THE ACID LEMON
Introducing…(Teen Sound; CD)
The Acid Lemon are a five piece Italian band. The CD cover nails their colours to the
mast – two '60s girls on a motorbike with a "Bridget Reilly in space" background. Misty Lane/Teen Sound turn out some stylish cover art these days. The 'Mono: file under garage psych' label also points the listener in the right direction – the band know, love and play '60s garage and psych. There are three well played covers, 'Get Me To The World On Time', 'I Can See', and 'Little Boy Blue.' (The album is dedicated to Tonto & The Renegades; band member Tom Kirby even writes the appreciative liner notes. Wish the font size was larger, as they are hard to read in tiny pink letters!)
My first impression was that the classic covers spotlighted the lesser quality of the five original songs. After several plays I have decided this is unfair. The first two band songs, 'Come My Way' and 'Lost My Time' have the sound and fury of the mid-60s, but they lack the memorable hooks and choruses of the covers. However, the last three originals show a lot of promise. The vocals of Paolo Messina are less frantic and snotty, and he is ably supported by backing vocals. The principal riff and chorus to 'Close Your Eyes' are really catchy, although the second riff is, er...more familiar. 'No More' and 'I'll Be Gone Away' rock nicely, suggesting that the band have a bright future in the garage scene as they hone their song writing skills.
Perhaps the band could go for a stereo mix on their next record, so that organist Simona Ghigo can make a bigger contribution. As on the early Nomads records, the Farfisa organ really struggles to be heard above the guitars.
http://crea.html.it/sito/NOWSOUND
Phil Suggitt
CATS & JAMMERS
Propose Toast (Scotch Hell Records; CD)
Their 17-song 'greatest hits' collection of sorts from this Chicago trio features five songs each from their first three albums plus, one new song and an unreleased tune. I'd say the band are part-garage/power pop with elements of Green Day-like modern punk energy with teenage-like themes. The springy late '70s Kinks/Ramones hybrid, 'Get Your Ya-Ya's Out' is perhaps my fave song off the whole album and has the most potential for being an actual single. A lot of comical themes are abound throughout the CD like 'Spitball' and 'White People Can't Dance'. 'Lollipop Lies' comes on like a lost Elastica b-side. What they lack in strong lead vocals, they make up for in catchy, short, two minute garagey pop tunes. Maybe with the addition of a new lead vocalist, it might strengthen the band vocally even more so? Staccato driven 'Rejection' has a definite late '70s new wave sound going for it. 'Mannequin' sounds a bit like The Jam sped up but, with funny lyrics about mannequin love. 'Not Gay' is straight ahead rock about reaffirming one's heterosexuality after waking up next to a guy. Strange but funny. The lone previously unreleased song, 'What Do You Want?' comes across like a Jonathan Richmond & The Modern Lovers' tune and sounds more developed than some of the other tunes, thus making it a better song. So, if you're into modern garagey power pop/punk with Green Day elements then you might enjoy Cats & Jammers.
www.CatsAndJammers.net
Steve Elliott
DONOVAN'S BRAIN
A Defeat Of Echoes (Career; CD)
As contemporary material goes, this is not bad in the round. It's a bit too sulky and
petulant in a lot of places for my taste and I'm rather reminded of the shoe gazers of yore on some of these slow numbers ('Come To My Party', 'Whispers And Tears', 'The Boy Who Cried New Town'). However perhaps that's the point, the CD title sort of implies it. Amongst the musical introspection though, there are some nuggets where the Brain seem to wake up and smell the coffee. Songs like 'When You're Falling' and 'Invisible Diamond Man' are real kicking tunes and it would be good to hear an album's worth of this more affecting material. There is also some pretty nice guitar work weaving its way through numbers like 'Decade of Days' and that is most welcome. This disc also seems to come (or my review copy did) with a CD Rom of Penny Ikinger (I assume) going through some sound scapes of her own which are worth your while to watch and listen to. If you like varying shapes of post-retro (figure that one out!) pop and enjoy slower pulse based stuff, then this one will probably suit you nicely.
www.careerrecords.com
Paul Martin
COL. KNOWLEDGE & THE LICKITY-SPLITS
Fall In Love All Over Again With… (Alive; CD)
This Athens, Georgia band play music influenced by the organ-drenched soul and R&B
of the '60s and early '70s. To their great credit they reject most contemporary musical trends and recorded this CD on crude equipment in their homes and rehearsal spaces.
