Richard Turgeon - Shungite

 

I'm a big fan of San Francisco's Richard Turgeon. We've covered a few of his albums, the last being his previous album, Life Of The Party. You can read my review here. He normally specialises in Pop Rock that treads heavily into Power Pop, but Shungite is a little different.

This is a crunchier affair. The riffs are just as great, but a little rockier. The albums does feel like a breakout from Turgeon to a more Indie Rock, slightly 90s area, although this is the 90s of the melodic, not the self reflection and woe is me that dominated the earlier part of the decade.

Fortunately, the chorus are still killer which will keep long time fans happy, but the different direction suits Turgeon well. The more balls effect is a bit more shake your fist affair than the previous tap your feet joy. The man has been let loose.

The best example of the new direction is Small Fry which is 100mph in your face excellence that changes direction at will without ever calming down. That can be contrasted to This Is The Last Song which is nearer to the Power Pop that Turgeon is noted for, a rockier version maybe with a killer guitar solo.

There is even room for a closer that slows things down with Deep Cuts that even sounds like Soundgarden when they calmed down a bit and the Guitar solo strips paint. The album is at its best when it keeps the gripping riffs of Turgeon's back catalogue such as on the title track.

Songs Of Discontent and Signs are other great examples, both opening with memorable riffs. Shungite is a cracking listen. As always, it is available on CD of the Kool Kat label with 4 Bonus Tracks. The whole thing is a celebration of the joy of the Guitar.

You can listen to and buy the album here. You can buy the CD at Kool Kat here.

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Richard Turgeon - Life Of The Party

 

I like Richard Turgeon a lot. He specialises in Guitar led Pop Rock that leans towards Power Pop It is fair to say that when I first covered him in 2017 for his In Between The Spaces album, which featured in our 2017's In Between The Spaces, this brand of Pop Rock was around a fair bit.

I don't quite no way, because the genre is generally a great listen, but the intervening years have been less forthcoming. Maybe it's the demise of the Bloggers and Review sites that were around then or musicians have given in with how difficult it is to get coverage, yet alone make a living. 

Turgeon is even more impressive as he plays, records and produces everything himself and his albums always sound impressive, so well made and performed. There is a default template that is always spot on. All Alone, Forgiveness and Our Fair City are good examples of this. All contain riffs that resonate.

But there are also times when he lets go. The riffs get heavier and the songs noisier. This is when he is at his best. I've Got You Now and What Could Have Been sound chunkier and edge towards Indie Rock. Sweet As Pie even gets close to The Posies.

Turgeon even masters the great Pop Rock of the 70s with the closer, Don't Forget Me When You've Gone with its string arrangement and piano pop feel. The vocal arrangement is particularly excellent and shows a different side to the Guitar maestro and adds a belting nostalgic solo.

Life Of The Party is a cracking album, as are Turgeon's other six. With all the melody, harmony, riffs and vocal excellence, you tend to forget what a great guitarist he is. He never overplays, every guitar interlude suits the song and if you like melodic Guitar Pop, this is definitely the album for you.

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

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Richard Turgeon - Rough Around The Edges

 

Richard Turgeon is extremely prolific and in the wrong hands this could affect quality control. However, thankfully, Turgeon always seems to hit the spot and in the past five years or so has created his own space, a space that relies on consistency and excellence.

I've compared him in the past to a one man Art College. From Screenwriting to Photography, the man seems to have it all and so the ability to continually write and perform top notch songs with all this going on deserves large applause.

He has carved a place in what is essentially California Guitar Pop without ever being afraid to move into other areas such as Power Pop, Classic Rock and Pop Rock. The Template though largely resides somewhere between a jangling Tom Petty and a riffaholic Matthew Sweet.

Rough Around The Edges is classed as an EP, however buyers on Bandcamp and purchasers of the Kool Kat CD get an additional four songs which takes the release into album territory. The six standalone songs offer great variety. 

Goodbye Home is a little latter day Stipe, Fire Drill sounds very Chris Church like and Better With You is one of the best Power Pop songs that you will hear and has a slight Country Twang in the vocal. I Never Loved You is classic AOR and the pace is only reduced with 7 Stories which edges towards Yacht Rock.

Turgeon does get compared to Matthew Sweet a lot and I'm gonna do it again. The best song here is Please Take Me Back and it is possibly the best Sweet song that he hasn't written. If only the real thing produced something as great these days. I will leave the 4 Bonus Tracks as a surprise, but assure you that they are just as excellent.

You can listen to the album on Bandcamp here. When you purchase the album you are automatically supplied with all 10 songs. The Kool Kat CD also contains all 10 Tracks.

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Richard Turgeon - In Between The Spaces

In Between Spaces, across it's ten tracks, explains why I love the current batch of Californian Pop so much. Beautifully Produced, Melodic, Riff led and with just enough of a hint of what's gone before. San Francisco's Richard Turgeon has conjured up a splendid Riff Heavy affair. You certainly Rock, but essentially in the sun.

Turgeon is a one man Art College, music, art, illustration, photography, writing, the album though shows nothing less than full concentration. It feels like that 90's US Rock heyday. when the lines between Power Pop and Singer Songwriters blurred. Think Matthew Sweet when Richard Lloyd was with him and imagine Mitch Easter producing them.





There are times when Turgeon sounds a touch IRS era Stipe, but the album as a whole is very much melodic rock that starts with a hook that grabs you more and more as the song progresses. There are times that this mode is stepped out of, the likes of the pacy The Candidate which has a bit of a modern day Santana feel, but it's at it's best when it does what it does because it's done so well.

At times, there is a melodic Bob Mould or even Let's Active feel, all good things, I also think Scott Miller at times. Songs like the opener, Big Foot's An Alien and I Don't Need You are wonderfully anthemic and Turgeon's Guitar playing is top notch.






In Between Spaces is a corker of an album, an ace way to spend 37 minutes. You can listen to and buy the album here. You should!