Mick Ralphs RIP

 

I generally don't mind getting old, but one of the main drawbacks of doing so is seeing your musical heroes pass away. Although many will know Mick Ralphs from his forming of Bad Company, it will always be his time in Mott The Hoople that is it for me.

Mott The Hoople were my band and it was the Mott album that introduced a council estate kid to how glorious the longer format could be. That album still sounds magnificent and it was Mick's Mott Swanson. His playing on that album is priceless and complemented Ian Hunter's strut. It is hard to believe that the promo photo above from that album now only has Hunter still with us.

Although the band are known more for the Glam singles, it is the work before that has always kept my interest peaked. Those Island label years had Hunter and Ralphs as co-leaders and the sheer nerve of the noise that they created contrasted with Ralph's more mellow Country Rock influences. Although both wrote the songs, Ralphs always seemed a more laidback songwriter. Wildlife was dominated by Ralph's songwriting and remains a superb listen.

Yes he could Rock as Bad Company proved even more particularly on the Straight Shooter album. It is an album that rattles your dentures. Seeing the band back together for the 2009 Reunion dates was something that stays close to my heart. Grown men were in tears, me included. 

Another key figure of my informative musical years has gone.A great Guitarist who was always about the band. Self effacing and happy to take a backseat to strong front men. He was a major part in both bands and one of the most underrated guitarists around.

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Listening To This Week Playlist 23 June

 

24 songs this week. The early part may be what you are used to, but as the playlist progresses, you will note the wider tastes that we have. 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

Len Price 3 - Emily's Shop

The Valery Trails - Everything Is Temporary

Snake Lips - East Coast

Shitbaby Mammals - Mr Barnaby

Llama Llodge - The Store Is Closed

He's Dead Jim - Human Zoo

Who Saved Who - Every Waking Passing Moment

Amaury Laurent Bernier - Too Early At The Party

Isaac Corby - Let's Settle

Kid Gulliver - 24 Hours

Blankslate - Spare Parts

TRASHCLUB - All Good, Man

The Blurry Stars - USA

Little Quirks - Honey

TEOSE - Part II

Force Model - Nothing At All

Problematic Jam - It's Alright

Eden May - Medication

Primaveras - Between Lines

Later Youth - Statuesque

deegie - Makeup On The Beach

Flooky - Starlight

Luna's Dark Secret - Apocalyptic Hell

Sunshine Posho - Not Done Yet

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Autos - Autos.

 

Dandyboy Records is a label that continually comes up with the goods and here is even more proof. Autos are a quartet that have a Power Pop starting point, but the quartet step further afield, partly due to the strength of Brandon Tomavic's laidback rasping vocals.

Adding in a driving rhythm section and a twin guitar attack, the world is their oyster. This allows them to cross boundaries with ease. Into The Grey heads into UK New Wave territory with its driving riffs and singalong chorus.

Yet on Spark In The Dark fairly races along across boundaries. It feels a little 80s New Wave, but also has a Feargal Sharkey tone to the vocal with some great Guitar Play. Drive gets even more Mainstream. Instrumentally, it is a little Blondie, yet also has hints of UL Glam Rock with a corking chiming riff.

Yet Breakin' The Ice comes across all IRS, even heads towards The Replacements. Whilst Arturo is a massive display of how inventive they can be over a longer time period. A killer jangling riff is accompanied by something much harder, whilst never letting the song break its restraints.

Power Poppers will love these six songs, but there is plenty here for the Indie Kids and Guitar Pop fans. I'm completely convinced, my only regret is that there isn't more to enjoy. I could listen to this forever. A wonderful example of how Guitar Pop can delight without every song having to sound the same.

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

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9th Anniversary T Shirt Month

 

What was initially just an idea has turned into Reality. To celebrate the 9th Anniversary of I Don't Hear A Single, each day in July will feature a picture of myself in all my Glory with a different Artist T Shirt on. There will be a write up on the cover stars each day to accompany the photo.

The response has been great, we are nearly at the two thirds mark. So if you are interested in doing the celebration, please get in touch. The thought of 31 photos of myself fills me with dread, I am usually well in the background, but at least the T Shirt will take your mind away from my face.