Andrew Steck's keyboards and the wide vocal range of Tim Schreiber are prominent throughout. On slower songs like 'Water In Your Eyes' the vocals are restrained and tasteful, whereas on several other cuts Tim moves up to a very high falsetto. Whilst this is a soul tradition, it is used rather too often for my liking. Used with restraint, it is highly effective, but sometimes it sounds as if Tim is trying too hard to sing like Smokie Robinson and co. The first song, 'Someday There Will Come A Time' is very evocative, as it reminds me of half a dozen old songs whilst not actually stealing from any of them.
The falsetto style songs have a good period sound but lack the hooks and distinction of the classic '60s soul the band admire. 'No Mans Land' and 'Storm Cloud' are strong songs with more of a pop feel. There is a lot of fine material here, in a style not often attempted by white guys.
www.alive-totalenergy.com
Phil Suggitt
HALFWAY
Farewell To The Fainthearted (Laughing Outlaw; CD)
It's hotter than hell; even the mozzies are too knackered to move. Your baby is shacking up with your best mate in a motel just outside Brisbane and you're wondering why you are alive. Welcome to the world of Halfway, a seven piece band from Queensland.
Halfway are a real old-fashioned country rock band. They deal in pain and pedal steel, misery and mandolins. As Stuart Coupe's sleeve notes say, "distinctive tales of what the Louvin Brothers called the tragic songs of life." Fans of Gram, the countrified Stones and Byrds, early Wilco etc will love this.
Once you get over the fact that the lyrics deal with the wide open spaces of Queensland rather than the Prairies, it all starts to make sense.
Halfway's strengths lay in their harmonies and their ability to build a really atmospheric, brooding, languid mood. The songs effectively blend into one another. It's a shame that they are largely medium paced, as the album lacks a sense of dynamics; some of the songs have a very similar feel. Whilst I like their sound, it would help to vary things in the way that bands like Pure Prairie League and The Rockingbirds used to.
www.halfway.com,au
www.laughingoutlaw.com.au
Phil Suggitt
TIM LEE
No Discretion (Paisley Pop; CD)
The striking cover of the CD shows the burnt out body of an electric guitar resting on a red coffin-liner fabric. Whilst it is a great image, it doesn't mean this album is a guitar-free synth affair, or some awful shredder muso nonsense where the guitar is played so fast it burns up. What it means is this is a guitar pop album. As a member of the excellent duo The Windbreakers, and later as a solo artist, Tim has usually delivered gorgeous hook laden harmony power pop. On this album the palette has been expanded to include some gutsier, rootsier tunes sung in a lower register. Green On Red and the subsequent solo work of Dan Stuart and Chuck Prophet spring to mind. The effect of touring with a regular band, (including wife Susan on bass) has beefed up the sound on some of the more driving numbers such as 'I Wanna Believe' and 'Keep Me Down'. However, some of the gentler songs show that Tim hasn't abandoned or rejected the power pop genre he has served so well. In fact, his vocals don't sound quite as comfortable at the lower end as they do on the poppier songs in a higher register. Still anyone who enjoyed Tim's long association with Bobby Sutliff should definitely check this out, even if the songs don't quite equal The Windbreakers' finest moments.
www.paisleypop.com
www.timleemusic.com
Phil Suggitt
EDGAR 'JONES' JONES
Soothing Music For Stray Cats (Viper; CD)
Edgar Jones, the former Stairs main man, reappears with a collection of varied and variable tones and tunes which on a Sunday morning Londoners at least, might want to
reach for instead of switching on Jazz FM on the radio. All fifteen of these often short, soft, soothers are well crafted and executed. They take in various styles such as soul and doo-wop, but are loosely bound by a mellow jazz presence throughout. There's nothing wrong with any of these pieces in their own right, but collected together they don't make any sense, unless the intention is to create a soundtrack for an imaginary film. Good as they are, they just don't make a collective whole, but maybe they're not meant to. The '50s jazz vibe on the title track or 'What's Goin' Down Huny Brown' or the gospel doo-wop of 'Do Doh Dontcha Doh' are authentic and sincere in sound, so I doubt this is done as pastiche (and the same accusations flew about the '60s intent of the immaculate Stairs recordings). Which is why they sound as good as they do. But other than to say: "Hey, listen to how well I understand these genres!" there doesn't seem to be an overall point to it all. If that sort of thing doesn't bother you, and on a Sunday morning, why would it, then you will probably find this disc to be good breakfast music.
