Here Is The News

 

It has been a while, largely because there hasn't been so much. But over the past week, it has come flooding in.  The theme is largely about the return of IDHAS heroes.

Mothboxer - Twelve

Hot on the heels of February's Timelimes album (IDHAS Review here) Dave Ody is proving especially prolific this year, on fire really. 26 July will mark the release of a second album for 2024. Ody started recording after the release of Timelines.

Having heard the album, it is top notch. You know that Mothboxer never let you down, but the new one is simply wonderful. Look out for the nigh on 13 minutes closing track How Does It Feel. The album is called Twelve, being errrr Mothboxer's 12th album. 

Look out for further details and updates here and here.

Caddy - Someone Like You

There`s a 20 year anniversary for Caddy this year and Tomas Dahl wanted to write and record a new album for the occasion. The self titled album will be released on vinyl through Vestkyst Records and CD through Kool Kat. Release date is 22 August.

2023 was pretty rough for Dahl with losing both parents and two close friends within a period of 6 months.. The album is lyrically darker reflecting on those events,  The music is still very much melodic but there is much more Power on this album than in a long time, but the results from our Power Pop hero are outstanding.

A single has been released and you can listen to Someone Like You below. The song will also be included on next week's Listening To This Week Playlist from Monday 15 July. 

The Mommyheads - One Eyed Band

I think many of you know our love of The Mommyheads. We have been fans forever and ever amen. It has been wonderful to see the band in full flow over recent years with more Live shows than ever. We have seen the following grow and grow and still consider them as possibly our favourite band ever. 

A new album, One Eyed Band, will be released on 13 September and I know we can be biased, but it is truly magnificent. The tracklist is below. Look out for further details on the band's website here and Bandcamp site here.

 

Album Details :

01 Chicken Soup

02 Life Is A Dream

03 Season Of Our Sound

04 Architect

05 Human Being

06 Risk It All

07 One Eyed Man

08 Weightless And Unbound

09 Junk

10 The Gift

Derrero - Breezing Up

It is hard to believe that I have been a fan of Welsh Wizards, Derrero for 29 years. Through Brit Pop and Beyond. No one quite catches the mood like their albums do. So it is delightful to note that Derrero's sixth studio album, Breezing Up, will be released on 14 September.

The bulk of the album was recorded last October at Palm Tree Studios in Kent and features contributions from Dewi Parry (Ghosts Lawns, Siula) and Gid Goundrey (Gulp, Ghost Lawns, EYE) with additional brass from Ifan Rhys & Rob Halcrow.

Derrero have maintained a resolutely DIY and esoteric approach to music making cementing their reputation as a strident and confident band who remain steadfastly unafraid to swim against the tide and self-release uncompromising music outside of the mainstream

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Breezing Up will be preceded by a single on 02.08.24 from when the album will be available for pre-order. The tracklisting is as follows :

01 Ride On Rider

02 Catherine

03 The Drive Home

04 A Line In Space

05 Breezing Up

06 Cosmic Shift

07 Painting With Sound

08 Mile After Mile

09 Creepy Crawlies

Cherry Fez - Superexcited Sessions 

 

It is an exciting time for Todd Shuster this year. Firstly, he has recorded an EP in Nashville with Brad Jones. The results are exhilarating and all four songs will delight Power Pop fans. The first track from those sessions has been released and you can listen to it below.

There may be more songs recorded later in the year and here's hoping a label will pick them up for a Physical Release as either an EP or mini album. Superexcited (the song) will also appear on next week's Listening To This Week Playlist (15 July).

In the meantime, the excellent Subjangle label is releasing a double CD compilation of Todd's old band, The Impossible Years called A Good Past Deserves Repeating. Provisional Release Date is 14 July. More details as I have them.

Finally Cherry Fez will be playing some IPO’s as Rick Kingo Featuring Cherry Fez at LA, San Diego, Vancouver and New York). It is great chance to see Rick and Chris from Caper Clowns with Cherry Fez. I am quite envious. IPO Details can be found here.

The Junipers - Annie Almond  

 

On the theme of returning heroes, there was a real Wow! hollow when we found out that The Junipers  were returning. First up is the wonderful single that is released on Thursday (11 July). Called Annie Almond, it is as ace as you would expect.  

