FORD'S IMAGINARY INFERNO
Life Without Ourselves (Clean; CD)
     This is a pleasant blend of pop and slightly strange pop-psyche in a rather English vein, although the band is from Holland. There is some really good pop with memorable choruses, such as the charming 'Where's My Little Universe?' to the dreamy psyche of 'Now I've got the moon', 'Time-Young-Old' to name but two. I'm not really sure what Acid-folk is, but this must be close, as the tunes have their fair share of melody and harmonies.
     The Imaginary Inferno is the brainchild of Hans Ford, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist. Between 1995 and 2004 the band released 6 albums, although some are virtually all Hans. Previously only available as a limited edition in the Benelux countries, Life Without Ourselves is a re-release of the band's second CD from 1997, featuring a full band. Hans sings all lead and back-up vocals, but the band, particularly Patrick Delabie on guitar and the background keyboards of Mitch ably assist him. On four of the nineteen songs Hans plays everything, and the sound is noticeably thinner; the band sound like a band.
www.clear-spot.nl
Phil Suggitt

THE FUMESTONES
Now at the …Minibar!! (Kuriosa; 45 Vinyl EP)
     Spain's Fumestones deliver four slabs of authentic sounding 80's-style garage. I award them marks of two out of four, as 'Minibar' and 'Pamplona' have decent tunes, whereas 'A Blind Nun's Thoughts' and 'Out of Tears' have the requisite fuzz, farfisa and snarls without tunes to hang them on.
www.fumestones.com
Phil Suggitt

THE HEISE BROTHERS
Listen and Learn (Choose to Lose; CD)
     This is the first album from Nelson and Robert Heise, who have previously recorded several albums with the band Munkey Juice, who I confess ignorance of. The original intention was to make a more personal album with a folk-rock sound, leading me to expect an introspective, acoustic-based affair. In fact most of the tunes are robust folky pop-rock, suggesting that Munkey Juice are a full-on guitar band.
     Both brothers write and sing; Nelson mostly plays guitar and keyboards whilst Robert plays bass. The sound is an enjoyable and distinctly American roots pop, sometimes reminiscent of The Replacements and Paul Westerberg. The album has a warm, relaxed feel, as if the musicians had fun making it. Several local Minneapolis musicians contribute, making it sound like a band. Like The Replacements, the loose, happy feel gives the impression that everything has been created artlessly and effortlessly, when it is more likely that considerable care and craft has gone into the song writing
     The brothers write understated, catchy folk-pop with plenty of hooks and choruses. 'Figure Anything Out' epitomises their uplifting sound, and appears in three different versions, 'Mystic', 'Soft' and 'Stomp'. Elsewhere songs like 'For Me', 'Names' and 'Old Man' show a good sense of musical dynamics, with lots of driving acoustics allowing Joshua Stuckey to play electric lead over the top.
     Honouring the album title, the brothers show a nice sense of humour by including diagrams of all the guitar chords used, just like a Burt Weedon play-in-day book.
www.theheisebros.com
Phil Suggitt

THE HIGHER STATE
From Round Here (Misty Lane/Teen Sound; CD)
     I don't think you'll need too many words from me to confirm how good this one is… maybe Gee! Wizz! Wow! Happenin' will point you in the right direction. Marty and Mole from long time SD buddies The Mystreated are back and have concocted a perfectly crafted vision indebted to the psounds that such great bands as Love, The Byrds, 13^th Floor Elevators and a whole host of lesser known thinking youngsters forged between 1965 and 1970. Most importantly From Round Here's philosophical sensibility suggest that the frustrations that the intelligent upstarts of the 1960s felt are still clearly part of modern day life… so don't let me get started on George Bush and materialism. Oh yes, The Higher State are far more than a mere pudding bowl recreation, they're a valid voice for the new bohemia; time bandits who have shared coffee n smokes with Gene Clark and Roky! And let's cut the flowery superlatives (words on paper mean little when music is the topic) let me just say that The Higher State are the only current US 1960s styled garage band that you need to hear – the guitar and organ interplay and vocals are superb!
http://crea.html.it/sito/nowsound
http://thehigherstate.com/
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

