Pseud - Pseud

 

Washington DC's Pseud have been around for a while, but their third album should really be the one to break the duo. Jimmy Figliola and Alex Bass specialise in an area that I adore. A mix of Power Pop and Slacker Rock that evokes the Guitar Pop of the 90s.

The arrangements are inventive and built on Riffs and big choruses, but the songs come from unusual angles. They are not afraid of throwing in the occasional keyboard run and the songs take you into other areas, particularly Alt Rock, even a little Shoegaze.

The prime take though is the Slacker Rock. The Guitar is king, but the laidback vocals add much. Righteous Wave is glorious Power Pop with a hint of Teenage Fanclub added to by a George Harrison like solo.

The Cleanse is even more adventurous, great Guitar Pop with a Baroque Pop arrangement, it is a wonderful Pop song and really big sounding. In My Frame is epic, pretty much Brit Pop and comes in at just under 6 minutes.

The opener Shadows And Plateaus shows that the duo can do the straight ahead, but this is an album that gets more and more ambitious as it progresses. The arrangements are stellar and as ever, the Riffs catch my attention continually. A really top notch affair!

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

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Letters Of Acceptance - Frets

 

I've seen Kentucky's Letters Of Acceptance described as Power Pop on more than one occasion and I don't really think that defines them. They are more of a band who can write a great Power Pop song, but that is part of the mix.

The dual vocals of Clint Newman and John Norris add to the variety. One of them, I know not wish, has a Petty-esque sound to his vocals that suits the slower material beautifully. They do Jangle, but that is adapted to the likes of Americana and Psych Pop too.

Having said all that, one of the stand out songs is Clara and that IS a Power Pop gem. In Sunken Style was on a recent Listening To This Week Playlist and still sounds great with its mix of Pop Rock, Americana and Jangle Pop with a wonderful Psych Pop Riff.

Penny In The Lake is a gentle feeling joy, the vocal makes it and Too Bad Not To Be True has a real West Coast Americana Jangle. Sometimes Sunshine Feels Like A Rain sounds like a mix of The Jayhawks and The Travelling Wilburys.

Crime Of Living has a slight feel of The Cars and sounds more than a little 80s with its synth accompaniment. Broken Guitars (And Fucked Up Feelings) is a suitably epic closer that is very West Coast Rock. Frets is a fine list that mixes mellow with much more.

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

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Joyrobber - You Need To Stop Doing This

 

This is quite a discovery. A solo affair from a paper bag wearing individual from Devizes, what could go wrong? There is a really interesting back story that you can read on his Bandcamp page, but You Need To Stop Doing This is inspired.

It is right up our street, the sort of slightly angular intelligent Indie that we adore, mixed with a little bit of DIY Weezer, a little Billy Bragg and a slight hint of Folk. You have to hear the 7 songs to believe how good this is as normally you would step away from the cookie jar.

There is real lyrical adeptness and wit, but away from the words this feller can write and play. There are some wonderful arrangement, hypnotic choruses, engaging riffs and particularly great solos. Out of the strange comes the splendid.

You'll have heard Jeremy Kyle on this week's Listening To This Week Playlist and compare that all together now joy to the magnificent Requiem For My Car Window, a sort of slower Blur affair that is a superb storytelling affair that is as great guitar wise as it is lyrically.

I Didn't Want Your Stupid Job Anyway is up there with any Slacker Rock song that you care to name. Awks is built around a killer riff, On and On (and On and On) is hypnotic Brit Pop. The album caught me completely by surprise and I recommend it to all.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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Listening To This Week Playlist 9 November

Another cracking playlist this week. The maximum 30 songs. As per the norm, great Guitar Pop with plenty of diversions and a wonderful and very different closer.

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 later today. This will help you to discover more about those who appear here. 

Joy Robber - Jeremy Kyle

Classic Traffic - Ghosts Host

Salmon Shorts - Ridge

Gingerella - Coming Up Roses

James Clark Institute - It's Only Tuesday

Sleeper Sofa - Head To High Ground

Zeus - Lions Pride

Combo Move - Crisis Mode

The Real Flower Pots - Real Battery

Sergeant Buzfuz - The Man You Think I Am

The Serfers - Violins

Tom Minor - Every House Will Fall

circle round a sphere - save

Salmon Sun - Too Late

The Sunshine Rebels - Hop On, Hop Off

Serge And The Currents - Finished From The Start

Serge & The Currents · Finished From The Start

It's Karma It's Cool - Jerimiah

False Teeth - How Did It Get So?

Lost Sea - Born Alone

Lost sea · BORN ALONE

Christy F - Did You Bomb Many People Today?

The Sexy Ponies - Mirror

Meltway - Jumper

Quivers - Bottle The Nervous

Part Time Signals - Green Light

St. Jimi Sebastian Cricket Club - Ruby

Hollow Star - Elegy

Pardoner - Canary

Full Flower Moon Band - Party Hard

Emvina - The Horizon

Oski XD Doski - Stalker Conversation

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6 Million Views

After hitting our 10th Anniversary in July, I Don't Hear A Single has just passed its sixth million view. We have never been self celebratory and have refused interviews in the past, because this place is about the artists that we cover. We have also refused investment on a number of occasions to keep our independence and remain a Blog that doesn't charge artists that we review. We have also never wanted to monetise and include adverts.

What does surprise us is how something that was only ever meant to be a small thing has grown so much It was formed out of the ashes of Anything Should Happen as a reaction to music fans who constantly berated new music. Those fans also included fellow Reviewers, We were told that no one would ever be interested in a Blog that concentrated solely on new and under appreciated artists. So to those that said that, I think you have been proved wrong.

