West Coast Music Club - Poppelganger

We've been with West Coast Music Club since their early days. Initially, the quartet edged towards a West Coast Rock sound, that's the US coast rather than the West Coast over here in the UK. where they hail from. They still return to that sound occasionally, here it is on Tonight.

More recently, they have developed an Indie Sound that crosses the decades from 60s Beat through 70s New Wave to 80s Indie and they are exceptionally good at it. Doppelgänger rounds up the four lead tracks from the signposting EPs and adds 6 new songs.

The mix is quite heady. The singles slot in nicely, The most Indie of those singles, Lonely Boy, opens proceedings and is a bold choice. All US Garage Indie sounding, wigging out, sounding all IRS and yet Guided By Voices. You will have read or heard about the EPs from Reviews here or the LTTW Playlist, so I will concentrate on the 6Still (It's Still (It's News To Me)  additions.

Lady Of My Dreams is the sound of the second half of the 80s Glasgow Jangle Pop and unexpectedly suits Martin Adams laconic vocal. I'll Be Alright is urgent 1978 Guitar Pop and You're Not Fooling Me, a much rockier affair, a little Embrace vocally with a hypnotic riff.

Brilliant is Post Punk mixed with Psych Pop and Still (It's News To Me) is wonderful 60s UK Beat. As mentioned earlier, Tonight is the sort of West Coast Rock that the band master incredibly well. There is also a bonus for Physical buyers.

The CD Edition is a bargain £9 and features the other 8 EP Tracks and four more new songs. It's been heartwarming to see how much West Coast Music Club have developed over the past 5 years. They are a proper band and a joy to listen to.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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West Coast Music Club - Lonely Boy EP

 

We love West Coast Music Club. They are from near our neck of the woods, but starting out they sounded like something from the West Coast of America. All Classic Guitar Rock, a cross between someone from California and Neil Young. 

As time progressed, they revealed much more with a particular Indie Guitar 80s vibe.  Ahead of the upcoming Poppelganger album, the band release their latest EP and the 3 songs reveal the full scope of what they do.

Lonely Boy is a song that crosses Post Punk, 80s Indie Lo-fi noise and IRS, wonderfully so. Brenton CA is splendidly low key with a gentle mellow Jangle, sort of Elbow or millenium Indie, beautifully constructed,

Bleed In Hope returns to what they were noted for. That laid back, almost jamming, Classic Rock. Loose enough to be interesting, wistful and hitting a riff that they hold on to. Very Crazy Horse with a weeping desert solo. I have the album and it is a cracker, can't wait to tell you more about it.

You can listen to and buy the EP here.

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West Coast Music Club - Out Of Reach

 

We are long time admirers of West Coast Music Club and with the recent Coral excitement and the upcoming return of The Zutons, it would appear that The Wirral is having another moment. Maybe Half Man Half Biscuit will round everything off. 

WCMC specialise in a sort of West Coast vibe, although they are from the UK West Coast. The opening two songs underline that, but there is a wonderful Gentle Psych to both, almost Byrds like. But there is also an ability to compete favourably across multi genres.

Here's The Weather is all second half of the 80s Indie Fuzz and Nobody Likes You is great 60s UK Beat with lashing of Farfisa. Yet Home is mournful melancholic Americana with a hint of Brit Pop. Indeed, there is a melancholic feeling across the album, as though a relationship has ended.

Turning In Circles could easily fit a Peaky Blinders soundtrack. The epic 6 minutes of The Only one is probably the standout song. It is built around a wonderful riff that is sort of Celtic Psych. I've mentioned in the past that there is an Embrace feel to the band's material at times and Hurting Kind could be Bailiff Bridges finest.

West Coast Music Club are storytellers which is enhanced by a lyrical adeptness. Instrumentally, songs are about getting into a groove, a vibe if you like, that washes across you. They don't want to rock you, they want you to sit back and enjoy what you are hearing, This album certainly does that and more.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2022 : 61-70

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 61 : Karma Gambit - When Does Rock And Roll Start To Get Sad     IDHAS Review

No 62 : Extra Arms - What Is Even Happening Right Now        IDHAS Review





No 63 : Have You Ever Seen The Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS? - Maine Coon   IDHAS Review

