Tape Runs Out - The Skeletons Above EP

 

If this was a generation ago, Tape Runs Out would be lauded as one of the bright spots of Inventive Indie. Instead, here in the UK we prefer not to put too much effort into searching out great music. People prefer to log in to Spotify and see what they recommend or listen to a band that they know and then go to the if you like this, you'll like that.

The results sound nothing like you have just heard. Meanwhile great music disappears down a big black hole and yet the artists continue to want to be on Spotify above all else. How the hell would you ever discover a band as great as this lot from Cambridge.

I mention this because there has to be some way of getting music as wonderful as this heard. The complexity and depth of the arrangements reveal how great Pop can be when you allow the box to be opened. The Skeletons Above is six songs of absolute quality.

The band can develop a soundscape via instruments or vocals that just takes you into another world. Pastoral at times, gentle even, yet with an ability to breakout unexpectedly, they can be anything that you want to be, but mostly they are themselves.

Atropos Sharpens Her Scissors is Indie Pop, Electro, Psych and Prog and all in less than 3 minutes, almost a chant. Here Comes The Gods is masterful Indie Pop, but threatens to burst into Psych. Small Joys is the poppiest that Tape Runs Out get and is a truly beautiful song.

Sandwich is splendidly haunting with a stunning breakout. The strength of the band is that they want you to feel relaxed to understand the depth of what they do, particularly arrangement wise. The Skeletons Above is a satisfying gentle listen that will prepare you for whatever the day wants to bring you.

You can listen to and buy the EP here.

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Ex Norwegian - House Music (Less Tiësto Edition 2024)

 

Rewinding as a long time Ex Norwegian fan, I remember House Music, the band's third album to be the time that I started to realise that there were others who shared my passion for the band. It still remains one of their favourite albums of mine. 

It seemed more experimental at times, but a song like Spin Win It is very much of the Ex Norwegian template that we know and love. It is a song that could easily feature on their 2018 masterpiece, No Sleep, an album that remains one of my most favourite albums of the past decade/s.

The strength of the album is even more incredible due to a drastic line up change that meant different musicians across the songs. It remains, for me, that the band opened their route, a route that I've never ever been let down by.

This was a band who were American with a European name that sounded so British. They remind you of New Wave and Brit Pop, but are also flirt with UK Beat and Psych Pop and so the 60s to the 90s are covered. Tong As In Pete is a great example of the ease they slip into Psych Pop.

Yet, a long time favourite, Original Copy sounds wonderfully Guitar Pop and Ginger Baby sounds like something from Modern Life Is Rubbish. Not A Mouse is great 60s UK Beat with a slight feel of The Move and a great rhythm track.

There is the bonus included here with the entire album played at the Live Release Show and the splendid B Side Ebenezer Beaver. The album is remastered by Prof. Stoned and also available on Vinyl for the first time, although there are not many left. So cast your clock back to 2012 and discover why Ex Norwegian remain an essential listen.

You can listen to the album and buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl, CD and as a download. You can also buy it from the Think Like A Key label here.

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The Supernaturals - Sitting In The Sun

 

Joe Greatorex's work in bringing The Supernaturals' early adventures pre the big It Doesn't Matter Anymore 1997 release is more than admirable. It allows fans who joined in the Brit Pop days to get their hands on what were holy grail self released recordings sold largely at gigs.

It also allows the new generation of fans to learn about the band's history and realise that there are even more recordings to enjoy. Sitting In The Sun is the last of these, originally released in 1994 and the only one on CD at the time. The re-release is also available now on CD.

The signs are really apparent at what was to come in the Food days. James McColl's lyrics are as essential as they ever were and are. Stories of everyday life's banality are delivered with a self depreciating wit and weariness in jaunty fashion.

The Supernaturals were one of the great Guitar Pop bands of Britpop and there are great examples of that here, particularly on Slab, I Don't Think It's Over and Deep In My Heart I Know I'm A Slob all including wonderful turns of phrase.

But there are also more stripped down moments delivering an Indie Pop feel at times. That is when the comparison of MCColl's vocal with Paul Heaton is more apparent. A song like There Must Be More To Life Than This is great Piano Pop.

