The Mellons - In Color

 

The glorious second album from Salt Lake City quartet The Mellons is ready to delight your lugholes. Very 60s, a summer feeling in which the band raid the instrument cupboard to offer up stunning California Pop of the highest order.

As well as the killer arrangements, Beach Boy type harmonies sit from everywhere. Catchy as catchy can be, the arrangements are slightly Baroque at times, but everything centres around the killer hormones. Song that you can singalong to and will.

Upside Down as a tint of Prime Time The Move. Radiant Radish may be short, but with its Psych Pop, almost Toytown feel, it completely overwhelms you. Central Park City Square Flower Days mixes surf with a Circus style Music Hall arrangement to great effect.

Lady Apple Tree even steps into XTC territory, With A Girl Like You is great 70s Pop Rock and Say Goodbye is McCartney Piano Pop and oj that Mellotron! I Told Ya All Time Jangles wonderfully with overtones of Merseybeat mixed with slight Prog. Upside Down is really trippy.

There are also short interludes / Ads that add to the overall joy of a really accomplished album. This may be Retro in style, but there are so many ideas that are enforced by the splendid production. In Color is an essential listen.

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

...................

I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2022 : 41-50

This year, the standard has been the highest since IDHAS began six and a half years ago. Narrowing things down to this 100 as been really difficult. For each album, I've posted a song from it and a link to the IDHAS Review where you can find further details and how to listen or buy the album. 

A reminder that anything reviewed on I Don't Hear A Single is highly recommended.

No 41 : The Mellons - Introducing… The Mellons!    IDHAS Review

No 42 : Chris Lund - Indian Summer       IDHAS Review

No 43 : Rogers & Butler - Brighter Day     IDHAS Review

No 44 : Sarchasm - Conditional Love         IDHAS Review

No 45 : Adrian Belew - Elevator    IDHAS Review

No 46 : The Happy Somethings - Running Away With The Happy Somethings      IDHAS Review





No 47 : Rob Moss and Skin-Tight Skin - Now With More Rockets    IDHAS Review

No 48 :  Ex Norwegian - Spook Du Jour    IDHAS Review

No 49 : Young Guv - GUV III   IDHAS Review

   

No 50 : Affiliate Links        IDHAS Review

.................

The Mellons - Introducing… The Mellons!

 

I'm really surprised that this hasn't been covered around the Power Pop places, although I suspect it will further divide the old and the new supporters. It is more than a little Pet Sounds at times and even more so in tone and feel, but what is wrong with that?

Those set in their ways will remark about not needing another Pet Sounds, what's wrong with the one we've got? The lovers of the new will say how refreshing it is to hear a debut album that trends the harmonic Psych Pop of the mid 60s when albums started to become more important to the serious music fan than singles. 

I think you know where I stand and the Salt Lake City quartet nail both the sound and the times as well as having the ability to offer up great songs when the world is not exactly winning the fight against  autotune and releases written by 15 people.

When the harmonies flow, this does sound very Brian Wilson, particularly on the likes of So Much To Say and Strawberry Girl. But there is plenty more here other than just that. Salad Made Of Butterflies is a wonderful slice of |Psych and What A Time To Be Alive is Blue Mink jaunty.

Its Just A Phase is a classic example of lets do the show right here and Devil's Advocaat feels so Bacharach with big hints of Toytown,  Hello Sun is like an oompah version of the Nimble Advert and the closer Surprise is something that would easily fit on ELO's Eldorado.

Introducing is a really inventive piece of work. Delightful at times, a little mind blowing on the odd occasion. It may remind you of other things that were done over 50 years ago, but it is also of the now. It is a fantastic piece of work and very very listenable. Highly Recommended!

 

You can buy the album here. You can find out more about The Mellons here.

.........................................