The Dodo Appreciation Society - None Of These Songs Are About A Dodo

 

The Dodo Appreciation Society are a duo from Peterborough and they are very very noisy. Don't expect crashing riffs and big choruses here. But this is wonderful and proof that I do have a life away from I Don't Hear A Single, although that time has been seriously eaten into by the addition of Listening To This Week.

How to describe this? Noise Rock with a twist of Post Punk. Psych with a dash of Angular Indie maybe. It is wonderfully chaotic, yet retains a sense of humour and is built around dark riffs that venture into Intelligent Punk.

The Multifaceted Cucumber is probably the most accessible song, built on a riff that isn't miles away from UK Beat, although it may not seem it. I Always Need The Loo has glimpses of very early XTC and The Sex Life Of A Slug is great noisy Post Punk.

They remind me at times of what The Bordellos could be with a bit more money spent on them. The Psych element is splendid. This may be a little too much for delicate ears, but it is at Name Your Price and you may be surprised at how hypnotic the EP is. I absolutely adore it. 

You can listen to and buy the EP here.

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Perfectly Lethal - LP Session 1 and LP Session 2 EPs

 

Boston Quartet have released two fine Eps, LP Session 2 in June and LP Session 1 last October. Both deserve to be heard because they a cracking blend of Indie College Rock, Power Pop and Garage Rock. This is the sort of thing that would have lit up eyes in the 90s when College Rock was so influential to da kidz rather than the Spotify playlists of the now.

Session 2 is the closest to Power Pop, although it is a looser, slightly chaotic version of the genre, it is incredibly melodic and riff driven. Pissing In The Wind even reminds me of early Wah!, perhaps not as anthemic, but certainly just as hook driven, vocally and instrumentally.

Session 1 also contains Decay, which has more than a hint of the first Tsar album, but obviously nowhere near as big a production. It is a crackerjack of a song. But both White Noise and Little Things have a big melodic Punk vibe. The former is very UK 1977, but from a band who can play their instruments. The latter is really up and at 'em, very Ramones.

There is plenty here to enjoy. I do sense that the direction is leaning more to Power Pop than Garage Rock and that might be wise. This is something that may bring greater rewards via the Indie Guitar Pop mob that seem to have fallen in love with the Guitar and Live music again.

You can listen to and buy both EPs here.

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The Midnight Callers - Rattled Humming Heart

My family was very musical, so as a very young boy, I was influenced by what they were playing and that was a mixture of Country, Rock and Roll, Buddy Holly and of course, The Beatles. I'd be about 8 when I started properly listening to songs under my own steam and what a time it was.

It was of course Singles led for three years and led by Bolan and Bowie and then Glam Rock arrived and what a time it was. It wasn't just about the choruses and the outfits, music was fun and opened your eyes to such amazing sounds from bands that you put on a pedestal. 

If only people remembered now that the essential benefit of music should be enjoyment and a song to be listened to more than once. Radio was big and influential as were shows like Top Of The Pops and Lift Off With Ayshea. So why am I on such a nostalgia trip? Well, The Midnight Callers remind me so much of that time. The majority of this album could be from that period.

This album is way better than the releases of that time. This is wall to wall quality, whereas UK Glam Rock albums, with the odd exception, were largely the singles with the odd great song, but mostly a load of "will this do" tosh. We weren't bothered, we were buying the singles. 

Another surprise is that the band are from New York as well as them not wearing Platform Boots and Glitter. The opener, New York Tramp reveals what you are in store for and it is melodic, chorus led and riff driven, beautifully sung and performed.

Step! and Closer reinforce the Chinn and Chapman similarity. Yet we are not just about Glam, Girl On The Run is all 60s Jangle Pop, again wonderfully done. What Goes Around is splendid UK Beat and Without Ya is great weeping 70s Pop Rock that adds a big Glam Riff part way through.

Maggie is fine Acoustic West Coast gentleness, a little early Eagles maybe. The Plan is great end of the 70s New Wave with a chorus that jangles, yet it also feels a bit post Merseybeat. What Goes Around even gets close to The Who, more pop perhaps, but the rhythm section get very close to Entwistle and Moon.

Colors is a great closer, very early Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers with added harmonies. That is the beauty of some of these songs. They start as one thing and morph seamlessly into another. Colors even gets a little Psych Pop at times.

There is plenty here to show that The Midnight Callers are no one trick pony and even if they were the Glam Rock is so excellently done that I could listen to hours of it. After The Anderson Council. this release shows what a fine year Marty Scott's Jem Records are having. Rattled Humming Heart is Highly Recommended. I'm odd to listen to it again.

You can listen to the album here. You can buy the album everywhere. You can find out more about Jem Records here.

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Skids - Destination Dusseldorf

 


I was a massive Skids fan. I was 15 and had never really fell for Punk, I mean I'd been listening largely to Prog for the previous 12 months. So Punk passed me by through my own disinterest, but New Wave got me on track as did Skids. The band made me feel a little Punk, even though they were never really that.

It was really anthemic stuff and Richard Jobson made you feel that you were being educated, whilst Stuart Adamson's Guitar riffs just completely hooked me completely. I followed Adamson into Big Country and it sort of the compensated for Skids being no more. 

I still listen to Days In Europa regularly, my love of the band and Be Bop Deluxe insists on that album being my favourite, but The Absolute Game is just as great. What amazes me with Destination Dusseldorf is how much like those two albums it sounds. 

Indeed, the riff of Circus Games even briefly appears on Tidal Wave. With there being, sadly, no Stuart Adamson, the best best thing is his Big Country Guitar partner, Bruce Watson and you have to say that Watson takes on the Adamson Skids role wonderfully, at times it could be Stuart playing.