A follow up single is initially planned for 1 August titled She Looked Up At the Stars. Even more exciting is the news that a new album is ready, provisionally planned for a release at the end of August. The album is likely to be called Imaginary Friends. 

The You Tube embed for Annie Almond is below.  It will not go live until after midnight on Thursday. Listening To This Week fans can also hear the single on next Monday's LTTW (15 July).

Sloan - Smeared Deluxe Vinyl Box Set

 

The fourth deluxe box set from Sloan and this time focusing on the debut LP, Smeared. Along with that album, it also contains an LP of demo recordings. Live recordings from the era are on the third LP and the 7" single. Lots of great photos, stories and ephemera in the excellently designed 12" x 12" 44-page booklet. Limited edition!

 Tracklist

 LP 1 - Smeared

Side A

01. Underwhelmed

02. Raspberry

03. I Am The Cancer

04. Median Strip

05. Take It In

06. 500 Up

Side B

01. Marcus Said

02. Sugartune

03. Left Of Centre

04. Lemonzinger

05. Two Seater

06. What's There To Decide?

 LP 2 - The Demos and Outtakes

Side A

01. Kool Aid (March 1990 Chris demo)

02. Left Of Centre (February 1991 demo)

03. In Her Place (February 1991 demo)

04. Pretty Voice (1991 Jay demo)

05. Caroline (1991 demo)

Side B

01. Underwhelmed (1991 demo)

02. Marcus Said (1991 demo)

03. 500 Up (October 1991 demo)

04. Raspberry (October 1991 demo)

05. Median Strip (Andrew vocal)

LP 3 - Live at McGill University June 17, 1993

Side A

01. Median Strip (live at McGill 06/17/93)

02. Take It In (live at McGill 06/17/93)

03. Sugartune (live at McGill 06/17/93)

04. Pillow Fight (live at McGill 06/17/93)

05. Coax Me (live at McGill 06/17/93)

Side B

01. Underwhelmed (live at McGill 06/17/93)

02. Penpals (live at McGill 06/17/93)

03. I Am The Cancer (live at McGill 06/17/93)

04. Rag Doll (live at McGill 06/17/93)

05. Left Of Centre (live at McGill 06/17/93)

7" single

01. Autobiography (live at The Grawood, Dalhousie 03/20/92)

02. Easily Fooled (live at The Grawood, Dalhousie 03/20/92)

Chris Church Underground Again

Chris Church is currently finishing off his latest album, some of which I have heard and those songs are top notch as ever. In the meantime, Chris has released the song, Underground Again. The definitive version of this song has eluded him, but he has always loved it.

This version is newly recorded in spring 2024, with Brian Beaver, friend and bandmate from DANG on Drums. Brian also painted the picture in this cover photo. Church wrote the song in the late '90s. A different version of it was recorded with THE FREDS several years ago. 

That version is titled "Fad Collectible" (first track on THE FREDS album "Heavens For Betsey"). Finally set free with no final mix or mastering. it is Church's final attempt at the song and well worth a listen.

The Glad Machine - So High

Finally, a most welcome return from The Glad Machine. It has been a couple of years since the excellent Hey album which featured heavily in our Best Albums Of 2022. You can read the IDHAS Review of that album here.

Suiting the season, if not the weather over here in the UK. A great blast of catchy Power Pop joy. Brad Thayer still has a fine set of pipes. We can't wait to hear more from the band.

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Sloan - Steady

 

During a conversation a couple of nights ago, I was asked if I'd be covering the new Sloan album. The answer at the time was no. I am and have always been a massive fan, but the I Don't Hear A Single remit has always been to cover the new and the underappreciated. Sloan are neither.

As I thought more about it during the following days, I felt less and less sure. Sloan should be acknowledged for their influence and Steady is a top notch album. There's also a feeling that the band are close to the last man standing in the 90s Power Pop and Pop Rock revival that I like to affectionately label the Not Lame Years. 

The Canadian quartet are in an envious position material wise, four songwriters who take the lead vocal on their own songs offers great variety and Steady, as on all of their albums, goes far beyond the Power Pop label that sometimes is unfairly applied. 

This is Guitar Pop in all its different stripes and the band have broken out of their big fish in a smaller pond reputation and deserve a far wider audience. They are the sum of the parts, you feel the band wouldn't continue if a member left. Like minded individuals that aren't in each others pockets.

