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Monday, 21 July 2025
Listening To This Week 21 July
Sunday, 20 July 2025
British Birds - Silence Daedalus
It isn't that much fun in the North West Of England at the moment. What with all the flagpoles and Farage nonsense and musically I'm fully expecting a wave of Blag Rock wannabe Oasis bands sometime soon. Bizarrely most of these originate in America, but Indie is about to have another wave of music to wash the dishes to from home shores.
British Birds are a quartet from Chorley, a place not a million miles away from IDHAS Towers and they are incredibly inventive, proper Indie and this is their second album after a dissecting EP. Bobby Mambo, as songwriter and main vocalist is obviously the leader, but the female half of the band add another angle. They are here to save us from all the bland nonsense.
They remind me a lot of XTC in the first half of their career and there can be no greater compliment, yet when the ladies get involved, it also gets a little B52s. The songs are very angular, yet incredibly melodic and hypnotic. When the keys come in, it is New Wave time.
Silence Daedalus is an incredible listen. At times, a little New Wave, but at others Garage Psych. There are also plenty of surprises. Emma Townson, for instance, sings Mother Of Jeanne in French and the song also benefits from a killer instrumental track.
This Bin is a standout song and the best example of what they do, all rhythm and attitude. Whereas the debut album showed a slight Folk side to their material, this follow us concentrates far more on Guitar Pop, Quirkiness and male / female vocal interplay.
When you hear some of the mediocre sounds that flood in here, you appreciate the great even more and British Birds are wholeheartedly great. They come at songs from unusual angles that enhance their Indie credentials, but never forget how important the chorus can be. The fact that the album is available in all the influential Record Shops, yes there are still plenty, is a testament to how strong this album is.
You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl or as a download.
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Sunshine Posho - A. (Name Your Price)
Away from the mainstream, what a wonderfully arranged album this is from Italy's Sunshine Posho. These arrangements are masterful allowing Posh's gentle addictive vocal to weave its way around them. Ultra smooth at times, there are equally ventures into Prog and 70s Pop Rock.
The title track is wonderfully chilled, graceful European pop that washes over you and yet the following No, You're Disjointed mixes 60s Pop Rock with prime time Prog to offer up a wonderful confection of Art Rock, chopping and changing at will.
Troubadour is incredibly sweet, surprisingly straight ahead, concentrating on vocal interplay. Catherine follows suit, but this time is piano led and slightly Jazz. Both songs show a different side to Sunshine Posho, more heart felt than the big arrangements.
I'm Not A Robot is 80s Synth Pop with a surprise chorus and Serenade closes the album with more Art Rock and ethereal Sax and a hypnotic bassline. Not Done Yet is very 60s instrumentally and another magnificent arrangement vocally.
I am amazed that no one else seems to have picked up this, It is an album of real invention. The Prog obviously appeals to my sentiments, but there is much more here than that vocally and instrumentally. A real tour de force and a step away from the norm.
You can listen to the album here and it is available as a download as Name Your Price.
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Space Jaguar - If You Play Expect To Pay
Here's an album that is right up our street. Surprising then, that I discovered this casually by hearing Please Come Around, particularly with the guest list here. It is like an I Don't Hear A Single promotional video. Mark Grassick has come up with a crackerjack offering.
At its heart, this is performed as a trio. Grassick is joined by Dropkick's Andrew Taylor and Whoa Melodic's Michael Wood. Grassick writes the songs and Taylor produces. As you might expect with Taylor involved, the feel is very Jangle Pop, 90s Power Pop and at times very mid period Teenage Fanclub.
The major difference to what you normally hear is two fold. Grassick may be Irish born and London based, but his vocal is laconic, sounds very American, you think of Austin Texas at times, a change from the usual mellowness on albums of this type of offering.
Then there's the guest list. Hurry's Matt Scotoline, The Connells' Mike Connell, Laughing's Josh Salter and The Leaf Library's Matt Ashton. It is a Jangle Pop album par excellence, but not afraid to break out into engrossing guitar solos and middle eights.