JANEvsWORLD
56kHearts (PopBoomerang; CD)
     The six songs on this mini album are upbeat, bouncy indie pop tunes with infectious, uplifting choruses. Jane vs. World are actually lead vocalist Kate and keyboard player Jadey, ably assisted and abetted by a rhythm section comprising Australian power pop luminaries Michael Carpenter and Matt Fell, who also co-produce.
     The songs are based on Jadey's catchy piano figures and irresistible sing-along choruses, such as 'Boy From Canada's "Boy from Canada where are you/now wow now wow now wow now wow now?" or the "bup bup-bah/bup bup-bah" in 'Sebastian'. Don't get the impression that this is bubblegum, though; the lyrics are also witty, literate and slightly tongue-in-cheek, as titles like 'B-grade Lisa Loeb' and 'I used to write bad poetry' demonstrate. I particularly like 'The Subterraneans' which evokes the world of Kerouac with finesse.
www.popboomerang.com
Phil Suggitt

LONG TALL SHORTY
Women & Trouble (Biff! Bang! Power!; CD)
     This is a good example of traditional British R&B, and is a direct descendant of a distinguished lineage that stretches back to the likes of Dr. Feelgood all the way back to the earliest days of The Downliners Sect and The Pretty Things. Long Tall Shorty are a very tight band of experienced players. Like many styles of music, this kind of R&B began as something completely different and almost revolutionary, but over the years has become quite conventional. Nothing wrong with this – R&B fans don't want avant-garde experimentation, just snappy songs and sharp playing within the strictly defined parameters of the genre. In this respect Long Tall Shorty certainly deliver.
     I find it a little odd that the band's promo material regards their music as being quintessentially 'mod'; blues-based R&B emerged before the first waves of mod popularity and has continued to have a following regardless of the rises and falls in the popularity of modernism. Labels aside, Long Tall Shorty play very well. The harp wails effectively, there is a driving rhythm section, sneering vocals and plenty of bluesy guitar.
     Some might say that this type of music is best experienced in a live setting, and that most of the people who buy this CD will do so as a memento of a good gig. The band has sensibly augmented their basic guitar/bass/drums/harp line-up with contributions from Steve Gamble on keyboards Mark Norton on sax. The pair appear on almost every track and they play an important role in making this album more varied and interesting than many others of its type. Unless the band adds a keyboardist and sax player on stage, the live sound must be a more basic and stripped down.
www.biffbangpow.org.uk
Phil Suggitt

THE LOST 45s
What Time Do You Call This? (Biff!!Bang!Pow!; CD)
     The first album from The Lost 45s is a good, but erratic release. On the plus side the use of three lead vocalists allows the band to visit several different styles of 60's based mod pop. Guitarist Nick Waters gives the band a soulful, R&B dimension whilst organist Mick Ward and bassist Nige Spencer sing in a more pop orientated style. The CD has been divided into two 'sides', presumably because there will also be a vinyl edition. The six tunes on side 2 are much the more satisfying. 'Sister Sue Said' and 'The Man That Time Forgot' draw on the bands' 60's pop and mod influences, but the tunes sound fresh and are typical of several strong songs with good hooks and decent backing vocals.
     On occasion the sound can veer towards a pastiche rather than an inspiration. The opening song, 'ThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday' begins with a great guitar and keyboard riff but the fake London accents in the chorus sound bizarre coming from a bunch of Leeds lads, and sound contrived. Similarly, the main riff of 'Ivy' is such a blatant steal from 'Gloria' it is hard to take the song seriously. On the much more interesting and ambitious final cut, 'Montgomery Haigh', the lyrics make respectful references to Love's 'Forever Changes', demonstrating that they can use their influences without being subsumed by them.
www.biffbangpow.org.uk
www.thelost45suk.co.uk
Phil Suggitt

STEVEN MARK
Aloneaphobe (Basset; CD)
     Steven Mark has described his music as "Elliott Smith meets The Byrds, with a touch of Alice In Chains Unplugged". These may be Mark's favourite artists, but I can't hear a single trace of The Byrds in any of their incarnations. There are some similarities with Elliott Smith, in that the lyrics are intelligent and have something to say. Many of the songs on this, Stevens' second album chronicle the ups and downs of a tempestuous relationship with a former girlfriend.
     When played randomly on iPod shuffle, these songs have greater impact when not heard one after the other. All of the tunes are melodic, quiet, pleasant pop songs, centred around restrained guitars and piano. Among the best songs are the pair that bookend the album, 'Window In The Dark' and 'In From The Rain'. Steven Mark has a decent, but not particularly distinctive voice. Over the course of 14 songs I wished for a greater musical dynamic in the arrangements. None of the songs are poor, but, taken together, they seem merely 'pleasant' and 'nice'.
www.stevenmarkmusic.com
Phil Suggitt