www.the-viper-label.co.uk
Paul Martin
ADAM MARSLAND
You Don't Know Me (Karma Frog; CD)
Adam Marsland's first solo album is very polished. The level of musicianship is high, as the players include various members of The Wondermints, Negro Problem, Marsland's old band Cockeyed Ghost, and '60s songwriter Evie Sands. Lyrically the songs are clever and literate, with one or two clunkers. The songs are varied and are a considerable departure from the days of Cockeyed Ghost, who were a rather ordinary power pop band.
Despite the contributions of Evie Sands, this album has few '60s reference points. Adam's influences and style are firmly based in the singer/songwriter traditions of the '70s and '80s. There are strong echoes of Billy Joel, Steely Dan, Elton John and early Joe Jackson. It isn't that Adam's influences are not cool these days – all of them have produced some fine music at some stage in their long careers – but the combination of his influences just fails to move me at all. Even on 'Have a Nice Day' with its banks of acoustic guitars, farfisa and a good riff, the vocals put me off. The higher, falsetto style vocals and the John/Joel piano leave me cold. If you enjoy slick slick '80s style L.A. singer/songwriter stuff, check this out: I don't feel an affinity with it.
www.karmafrog.com
www.adammarsland.com
Phil Suggitt
THE MEOWS
At The Top Of The Bottom (No Tomorrow Records; CD)
Okay it is an overused epithet, but 'this rocks'. Barcelonans The Meows have been active for well over 10 years, and I must admit to only having heard an old 45 in a driving, harmony filled pop-punk vein. But that was then… this is now… and it appears that under the auspices of guitarist Enrich (owner of the truly wonderful Penniman records) the band have embraced rock and roll in the widest sense. The power and energy of Little Richard (of course), Sonics, MC5, Flamin' Groovies, Saints and Real Kids can all be heard. The end result is an oily collection of tight, snotty punk rawk 'n' rawl tunes peppered by mean vocals, vamped guitar riffola, nifty solos and a nitrate fuelled soulful passion for the music. If only the Americans could do it as well… These guys should be at the top of the pile.
www.notomorrowrecords.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills
MODERN GIANT
Satellite Nights (Popboomerang; CD)
There are two distinct sides to Modern Giant. On one hand they are a four piece Sydney band who play super-jangly melodic guitar pop with really uplifting melodies and amazing choruses. I was immediately reminded of The Hummingbirds, with Gynia Favot's glorious lead vocals, which simply soar on tunes like 'I'm Not Broken' and the anthemic 'If I Close My Eyes'. When I read the sleeve notes it was no surprise to find that ex-Hummingbird Simon Holmes is the producer. This is not to imply that this album is an imitation – I have been singing the choruses to these songs for several days now, and they are as good as they come! When guitarists Gynia and Andy Meehan trade lines with Simon Holmes singing backing vocals, all is well with the world. Sometimes they bring to mind The Go-Betweens, with extremely literate and intelligent lyrics, ('Hell is Other People').
Another facet of Modern Giant is the inclusion of three spoken-word pieces by bassist Adam Gibson. I enjoyed the first one, 'The Band Broke Up' and my mind went back to the days of The Blue Aeroplanes, when about half a dozen guitarists conjured up a mighty jangle whilst vocalist Gerard Langley spoke his beat poetry in the shadows of plane models hanging from the ceiling. Much as I enjoy poetry and appreciate Gibson's take on modern Australian street life, spoken word pieces work best in the intimacy of a live situation. Two lengthy pieces is pushing it, and three is definitely too many. Perhaps the problem is that I could listen to the songs over and over again, but after a few plays I know the poetry so well I just want to skip past it.