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Foxy - Tonight Tonight

 

In travelling across genres, I forget where my love of discovering bands and true musical discovery. I had been buying albums from the age of 11 and of course, I was most influenced by what I heard on Radio and TV, so these were largely well produced, a place for everything albums.

My real interest was peaked when I got out to the gigs and discovered bands that you didn't hear on the Radio. You turned up regularly at clubs to be surprised, see bands you had never seen and this is what Foxy gloriously remind me of.

This was in the period after Punk, around the time of New Wave in the UK. Rumbar Records have a happy knack of taking me back to this time. Sweaty bars, mayhem in the audience as you wore yourself out moving and shaking to music that just gripped you with its energy, big choruses and riffs.

Moxy are a quartet who take me back to 1979 and all its glory. They certainly have a great front person in Lisa Parker and a sound built on a fine rhythm section with driving Basslines and in Greg Antista, they have a Guitarists who knows a riff when he hears one.

Tonight Tonight is wall to wall energy. Sub 3 minute songs that launch into massive choruses and killer solos. Incredibly melodic and particularly gripping, all attitude. The band cross through genres with a down and dirty smile. From Punk to Indie Rock via New Wave and sussed out Streetwise know how.

This may be Retro, but it is so engaging. Indeed, there is a lot in common with the current noisier breed of Power Pop and at times the album reminds me of Andrew WK's debut album, heads down and prepare to be swallowed up. What a wonderful listen.

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

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The Autumn Hearts - Mr Sunshine

 

Want to get straight to my musical heart? Release an album chocka with Summer Guitar bPop that adds judicious touches of Psych Pop that leans on Brit Pop and yet is able to visit New Wave and UK Beat. Well Newcastle Australis's The Autumn Hearts are a quartet that have done just that.

A song like Undone is prime time Supernaturals, yet When It Is Tomorrow perfectly captures the West Coast jaunty Summer 60s, almost Bubblegum, but with vocal harmonies to die for. You want some Jangle Pop? Well here is Over It.

Then there is my beloved melodic Psych Pop when the quartet get very close to The Anderson Council with an Alex Lifeson 80s Riff on Sink Or Swim. It is like 1964 Searchers or Merseybeat Jangle Beat on You Wouldn't Think It If It Wasn't True.

There's even a big Brit Pop Anthem to close proceedings on She Goes. However, the opener and title track describes the strength of what they do. A wonderful Psych Pop riff on a sort of Let's Do The Show Right. Wonderfully catchy and melodic, Mr Sunshine is an absolute must.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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Barbara - So This Is Living

 

This is a magnificent album, The Denver, Colarado Trio's second album has a soundscape to die for. We also now have covered two Barbaras. The UK outfit specialise in gentle harmonic Pop, the US version have far wider aims.

All three met as Music students at the University of Denver. That classical training and the influences around at the time has allowed the trio to be something much more than the traditional Guitar, Bass and Drums Trio. 

Camilla Vaitaitis's wonderfully breathy vocals are accompanied by Guitar and her Piano Training adds keys. Anna Panella may be the drummer, but her training on Trombone adds a great deal and Bridget Hartman plays Bass, yet is trained on Saxophone.

These multi instruments allow the trio to experiment brilliantly. Plus, having more time on this album than the weekend spent on the debut album, allows a fully fledged listen and the ability to explore unexpected areas. They do this with bravado and experience gained.

Whilst some may label the band Indie Rock, they are a million miles away from what that description would have you believe. There are Prog overtones, songs built on heavy rhythms, but the vocals are as sweet as sweet as can be. You can also hear Shoegaze and Psych, There are hints of Jazz and yet there are also Brazilian Rhythms, particularly with the additional Percussion courtesy of Raul Sanchez.

With the genres covered, don't think that this is some way out album. Every note deserves its place. Instrumentally, the album is untouchable. I have picked my three favourites to embed, but this is an album to be listened to from start to finish for maximum effect. Absolutely Wonderful!

