Deadlights - Blue Sides EP

 

People may be more familiar with Jeff Shelton due to The Well Wishers and that wonderful brand of melodic Power Pop and Pop Rock. Deadlights is his side project and enters very different territory. It is slightly 80s, but fear not, such a fine guitarist is not suddenly going Synth Pop and updating 0or should that be backdating?) his wardrobe with his jacket sleeves rolled up.

This is the Indie later 80s and early 90s. Very Shoegaze, but not the never-ending nonsense version. This is all vibe and riffs. The secondary riff on Forever Now is almost Psych Pop, a reminder of The Church's earlier times.

There's an ethereal hypnotic feel to Another Perfect Sunrise, an extraordinary soundscape that gets very close to Slowdive.  Running Wild is magnificent, a song that wouldn't be out of place on a Well Wishers album, an absolutely riveting riff and again hints of Psych Pop, but also the UK Indie scene at the turn of the 80s when the Guitar had a last hurrah until Brit Pop.

Happy Birthday gets a little Ride, but without the self admiration, it meanders wonderfully. Famous And Alone is more sedate, shoegaze that washes over you dragging you in. Extra-ordinary Guitar! Blue Sides is captivating stuff. I just wish there was more.

You can listen to and buy the EP here.

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The Well Wishers - Just So You Know

 

Jeff Shelton reaches his 13th album and the quality of The Well Wishers just doesn't let up. Just So You Know has its base in Power Pop as you would expect, but this album feels more rocked up than what has gone before.

At times, there is a prime time Not Lame Feel, but the rockier direction takes in much more into the likes of Teenage Fanclub territory, Indie Rock and even AOR. This aided by guests on the album who help with the variance.

The Bye Bye Blackbirds' KC Bowman, Stonedog's Chris Dunn and Chris Brown. The Bitter End bursts out of the blocks with some incendiary Guitar blasts from Dunn, a real up and at 'em hard rocking joy of a song.

Bowman helps out on Fight Or Flight, a song that skirts around Americana and Rock and Roll with a massive chorus and lashings of Jangle. Could We Ever Get Along? is very Tommy Keene with an awesome Guitar Solo aided again by Bowman.

Harlan Park slows things down, a sort of comedown and break for air and the song is great West Coast Pop Rock with some wonderful Piano from Chris Brown. But you'd be mistaken if you felt that the album was only about the guests. Far far from it.

Shelton's trademark Guitar Pop is aplenty in evidence. Good Eyes Gone Bad mixes Power Pop with a UK Glam feel, Old Enough To Know is great Jangle Pop, Here We Go and Back Down Son are outstanding Power Pop.and Good Side even adds in some top notch Psych Pop Guitar. Splendid!

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

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I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2022 : 81-90

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 81 : The Minders - Psychedelic Blacktop       IDHAS Review

No 82 : Nick Piunti And The Complicated Men - Heart Inside Your Head      IDHAS Review

   

No 83 : Pulse Park - Phonac Music      IDHAS Review





No 84 : Secret Molecules - Secret Molecules      IDHAS Review

No 85 : Kevin Stevenson - Reality Alley      IDHAS Review

No 86 : Walker Brigade - If Only      IDHAS Review





No 87 : The Well Wishers - Blue Sky Sun      IDHAS Review     





No 88 :  The Dead Century - The Well       IDHAS Review

No 89 : Northern Portrait - The Swiss Army      IDHAS Review

 

Matinée Recordings · Northern Portrait - At Attention

No 90 : Gaz Hunter - Lysergic Soundscapes Of Dreamadelica      IDHAS Review

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The Well Wishers - Blue Sky Sun

 

This year has seen a revival of Power Pop from new bands. I suspect that many of the musicians didn't really know what Power Pop is or much about it until they were described as such. They have brought a younger audience with them as well as an appreciation of the more sensible older fans. 

There doesn't seem to be the baggage of comparing everything to Badfinger or Big Stir. The icing on the cake is now the return of what you might call masters of the genre, the artists who never needed to up their game, because they were were always at the highest point.

Jeff Shelton has been a massive supporter of the genre and in particular new artists. I do think that IDHAS has moved on from centring on its Power Pop beginnings, but there is still a major focus on Pop Rock and the playlists of Jeff's Power Pop Shows were not a million miles away from here.

This is the 12th album from The Well Wishers and Jeff Shelton is The Well Wishers. The last couple of years have seen Shelton concentrating on his Deadlights Shoegazing alter ego and it is like the return of a comforting friend. 

His History doesn't end there. Before the 18 years of The Well Wishers, Shelton was in the magnificent Spinning Jennies, a band that was very close to my heart. The 11 years there, coincided with my early 90s return to the genre and that band were a big part of my rediscovery of joy of the hook.

So you could say that Shelton is a veteran, but this is a musician that has never been stuck in the past, celebrating the new whilst never forgetting the past. Blue Sky Sun is exactly what you might expect from the master, but there are also few crunchier surprises.