Sloan are beyond Power Pop with the exception of maybe Jay Ferguson whose writing is closest. One of his three songs here is the excellent Dream It All Over Again which has many of the traits, but is equally UK Glam Rock with its Guitar Solo and Handclaps.

Chris Murphy is generally the most active member in and out of Sloan and here he adds four songs. Human Nature is magnificent Badfinger Pop Rock with just a hint of Toytown whilst I Dream Of Sleep is jaunty Americana.

Patrick Pentland offers up three songs. Scratch The Surface is a little more sleazy New Wave than the rest of the songs on show. But Simply Leaving is a real weeper with a Glenn Tilbrook like verse and a more AOR chorus.

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Andrew Scott gives up two songs and offers a more earthy approach. There's a wonderful sleaze to his drawl on Close Encounters and Panic On Runnymede is the nearest to straight out Rock that Sloan get, almost Psychedelic at times. 

Sloan are the great survivors of Pop Rock. Outstanding in what they do and although you sometimes know what you are gonna get, they never ever disappoint. They cross genres without ever losing their trademark melodic joy. They say variety is the spice of life and there is plenty here to wish an even higher following for them. Tell Your Friends, you know they'll be hooked.

You can listen to and buy the album here. You can find out more about Sloan here.

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Tuns - Tuns

Tuns are a supergroup, a supergroup once of the Halifax underground scene, Most followers here will be most familiar with Sloan's Chris Murphy. He's joined by Inbreds' Mike O'Neill and Matt Murphy from Super Friendz. So what you'd expect is some early 90's College Radio sounds. Not a bit of it. This is great Power Pop.






Throw It All Away has far more in common with Mitch Easter Produced Power Pop from a decade earlier and there are plenty of hints of late 70's New Wave and even Merseybeat. I Can't Wait Forever is a real weepy, nothing like the individual stuff the trio are individually known for. Mind Over Matter, hand claps and all, is so 10CC like that you expect to see Graham Gouldman's face grinning at you.





Look Who's Back is 70's Glam with some great harmonies. To Your Satisfaction is a strum in Teenage Fanclub territory. Mixed Messages starts with a Mod Pop bass line and veers towards Psych Pop. Back Among Friends is bass line driven in the best traditions of 60's UK Beat with a belting Jangly solo. Lonely Life is pure Andrew Gold.




It's a short 27 minute album, but we've been through the benefits of this before, all killer no filler. Imagine if Pilot were on IRS and you'll understand how great this album is.

You can listen to the album here and you can buy it here. You should.

Various - If It Feels Good Do It

First off I'm a big Sloan fan, through great and mediocre I'll always stick by them. I'm like that with Cheap Trick, the band always gets the benefit of the doubt. If an album is disappointing, I'll just wait for the next and these aren't the times of an album a year.

Secondly, I am not that keen on tribute albums, they've been done to death and I've never really seen the point. This is different, I love it. Why? Because it's got a line up of many who are hot in Power Pop land at the moment and secondly, because not all versions are faithful to the originals.




I happened to mention in my Gretchen's Wheel review that not many people dare to cover Sloan and Keith Klingensmith quickly corrected me on this. The 31 song collection is on his label Futureman Records . Incidentally Futureman are one of the more exciting labels around, celebrating the best of new and old Power Pop.

The cast is great including Stereo Tiger, Nick Piunti, The Well Wishers, Chris Richards, Andy Reed, The Anderson Council, Paul Mellancon, Gretchen's Wheel and Ryan Allen plus many more.

Nick Piunti makes Right Or Wrong sound like a Nick Piunti song, Stereo Tiger reinforce their reputation as one of the best around at present and Chris Richards handles Coax Me beautifully.





King Radio cover the title track in a sort of lounge lizard style and Kristin Von B becomes Kim Wilde as if she was backed by the Go-Go's with Devo interruptions. The album is great fun and great value at 31 songs for 10 dollars. The killer though I've already praised in my review of Behind The Curtain. Gretchen's Wheel's cover of Try To Make It is absolutely inspired.




You can buy the album here and then have a look at what Futureman Records are doing. Anyone who is trying to recreate interest in Gladhands is fine and dandy with me.