JEFF MERCHANT
Window Rolled Down (True Classical; CD)
     The cover and title of this CD led me to expect a collection of California 'freeway cruisin' type songs, but the title is actually from a far less straightforward tune about relating to other people and their feelings, in which a driver winds down his window to speak to a biker, who wants to help him. Jeff Merchant's songs defy easy categorization. His complex, melodic and well-crafted songs contain many elements of sunshine pop, and are partly in the tradition of the Fading Yellow'/'Soft Sounds For Gentle People style compilations.
     Much more interesting than conventional love songs, Jeff's lyrics often deal with untypical subjects like homelessness and housing problems. Excellent use is made of classical instruments, so that some of the tunes are reminiscent of chamber pop. The cellos, sax, flute, strings and recorders add a great deal of texture and variety. A wide range of instruments are used selectively and sparingly, so that the songs are not overpowered by excessive orchestration.
     Merchant is a good singer and also plays guitar, bass and keyboards. There is some really fine, sophisticated and mellow pop here, such as 'All Of the Times' and 'Right Outside'. Several female singers are used to very good effect; all of the strongest tunes involve Jeff singing duets with girls. Jeffs' ad for vocalists probably read something like this; "Wanted: girl singers. Must only drink milk and honey and sing like an angel. Wings an asset but not essential".
     Not all of the 16 songs hit the mark. Some of the arrangements are slightly twee and MOR, despite the mature lyrics. This is the case when Jeff speaks rather than sings, as in 'Landlord Song' and 'Distressed'.
www.trueclassicalcds.com
Phil Suggitt

MINK JAGUAR
Mink Jaguar (Off The Hip; CD)
     Mink Jaguar describe their music as if "some really dumb people had sex with really smart apes and had kids and those piece formed a three piece punk band but all they ever heard was one Little Richard song, one by The 13^th Floor Elevators and maybe one Jonathan Richman song". Funny as it is, this makes their music sound more troglodytic and primitive than it really is! In reality they are three Australians with a fixation for vintage, raw and basic American rock'n'roll, R&B, rockabilly and trash. The brothers Ellis play bass and drums, Billy Quan handles the guitar. Nine of the fifteen songs are covers of Chuck Berry, Marcel Joseph, Iris Dement, Wanda Jackson, Buck Owens, etc – you get the idea. The band have a stripped down, bash-it-out approach, similar to The Hypstrz, who deconstruct US garage tunes in a similar manner. Mink Jaguar songs never outstay their welcome; they say what they have to say in under three minutes. Many of the tunes last considerably less than two minutes and one clocks in at 56 seconds! Stripping the song down to its essential core is sometimes very effective, such as their crazy but inspired version of 'Hotter Than Mojave.' Mink Jaguar's own songs, like the jaunty 'Anywhere But Here' and 'Red Queen' are good attempts, and fit in well with the covers.
     On the other hand some of the covers are enthusiastic but pale shadows of the originals, such as the uninspiring 'Nothing Shaking'. Often this is because the vocals are competent but rather flat and lacking personality.
www.offthehip.com.au
Phil Suggitt

THE MIRACLE MEN
Don't Hide Your Love (Kuriosa; 45 Vinyl EP)
     The Miracle Men play a loud, driving modern Nederbeat. Henri Sulmann writes energetic tunes but possesses a limited vocal range. Backing vocals would add an extra dimension.
www.miraclemen.tk
Phil Suggitt

POPE
Grace of God (E-pop; CD)
     This CD shows little trace of Chris Pope's musical past as the guitarist and songwriter for late '70s mod band The Chords. These days Pope writes, produces and plays almost everything but the drums. The material tends towards passionate, melodramatic rock anthems with slight similarities to the early '70s rock of The Who and Mott The Hoople. On the first few plays, I found this album difficult to warm to. The cover picture didn't help; I am probably displaying my ignorance of modern cinema/photography by thinking this a tasteless depiction of a car accident or a crime, when it might be maybe it is an iconic picture of cultural significance.
     After a while I began to appreciate and enjoy most of the songs. Their strengths are also what initially put me off. Songs like 'Brave New World' and 'Always quit While You're Ahead' are passionate, angry and melodramatic manifestoes, but ten such intense, high energy workouts is quite a lot to take in one listening. The songs work individually but some changes of mood and pace would really help. The production is rather dense, and some of the songs sound like decent tunes trying to find some space.
www.pope.uk.net
Phil Suggitt