We also constantly see people deride Blogs as a way to cover anything these days. When we first started, there were quite a few peers around and that has lessened greatly. But people should always realise that here would be nothing without the musicians who create their art because they love it. No one is ever going to be a superstar, but doors may be opened. But if the music wasn't appreciated and lauded by visitors, then these sort of numbers would never be attained.

We are back to the Reviews on Tuesday. Sunday and Monday are always days that are used for the Listening To This Week Playlist compiling, publishing and tagging.

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Alex Pester - Almost England (Bandcamp Name Your Price)

 

I am a massive fan of Alex Pester. I bore people by banging on to all and sundry about how great the young man is. He has released his second album of the year, the boy is prolific and this time he has fashioned up very different.

Almost England is a sort of coming of age Concept album about growing up in a small English Town. It is divided into five chapters, each chapter divided by an engaging instrumental. Pester has even gotten hold of Peter Daltrey of all people as an announcer.

At approaching 90 minutes, it is a double album. Unlike his previous work which has been very Pop based with numerous surprises and a real Lilac Time feel, Almost England is at times more Acoustic, a little Folky and certainly Pastoral.

There are the breakout moments which are inspired, but there is a gentler feel, soothing, yet intriguing. The songs are too many to mention all, but you will have heard the magnificent Una Stubbs on the Listening To This Week Playlist.

Where The Trouble Starts is gentle Psych Pop, very Stephen Duffy. England By Train shows the Acoustic side of the album and is really lyrical adept. Always Missing Busses is splendid Indie Pop and People Watching is great Psych, almost Pink Floyd 1967.

Pester is a major talent and we don't hear from a lot of those in the UK. The album is a big listen with 30 songs, but it is certainly worth the effort. Intellectual songs that celebrate the past, but also but a modern spin to proceedings. Pester keeps amazing me with what he comes up with.

You can listen to and buy the album here. 

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Sparks - Music That You Can Dance To (40th Anniversary Edition) (2CD)

I am a massive Sparks fan. One of the first three albums that I bought was Propaganda. I knew all the words then as I do now, although I may understand them more now. Over five decades on, the Mael Brothers have kept their followers along the way and added a whole new audience. They are as popular now as they have ever been and the material may be different, but is just as revelatory as those Island Years. I don't contribute to the fan groups as you are not allowed to be objective about any album and I am always objective.

Their 70s was great, maybe with the exception of the muscular Big Beat. They surprised everyone with the two Synth Pop albums at the turn of the decade and then went back to the band format backed by L.A.'s Bates Motel and produced two wonderful albums. Angst In My Pants battles with Indiscreet as my favourite Sparks album. They were followed by an ok album then the dire Pulling Rabbits Out Of A Hat. They then turned back to the synth duo format and offered up Music That You Can Dance To An amazing affair that showed Synth Pop could be intelligent and have more than one stream.

I loved the album. At the time, I was around the country and managed to gather all of the 12 Inch Singles, including a couple of white labels, so I have a lot of the second disc material, but there are additional surprises that I don't. The album has been remastered and brings both the UK and US version together in the 9 Tracks. Change bizarrely was the single in the UK, but not on the album. Armies Of The Night was removed from the US Version and replaced by Change.

The album still sounds as great as ever. The stand out being the bass driven, The Scene. The title track. Armies Of The Night and of course Change are great Pop songs. Let's Get Funky and The Shopping Mall Of Love show how weird and wonderful, Sparks could be and I have a special place in my heart for Rosebud with its Orson Wells Inspiration. The second disc contains 17 songs and is largely the 12 Inch mixes and B Sides. Although two demos of Music That You Can Dance To, are accppanied by demos of Rosebud and Fingertips. There is also the unreleased, How To Survive demo. Strangely, the Fright Night version of Armies Of The Night isn't here.

The remaster is great and this is an album to be treasured, certainly one for the new fans to jump on and the second disc will be essential for long time fans. The double Vinyl version only includes six of the bonus tracks.

You can buy both the CD and Vinyl versions here.

 

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The Serfers - Debt Sounds

 

Brighton's The Serfers have a reputation as a Surf Punk outfit. But there's not really a lot of Surf here, so don't expect Dick Dale comparisons.. Punk wise, if that is here, it is more like when Punk went into New Wave. There is a fantastic energy and you can imagine what a live act they are.

The sound is more Indie or Alt Rock and dare I say it, there is a feel of early stuff from The Killers, although the band may hate me saying that. Interestingly, the choruses are massive and largely melodic and match the killer riffs that completely ignite your soul.

The title track is deliciously heavy, very Alt and even a little 90s Rock, but with big hints of Psych. At times, the harmonies catch you by surprise in a great wave. The Goth like solo on Negative FX is stirring and Welcome Home is splendidly broody, reminding me a lot of The Armoury Show,

Damaged III is a cracking listen, the harmonies work beautifully and you get a hint of Surf, the chorus grips you. Bad Blood is probably the most Surf, but that song is also lit up by an addictive riff. Loose Control is really up and at 'em, mesmerising at times and an anthemic Guitar sound.

Special mention has to go to Violins, it would make a killer single. Incredibly catchy and more commercial than you might expect. Debt Sounds shows that you really shouldn't rely on genre labels. If I did, I would miss out on many albums and this one is definitely great.

You can listen to and buy the album here. 

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