Sharp Pins - Balloon Balloon Balloon

 

Sharp Pins is the solo project of Lifeguard's Kai Slater. This third album is the Chicago Starlet's follow up to the wonderful Radio DDR (review here). The new album is very different to the last. Radio DDR was a kind of statement from someone who wanted to be Doug Gillard's grandson.

Balloon Balloon Balloon is like a collection of earlier demos, it isn't, but sounds like it should be. That shouldn't put you off because there are a thousand ideas here, but they are incredibly lo-fi, it appears deliberately so.

The main question should be, how can someone so young have all this musical history in his head. He is an incredible talent. I mentioned in the previous review of a likeness at times to Rick Corcoran's Orgone Box and some of these songs do sound like Orgone Box demos.

But there is also an adept take on 60s Beat Pop and Jangle Pop. Some of the songs could easily be from the 60s, but then Fall In Love Again could be The La's. In A While (You'll Be Mine) is ace Psych Pop of the highest order.

Takes So Long mixes UK Beat with UK New Wave, Maria Don't even sounds like a Lennon Demo and Crown Of Thorns gets very Cleaners From Venus. Queen Of Globes and Mirrors is more Jangly and even starts with a Hard Days Night opening chord.

(I Wanna) Be Your Girl still sounds wonderful and remains an Orgone Box doppelgänger, but although these may come across as ideas, just listen to the quality of the songs. Kai Slater belies his years and I can't wait for what comes next from his multiple projects.

You can listen to and buy the album here. UK buyers should also support  the likes of Norman Records (here) who do such a fantastic job supporting the physical releases that we love. The album is available on Vinyl, CD, Cassette and as a download.

..............................

The Webstirs - High Up In The Trees

 

There is a point when Pop Rock and Indie Rock meet when the results are just spot on. Chicago's The Webstirs reach that place with their second. You might term the album Pop Rock, but it is much more than that and the five piece have the energy and gusto of a much younger Indie Rock band.

In a way, they are veterans. Preston Pisellni and Mark Winkler are joined  by The Redwalls' Jordan Kozer, The Slugs' Gregg Juhlin and Doug Bobenhouse from our beloved The Sun Sawed In 1/2. At times, the feel is Rocked up Power Pop, at others, a little more AOR, but they also show they can be whatever they want to be.

You'll have heard When It's Gone on a recent Listening To This Week Playlist and it still sounds as great here. There is an ability to change direction in the one song, Roulette being the best example, a song that sounds like Andrew Gold fronting a crack band.

Throw Away is Rockabilly at a furious pace. Reached An Understanding matches 80s IRS with 90s College Rock with added vocal harmony and a mouth organ solo. King Of Distortion is top notch UK New Wave built around a killer riff.

The Guy For You heads towards Rock and Roll territory. Dancing In The Sky is ace Power Pop with a vocal akin to Dave Edmunds. Here We Stood is a little Cheap Trick with another killer riff of which there are many.

High Up In The Trees is a beautifully produced album. Wonderfully loud and without the distortion that digital mixes can provide. The Webstirs have it made, the Guitar kids may get it, the Power Pop crowd certainly and the Dad Rockers can show they are hip. A splendid listen!

You can listen to and buy the album here.

...................

Jumbo Chords - Throw Away (Buy Another One)

 

We covered Jumbo Chords debut album, 2023's Saturday Night, Sunday Morning. It made our 100 Best Albums Of The Year. You can read the review here. Since then they have been regularly releasing singles and at last we have the follow up album.

I love them. I think many know that our forte is Intelligent Indie, but throw in Psych Pop, Indie Rock, a touch of 90s Indie, Brit Pop and variety and I melt. Four of the singles have appeared on Listening To This Week Playlists, not out of favouritism, but because of the ultra consistency that the band come up with.

This Leeds quartet are largely a collaboration of friends from 90s band and if I look at all the Indie that I fall for, these seem to throw in bits of all. At times they can be like West Coast Music Club and the vocal is similarly laconic, but they add a simplicity mixed with some wonderful harmonies.

