Smackbeat - Little Letters

 

Although the Listening To This Week Playlist is becoming a monster as we plan to put it everywhere (including, hypocritically, Spotify), it is worth remembering that it was never only about introducing single songs to here. The success has come from that, but we were also wanting something else.

It was also about discovering music that we wouldn't normally see in our normal searching. Hence, insisting that it was largely based on submissions. There is a delight when we discover a splendid album on the strength of a single submission as we do remain largely a home for Album Reviews.

Smackbeat submitted Song for Nolti and we loved it. It encouraged us to search for more about the Munster 5 piece. Little Letters was released last month and it is an absolute cracker. A wonderful mix of late 70s UK New Wave and the Power Pop Revival of the 90s.

It also is well in touch with the new breed of younger Power Pop bands that have cropped up over the past few years and one by one built a movement. There is a crunch at times, but its strength is on the rhythm, riffs, big choruses and melodic drive of Power Pop.

The band get a bit noisy and that works just as well and there is the odd hint of Pop Punk on the likes of I Got You. The Stream is an example of that 90s College Rock energy that is well due a return, all pace and Guitar. You can imagine how great this lot are live.

The riffs just grab you and shake the living daylights out of you. Meet Me In Hawaii is a great example of this, sounding like a bigger produced Guitar Pop from the UK in 1978. It is a crackerjack of a song that just delights you. 

Smackbeat get even heavier on Andora coming across has one of the more melodic Metal bands from the NWOBHM. The title track closes proceedings and is anthem, keeping all that energy and drive going right until the end.

Indeed that is maybe the beauty of the album. Most tackling this sort of thing over the years would break things up with a slow soppy ballad. Not here, they don't come up for air with their twin Guitar attack. There isn't a duffer here across all 11 songs. This is the type of album that IDHAS was built on when it opened 9 years ago. We visit the area less, but Little Letters reminds you that it has not lost its greatness.

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is also available on Vinyl and that is probably the best way to listen to an album that has so much class.

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ICEBEING - Elf Music

 

I'd love to know what goes on in Brighton's Luke Philips's head. He's been involved in around 30 albums over the past decade, largely under pseudonyms and his own solo banner. ICEBEING has been a thing and releasing throughout that decade, but this sounds the best example of what is intended and achieved.

You all know how we love intelligent left field Pop. especially when it is left field, daring and inventive. Elf Music is just that. We also love Psych Pop and this is very much in that area, at times a little Toytown at others more Psych, but there are also great moments of Pop Rock, encompassing everything from the 60s to the 90s.

Its heart is possibly more in the second half of the 60s, but Phillips takes proceedings everywhere with unexpected twists and turns in individual songs and just as you can compare certain bits to the likes of Orgone Box, early T. Rex, Medway and what has been going on in Oz over the same time, the album is also unlike anything else that is around.

You, Looking A Gift Horse In The Mouth may be the best Toytown that I've heard for years, yet Wooze Continued sounds more Brit Pop for the majority, but still manages to burst out into incredible Psych. The whole thing is a relegation.

It is Retro, but also nods at the now. I like the album when it gets weirder and it does this at will without ever losing sight of the melody and the sheer catchiness on show. It may go off on mind blowing tangents, but always returns to the beauty.

Elf Music took three and a half years to make, probably because of all of Phillips's other project. He is also aided by Eve Morris's Flutes and Recorders and Harry Morris on Oboe on Woodwind  on the magnificent Inside Bells which add Baroque Pop to the mix. Elf Music is magnificent, an album to be listened to from start to finish and then put on again.

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You can listen to and buy the album here. It also has limited Vinyl run which you can buy here.

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Listening To This Week Playlist

You may have read about the intention to start a sister to I Don't Hear A Single, imaginatively called I Do Hear A Single. That will expand the weekly playlist in a much deeper way and will be launched before the month end. 

We do believe that we need to tell you more about our weekly choices and also felt that at times, the LTTW had become a bit of a wade through. With this in mind, we have reduced the maximum songs on the Playlist to 25.  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. 

