I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2023 : 61-70

 

For the last few years We have compiled annual Best Of 's because these posts seem so popular and the aim of this Blog is to get exposure (and Sales) for the artists. A reminder that anything reviewed on I Don't Hear A Single is highly recommended. 

Narrowing things down to this 100 has been really difficult. The countdown is posted in reverse batches of 10. For each album, a song is embedded from the album and a link is provided to the IDHAS Review where you can find further details and how to listen or buy the album.

61 The Lunar Laugh - In The Black      IDHAS Review

62 Cult Figures - Between Us And Heaven      IDHAS Review

63 Vanity Tapes - Hiatus      IDHAS Review

64 Sandra's Wedding - The Hopeful Boy Replacement Service      IDHAS Review

65 Star Collector - Attack, Sustain, Decay... Repeat     IDHAS Review

66 The Smivets - How We Fade   IDHAS Review

67 Stephen Lawrenson - Chants Of A Lifetime      IDHAS Review

68 Dropkick - The Wireless Revolution     IDHAS Review

69 Missilkid - Missilkid      IDHAS Review

70 Alex Lahey - The Answer Is Always Yes      IDHAS Review

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The Lunar Laugh - In The Black

 

Oklahoma's The Lunar Laugh get their fourth album review on here, which is a rarity, so there must be something special about them and there is. You can read the previous three here and here and here.They specialise in a sort of Monkees 70s Pop Rock Update with Glam Rock Guitar Solos.

This is most explained by the wonderful Fake It Till We Make It. But throughout the album, Bubblegum Pop isn't too far. Even the twang and Country-ish instrumental vibe of Stranger Than Oz has big hints of 60s Bubblegum.

Pour Votre Santé is a great reminder of the ace 70s Pop Rock bands such as Jigsaw, Pilot and Liverpool Express and has a real popped up Soft Rock feel and an added great Guitar Break that allows the song to change into a more West Coast vocal harmony affair.

Still Gets To Me is great Jangle Pop with flashes of Power Pop, whilst Picture Perfect has a weeping Guitar run, very West Coast, sort of Doolin' Dalton Eagles. Out Of Love is all bop-she-wop 60s let's do the show right here fayre. 

So So Long even has a real 1977 Disco Rock feel accompanied by a Guitar interruption of say The Outlaws. In The Black is a corking gentle melodic joy and I can't think of a band that suit my beloved Big Stir Records more.

You can listen to and buy the album here and it is Bandcamp Friday tomorrow.

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The Lunar Laugh - Nighthawks!

 

With I Don't Hear A Single's remit being about the new and under appreciated, there's a lot to cover. So it isn't too often that a band get to their third review on here. Not because of talent, but because there are so many deserving causes. However, Oklahoma's The Lunar Laugh are one such band. 

You can read the IDHAS review of their second album, Mama's Boy here and their previous third album, Goodnight Noises Everywhere here. Now on the all conquering Big Stir label, album number four showcases their talent on a live album with performances from across their career thus far. But it isn't only that as there are two new songs to open proceedings. 

Covering these two songs first, I Wanna Know is a fine return. Everything that you need in a Pop Song is contained within, melody, killer chorus and twanging Guitar solo. It's OK has a slight Country Rock feel without losing any of its pop sensibilities. The chorus is a great example of the band's Pop bent. 

I mentioned in the last review that there seemed a much bigger band element. The three piece of Jared Lesiktas, Connor Anderson and Campbell Young have certainly broadened their sound. There are quite a few great Pop Rock bands, but few, if any are as good live. A lot of the genre is built in studios that makes it hard to replicate in an audience setting.

So Big Stir get an instant Best Of (So Far) to cover The Covid Years and The Lunar Laugh are able to demonstrate their live prowess. The selection is taken from a set in 2017, two in 2018 and one in 2019. With two being in 2018, the selections are mainly from the Mama's Boy Tour, but the dates mean the whole song history is witnessed. 

By The Light Of The Living Room may still be their best song, but the Glam Rock of Living A Lie comes a close second. Elsewhere, the moody Soft Rock of Waiting For A Sign and the sheer joy of Mama's Boy are essential listens. Welcome To The World sounds as great as ever with its Pilot like Riff and the Country cover of Neil Diamond's Solitary Man is outstanding.

This is no thrown together album. The sound is superb and playing Live demonstrates the melody and catchiness of the band's output. But for recent events, this would have been a studio fourth album, so what will be their fifth album can't come soon enough. I Can't Wait!

You can buy and listen to the album at the Bandcamp sites of the band here or on Big Stir here. You can also purchase the album from the Big Stir Website here. You can find out more about The Lunar Laugh here.

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I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2019 : 31 - 40

It's been difficult to get these choices down to 100. I'm also not a believer in saying one album is better than another. Most of the time you are comparing Apples To Oranges. I'm not a List person, I just think what's the point.

However, for the last couple of years I have compiled Best Of 2019, normally I just said what my favourite album of the year is. I've done it again, because these posts seem so popular and the aim of this Blog is to get exposure (and Sales) for the artists.

