Hamlet - The Breaking Point Is Grieving. (11 October)

 

I adored Hamlet's 2025 album, Light Under Repair, (review here) and the follow up is even more interesting. Appearing again on my good friend Darrin Lee's Subjangle label, as you might expect the trademark Indie Pop and Jangle Pop are all shipshape and ready.

But this is much more than that. The string arrangements at times, make the album more Baroque Pop. As I mentioned in the previous review, the trio format fits Chris Wales like a glove, but the guest appearances add much too.

Travis Talbert's Pedal Steel on Blocked At The Bank turns the gentle Guitar Pop into something more Americana and the killer chorus is anthemic. Kate Wakefield's Cello on Borrowed Time is hypnotic, nourishing a great Pop song.

Mike Fair's Guitar on the closer, Columns is incendiary and enhances and embraces a song that shows another side of Wales, a darker vocal, a little Talking Heads in style and the arrangement is wonderful. On the vocal side, Wales's mellow laidback vocal suits the material perfectly.

There is great variety too. Looms Large is great Power Pop, While You Were In The Window is splendid pastoral Psych Pop. The Story After is great Guitar Pop, built on a killer Riff. Emptying Pockets is a little IRS and adds yet another string to the bow.

Obvious comparisons will be made to Flying Nun and Sarah Records, but at times, the album is a little more muscular, for want of a better word. The arrangements are exemplary and admirable. You just have to sit back and admire what Hamlet have come up with.

You can listen to and buy the album here. The album is available on CD and as a download.

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Steve Robinson And Ed Woltil - Temporary Sun

The third album from the North Carolina duo. We've followed Steve Robinson for quite a while and the duo have likewise offered up really enjoyable albums. Robinson has generally been the more  Pop orientated, Woltil, a little more towards the Rock.

Here, they meet in the middle more. Nearer to Robinson's Folk and Americana roots at times. Dave Gregory is here again, playing on 7 of the 12 songs and Dave Mattacks also appears on 4 of the songs. Both add great things.

Temporary Sun is much more laidback, really easy to listen to. Gregory's Electric Guitar adapts beautifully to the material, coming in much more for variety of songs rather than those solos. With that in mind, his playing shows a much greater range than he is usually noted for.

I do miss the previous work's Psych Pop and Jangling, but the songs are beautifully constructed. The more mellow material works really well and both have great voices that lend to the quality of the material. There are plenty of stand out moments.

Junk Drawer Heart is great Pop Rock with a killer chorus. The Man With The Interrupted Heart is particularly jaunty with a slight ska feel to the rhythm. Outrun The Sun is a rockier affair with a Guiar sound that reminds me of John Miles's Zaragon era.

Although the album falls into the Pop Rock genre, the Acoustic touches and Americana adventures work superbly and Gregory's Guitar work on the closer, Squint, is superb. An album to curl up to in these Darker, Colder, Nights.

You can listen to and buy the album here. The album is available on CD and as a download.

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Tommy Keene - Songs From The Film : The 1984 Reflection Sessions

 

When I first came to the internet for Reviews, I was largely noted for a long time as a Power Pop writer. My music social circle became largely about the genre and although there was far more to my listening habits than that, the reputation kinda stuck for a long time.

For me, the king of Power Pop was Tommy Keene. From the first time that I heard Places That Are Gone, that was it and in the Power Pop scene, I could now wax lyrical. He is still the King in my eyes and ears and material like this getting an official release is wonderful.

To get to talk to Tommy was a thrill and those conversations had surprisingly little mention of Power Pop. They were about our dogs, a shared love of Prog and a big Be Bop Deluxe connection. I used to joke about getting a UK gig together with him and Dom Mariani on the bill.

This album had a Record Day Vinyl release this year, but is now available to all. It isn't a set of demos. This was a finished album, produced by Don Dixon and T-Bone Burnett in 1984. The record was shelved when Geffen came to call and was re-recorded for the major label's 1986 release.