Chris Church - The Great Divide

Smackbeat - Song For Nolti

The Violet Mindfield - Supersonic Girl

You Filthy Dog - Dagon

The Response - Set Something On Fire

Teenage Joans - Sweet And Slow

mikuljoanz - End Of The Earth

Caper Clowns - Take A Number

Melin Melyn - Mill On The Hill (Intro)

Hamlet - The White Stars

Ova Kvaloy - Everybody Knows

Sharp Pins - If I Was Ever Lonely

Greer - One In The Same

The Probies - Behind The Door

Peter Johnston RVA - The Garden / Banishment

White Collar Rebel - Beware Of The Sugarman

Maneater - Bluebrint

Blue Rose - Let Me Love You

Blue Rose · Let Me Love You

Darker Lighter - Open Up Sunshine

The Medium - We've Got A Winner

Portside Dive - Different Kind Of Me

Portsidedive · Different Kind Of Me

Johnny Manchild And The Poor Bastards - Voluntary Animals

Dylan Mundy - Solomon Gray

Dylan Mundy · Solomon Gray

Cleo Handler - maybe you've noticed

Lulu - Sur La Corde

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You Filthy Dog - Dagon EP (Bandcamp Name Your Price)

 

We do like Sheffield's You Filthy Dog and this is their third EP in recent years. The quartet describe themselves as Bubblegum Punk. They sound much more than that, more like a long lost UK New Wave band. The songs are incredibly melodic, getting very close to Power Pop at times.

These three songs are a great example of what they do. Full of hooks, big choruses and unexpected changes in direction and tempo. It is particularly thrilling to see this coming out of the UK. This type of Guitar led Pop has been longed missed here for quite some time.

Dagon begins like a wistful TV Advert theme but soon bursts into an anthem riff driven sing along joy that adds a killer Guitar solo. Glorious You opens as a Pop Rock ballad, but soon breaks into a much bigger Indie Rock affair with its slightly heavier guitar led backing.

Low Calorie Groove sounds much more 70s, slightly Glam, much more all encompassing with another killer chorus with a delicious Blue Oyster Cult like breakout riff. Finance may hold then back, but a full length release would be much appreciated. Maybe they could be the debut album on the I Don't Hear A Single label coming at the back end of the year.

You can listen to and buy the EP here. 

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This Circus Life - The Flowers Know The Truth

 

I've been remiss in taking so long to review this. So long in fact that there has since been a more recent Live album. However, I wanted this beauty to be the review. This Circus Life are such an excellent five piece, that I sometimes take this for granted, hopefully this partly rectifies this.

This place has evolved so much over nearly 9 years that you get entranced in all the noise and multi directions so much that it makes you forget what the place was originally started for and it was for splendid Pop Rock and here is just that.

This Circus Life are undeniably English and master a mellow, beautifully arranged and performed melodic  Guitar led Pop. They sit somewhere between Crowded House and Squeeze, but unlike both of those, the arrangements are bigger and would stand on their own without the vocal of Charlie Mear.

Brass and strings are present, but the songs just as good when straight ahead. Staring At The Sun is built around a piano led vocal, but then breaks into an outstanding string arrangement. Very Neil Finn plus!  The Circus Is Leaving Town is wonderfully delicate, built to made you cry.

A Long Long Time is more electric and Pop Rock gold. Home is gentle Psych and Jangle which will go down well here. But it is the slower thoughtful songs that hit home most here. It is really nice to listen to something that isn't trying to riff you to death. The contemplation eases your mind and soul. Life is not all about noise.

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on CD and as a download. You can find out more about This Circus Life here.

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Kicking Bird - 11 Short Fictions.

 

We loved Kicking Birds debut album, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. It was well placed in our Best 100 Albums of 2023 (Review here). So, it is great to hear the follow up, released today. The Wilmington, North Carolina five piece, don't disappoint, not that we ever expected they would.