There is no meaning or judgement on an album that is Number 1, Number 100 or not on the list. Anything that I review on here, mention on Social Media or play on the Radio Show is as highly recommended.

I would also add that the Top 100 includes albums available as Download Only. To suggest that they are anything less than equal to a Physical release is patently nonsense and omits many wonderful albums.

I will compile a Top 20 of Reissues and Compilations combined after all this is complete. For each album, I've posted a song from it and a link to the review, where you can find further details on how to listen or buy the album.



31 Remo Drive - Natural, Everyday Degradation      IDHAS Review







32 Pastis - Circles       IDHAS Review







33 John Howard - Cut The Wire       IDHAS Review

34 My Little Hum - Pioneer       IDHAS Review







35 Louise Connell - Squall Echo Rale     IDHAS Review  







36 The Vapour Trails - See You In The Next World    IDHAS Review   







37 David Brookings And The Average Lookings - Scorpio Monologue       IDHAS Review







38 The Late Great - Temporary Love Songs       IDHAS Review

39 The Magic E's - Dead Star       IDHAS Review







40 The Lunar Laugh - Goodnight Noises Everywhere       IDHAS Review








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The Lunar Laugh - Goodnight Noises Everywhere

I'm a big fan of Oklahoma's The Lunar Laugh. I covered their second album. Mama's Boy here. There is a marked change on this third album. Without losing what they are good at, the band have grown considerably and it works beautifully.

Goodnight Noises Everywhere feels much more of a band album. The Three Part Harmonies are considerable and wonderfully done. So where Mama's Boy felt much more like a UK album, particularly the upbeat songs, this album feels much more American.







The changes aren't massive, just far more focused. A band can be damned if they do, damned if they don't. Stay the same and everything sounds the same. Change and it isn't what fans are used to and there's a reaction. The Lunar Laugh have got it spot on. Things aren't the same, but they haven't moved too far.

Welcome To The World is a corking opening song, a sort of reminder of what they've done before, but as the album progresses, those harmonies really kick in and you realise how much work has gone into making this album such a joy to listen to.








They had about two dozen songs to work with and narrowing that down to 10 has concentrated on the quality. There isn't a duff song here. The arrangements are sharper and the solos don't seem out of place. The album moves seamlessly between Pop Rock and West Coast Easy Listening. Another Casualty is ace with it's laid back feel.

At times, there is a Singer Songwriter vibe. You Remember Me is classic AOR Ballad material. Overall though, the Power Pop of recent times has been put on the Back Burner, there's more of a concentration on the complexity of the songs.








The album is built more on feel and touch than the simplicity of Guitar Pop. There's also plenty of variance. Waiting For A Sign finds very 80's, whilst you are grabbed by the aching Waiting For A Sign is really moving.

By The Light Of The Living Mood is the sing along stand out and I love what the band have done with the closer, Saying Goodbye, which is a Finale with bits of what's gone before, similar to a Classical Music Encore. Throughout I'm reminded a lot of bands like The Legal Matters and The Explorer's Club with the vocal dexterity.








Goodnight Noises Everywhere is an outstanding album. One of my favourites of the year so far. You can listen to and buy the download here. It's all supported by two great labels for the physical version. The Vinyl is on the You Are The Cosmos here. The CD is on the Kool Kat label here. You can find out more about the band here.


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The Lunar Laugh - Mama's Boy

If anyone ever wants to get on the Valentine Turntable, the easiest way is to offer up an album that sounds like it's Summer 1975. Oklahoma Trio. The Lunar Laugh, have done just that and Mama's Boy is a splendid affair.

It's a mixture of what was best in both the UK and US post Glam pre New Wave. The Acoustic songs remind you of singalongs on the porch, the Electric songs are much more UK. Everyone of these wonderfully crafted songs are reason to sing out loud.





This is excellent Pop Rock, think Andrew Gold, Mike Nesmith, Bread, Jigsaw, Pilot and John Miles with hints of Simon And Garfunkel, 10CC and ELO. Then unexpectedly you'll get a sax solo or a Country Rock breakout.

You can imagine the songs accompanying 70's American Sitcoms on being played on Mike Mansfield's Supersonic. The whole album is harmony and melody led, it reminds me a lot of a slightly more mellow version of The Connells.





The album is so well constructed and you sense there's far more to come from the band, perhaps a bit more of the rockier stuff. Certainly when the guitar solos break out, their are big hints of that. Mama's Boy will easily appeal to the Power Pop brigade, but also people who like Glen Campbell.

There's a definite summer delight to the album and this feel good factor makes it hard to select individual songs. Hopefully the three examples that I've embedded in this post, give you some indication of the overall joy of this highly enjoyable affair.





You can listen to and buy the album here.  The album lends itself particularly to Vinyl and You Are The Cosmos have a generously priced double offering of CD and Vinyl with the addition of an extra track on both. You can buy that here.