Daystar's debut album is wonderfully and unashamedly 70's. It feels like a lost album from that period beginning at Glam Rock and Punk, bringing back memories of UK Music shows on Kids TV. The 3 2 1 of Supersonic, the glitter of Top Of The Pops.
The Complete Recordings doesn't register as a pastiche, it feels actually of its time and the album title reinforces this opinion. It's in cahoots with those great 70's Pop Rocks. Think Badfinger, Pilot, Jigsaw and Liverpool Express. There is a definite UK feel to the album, although that may be because the country was so dominate in the melodic pop of the era.
The quartet from Portland, Oregon are not just about this Brit sound though. There are hints of West Coast and Southern Rock, but everything they play is beautifully played and arranged. This also sounds like a proper album, something to listen to from start to finish. It is ideal for a Vinyl, or I should say LP, release. Thankfully it has one.
As stated, The Complete Recordings is pure 70s, but it isn't stuck in one gear or style. Right At Home is Glitter Band Glam stomp. A Lot To Love is Doolin' Dalton Soft Rock, Angeline is Badfinger to a tee. Ballad Of Sister Sadie May is Country Rock of the highest order.
Warped Reality is splendidly laid back with a haunting riff, Get Yourself Away is another example of sadness wrapped in great melody. It's West Coast Rock at it's finest. Angelina is the big piece, the Guitar sounds very Dark Side Of The Moon. This album really is a comfort blanket in these harsher times.
Daystar have provided an outstanding opening album. It knows what it wants to do and goes off and does it to perfection. Many dabble and have a go at this sort of Pop Rock. Few master it. These four have and this will be high up in my Best Of 2019 list. It's Exceptional.
Imagine that you discover an album that includes Bill Lloyd, an artist that you admire greatly and cover regularly. Then, as a Cheap Trick Fanboy, you see that Tom Petersson is in the group. Well, add to that go-to studio guitarist and songwriter Adam Shoenfeld and Straight Outta Nashville comes Project: Ghost Outfit.
With Keith Brogdon on Drums, the quartet have quietly released one of the surprise albums of 2019. There are, as expected, hints of Cheap Trick and Bill Lloyd's Power Pop excellence, but more than that, these seven songs combine to provide one of the best melodic Pop Rock albums of the year.
I was intrigued to find out more about the band and how this came to be and so I talked to Adam and asked him for more details. Interestingly, it was Bill Lloyd that came up with the band name. Shoenfeld tells us more :
"Here’s some unnecessary Nashville incestuous factoids. I met Keith Brogdon (Drummer and Thinking Out Loud Design owner) through his wife and then we had a band named Stroller together
It was through Keith, if I recall, that I met Tom Petersson and his wife Alison. Ironically, before marrying Tom, Alison lived straight across the parking lot in an apartment complex from me, but we didn’t know each other..
Anyway, we all started having babies at the same time. So we all became really good friends and hung all of the time. I met Bill Lloyd at one of Tom and Alison’s holiday parties. I knew who he was, as I had played with his ex-duo partner from Foster & Lloyd, Radney Foster. (Keith played for Radney at one point too)."
So what made you get together and record?
"It wasn’t uncommon at a Petersson party, that the musician folk would end up in Tom’s music room talking music, oogling at his very eclectic collection of guitars, and sometimes accidentally jamming.
I’m sure it was one of those parties where one of us said, “Hey, we should get together and write sometime.”
So Tom, Bill and I got in the room and did just that. We felt a cool magic between us as a writing team, so we did it 6 more times. When it was time to record, Keith was the obvious choice. He was our friend and we all had played with him in other bands. (He even sat in with Cheap Trick to cover a show (maybe more) for Bun E!). I believe Bill played with Trick for their Beatles thing in Vegas too.
It took several years with our schedules to get them all wrapped up, but I know we’re all super proud of these songs."
The album will catch many by surprise. Could you tell us who does what on it?
"Somebody's Heart has me on main vocal, then Bill comes in with the harmony. When it hits the chorus, Bill switches to the double vocal approach. I love how all of the sudden, on the hook, Tom’s vocal pops in on the low harmony and Bill jumps back up high. Left Side Guitar is Bill, Right side is me and I play the main lick and solos."
"Hang On starts with Bill’s brilliant guitar sound on the Right Side. I do the Left Side Guitar and solo. I am lead vocalist and with Bill on the Harmonies."
"Mess My Mind has the unmistakeable Bill Lloyd on main vocal and Mr. Petersson’s killer Bass part. I play left side Guitar and Piano. Bill plays Right Side Guitar."