This is still Indie Rock, but the band's take on the genre is much wider than most others. The male / female vocal on different tracks still works, but there is something a little different this time round. 11 Short Fictions sounds a little more in your face. More Fuzz, more Guitar extravaganzas.

The intelligent quirky arrangements prevail, but there seems more urgency making them a little more Garage Rock at times and more than a little Psych. They haven't forgotten how key the chorus is, but there is a rip roaring urgency at times that completely grips you.

Amidst all the riffs and heavier Guitar, there is still beauty. The vocal performance of Shaylah Paul on Too Much Talking sounds very 60s chanteuse and the arrangement is wonderful. The Guitar almost talks to you at times. Good Company is also more straight ahead, almost Noo Yawk Classic Rock.

What Did You Expect (From Such A Beautiful Wife) is almost Power Pop.But is the noisier material that grabs you post.Good Lighting is wonderful Psych, a sweet vocal that battles with a wonderful Psychedelic blast off. 

Cinnamon is pure street Garage Rock. Album 2 is more intense than the debut, but has lost none of its charm, it just wants you to rock a bit more. Intelligent Guitar Noise may describe the album most, but that is just the thing to liven up your proceedings.

You can listen to and buy the album here. You can buy yhe Vinyl Edition on Fort Lowell Records here.

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I Do Hear A Single

 

The success of the Listening To This Week Playlist has gobsmacked us. However, it has brought a couple of concerns that were discussed considered during the week off. We have no intention of ending the support for single tracks.

However, I, personally, thought it was becoming a bit unwieldy. The current Playlist contains 35 songs and in the format used, it is quite a listen. I also had concerns about IDHAS looking less focussed on longer length reviews.

The conclusion is that there will now be a sister site that will cover singles. It took a lot of thinking to come up with the name "I Do Hear A Single". It will be different to LTTW in that singles will appear throughout the week and also contain a short write up.

I understand that opening a second site is not ideal for all, but there will still be a weekly post on here on Mondays. That will summarise all that has been on I Do Hear A Single during the previous week with a link to the songs, but the playable content and short review will be on I Do Hear A Single.

We will see how it all goes as the weeks go on. The start of I Do Hear A Single will be at some stage this month. There will be a LTTW Playlist this coming Monday. Any thoughts or comments? Just get in touch.

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End Scene - I Will Not Live Safe, I Will Live True

 

It has been four years since the Sydney Trio's debut album, All My Ghosts and End Scene don't disappoint. Revolving around James Jennings's vocals and songwriting and Tom Dufficy's multi instrumentalism, the results are totally engaging.

Jennings has that Australian vocal art of sounding laconic and laidback that allows songs to breathe, very much like the likes of Steve Kilbey. Indeed, In The After is not a million miles away from The Church. Yet Jennings gets outspoken Oz in Flavour Of The Month which is more straight ahead with Dufficy adding a killer solo.

Silver Streak gets more Post Punk 80s, particularly with the synth runs that could only be from that decade.Pull Focus goes Brit Pop and New sounds very early 80s Manchester, thematic, a little gloomy, but absolutely hypnotic.

Without You flirts with gentle Psych Pop. Big Feelings closes the album, but may be the best thing here, the riff just grips you and you don't want it to end. A brooding song that allows Dufficy to build and build on that superb theme.

The real win here is the variety. Two songs contrast the most. Land Of Plenty is pure 1977 Punk, an in your face joy. But compare that to A Million Ways To Break Your Heart which is Pop Rock of the highest quality. End Scene know what they are about and have the ability to come at you from all angles.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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Red Cavalry - Democracy Died EP

 

Crunchy Power Pop from Aberystwyth, a little basic sounding at times, particularly drums wise, but also there are some cracking big sounding riffs that break out at will. Red Cavalry deliver lyrical sentiments that we endorse, but never let it cloud the great sounding Indie that is on show.

Indeed, the opener and title track, Democracy Died comes over all Housemartins and then that big Riff breaks out and the song gets bigger accordingly. Suits is slower and heads more for the poppier side of Brit Pop where the best of that genre came from.

