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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Drugs In Sport - If Only We Could Use These Powers For Good

 

Drugs In Sport are a quartet from Newcastle in Australia and their second album is right up our street. Your main observation may be that they don't sound Australian, but remember that Australia is no longer about Jimmy Barnes blue collar rock.

They do come across as a mix of US Power Pop and Indie Rock, but that's a great place to be as they do it so well. They sound so tight and are packed with memorable riffs, big choruses and sounds that you can both shake your fist to as well as sing along to.

However, if you want them to rattle your dentures, they will, as demonstrated by the rock out that is Troll And Trigger. They even get all streetwise College Rock on the tempo bothering Elites and Deletes with a lyrical adeptness and an important message,

Gravitational Crush is a ball of energy, built on a killer riff and an anthemic chorus that puts many of the newer Guitar Rock bands to shame. There's even a Punk feel to Burning Churches that treads into UK 1978 New Wave and a wonderful twin Guitar attack.

Cooked fits wonderfully with new breed of Power Pop from the last couple of years and Squander The Day offers up an absolutely addictive chorus. A Touch Too Rough slows things down unusually with a real American feel, almost Americana.

The closer, Embrace Absurdity may be the best Power Pop song that you will hear all year and underlines the Power of the Guitar. Drugs In Sport may be approaching veteran years, but If Only We Could Use These Powers For Good holds its own with anything that is coming out now. A top notch album!

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

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flowerfrend - The First, Second and Third EPs

 

Flowerfrennd are a quartet from Chicago and I am totally surprised that they have not had more coverage. These three EPs have been combined as an album on Spotify, but I prefer to review the individual EPs to allow people to buy and listen to the embeds for the full duration. 

There is currently a marked move by artists away from Spotify due to Daniel Ek's sponsorship of Israeli weapons and finally a realisation that the platform does sod all for new Indie artists. The band describe themselves as Psych Rock and there are many elements of that, but their palette dwells far more in Indie.

The First EP has three tracks that come from very different directions. Virginia is great Psych Pop, From A Simpler Love In Time is ace Indie Fuzz and Tell Me About Love starts with a Glam Guitar Intro that morphs into fine Classic Rock.

The other two EPs again show great variation. Chicago on the second EP has a real Garage Rock feel mixed with a soulful vocal, but the other two songs show their Psych credibility. The six minutes of Take Me At My Word provide a Psych masterpiece, an incredibly fulfilling listen.

The final EP is more experimental. Four songs, bookended by two instrumentals that are ethereal. More stream of consciousness, mixing ambient with noise. The stand out though is California, a wonderful example of UK mid 80s fuzzed up Guitar Pop.

This is a band that deserves far more attention. They mix all of my favourite things together, Psych Pop, Guitar Pop and Indie inventiveness. The Three EPs were all released between April and May this year. I've chosen a song from each and maybe there is a need for Bandcamp to host the complete album, but track order may need a big think from the band.

You can listen to and buy the EPs here.

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Listening To This Week Playlist 28 July

 

24 songs on the new LTTW Playlist. Plenty new to us (and maybe you too) with some 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.   

Link To Spotify

Ash - Give Me Back My World

ASH · Give Me Back My World

Shrapnel - Catch You Out

The Verve Pipe - Tattoo

Gardensnakes - Run Me Around

Swan Hill - Longhorn

Cadbury Get The Jet - HB Pencil

The Family Club - Hanging Around

Dolo Tonight - Hate You Now

Flutter - 5 Star Review

Cabin Beat - Racehorse

Ryan Hamilton - Godspeed

The Modbeats - Frankie

The Modbeats · Frankie

Hot Work Permit - Go Sign

Hot Work Permit · Go Sign

Colin Tyler - Four Wheel Drive

Colin Tyler · Four Wheel Drive

The Wild Kindness - Abandon Ship

Don't Tell John - I'm Done

AD4K - Honesty

Lucky - Falling Through

LUCKY · Falling Through

WES SP8 - A Few Screws Loose

Pynch - Post-Punk / New-Wave

Jesus Christ Supercar - Rayguns

Andrew Anderson - Caught In The Grip

Rebma Rose - Desperate

Boomvision - Chun Li

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Flutter - When You Love Somebody (Bandcamp Name Your Price)

 

Denver quartet, Flutter, have fashioned up an album that links two waves of Power Pop and introduces it properly to now. The band call this an EP, but at 6 songs long, it is nearer a mini album and the 24 minute run time is as long as many Power Pop releases these days, particularly since Vinyl was re-invented.

