you always shine in my mind"/ I sincerely hope Sam isn't always writing from experience, or he must be on his third breakdown by now!
     Many of the tunes here would work with just Sam and his acoustic in a folk club, but the backing band produce genuinely understated performances that really enhance the songs. Tessa Benjamin's unobtrusive keyboard parts are particularly notable in this respect.
     Sam's sad, well-crafted and intimate songs are well suited to small clubs rather than big open venues. Even on the more optimistic songs there is a sense of ennui; hopefully Sam can continue to write fine songs without the subjects and lyrics becoming predictable.
www.laughingoutlaw.com.au
www.thec-project.com
Phil Suggitt

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Keats Rides A Harley (Warning Label; CD)
     This CD reissues a compilation of South Californian underground bands released by Happy Squid Records in 1981. In addition to the nine original songs there are nine bonus tracks from the same nine artists, from the original recording sessions. In addition a five song Happy Squid sampler is included.
     Compilations like this are important for those who were part of the scene at the time, but, unlike the Warf Rat Tales compilation, (reviewed last month) the music hasn't stood the test of time. I found it hard to listen to most of the songs all the way through. It took a real effort not to click the skip button. Some of the bands here, like The Gun Club and The Leaving Trains went on to better things, but these early recordings feature truly awful, embarrassingly bad vocals and all the worst attributes of New Wave Art-Punk, particularly a dearth of actual tunes. The only one detectable is by Danny & the Doorknobs, a.k.a. Vitus Matare. The Earwigs, S Squad, Toxic Shock, Urinals and their like are best forgotten. Even the better cuts never rise above a mediocre level.
www.warninglabelrecords.com
Phil Suggitt