Ozconscious - Nostalgia For The Moment

 

My connection with Winnipeg's Ozconscious was a submission for the Listening To This Week Playlist from the Singer, Songwriter and Guitarists of the band, Tate Hiebert. That song is Gaze and it closes the current Playlist. It fits what the Playlist tries to do and the song itself is very much I am about musically, in and out of I Don't Hear A Single.

I'm always concerned about the track order of LTTW, with approaching 30 songs each week, there is a worry that listens drop off as it progresses and so I try to temper that by varying the songs throughout the whole thing and by also making the closer, one of the most interesting things on it.

Gaze fitted the bill perfectly. A cracking mix of melodic Prog and Psych, the type of song that I listen to a lot away from IDHAS and introduce here when I think it fits. There's been great success with this approach, but never have I had so much praise back for one particular song.

I had to listen to the album and I have, a lot! No surprise that they are Canadian, because that country has been one of the bigger providers here, normally Power Pop. The six piece's album is largely different to Gaze, more beautifully produced Pop Rock.

There is variety and Be Real is a cracking slab of Classic Rock. Hiebert's vocal is very close to Ricky Ross and the production even bigger than Deacon Blue. Indeed Dead End Dollar sounds like a rocked up version of Deacon Blue, although throughout the emphasis is more on Rock.

After a couple of EPs, the last in 2015, the band return with a refreshed line up and a much more vigorous sound. Cryptomnesia is a great jaunty Pop song, the type that great Indie bands of the second half of the 80s broke through with.

Be Real is anthemic with a slight eastern feel that rocks out into a massive chorus. The Intro build on Powder Rock is splendid, building into a melodic Pop Rock chorus. My Eyes Are Wide Open is much smoother, a little funky, a great joint vocal with a Red Hot Chilli Peppers like intro.

I Love Myself (I Hate Myself) is again great pacy Pop and catchy as catchy can be with a hypnotic riff. Nostalgia For The Moment is a top notch listen, wonderfully produced and arranged, it is not only about Gaze. 10 songs that make you forget about the outside world as you sing along.

You can listen to and buy the album here. It cries out for and deserves a physical release.

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Tom Coward - Have A Word With Yourself

 

Welcome to something wonderful! I know little about Tom Coward, except that he is from Glasgow, but Have A Word With Yourself is an exceptional listen. 5 songs, but more of a mini album than an EP as it runs for over 24 minutes.

Send Closure is on the current Listening To This Week Playlist, but all 5 songs are worthy of your attention, all are very different to each other. Send Closure is ace Jangling Pop, slightly Folk, but it houses a killer riff and a big harmonic chorus.

Waitrose United is one of the finest songs that you will hear this year, perhaps any year. Pastoral Pop of the highest order, hints of Glasgow Pop and Intelligent Indie, a song of beauty, charm and melody. The Dinner Party is more direct, built around an incredible arrangement, almost Baroque Pop.

Christmas In Jail is more Indie Pop with an incredibly addictive Baseline, beautifully constructed with a breakout chorus, again wonderfully put together with the Sax again providing a different feel. These four songs only partly prepare you for the closer.

Stalingrad is just short of 7 minutes long, but those 7 minutes fly by. It is an essential reminder of the great Piano led Pop Rock of the 70s. Epic in scope and arrangement, it has a real jaunty bouncy feel with some wonderful harmonies. A real altogether now vibe and rounds off an exceptional album. Where have you been hiding Tom?

You can listen to and buy the album here. Surely someone will give it a Physical release. Last Night From Glasgow maybe?

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Invisible Rays - Blame It On The Rays

 

The downtime here has allowed has allowed me to discover quite a few albums that I've wanted to cover, but unlike the norm, have given me the time to see what others are saying about these bands and it hasn't been a lot. Surely there aren't just the few of us looking around to discover something new to us.

Those that have, have been linked by a common theme of adapting the PR as though they haven't listened to the album at all. It is a poor state of affairs. Boston's Invisible Rays are a band worth noting. The beauty of Guitar led Indie is that there are so many strands. Compare these four to my previous review of Attic Salt and the only common thing is that they are both Guitar led.

I find most Indie bands are like this, all taking different routes. Many outsiders say that Indie is all bands doing the same thing, which is rubbish. Invisible Rays don't rely on the strength of their choruses, great though they are, it is their adaptability that marks them out, especially the variety.

Interstellar Sweetheart is great Classic Rock, yet I Don't Dream Of You is ace Jangle Pop and Sir David Mineham is great 90's Power Pop, College Rock even. Owe Me even gets a little Prog instrumentally. These differences are what marks out the band.

Landline is on the current Listening To This Week Playlist and is outstanding Indie Rock. Kill The King Of Rock And Roll has a great instrumental track, all Psych Jangle and an outstanding chorus. In Store comes up for air, slowing things down acoustically, almost Camp Fire like.

The stand out song is the magnificent Violent Says which has an R.E.M. vibe, but sort of incorporates everything they are good at and is so damn catchy. Blame It On The Rays is a wonderful listen, the arrangements are beautifully thought out and it is different to a lot of the stuff that I listen to.

You can listen to and buy the album here. 

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Attic Salt - Stay In The Midwest

Attic Salt hit their third album, a long six years since the previous, Get Wise. The Springfield Illinois quartet press all of my buttons and so will likely push yours too. This is life affirming Indie. Power Pop, I suppose, but much more than that.