THE SHIFTIES
Silent Agreement (Dirco; CD)
     In the grand tradition of guitar bands like The Feelies, The Shifties' mostly play tuneful pop with sweet melodies and harmonies, but often the songs hint that something slightly dark and possibly sinister lies beneath the surface. 'Girl Car' is a prime example, as the lyrics mostly consist of 'We got your money/ We got your girlfriend, in my car', alluding to robbery, menace and kidnap. Cleverly, the scenario is left open, leading the causes and consequences to the imagination. If the lyrics were slightly altered to "We got your money, we got your girlfriend AND your car" they could threaten all aspects of the American dream! Lyrics aside, the song has a fine tune and an understated fuzz guitar break (if that's not a contradiction in terms!)
     A similarly disturbing effect is achieved on other neat tunes such as 'We have your life' and by the use of churchy organ on 'Clicks'. Most of the eight songs have a leisurely, dreamlike and atmospheric quality. The straightforward rock/pop songs like 'Drink' are more ordinary, suggesting that the band should pursue the winning combination of '60s inspired pop with a dark underbelly.
www.theshifties.blogspot.com
www.cdbaby.com
Phil Suggitt

13 DREAMS
Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus: Redux (Anda Records; CD)
     Comparisons with the original were always going to be inevitable so I played this all the way through twice just to make sure I hated it! To paraphrase the lyrics to 'Animal Zoo', this remake of what was possibly Spirit's finest hour can only be described as "much too flat and a little too long" (sorry, Jay!). Revered by the 13 Dreams themselves as "Westcoast Psychedelic Genius", the original five-man Spirit conjured up in … Sardonicus a truly magnificent rock album before Jay and Mark and then, briefly, Randy decided to jump ship in 1971 (well, how were they supposed to follow it?).
     This, however, neither does its illustrious predecessor the slightest bit of justice, nor does it make for any kind of meaningful listening experience, plodding along in its pathetic attempts to emulate. Sure, they throw in a sitar and backwards tapes, pepper the proceedings with weather effects and news broadcasts about disasters (predictably in 'Nature's Way') and air raid sirens ('Soldier', of course!) but, well, if you're going to record somebody else's album in its entirety, at least do it like the Chrysanthemums did with Odessey And Oracle and display a little originality here and there, for chrissakes! The only mildly surprising moments in this otherwise dull and often dire ('When I Touch You') collection are an instrumental version of 'Life Has Just Begun' (sounds like a backing track - no, I could never understand the lyrics either!) and a female lead vocal on a competent version of 'Morning Will Come'. Not even fresh garbage!
www.cdbaby.com/cd/13dreams
Silky Sam

TWO GIRAFFES
Twelve songs (Love and Madness; CD)
     Vocalist Sam McNulty and multi-instrumentalist Steve Edgson have been playing in Coventry bands since the late '70s. Their early band Reluctant Stereotypes had a great name but I confess to never having heard their earlier stuff.
     One of the good things about the CD era is that musicians can release their own material without having to succumb to commercial pressures. This frees Two Giraffes to include a range of different song writing styles, but not all of them are successful. The first three songs don't do a lot for me. Sam's vocals are effective on the cod-Latin 'Flamenco Lovers' but elsewhere he can sound rather melodramatic. The second song, 'Bad Poetry' starts with a jaunty ska beat before launching into a whistled chorus that makes it ideal as the theme for a wholesome children's TV series. The next batch of songs, including 'Lake of Hazy Silver', 'Fly' and 'One Month Later' explore more interesting territory, mellow English pop with tasteful electric-acoustic guitar, clarinet or sax adornments. The album is so diverse that some of the tunes work well, but others have me reaching for the skip button.
www.twogiraffes.co.uk
Phil Suggitt

