This Circus Life - The Flowers Know The Truth

 

I've been remiss in taking so long to review this. So long in fact that there has since been a more recent Live album. However, I wanted this beauty to be the review. This Circus Life are such an excellent five piece, that I sometimes take this for granted, hopefully this partly rectifies this.

This place has evolved so much over nearly 9 years that you get entranced in all the noise and multi directions so much that it makes you forget what the place was originally started for and it was for splendid Pop Rock and here is just that.

This Circus Life are undeniably English and master a mellow, beautifully arranged and performed melodic  Guitar led Pop. They sit somewhere between Crowded House and Squeeze, but unlike both of those, the arrangements are bigger and would stand on their own without the vocal of Charlie Mear.

Brass and strings are present, but the songs just as good when straight ahead. Staring At The Sun is built around a piano led vocal, but then breaks into an outstanding string arrangement. Very Neil Finn plus!  The Circus Is Leaving Town is wonderfully delicate, built to made you cry.

A Long Long Time is more electric and Pop Rock gold. Home is gentle Psych and Jangle which will go down well here. But it is the slower thoughtful songs that hit home most here. It is really nice to listen to something that isn't trying to riff you to death. The contemplation eases your mind and soul. Life is not all about noise.

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on CD and as a download. You can find out more about This Circus Life here.

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Kicking Bird - 11 Short Fictions.

 

We loved Kicking Birds debut album, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. It was well placed in our Best 100 Albums of 2023 (Review here). So, it is great to hear the follow up, released today. The Wilmington, North Carolina five piece, don't disappoint, not that we ever expected they would.

This is still Indie Rock, but the band's take on the genre is much wider than most others. The male / female vocal on different tracks still works, but there is something a little different this time round. 11 Short Fictions sounds a little more in your face. More Fuzz, more Guitar extravaganzas.

The intelligent quirky arrangements prevail, but there seems more urgency making them a little more Garage Rock at times and more than a little Psych. They haven't forgotten how key the chorus is, but there is a rip roaring urgency at times that completely grips you.

Amidst all the riffs and heavier Guitar, there is still beauty. The vocal performance of Shaylah Paul on Too Much Talking sounds very 60s chanteuse and the arrangement is wonderful. The Guitar almost talks to you at times. Good Company is also more straight ahead, almost Noo Yawk Classic Rock.

What Did You Expect (From Such A Beautiful Wife) is almost Power Pop.But is the noisier material that grabs you post.Good Lighting is wonderful Psych, a sweet vocal that battles with a wonderful Psychedelic blast off. 

Cinnamon is pure street Garage Rock. Album 2 is more intense than the debut, but has lost none of its charm, it just wants you to rock a bit more. Intelligent Guitar Noise may describe the album most, but that is just the thing to liven up your proceedings.

You can listen to and buy the album here. You can buy yhe Vinyl Edition on Fort Lowell Records here.

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I Do Hear A Single

 

The success of the Listening To This Week Playlist has gobsmacked us. However, it has brought a couple of concerns that were discussed considered during the week off. We have no intention of ending the support for single tracks.

However, I, personally, thought it was becoming a bit unwieldy. The current Playlist contains 35 songs and in the format used, it is quite a listen. I also had concerns about IDHAS looking less focussed on longer length reviews.

The conclusion is that there will now be a sister site that will cover singles. It took a lot of thinking to come up with the name "I Do Hear A Single". It will be different to LTTW in that singles will appear throughout the week and also contain a short write up.

I understand that opening a second site is not ideal for all, but there will still be a weekly post on here on Mondays. That will summarise all that has been on I Do Hear A Single during the previous week with a link to the songs, but the playable content and short review will be on I Do Hear A Single.

We will see how it all goes as the weeks go on. The start of I Do Hear A Single will be at some stage this month. There will be a LTTW Playlist this coming Monday. Any thoughts or comments? Just get in touch.

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End Scene - I Will Not Live Safe, I Will Live True

 

It has been four years since the Sydney Trio's debut album, All My Ghosts and End Scene don't disappoint. Revolving around James Jennings's vocals and songwriting and Tom Dufficy's multi instrumentalism, the results are totally engaging.

Jennings has that Australian vocal art of sounding laconic and laidback that allows songs to breathe, very much like the likes of Steve Kilbey. Indeed, In The After is not a million miles away from The Church. Yet Jennings gets outspoken Oz in Flavour Of The Month which is more straight ahead with Dufficy adding a killer solo.

Silver Streak gets more Post Punk 80s, particularly with the synth runs that could only be from that decade.Pull Focus goes Brit Pop and New sounds very early 80s Manchester, thematic, a little gloomy, but absolutely hypnotic.

Without You flirts with gentle Psych Pop. Big Feelings closes the album, but may be the best thing here, the riff just grips you and you don't want it to end. A brooding song that allows Dufficy to build and build on that superb theme.