Songs are built around key requisites, killer riffs, big choruses and top notch solos. Slightly noisier than you might think, without ever losing the melody. A little Punk, a bit more detached from the genre that you might expect, more of a distorted feel, a tad Slacker, but as effective as say, a band like Ash.

They are in the mould of the new breed of Power Pop, but happier to ramp things up more. This is real singalong stuff, aided by the split vocals of Andy Harmon and Alyssa Currie, the male / female split works wonderfully well and their twin Guitars chime together splendidly.

Held together by the rhythm section of Frederick E. Malcolm and Skip Davis. Those joint vocals work even more when shared on songs. The energy on show is awesome, the four don't come up for air, Stay In The Midwest will shake the cobwebs off.

Not one song is over 3 minutes and this say what you wanna say and then get off is part of the album's charm. A few tears ago, I moved away from Power Pop, simply because it became too rooted in the Classic, all I Love You, Yes Ido, I've lost my girl on repeat.

It was albums like this that brought me back. Bands who proved there was more than just the same in the genre. Any of these 10 songs will light up your life. I've picked my current three faves, but they'll most likely be different tomorrow. Up and at 'em Guitar led joy at its most effective.

 

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

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31 Reviews In 31 Days

 

An extra 31 in 31 this month, simply to catch up with the backlog. It has been a strange couple of months for followers with unusual gaps, simply because how much the place revolved around Don and his recent illness has led to delays. But now we are back.

The 31 in 31 will have extra Reviews until the day number matches the Reviews posted and then it will strictly be one per day. There will also be a return of some old features and a couple of longer posts concerning recent music events such as the spread of AI and the Goldmine / Brooklyn Vegan debacle.

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Listening To This Week 3 August

Wow! Where do I start with this? Normally, the LTTW Playlist starts as the last one ends, compiled throughout the week as the time allows with all the other stuff that goes on with IDHAS. With me not being around for most of the week, it was approached from cold over the weekend.

The maximum 30 songs are here. All new and as usual, the mixture of what the place is about with returning heroes, Blog debutants and new singles from artists who have already been here. There has also been a lot of personal memories revived. 

Artists are here that I collected both well before the internet days and certainly before my own writing time. The fact that the artists have new songs out is amazing. The likes of Bleu, Roger Manning Jr, The Cleaners From Venus and Teenage Fanclub. 

Indeed, the Bleu song is about Ducky Carlisle and The Major Labels. Incidentally, I Don't Hear A Single is a Major Labels song and one of the three reasons for the Blog title. I've also not forgotten about the reason the Playlist is here and this could be the best ever LTTW affair from start to finish.

I don't usually include instrumentals and have certainly never opened the playlist with one, but The Sinclairs opener is wonderful. There is also the usual aim of closing with something different and exceptional, Ozconcious certainly provide that.

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. 

The Sinclairs - And Garnish With A Fresh Tarantula

Attic Salt - Dolly Zoom

Jamie Turner - Paint A Good Picture

British Birds - Lie Down With The Dogs, Stand Up With The Fleas

Roger Joseph Manning Jr - Modern Dance (The After School Specials)

Feaster - Surprise

Joe Shade - Tearing It Down

Teenage Fanclub - Day In The Sun

Cheekface - Rent Is Down

Invisible Rays - Landline

Bleu - Start A Band

Peter Cat - Innocent Driver

The Cleaners From Venus - Spring Wings In

Milk St. - Just So https://milkst.bandcamp.com/track/just-so

Ultra Lights - Wild On The Outside

Joel Cosumano - Buying Time

Railcard - Two Steps At A Time

Hard To Miss - Truth

The Hollywood Stars - Hey! LA!

WOLVESofJUNE - TNT

Jeff Graham - Leaving Chicago

st. davis - In The Know

Jack Grisham And The Life Undone - Pain Goes Around

Warren James - Miss Green Tea

Tom Coward - Send Closure

That Old Quiet Lighthouse - Hands Up

Kavus Torabi - Water Into Wine

The Loved Ones - Down That Road

Red Bird - Domino

Red Bird · Domino

Ozconcious - Gaze

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Back To The Music

 

Sorry for the tumbleweed this week. An unexpected Back injury has meant not being able to sit down for too long and certainly not in front of a Mac. The restriction has also made it difficult to collate submissions and I'll be trying to catch up with those tomorrow. It is probably the longest time that I've been away from here for ages and a rare week in that music listening has largely been on the back burner.

This has also meant that Monday's Listening To This Week Playlist has to be started from scratch tomorrow and so a lot of the day will be preparing that and it is looking top notch. Returning heroes, IDHAS debuts and some really great songs for you to listen to.

The likelihood is that I will attempt to get the Playlist out tomorrow night and tag it Monday. There are quite a few Reviews to do and get up. Fortunately, although we do have a fair bit of forward Review dates, as always, most release a bit later in August.

This means the catch up can continue in earnest and the easiest way to do this seems to be adding an extra 31 Reviews In 31 Days. They will start from Monday evening with a couple a day through the first few days and then one a day rigidly.

The amazing thing is that with almost a week's absence, Blog visits have been incredibly high. Listeners have been catching up with the month and before, listening to previous LTTW Playlists and most pleasing, visiting the archive looking back at the last 10 years. 

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