That Jangle reaches a crescendo on Forward Momentum, but Standing In Your Way edges into Americana and Only Love Lets You Down gets very West Coast. Alone Now sounds very Gerry Love in style and at other times TFC are embraced.
If You Play Expect To Pay is a fine example of how engaging Jangle Pop can be, especially when it stretches out. This set of songs is a wonderful listen aided by a saying what you want to say and getting off. No meandering here!
You can listen to the album and preorder the digital or CD versions here.
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I Don't Hear A Single Is 9
IDHAS had its 9th Birthday yesterday. You may have expected a bigger fanfare has we enter our 10th year, but you also may have noticed the lack of activity here since Tuesday. This is due to Don going in for an eye operation on Thursday.
All was successful, but very sore and as you might imagine staring at screens is currently a no no. The plan is for him to return around Tuesday time. So let me introduce myself. I'm Tez or Teresa if you prefer longhand and before the Op, Don completed some reviews and tomorrow's Listening To This Week.
So I will publish those over the next two days and on Don's return, the T Shirt Month can continue and I'm sure that he will add a few anniversary notes then. In the meantime, thank you to all the artists, listeners and readers who make this place what it is.
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Tuesday, 15 July 2025
Alex Kasznel & The Board Of Directors - Flightless
The Cincinnati Trio describe themselves as Pop Punk for Adults, but the album sounds much closer to something that would be on the IRS label, where it still around. This is a splendid Indie Guitar Pop album, more in the Bob Mould mode than Green Day.
The trio format suits them well, they are locked in and the joint vocal of Alex Kasznel and Bassist, Heather Alene contrast beautifully and Alene and drummer Andrew Gable provide a Rhythm section to die for.
They can get noisy, as proven by The Mummers Parade, but it is controlled. They do get a little Punk, instrumentally, on My Piece With It, but the song even sounds a little R.E.M. Antlers features a solo vocal on Antlers and provides a yearning vocal.
Lock & Key, as featured on a recent Listening To This Week, is a magnificent song. It drives with an outstanding riff and a passionate Kasznel vocal. It is storytelling joy that underlines the lyrical adeptness and quality of his songwriting. That dual vocal works beautifully when utilised sporadically here.
Needle & Thread is almost surprisingly jaunty and that works as well as the deeper songs. Scaphoid Feature also adds a wonderful String Quartet arrangement, betraying the Indie sentiments elsewhere. Flightless is a wonderfully deep and engaging album that underlines the benefit of great playing and great songwriting.
You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl and as a download.
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Feedbacks - Bring Back The Light
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The Shipbuilders - This Blue Earth
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T Shirt Month Update
We are currently experiencing issues uploading the images for T Shirt Month. It is frustrating because the articles have been written. The posts will go up when the image will upload and the problem is fixed. However, there are potential reviews in draft that have already had the album covers uploaded.
So I will concentrate on some of those until the image upload problem is fixed. Look out for them starting to appear tonight. Onwards and Upwards blah blah etc etc.
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Monday, 14 July 2025
Listening To This Week Playlist 14 July
Sunday, 13 July 2025
T Shirt Month - Splitsville
Many people will rightly point you to The Complete Pet Soul as their masterpiece, but I was enamoured before and after. I missed out on their debut, U.S.A. which was largely the introductory demos, but I was a massive fan of the two albums by The Greenberry Woods, the band that became Splitsville. But the follow up, 1997's Ultrasound, gripped me thoroughly and led to the third album, Repeater, an album that is a Power Pop classic and one of my favourite albums ever. The Complete Pet Soul was released in 2001 and is a wonderful listen. It mixed originals that blended the harmony and orchestration of Pet Sounds and the more stripped down Guitar Pop of Rubber Soul. In that Top 200 albums, it was 45th.