The mellotron on All I Want is hypnotic, a very 60s sounding affair. Sleep is 6 minutes of magnificence, it just overwhelms you, drags you in. The vocal is part Guy Garvey, part Danny McNamara. Rollercoaster is jaunty 80s Jangle Pop.

Dennis Wilson, as you might imagine, is great West Coast Pop Rock, beautifully arranged both instrumentally and vocally. Twilight offers up my beloved Psych Pop with a riff that just sticks in your head and adds a solo that mesmerises. Very 60s in feel.

Throw Away (Buy Another One) adds a social message in the style of UK Beat. The whole album is a great listen. Deliciously Lo-Fi as is the current trend. Inventive and laidback, the songs are allowed the space to breathe whilst gently gnawing at your musical brain.

You can buy the CD here and here. You can listen to the album here and on other Streaming Sites that I avoid.

......................

The Medium - Sports EP

 

Quite a few mine 70s Pop Rock, but few do it as splendidly as Nashville's The Medium on this short, but incredibly sweet 4 Track EP. It does sound very Retro and is a nod to American Boyhood and the connection that Sport provides to it.

We've Got A Winner is wonderfully mellow, very 10CC, but with a slight Psych Pop feel. It demonstrates the joy that the genre brings. The Guitar solo fits those years perfectly, essentially Piano Pop and very smooth. A really easy listen.

Me And My Glove is fine Bubblegum Pop and is like a jaunt though a Monkees show, trumpets, easy listening and a slight raiding of the Instrument cupboard. A jaunty march through Smalltown America, you don't get to see the marching band and cheerleaders.

Feel The Dream is very Andrew Gold with almost Barrel Piano with a Sports commentary part way through, which is probably obligatory. Tap your feet, swing your pants, sing along and marvel at the joy. An Easy Listening joy of an EP.

You can listen to and buy the EP here.

.....................

Eye Eye

Just taking a break for a couple of days after a second eye Op. It is nice not looking at screens. Both are now done and dusted, so I can stop walking into doors and see everything that you are all up to. Back tomorrow evening and cracking on through the rest of the week. There is a lot to Review.

....................

Listening To This Week Playlist 17 November

 

28 songs this week  Another example of how we can be eclectic and yet serve what we are known for. That is the value of independence. No one tells us what to cover and we don't march to anyone's tune. We support the new artists that we like and hope that you'll like them too. Our growth was in the time before we gave Spotify a try. We will delete the Spotify account at the end of the month.

This week is the last of our dalliance with Spotify which has lasted around 8 months. It was included solely for the artists and have come to realise that no artist that no Artist that we traditionally cover benefits from that platform.  Great music falls down a big black hole. Spotify is not about new music, nor Indie, it is solely about the dollars. It also doesn't distinguish what is AI.

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  (3 songs are not on the Spotify Version)

Link To Spotify

Buddie - Antartica, 2005

Log Flume - Get The Picture

The Wind Ups - Ants On The Table

Credits - thiscityisadeathtrap

credits · thiscityisadeathtrap

The Family Club - Mushie Season

Norman Bisley And The Trousers Of Satan - Being Beastly To Terence

Endless Talking - Waste My Time

Drew Friel - High Class Fugitives (Don't Spin The Wheel)

The Lucky Shots - Jump Start

The Whips - Together In Agony

My Life As A Moth - Time Thief

Ms. Cool - Beacon

Cynthia Sadler · Beacon

Cashell - Said And Done

Me & Munich - Drainings Of Your Tree

Me & Munich · Drainings Of Your Tree

Soft On Crime - Summer Fix (Not On Spotify)

The Successful Failures - Guts

Your New Parents - Gone For The Holidays

I Love My Friends - Ginny Starpepper And The Great White Gibbon

Unburnt Green - Skies Of The Tatacoa

Mark Tovey · Skies of the Tatacoa - Unburnt Green (Debut single – 14 Nov)

Failed Auditing - I'm Not Sure If I'm A Loser Or A Modern-Day Philosopher  (Not On Spotify)

Strange Men - Under The Compass Rose (Not On Spotify)

Thief Motif - Bones

Sam Wood - Comfortably Falling (Reimagined)

WEREME - August

Idle Ray - Airport

Phil Bonanno - No Direction (Revisited)

Clamsterdam - Solitary Song

Hollow Star - Seconds

.............................

