Sparrowhawk - Sunflowers In The Moonlight

Recommended to me by our great friends at Add To Want List via their review. We are very similar places and meet in the middle. They are a little punkier than us, we perhaps a little more Guitar Pop, but I consider both essential oasis's in a musical world of desert.

Niek mentions that we are in a period of Rock n Roll renaissance and he's absolutely right. I'm fortunate to hear stuff ahead and some of the albums that are to come are amazing. They seem to be centred around the same release dates, but Friday and 17 April are real hot spots.

Have no doubt that Minneapolis's Sparrowhawk are a Rock band. A have a good time all the time sort of band. Very Thin Lizzy in their twin Guitar attack. 70s Classic Rock as a base template, but with an ability to link in Power Pop and UK Glam Rock.

They don't come up for air, those guitars gripping you, shaking you into submission. All riffs and killer solos. Noisy neighbours, but incredibly melodic. The solo on Lonesome Operator is jawdroppingly great in a glad to be alive way.

Down The Line is all Boogie with a California Man riff diversion. Fool's Mercy is Glam Heaven and the riffathon that is Power And The Glory is simply overwhelmingly ace. Again there are Glam overtones, but heavier than you might expect.

Dog Track gets close to Punk and Still Talk About It rattles the dentures. Underneath The Moonlight is so Robertson - Gorman, as is Roll On To Better Things. How about closing things with a 11 minute rock out? The Ranch Trilogy does just that. Awesome!

There's even one small slowdown, just the one, with the Acoustic title track, that reveals an intriguing side to the band. Overall though, this is a little rocky compared to our usual choices. But it is 100% fun and takes you into another universe were all is more than well. Superb!

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

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Otoliths - Lithos

 

Great Guitar based Pop Rock from Oakland via Tom Smith's One Man Band, Otoliths. Everything that a riffaholic needs is here as Lithos cross genres at will with expertise and intent. Packed with melody and Guitar heaven.

The banging Riff and killer solo of Bi-Weekly Lady enhances the mix of 90s Rock and Slacker Rock, yet Maeve's Melody and Bar Pilots are great Jangle Pop and the hippy-ish Limb From Limb enters my beloved Psych Pop avenue.

Minna mixes Classic Rock with 70s Pop Rock and adds a weeping Peter Green like riff. Projectionist is hypnotic with its Americana like instrumental theme, yet it also sounds ethereal with its haunting Guitar accompaniment.

Too Slow goes all West Coast Rock with the gentle vocal and wonderful easy listening harmonies. Crenellations even treads down the Prog Road. Sense In Asking is very close to UK New Wave. Go To Sleep reveals another fine meandering instrumental arrangement.

If you want 11 songs that sound the same, this isn't the album for you. It is multi directional, equally held back and rocking. The variety is laudable. A really interesting listen that will delight you as much as it did me. Recommended to all.

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

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Headaches - Happy To Be Crappy

 

I love it when a submission for the Listening This Week Playlist leads me to the accompanying album. This is great album, right up our street from the North Devon Trio. Looking at the cover, you would expect something shouty. There's not a bit of that.

The pace is certainly quick and you can imagine what a great live act they are. There are big nods towards Power Pop and 70s New Wave, but also melodic Pop Punk, a little Green Day at times. The sheer energy grips you completely.

I have a lot of time for Pop Punk, but not the robotic vocal type, there's none of that either. At times, the trio instrumentally sound a little Len Price 3 without the mod overtones. The Power Poppers amongst us will adore the album and there is a Ramones feel to the lightning speed.

Picking favourite tracks is difficult because the joy of an album is that you can listen to something complete. I've picked my favourite three to embed, but I would urge all to listen and buy. What's Happenin' reminds me of the great Emo that came through in the 90s from bands that didn't wear half pants.

Scene To Be Scene is anthemic and we can all agree with the sentiments of Superheroes (Run Small Indy Venues). Bucky In The Truck is great Pop Punk. I Wanna Dance (But I Can't) has Canvey Island reminders and Time To Lose is great UK Beat and actually a little Mod Pop.

My only complaint is that the album is over too soon. I just want more and more. Great Riffs, big choruses, songs that you can sing along to. Surprise Guitar solos too. What more could you want? What a great listen!

You can listen to and buy the album for a bargain Fiver here.

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Listening To This Week Playlist 23 March

28 songs this week, all of them are essential listening. I don't go on Social Media too often apart from tagging this, but I spent the weekend on the music group on Threads and I was impressed with how engaged and passionate the people, largely musicians, are. None of the negativeness, all about how they can change things.

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 those who appear here. 

Rob Bonfiglio - Monsters

Robertson - Illusion To Me

Duncan And The Dragonslayers - Wish I Could Wish You

Hard To Miss - Spinning

Tory Silver - Microwave

Salieri And The Turnspit Dogs - The Thief In The Fruit Tree

Rizla Silvers - Disconnect

The Wave Pictures -  Alice

Headaches - Supermarket Fantasy

Ben Auld - Red Bandana

Benji Kaplan - Ticking Time Bomb Serenade

The Empty Page - A Feminine Ending

The Collective - Saturday Night In A Northern Town

The Greenberry Woods - Whenever You Want Me Too

Trial Tapes - 42

The Fast Camels - L.A.