You will have heard the title track on a recent Listening To This Week Playlist and the album reveals the intent much clearer. This links the era of Raspberries, Shoes and Badfinger to the 90s of Sloan and even Teenage Fanclub and also heralds the return of Power Pop these days to something relevant and engaging to a new younger audience.

Standing On A Corner  links all of the aforementioned. Great Power Pop that Jangles across a memorable riff and chorus, yet understated in a TFC way. 5 Star Review is more sassy and very 70s, more urgent. Heartthrob is wonderful UK Glam Rock.

I Don't Wanna Be Sad is more Indie, little late 80s Glasgow, but nothing prepares you for the closer Wizwit, an ambitious sprawling 6 minutes that still feels too short. It is very Big Star in feel, but holding your attention with length requires great skill and this has tons of it.

The killer riff just grips you. The later crashing guitar chords link it to Power Pop, yet there is also a Pop Rock feel that gets close to Classic Rock.  I will underline how Chilton-esque it sounds. It may be long, but you just can't resist playing it again and again.

When You Love Somebody is a corker of a debut album. It makes you realise how uplifting Power Pop can be. It is retro, but the band are bringing it to a different generation, a youth who have probably listened to the 70s Standouts. What a great uplifting listen!

You can listen to and buy it here. It is available on Cassette or as a download. It certainly would deserve a CD or Vinyl Release you labels!

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Lolas - Big Hits And Freak Disasters

 

Not enough credit is given to Ray Gianchetti's Kool Kat label. One of few releasing new material on CD as well as the online shop that supports physical releases of new Pop Rock. The label had a cracking year in 2024 and this year is proving no different.

Tim Boykin's Lolas master Guitar Pop through all its guises. Feet are trod in Power Pop, Garage Rock, Pop Rock, Psych Pop , Jangle Pop and much more. It has been four years since the last album, All Rise, but Boykin has been busy releasing digital singles since then and all nine are collated here with three more new songs.

The three new songs, All Sewn Up, Down We Go and I Couldn't Stop It.are just as good as the nine that accompany them. One is a 100mph nod to Garage Rock, one is a mix of Power Pop and UK New Wave with a great 80s synth run. The other would have fitted beautifully on an 80s soundtrack.

That is the beauty of Lolas. Now approaching the third decade, they can cross boundaries and decades without ever seem false or outdated. Great melody, riffs aplenty, surprise solos and vocal harmony blast out from what ever direction is taken.

Work Is The Blackmail Of Survival is great 60s UK Beat and Call Your Name edges towards Mod Pop. Trick Myself is updated Merseybeat with an ace Glam Rock solo. From The Start is wonderful 80s Jangle Pop.

Shut Me Down is West Coast Bubblegum Pop of the highest order and Underneath The Waves nods towards the Beach Boys, but with added Jangle and another surprise Guitar solo. A collection of 12 wonderful singalong joys  as you might expect from Lolas. Perhaps now is the time to credit them for consistently bringing joy.

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on CD from Kool Kat here.

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Kevin Robertson - Yellow Painted Moon

 

Robertson's band, The Vapour Trails, master a Jangle led West Coast Guitar Pop that is totally engaging and there is that here, but his solo offerings spread their wings much further. Together with fellow VT son, Scott and drummer and producer extraordinaire Nick Bertling, a crackerjack album is ready for your ears.

As well as the myriad of styles and genre crossing, my main take is how adaptable Robertson's voice is. It suits whatever direction a song takes, but there's a far more varied tone and this excels, particularly the non Jangling affairs. His guitar work has always been noted, but until now his vocal range hasn't.