People will tell you that Brit Pop was about all the big names and neglect the rest. To me it was more about the stretch from the middle to the outer edges when the Great Melodic Pop shone through. I could name you at least a dozen bands that proved this, but The Supernaturals were the best. Oh and the title track here is still a fantastic song.

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

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The Proctors - Snowdrops & Hot Air Balloons

 

It is fair to say that I tend to leave the Dream Pop, Indie Pop and gentler Jangle Pop to my great great friend Darrin at Janglepophub. It isn't that I don't like the genres, I bloody well do, but there's so much to go at here and Mr Lee is a much better commenter on that scene.

However, The Proctors travel beyond that area. Formed in the 90s in the West Midlands, a region not noted for this type of gentleness with it coming generally more from the North upwards. They take a hold of Jangle Pop and spread it further afield.

There will be obvious pointers to C86 from other reviews I'm sure and they are valid at times, but The Procters are much more pastoral. Yes they do gentle, but the arrangements take them much further afield than just plugging in and jangling. 

They are not afraid of a surprising Guitar solo and add greater harmony than many of their ilk. The word to describe the album is effectively beautiful, a mood that takes you away into a land where all is well, no one has a care in the world and no one ever falls out with each other.

But there are also times when the band venture into other areas. An ability to sound like a Lightning Seeds, Aztec Camera or Lilac Time. If they were solely Jangle, which do incredibly well in all areas, they may be as predictable as others, there's not a bit of that.

At their best when they do let loose a bit, but they are never gonna rock your socks off, there is a fragileness on the slower numbers. They do sound a little like Wild Swans at times, but more consistent. This album restores faith in the wonder of the pop song. Wonderful!

You can listen to and buy the album here. You may be lucky enough to still be able to grab a Vinyl or CD version too.

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The Toms - Rock Paper Scissors

 

The Toms debut album was released in 1979 and remains one of the great Power Pop albums. Regular featuring in lists of the best ever albums in the genre.  Marolda has been around since. I make this his 10th album of new material and 20 years of that included a break from recording.

The Toms have never ever released a duff note. There has been a shift in direction, particularly since 2022's Stereo. There are glimpses of Power Pop, here you have It's Personal, but The Toms now inhabit a world somewhere between Indie Pop and Pop Rock.

Studio advancements mean that the production quality has risen greatly and this allows the diversions sound great. Beautifully produced and particularly synth and beat enhanced. However Marolda hasn't lost his vocal quality, the pipes sound in as great shape as ever.

The songs are beautifully arranged and land equally in Modern Studio Pop and 80s Indie Pop. These arrangements are complex, both instrumentally and vocally, but the melody count is very high. Songs that you, your kids and grandkids can sing along to.

It is totally admirable that The Toms have moved with the times without ever losing the melody and poptastic nature of the songs. Here are 12 songs that are maybe a little bit more commercial that you may be used to, but Cloud Nine 11 is a big reminder of what makes Marolda great and essential 45 years on.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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The Duskwhales - Strawflower Lane

 

Before Pop Rock became an all encompassing genre, the sound reflected a great 70s style big production that consisted of extensive vocal harmonies, giant arrangements, killer choruses and a general easy listening that edged towards Soft Rock.

The Duskwhales are a trio that offer up music that fits that description perfectly. Reminiscent of the great UK 70s albums, but also very West Coast Melodic Rock. One listen to the title track will tell you all you need to know about them, the arrangement is massive, the performance wonderful.

This is the sort of music that used to be laughed at by the cool kids, the same kids who adore it now and have "always" done so. Songs have the kitchen sink thrown at them and so are never drab, the instrument cupboard is raided which allows rich instrumentation including strings and Brass.

Instrumentally, the songs are splendid and rounded off by vocals that recorded and layered to perfection. The Duskwhales do smooth and mellow incredibly well, but songs are never twee. You will have already heard (You Only Love Me) When You're High on a recent Listening To This Week and that is maybe the jauntiest Pop on show here.

