Bernard Butler - People Move On (4CD Super Deluxe Edition)

 

In a Bowie finding his Jeff Beck moment, I always wanted to find my Mick Ronson. Ronson was my guitar hero, I was too young at the time to truly appreciate what went before Glam and through that glittery star sprinkled era, the Spider shone. So I now look at it through very large rose tinted spectacles.

I became more and more appreciative as time went on for Ronson, through Dylan's Rolling Thunder Tour, his superb return with Ian Hunter in '79 and then his Nashville years. I never thought anyone could equal Ronson, he was as good as ever on that final tour with Ian Hunter. Seeing him at Manchester International 2 with my good friend John Dickinson, I was transfixed. Mott The Hoople had been my band, but it was Ronson I wanted to see.

Melodic, effortless and not just the traditional rock riffs, he was never afraid of country or a Duane Eddy Twang. Why all this stuff about Ronson in a Bernard Butler post? Well I did find someone who had the same style, attitude and belief. If it got boring, he moved on, that man was Bernard Butler. He was the Mick Ronson for the Brit Pop generation.

I lost interest in Suede an album or two after he left. Dog Man Star is a wonderful album and if only it hadn't disintegrated after that To me Dog Man Star was Butler's album.

After two killer singles and an album as a duo with David McAlmont, a solo album was to come and what a solo album. People Move On is one of the great of the 90's. When you expect it to rock, it goes all moody and intimate and as you get into that mode, the glamathon comes back to hit you like a hammer

Critics griped about a supposed weedy voice. I think they missed the point, it was a solo album and so why have an outside singer and I think his voice works beautifully on the songs he brought to the album. The opener, Woman I Know, is a bold start, a nigh on eight minute Peter Green like Riff dominating it, it's great.

The Glam of You Just Know, the Orbison twang on Change Of Heart and that massive string arrangement on You Just Know. The gradual build up of Stay and the brooding melancholic I'm Tired. People Move On is an album to listen to from start to finish.

Now it has been released as a 4 CD Super Deluxe Edition. The first CD is the original album, the second is the album with a new vocal and occasional Guitar Overdubs . The third CD contains the Singles B Sides in both original and re-recorded vocals. Perhaps Butler listened too much to those original critics.

The fourth disc is the treasure for Butler and Suede fans. There are five demos, three acoustic rehearsals, three live versions and seven String Sessions. The latter may be the best thing on it. The set may be too much for the casual listener, but those who know, know and this will be an essential purchase for them.

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Ryan Allen - I'm Not Mean EP

 

The excellent Ryan Allen is generally more down and dirty in Extra Arms mode, both solo and as a band. Extra Arms are usually splendidly noisy with Punk sentiments, although the chorus and melody have always offered a Pop sensibility. 

Indeed I've always thought of him as the raucous son of Nick Piunti, especially as he has appeared on previous Piunti albums. On this EP, the Poptastic flashes become a fully fledged reality. Vocals are softer, but the hooks are still plentiful.

It is as though he's been turned the noise down or matured. I do hope not because those Extra Arms adventures are incredibly raw and gripping and suit him down to the ground. However, I'm Not Mean is a beautifully produced slice of Pop Rock.

Indeed, on both Cut Your Teeth and To Be A Journalist, the vibe is more Glasgow Jangling Power Pop. The former has a wonderful return after a slight false ending. An instrumental harmonic riff and backing vocal. The latter is built around a corking Jangle riff and aided by a massive solo. Both are crackers.

Count With Me slows the pace and comes across a mix between 60's Beat Pop and 80's Indie Pop. I'm Not Mean is even more laid back, a Postcard label feel, a ballad even. A great, largely acoustic soundscape and a fine arrangement. This is wonderful and superior to much of the Jangle Pop out there at present.

You can listen to and buy the EP here.

Good Grief - Shake Your Faith

 

Good Grief are from my neck of the woods and the Liverpool Trio have come up with an absolutely storming debut album. I haven't had a grumble for a while, so please bear with me before I rave about the band. Firstly tags and genre labels. 

