Wilderado - Wilderado

 

Tulsa Trio Wilderado have had fans waiting for quite a while for this debut album. It has been three years since the last of their three EPs, Favors and although there have been singles to keep the interest high, lockdown etc has held back the much anticipated full length release.

That time has been well spent, honing the self titled album and it reveals itself to be even better than imagined. Sometimes the band come the nearest we probably will ever come to Modern Pop on I Don't Hear A Single. But that isn't anywhere near an explanation of what they do.

It is Max Rainer's vocal that allows the most variety, his voice is at one with the Top 40, yet equally adept at great Pop Rock and even Americana. That allows the band to stretch themselves away from one particular direction. 

Outside My Head leans toward Country and Take Some Time could be West Coast Easy Listening. Help Me Down even sounds like Campfire Americana. Don't let this fool you though because there are equally excellent Pop Rock moments.

Mr Major has a real "follow me" vibe with its hypnotic riff and break out chorus. The Worst Of It has another killer chorus and hints of The Killers in the instrumentation. The real stand out though is the wonderful, Astronaut, a low key verse leads into a big catchy chorus.

Underneath these 10 songs, there is a hint of melancholy, a story of ups and downs. You get the feeling that Wilderado could really rock out, but why should they when they can write and perform songs as good as this. A Trio who know what they are doing and the sum of its parts. This is great!

You can listen to and buy the album here. The album is available on CD, Vinyl or as a download.

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Mothboxer - On The Flip Side

 

 I do listen to a lot of Pop Rock, so I think I'm allowed an opinion on it. It covers such a wide area (not as wide as Indie of course) that when an album hits the spot of many, a mass of artists tend to follow it until it becomes tedious. It's happened with Beach Boys wannabes, Jellyfish wannabes, Teenage Fanclub wannabes.

So when you know an artist who follows a path without ever trying to be anyone else, mastering a sound that never changes drastically, but does just enough to make you excited when a new release is on the horizon, they should be treasured. Dave Ody is one such man.

There may be an artist that I've covered more on I Don't Hear A Single, but I can't think of one. The Mothboxer albums are just superb. I'm not one for saying that I don't understand why a band aren't massive. Big sales doesn't mean big quality as I learned from a particular battering I got on a Duran Duran Facebook Group. Everyone there knew their sales numbers. But Mothboxer should be much much bigger.

Mothboxer's 9th full length album has everything that you would want on a Mothboxer album, but, as always, goes further. There seems to be more keyboards present, but worry not, these are not Rick Wakeman like. The keys tastefully enhance the songs in an unobtrusive way. 

Indeed, the Organ Run on Living It Up is magnificent and complements a pacey 60's Beat Songs. These keys aren't everywhere nor on every song, but they do make a surprising addition to the quality of the songs. On The Flip Side is just chocka with great melodic Pop Rock.

There's so much going on Be Out Here Forever, it is like three or four songs in one with the style changes. It starts off all Gerry Rafferty and ends as a real 60s all together now. On Repeat has wonderful multiple harmonies followed by the second epic of the album, Push Me In The Water which is an Alice In Wonderland type of effect. 

Hidden From Me is very Pop Rock 70s, the type of direction that Nick Frater takes. Never Been Gone is almost Jazz in feel and 10CC in sound. Lost And Found goes all Blue Mink. This is the most varied Mothboxer album yet. It still covers the area somewhere between 60's Pop and 80's Intelligent 80's Indie, but offers two massive songs that fully revel the talent of Dave Ody. Highly Recommended!

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is £5 for heaven's sake. well worth opening your purses. You can find out more about Mothboxer here.

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Queen's Pleasure - Words To Live By, Suits To Die In (Name Your Price)

 

Amsterdam Quartet, Queen's Pleasure offer up a fascinating Indie album. There is a mine of influences on what is an angular affair. It can get a bit angsty at times, but is never overbearing. Jurre Otto's Vocals seem deliberately English.

There will be lazy comparisons to the Arctic Monkeys and there is far more here than that. Yes, Big Boys Loan is really anthemic, yet Starlet has a real New York sleaze about it. Come Around has a Psych feel in a Radiohead mesmerising way. 

How It Feels is a cross between Baggy Madchester and C86 in comparison to the urgency of Sitter's Pavement vibe. Panic From Dublin even edges towards latter day Bleu. Compare this to the Sci Fi Space Rock of Niels.

Two songs stand out most for different reasons. The brooding 6 minute closer, To Mirror, builds and builds until it hits a magnificent Brit Pop Guitar Solo. Empty Occasion is completely out of kilter with all that is around it. It is a killer Pop Rock song. There's a lot to like here. There is far more depth on repeated listens than first thoughts.

You can listen to and buy the album here. With it being at "Name Your Price", what have you got to lose?

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Kitner - Shake the Spins

 

I'm not going to go on about labels again because it is as tedious for me as it is for you to read. Kitner have been lumped in with the EMO brigade and I just don't hear it here. This is Indie Rock, but a thoughtful toned down version of it. 

It has took a fair while to get to the Boston quartet's debut album, but it is well worth your wait. I've been hanging on to this for a few months and then I don't notice it has a first of the month release with all the 31 in 31 excitement.

