Dear Boy - Celebrator

 

Los Angeles quartet Dear Boy may have just signalled the return of Brit Pop, Not the show off magpie headliners, but the great Pop Rock that lay underneath in spades. We have always identified with that wave and it is probably why the new Supernaturals album has spent so long in our Top 10 most viewed reviews in the past few months.

The genre marked a return to Guitar bands selling out venues and the live scene was revived, particularly here in the North West. It was all about melody, memorable choruses and killer choruses and there is loads of that here on Dear Boy's second album.

There are wall to wall anthems that are beautifully produced and arranged. Songs that you can't help singing along to. But the band aren't afraid to branch out. For instance, Kelly Green sounds wonderfully Madchester, a little Weatherall dancey.  The title track follows a similar direction.

The Address goes even further back to the post C86 years and again shows the versatility of the four, the song is all beats. There is even a nod to the big album closer noted in Brit Pop songs with the mesmerising Daylight Savings.

But for all these inventive departures, it is the Pop Rock that grabs you the most. Now More Than Ever rips in with a big Guitar solo, a cracking song that you will hear on next week's Listening To This Week, a submission that led me to the album.

Wanderlow eases in with a slight Lightning Seeds vibe After All reminds me of the unsung Brit Pop bands such as Straw and Octopus. Inevitable is another genre joy. Dear Pop do sound very UK at times and this is a splendid example of how life affirming Pop Rock can be in the right hands.

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

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Rich Restaino - Mostly We Lie

 

My great friend, Dennis at Poprock Record is a big admirer of Rich Restaino and I do love how Mr Pilon comes at music from a different angle than most. You just get so busy handling what comes in that you can forget to look at what peers are up to. 

So when Rich got in touch, I felt that a deserved listen was in order. He got in touch about this and since then, he has released a solo Piano retrospective which is a great listen, but I felt that you lot my be more interested in the much wider angles he takes and this EP from earlier this year is a great example.

These six songs are very varied and each works beautifully in very different areas. Electric, but restrained. Man Has Shit For Brains is incredibly Randy Newman, yet Drunk Punk In The Afternoon is top notch 80s Indie, almost IRS.

Most We Lie gets more West Coast, a little Petty-esque at times with a cracking riff to accompany it. Yet, Every Cliche You've Ever Hears is more Americana. Life Is Losers is much more Pop, but Don't Fall Asleep On Me Just Yet is a Jazz shuffle. Restaino offers up great variety and depth and an investigation into his back catalogue is highly recommended.

You can listen to and buy the EP here.  

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The Violet Twilight - Fate Illuminate

 

I covered The Violet Twilight's debut album, Above The Cloud, here and then the quickly following EP, Cicada here. This has been the third EP since then and Tim Butcher still sounds as great as ever. His Psych Pop is such a more interesting listen than some of the blandness the genre produces in Ox.

Fate Illuminate is wonderfully melodic, built on memorable riffs and soundscapes. His mellow vocal works beautifully with the arrangements. He can take different avenues, but here he demonstrates the strength of his Guitar playing but there are surprises. 

This will be classed as an EP, but at 22 minutes, it is more of a mini album. The Psych Pop is splendid as you might expect from such a master. But there are two songs that show off other skills. What's Behind Those Eyes gets really close to Brit Pop with Pop Rock excellence.

I Don't Care is more of a Classic Rock strum and just as effective. Fans of his Psych pop will be delighted with Better Than You specially. He just rolls these songs out with such skill. I know few as strong as Butcher is in the genre. 

You can listen to and buy Fate Illuminate here.

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Cream Soda - Serving You

 

There's something really refreshing listening to an album of such intensity and energy from a band in their late teens when so many of their age are stuck on mobiles, Tik Tok and Snapchat. Being at the other end of the age range, I can appreciate historical sounds, many that these three may never have heard of, in what they do.

Cream Soda hail from Medway, but don't expect The Medway Sound, this is loud brash earth shaking stuff and it is wonderful. Certainly, a Power Trio that are not intending to come up for air regularly. Serving You is really noisy, but also incredibly engaging.

There are so many influences to note. Punk is certainly one, but not the mindless type. There are also hints of New Wave, Rhythm lines that compare to early Jam. But there is also a 60s vibe of Garage Rock, Breakbeat and UK Beat.

At times, they are very Canvey Island R and B, an even more aggressive Dr Feelgood perhaps, but for all the up and at 'em attitude, the choruses are memorable, almost football anthemic and these three can play, locked in perfectly.

There's also comparisons to the Noise Pop of the mid 80s and hints of Power Pop, though I'm not sure fans of that genre would necessarily pick them out. This is certainly more aggressive than you might expect from us, but the whole album is a joy, a ball of pent up energy.

Don't expect any ballads, but you can imagine what a great live act Cream Soda are and any band that can get as heavy as they do on the magnificent Submerged Affair are worth the admission alone. Songs of the Street these may be, but they are not dissimilar to my youth. Hey HeyRay Ray could easily have been recorded in my teens and even a decade or more earlier than that.