Winterpills - This Is How We Dance.

 

Our connection with Winterpills has been throughout the two decades of their career. In fact, it goes beyond that to Price's The Maggies with their ace Power Pop.  I personally think Philip Price is a musical genius. Mick covered his career to 2019 in a lengthy interview here. 

Nine years on, it is as though they have never been away. The five piece are in outstanding condition. Superb songwriting, wonderful arrangements and a sustained laidback gentleness that id totally affecting. Proof that you don't have to blow the bloody doors off to be completely engaging. 

Hi is a song that just completely draws you in, the combined vocal of Price and Flora Reed matches perfectly in a song that is essentially Acoustic Folk, but very affecting. How We Dance reveals that the band are not the ethereal.

It is much more Pop Rock, built around a killer riff that bursts into something more Psych Pop without ever losing sight of the song. Black Fly continues that Pop Rock, a little Fleetwood Mac in places, Price and Reed become Buckingham and Nicks.

I Am The Defect is darker, almost gentle Psych Folk, mesmerising and haunting. Predelugian is almost Americana until the chorus which gets a little Fleetwood Mac again, Tusk this time adding wonderful wistful Guitar.

It really is great to have them back. I can think of no other band that can draw you in so well. This Is How We Dance is an atmospheric joy revealing a band totally connected and at ease with itself. Please please don't make it nine years to the next one. Splendid stuff!

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

..........................

Citrus Citrus - In The Belly Of The Eternal Draw

 

Citrus Citrus are a five piece from Padua, Italy and the review of this wondrous album is a testament to why we value our utter independence. We can cover what we want, when we want, no genre holds us back if we like it and think you will.

It is fairly well known that I adore both Prog and Psych, but I only ever introduce it when I think that you will get why. In The Belly Of The Eternal Draw is a master of the hypnotic and the melodic. Beautifully arranged and played, it travels in many directions with inventive arrangements that can change throughout any particular song.

I understand why the mention of Prog can put people off, some bands do get wanky and many that are lauded, especially King Gizzard, appear more mellow Pop Rock or release three albums a year that gives the impression of a lack of quality control, plenty to be fair is.

This lot are the real thing. These songs are soundscapes, but don't fall into the trap of being too long. The band are not frightened of showing their influences, but largely stick to originality. The whole album is totally engaging. I've picked two selections, but this is an album to be listened to in one go. Dispatch your prejudices and have your musical mind nourished.

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

................

The Lucky Shots - Clearly Opaque

 

Sacramento quartet The Lucky Shots have great taste and possibly, a great record collection. Clearly Opaque is great Guitar Pop and a romp through its history. This, however, is no cover collection, yet the songs bring back great memories.

The band master a sound that evokes the journey that starts at 60s UK Beat and ends at the current year taking all that goes between. They especially evoke UK New Wave, but also tread into the US New Wave that follows it. 

They can Pop you with Power, but also Jangle as well as anyone and the 60s sounding songs are really Yeah Baby! Only The Night Knows mixes something that could be on Shindig or Ready Steady Go, but adds a hint of Blues Rock. Yet Jump Start adds Farfisa Pop to something that sounds more 80s.

Yet On The Run is great early 80s US Power Pop, Got My Eyes On You is down and dirty Rhythm And Blues, Face To Face Is Prime Time UK New Wave, yet I Heard enters the territory of The Len Price 3 and masters it.

Great To Be Alive mixes the sound of Woking with the Stiff Record Singles, yet For Tonight is great Jangle Pop with added Twang and a vocal that is a little Lee Mavers. All Alone is great Mod Pop, reminiscent of the late 70s Revival.

