West Coast Music Club - Poppelganger

We've been with West Coast Music Club since their early days. Initially, the quartet edged towards a West Coast Rock sound, that's the US coast rather than the West Coast over here in the UK. where they hail from. They still return to that sound occasionally, here it is on Tonight.

More recently, they have developed an Indie Sound that crosses the decades from 60s Beat through 70s New Wave to 80s Indie and they are exceptionally good at it. Doppelgänger rounds up the four lead tracks from the signposting EPs and adds 6 new songs.

The mix is quite heady. The singles slot in nicely, The most Indie of those singles, Lonely Boy, opens proceedings and is a bold choice. All US Garage Indie sounding, wigging out, sounding all IRS and yet Guided By Voices. You will have read or heard about the EPs from Reviews here or the LTTW Playlist, so I will concentrate on the 6Still (It's Still (It's News To Me)  additions.

Lady Of My Dreams is the sound of the second half of the 80s Glasgow Jangle Pop and unexpectedly suits Martin Adams laconic vocal. I'll Be Alright is urgent 1978 Guitar Pop and You're Not Fooling Me, a much rockier affair, a little Embrace vocally with a hypnotic riff.

Brilliant is Post Punk mixed with Psych Pop and Still (It's News To Me) is wonderful 60s UK Beat. As mentioned earlier, Tonight is the sort of West Coast Rock that the band master incredibly well. There is also a bonus for Physical buyers.

The CD Edition is a bargain £9 and features the other 8 EP Tracks and four more new songs. It's been heartwarming to see how much West Coast Music Club have developed over the past 5 years. They are a proper band and a joy to listen to.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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La Nouvelle Musique - La Nouvelle Musique

 

I have mentioned before that I do get frustrated with people who think the Fruits de Mer label is all about layout Psych and Prog. It patently isn't. They do support both, but are just as likely to release something interestingly Indie or Rock.

La Nouvelle Musique are a great example of how musicians can get boxed in. The duo of Joanna Beck and Ian de Silva are noted as Psych Folk and those Folk credentials are clear with songs such as Ballad Of A Broken Wing and Crazy Lady Blues.

The Psych is also noted, but is gentle and pastoral, and Beck's vocals have an Annie Haslam like quality, but can be adapted to much more and are. This debut album is at times genre busting. New Blood for instance would hold its own with any Melodic Pop that you name to choose.

Catalonia even treads into Modern Prog. The directional changes are aided considerably by de Silva's Guitar work which just as the vocal does, dictates the mood. The album is as accomplished when Acoustic as when Plugged in.

Still Life is another example of how the duo branch out, more electric and adding an absolutely glorious chorus, it is a joy to listen to. The whole album is magnificently moody and hypnotic, but when it breaks out, it reveals layers and layers of the unexpected.

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl and as a download. The album is also available directly from Fruits de Mer here.

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Half-Scratches - Half-Scratches (Name Your Price)

 

Better get August on the move! The Listening To This Week Playlist really does throw up some beauties. On this week's is Houses by Chicago's Half-Scratches. Wherever possible, I investigate submissions further, because ultimately we are an Album Review place.

After being really impressed by Houses, I followed on and found the album that was released in January and it is an absolute cracker. I know little about them and they give away little, but this seems to be largely, the solo project of Josh S Coombs-Broekema.

It is an incredible listen, largely the Pop Rock, UK New Wave and Power Pop that we adore. But for such a self produced debut album, the scope and sheer bravado is utterly commendable. Vocals are multi tracked and layered and rather just rely on the quality of the songs, which would be more than enough, there's  a plethora of unexpected instruments.

These instruments drag you in further with their quirkiness. Few albums add Melodica, Stylophone, Radio Shack Concertmate, Melodica and Octave Mandolin to the more straightforward, Bass, Guitar and Drums and they enhance the inventiveness.

Houses is pure London 1978 Stiff Records and yet Corporeal is so Sparks, just as innovative as the Mael Brothers always are. Both Everything Is Off and Funny I Gave It Up are pure 70s Pop Rock. Pain Goes Solo even ventures into Psych Pop.

Half-Scratches as an album does the melodic and straight ahead easy, but it excels when more chances are taken. Another Chaconne is joyful 80s New Wave and the closer,Dance On The Table is a wonderful multi directional masterpiece. The album is at Name Your Price, so what have you got to lose? The whole listen is exceptional.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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Listening To This Week Playlist 4 August

 

Another corking LTTW Playlist. 26 songs this week with quite a few returning heroes.As well as the traditional version, we have put the playlist on Spotify and you will see the link below. Remember this is early days on Spotify, so the following there is nowhere near our one here. 