No 64 : Ball Park Music - Weirder & Weirder             IDHAS Review

No 65 : Surf Curse - Magic Hour       IDHAS Review

Surf Curse · Arrow

No 66 : Bugs - Cooties      IDHAS Review





No 67 : Hans Pucket - No Drama     IDHAS Review

No 68 :  West Coast Music Club - Faded Scrapbook    IDHAS Review





No 69 : Collage - Over And Out     IDHAS Review

No 70 : Drew Beskin & The Sunshine - Somewhere Sideways Same As You     IDHAS Review
                    

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West Coast Music Club - Faded Scrapbook

Greetings From Ashton Park, West Kirby appeared in I Don't Hear A Single's Best Of 2020 and rightly so. It is an album that sounds as though it comes from the West Coast Of America, when West Coast Music Club actually come from my West Coast, the Wirral, over the water from Liverpool. 

The Brit Pop Rock sensibilities were around on that album and are even more so on Faded Scrapbook. Having said that, there are still nods to across the Atlantic Ocean, If You Only Knew isn't a million miles away from Neil Young and Ouija Doll is very San Francisco hippy Psych.

Hotel California (no not that one) is big Brit Pop, more than a little like Embrace with a decent song. The vocal is very Danny McNamara, but the song doesn't rely on endlessly repeated choruses. The View From Here could be described as Folk, more likely Psych Folk. It broods wonderfully. 

The real take from the album is how much the album Jangles, but does so in different ways. Now Or Never is more melancholic yet. Here It Comes Again heads towards Dream Pop and Faded Scrapbook is a Psych Pop Jangle. 

The stand out is the opener, Fanclub Favourite, a sort of The Posies meet Teenage Fanclub, it shows yet another string to the bow of WCMC and also underlines the band's development as this album is the band's most impressive yet.

It has been great to watch their development. I never ever expected them to come up with a song as frantic and Mid 80s fuzz as Serendipity and I'm delighted that they have. I could rightly say that this is the best West Coast Music Club album yet, but that would be easy. However this is much more than that. The band has evolved and continues to evolve. Well done all!

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

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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 : 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 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 31 : Supercrush - SODO Pop    IDHAS Review

No 32 : The Speedways - Radio Sounds        IDHAS Review









No 33 : The Persian Leaps - Smiling Lessons     IDHAS Review

No 34 : Sergeant Buzfuz - Fox Pop          IDHAS Review

       

No 35 : John Howard - To The Left Of The Moon's Reflection     Review

No 36 : Nick Piunti & The Complicated Men - Downtime      Review




 




No 37 : Girl Skin - Shade Is On The Other Side     IDHAS Review

No 38 :  West Coast Music Club - Greetings From Ashton Park, West Kirby    IDHAS Review

  



No 39 : Papills - Too Hot For May   IDHAS Review

   

No 40 : 2 a.m. Orchestra - Trading Graves         IDHAS Review

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West Coast Music Club - Greetings from Ashton Park, West Kirby

 

Further on from the Paul Molloy review, it really does appear that the Wirral is taking over the world. It is a double delight for me. I've spent the majority of my working life on the peninsula and my constant moans about the tumbleweed regionalised music scene in the UK seem to be being answered by the most unlikely of places.

This music is also not necessarily what you would expect. It is largely retro, but with the region's own slant on it. Being across the water from Liverpool means that the bands don't seem to revert to the default Scouse Scally Pop.  

/p>

These 13 songs may be from the West Coast of the UK, but this album sounds more like an album from the West Coast Of The States. West Coast Music Club are a collective based around the songs of Martin Adams. This allows the three different vocalists, including Adams and variety of musicians to provide a really varied take on the songs. 

The earlier part of the album offers some great jangling guitar, very much in the territory of The Byrds and Laurel Canyon. You could imagine Ian McCulloch singing Something To Think About, Put The Cat Out, sounds like UK Indie from 1985 and All I Want Is You borders on late 60's UK Beat. 

There are journeys into Americana, Folk and even Country. The two songs that Joanne Madden handles, Sometimes and Saturday, also add to the variety. Her sugar sweet voice just melts you and Sometimes is a corking slice of Psych Pop. 

The Standout song though is probably Liar, it sounds a bit like Embrace going all 12 String without ever losing its Indie Spirit. Not everything works here, but the vast majority does and this provides a wonderful laidback feel across the whole album. Greetings From Ashton Park is a bit different to what I normally listen to. However after listening to this, I've certainly had my head turned

  .

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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