Prism Shores - Magical Thinking

Pete Davies - I Didn't Want To Do That

Seadog - Against The Grain

Soft No - Oxford Street

Max Threat - Thrown

MAX THREAT · Thrown

Celestial Sailors - Yes You Can

Matthew Squires And Sunk Coast - Wing Song

Davey Harris - Burnin' 

Davey Harris · Burnin

Shake Some - Rest Hide

Telephone Romeo - Ways Of The World

Raine - Summer Rain

Boni - Serious

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Outfit - Preservers Of The Pearl

 

Daniel Romano is back and his Outfit are named as stand alone. A proper band now who have brought along Strings and Brass and everything without losing any of the thing that made them amongst the new breed of Power Pop.

Canada still leads the world of Guitar Pop presently and here Outfit prove that. They still have that melodic joy and riffs that resonate, but they add even more. The One/The Many even heads down the Bob Dylan road.

The title track gets all jaunty with its Revue like Brass and the wonderful harmonies. The latter are a real feature of the album. Autopoiet revels in its 60s Psych Pop vibe and just listen to those harmonies on the West Coast Rock of Play With The Wild.

The majestic Classic Rock of Secret Of The Eye is as relevant as the urgency of Unsseable Root with its overtones of The Who. Phantasy is a great example of the variety on display. A song that sounds like Garage Rock instrumentally, yet has a Glam Rock chorus.

Any of the 14 songs could be embedded here, I have to pick 3. Preservers Of The Pearl is the sum of its parts. An album with grace and great songwriting, stellar arrangements and harmonies with excellence. It is as at ease with the up and at 'em, but the reflective songs are truly amazing. A quartet to die for!

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

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Rob Bonfiglio - The Over Under

 

It has been 8 long years since Rob Bonfiglio's last solo album and it's great to have him back. 2018's Trouble Again, an album that featured heavily in our Best 100 Albums Of that year. He has a storied career behind him and that experience really comes to the fore here.

A key part of one of my all time favourite Power Pop bands of all time, Wanderlust, you can also read Mick's extensive interview with the band here. He is also Guitarist and Musical Director for Wilson Phillips as well as an in demand Session Guitarist.

Many have him down as a Not Lame-esque Power Pop which has never really been the case. The Over Under feels more Pop Rock with departures into other areas, although Runnin' From Me certainly fits that description.

The title track is more 80s, particularly with the US New Wave synth, but it is also a little funky. Yet Fade Away is very Americana with some great Pedal Steel from Xandy Chelmis. Wandering Eyes is very very Matthew Sweet like.

The album reminds me a lot of Andrew Gold without the piano a fair bit, which is a complement. There is also an absolute gem within. Monsters is absolutely stellar, a little Butch Walker when he was relevant. All in All a wonderful melodic listen.

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

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Robertson - Robertson

 

Keith Klingensmith's Futureman label has revealed many gems to these aging ears. One of the most pleasing was The Vapour Trails, an Aberdeen five piece that jingled and jangled with a brand of West Coast Rock that was totally engaging.

Kevin Robertson and his son Scott were key parts of that band and as Kevin went solo, Scott was still around. That solo career showed a different side of the man, the jangle was still there, but enhanced by treading into other genres.

His last solo album, last year's Yellow Painted Moon was magnificent, an Electric Guitar-athon that encompassed Power Pop, Indie Rock and Psych Pop and deservedly finished high up in our Best 100 Albums Of 2025. You can read my review here.

Robertson is the combination of both father and son. The same line up as Yellow Painted Moon with Nick Bertling on Drums as well as producing. As you might expect from someone who has never stood still. the direction differs slightly.

These 12 songs are more insular, folk at times, not the hey nonny no variety, more melodic. It has a laidback feel that seems extremely content in the surroundings. The vocals and harmonies are much more to the front and the Guitars at times more Acoustic

There's still nods to what has gone before. The West Coast Jangle Pop of Don't Know What It Means for instance. Illusion To Me is splendid Psych Pop that melts my heart and Noon At Night is top notch Americana.

There are also big surprises. Get In The Parlour, Jean adds haunting cello from Marco Pescosolido, a song so good that it gets a second part later in the album. Ahren Buchheister plays pedal steel on Sticking Around as well as the aforementioned Noon At Night. The string arrangement from Kateryna Mytrofanova & Alexey Zavgorodny on Is It Wrong? is jaw dropping.

But Today is real Cambridge Folk with a wonderful Brass Arrangement, that is a little Spaghetti Western. To You is yeah man UK Beat. The highlight for me is Illusion To Me, largely because of my love of the genre, but it doesn't put a note wrong. Kevin Robertson is never offers up the same album twice and here is another great album.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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