Andrew Weiss And Friends - The Last Of The Outdoor Kids

 

The last time that we visited New York's Andrew Weiss was for 2022's excellent Sunglasses & Ash. You can read the review here. The great news is that he has lost none of his ability to switch directions at will. One minute, he is serving up Great Guitar Pop, the next sounding more West Coast and he isn't afraid to venture into Folk and Americana, particularly acoustically.

All of these things are here and he may have a chameleon like quality, but he does everything beautifully. If the first thing that you heard was the closer, Hope All Is Well, you would think that he's a Classic Rock troubadour. But listen to the opener, I Don't Wanna Live In This World and you will hear one of the best slices of Guitar Pop that you have heard all year.

There is plenty of Pop Rock here. Put That In Your Pipe (And Smoke It) is pure 80s AOR and Knots I Can't Untie Rocks things up and may be the standout song here. How Far Would You Go is more Classic Rock, but vocally. a little Don Henley. All three are lyrically adept and beautifully performed.

But the West Coast sounding songs are just as engaging. Betsy Ross Blues is great storytelling, It's Not Funny creeps up on you, hypnotic at times with some superb Steel Guitar. Cash For Gold could be The Band.

The Acoustic journey is moody and magnificent. The Hour In Between Worlds mixes Folk with Americana, it is a fine duet with Sara Barsky. Arnold Palmer sounds like a self confessional and This Is Your Captain Speaking becomes a 70s Pop Rock easy listening joy.

A Special Mention for Virginia Slim which adds Sax and Honky Tonk Piano to a Let's Do The Song Right Here vibe. The Sax solo is ace. The Last Of The Outdoor Kids is another tour de force from Weiss (and friends). As accomplished as ever.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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Pretty Inside - Ever Gonna Heal

 

I've mentioned before that France is on fire at the moment, Indie wise and this album may be the best of the lot. I adore Intelligent Indie and Ever Gonna Heal is that and much more. There's an inventive variety to all that is in show.

The Bordeaux band can be anything you want them to be. Noisy, Restrained, Laidback or In Your Face, this really is an album to admire. At times it is Noise Rock but also C86, Indie Rock or 90s Rock, it takes in all sorts of directions. All of them interesting and surprising.

Useless Thrill is Garage Rock with a Brit Pop chorus. The Person That I Hate is late 80s UK Indie with big hints of Madchester. Skin is incredible Noise Rock. Jealousy is very close to Brit Pop. Are You Away is a great Pop song, but prone to burst out Guitar noise.

Fiction Addiction mixes C86 with Synth Pop. Really Diggin' You is the band at their most accessible, almost Guitar Pop, unusually restrained, a crackerjack of a song. Bojack Sparklehorseman is even more of a departure, superb Psych Pop.

Then in the midst of all the three minutes-ish songs is an absolute 7 minute plus joy in Clairvoyance. The song incorporates all the styles that they venture into. Noisy Alt Rock that incorporates Noise Rock and Psych. It is an incredible listen.

Ever Gonna Heal is one of the most inventive albums that you will hear this year.I haven't even mentioned the gorgeous glorious (Please Don't Hide From) The Sunbeams. An Indie masterpiece in every possible way awaits you.

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

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The Let Down - Awake EP

 

Straight ahead Power Pop from Austin Texas quartet, The Let Down. I have to admit that with all the noisier variations of late, it is nice to hear something that is more classic. All pre-requisites are present, Riffs, great middle 8 and a chorus to sing along to.

The EP does sound very UK New Wave. On A String has a riff that reminds you of Another Girl, Another Planet. Awake has a great stomp that edges towards Glam Rock, splendidly slow and the laidback vocals on both is a reminder of 70s Pop Rock.

Part Of Me is again close to UK Glam Rock, with a Power Pop drum track and made me think of The Rollers, the post Bay City sound. Don't Make Me The One gets closer to the Power Pop Revival of the 90s and is built around a killer riff/

The EP is a reminder of the joy of Power Pop, Guitar Pop that reminds you of the summer with a feel good factor. You don't hear so much of this these days and I denigrated it a little when everyone was doing the same thing. But it is lovely to hear it back and this is a cracking little offering.

You can listen to and buy the EP here.

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Atom Lux - Voidgaze Dopamine Salad

 

Atom Lux is Italian multi instrumentalist Lucio Filzola and Atom Lux seem to have been lobbed into the Psych brigade. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of that here, but there is a lot that isn't. Voidgaze Dopamine Salad is  beautifully arranged and performed with journeys into all sorts of direct.