My own personal favourite is I've Become A Spy, a song that sort of mixes all that they do into one hit, it hits all the spots. Now for the secret, The Lucky Shots are a type of family affair of our long time favourite, Brent Seavers. This is a corker of an album, so much so that I could have picked any of the 14 songs to embed, but had to settle on 3.

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

.......................

Clock Radio - Turfin' Out The Maniacs

Clock Radio are a quartet from Wiltshire, the same county as our beloved Andy Partridge and there are similarities here. The same unexpected lyrical subjects, the quirkiness, the surprise arrangements and the instrumental variety.

However, Clock Radio give the impression of a crack Indie Guitar Pop band with a great record collection fronted by Neil Hannon. Vocally, you can imagine reviewers coming up with Divine Comedy, But that may confuse you.

Because separating the vocal, there are hints of the Bonzos and big wedges of Psych Pop. The four are incredibly inventive, No Death is wonderfully arranged and based around a killer Psych Guitar Riff. But there are many steps in other directions.

Although not sounding anything like them, you can hear Morrissey and Nick Cave. Turfin' Out The Maniacs is at its heart Intelligent Indie with an ability to provide unexpected arrangements and yet purposely at ease with Guitar Pop.

Brought to us via a submission for Listening To This Week, exactly what that was meant to do in providing albums to review. I am just amazed that this is a debut album, the band sound more like sonic troubadours.

As with the Buddie Review, we haven't described individual songs, simply wanting you to head over and listen to the whole album. Although this has some stand out singles that could be chosen, it is an album and albums should be listened to from start to end. They are not playlists. I've picked my three faves, but yours will probably be very different.

You can listen to and buy the album here. You really should! 

..........................

Buddie - Glass

 

Keeping Canada well on the musical map, Buddie return. 2023's Agitator was No 3 in the IDHAS Best Albums of the year and we have been anticipating the quartet's return since last year's excellent Impatient single which is on here.

Buddie boss the type of Indie Guitar Pop that we adore. Slightly left field, slightly slacker, slightly DIY Riff wise, but with great memorable choruses and great melody. Add lyrical adeptness to their accomplishments. But they are not like too many Guitar Pops.

These songs are about concerns with the state of the nation, economically and atmospherically, not the usual twaddle about lost love. They go down routes that others don't musically, but are so damn catchy and memorable listens. Beautifully arranged vignettes. You can read our review of Agitator here. 

Unlike other Indie Peers, they aren't sugar sweet, nor will they try to club you to death. The songs just grow and grow on you until the choruses are earworms. Daniel Forrest's gentle vocal is in contrast to the instrumental arrangements.

The band can even slow things down beautifully as proven by Blackout. There isn't a major shift from Agitator, but why would you want that, it is such an ace album. I've picked my 3 faves, Antartica, 2005 is a great place for newbies to start, but all songs are worthy of embedding. Glass is Top Notch!

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

..................

Dave Cope And The Sass - Walmartyr

 

Dave Cope is prolific. I get to hear a lot of songs that don't see a release, but recently these songs have made albums. Every album that he releases takes a different path completely. Folk, Psych, Classic Rock, Indie Rock, 80s New Wave are just some of the avenues that he has walked down.

An incredibly gifted multi instrumentalist, most of the albums are him and Fred Berman on Drums, but the majority of this album is him alone, bar the bookends in which Cope is part of a trio and both angles work perfectly.

As probably given away by the album title and cover, Walmartyr is a concept album, largely a stab at 90s Rock, not the lyrically woe is me part, but certainly instrumentally. It also shows that the genre could be melodic if you managed to get through the fuzz and the noise.

The two trio songs are splendid. The title track is a story telling affair with an absolute killer chorus. Don't Let My Dreams Come True is anthemic, a song that I've heard at different stages and it has that 90s sound, a little Nirvana on the chorus with a storming Guitar solo. They absolutely nailed the song here.