The real win here is the variety. Two songs contrast the most. Land Of Plenty is pure 1977 Punk, an in your face joy. But compare that to A Million Ways To Break Your Heart which is Pop Rock of the highest quality. End Scene know what they are about and have the ability to come at you from all angles.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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Red Cavalry - Democracy Died EP

 

Crunchy Power Pop from Aberystwyth, a little basic sounding at times, particularly drums wise, but also there are some cracking big sounding riffs that break out at will. Red Cavalry deliver lyrical sentiments that we endorse, but never let it cloud the great sounding Indie that is on show.

Indeed, the opener and title track, Democracy Died comes over all Housemartins and then that big Riff breaks out and the song gets bigger accordingly. Suits is slower and heads more for the poppier side of Brit Pop where the best of that genre came from.

Hollywood Ten sounds more American instrumentally, but breaks out into a chorus that The Speedways would be delighted with and also adds a little Post Punk break. A really engaging EP that features all of the things we love, particularly the massive singalong choruses.

You can listen to and buy the EP here. The download is available for a bargain £1.

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Listening To This Week Playlist

After a week off, you'd expect us to come back with a bang and we have big time with the new LTTW showing the full gamut of what we cover. Particularly Guitar Driven this week and offering up the maximum 35 songs that we allow ourselves. The weekly playlist is largely for submissions, not just the usual stuff that we dig out ourselves.

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 the artists who appear here. 

The Easys - Haunt Me Again

OK Koala - Roaring Lungs

Skeleton Staff - Sugar

Arn-Identified Flying Objects And Alien Friends - Sing-Along Songs

Flathead - Everybody Will Survive

Julez And The Rollerz - Call Me Up

Daily Worker - Gloryland

Stannington - Hudson

101 - The Sun Is Leaving Again

Mythical Motors - Car Rainbow Record

Smug Brothers - Take It Out On Me

The Purple Helmets - Let's Blaze A New Path Forward

Big Mess - Terry

Really Great - Way Out

Still Traffico - Two Birches

Wide Orbit - What's The Point

K Michelle Dubois - Tar And Scars

Secret Molecules - Dream Little lies

The Oh Yeahs - Never Be The Same

Celestial Skies - Desperation Nation

Celestial Skies · Desperation Nation

Sloan Brothers - Off The Record

Christian Demman - The Sun Still Rises

Johann Zeijl - Follow The Moon

Max Ceddo - Dreaming Under The Hammer

Max Ceddo · Dreaming Under the Hammer

Dorian Taj - Place Where We Were

Honey I'm Home - Wishful Thinking

Avery Friedman - New Thing

Red Tuesdays - Na Na Na Na

Maryse Smith - 635

Starbender - Seeds

Room To Care - Push It Down

Wynona - Flowers To Arrows

Tiny Tiny - Ultra City

Max Hell - Goodbye

World Without Humans - Shifting Sands

World Without Humans · Shifting Sands

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Chris Church - Obsolete Path

 

I think many of you know what a fan that I am of Chris Church. Ever taking different roads, yet always hitting the spot. A new album is to be rejoiced and we have one here, released today. Parts of it are what you might expect, but as with all his albums, there are big surprised.

I suppose you might call him Indie Rock, but that is nowhere near the story. He can riff, jangle and rock out and yet come up with something dark and moody. He does take you on quite a trip. His nerve shows, opening with the Acoustic Troubadour short title track. It is surprising to open with such from such an electric focussed.

However, compare that to She Looks Good In Black which is wonderfully commercial, a rocky jangle in the mode of Matthew Sweet that will delight long time listeners here. Instrumentally, Life On A Trampoline could be The Police and Running Right Back To You almost sounds Garage Rock in parts.

Then there is Vice Versa, a co-write with Bill Lloyd, who plays mandolin which is incredibly Indie sounding, moving at a frantic pace with a much moodier darker production. Tell Me What You Really Are is stripped down, sounding more like an 80s Pop Rock sounding.

Like A Sucker is a splendid sprawling 6 minute plus epic. A little Southern Rock, but maybe more West Coast. It is a song that reminds us what a great guitarist the man is. It gets a little Crazy Horse instrumentally. A cracking listen, 

What Are We Talking About gets a little Country, a side of Church that gets forgotten about, the vocal is perfect. I'm A Machine gets all 80s soundtrack, Electric Dreams maybe, yet also has hints of Modern Prog instrumentally.

Fear not, there are great moments showing the more commercial side of Church, both Sit Down and the aforementioned She Looks Good In Black are great singalong joys. Plus, The Great Divide may be the most all encompassing song that Church has ever done, certainly Guitar wise.

Gretchen's Wheel's Lindsay Murray adds voice of an angel Backing Vocals on 9 of the 12 songs and the joint production by Church and Lori Franklin is possibly his biggest yet. A major talent releases a fine album isn't a surprise, but the sound on Obsolete Path is one of all inclusive joy.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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