Vocally, the band remind me of City Boy without the rocky parts, but the trio also create a path of their own. Never really fashionable, but adored by album buyers, the genre has sadly been neglected for a good while and these three could very well lead a revival.

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

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The Drywall Heels - Today's Top Hits Playlist

 

It has been almost eight years since the splendid debut EP and we've just had a series of singles in 2020, but it is delightful to have the Canadian quartet back with six shortish songs. Short they may be, but there is a lot packed into them.

This is intelligent India of the highest order. Super melodic crossing genres whilst having one foot in Indie Guitar Pop whilst using the other leg to trawl the genres. Sunday Plans is great 70s Classic Pop Rock, a little McCartney vocal wise.

Yet, Screens is wonderful Jangling 80s Indie, that Jangle is absolutely wonderful. Little Critters is all smooth on the verse, but the chorus bursts into prime 70s New Wave Costello. The contrast of styles works beautifully.

Any Hollow is very 60s, a lot of Merseybeat, a little Beat Pop, but with an added gentle Psych Pop arrangement. Thirty even mixes West Coast Pop with a little 70s Classic Rock. Caterina is an absolute gem of a song. a great example of how Pop can lift your heart with a twelve string Byrds Jangle that adds to the vibe without ever taking the thing over.

Caterina is on the current Listening To This Week, but the whole offering here demonstrates great versatility and above all melody. The whole album is so tastefully arranged, allowing the songs to breathe. There is also a lot to be said for saying what you want to say and getting off. Splendid!

You can listen to and buy the EP here.

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Plastic Bubble - The Circular Breathing EP

 

Matt Taylor and long time collaborator, Elisa McCabe have turned Plastic Bubble what was a collaboration with random artists into a proper group. Taylor Wells and Tex Dynamite complete the Lexington Kentucky quartet.

The result is great Indie Pop with the mix of Taylor and McCabe's vocals enhancing the poptastic element whilst the arrangements add interesting departures. It is an EP that sounds more than a little 80s, but having said that Forever has a 60s feel at times with an arrangement that even drifts into Rock and Roll.

Anything & Everything is wonderful Psych Pop with an added Telstar keyboard run and a middle part that goes full Psych. It is like a modern take on Toytown. Recontextualise mixes UK New Wave with the Indie Pop of say Saint Etienne.

McCabe's vocal on Bright Morning is exceptional, almost Girl Group pushing against the great Indie Fuzz that is on display. When the two sing together, it gets very much like a slightly rocked up B52s. I just wish there was more as this is splendid Indie Pop.

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

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Listening To This Week Playlist

Later today than usual due to other IDHAS commitments, 31 songs are compiled here for your weekly aural pleasure. Something for everyone and more.

I do hope that you can listen to all the songs across this week. The last listed is as great as the first and you have plenty of time to listen. This weekly playlist is solely for submissions, not the usual stuff that we dig out ourselves. 

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. 

Macseal - Permanent Repeat

The Cle Elum - I've Touched The Stars

The Situations - Local Customs

The Drywall Heels - Caterina

My Loving Tiger - I Think That Was S.O.S.

Bad Keys Of The Mountain - Everyday

Moon Fever - Make It Look Easy

Plastic Bubble - Chasing All My Dreams

Humdrum - See Through You

Jphono1 - Magic Here

D. Marin Perez - Crying Wolf

Jim Nothing - Hourglass

Final Essay - Find Someone Else

All Violet - Drugdealer

The Linda Brady Revival - Up The Incline

The Snozzberries - Return

Jared James - Pastel

Adult Leisure - Borderline

Psych-O-Positive - Lipstick

Antelope - Hometown Ghost

The Lonely Souls - Battle Plans

Splikak - I Wish We Had More Time

Jaime Orr - Not Below You Or Above

Poppy - There

The Company Of Amateur Souls - All The Things

The Pop Atoms - After Autumn (feat. Katie Cribbs)

Parker Woodland - Just In Case

Edgecliff - Cherry

Jack Ellis And The Contraband - Sweets

Mother Sun - Giant Bog

Supermilk - To Sink A Ship

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Listening To This Week On Mixcloud

 

Monday's Listening To This Week's Playlists have been really successful and continue to grow and grow. They have breathed new life into IDHAS and widened its audience considerably, also adding a younger following to the mix. 

