The Garden Of Earthly Delights 2024 Volume 4

 

Librarians With Hickeys - How To Make Friends By Telephone 

Probably the best Guitar Pop band on the splendid Big Stir label and they mine the full depth of the genre. From Jangle Pop to Surf, Pop Rock to UK Beat, West Coast Pop to 80s New Wave, they master it all melodically and vocal harmony.

Possibly at their best when they Jangle and that takes on different avenues. However, I've chosen Psych Pop for the example below, simply because I usually do. The variety on show however means no two songs are the same. Whoever mentioned difficult third albums are proven wrong by the joy on display here.

You can listen to and buy the album here. 

The Greek Theatre - A Deeper Scar

It is wonderful to have The Greek Theatre back. It has been a while since When Seasons Change and the Swedes never disappoint. They generally master a sort of gentle West Coast Psych that can edge into even gentler Prog akin to bands like Beaulieu Porch.

They aren't afraid of opening the box though and here they venture into Classic Rock and Pop Rock without ever forgetting what they are good at. Chilled and masterfully arranged. Don't be fooled by the laidback mood as you soon realise how much work goes into their work.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

Gnome - Vestiges of Verumex Visidrome

Now for something louder. Antwerp's Gnome Rock your socks off. Riff heavy and a little nearer to Classic Rock than we normally cover, but a much noisier version. These riffs reverberate around your brain, whilst the band take different paths to reveal and variety that just grips you in an extraordinary way.

Expect Hard Rock, Prog and Stoner and don't expect to come up for air throughout the journey. However, the results are surprisingly melodic and those riffs are just a heavier version of what we listen to. This will rattle the dentures.

https://gnome.bandcamp.com/album/vestiges-of-verumex-visidrome

You can listen to and buy the EP here.

Charming Arson - Another Kind Of Vision

This is called an EP, but with six tracks coming in at over 23 minutes, it is nearly as long as some Power Pop albums. The Boston quartet continue to show that variety and I suppose variance is the key thing that we love here. 

Another Kind Of Vision is not afraid to Rock, taking in 90s College Rock, IRS Indie, Pop Rock, Modern Prog and Intelligent Indie Rock. There's even Funk and a little Jazz. Loads is packed into this excellent affair that showcases how ace this lot are.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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