"What Are You Looking For has a bit more stuff going on. The bulk of the Keyboards and Strings are Dave Cohen, with the exception of high intro and turnaround piano part. I played that and the Wah Wah keyboard sound as well.
Acoustic Guitar and the amazing Guitar solo are Bill, who is also Right Side Guitar. I'm Left Side Guitar and Lead Vocals. Bill is also on Background Vocals."
"Ups and Downs is me on Vocals Right Side Guitar and the Guitar Solo and Bill on Left Side Guitar. I love Dave Cohen's haunting B3 on this and Bill’s chorusey sounding Guitar. Bill is on Background Vocals and I love how how we’re both kinda singing lead in the bridge."
"Never Remember has who else, but Tom Petersson on lead vocal? Tom plays Bass on the album. Bill plays Electric Guitar, I play Acoustic Guitar. Both Bill and I are on Background Vocals."
"Buying Time is really a reflection on getting older and going back to the old stomping grounds….I remember personally reflecting on the club, 12th & Porter…..The difference 10 years makes, who’s hangin' where….and kinda wishing you could go back to when you walked through the door of club and you knew all of the faces.
There's almost a double lead vocal, as it starts with me, but Bill kinda takes over in the pre-chorus and then we join. Bill plays Left Guitar and I Play Right. Personally, I think Bill’s guitar solo on this is one of the best I’ve EVER HEARD! He blows my mind! The Outro Guitar line is Bill as well…of course. Great B3 again by Dave Cohen.
You can buy the album at Amazon hereand i-Tuneshere. It's also available on Google Play and to listen to on Spotify and Apple Music. You can also listen to the songs in full here. You can find out more information on Project: Ghost Outfit's Facebook Page here.
I've been listening to a lot of Prog and Psych lately, so it's been refreshing to be back in Pop Rock territory with Nagillum's 52 Weeks album. I've had the album for a while now and should have told you about it much earlier. The album just grows and grows on you.
Australia's Mark Mulligan offers up nothing that is mind boggingly complex. 52 Weeks is chirpy Pop of the highest order. Kick off your shoes and get ready to sing along. The songs are arranged expertly, the hooks aplenty and the general joy count is high.
Bands Around His Heart has a hint of Andrew Gold doing Country Pop. Underlinked is great 70's US Pop Rock and Honey's Gone goes one step further, it's a little bit Elton, a little bit Joel. Gazelle is all acoustic moody, wonderfully so, with a killer big chorus.
Next Time We See Each Other bombs along and continues that Feel Good move. Everyone Will Be Your Friend In Heaven is a real happy clappy sing along. One More Year is a slowed down Torch Song, that works equally well.
The overall feel to 52 Weeks is American Pop Rock and I keep thinking of Andrew Gold without the piano. There's also more than a hint of Robbie Williams. I Know I Know!!!! But if you put aside the irritating red coat buffoon facase of Williams, when he's good, he's good.
Nagillum has fashioned up a real good ole listen Retro Affair. Just the thing for these upcoming long winter nights.
I've often said that bands from the EMO and Pop Punk field are the most impressive, interesting and innovative when they stretch out from the genre. If they can stand the Sell Out accusations, the material takes on a whole new life.
Such an example is New York quartet, Macseal. Three great EPs have led to this debut album. Those EPs were primarily EMO, but the time spent has developed into Super Enthusiast and what a varied left field Indie album this is. Tip Top is the word to describe it.
Comparisons come naturally, but the band seem equally at ease with IRS College Rock as Glasgow C86 and UK New Wave. All this and there is more than a hint of light Grunge and complex prog like time chord changes at times. There is also a hint of Dream Pop.
Confused? Don't Be. Just listen! There's a real slacker feel to Nothing's A Sure Thing, Shelley. but that song enjoys a Postcard label like riff. Compare the moody Picture Perfect with it's a Killer solo to the Safe Spot, a hybrid, say The Raincoats doing Math Rock.
It's the Pop and hooks that shine through most though. Lucky For Some has a jangly catch all feel, Always Hazy is inspired Flower Pop. Irving feels all Friday I'm In Love sound wise. These hooks combined with the complexity, almost Modern Prog, of Mystery Inc.
So much is packed into these 11 songs. Super Enthusiast is an outstanding debut. Whatever Indie is, it should be this. I look forward to hearing much more from macseal. I can't recommend this album highly enough.