Psychotic Romeo is heavier and works just as well. Devil City Woman goes all Golden Earring with a side order of UK Glam. Hell Or Hollywood is more Pop Rock, more Cope archetype, his base camp if you like. Killing Game edges towards Hard Rock and again masters it.

The sheer volume of Cope songs is amazing. Generally with such artists, quality can be an issue, but there's not a bit of that here. The changes in genre, album by album, also successfully take you along. For instance, I never thought I would be listening to a Folk album in past years. The songs are so lyrically adept too.

You can listen to and buy the album here for the bargain price of 5 dollars.

.................

Gift Horse - Overtime...

 

There is some great stuff coming out of Australia and Brisbane Trio Gift Horse are another fine example. Overtime... is effectively Power Pop, the new breed of the genre, more akin with Classic, but being Australian allows the band to take big footsteps into other genres.

Oz has always had an Indie Rock bent, yet people continue to associate the country with Jimmy Barnes Rawk. There are hints of The Church and my beloved Psych Pop, but there is also much to compare it to 80s IRS and its like.

The song that most encompasses all of what the trio do is Perfect Storm, a song that is totally engaging, including a great touch of Jangle. Whereas the likes of Fathers, The Running Wild and Talking To You demonstrate what a great Power Pop they can be. It is the diversions that float my boat most.

Blacklist has a great Jangle, but sounds more Classic Rock, even rocked up Americana.  Overtime is more fuzzed up and OK is lengthier, more Rock. The closer, Already Gone has a West Coast feel, great Jangle Pop with some wonderful Guitar work. It is slower and moodier and that works allowing a great Guitar breakout.

There is a Psych Pop feel to the whole album, splendidly so, but the most notable is the masterful If You Want It. A song that the band absolutely nail, a nod to the great Australian Indie bands of the 80s, but allowing that Psych Guitar sound to thrive. Overtime... is a wonderful listen.

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

..................

Listening To This Week Playlist 10 November

 

27 songs this week  All are corkers and reveal the scope of our tastes. As well as the traditional version, we have put the playlist on Spotify and you will see the link below.  26 of the 27 songs are available on Spotify. 

This is the penultimate Spotify version. The notes in the post below this one explain why. We also note another upcoming increase in Spotify subscription prices. None of this increase will go to the type of artists that we cover. We feel that we cannot support a place that allows great music to fall down a big black hole. We are continuing for the next two weeks because we have submissions in that may expect to be 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 Penultimate Spotify Version   (The Suncharms - Endless Departures is not on Spotify)

Link To Spotify

The Boojums - Wings Of Fire

Clock Radio - Blood On Chrome

Winterpills - Lean In The Wind

The Yancys - Where Do You Sleep

Strange Passage - Daylight Savings

The Suncharms - Endless Departures (Not On Spotify)

Space Kitchen - It's My Passion

Guv - Let Your Hands Go

Clamsterdam - Radiator

The Response - Where Do You Run To?

The Blackburns - Chances On Love

Blake - Asking For A Friend

Coast Red - Afters

Coast Red · Afters

Joy Buzzer - If You Can Forgive Me

Joy Buzzer · If You Can Forgive Me

The Cindys - Dry TV

Holdover Holiday - Allie Lie

Elise Truow - The Perfect Girl

Gregory McLaughlin - Businessman

Positive Chaos - Bowl Me Over

Positivechaos · Bowl Me Over

SCHMOOZE - Too Late To Plead Insanity

Nepal Death - Ashen Pilgrim (Hippie Trail Edition)

Atom Lux - Bad Snake Good Snake

S.Karma - No Home Without It

Lorne Mower - Biding Time

Maw Sit Sit - Walking Journey

Mt. Air - Ghost Away

Anthony Ruptak - Phantasmagoria

.............................

Thoughts On Spotify And The Playlist.

 

Firstly, I'd like to apologise for the lack of Reviews this week, It is simply down to Bonfire Night being this week in the UK. Fireworks have been going off all week and we have a five year old Lurcher who is petrified of the noise. It has meant that our evenings have been dedicated to making him feel safe and he rightly needs constant attention. So typing up Reviews has been a no no. Tonight has been the worse night so far and it is 3 days since Bonfire Night passed.