Kings Of Most Of Yesterday is maybe the best example here, just listen to that chorus vocal. A song that is all 60s Studio Glamour, one of the best things that you will this or any year. Quicksand is another wonderfully arranged and delightfully smooth.

Feeling Show is wonderful Psych Pop, a genre that Robertson has always been great at, here he tackles it from a splendid restrained angle and a hippy-esque solo just melts into proceedings beautifully. The Harbinger is a magnificent closer, all West Coast Rock adding another string to Robertson's bow and another awesome vocal.

Message Of Love mixes Americana with Psych Pop and the acoustic touch works as well as what surrounds it elsewhere. Long devotees fear not! There is plenty of Jangle Pop across the 12 tracks filtering in as and when required.

To say that this is Robertson's finest hour would be an understatement. Not only is this a vocal delight, but it is also a Guitar album. All three play Electric Guitar and it shows with the quality of the solos and riffs. This is album of the year material and it will be up there on our end of year celebrations.

You can listen to and buy the album here and here.  CDs are still available on the latter link for US purchasers. The CD is sold out in the UK, hopefully there will be further reprints here.

https://kevinrobertson.bandcamp.com/album/yellow-painted-moon

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Deadlights - Blue Sides EP

 

People may be more familiar with Jeff Shelton due to The Well Wishers and that wonderful brand of melodic Power Pop and Pop Rock. Deadlights is his side project and enters very different territory. It is slightly 80s, but fear not, such a fine guitarist is not suddenly going Synth Pop and updating 0or should that be backdating?) his wardrobe with his jacket sleeves rolled up.

This is the Indie later 80s and early 90s. Very Shoegaze, but not the never-ending nonsense version. This is all vibe and riffs. The secondary riff on Forever Now is almost Psych Pop, a reminder of The Church's earlier times.

There's an ethereal hypnotic feel to Another Perfect Sunrise, an extraordinary soundscape that gets very close to Slowdive.  Running Wild is magnificent, a song that wouldn't be out of place on a Well Wishers album, an absolutely riveting riff and again hints of Psych Pop, but also the UK Indie scene at the turn of the 80s when the Guitar had a last hurrah until Brit Pop.

Happy Birthday gets a little Ride, but without the self admiration, it meanders wonderfully. Famous And Alone is more sedate, shoegaze that washes over you dragging you in. Extra-ordinary Guitar! Blue Sides is captivating stuff. I just wish there was more.

You can listen to and buy the EP here.

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Soft Hearted Scientists - The Phantom Of Canton

 

It is often frustrating that for much of my I Don't Hear A Single life, I have trouble understanding why certain bands are not massive. If this was anytime between 1969 and 1976, you would have needed many trucks to deliver Soft Hearted Scientist to the eagerly awaiting Record Shops.

Of course, we live in different times, pennies for 100 song plays, but the physical has always been key for songwriter, vocalist and multi instrumentalist, Nathan Hall throughout his career. Here the Cardiff five piece keep a 16 track double album to 77 minutes to allow a release on a single CD.

The previous album, Waltz Of The Weekend, is a thing of beauty and featured in our Best 100 Albums Of 2023 and The Phantom Of Canton takes that baton and carries the follow up to a much wider canvas. The band are noted Psych Pop magicians, but they are much more than that.

Songs are beautifully arranged soundscapes, Hall's gentle vocal is surrounded by arrangements that are of the highest quality, offering depth and melody, at times pastoral. They are also capable of great Pop. Wonder Girl is a Toytown joy of a Pop song and Hello, Hello is pure Jangle.

The Psych is restrained and ventures into Prog never lose the plot. They are equally great at short songs as well as the extended. The Cloud Parade is jaunty 70s Pop Rock. The longer songs work well as always, The Canyon approaches 12 minutes and amongst the Prog is a delightful Piano Pop accompaniment. 