I want to return to an album that I reviewed in July 2018 and was on my Best Of 2018 list. I seem to cover less Power Pop these days. I Don't Hear A Single just seems to be evolving this year and it is leading me, rather than vice versa. But I'm delighted to see what was originally a one off for Matt Julian developing in to something much bigger. The excellent Rum Bar Label has gotten hold of the album for the CD Release and five bonus tracks are added. If you aren't already on board, you should be. Below is my original review. The link to listen and buy are still relevant and you can pick up the new extended Rum Bar CD at the same link.
I get incredibly frustrated with the UK. I've stopped fighting on forums about Guitar Music being dead, Power Pop being irrelevant and that people won't attend gigs. If I see another Classic Band Poll, I will scream. What's wrong with now, build it and they will come.
So I'm delighted to be in familiar Power Pop Territory here and keeping up with a recent theme, The Speedways do not sound like something that comes from Nottingham or Leicester, home of The Junipers and Diesel Park West. We'll forget about Kasabian, because we like to.
Just Another Regular Summer is pure US New Wave Power Pop. Think 1979 - 1983, everything from The Beat and The Romantics to The Plimsouls. The Speedways are the brain child of The Breakdowns' former Guitarist, Matt Julian and I don't think I've enjoyed a Power Pop album as much since The Stanleys outing last year and to emphasise, this is from the UK, home supposedly of Grime and The X Factor.
This is no nonsense, Summer Pop, chiming riffs, big choruses, say what you've got to say and move on to the next, no extended mediocrity here. This is an album of a dozen 45's, each brimming with joy about the Power Pop staples of looking for or losing love.
Julian's Tom Petty like vocal suits the material beautifully and the arrangements are spot on, even to that wait for the solo moment. It's hard to pick a favourite song, but I am smitten by the Duane Eddy twang of One Kiss Can Lead To Another.
Lonely Girl is pure New Wave Synth twee, A Double Shot is Merseybeat, All I Want is Bubblegum Ramones. However, it's the straight ahead Power Pop of the title track and In Common With You that appeals most, simply because it's so long since I heard a UK band do it so well.
I've seen mentions that Just Another Regular Summer is a one off. I do hope not. This will be in the end of the year list. Highly Recommended. You can listen to and buy the album here. It's currently available for a bargain £6.
Volume 84 of the Audio Extravaganza is ready for your attention. 23 of IDHAS's favourite songs this week. Two exclusives for you here! Courtesy of Futureman Records, an advance listen to Randy Sly's version of Books Are Burning from the upcoming XTC Tribute album. Secondly, an exclusive listen to the new single from Danny McDonald, which is released in a week's time, courtesy of Popboomerang.
After all the exciting announcements of the last week, I confirm that the Audio Extravaganza continues along side the upcoming new 2 hour show. This will hopefully continue it's progress in continually appearing on the Mixcloud Global Indie Rock Chart.
A reminder that these episodes are compiled with great care. The aim is to produce a sort of mix tape. Hopefully this will be the soundtrack to your day.I've also learned that if you use the mixcloud player at the bottom of this page, each song title is shown as it plays.
Thanks as always to Jim Moody for his technical excellence and also to Kevin Beech for the image above. You can listen to the previous IDHAS Audio Extravaganzas on Mixcloud here. Here's Volume 84's playlist :
01 Project Ghost Outfit - Hang On
02 Ben Vogel - Cassidy
03 Shadow Brother - The Choir Invisible
04 Colin Wylie - Pop, Chips And A Bardown
05 Randy Sly - Books Are Burning
06 Wayward Sons - Joke's On You
07 Danny McDonald - Cordyline
08 Daystar - Right At Home
09 The Vegan Leather - French Exit
10 Gyllene Tider - Chrissie Hur Mår Du (Live Malmö 6 July 2019)
11 The Speedways - In Common With You
12 Norman - The World And You
13 Nagillum - Everyone Will Be Your Friend In Heaven
14 Joe Kane - Your Own Sweet Sheila
15 Roger Heathers - The Pack
16 Emerald Sunday - Nothing Lasts Forever
17 The Tor Guides - My Hippie Mess
18 Grace Potter - On My Way
19 Young Guv - Can I Luv U In My Own Way
20 Alan Price - Jarrow Song (Single Version)
21 The Discarded - Expectations
22 White Denim - Zin
23 The Fade - Achilles Heel
The first three albums that I bought under my own steam, as an eleven year old with a Birthday EMI Record Token, included Sparks' Propaganda. I knew every single word of every single song, even though I didn't understand what many of those words meant. I thought those lyrics were great then, looking back, I think they are a masterclass now.