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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Listening To This Week Playlist 16 June

 

Later than usual, here are the 27 Top Notch selections that make up this week's LTTW Playlist.  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

The Voltz - New Faces

Hayden Minick - Lewis'

Hayden Minick · Lewis'

Legs On Wheels - Peekaboo

Splitsville - Beth Steel

Barbara - y r u here

American Souvenir - Come Back Down

Ted Bunny - Hot Seat

Heron - Dead To It

The Pseudo Mystics - Heat (Dance Around It)

District 8 - I Wish I Could

Burnt Tapes - You Only YOLO Once

Star Circus - Two Odds Make An Even

Telamor - Feed The Machine

TheoMN - Have We Lost Our Mind

Start Forward - Tightrope

Copacific - The Train / Suki

Cal Twomey - Up In Smoke

Palejoy - Next Goal Wins

Love Party - I Don't Wanna Leave

Cider Minds - Hongcun

Kalmyra - Marina Girls

Washing Machina - Come On

The Dirty Nil - Rock N' Roll Band

thedirtynil · Rock N' Roll Band

Jordyn Rayne - Hellhound

Repeat - Nothing New

SOUNDCLOUD LINK TO FOLLOW

Greg Brady And The Anchors - A Pissing Contest

Thomas and the terrible truth - There is noone in the right mind

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Listening To This Week Playlist Submissions.

I really love what the Playlist has brought to IDHAS. It has added a much wider audience. However we need your help with potential submissions. More and more time is spent gathering song information. Every submission seems to include a Spotify link and we include selections on the Spotify version of the Playlist.

However as door openers and being a long time established without Spotify, most of our success for artists comes from other links. The main playlist features an embed on either Bandcamp, Soundcloud or You Tube. These are places that don't require listeners to join and we feel that easy access is vital to the artist.

We always require an additional link one of those three places is vital, but too often, we have to either root this out ourselves or go chasing for it. We remind submitters to include that additional link as we cannot include a song that is only on Spotify.

Secondly, a big part of getting an artist heard is via social media tagging. The majority of our time on the Playlist is spent hunting out social media links for the individual performers. Prep for this Monday's Playlist has been the worst for time spent for a long while. 

It would be really helpful if submissions included any Social Media links, the tagging is done specifically for the artist's benefit. From next week, any submission accepted will also ask for Social Media links. If they are not provided, we will promote without tagging the artist. 

There is no frustration or angst in these two requests. We simply want to leave as much spare time as possible to review albums and promote artists. With I Do Hear A Single starting around August time, social media link providing will be vital and sp good habits now will allow that place to be as successful and beneficial for artists as we wish it to be.

Thanks as always.

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Joe Giddings - Stories With Guitars

 

I've been with Joe Giddings from the very beginning. I was introduced to the Star Collector debut album, Songs For The Whole Family, just after its 1999 release. It was beloved in Bucketful Of Brains circles. Just one album from them and then Giddings resurfaced on Not Lame (who else?) in 2002 with The JTG Implosion's All The People Some Of The Time.

Both are still played regularly at IDHAS Towers. I also gathered the 4 volumes of the self released download only All Themes Considered between 2012 - 2014. IDHAS started in 2016 after the release of his solo album, Better From Here, earlier in the year.

Joe Giddings made his debut here with the Kool Kat Reissue of Better From Here in 2020. You can read that review here. Keith Klingensmith's Futureman Records label has also done a fine job of keeping all things Giddings alive download wise.

So to 2025 and the excellent Stories With Guitars. All the trademark Giddings strengths are here and more. Often slotted into Power Pop, a genre that doesn't naturally fit as it doesn't with the likes of Cheap Trick, who Rock far more. Giddings strength as a Guitarist allows meatier fayre as well as an ability tread into AOR at times.

Buth there are traits of Jellyfishe her, particularly on You Are The Star and Song At The End Of The World. He also gets instrumentally into the territory of The Darkness on both My Riviera and Adrenalin. But vocal wise, there is ease with fast and slow and there is a real strength in the vocal harmonies.

Songs are written as stories at times and the strength of those vocal harmonies and the instrumentals overshadow how lyrically adept the man is. These 11 songs may be melodic overload, but they are never heads down.

Then there is David Stepanski, as good a Jangle Pop song that you will hear all year. The stand out for me is Pandora's Brand New Box, a Glam Rock gem, a genre that Giddings has also excelled at, that turns into a surprise jaunty Pop Rock sing along. Stories With Guitars is essential listening.