There is a Pink Floyd feel the odd time. Song For My Sunflower is reminiscent of that band's megabucks 70s and the title track has a hint of Syd Barrett. Soft Hearted Scientists are a band that know what they are about, but constantly look for change, melody is always the key.

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

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Popular Posts (Last 30 Days)

 

It's good to be back and Thank you all for all your support as we enter our 10th year. Thanks also to Tez for looking after things over the past few days. She certainly found tagging Listening To This Week a challenge. 

Some of you may keep an eye on the Popular Posts section at the Top four Left Hand Side. Regulars probably don't as they see all the regular stuff. It shows what posts have been most read over the previous rolling 30 days. Initially, it contained mainly recent reviews as you might expect. Then as we started playlists, firstly on Mixcloud and then via LTTW, they started to make appearances.

However, we always felt that there was a greater challenge for artists on here. Blogger only has a front page of 7 posts, then people have to click to the previous 7. The monthly details on the right hand side are fine for displaying the current month, but as a new month begins, again you need to click to get on the previous month. We Tag all the artists, but that list has got longer and longer and you really have to know what you are looking for. 

We developed Google Analytics four of five years ago which helped, but haven't returned to it for a while. It is a dry boring experience keeping up with it, particularly as the site has taken off since Listening To This Week and the addition of a Spotify version of it. There are lots of new visitors and followers who don't necessarily see our rich past and so I tweaked Google Analytics a few months ago and the results have been great. 

There have always been artists who have dominated the 10 entries on Popular Posts for a good while after the review. One was Ward White, another Ex Norwegian, another The Mommyheads. Currently, it is The Supernaturals and Smackbeat. It is also a good barometer of what is going on here and the diversity. I have been delighted at the success of the magnificent Barbara album and the LTTW Playlists make regular appearances. 

However recently there have been older reviews making reappearances. The biggest one is the 2019 Review of Liz + the Baguettes (here) and the 2019 review of The Futureheads (here). Powers was an album that never got as much attention as it deserved on its original post. 

Many of you know, how much we adore The Mommyheads and it is their 2022 album, Genius Killer, that is getting massive attention again here. I have to admit that that warms my heart as I think it may be their best album ever and the bar is set high. You can read that review here.

Lastly we initially put our playlists on Mixcloud and The Audio Extravaganza was a big success running for over 100 Episodes. Mixcloud changed policies awhile ago allowing 10 shows to be shown, so as it ended, we left the 10 most recent up.

Amazingly Volume 79 has hit the Popular Post list and that is almost six years old and the link wasn't active. People have obviously gone back to the songs individually. So I've updated the link and you can now hear it in all its glory. You can find that post here.

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Listening To This Week 21 July

 

Here's the new LTTW Playlist. A little shorter this week due to Don's absence at the back end of the week. However, compiled by him and it sounds wonderful. 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. Only 19 of the 20 songs are currently 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

The Peppermint Kicks - Radio Wam Bam Boom

Fortitude Valley - Oceans Apart

Space Jaguar - Alone Now

Living Hour - Wheel

David Mead - Kicking The Can (Not On Spotify)

Dom Mariani - Apple Of Life

Sloan - Live Forever

The Valery Trails - First Kiss

ExDrummer - Top Soil

Marc · Topsoil

KRUPUNK - Sick

Brynja Ran - None Of You

Jumbo Chords - Sleep

Ten Year Harvest - Spaces

Electric Pets - Can't Bring Me Down

Peter Darrington · Electric Pets - Can't Bring Me Down

James Dean & The Village Green - Cassette Tape

Mother Iguana - Into The Ether / RIP

Reaven - Free Your Mind

DAAY - Guru Deva

Modern Cults - PeeL

++Ultra - The Show

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British Birds - Silence Daedalus

 

It isn't that much fun in the North West Of England at the moment. What with all the flagpoles and Farage nonsense and musically I'm fully expecting a wave of Blag Rock wannabe Oasis bands sometime soon. Bizarrely most of these originate in America, but Indie is about to have another wave of music to wash the dishes to from home shores.