I've seen the band described as Punk, Hardcore, Pop Punk. I've also seen them compared to The Replacements, Husker Du and Soul Asylum. I don't hear any of that. They edge towards Superchunk the odd time and that's fine by me.

Secondly, I saw quite a few reviews and mentions and virtually all were rewritten (or in many cases word for word copies of the) PR. I get the same PR and if I want to say something about a band, I will actually listen to them. This may also explain the badly compared genres.

Phew! Now I can actually write about the subject. Shake Your Faith is a wonderful affair. It is higher than lo fi, but lower than hi-fi. It has a few rough edges, but it is meant to. It inhabits a world somewhere between Power Pop, Indie Rock and Melodic Garage Rock.

You are thankful of the rougher edges, because if this album had a bigger budget, it would be produced into a soulless glossy condensed audio nightmare. As it is, the songs never ever lose their feeling, earthiness or excitement.

This is classic trio stuff. A driving rhythm section that is matched by killer riffs and melodic solos. Vocals are incredibly easy on the ears, no shouty spoiling that tends to occur on this sort of release. Although the songs are mainly at pace, they are not 11 versions of the same thing.

The Oldest Thing On Earth could be New Wave Mod Rock, very Vapors. Line By Line is more American, think The Plimsouls or that era or even Sugar. New Town is College Fuzz Rock with a joyous riff and Dimension Jump could be Pavement.

The Pony Remark is a slacker version of Weezer and the stand out, How Can I Help Falling In Love has an earworm chorus. The album is released on Friday 18 March, so only 2 of the songs are on Bandcamp at the moment. When the album is released, I will add a third track. Shake Your Faith is Indie Guitar Pop at its best. If I can get to The Outpost for the release, I will do. 

You can pre-order the Vinyl or the download here. The vinyl is also available from the HHBTM label here.

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The Confusions - Black Silhouettes

 

The confusions digitally released two albums in 2021. The first, Black Silhouettes was a 10 song joyous Indie Pop affair. The second was the sister album, The Nuclear Ghosts, a largely darker affair. Both were combined as a double album and can be bought digitally on Bandcamp, whereas the two are separate on Streaming Sites.

The Confusions are one of the few, maybe the only, Indie bands that have survived from the early 90s. Now into a double figure album career, the quartet have lost none of their brilliance. To these ears, Indie Pop has gotten a little samey and dull over the last few years. Black Silhouettes is a cut and out keep template on how great the genre can be.

For the beginner, 20 songs is a lot to get through, so it is probably best to separate them and as mentioned Nuclear Ghosts (LP2) is very different to the first release and probably the best place for newbies to begin with.

That isn't to decry one at the expense of the other. That second LP, or second half of the download, is wonderfully atmospheric, very 80s, almost Synth Pop, that is a little dark and certainly broody. There are two exceptions in the wonderfully upbeat Sunday Mornings and the melancholic closer, Maybe You're Just Another One Of A Kind which is Guitar and Slide led. 

On the first LP, there is one song that you just cannot avoid. Weight Of The World is an outstanding listen. At times it feels a bit 60s with the keyboard sound, but the Bass line is all 70s Roxy Music. It is a splendidly arranged joy with a killer chorus. Yet Arrow comes across as Deacon Blue backing Lloyd Cole.

Close Your Eyes crosses Talk Talk with New Order, yet Get Ready is all 60s Beat. Waiting By The Way could be A-ha and the Sci Fi synth of Electric is dandy and there's added Fuzz Guitar.. There really is so much here to love. Black Silhouettes is great great Pop of the very highest order.

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

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Lannie Flowers - Flavor Of The Month

 

As a long term fan of Lannie Flowers, I marvelled at the trilogy of albums culminating in 2019's Home. I did wonder what the next direction would be and at the time, a monthly series of free downloads seemed to be a stopgap. 

What those singles did allow was an opportunity to experiment and provide a chance to show that there was far more to Flowers than his Power Pop label. His fearsome live prowess and excellence with a chorus deserved far more than easy labelling. Releasing the singles as a collection was always a great idea. The difference and variety in each song would open up a whole new audience.