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

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I Was A King - Until The End

Norway's I Was A King have regularly chosen interesting Producers. This time round it is Bill Ryder-Jones and that is a really wise choice for the more ethereal Pastoral Pop they regularly come up with. The band's beautiful arranged songs are lovingly recorded.

But lest we forget, there is more to I Was A King than just stunning heart melting Indie Pop. They have what could almost be an alter ego. One listen to Sleepless Nights and the fascination with Teenage Fanclub breaks out. It is pure early TFC, all distorted guitar glory.

Pool Painted Black follows suit and you realise how good they are at the noisier stuff. The closer, Until The End, edges towards modern day Fannies, wonderful Jangle Pop with a superb violin interlude. Mainstays Frode Strømstad and Anne Lise Frøkedal share vocals on a delightful song.

But you just cannot ignore the moodier, slower songs which are crafted to perfection. Dust Bunnies is pure Dream Pop with a magnificent String arrangement, it just melts your heart. Falling is Piano led and so so fragile, you now feel that your hear is gonna break.

November is a big piece of work, approaching 6 minutes, it builds and builds and broods and broods, without ever breaking out, adding an instrumental soundscape to the close. A mesmerising listen. The Birthday Song is a little Folk, Americana even and dare I say it, there is a hint of The Coral.

House Warming is pure C86 UK Jangle, all jaunty with a slight Psych Pop feel to the chorus. Until The End is quite a special listen. I Was A King mix the melancholic with the rock out so well. A band with many directions, but all of them equally great.

You can listen to and buy the album here.  Sadly, the Vinyl has now sold out. Hopefully, there will be a reissue.

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Listening To This Week Playlist 20 October

 

A little earlier than usual. We keep saying it, but the song quality just doesn't let up. 27 songs this week and it's another belting LTTW. As well as the traditional version, we have put the playlist on Spotify and you will see the link below.  24 of the 27 songs are available on Spotify. 

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    

Link To Spotify     (3 Songs are not on Spotify)

Amateur Ornithologist - Swing Around

Motion City Soundtrack - Particle Physics (Feat. Patrick Stump)

Buddie - In The Glass Shell

Cherry Fez - Superexcited

Asian Cowboy - Anomaly

Greg Pope - Fallen Star (Not On Spotify)

Late Cambrian - Into The Lilac Tree

Ray Romijn - I'll Be There

Surf The Pines - Lost And Found

Surf The Pines · Lost & Found

A View Of Earth From The Moon - Emerson And Henry David Thoreau

This Silent Divide - Secret Path

The James Rocket - Chip (Not On Spotify)

No Lonesome - Good Hurt

Shaw's Trailer Park - Pretty Hat Club (Not On Spotify)

also-ran - When

Bird Streets - Everyonewelovewillgoaway

The Origin - So You Think You Can Necromance?

The Goodbye Radio - We Love You, Glasgow

Tom X. Chao- Culture Jamming (Love Theme From The Negative Energy Field)

The Webstirs - When It's Gone

Sean Griffin - Rocks Off

The Gnomes - I'm Not The One

Max Norton - The Breakers

Alejandra O'Leary - Doubtless

Citrus Citrus - Sushi Sushi

Billy Tibbals - Rock n Roll Kids

Dreamwave - Moon Buggy

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Benny J Ward - Super!

 

The reaction to Scratch That Itch on the current Listening To This Week didn't surprise me. What did was how many didn't know who Benny was. The Rinehearts front man is an Oz legend and a long time key player in the Perth scene.

18 months or so ago, Ward started to release singles, 8 in all to the point of the album release. These and 3 others are gathered on this debut solo album. It is a lo-fi joy, a little like a history of Power Pop, although largely feeling very 60s UK and Garage Beat.

Self recorded, faithfully so, it underlines what a fine songwriter the man is and how he mines his influences. TELEVISIONS! is deliciously UK New Wave, but also gets a little left field instrumentally. Tell Me Tell Me is ace Garage Rock with big hints of Jangle and Twang.

Ice cream Headache is a crackerjack of a song. A real all together now affair on the chorus. It mixes a Rock and Roll feel to Garage Psych Pop wonderfully. Back To Bed enters Jangle Pop and Flight Of The Navigator is top notch UK Beat with a Glam Rock Drum stop.

I Didn't Mean It was made to be performed at a Speak Easy and Nest In Your Head is splendid Psych that matches anything around now. It is my favourite thing here, but many of you know how much of a sucker I am for this type of stuff. 

There is an interesting cover of I Only Wanna Be With You, more like The Tourists than Dusty Springfield, but rocked and jangled up beautifully. Super! is a great listen and you do wonder why it has taken Ward this long to release a solo album because this is great.

You can listen to and buy the album here. The album is available on Vinyl, CD and as a download. The CD is on the Kool Kat label and can also be purchased here.

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