2003's Incorporated is another fine listen. It slowed things down a little, less up and at 'em, more thoughtful, allowing more space than the melodic riffathons that had largely defined their career thus far. Now over two decades later comes Mobtown, an album that builds on the strengths of the past, but feels more modern, more now and will fight for space with the next generation as an album that will define Guitar Pop Rock in 2025.As they have matured, it is now not all about Guitar Riffs, there is space for keyboards and roots. My two embeds are the two singles from the new album.
The back catalogue is available on CD fairly cheaply on Discogs. Hopefully, the success of Mobtown will make these albums available for all again. You can find out more about Splitsville on their website here. The new album can be pre-ordered on Bandcamp here and the Big Stir Records site here It is available on CD or as a download. You can listen to the new album in full on Friday 18 July, the release date. It will be reviewed here just after release.
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Saturday, 12 July 2025
T Shirt Month - It's Karma It's Cool
The second post of T Shirt Month features Bailey, our Lurcher, modelling the It's Karma It's Cool attire. Bailey will be making an appearance or two throughout the month. It was in 2013 that I was introduced to main man Jim Styring in our Anything Should Happen days. He was behind the Pop Dogs and starting out with an EP that I loved and I was so taken with his enthusiasm, that I just wanted to help. As he had grown through various ventures, that enthusiasm has never wavered. It is hard to make any impact in the UK these days, but that doesn't stop Jim and the band has grown well in the USA, supported admirably by the Kool Kat label.
Friday, 11 July 2025
OMEGA THREE - POWER POP PUNK ROCK
You might expect an album released on the excellent Grow Your Own Label to be a little too In Your Face for us here. But Omega Tribe are a trio that have Anarcho Punk credentials but present them in a manner that appeals to followers of a Guitar Pop Persuasion.
Lyrically, their sentiments shine through at times, but the songs here are incredibly melodic. At times, I'm reminded a lot of the post punk UK New Wave period when it wasn't just about being to hold a guitar and pose in the correct manner.
Essential Workers is a good example of what the trio do well. The message is clear, but the arrangement and performance gets very close to Power Pop. Anti Government Forces has a hint of The Clash, but is primarily great UK Glam Rock.
The First Time reveals a much broader Pop Rock side and as a love song that shows not all about smashing the state with its melodic joy. Upside Down is wonderfully commercial and has more in common with 70s Pop Rock.
How I Love You is a monster of a song that goes over 6 minutes and crosses genres at will, unexpected violin and mouth organ and at times it gets close to Modern Prog. There are also three great bonus tracks including the magnificent Streets Of London, a song that sounds more Folk than anything, but the lyrical sentiments are something that I agree with fully.
My town in the north is not a million miles away from this commentary. But the real lesson here is not to believe the label or the tag. Omega Three are a trio with beliefs, but also know how to write catchy, melodic Pop and deserve to be heard much further afield. This album is so good that I could have embedded most of the songs. I still don't quite get Animal though.
You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl, CD and as a download.
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The Brigadier - Sailing The Seven Neuroses
The last time that we heard from Matt Williams was in our first year and it has taken that long to follow up the excellent Wash Away The Day. That album reminded me a lot of City Boy's Dinner At The Ritz, a real fave of mine. You can read my review here.
It really is great to have him back as the world does not have enough great Pop Rock and this certainly is. Harmony laden, at times Sailing The Seven Neuroses sounds more than a little 70s Pop Rock, particularly with the Pilot like Guitar solos.
But the album isn't just that. Blessings is great gentle Jangle Pop and Man About The House moves into the prime time UK Glam Rock period. Heaven's In My Heart even gets into Electro 80's New Wave whilst It's You I Think About goes further into 80s synth laden very smooth Indie Pop.
Yet What About Tomorrow is very Nick Frater and Peace Within The Poison is a mix of West Coast Harmony and Andrew Gold 70s Pop Rock. The Title Track has a glorious arrangement, almost Modern Prog and as an instrumental breaks the album up nicely.