They bring artists to the fore who are not releasing albums for one reason or another. A sort of celebration of the single song. More recently, they have achieved our second aim more and that is reviewing resulting albums from those artists. The future seems bright for the Playlist.

Five weeks ago, we added a Mixcloud version of the same playlist. It was done to provide a continuous listen and allow further listening opportunities for the artists. It was always going to be a short trial and although it was gaining an audience, we have decided to end it for now,

We are not naive, we knew it would take time to grow, but we just feel that to do this, it would take more and more time away from what we essentially do, which is concentrate on reviews. Listening To This Week takes a lot of work with listening, curating and tagging etc. To add more work would detract from our main aims. It had become harder and harder to make time for reviews. 

We will still use Mixcloud for Pre Release Specials and Live Sessions. Listening To This Week surprised us with how accepted it has become. It will remain as it has always been. I do hope you understand.

Don.

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Chime School - The Boy Who Ran The Paisley Hotel.

 

Andy Pastalaniec's Chime School jangle in for album number two with a joyous chirpy album that builds on the debut. Beautifully performed, arranged and produced, The Boy Who Ran The Paisley Hotel is very second half of the 80s Indie Guitar Pop.

Equally UK, particularly Scottish, and American, it reminds you of a chipper Orange Juice, The Pastels and R.E.M, without the earnestness. It jangles from every direction, but in a measured way, it is deliberately restrained.

If a song breaks out, it is more by pace and tone than louder Guitar. A great example is the magnificent, Wandering Song, an object lesson in how to write engaging melodic Pop. Why Don't You Come Out Tonight goes totally 90s TV Show Theme Song and yet even sounds a little Smiths.

Say Hello allows the Jangle to get more Psych Pop and this shows a different side to the album as well as scratching my itch for the genre. Negative Monday is slowed down and more melancholic, almost West Coast and Desperate Days even gets in touch with the New breed of Indie Rock whilst also sounding vaguely Folk.

There is even room for a closer that shows the morning after the joy. A wonderfully arranged come down. Points Of Light may just have saved the best to last and shows even more depth. Again beautifully sung and demonstrating that this album is not solely about the Jangle Pop, although that is very welcome.

Lyrically, the album more than stands up and even with these stellar arrangements, it is Pastalaniec's vocal that holds everything together, splendidly harmonic, but gentle and soothing. This is the type of offering that excels in the summer, but also brightens up the dark. 

You can listen to and buy the album here.  It is available on Vinyl and CD on the Slumberland Records label or as a download.

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The Scott Cornette Trio - III EP

 

The third outing of The Scott Cornette Trio is a great example of how accessible Prog can be. When it loses its technical bragging, extended terminal solos and song length, it is not a million miles away from the likes of Alt Rock, Groove Rock and even Pop Rock.

This is certainly a Power Trio that features Scott Cornette on Guitars, Jon Leeds on Drums and Chris Church on Bass and Vocals. Yes it is THAT Chris Church who we wax lyrical about on here for his Indie Pop Rock adventures.

There is an equal IDHAS jolt on Beginning's End as the voice of an angel, Gretchen's Wheel's Lindsay Murray takes on the Lead Vocal and the results are astounding. The EP is split into three vocal tracks and three instrumentals. Both work equally well.

Instrumental wise, the rhythm section lock which allows Cornette to display his Guitar skills. The music has a real Rush instrumental track feel. Slightly Heavy but very melodic. The best example is Freezer Burn which adds a gobsmacking Guitar Solo.

Vocally, there is a hint of Modern Prog, more Neo Prog really, very accessible and beautifully arranged. Church's vocal is easily recognised, as is Murrays and this allows the Rock or Pop Rock comparisons at times. Controlled Chaos hits a corking groove and Beginning's End are joyous listens.