The Jangling on Faith In Love stands out on an album full of Jangle Pop. The hillbilly shuffle on We're Too, the AOR of They're In Their Own World. The Storytelling and bigger Rock of Gold Town. This is a great document of where it all began.

You can listen to and buy the album here. 

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Listening To This Week Playlist 26 October

I do say it regularly, but this week's playlist is one of our best ever. A perfect example of what we do. Every song deserves your undivided attention. The maximum 30 songs this week. Quality throughout and another storming closer that beats a different path.

The song order is not about song preference, but how the playlist flows.  All embeds open in new windows to aid scrolling. Links to the artists will also appear on I Don't Hear A Single Social Media sites over the next 24 hours. This will help you to discover more about those who appear here. 

Flavour - Topaz Stone

Canned Pineapple - Done With Everything

The Anderson Council - How Did We Get It So Wrong?

The Anderson Council · How Did We Get It So Wrong?

Future Clouds And Radar - Wooden Soldiers

Alex Pester - Una Stubbs

2:19 Special - Big Black Truck

The Dahlmanns - Ride On

King Black Acid - Ready For Magic

The Rainlamps - True Superheroes

B.C. - Everybody Lies

B.C. · Everybody Lies

Good Vibes Rollercoaster - Sunset Tripping

Joe Normal - Autumn's Closing In

The Low Priorities - Ruler Of Venice

The Friends - Quiet Piggy

Lonely Android - Everything In Time

Yuppy - Action Bastard

Dad Hats - Goth Boy Scout

The Vumms - In My Sleep

Snatch The Snail - Pop Hit

A.M. Slingers - Knock It Off

Dennis Davison - Opposites

Archi Deep - Wanna Be Free

Svenssen - Carry On Flat

The Don't Look Nows - The Boat Song

Youth Of Tomorrow - Braindead

Flottwegs - High End Goods

TwoMinutesHate - Call That A Comeback

DirtyCute - Lemon Zest

DOT DASH! - Queen Of The World

DOT DASH ! · Queen of the World

Das Phaedrus - Mad In The Hills

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Flavour - Zip It Up

 

Talking of Glam Rock, this is the real deal. Flavour are from Troy in New York and remind you of Butterfly Collars, Flares and Platform shoes. Wonderfully so, the quartet seem to revel in the glory of 1974, a year when singles were so important, particularly to myself in an industrial town. 

It felt like you couldn't wait to grow up and go to the Bright Lights and the Stardust. The album was led in by two great singles, both are here. Radiation Boogie is like Marc Bolan having the two Thin Lizzy Guitarists in his band.

The Tingler again sounds like Bolan, but this time the pace is much quicker, still very Glam, but rocked up towards the 1976 Time bomb with a slight Wizzard instrumental feel, particularly at the stop signs. These two songs are just a showcase of the full album, where the accompanying eight songs, don't let the quality drop.

Zip It Up is wall to wall Theme Park like joy. It reminds me of that time, but also demonstrates how much the generations that followed have missed. The beauty of Flavour is that they rock the songs with big riffs and top notch solos.

Every song is a sure fire winner resulting in a wonderful debut album and the best is left until last, all 7 and a half minutes of it. Flavour, Flavour has hints of The Darkness, but also evokes memories of the original period, a mix of the then and the Rock and Roll that preceded it that came from the likes of Wizzard and Mud.

But the closer takes you much further, with an extended groove that adds Barrel Piano, it will become a great closer at shows. The second half Jam is superb. Many try to hark back to the age, but few, if any, master it as well as Flavour.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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A.M. Slingers - To The Nines

 

Chicago's A.M. Slingers are a quartet that offer up a twin guitar attack with three of the four sharing lead vocals and To The Nines, their second album, certainly provides the goods. I reviewed the debut self titled album here. Six years on, the follow up arrives.

This is certainly a Guitar album, all killer Riffs and solos. The three vocalists allow the variety to flow and the choruses are especially big. This allows to raid the genres through Glam Rock, Pop Rock, Classic Rock, UK New Wave and Power Pop.