Oddly the band photo shows them on the floor of a record store holding vinyl treasures that certainly don't influence their sound – Ziggy Stardust and Billy Bragg for instance.
www.moderngiant.com.au
Phil Suggitt
JAN NORBERG
Jan Made Sacred Spring (Antenna Farm; CD)
The back cover of this album exhorts the listener to "play at maximum volume". This is strange, considering that three of the eight songs are just acoustic guitar and voice, and
the overall tone is folk/singer-songwriter. Perhaps the phrase is a dig at audiences who talk loudly whilst quiet folk singers are playing? Perhaps it is a joke at the expense of all those dull groups who want you to "play this album loud" to cover up their lack of originality and skill?
Although from Seattle, Jan Norberg has a voice that reminds me of the likes of Donovan and a host of less famous English '60s folk club troubadours. Jason Albertini is a one man rhythm section, playing both bass and drums. Norberg plays everything else.
The opener, 'Life Is A Dog' has a good electric guitar part and a curious lyric. The lack of conventional song structures is a problem elsewhere. The songs are pleasant but lack hooks or really memorable melodies. The acoustic songs tend to meander and expose the lack of first class tunes. If Jan was the opening act at a club, his sound would be sufficiently pleasant to keep me from heading for the bar, but not striking enough to make me want to buy his CD.
www.antennafarmrecords.com
Phil Suggitt
NICK PIPITONE
Anything I Want To Say ( Burst; CD EP)
Having reviewed and enjoyed Pipitone's Music For MiniVans CD on Kool Kat records, I was looking forward to more of the same on this five song EP. Since 2002 Nick has moved home and parted company with the musicians who played on Minivans. In some ways this is a shame because I really miss the prominent organ parts and up-front pop hooks. I particularly miss the harmonies. On this EP the other voices are mainly used as backing vocals with Nick's voice to the fore. Consciously or subconsciously he adopts an "American New Wave" vocal style that makes him sound like a lot of other people but not himself. It isn't that the songs are bad – 'Anything I Want To Say' is a grower, 'One Way Street' and 'The Perfect Girl' are good ballads, but vocally they are strongly reminiscent of early Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson.
www.burstrecords.com
www.nickpipitone.com
Phil Suggitt
KIMBERLEY REW
Essex Hideaway (Bongo Beat; CD)
This is an album of eclectic and very different styles. Fans of The Soft Boys, Robin Hitchcock and Kimberley Rew's earlier solo albums will probably own this CD already. This is a very English kind of psych-pop. As a Cambridge boy I'm not sure why Kinberley
chose to call this collection Essex Hideaway, and include some photos of Basildon sheds.
I suspect Mr. Rew has made enough money from his more mainstream songwriting with Katrina & The Waves to please himself rather than worry about commercial success.
The CD begins and ends with a cunningly faked hymn, 'Bless this album' the kind of thing you can hear in country churches on Summer Sundays. Styles vary wildly, from 'Short Smart Haircut' with pub piano and a mockney accent, the kind of annoying thing that English freakbeat/psych groups delighted in slipping on to their LPs in the late '60s. Much better is the driving pop tune 'Phoenixstowe'. After the sublime 'Going Down To Liverpool' Rew may be working his way through the ports of Britain. This may be the first and only cool tune written about the Essex port of Felixstowe?
A tribute to Jerome K. Jerome rubs shoulders with inventive power pop tunes with inventive lyrical twists, such as 'Tourists of Insanity', a cynical dig at '60s stars who lose the plot for years to become cult heroes. (Syd?) Wistful tunes follow odd but clever interludes. The stylistic diversity makes this an inconsistent collection, but Kimberley Rew albums are always worth checking out in the sure knowledge that the man is capable of producing some gloriously uplifting pop music.