Yet, on hearing the opener, Open Your Eyes, you would get a completely different feel. It is a great song, but very commercial Pop Rock, anthemic yes, but not really Skids sounding. That's not a criticism in any way, it is a great song, but it certainly surprised me.

Fear not though, the album then gets into Classic Skids mode. Jobson's chops are in fine form and all the riffs sound like it is 1979 again. There's even Yankee Dollar Whoa - Ohs at one stage. Songs are splendidly up and at 'em riffaholic affairs. 

When the Skids script is deviated from on Wings Of Desire, it sounds so like The Academy Show, fantastically so. Then there's the sort of Story of Skids on Things We've Seen with Jobson relating it as only he can in the style of Peaceful Times.

Sadly, the 9th track is only on the CD version. Probably not on the vinyl editions due to time constraints. It is a real shame, because Great Prize is a crackerjack of a song with a top notch vocal arrangement. An understated brooding joy with a similarly understated guitar solo. 

Destination Dusseldorf will delight long time Skids fans, it is both original and nostalgia. However the hope is that new fans will come along for the ride and love this and discover the back catalogue. Special mention too to Last Night From Glasgow, a label that is doing great things for both old and new Scottish artists.

You can listen to the album here. You can buy the album from everywhere. Last Night From Glasgow's own site is best as they have all the formats and different coloured vinyl versions. You can find that site here.

Listening To This Week Playlist

 

Here is the new Listening To This Week playlist. 24 splendid songs are on show, something for everyone. Play them all at once or dig in and out  WE notice that virtually all are Bandcamp or Soundcloud links this week. We have no affiliation whatsoever with either, but do find they help artists more as listeners can follow and listen to more music from the artist.

This weekly fayre is solely for submissions, not the usual stuff that we dig out ourselves. All embeds open in new windows to aid scrolling. Links to the artists will also appear on I Don't Hear A Single Social Media sites over the next 24 hours.

Civic Green - Better The Devil You Know

Fantastic Shams - Crooked Line

Late Bloomers - Bitter Pill

Lomma - Death, Pt. 1

The Eyes - Not Just Another Day

The Dodo Appreciation Society - The Multifaceted Cucumber

Vogue Villains - Floatin' Stone

Reality Addiction - Stargaze

SUCKERPUNCH! - Party Crashers

eigenminds - mind the gap

The Dumbanimals - Scribble

Blueburst - Senseless

Suburban Surf Club - Skate Fast, Walk Faster

Stonehouse -Donna

The Sleeveens - Give My Regards To The Dancing Girls

SILASFUNK - Love Strikes Again

The Spider Accomplice - Rebels and Riders

Joan of Arkansas - Peck

Curves - Laundry

The Mosquitos - You Don't Give A Hang (About Me)

Miles Recommends -Betty

Snake Lips -Smooth Brain No Wrinkles

Nick Vibes - Drunk and Tipsy On The Seaside

Katie MF - Japanese Whiskey

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The Jins - It's A Life

 

Back to Vancouver, a thing we seem to be saying more and more lately. It's A Life is the debut album from another Power Trio, but The Jins are a bit more down and dirty than the previous review of The Make Three album.

The album is a cross between the shouty Guitar Pop that Rumbar used to be famous for until it all got a bit too samey and the anthemic choruses of the better Garage Power Poppers. There is a bit of a hint of The Replacements at times.

Feel It Inside is a great Anthemic joyful song, yet Effigy fits more in the New York drawl rock of New York. A Clue is wonderfully noisy and shouty, splendidly in your face, but Crossroads is a sort of Alt Rock 90s ballad that shouldn't work, but does with its driving Bass and Fuzz.

Clementine goes even more soft, all jangly, a little bit like a Material Issues slower affair. Radio is really close to Grunge with a hypnotic riff and chorus and a Slash style guitar solo. For Sure even ventures into a cross between Indie and Pop Punk.

There are plenty of killer riffs on show and the solos are surprisingly adept. The production which is a tad Garage Lo-Fi seems deliberate. There is a lot to like here and it'll be interesting to see the band develop and whether they keep the dual style mix or major one.

There's also something fairly ridiculous about fans going on a review song and giving most of the songs 11/10. If you love it, 10/10 will do. Marking it as such just makes you appear fairly dim. This is a great debut album and it is really nice to hear something shouty that is also melodic.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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Vinyl Floor - Funhouse Mirror

 

When I think of Denmark, I think of Caper Clowns who are beloved. In a way we think of them as our band. However, I am extremely disappointed that I haven't discovered Copenhagen's Vinyl Floor earlier as this is the band's fifth album.

Funhouse Mirror is great Pop Rock, mainly of a vintage nature and the assistance of Rob Stoner (Bob Dylan) and Bebe Risenfors (Tom Waits) would seem to underline this. This is beautifully arranged and melodic with a fairly laid back vibe.

Indeed, at times the album inches towards Soft Rock. but the emphasis of the sound is 60s and 70s Pop Rock with the easier listening of the classic bands of that genre. The title track is all splendid vocal harmony, piano led and not a million miles from something on a 60s Bee Gees album.

Death Of A Poet is the complete opposite, all melancholy, sort of Windmills In Your Mind moodiness until it breaks into a circus influence version of Toytown Folk. Again the arrangement is ace. Between Lines Undone even ventures into Brit Pop.

Stare, Scare even gets all Proggy and Dear Apollon has a real Jazz Piano feel. There are real standouts, Pretty Predictable is a smorgasbord of ideas that include The Moody Blues and Big Big Train and there is a heavier sound dying to get out without quite managing it.

Special mention though has to go to the magnificent Clock With No Hands which has a real Colin Moulding feel to it with a cracking arrangement. It is a wonderful song. I suppose we are still noted as a Pop Rock place and this album is as great as that genre offers up. Excellent!

You can buy the album here.

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