Hollywood Ten sounds more American instrumentally, but breaks out into a chorus that The Speedways would be delighted with and also adds a little Post Punk break. A really engaging EP that features all of the things we love, particularly the massive singalong choruses.

You can listen to and buy the EP here. The download is available for a bargain £1.

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Listening To This Week Playlist

After a week off, you'd expect us to come back with a bang and we have big time with the new LTTW showing the full gamut of what we cover. Particularly Guitar Driven this week and offering up the maximum 35 songs that we allow ourselves. 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 Easys - Haunt Me Again

OK Koala - Roaring Lungs

Skeleton Staff - Sugar

Arn-Identified Flying Objects And Alien Friends - Sing-Along Songs

Flathead - Everybody Will Survive

Julez And The Rollerz - Call Me Up

Daily Worker - Gloryland

Stannington - Hudson

101 - The Sun Is Leaving Again

Mythical Motors - Car Rainbow Record

Smug Brothers - Take It Out On Me

The Purple Helmets - Let's Blaze A New Path Forward

Big Mess - Terry

Really Great - Way Out

Still Traffico - Two Birches

Wide Orbit - What's The Point

K Michelle Dubois - Tar And Scars

Secret Molecules - Dream Little lies

The Oh Yeahs - Never Be The Same

Celestial Skies - Desperation Nation

Celestial Skies · Desperation Nation

Sloan Brothers - Off The Record

Christian Demman - The Sun Still Rises

Johann Zeijl - Follow The Moon

Max Ceddo - Dreaming Under The Hammer

Max Ceddo · Dreaming Under the Hammer

Dorian Taj - Place Where We Were

Honey I'm Home - Wishful Thinking

Avery Friedman - New Thing

Red Tuesdays - Na Na Na Na

Maryse Smith - 635

Starbender - Seeds

Room To Care - Push It Down

Wynona - Flowers To Arrows

Tiny Tiny - Ultra City

Max Hell - Goodbye

World Without Humans - Shifting Sands

World Without Humans · Shifting Sands

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Chris Church - Obsolete Path

 

I think many of you know what a fan that I am of Chris Church. Ever taking different roads, yet always hitting the spot. A new album is to be rejoiced and we have one here, released today. Parts of it are what you might expect, but as with all his albums, there are big surprised.

I suppose you might call him Indie Rock, but that is nowhere near the story. He can riff, jangle and rock out and yet come up with something dark and moody. He does take you on quite a trip. His nerve shows, opening with the Acoustic Troubadour short title track. It is surprising to open with such from such an electric focussed.

However, compare that to She Looks Good In Black which is wonderfully commercial, a rocky jangle in the mode of Matthew Sweet that will delight long time listeners here. Instrumentally, Life On A Trampoline could be The Police and Running Right Back To You almost sounds Garage Rock in parts.

Then there is Vice Versa, a co-write with Bill Lloyd, who plays mandolin which is incredibly Indie sounding, moving at a frantic pace with a much moodier darker production. Tell Me What You Really Are is stripped down, sounding more like an 80s Pop Rock sounding.

Like A Sucker is a splendid sprawling 6 minute plus epic. A little Southern Rock, but maybe more West Coast. It is a song that reminds us what a great guitarist the man is. It gets a little Crazy Horse instrumentally. A cracking listen, 

What Are We Talking About gets a little Country, a side of Church that gets forgotten about, the vocal is perfect. I'm A Machine gets all 80s soundtrack, Electric Dreams maybe, yet also has hints of Modern Prog instrumentally.

Fear not, there are great moments showing the more commercial side of Church, both Sit Down and the aforementioned She Looks Good In Black are great singalong joys. Plus, The Great Divide may be the most all encompassing song that Church has ever done, certainly Guitar wise.

Gretchen's Wheel's Lindsay Murray adds voice of an angel Backing Vocals on 9 of the 12 songs and the joint production by Church and Lori Franklin is possibly his biggest yet. A major talent releases a fine album isn't a surprise, but the sound on Obsolete Path is one of all inclusive joy.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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rincs - Swimming Pool Disco

 

The Title Track was sent to me as a submission for Listening To This Week and I loved it. However, I just felt that it would get lost in what is gonna be a massive playlist on Monday and the song deserved far far more than that.