There are loads of Reviews to come. On Friday alone, there were eight great releases and these and others will all be posted next week. I may go early with Monday's Listening To This Week tomorrow night, it the noise continues and hope that will be an end to all the unnecessary bangs.

The main reason for this post is about Spotify and Listening To This Week. We've trialled it as a secondary playlist for most of this year. I am Anti Spotify, great music goes down a big hole and the artists earn nothing from it. It was simply introduced because of a demand from artists despite our negative thoughts and we are about artists and the music.So, it has been decided to end the Spotify version. 

However, its use by us and our thoughts on its general uselessness have made the decision for it to go. There is no doubt that there is a certain popularity with the Spotify version. But that does not make up for our thoughts on how it treats musicians for their art. I don't use Spotify for any other reason than porting LTTW to that format. I don't listen to music via it and don't like the ways that members have to join to listen to the music on it, hence the reason for not embedding Spotify on IDHAS.

So the decision to end the Spotify Playlist has been made. It will end as soon as possible. It will be given a couple of weeks because there are submissions in that the artists will expect to be on Spotify. However, all future submissions will not be put on Spotify and this will be made clear to artists. This is particularly relevant for artists that who only send us Spotify links.

In future, ant PR, label or artist will be gently reminded that we don't do Spotify if only a Spotify link is sent. We will not listen to any Spotify link. If submitters continually send Spotify links after we have mentioned this a couple of times, submissions will be deleted without reply.

It is felt that the main success of I Don't Hear A Single is from our reputation and by word of mouth of followers and peers. This is what opens doors. We will never make artists massive, but we do get their music to other listeners which aids their growth. IDHAS is about New Music and Spotify isn't interested in the slightest about that.

I hope you understand our reasoning.

.............................

Baker Island - Love Eggtually

 

I think many of you know how much I like Intelligent Indie, I scour for it. It isn't the type of Indie that you see pushed up front in the never-ending list of playlisters who bang on about how cool they are, the artists being secondary and lobbed in amidst the mediocre and the ordinary, usually of Bucks.

This type of invention usually comes from these shores and the Newcastle five piece are from Newcastle. Listen to the whole thing and you will be transported into a land of surprises. It is heady mix of constant surprises.

At its heart, this is Indie Pop, Alt Pop even. But it is so much more. You are reminded of the obvious peers like XTC and The Sugarplastic, but also the slightly geeky 80s New Wave and the adventurous Psych Pop of the 60s. There is even a hint of Russell Mael vocally at times.

Guitar and key riffs cross over, songs change direction at will. There are six songs here, but hundreds of ideas. Take the title track, which opened the current Listening To This Week. It is all 60s Toytown in feel with that splendid Psych riff and the wonderful vocal harmonies. 

There is obvious so much thought that goes into the songs. This is a group that know their influences, but make them almost unique in their output. The Angular Riff and cheap Casio soundalike of the keyboard is endeared by great vocal harmony on Let Them Eat Cake And Have It.

Dogged By Ill Luck is much darker, extraordinary good Psych Pop to a vintage Kids TV Theme sort of thing. Fortune-Teller Friend is beautifully twee with a driving Bassline, very very Sugarplastic, basic but with so much within.

Champion's Visit is the big one. 7 minutes that fly by, at times the band's most accessible song, more than a Little Brit Pop, but again lyrically adept, unlike most from that genre. There is also a mind-blowing vocal harmony segment that is just amazing, Active minds provide active songs and these five are therefore hyperactive. What an absolute corker of an album!

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

..................

Humbug - Open Season (Name Your Price)

 

Los Angeles quartet, Humbug have fashioned a great debut album. In essence, Power Pop, but Aidan Cole's laconic vocal allows the band to stray into other areas such as Indie Rock, although the melody is never ever lost.