There's a lot to get into here as the band follow various paths. The stand out song is Suddenly, a real jaunty Pop Rock affair that isn't that reflective to what else is here. Beth Israel is another stormer and that is splendidly shouty.

Below the surface, there is a real sense of melancholy, particularly in the lyrics. New Haven CT starts as a moody acoustic and although the mood doesn't improve, the song speeds up and adds instruments from everywhere. There is a hell of a lot going on in its 2 minutes 40.

Henry Miller '91 is almost Americana until a blistering Guitar Solo. Orient Heights is anthemic with a real rock out towards the close. Malden MA has a real rust belt feel with its Harmonica Rock and Junebug is an awesome affair, Keyboard Player Brianne Costa's vocal complementing and adding depth to the song.

The closer, If There's Anything Left, compares with any of the new breed of Folk Poppers out there. I think beautiful is the word to describe it. The time taken since 2019 to get this album out has definitely strengthened the album and the influences merge to provide an absolutely top notch album.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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The Fade - Twenty - 27 - Seven

 

I had a message today asking me where all the Pop Rock was in the 31 Reviews in 31 Days. Firstly, we were only at Day 12. Secondly, it as though they have never actually noticed what IDHAS is about. I thought the days of everyone referring to it as a Power Pop Blog (which it has never really been and certainly isn't now) were over. But recently I've been receiving quite a few "This is Power Pop so you'll like it" emails. I am a Power Pop fan, but only Power Pop I like and my personal tastes spread far wider.

So to Dunfermline's The Fade. Now this is Pop Rock and excellent Pop Rock it is too. I played a song from their first album on the IDHAS Audio Extravaganza and meant to review the Worth Waiting For album and in all the melee didn't. So feeling really guilty, I want to tell you about their second (definitely not sophomore) album.

The Fade are a band from the 80s who reformed in 2015. Worth Waiting For was a fine album, but this is even better. The songs sound fully finished and what a sound it is. The six piece have a beautifully produced album in which the music is loud and clear. The riffs flow without ever taking over things in panoramic way. That all complements Raymond Donnelly's vocal.

Donnelly has the perfect voice for Pop Rock. He can belt it out, yet the vocal is mellow and easy to listen to. Therefore the band sound as comfortable in both Modern Prog and particularly AOR, without ever moving too far from the Pop Rock Territory.

Equally at home with a big ballad like If I Could or the Bon Jovi-ish Be With You. At times the piano makes the band sound like a rockier Deacon Blue, but they are best when they are anthemic. Stay, Summer Rain and Hold On take care of that wonderfully.

The Fade can certainly play, but it never gets showy, they specialise in great sounding chorus led songs. This type of stuff seems to have become unfashionable over recent years. I have no idea why. Maybe this lot can change all that. Here's hoping so because Twenty - 27 - Seven is a great album. Oh and why is a second album called 27? It's a tribute to the musicians who have died at that age. 

You can listen to and buy the album at one of these places here. It does cry out to be on Bandcamp though. 

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IDHAS Ten Songs Mix 10

Apologies for the delay, simply due to Technical Problems. 10 songs in almost 35 minutes that go someway to showing the scope of I Don't Hear A Single. 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 The Kindest People - Seat At My Table

02 Richard Cuthbert - Tomato Plants

03 The Amplifier Heads - GlamOrama

04 Electric Looking Glass - Rosie In The Rain

05 Harborcoat - Transit Town

06 Children Collide - Trampoline

07 Andrew Howie - Partick Station

08 ANC4 - Go Easy

09 Edward Rogers - What Happened To Us

10 Ghosts Of Jupiter - On Bending Tides

IDHAS Ten Songs Mix 10

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The Kindest People - The Kindest People

 

The Kindest People are a quartet from Johnson City in Tennessee and their latest, self titled, album is an absolute corker. Indie Rock at its finest, Noisy, yet melodic, riffs abound in a wonderful feel good fayre. Unexpectedly singalong! 

The album has so many hooks that it borders on Pop Rock, but this is definitely the Rock end of the genre. The twin guitar attack just grabs you, shakes you and leaves you to bounce off in a feel good, get on with things sort of way.

The album is no one trick pony. No Parking Lot is a superb Pop Rock affair and Big Brain is wonderful Glam Rock. Even at a rare quieter moment on Consolation Prize. which starts with an early Fleetwood Mac intro, the band are so damn catchy.

The Kindest People are at their best when they let loose and thankfully, this is more than often. Seat At My Table sets the mood with its killer riff, Dark Days On The Homestead almost batters you into submission in a pleasing way.

Don't Wait For Me is a perfect example of what this lot does. It starts all calm and then just rips into an almost shredding riff. This is the beauty of The Kindest People. The songs build perfectly without every losing their effect.

If there is a problem with Indie Rock, it is that the songs rarely match the playing. Albums run out of steam with all the front loading, the rest all sounding the same. There's not a bit of that here. The last song is as good as the first. Certainly one of the best albums that I've heard all year and definitely the loudest.

You can listen to and buy the album here. You really should!

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