With a tight Rhythm Section that allows the Guitars to battle it out, the album rocks, but melodically. At times, there is a Cheap Trick feel, particularly on Whoopski and yet Treading Water is great 70s Classic Rock, a little Punk in places.

Cooler Healthy Hands is pure 1974 Glam Rock. Move On is really urgent, a mix of Punk that turned into New Wave in days gone by. The Twin Guitars really spring to life on Minor Dissent, a little Thin Lizzy-ish  feel to proceedings.

Knock It Off is great Pop Rock with the emphasis on Rock with big hints of Power Pop. To The Nines is great fun, catchy as catchy can be, but it is the riffs and solos that grab you most that demonstrates the joy of the instrument. A cracking listen.

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl and as a download.

British Birds - Murmurate, Oscillate

 

Oh, how we love Inventive Pop and British Birds are masters at it. Their second album, Silence Daedelus, was in our Best Albums Of 2025 (review here) and the joy continues here. Now on Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey's excellent Skep Wax label, the future is indeed bright.

As mentioned in that previous Review, the band are from Chorley, a town near to where I was born and still live near to. Towns that were once salt of the earth, but now seem to have turned ultra Right Wing with people banging on about the previous unmentionable.

The mix of brother and sister, Bobby And Emma Townson on vocals works beautifully and the Rhythm section of Dominic Lawson and James Robinson allow the angular songs to excel. Lyrically adept, there is no other band around quite like them.

Not necessarily influences, but you hear the likes of earlier XTC, Talking Heads, Franz Ferdinand and The Lovely Eggs spring to mind. Emma's vocal at times sounds a little St Etienne, but always has big sprinkles of 60s Girl Group Pop.

The songs are amazing, each one an amazing adventure in itself. Listen to the title track and prepare to be mesmerised, a mix of Lounge and heavy heavy. Throughout the album, you sense the band keep raiding the instrument cupboard, the arrangements are unique and hypnotic.

I'm not a fan generally of Talking vocals, but Emma's vocal on Blame Game is amazing, attached to a jaw dropping instrumental arrangement and Bobby's vocal interventions and wondrous Angular Guitar work. I have purposely not taken to mentioning individual songs.

That is simply because this is an album to be listened to from start to finish. But only a band of such extreme ability, could provide so much left field joy and then close with a song like Two Dead Bees which is wonderful Brit Pop.

Murmurate, Oscillate is a gobsmacking listen. Backed up with a big Tour next year and a growing Live reputation, the future is bright. This has Album Of The Year potential and is an album that few could come up with. Absolutely Top Notch!

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl, CD and as a download.

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The Low Priorities - Dice

 

We start today off with the wonderful Guitar Pop of Sydney Trio, The Low Priorities. Dice is a debut album to be proud of and right up our street. Others may label this Power Pop, but it isn't really, it has far more in common with the better melodic Indie Guitar bands of the 80s.

It is built on great riffs, many of them jangling, great arrangements and the top notch mellow vocals of David Orwell. Unlike Trios who go for power, The Low Priorities go for catch all catchiness with some sterling Guitar solos.

The songs are memorable foot tapping throughout. Pop Rock at times, but not afraid to step into other areas. The Guitar work on Monochrome Sound is rockier and even gets a little Psych Pop. San Miguel does step heavily into Power Pop.

Strawberry Gum is great UK 80s Indie, close to the C86 brigade and Ruler Of Venice blows the doors off. Additional Guitar from Oliver Klein and Anthony Brown makes the guitar sound almost orchestral and the Brit Pop feel is enhanced by a Psych Pop breakout.

The opener, the title track, lets you know what you in for, a summer sounding feel good with more Psych Pop. Dice is ideally suited to the Summer, but with the cold and light drawing in and the troubling times around the world, this is exactly the album you need to brighten the spirits.

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on CD and as a download.

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