The true Prog workout is the driven Calculated Risk and it is driven hard. The Power really comes to the surface. III will surprise people who didn't know of Church's love of Prog and how well his voice suits it. I am forever preaching how people should not make judgements by the label or what's on the tin. This is a great listen and proof of that theory.

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

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Macseal - Permanent Repeat (Bandcamp Name Your Price)

 

We loved Macseal's 2019 debut album, Super Enthusiast, you can read our review here. In the review, we mentioned that some of the best bands that come into Pop Rock from EMO or Pop Punk turn out to be the best in their new genre and that album was a great example of such.

In the five years since that album, the New York quartet have honed their skills and this second album edges more into Power Pop. Great melodic Power Pop, all melody, riffs and big big choruses. Permanent Repeat is not only a great summer album, but goes far beyond that.

The new breed of Power Pop bands have a slightly noisier take, whereas Macseal go for something more traditional, more 90s, but also add a modern take at times, via beats and production. This really works as it opens up a slightly different angle to the poptastic fairy on display. 

Easily Undone is a great example of this, yet October is a short acoustic almost Beach Boys affair. The title track even gets all Jangly Glasgow, very Dropkick or dare I mention it Teenage Fanclub with its unexpected guitar fest breakout.

Your Door gets all 90s US Sitcom Theme Tune, think The Rembrandts, yet still rocking it up as the song progresses. Hide Out is one of the great fast / slow examples around, changing tempo at will. There's even a big jangling storytelling ballad to close proceedings with a killer, almost Tsar like, chorus.

Yet A+B is such a gentle laidback opener, more Indie Pop, that gives you a slightly false impression of what is coming. A special mention has to be given to Beach Vacation, a killer song, chock full of harmonies and joy. Permanent Repeat is great Power Pop and we all want some of that.

You can listen to and download the album here. The album can be bought in one of three Vinyl versions and CD here.

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Supermilk - High Precision Ghosts

 

It is always ace to hear intelligent Indie from the UK, it is something that we do not hear nearly enough. Too many bands tend to follow something that has broke through and you end up with facsimiles of the same mediocrity.

Not so for the London quartet on their third album. At times they remind me of some of my favourite bands of the past. The likes of XTC and at times very Dogs Die In Hot Cars, although they can get a little noisier than both.

They are very angular and land somewhere between UK New Wave and Indie Rock via IRS. Riffs bound unexpectedly into view that would grace any Power Pop album, but there are also times when both instrumentally they tread into Neo Prog, both instrumentally and vocally.

But that would be Prog Pop as the four could be Woking 1977 or with the Franz Ferdinand brigade two decades later. They can also breakout into something much rockier. There is a never-ending energy in what they do, yet they remain incredibly melodic with some really big memorable choruses.

The Rhythm section drives the songs wonderfully, matched by vocals that just grab you and Guitar runs that just light up your life. Indie Rock has become all encompassing, too much so. Now it just seems everything that is complicated to describe is lobbed in there. This is proper Indie.

I've seen them described as Punk in many descriptions which I really don't see. Supermilk have an ability to switch direction easily, they are as comfortable with Grunge as Weezer. I've taken the unusual step of not describing individual songs, simply because I really want you to hear the whole album, I've chosen my three faves, but there isn't a duffer amongst the 10. An Absolutely essential purchase!

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

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Listening To This Week - The Mixcloud Version

 

Here it is at last after some quirky Technical issues. Same order as the Monday playlist, just on an additional format, allowing listeners to hear the whole thing without individual clicking for each We have 29 of the 30 songs appearing on this mix.

Please let us know your thoughts on this version as we will make a decision on whether it continues at the weekend.  We are always looking at what we do, comparing the time taken to compile versus the time that could be spent writing reviews. 

Having added the original LTTW, which remains incredibly popular and Here Is The News, time for Reviews is limited and we want to continue to be known as a Reviewer of new music in album and EP format as well as a door opener for the artists that we cover.

A reminder of the song order is below. Links to the Mixcloud Playlist are also below.