I've been a real fanboy since. However, I am a music fan not suited to Internet Fan Forums and I have the scars to show it. I may adore a band. I will buy every album out of loyalty. But, I won't say an album is great when it isn't and the lead up to this 1994 gem hadn't been that pleasant to these Sparks infested ears.
The 80's hadn't been that great for Sparks. It started with the boring Terminal Jive and after two terrific band albums, it seemed to go down hill. In Outer Space seemed to be phoned in, Pulling Rabbits Out Of A Hat is dreadful and Interior Design was mediocre, if you could find it to buy it. This was all partially saved by the magnificent Danceathon that is Music That You Can Dance To, but by 1989, it looked like Sparks had seen their better days.
How wrong I was! The four year supposed hiatus wasn't that. They had spent most of their time working on a soundtrack for a Manga Film, Mai The Psychic Girl. Successive Big Name Directors were involved, but for one reason or another, opportunity after opportunity fell through and the soundtrack remains unreleased. I had no idea why I was watching The Richard And Judy show in 1993, but imagine my surprise when the musical guest were Sparks doing National Crime Awareness Week. Those boys were back.
I used to say that Sparks were at their best when they were at their weirdest. They took chances that were mind blowing and Gratuitous Sax And Senseless Violins was the third such example for me, following on from Indiscreet and Angst In My Pants. You cannot say that now, because from 2002 onward, every Sparks album is wonderfully inventive. But it's hard to describe how great it was to hear this album from first listen on.
It was also a little out of kilter with the times. Of course you had the likes of The Prodigy and The Orb, but the Guitar was back with a vengeance and Brit Pop strutted around like it invented music, but a killer single was ready to take on all comers, backed by a video that is a wonderful black and white homage. The tale of sibling rivalry that is When Do I Get To Sing My Way is magnificent. Hooks aplenty, the lyrical genius of Ron Mael and you can dance to it. It remains a fan favourite and rightly so.
The whole album is incredibly inventive, full of wit, charm and regular surprises. Big Choruses, inventive techno hooks and oh those song words! The fast talking verses to the big chorus on (When I Kiss You) I Hear Charlie Parker Playing. The whimsical Now That I Own The BBC. The splendid Frankly Scarlett I Don't Give A Damn which could easily fit on Angst In My Pants. The angry I Thought I Told You To Wait In The Car. Sparks remained as different as ever, yet still more than slightly Anglophile.
There is a nod to that unreleased soundtrack on Tsui Hark, as well as a mod to those 80's albums with Let's Go Surfing, yet the stand out here is Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil. It's a sprawling hypnotic joy of a song, certainly in my Top 10 Sparks Songs. Even better news was to come. After a celebratory lauded return to the live stage at London's Shepherds Bush Empire. The all round reaction to that led to a UK Tour in 1995.
I'd saw the band on the 1975 Indiscreet Tour when it was all screaming girls and a minor Beatlemania. 1995 was very different. Grown Adults were crying with the emotion of it all, even Ron was in tears at the reaction at the end of the Manchester gig. Sparks were definitely back and in 2019, they seem even more relevant and loved, still picking up a new breed of younger fans.
Their current album, Hippopotamus is a magnificent offering. Songs that are a development of the past 20 years, but also songs like Missionary Position that could easily fit on Kimono My House. I can't think of a band as groundbreaking and modern who have been releasing albums for approaching 50 years.
So what of the three discs here? The first is a top notch remaster of the original album. Disc 2 is largely B Sides from the original CD Singles. Ideal if you missed these first time round and including a BBC Session, things like She's An Anchorman and mixes from the National Crime Awareness EP. It is the third disc that will light up the eyes of the fan.
Disc 3 contains unreleased songs. 17 of them including the unreleased EP from Live Drummer, Christi Haydon. These demos are more than interesting and a collector's delight. There's even a version of Mid-Atlantic with Ron's demo vocal.
Sparks remain in a field of their own. No other band are like them. No other band offer such a career wide variety of music. No other band have such a wide range of fans of all ages. Gratuitous Sax And Senseless Violins wasn't just a return to what they do best, it remains one of the finest albums of the last 25 years. If you don't have it, remedy that now. If you do, marvel at the additions on this third disc.
You can pre-order the album here. It is released on Friday 15 November. Full track details can also be found via the same link. For those new to Sparks, you will also note today's release of Past Tense, a new career covering Best Of that is available in 2 and 3 disc versions. Details are again in the link.
