Extended Play

Hi-Ranger - Tire Town EP

Vancouver's Hi-Ranger offer up a fine EP that feels very C86. The Trio sound anything but Canadian across these four songs. Out Of Dreams has hints of Teenage Fanclub and the general vibe is the second half of the Glasgow Eighties

Having said that the wonderful I'll Never Know could easily be The Stone Roses and Sunny Sunday Afternoon is very Ride. Sam Tam Manitoba Jangles shoegazingly. Four very different songs, all equally excellent, I expect to hear far more from these fellers.







You can listen to and buy the EP here.

The Martial Arts - I Used To Be The Martial Arts EP

Glasgow's Paul Kelly is often associated with Pop Nuggets and the long awaited EP from The Martial Arts delivers just that. His aching vocals are cocooned in mini Walls Of Sound. I Used To Be is Spector-ish and How Will I Progress has a real New Wave DIY Feel.

You've Ruined Everything is like Wah doing Glam Rock, but the real stand out is New Performance which reminds me a little of The Bay City Rollers in the chorus, in a good way. This is wonderful Twee Pop.

You can buy the EP here.

Dear Boy - The Strawberry EP

Dear Boy's latest EP is again brimming with Sunshine Pop, Whilst you might expect this from a Los Angeles band, the sound here is very much UK. There's something wonderfully 80's Jaunty about these five songs.

Although sounding no one band in particularly, you are reminded of Haircut 100, The Bluebells and Deacon Blue. The melancholic lyrics are hidden in the chipper arrangements. In Limelight, they have one of the year's great songs, it has everything in place for the upcoming Summer Days.






You can listen to and buy the EP here.

The Glimmer Stars - Hello Love EP

The Glimmer Stars' EP is shorter and noisier than what's preceded it here, but is every bit as relevant, There's a real swagger in what the Californian Trio do, a mix of 80's Sleeze Rock and 70's Glam, let's settle on Garage Glam.

Feel It is a killer of a song, wonderfully loud, it makes you clench your fists. I Want You is "in your face" Garage Rock. Contrast this with the all too brief closer, Here Comes Tomorrow Today, which is a New Seekers Acoustic strum, proving that these three are not a one trick pony.

You can buy the EP at the likes of CD Baby and Amazon.


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