VETIVER
To Find Me Gone (Fat Cat; CD)
     Devandra Banhart's sparring partner, guitarist Andy Cabic, also fronts the collective Vetiver; whose moniker is derived from the name of an oil that is said to have spiritual healing properties. It suits Cabic's laconic almost comatose country-rock/folk-rock/blues ramblings too, as they certainly exude a stoned hippy vibe. I've never really got Banhart -- who contributes to a few songs here -- but Cabic and his buddies whispering songsmithery is never quite as cloying as the Bolan acolyte's, which suits me. There's a lot of old influences here too, and a modern critic could quite easily dismiss much as a post Woodstock throwback, but there's also something of a modern mood about it too, which works quite well. The album often tends to float in the ether rather than offering consistently strong songs; nevertheless, it's a likeable collection that manages to add something new to the acid-folk/country-rock adage of old.
www.fat-cat.co.uk
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

GINA VILLALOBOS
Miles Away (Laughing Outlaw; CD)
     Gina's soulful, slightly hoarse, world-weary vocals sound like the voice of a young woman who has experienced more than her share of misery and pain, so they are absolutely appropriate for her sad songs about difficult situations and troubled times. The phrase "redemption through song" comes to mind, as the best of these songs have big, memorable and uplifting choruses, despite the troubled lyrics.
     This collection of songs has been honed on the road, and marks a massive step forward from her debut album. The sound no longer fits into a neat category like country rock or roots; it's just a collection of great pop/rock tunes.
     Gina's band is a tight and polished unit. The opener 'Miles Away' hits the ground running with lots of chunky, chiming guitar from Kevin Haaland and Ben Pringle's subtle keyboard work. Pringle's organ is unobtrusive but crucial to the sound. Sean Caffey plays pedal steel, but very much in a rock'n'roll context.
     I took this record and a stack of other CDs to keep me company on a long road trip, but such is the strength of these tunes that I found myself playing songs like 'Don't Let Go', 'If I Can't Have You' and 'Somebody Save Me' over and over again. Everything is sung with passion and played with verve.
     Gina handles almost all the vocals herself. She double-tracks to good effect on 'Don't Defeat Me' and others, but I kept hearing phantom backing vocals in my head. Many of her songs have good choruses that might greatly benefit from the addition of more prominent backing vocals. Perhaps Gina she could experiment along these lines on her next release.
www.laughingoutlaw.com.au
Phil Suggitt

JOE WILKES
Spotlight (Joe Wilkes; CD)
     A lazy reviewer might draw a comparison between Joe Wilkes and John Martyn. Both are very accomplished acoustic guitarists. Both possess the pack-of-Gauloises voice best described as "smoky". Both are comfortable playing a folk-jazz hybrid. I don't want to be accused of being lazy – Joe's music is entirely acoustic, making good use of John O'Neill's clarinet, flute and sax over sparse congas, drums and double bass.
     Many of the songs have leisurely tempos and take a narrative form, creating a baroque folk-jazz soundscape where the mood is as important as the individual songs. The tunes merge together to create a good early morning/late night vibe. This is partly because Joe does not often use the conventional song structures of verse//chorus verse/ middle eight, etc.
     The complex charts shown in one of the cover photos testify that some of the songs are very carefully constructed, with tasteful string arrangements by bassist Antoine Reininger. Others have a loosely improvised feel, where I can imagine Joe saying "I need some soulful harmonica over the guitar and some sax too. Let's try it". Both approaches help create a mellow "it's so late night, it could be early morning" feel.
www.joewilkes.co.uk
Phil Suggitt

THE WILLOWZ
Talk In Circles (Sympathy For The Record Industry; CD)
     The 20 songs on this CD range from rather interesting to rather ordinary. The Willowz play a fuzzy, sludgy indie rock that owes a little to the Stooges and a lot to '90s grunge, without having the killer tunes that distinguished the best of either style. There are snatches of good ideas, tunes and neat hooks on 'Horn song' or 'Equation #2' but often there is no real shape or strong structure, or the ideas don't build into anything substantial. A good half of the songs sound like the demo's of a band full of enthusiasm and creativity but in need of an experienced producer to edit or refine their ideas.
     Many of the most tuneful moments occur when bassist Jessica Reynoza sings. Lead singer and guitarist Richie Follin has a fairly high voice, so it is often difficult to tell who is singing lead on what. The singing is least effective when it becomes a whine, as on 'Shriek' and 'Walk Straight'.
www.sympathyrecords.com
www.thewillowz.com
Phil Suggitt