www.kimberleyrew.com
www.bongobeat.com
Phil Suggitt
ROTOR
Rotor 2 (Elektrohasch; CD)
Everything about the way this is packaged seems to be designed to hide who or what is on it. The CD has a great repeated facial design and a Persian carpet pattern glows at you
from the inside of the rear insert. The front sleeve pictures a family with a guitar case about to get into their car. The number plate reads RotOR-2. Perhaps we should be looking for more signs, but I don't get the game plan here. Anyway, onto the music. The disc holds a series of eight guitar instrumentals, but don't go getting your surf board out, these are "head" pieces. They are all perfectly good in their own way and I don't feel that individually they need or are supposed to be especially distinguishable. Rather, they serve as parts of a whole where the psych guitar and the various interludes become an aural motif that signifies a required state of mind to really access it, e.g. a toke will put you in the right place. Listened to straight, it tends to become a linear backdrop after the first couple of numbers. Not my sort of thing this, but old skool (if I can appropriate that expression) long-hairs will "get it" from the off no doubt. In fact I hear it as being nearer to kraut rock than anything else or maybe I'm just not tuned in enough.
www.elektrohasch.de
Paul Martin
THE STONEAGE HEARTS
Guilty As Sin (Alive; CD)
Alive! Records have given a U.S. release to this Australian CD. The original Off The
Hip release has already been reviewed by Paul Martin. This new version sports new cover art and an extra song.
I endorse Paul's view of the record. I am a big fan of Dom Mariani's work with The Stems, Someloves and DM3. Whether working in the garage or power pop style he is always capable of writing really catchy, driving tunes with strong vocals. I am always impressed by drummer Mickster, Crusader,/Finker,/Pyramidiac, etc. I am not familiar with the previous work of bassist and songwriter Ian Wetherall, but it is good to have two lead vocalists and songwriters, both having fun and contributing songs in the style of the '60s garage bands they know and love.
I get the impression that this set would go down well live. On record, there are some strong tunes but they are mixed by others which are too reverential and referential, where the song's original influences, (such as a Bo or Stones number) are too obvious. Others sound like Stems tunes without covering any new ground. The playing is really good, but the guys' finest songs are to be found elsewhere.
www.alive-totalenergy.com
Phil Suggitt
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Felipop 5th Aniversario (Rock Indiana; CD)
Welcome to Planet Felipop, an alternate musical universe. Melody and harmony rule, Los Brincos still top the charts, guitars chime and jangle, and most songs are mid paced and sung in Spanish. This CD collects 23 songs from artists that have played at Spain's Felipop celebrations of a particularly Spanish take on power pop. Largely absent are the punky, rootsy or rocky varieties of the genre. In fact, a cover of Elvis Costello's 'Pump It Up' is very out of place, partly because it adds nothing to the original, and partly because it doesn't fit the style of the compilation. On Planet Felipop, fuzzboxes and strangled vocals are alien. Judging from this compilation, a uniquely Spanish version of sunshine pop is being promoted here. My stuttering Spanish prevents me from understanding the lyrics, but there is a great summer vibe throughout. Whilst many of the tunes are not instant classics, they are al pleasant and engaging and recommended. Although stylistically dissimilar to most of the Spanish bands, the UK's Bronco Bullfrog also make an appearance as a result of their success at Felipop. The Broncos offer a more powerful take on pop. "Vocals like the Hollies with guitars like The Who", if my Spanish serves me.
www.cincoeuros.com
www.felipop.com
Phil Suggitt
THE WORKS
The Works (Subliminal Sounds; CD)
I was blown away from the moment this set opened. Great sheets of guitar sustain riding across waves of busy percussion and slabs of keys. Although each track has its
own character, the disc is best heard as a linked aural ride throughout. Not really a concept album, but a highly intelligent sound wash with great hooks and instrumentation. The Works are Swedes, Andreas Stellan (vocals, guitar), Martin Fogelstrom (guitars), Alexis Benson (organ, piano, harmonica) and Johan Holmegard (drums/ percussion/backing vocals). They obviously have a very clear idea of what they want from their instruments and seem here to get it in spades. Opener 'Everybody' sets the scene as most tracks nonchalantly worm their way in from a sustained guitar chord to a full intro before launching into another wave of sound pattern. 'I Saw The Ocean' and 'Not The Same' stand out particularly for me, but really, once you're on board, you won't want to get off. All eleven numbers display depth, integrity and strong clear vocals and leave you wanting more. If you're looking to explore an authentic sixties psychedelic sound in a contemporary setting, then this is a very good place to start indeed. Full marks and more soon please!
www.theworks-music.com
Paul Martin