For instance, Spaghettification Apocalypse is essentially wonderful Psych Pop, but morphs into both Classic Rock and UK Glam Rock. Stoned Monkey Heritage could easily be passed off as Brit Pop and as you may guess, the variety here is spectacular.

I know that you know that I am a Psych Pop and Prog fan, but there is miles more here. It is incredibly that this is the work of one man.  Pointless Madness is Pop Rock gold, catchy as catchy can be. There is heavier Psych here on the likes of Bad Snake Good Snake, but that again is wonderfully done.

There is also great riff action present throughout, special mention to Black Mirror. Dance Plague Delirium is another song that takes you along beautifully. Psych driven, nut completely engaging catchy, even bordering Classic Rock. Pointless Madness is a great Pop Rock song.

Toxic Easter Bunny closes the album with a big Classic Rock sound. The whole album is a fine listen. The song titles may be a little pompous, but what is inside is not. Some splendid melodic guitar parts as do plenty of the grooves. A great listen!

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

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Hexham Heads - Hexham Heads EP

 

We don't discover everything ourselves, our peers also help. Dennis from the excellent Add To Want List made me aware of this. It sounds so Stiff Records that I was amazed that the quartet come from Melbourne. This debut EP is the absolute dog's bollocks.

Van Walker's vocal is very very early Costello, but the whole sound reminds me of the glory days of UK New Wave. It feels like 1978 again. I mention Stiff, but the arrangements and production are much bigger. The arrangements in particular are magnificent.

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The hooks are plentiful. Big riffs, ace solos and killer choruses, the 4 tracks just left me wanting more and more. Even the slowed down, Music is completely engaging. There is a fine jangle to Say It Again with its catch all chorus. 

My personal favourite is Can't Live Without You, it has everything that you could want in a Guitar Pop song. But, Let Me Go is a close second. It reminds me of great times when music mattered much more to people than something in the background. If this EP were longer, it would be a contender for Album of the Year. It really is that great!

You can listen to and buy the EP here. It is available on 7 Inch Vinyl and as a download.

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Mr Magpie - The Fever Dreams Of Mr Magpie (Name Your Price)

 

For just one week until Sunday 21 December, Mr Magpie have made their second album available to listen to on Bandcamp, where you can also download at Name Your Price. It will then be unavailable until its physical release and only be available to the streamers then.

Call it an early Christmas present if you like, because it is an extraordinarily great album. The Peak District up a heady mix of restrained Jangle with a hint of Gentle Psych Pop and journeys across both Folk Rock and Classic Rock.

The album is wonderfully restrained allowed the atmospherics and vocal to breathe. It is almost chilled at times. Nervous Breakdown is the song that probably best expresses what they are about incorporating all the genres that I've previously mentioned.

The Boy You Never Knew is splendid Folk, still a hint of Jangle, but acoustically led as a lot of the album is. The song is hypnotic. Dead Orchard Voodoo is a haunting listen until a surprise chaotic Slide Guitar outburst at the close.

Meet Me By The Lighthouse is lyrically adept and almost a Porch or Campfire song. Lloyd Loom is almost Americana and Amanita allows you to envisage endless beautiful landscapes. The album is very laidback yet a cracking listen. Too few bands grip you with such restraint.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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The Elbow Patches - Achingly Familiar

 

I'm a big John Dunbar fan and although The Elbow Patches may appear to be just another pseudonym for his adventures, there is more to the story. The name was originally suggested for the rockier The John Sally Ride.

However, the sad passing of Sal Maida rightly meant that the group couldn't continue. So here are those planned songs recorded by Dunbar. This really is Pop Rock excellence with Dunbar's gentle melodic vocal lighting up the arrangements.

The title track is really strong. riffs all over the place with a slight Psych Pop Guitar feel. When There's Nothing Left is a jaunty shuffle with a great Country Twang. A song that reveals Dunbar's ability to deliver up sad, slightly snarky at times, lyrics and match them to catchy arrangements.

A Dull Celebrity closes the album wonderfully, again with big hints of Psych Pop, matched to a hypnotic drum beat and almost reaches 60s Garage Beat. You Can't Kid Yourself Any More is possibly the best song on show, but the whole album oozes Pop Rock charm.

Much is made of Dunbar's vocal strength and his self depreciating lyrics, but the album underlines what a great guitarist he is. The self depreciation can hide the talent and I still get frustrated at how little he pushes himself forward. This is a great listen and highly recommended.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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