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

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Various - Pop Aid 2

 

We don't normally cover compilations. There is no antipathy towards them in any way, some are really good. Others great and this double CD falls into the great. Our reasons are that with limited space, you can't acknowledge everyone and always feel guilty for those that you leave out. 

We also traditionally embed three songs and so that makes the rest seem less important, when you review a one artist album, that applies less so. But Pop Aid 2 is so much like an advert for what I Don't Hear A Single. We have reviewed and / or played so many of the artists present.

If you want an introduction to Pop Rock and Power Pop etc (and I see many who ask), there is no finer place to start than here. Kool Kat and Thrift Star Halo's Frank Gradishar have gathered together a splendid line up in support of those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

All 23 songs could make up an I Don't Hear A Single Playlist and cover around 80% of what we do genre wise. All the pre-requisites of Melodic Guitar Pop are present from Jangle Pop to Psych Pop, Power Pop to the crunchierangles. Big Riffs and big Choruses are everywhere.

So my 3 choices to embed could have taken on many paths, different styles, fast and slow, but I decided be a bit selfish and concentrate on three artists that have a long association with us. Psych Pop as my favourite genre ever is obviously well represented.

This relies on you to listen to the rest and discover the joy of what Pop Rock brings. Then, hopefully, you will do the right thing and but the CD or download to aid the victims and bag yourself a collection that can be listened to over and over, particularly with Summer here, a season that ideally suits this type of material.

You can listen to and buy the download here. You can by the CD from Kool Kat here.

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Dominic Lavoie - Round Trip

 

I like to think thatI know everything about the genres I cover, I obviously don't and this more than underlined when you listen to an album as wonderful as this. Even more surprising when you discover that this is Lavoie's 7th (count 'em) album.

Portland Maine's Dominic Lavoie is joined by Full On Voltron to offer up one of the great Pop Rock albums of recent times. Beautifully arranged and performed, it sounds so modern and yet equally Retro. Lavoie's dulcet tones dominate the album, but is the arrangements that make the album so great.

From the funk driven opener, 1.21 Charliewatts to the anthemic closer Norumbega, not a minute is wasted, Round Trip is absolute Gold dust. Built on Vocal Harmonies and riffs with massive choruses, it is an album that benefits from raiding the instrument cupboard.

You'll hear Farfisa, Sax, Clavinet and Brass are all present, yet none interfere with the sheer catchiness of song after song. Lavoie is not afraid to include a blistering Guitar solo. Sunkist Bliss 90s Superhaze is an example of this, a song that is in tune with the new breed of Guitar Pop.

Yet at other times, songs are like a bigger sounding Ben Folds or Andrew Gold. There are hints of Glam Rock and Americana.  Instrumentally, Karmic Rodeo sounds like The E Street Band on The River, all mouth organ, keyboard runs and twanging Guitar. 

Martin The Martian, the latest single is flawless jaunty Jangle Pop with a hint of New Wave. But, this is an album to be listened to from start to finish. Maybe the sound of the summer, it certainly is a feel good affair and a joy to listen to. A corking repeat listening singalong album.

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

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M Ross Perkins - What's The Matter, M Ross?

 

After the slightly embarassing self congratulatory 2 million celebrations, it is back to catching up on the backlog of album reviews that we want you to hear about. Who better to start the avalanche than the wonderful M Ross Perkins.

Perkins has the knack of hiding lyrically dept self confessions into great Pop songs. This is his third outing and he is calmly asserting one of the great Pop Singer Songwriters around. Very 60s in vine and Jngling wherever possible.

His last album, E Pluribus M Ross was and still is sensational. It hit our Best 100 albums of 2022, you can read my review here. His third outing feels a little more mellow than the second, but it is stacked high with great great Guitar Pop.

There are also four interupting interludes that break up the album. Recorded old outside segments enquiring What's The Matter With? All unrelated to Perkins, sort of like Frontier Psychiatrist. They should Hittite, but instead drag you in.