British Birds are a quartet from Chorley, a place not a million miles away from IDHAS Towers and they are incredibly inventive, proper Indie and this is their second album after a dissecting EP. Bobby Mambo, as songwriter and main vocalist is obviously the leader, but the female half of the band add another angle. They are here to save us from all the bland nonsense.

They remind me a lot of XTC in the first half of their career and there can be no greater compliment, yet when the ladies get involved, it also gets a little B52s. The songs are very angular, yet incredibly melodic and hypnotic. When the keys come in, it is New Wave time.

Silence Daedalus is an incredible listen. At times, a little New Wave, but at others Garage Psych. There are also plenty of surprises. Emma Townson, for instance, sings Mother Of Jeanne in French and the song also benefits from a killer instrumental track.

This Bin is a standout song and the best example of what they do, all rhythm and attitude. Whereas the debut album showed a slight Folk side to their material, this follow us concentrates far more on Guitar Pop, Quirkiness and male / female vocal interplay.

When you hear some of the mediocre sounds that flood in here, you appreciate the great even more and British Birds are wholeheartedly great. They come at songs from unusual angles that enhance their Indie credentials, but never forget how important the chorus can be. The fact that the album is available in all the influential Record Shops, yes there are still plenty, is a testament to how strong this album is.

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

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Sunshine Posho - A. (Name Your Price)

 

Away from the mainstream, what a wonderfully arranged album this is from Italy's Sunshine Posho. These arrangements are masterful allowing Posh's gentle addictive vocal to weave its way around them. Ultra smooth at times, there are equally ventures into Prog and 70s Pop Rock.

The title track is wonderfully chilled, graceful European pop that washes over you and yet the following No, You're Disjointed mixes 60s Pop Rock with prime time Prog to offer up a wonderful confection of Art Rock, chopping and changing at will.

Troubadour is incredibly sweet, surprisingly straight ahead, concentrating on vocal interplay. Catherine follows suit, but this time is piano led and slightly Jazz. Both songs show a different side to Sunshine Posho, more heart felt than the big arrangements.

I'm Not A Robot is 80s Synth Pop with a surprise chorus and Serenade closes the album with more Art Rock and ethereal Sax and a hypnotic bassline. Not Done Yet is very 60s instrumentally and another magnificent arrangement vocally.

I am amazed that no one else seems to have picked up this, It is an album of real invention. The Prog obviously appeals to my sentiments, but there is much more here than that vocally and instrumentally. A real tour de force and a step away from the norm.

You can listen to the album here and it is available as a download as Name Your Price.

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Space Jaguar - If You Play Expect To Pay

 

Here's an album that is right up our street. Surprising then, that I discovered this casually by hearing Please Come Around, particularly with the guest list here. It is like an I Don't Hear A Single promotional video. Mark Grassick has come up with a crackerjack offering.

At its heart, this is performed as a trio. Grassick is joined by Dropkick's Andrew Taylor and Whoa Melodic's Michael Wood. Grassick writes the songs and Taylor produces. As you might expect with Taylor involved, the feel is very Jangle Pop, 90s Power Pop and at times very mid period Teenage Fanclub.

The major difference to what you normally hear is two fold. Grassick may be Irish born and London based, but his vocal is laconic, sounds very American, you think of Austin Texas at times, a change from the usual mellowness on albums of this type of offering.

Then there's the guest list. Hurry's Matt Scotoline, The Connells' Mike Connell, Laughing's Josh Salter and The Leaf Library's Matt Ashton. It is a Jangle Pop album par excellence, but not afraid to break out into engrossing guitar solos and middle eights.

That Jangle reaches a crescendo on Forward Momentum, but Standing In Your Way edges into Americana and Only Love Lets You Down gets very West Coast. Alone Now sounds very Gerry Love in style and at other times TFC are embraced.

If You Play Expect To Pay is a fine example of how engaging Jangle Pop can be, especially when it stretches out. This set of songs is a wonderful listen aided by a saying what you want to say and getting off. No meandering here! 

You can listen to the album and preorder the digital or CD versions here.

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