You might categorise Los Angeles's rincs as Alt Pop at heart, but they are much more than that. Built around the wonderful vocals of Rebecca Ramirez, again that is half the story. This micro album's equal strength is built on the arrangements which are magnificently left field, like something you have never heard before.

That submitted song was described by the band as an anti single and it is certainly Alt Pop, but instrumentally it is all over the place, parts are Alt Rock, but there are real Prog overtones and the bass line is driving and hypnotic. It is absolutely wonderful.

Yet Don't Wanna Go To The Pool is all US New Wave and Indie, a complete contrast. The more straight ahead vocal works well on Tarp. It is nearer Indie Pop, but again the arrangement gets more and more intense.

Then Bobcat IV comes across as something mid 80s Indie with a distorted Glasgow Jangle and a cracking chorus. The nearest rincs will get to the mainstream on this splendid album. It may take a little listening to get, but Swimming Pool Disco is magnificent and well worth the effort.

You can buy and listen to Swimming Pool Disco here. It is on Bandcamp at Name Your Price, so what have you got to lose?

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Daily Worker - Field Holler

 

One of the great things about doing the two 31 Reviews In 31 Days is that I get to move around the dial more than just fitting things in wherever possible with all the attention that the Listening To This Week Playlist takes.It allows me to focus on different genres and new and old friends.

Daily Worker may be new to you, but Cotton Mather are not. At times, all the CM attention goes to Robert Harrison, forgetting the long time Guitarist, Whit Williams. Daily Worker is Williams's solo project and is a precious listen.

Field Holler is the new album and it is a corker. I've seen it described as lo-fi, it sounds higher fi than that and what is unmistakable are the Guitar runs. The Psych sound runs through the album, but is mixed with much more and the laidback gentle Vocal allows the variation to blossom.

You'll hear Americana, Indie and 60's Beat as well as our beloved Psych Pop. It is quite an exhilarating listen. The vocal seems deliberately low key but Williams's Guitar playing is unmistakeable and the songs are lyrically adept, helped by the alternate career that Williams has as a poet.

 The Stand out song is the Psych Pop masterpiece, Gloryland. At times, Williams's vocal edges towards early T.Rex, particularly on the likes of Waterloo Sutra, a real hippy trippy affair. However, the title track is a front porch Country strum.

Broken Men Jangles for all its worth and Born Again (Again) is Jangle Psych Pop. Sky Beyond The Sky gets all Brit Pop. There are also great Pop moments, especially on Delmar oad and there is a Wilco feel to Long Slow Fade. Field Holler is a really admirable listen.

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

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Hamlet - Light Under Repair

 

Darrin Lee's work on his Subjangle label is to be roundly applauded. His constant regular physical releases shine a light on the music that he and many others love. We are great friends and although our writing places don't always converge, we are a little louder, he a little gentler, when they do, it is for something exceptional and this is that.

Cincinatti's Chris Wales is usually more insular and contemplative, here, in trio mode, he reveals how great he is at Indie Guitar Pop. Landing somewhere early Teen age Fanclub (lazy comparison, I know I know and 80s IRS, this is basement Indie at its very very best.

Light Under Repair jangles a lot, as you might expect, both fast and slow, but the 6 songs are never just about that. 100 Cars To 100 Planes is built around a magnificent Cello arrangement from Kate Wakefield. The song weeps and broods, the melancholy almost bringing you to tears. There's an alternate version to close proceedings that sounds even bigger.

The Cost Of The Moon is delivered at a frantic pace, much louder than what surrounds it, very IRS, even a little Psych Pop in feel. Lost In The Underground is more C86, it jangles slowly and benefits latterly from Chris Kertis's Yamaha DX-7 and breaks out into something much bigger.