Then something even more inspired occurred. With the delays experienced due to Covid, Flowers had time to revisit the songs for the planned album. On remixing Let It Go, the song sounded so different, more modern if anything and the result was so good that it was decided to remix all 14 songs from the March To Home download series.

So what had started as a series to release songs that didn't fit on Home has come full circle. The songs were different in many cases, but remixing them has put an even bigger slant on them. Flavor Of The Month as a soundscape, has more in common with Modern Commercial Pop Rock. The best example is the excellent opener, Don't Make Me Wait.

This doesn't mean that the old Lannie has faded into the background. Songs like the title track and Summer Blue still nod to what has gone before. But elsewhere, it is as though a new whole world has opened up.

Lost In A Daydream is a magnificent slab of Toytown Psych Pop whilst Good is all Jangle. Day Glow All Night is 80s AOR and About You is in 70s territory with a wonderful George Harrison like Guitar break. What Did I Know has a chorus steps back further to the previous decade.

Where Did All The Fun Go is top notch UK New Wave with a Guitar Riff that is very Another Girl Another Planet. The closer, My Street is all Camp Fire Country, yet Doin' Fine is all Miami Vice synth in feel. There really is so much here to like.

There is enough here to please long time Lannie Flowers fans, but even more to welcome the new. Big Hooks, bigger choruses and melody at its core, Flavor Of The Month works as a stand alone album. Pop Rock / Guitar Pop at its very best.

You can buy the album and find out more about Lannie Flowers here. You can also listen to the album and buy on Bandcamp here.

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IDHAS Ten Songs Mix 21

So March has arrived and the return of the Audio Extravaganza gets nearer. Here's the first of two 10 Song Mixes this month before the Extravaganza concludes the month. 

Volume 21 feels very Guitar Pop, but there are one or two songs that are far away from that. Our favourite 10 songs of the week take up only 37 minutes of your time. Hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

The Mixcloud link is below and at the foot of the page is the Mixcloud Player which takes you directly to the music. Here is the playlist of the ten songs this week :

01 El Camino Acid - Get Along

02 Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard - Faking A Living

03 The Minders - Magic Anorak

04 Daryl Bean - Keeping Me Alive

05 Tamar Berk - Your Permission

06 Half Man Half Biscuit - I'm Getting Buried in the Morning

07 Greg Pope - How Do You Do It

08 The Sun Sawed In Half - Twist Of Lemon

09 Gaz Hunter - Elless Dee

10 The Bloodstreams - Clockwork Man

IDHAS Ten Songs Mix 21

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Bart Davenport - Episodes

 

Los Angeles's Bart Davenport seems to have wore many masks throughout his career. All these avenues have always been interesting, but not always hit the spot. With Episodes, he is back in Singer Songwriter territory and that is where he excels.

With Tapete behind him, he may finally get the worldwide recognition that he deserves. The album is a mix of Acoustic and Electric, both work. The Acoustic is never earnest or over played, the concentration is on his splendid voice and the lyrical strength.

I've already played Holograms on the IDHAS 10 Song Mix and that is a wonderful song. Davenport comes across as a sort of American Paul Heaton in the territory of the likes of Ward White. It may be the best thing that you hear all year.

The two songs embedded here are the only two on Bandcamp at the moment until the album release on 25 March. Alice Arrives demonstrates the Acoustic strength, with a chamber pop accompaniment. Elsewhere, Easy Listeners is exactly that, a real laid back shuffle and Billionaires is excellent melancholic fayre with a lovely string, almost Baroque arrangement.

The Plugged In stuff is what really hits home. Creatures In Love is fine Jangle Pop, Wireless Moon verges on Toytown Psych Pop and 99 Forever is an instrumental that could soundtrack The Prisoner. Strange Animal has a melodic Psych arrangement of the highest quality.

All Dressed In Rain runs Holograms as the stand out song. It is very C86, Glasgow 80s even. Episodes would stand alone for the quality of the song writing alone, but once you hear Bart Davenport's vocal, you will just swoon. Intelligent Pop of the highest order and not much beats that!

You can listen to and pre-order the Download here. The LP or CD are available everywhere, including the Tapete Records site here. You can find out more about Bart Davenport here. I will update the review after the album release to include three songs. 

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