01 Nada Surf - Losing

02 Onesie - Gift Of The Gab

03 Radio 75 - Screaming Out

04 Big Bang Black Hole - Limited Service

05 Kick. Snare. Crash. - What's The Point

06 Tam - Attic Grifter

07 Highfield - Vows And Visions

08 The Willful Deaf - Chasing Demons

09 Ty Walker And The Humanoids - Never Odd Or Even

10 Silicon Forest - Twilight Of The Party Gods

11 Punky Tunes - Keep On

12 Freddy Gang - Dinner Party Come To Mine!

13 Khaki (Oslo) - Getting Better 

14 Kings Of The Wild Things - Waterfalls

15 Ted Bunny - Canadian Girl

16 Icarus Phoenix - The Things You Never Told Me

17 36? - I Don't Want To Go Out Tonight

18 Lonely Inc. - Dreams

19 Abandoned Buildings - Microdose

20 Supernova Easy - Lily

21 You Citizen - Mind On

22 Polaroid Fade - Delancey

23 Hamish Anderson - Stir Crazy

24 Alex Base - Changes Come In 

25 Painted Vein - Hey Man

26 Kid Blank - A Lonely Place

27 Devin Santi - Lost In Dreams

28 Please Don't Eat Me - Willow Immortalized

29 Luminatrix - Iron Shirt Training

Mixcloud Link

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The Cle Elum - It's OK If It Falls Apart

 

Now for something that is right up our street and will appeal to followers old and new.  Ian Lee sings and plays everything that isn't drums, Sarah Sargent Pepper plays drums and wow does she play those drums. The Chattanooga (no mention of Choo Choo's please) have delivered a great Pop Rock album.

You will have already heard I Am A Robot and Goodbye Night Sky on Listening To This Week this year. The latter featured Josh Caterer and the former, Matthew Caws, so you know what ballpark we are in, but these two easily do it alone.

Every base is covered. From the Americana Rock of I Need Your Harmony to the Jangle Power Pop of Old Folks. I Wanted To Sleep is very much in Tom Petty territory and Did I Get High is close to fellow Wilbury Jeff Lynne's 80s period with an absolutely killer chorus and storming Guitar solo.

I've Touched The Stars just breaks out the blocks and may be the best Power Pop song that you will hear this year. Handclaps And Tambourines opens proceedings with a killer riff and big dollops of UK Glam Rock and what a fine introduction to a splendid album it is. 

The two singles I mentioned may get your early attention. Goodbye Night Sky is marvellous Psych Pop, a little like a popped up Cotton Mather and I Am A Robot is superb 80s New Wave Pop Rock. But the whole album is an absolute joy.

Wonderfully performed and arranged with a big production, this is why I love Pop Rock. Not everyone gets it right, sometimes too predictable or too AOR, but when they do the results are exceptional and here The Clear Elum get it spot on. 

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

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Highfield - EP (Bandcamp Name Your Price)

 

Highfield are part of Philadelphia's Sister Molecule Collective and another discovery via our Listening To This Week playlist which is certainly turning up long(er) players lately. They are wonderfully noisy, but melodic and when they hit a groove, they don't half hit it.

The Home Screen is a sort of Garage Psych, but they travel further into the likes of New Wave, R and B, Punk and even Hard Rock. The opener, Still An Empty Vessel is New York Garage, but with vocalaccompaniment that could be Russell Mael.

I Promise Things That I Don't Deliver is punkier, but delivered at a frantic pace. To Go Away has a lot in common with the new breed of Noisier Power Pop, yet will also appeal to both Indie Rock and Psych fans. Failed Expectations calms things down a little, more groove, but wonderful instrumentally.

Highfield even shoe in a 35 second Thrash in Have To Keep Learning. Vows And Visions is even more different, close to Classic Rock and you can hear that on the new LTTW. I was completely blown away by the EP, louder than we normally feature on here, but just as satisfying. 

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You can listen to and buy the EP here. You can listen to other bands in the collective here.

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Listening To This Week Playlist

Another 30 songs for your aural delight. There will be a Mixcloud version tomorrow. We will then make a decision on whether that version continues. The regular one here is continues on and on.