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 Spotify Version.   (Songs by The Nines and jphono1 are not on Spotify)

Link To Spotify

The Wellingtons - Always Gonna Be That Girl

The Nines - Give Your Heart Away (Not On Spotify)

The Successful Failures - I've Got A Flair

The Happy Somethings - A Kind Of Loving

Drugs In Sport - Cooked

Former Champ - crooked little line

Birdstreets - Mistaker

The Gnomes - I'm Not The One

Amateur Hockey Club - UPPERCASE!

Amateur Hockey Club · UPPERCASE!

Lost Vessels - Broken But OK

The Cindys - Eternal Pharmacy

The Bohemes - What Happens When You Press Escape

The Bohemes · The Bohemes - What Happens When You Press Escape

Half-Scratches - Houses

jphono1 - Sad Is A Friend (Not On Spotify)

Laughing Week - Old Cassettes

Max Ceddo - Good Life

Max Ceddo · Good Life

Horthworld - 55

flowerfrennd - Take Me At My Worst

Nicky Koro - Dreamin'

Science Is Friction - Sea Of Love II

Toy Parlour - Lose It

Blush - Ultrablue!

Sea Shapes - Fade To Grey

Tourist Attraction - The Truth

The Sunset Donkeys - Dream

The Sunset Donkeys · Dream (feat. CHRIS CONSTANTINOU & Hal Lindes)

Tinvis - Echo

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The Peppermint Kicks - Pop Rocks In My Chewing Gum

 

If you haven't heard the lead single, Radio Wam Bam Boom, where have you been. The UK Glam Rock ridden affair with a hint of Cheap Trick has been one of the great recent listens and offers large hints of what to expect from The Peppermint Kicks' second album.

The collaboration of Dan Kopko of Watts and Sal Baglio of Amplifier Heads brings out the best of both and these are two of my favourite bands, so I was gonna always like it. The album is very 70s, pre punk, all Chinn and Chapman and sing along choruses aided by big riffs and solos.

The album is very 1974 at times, but you also cannot help compare it to early Cheap Trick, both vocally and Guitar wise. Yet the pair are not afraid to move away from the template. For instance Shangri La could be Smokie, slowed down, more Mellow with a killer Guitar solo.

Lollipop Girl is great Bubblegum, something you might have expected from the likes of Mud on Mickie Most's RAK label. Speed Racer is so Glam with the riff even reminding you of Sweet's Little Willy. Gigantor is more Pop Rock and underlines a general Brit feel to proceedings.

Out Of The Trashcan Into Your Heart is built around a great Power Pop rhythm section, particularly the drum track. Yet the closer, We Did It All For Rock & Roll is anthemic with a riff that isn't a million miles away from something of London Calling and a big solo, the song is a New Wave Classic.

There is a tongue in cheek feel, but also Pop Rocks In My Chewing Gum makes you yearn for new albums from both Watts and Amplifier Heads. Totally fun, Totally engaging. Music really should always be this happy. A cracking wade through nostalgia, but an also leaving you with a realisation how Glam Rock still stands up now.

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

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Fortitude Valley - Part Of The Problem, Baby

 

Fortitude Valley have appeared three times on the Listening To This Week Playlist over the past few months, more than anyone else since its inception. That is a testament to the quality of the singles and so you know that the album is gonna be a winner and it is with balls on.

There's no front loading here, those three singles are spread across the album, Oceans Apart closing it. You do realise that The Beths finally have a competitor. Our mates at Add To Want List mentioned The Gogo's, but Laura Kovic's sugar sweet vocal gets close to the likes of Rachel Sweet.

It does vitalise the senses, particularly in the denseness and vindictiveness in the UK. Brownie Points too from us for being from Durham in the North Of England. However, the album does sound very American at times. Interesting that the two female led bands that threaten to dominate the States are not from the US.

This is Guitar Pop of the highest quality. Melodic, riff led with big memorable choruses, jaunty without ever being sickly. The songs are also beautifully performed and arranged, the four band members all add their parts wonderfully.

The Guitar parts are very inventive and the rhythm section holds everything together magnificently, happy to lead or stay in the background. The focus will rightly be on Kovic and she adores the cover, but this is a band effort throughout, bringing a spotlight to her songwriting.

The whole album is a sort of antidote to the likes of Garbage, showing that Indie doesn't have to be all about noise. Unusually, I haven't mentioned any of the songs as any of these 10 beauties will be adored. The world needs more joy, Fortitude Valley provide it with Spades.

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

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August

 

August is normally much quieter for us due to Festivals and Holidays affecting the amount of new releases. However, we are still behind Review wise and so you can expect plenty of activity in August. Also with the site issues and Don's absence for a while in July, there is much to catch up on.

The site issue also prevented more T Shirt posts going up and they will continue into August. A reminder that it is Bandcamp Friday tomorrow where the artists get ALL the money from their Sales, so you may want to look over Previous Results to support those artists.

Thanks for another successful month here. We went well over 100,000 views again in July, a testament to the strength of new music in the genres that we cover. Thanks as always to the artists, viewers and listeners for all their support.

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