There is also a feel of the better part of 90s Guitar Pop bands. Weezer-ish maybe without ever sounding like that band. There is though a Slacker like quality at times and lyrically these are great story songs adding a really creditable depth.

The songs are splendidly arranged and performed, the whole band are locked in, but another special mention should be for Alex Cubillos's Guitar work. There are some stunning riffs and solos. Open Season is quite a debut.

There is also fine variety. Backlot jangles like a good 'un and I Know The Story starts wonderfully melancholic and then launches into great 80s Indie Pop with added harmonica. Enjoy The Movies gets all "Let's do the song right here", all streamy and foot tapping.

Yet, Nina is great urgent crunchy Power Pop and Galaga could be a 90s Sit Com theme, killer Guitar included. The band excel on the title track, a song that chops and changes at will, one of the best opening songs that you will hear all year, a song that sets the tone of what is to come.

You will have heard Barbara Says on the Listening To This Week Playlist and it remains a wonderful listen, lyrically adept and beautifully played as the whole album is. Open Season is one of the strongest debuts that I have hears in a long time. Go Buy!

You can listen to and buy the album here.

................

Dom Mariani - Apple Of Life

 

October's 31 Reviews in 31 Days unintentionally referenced returning heroes and here is another. Dom Mariani has an extensive back catalogue that fits what we've always done. Through The Stems, The Someloves and particularly DM3, he has lit up our world.

After spending the past decade or so with the Blues Rock of Datura4, Mariani is back on more familiar territory. Apple Of Live is more Pop Rock than previous Power Pop related joy, but a song like World On Its Head revives the urgency and pace of those DM3 days.

The Pop Rock is ace, very 70s at times and reveals the sheer melody and harmony of Mariani's songs whilst venturing into different areas. Where Do Lovers Go, for instance, is built around some wonderful Steel Guitar.

Breaking Point sounds more 80s, AOR even, and Take It All Back adds more Steel Guitar, but sounds more Badfinger or Raspberries. Just Can't Wait again points to those DM3 joys, a great Power Pop affair that adds a memorable chorus. You will also find yourself singing theApple Of Life chorus for weeks and weeks.

There is more Steel Guitar than the Jangling of yore, but the arrangements are spot on and the production brings out the best of Mariani's easy vocal. There is also the stand out opener, Breakaway, that adds organ and an unforgettable chorus. You do forget that he is such a fine Guitarists, this is a big reminder, It is splendid to have Mariani back on home territory. 

You can listen to the album here. It is available on CD and Vinyl here and all good record shops.

..................

Listening To This Week Playlist 3 November

 

27 songs this week  Feels a bit of a sway to our base camp of Guitar Pop. However, there are some wonderful deviations. As well as the traditional version, we have put the playlist on Spotify and you will see the link below.  25 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    (The Sylvia Platters and Earwig songs are not on Spotify)

Link To Spotify

Baker Island - Love Eggtually

The High Frequencies - Nothing Really Stays The Same

Humbug - Barbara Says

Parent Teacher - Fire Door

The Len Price 3 - If I Could Cheer You Up

The Len Price 3 · If I Could Cheer You Up

Andrew Weiss And Friends - I Don't Wanna Live In This World

Julian Cubillos - Haunted Paradise

Trolley - Shiny Cars

Color Palette - Zombie

Livingmore - Resident Psycho

Shapes Like People - Supergirl

The Goods - Sunday Morning Out Of The Blue

Tirra Lirra - Snake Chalmer

Moberod - Cut It Out

moberod · Cut It Out!

Belle Blue - Needed You More

Strayers - Only Human

Gift Horse - Fathers

The Sylvia Platters - Alone     (Not On Spotify)

Train Conductor - Elephant Graveyard

Subsolar - Here And Now

Earwig - The World Is Coming 2 An End (Not On Spotify)

Quixote - Bioluminescent Eyes

Father Of Peace - Heaven

Holy Coves - Falling Down

Holy Coves · Falling Down

Alpacca-in-Chief - You Lead The Way

mylittlebrother - you know better

Karaboudjan - 3615 Papagai

.............................