 I do hope that you can listen to all the songs across this week. The last listed is as great as the first and you have plenty of time to listen. This weekly playlist is solely for submissions, not the usual stuff that we dig out ourselves. 

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. 

Nada Surf - Losing

Onesie - Gift-Of-Gab

Radio75 - Screaming Out

Big Bang Black Hole - Limited Service

Kick. Snare. Crash. - What's The Point

Tam - Attic Grifter

Highfield - Vows And Visions

The Willful Deaf - Chasing Demons

Ty Walker And The Humanoids - Never Odd Or Even

Silicon Forest - Twilight Of The Party Gods

Freddy Gang - Dinner Party Come To Mine!

Punky Tunes - Keep On

Khaki (Oslo) - Getting Better

Mosaic - Fairytale

Kings Of The Wild Things - Waterfalls

Ted Bunny - Canadian Girl

Phoenix - The Things You Never Told Me

36? - I Don't Want To Go Out Tonight

Lonely Inc. - Dreams

Abandoned Buildings - Microdose

Supernova Easy - Lily

You Citizen - Mind On

Polaroid Fade - Delancey

Hamish Anderson - Stir Crazy

Alex Base - Changes Come In

Painted Vein - Hey Man

Kid Blank - A Lonely Place

Devin Santi - Lost In Dreams

Please Don't Eat Me - Willow Immortalized

Luminatrix - Iron Shirt Training

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The Damnwells - Bad At Beautiful

 

There's been a lot of muscle memory used for Anything Should Happen recently and its get used again for the return of The Damnwells. Alex Dezen is back with the original line up, Ted Hudson, David Chernis and Steven Terry and the quality is more than high.

The Power Pop seems less prominent, replaced by melodic Pop Rock not a million miles away from Crowded House. Dezen's pipes are in as fine working order as ever and at times he out Del Amitri's Justin Currie.

There are also hints of Americana at times, Chernis plays lap steel as well as he does Lead Guitar and that allows great variation, The Rhythm Section of Hudson and Terry is locked in, truly showing that the strength is in the sum of the parts of the quartet.

Morgan Wade duets on Easy Tiger and it is great Country Pop, but Chernis bursts into a Glammed up Guitar solo that redirects the song wonderfully. Falling Out Of Long is a magnificent song, as catchy as catchy can be and again underlines Dezen's lyrical strength.

Aaron Lee Tasman guests on the title track, a fine 70s Singer Songwriter affair. What If I Talked is wall to wall Neil Finn. Bad At Beautiful is wonderfully gentle, beautifully performed and arranged. The fact that a band as great as The Damnwells have to crowd fund is a sad reflection of the times and a realisation that too many don't appreciate what music brings to both art and mood.

You can listen to the album here and at these links.

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Quivers - Oyster Cuts

2021's Golden Doubt is beloved here and marked out the Melbourne Quartet as one to follow again and again. The album featured high up in our Best 100 Albums Of 2021, so there is a fair amount of excitement about the follow up.

The move to a bigger label, Merge Records, is totally deserved. All four offering vocals adds to the variety and they still do chirping up melancholic lyrics really well.but Oyster Cults sounds even more pensive. There is a depth that few manage without sounding maudlin.

The magnificent six minutes closer is mesmerising, hypnotic, yet sensual with its mood and weeping guitar. But this is just one part of what they do. Fake Flowers gets close to the intelligent Indie of the likes of The Sugarplastic.

Quivers are never going to rock your socks out, but when they stretch out and let loose a little, the results are just as outstanding. Apparition is the best example of this, wonderful slightly noisier Indie Guitar Pop par excellence with even a bit of Stones swagger instrumentally.

The title track starts all 80s Pop Rock with a vocal that is Stevie Nicks without the squawk. Grief Has Feathers even enters Paddy McAloon territory and Never Be Lonely is a great Pop song, maybe an 80s Pop song with a splendid laidback vocal.

Screensaver is so moving, instrumentally and vocally, almost Dream Pop. Oyster Cuts is an absolute gem, lyrically adept, soothing for the soul and beautifully arranged and performed. Intelligent in its aims and at ease with making the sad melodic. A band at the top of their game!

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

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