If The Well Wishers are Power Pop then so are Cheap Trick and Matthew Sweet and there are comparisons to both here. The former on Idiot Smile and the latter on Who Lost That Feeling which even edges a little towards Psych Pop.

There is a wonderful Jangle on the title track whilst Serenade is great Indie Pop. Radicalized is a much noisier affair, more like College Rock with a killer riff and clear message. Blue Water is a great closer, a piano pop ballad, even a little Gilbert O'Sullivan, with a fine brooding Guitar Solo. 

Just Enough is built on a wonderful Riff. If you want a trademark Well Wishers song that is probably, Any Way At All, but Figure It Out Myself trumps that with its chorus which is very UK, maybe even Brit Pop. 

Shelton's gentle vocal suits his material perfectly and Blue Sky Sun is more than welcome return. There is a political message here which doesn't detract or take over the album and the pacier numbers have a splendid Indie Rock feel to them.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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Ten Wonderful Albums From 2021

 

The above photo is not my collection, although if you listened to Tez Cain, she would tell you that it is something like this. It is more a reference to the amount of albums, I Don't Hear A Single gets in to review. You may have noticed the self created hype about the upcoming IDHAS Best 100 Albums of 2021.

That starts tomorrow with 81 - 90 and 91 - 100. It was so difficult deciding what did and didn't make it as it has been such a great year for the type of music that we like. So the rule of having to have been reviewed on I Don't Hear A Single in 2021 had to be stuck to.

With this in mind, I noticed 10 albums that I should have reviewed and just ran out of time. These ten, there fore will not be in the Best 100, but are albums that could and probably would've been in it, if that time hadn't evaporated.

I thought of reviewing them and delaying the Best Of. However, IDHAS is traditionally one of few that publish the Best Of Year in January and reviewing them now would have meant the best 100 being published in February, which seemed too late.

So I will assure the artists and inform readers and listeners that these ten albums will be reviewed in February. Each of these albums is a cracking listen and I hope you can find the time to give them a whirl / spin / stream or whatever you kids do.

Nelson Bragg - Gratitude Blues     Link

Wanderlust - All A View     Link

The RG's - Your Head On A Stick     Link

The Parlophonics - A Day In The Life     Link

Ed Ryan - Don't Follow Where They Lead     Link

Well Wishers - Spare Parts     Link

Scott Gagner - BloodMoon    Link

West Coast Music Club - Take A Deep Breath     Link

Glowbox - Your Call Is Very Important To Us     Link

Papa Schmapa - Where Are You Now     Link

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I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2020 : 61-70

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 few years I 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. 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 grossly unfair, even more so in 2020 with all that has happened during the year. To qualify, an album has to be available for sale in any format.

For each album, I've posted a song from it and a link to where you can find further details on how to listen or buy the album. 

No 61 : The Vapors - Together     Review

No 62 : Coupons - Up & Up        IDHAS Review




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No 63 : Marveline - Savoury-Toothed Tiger        IDHAS Review









No 64 : Mom - Pleasure Island          IDHAS Review

No 65 : The Lees Of Memory - Moon Shot       Review

No 66 : The Well Wishers - Shelf Life      Review









No 67 : Beans - All Together Now     IDHAS Review

No 68 :  Lady Legs - Off Days    IDHAS Review




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No 69 : Dead Stars - Never Not Here     IDHAS Review

  




No 70 : Dizzy Mizz Lizzy - Alter Echo     IDHAS Review

 

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The Well Wishers - Comes And Goes

Comes And Goes is The Well Wishers' eighth album, none of the previous seven have ever let me down. In fact Jeff Shelton's beginnings in Spinning Jennies started the quality control and now provides a consistently great Back Catalogue.

I always compare The Well Wishers with The Posies. Although there is always going to be a familiarity in what they do and you wouldn't want that to change, it's great that both try to provide something more than just the splendid Power Pop that they offer up.





Whereas 2016 suggested The Posies had bought some new keyboards, it's the production on Comes And Goes that differs. It's far more of a Rock Production, the drums have definitely been pushed forward and it works beautifully.

Songs like Three Nights In Bristol and Nature's Son really rock. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of the Power Pop we know and love and quieter moments like the REM-ish Nobody's Dancing Alone. There's even nods to the likes of Aztec Camera on In Love With.





There's a definite up and at 'em feel to the album, but like any Well Wishers' album, any of the 12 songs could be released as a single. My preferences are the likes of Ill Equipped and Get On By which move at a fair pace.

The gem though features a guest appearance from the wonderful Lisa Mychols. Comes Around sounds like something that could be on REM's Out Of Time. I know any Jeff Shelton album is gonna be great, but Comes And Goes could very well be his best.





You can listen to the album and buy it as a download or on CD here.

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.