Both It's Been A Landline Kind Of Winter and particularly, The White Stars are a little more straight ahead and offer up the Jangle Pop that you know and love, but it is the departures from this that are the most intriguing. A cracking listen. More Hamlet please!

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

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The Easys - Feeling 101

 

One quick point before covering the return of The Easys is my wondering about Album Reviews. Just when did they become about just copying and pasting PR write ups and calling them reviews? It is happening everywhere and does for this album. Is it writer laziness or has listening to an album and writing down your thoughts become obsolete?

Little Rock's Isaac Alexander has a fine solo career. Power Pop and Pop Rock does appear on those albums, but they take on a much wider palette, but The Easys are much more about those two genres, particularly Power Pop.

And this is great Power Pop. This is the band's third album, but their last album was 2007's excellent Blood Capsule. Indeed 6 of the 10 songs here are slightly added to outtakes from that album. It is like they've never been away, this is superb Guitar Pop.

The centrepiece is the wonderful Haunt Me Again, much slower than most of what surrounds it, but a master class in writing Pop Rock and it even has a slight late 60s feel to it at times. Cemetery Nights is almost like a Revue song at times, the 80s synth that features on some other songs replaced by something more Farfisa.

Do You Know Who Murdered Me? is classic 70s UK Pop Rock of the highest order and although Take Back Hearts comes across like a jaunty Marmalade. The Thing On The Side is melancholic and moody, heartbreaking at times and out of kilter to the bouncing songs elsewhere. It also reveals the variety on display. The arrangement is exquisite.

But Guitar led Power Pop takes up most of the space and it is great at what it does. The stomp of Glitter, the Jangle of Been So Long and the Fountains Of Wayne beat of Sreanger You Meet are all winners. Framed may be the most Power Pop thing here. I really hope that we don't have to wait so long for the fourth album.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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Melin Melyn - Mill On The Hill

 

Welcome to absolute splendidness. My love of Psych Pop is well known, for all my listening avenues, it is this genre that I always feel most at home with. Mill On The Hill is drenched in it, but it also follows roads into Country, Americana, Surf and good old Pop Rock.

Welsh six piece Melin Melyn have conjured up an incredibly melodic affair, mellow vocally, but instrumentally wont to change direction at will song by song, but more likely in the song itself. Mellowness turns into catchy pop at a stroke.

There is also a real lyrical adeptness with a wit and purpose. It is the instrumental arrangements that grab you most, particularly the frequent slide guitar which enhances the great Pop on show. This is a very laid back comfy chair listen, but the album also makes you stand to attention at times.

Dail is sung in Welsh and that language seems an ideal fit to the variation across the album. The Pigeon & The Golden Egg is part Rock and Roll, part Surf Rock, but is incredibly jaunty Piano Pop at the same time.Running MT is Country Folk, 

Vitamin D is wonderful Toytown, Fantastic Food is 60s soundtrack, instrumentally French Pop and Promised Land is awesome Americana. But it is the song, Mill On The Hill that dominates the album with its cracking Psych Pop. It is here as an Intro, Reprise and Close.

The Intro is like an album in itself across 4 minutes, there is so much in it. An incredible story of the village across multi genres, it is magnificent. This album will delight Psych pop fans, but there is loads here to interest Pop Rock, Intelligent Indie and any music fan.

c

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on CD and as a download. The Vinyl is sadly sold out, but hopefully there will be more soon.

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Greer - Big Smile

 

Costa Mesa quartet Greer offer up a wonderful album. Full of surprises, it inhabits a nosier world of ,Indie Rock. But the songs are delivered in unusual ways packed with 90s Alt Rock and Scuzziness. Fuzzed up Riffs dominate one of the more interesting albums of the year so far.

It is the type of release that floats our boat, unusual indie that mixes catchy moody songs, but isn't frightened to get into Radiohead territory. and also Pop Punk and Noise Rock. It is great Guitar Pop, but probably has more in common with a less bombastic Muse than any three chord band.

The arrangements are the key, unexpected and most welcome. From the opening chaos of Omnibus, which surprisingly breaks into completely engaging charging Indie Rock to the closing melancholic acoustic strum of audio_77, this is a totally engaging listen.