The opener, Bleak Companion rock things up considerably and Don't Go To Bed With A Bad Mind is a great closer and allows Williams to add in all the ingredients that he excels at across a 5 minute plus piece that allows the harmonies to excel across a fine arrangement.
The album feels a little different to Wash Away The Day The feel is more mellow, the sound more Commercial Pop, but it is so beautifully done that you just can't help yourself revelling in the mellowness. Wonderfully arranged and performed, this a cracking listen.
You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on CD or as a download.
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T Shirt Month - The Supernaturals
Britpop was the last scene that I was immersed in, Since then, it has been here there and everywhere and it wasn't the headliners that really moved me. Oasis and a great first album and a half and then became the sound of Coke. Blur were interesting, but you felt that Daman Albarn wanted desperately to be Andy Partridge. Ditto Brett Anderson with his Bowie fascination with Bernard Butler as his Mick Ronson. I had a lot of time for Pulp, but it was away from the noise that the better stuff resided. Guitar Pop bands that concentrated on the Pop that were the most interesting and still are. The Supernaturals were the best of these, run close by the likes of Dodgy and other bands such as Straw and Octopus that we celebrated on Anything Should Happen.
Since reforming in 2015, the band have released four superb albums that don't rest on their past, but are every bit as good as those glorious Brit Pop days. Their current album, Show Tunes is as good as they've ever been and they are currently working on their next opus. Reviews are aplenty on here of all stages of their catalogue. Not only did the band remain relevant in the now, but they also caressed their past. Releasing the tapes of their pre major label days that were as easy to get hold of as record horse droppings. As well as bringing them to CD and download. The big albums were also released with loads of bonus tracks and you realised that these songs were as good as anything that you had previously heard.
Although many outsiders will know them as a singles band due largely to Smile, the quality throughout their career is unrivalled. Never afraid to take chances, but never forgetting about how strong the chorus is meant to be. I was also delighted to see the addition of Joe Greatorex to the band, an artist I had followed throughout his career. His band, Colin's Godson, remain one of my obsessions, the most underrated band ever who made their releases unique with the artwork and extras.
The band's discography remains fully available on Bandcamp. If you haven't been there, you are in for a treat. It Doesn't Matter Anymore and Show Tunes have also been released on Vinyl recently. Embedding wise, I have gone for my favourite song by them showing them live on Scottish TV and my favourite on the latest album.There is no better band to start off T Shirt Month. Look out for tomorrow's guest and I will try to look younger.
You can listen to and buy the albums here. You can also buy T Shirts there. The two Vinyl releases can be bought here.
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Wednesday, 9 July 2025
Finn Wolfhard - Happy Birthday
This may be the first time that I've covered an artist with over 21 Million Instagram followers. The Canadian is of most noted for his acting in Stranger Things, the two It movies and the two most recent Ghostbuster films.
However, the 22 year old has a less famous musical career. Initially through Calpurnia, onto The Aubreys and now with his debut solo album. Whereas you might expect his day job means a vanity album made of up of mediocre Pop and cover songs, this is nothing of the sort.
The majority of Happy Birthday is close to great Guitar Pop and the rest is excellent noisy Indie Rock. It is also not front loaded as the contrast of material is segued wonderfully well and the closer may be the best song on show, a song that wouldn't be out of place on one of the current hip West Coast Pop Rock labels.
That song is Wait and it is an engaging strumming stomp. But the standout may be the Power Pop joy of Choose The Latter which is all Jangle and riff. Objection! runs that close with its mix of 90s slowed down melodic scuzz and Scouse Pop nearness. A song that sounds akin to the splendid Guitar Pop that breaks out all too infrequently.
But when the fuzz and noise comes to the party, it is just as effective. Crown is such a think, all 90s In Your Face, hypnotic and gripping. Happy Birthday is an album promoted as a stand alone thing, not a mention of Wolfhard's mega TV and Film career. It deserves to be listened to as such, because this is a really really good Guitar album.
You can listen to the album here. It is available to buy everywhere and on all streaming sites.
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