These are in complete contrast that the 60s Melodic Pop that surround them. There are diversions of course across the15 tracks. A Date For One is Acoustic and a little Simon and Garfunkel. That's Fine is very West Coast, almost Country, Rock.

Bouquet is a splendidly put together affair, edging into Psych Pop, but covering multi genres, all in just over two minutes. But it the Pop that enthrals most. The jangling Merseybeat of Hey Man/Hey Self, The Beatles 1964 vibe of Gone (In The Morning).

The Byrds like, Crying In My Sleep even gets a little Jeff Lynne. The UK Beat of Spiritual Kick with its Lennon like vocal and there is even an almost Bossa Nova easy listening smoothness to I Feel So Numb. The whole album has the feel of a musician who knows what he wants to achieve and M Ross Perkins does that and more.

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

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Two Million Hits

 

It is gobsmacking to get to 2 million hits as IDHAS approaches its 9th birthday. The second million took just two and a half years. Thanks are to the artists who are covered. There are those who say that there is no great new music. IDHAS is proof that if you find the right artists, there is an engaged audience out there who want to hear and read about it. Thanks to the musicians. This place is about them.

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Listening To This Week Playlist

 

A little earlier than usual, here are the 26 songs that make up this week's LTTW. May the best one yet. 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 24 of the 26 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 Optdemics and Ryan Cassata songs are not on Spotify)

Link To Spotify

Las Gargantas - Profecia Autocumplida

DelCobras - Untied (She's The One)

Shortwaves - History Man

Optdemics - No Good Deeds (Not On Spotify)

Spiders On Drugs - Postcard From Amsterdam

Parent Teacher - Fire Door

Faces On Film - Where Love Goes

Faces on Film · Where Love Goes

Moberod - Pieces

Chatterbox - Dark Days

John Steer - Writing On The Wall

John Steer · Writing on the wall

Flutter - When You Love Somebody

Tin Cry - The Revolution Started (With A Song)

[Eagle Noise] - Joni Mitchell

The Slow Summits - Dream On

The Infamists - Lonestar Woes

SOPE - DYBIRL

The Electric Sons - Don't Need Much

The Electric Sons · Dont Need Much

The Fisherman Three - Out Of Style

Matilda Grace - Not Your Ex Yet!

Shoemaker Levee - The Resistance

Cupid And The Cowboy - Last Of The Red Hot Luvas

A Grieving Mind - My Heartache

Nordic Slang - Clever Cliché

Nicholas Shaw - Lovesick

Ryan Cassata - A Knack Of Overthinking (Not On Spotify)

Lola - I Came Here To Conquer

Lola · I Came Here to Conquer

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The Chemistry Set - An Introduction To The Chemistry Set (2CD)

 

Oh how I love The Chemistry Set. Paul Lake and Dave McLean started out in 1987 and they are still here, offering up delightful Psych Pop. It is also another chance to celebrate Fruits De Mer, a label that is a beacon of light in the UK that blows away the tumbleweed.

Too many people think that FdeM is a label of way out Psych, it isn't at all and this is partially proof .I reviewed the last album from The Chemistry Set, Pink Felt Tip, and it was in our Best 100 Albums Of The Year. You can read that review here.

This double album is a compilation of their intensive career on the label, Selected by the duo and gives a sense of just how Pop they could be especially when they enter Toytown, which they frequently do. Indeed, just listen to Lovely Cup Of Tea and realise how close Toytown could get to Madness.

This Will Never Happen Again is top notch Jangle Pop that sounds New Wave, something that you can imagine Rockville singing. Marvel at the harmonies. Albert Hoffman is magnificent Psych Pop demonstrating and wit as well as just how catchy they can be.

I've chosen three songs that I love. But there is 2 and a half hours of music here to delight in. Included is something from the debut solo releases of both. They are in touch with music across the decades, at times a little Syd Barrett, XTC, Brit Pop etc.

The release will be hard to find now but the likes of Shiny Beast still have copies here. There may also be some in the usual good UK Retaillers. Fear not though, you can pick up the songs and albums on The Chemistry Set's Bandcamp site here.

You can find out more about the set here.