Vocally, it can be a little angst sounding, but this is mixed with wonderful mellowness. The arrangements are superb with an outstanding rhythm section and big riffs that switch into something much wilder and alt at will. This stuff really grips you.

It is a little dark at times, but there are great poppier moments. Mugwump is beautifully done and closer to Brit Pop and the chorus of One And The Same may be the best one that you will hear all year. There is a lot of depth and the album may take repeated listens, but it is very special.

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

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Creem Circus - Get Switched On

 

There's been a real spate of UK Glam Rock albums over the past couple of years. All welcome and fine listens, but going back a few years more, the revival of it began a little earlier with both Ulysses and Creem Circus. The latter's 2020 album still sounds as great as it did then.

I can't believe that it has been over five years since I reviewed that album which also had the longest title outside of an early T. Rex release. You can read the review here. Fret not, there is still plenty of the essential Glam here, but there are steps away from it, whilst staying firmly in the 70s.

The Philadelphia band know what they are about and do it so expertly. There's a real Noo Yawk sleeze to Keepers Of The Hip with references to the Sunset Strip. It is built around a big groove and the six and a half minutes of it fly by. It is a real rock out.

Riff Down is all Cheap Trick, whilst Tell Me About It goes rocky UK New Wave. Caesar's Palace mirrors The Darkness without the high pitched vocal with exceptional Guitar solos akin to the twin attack of Thin Lizzy.

Edge Of The Morning has a riff not a million miles away from Another Girl Another Planet, but is much more Classic Rock. Get With The Power, instrumentally gets even closer to Thin Lizzy, but also adds a Psychedelic Intro and interlude. It is splendid Guitar overload.

Switched On and Playgirl show that the band have lost none of their 1974 Glam Rock chops, but Get Switched On is a much more rock focused album than the last. Guitar and Groove driven, incredibly melodic and singalong stuff, but with more Grit. A magnificent listen!

You can listen to and buy the album here. A Vinyl Version is released in June, details here.

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Listening To This Week Playlist

 

A reminder that, for the first time since it began, we are taking a break from the LTTW Playlist this week. This allows us to seriously catch up on Album Reviews which are way behind. Next week's promises to be a monster week and probably our biggest number of featured songs yet. It is already under collation.

In the meantime, the Reviews for this week start shortly.

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Shaw's Trailer Park - I Thought I Saw You

 

I think many of you know how I feel about the UK Music scene over the past decade. It has become so regional affected by the cultural wasteland that has been foist upon us by Brexit and fast talking bigoted politicians. So it is nice to welcome back Brighton's Shaw's Trailer Park for their second album.

The quartet offer up a cracking album of great variety and it sort of gives you more faith in human nature. On The News is maybe the best example of what they do with a song. At its heart, it sounds UK New Wave, but takes in UK Beat, a little Psych Pop and even adds a splendid dark cinematic instrumental at the close. All this in four minutes.

Crash Landing is awesome slow West Coast Jangle Pop whilst Lost And Found is great 60s Psych and Sun Dance is American Garage Rock sounding, a little Peaky Blinders in places, slightly threatening and hypnotic. The playing on this song just nails the mood.

Overdrive is a brave dark opener, very mid America that is built around an ace Rhythm track. It broods and threatens to burst out menacingly without ever doing that. Put It Down again mixes UK Beat with Psych, again a little US Garage Rock like.

Special mention has to go to the almost 6 minutes of Sun Device, sounding again like the darker side of America, rocked up Americana, built on a riff that totally grips you in an all encompassing way. The Guitar work is just enthralling. Instrumentally, it just doesn't let go.

You will not hear many albums like this this year and that adds to its charm. It is beautifully arranged, performed and produced and laden with Psych without ever trying to overdo it. It is extraordinary good and I can't see any reason that will stop it appearing in our Top 10 of 2025. 

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on CD and as a download. The whole album can be listened to on Bandcamp, but I am unable to embed the songs. Go get it!

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