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The Setting Son - Cul-De-Sac

 

Wow! Proving that Caper Clowns are not the only good thing to come out of Denmark are Caper Clowns, of which you will hear more of in the next few days, Sebastian Kristiansen's The Setting Son are back with their fourth album, the first since 2012's Before I Eat My Eyes And Ears.

I thought I had heard the last of them, so you can probably see the smile on my face from wherever you are. A couple of singles have trailed the album on the Listening To This Week Playlist. but I didn't expect as great a returning album as this.

I know many of you know of my love of Psych Pop and this lot took on the mantle of my beloved Orgone Box between 2007 and 2012 with three splendid albums. The best description of what they do is sort of mix Psych Pop with Brit Pop.

Here are three minute songs that never outstay their welcome. Melodic to the extreme with choruses to die for. Beautifully performed and arranged with killer riffs. They are probably the nearest Psych Pop band to Guitar Pop. Any song could be a single.

In a way they are bringing Psych Pop to the masses but the way of UK Beat, Pop Rock and Jangle Pop. Just listen to how anthemic (Do You Want To Know) It is, pure Brit Pop. But then compare it Sleep which is swinging Carnaby Street Psych Pop of the highest order and my favourite thing here.

I Still Can't Decide What I Want is glorious Glasgow second half of the 80s Jangle Pop that adds a blistering Guitar Solo.. All 10 songs will light up your life, an album to listen to from start to finish. I can't put completely into words how over the moon to have The Setting Son back. Better not be 13 years to the next one.

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

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Shortwaves - Mental Health In The Information Age

This is great and back to what we are primarily known for. From Weezer's Blue through to Tsar's self titled debut, a world of wonderful melodic Power Pop was unleashed in the States. Whilst we had Brit Pop over here, the States was less Retro, bringing a Guitar led melodic Pop that made Summer seem like all year round. Some UK bands, such as Silver Sun, got it.

However, this was an American led thing that demonstrated how life affirming Power Pop could be. Pop song were back in focus, aided by the likes of Not Lame and Kool Kat. There's been much less of it since, it has become a forgotten art. Even Weezer seem to have lost the plot.

Shortwaves are a quartet from Dallas, a state not necessarily known for the genre, and they give people who were around in the past, a big poke to realise what fun it all was. But more importantly, this may all be new to the younger audience that we have picked up and I am certain that they will be enthralled.

Mental Health In The Information Age is wall to wall goodness, full of hooks, riffs and big big choruses. Guitar driven without ever being noisy. The pace doesn't let up, it is ace at everything it attempts and the quality control is top notch.

The problem with this sort of album as time went on was one of front loading. Three great opening tracks that became singles with songs that followed being more filler. There's not a bit of that here. Picking any of the 12 songs here as preference would be difficult. Indeed Track 11, Just Like You, may be the best thing on show.

There's even room for an instrumental, Dances With Cats, that is as engaging as what surrounds it. The album takes me back, but also as its place in the now. It is a chance for the next generation to hear something different and even discover that great past. What an absolutely cracking listen!

You can listen to and buy here. 

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Fib - Heavy Lifting

 

You know how much we love Angular Guitar Pop, I've preached about it wherever I've been. Growing up with the early XTC stuff, moving forward to The Sugarplastic and onwards to Field Music and The Futureheads.

It seems a long time since I've heard it, being so immersed in the new, indeed Philadelphia based quartet, Fib's self titled debut album. The follow up here is even more inventive. This sort of thing relies on constant shifting within songs or else it can all sound the same. Fib do this with ease.

PS, for instance, gets very close to Devo, but as you might expect, there are hints of Talking Heads and Discipline era King Crimson. The time signatures are very Prog at time, but yet there is a real melodic feel in all the songs despite the constant changes within songs.

It takes to the closer, Outro, to get near Pop and that is then taken into different directions by the twin guitar attack. Mutuals, the opener, is probably the most accessible, very close to Field Music's early work. But the whole thing is an incredibly inventive listen. Particularly, if you are as much a fan of Indie as Prog, as indeed I am.

This inventive Indie is what I spend of most of my downtime with and few do it as well as Fib. The need for Three Chord Guitar Pop is something to admire, but when a band wants to stretch across genres and surprise you, the applause is even higher here. This is absolutely wonderful!

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

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