He's On His Soap Box Again : Reviews

I've just finished a review that will appear later. It is a new album that stands up with anything that I've ever heard. I've been listening to it for a month or so and so I thought I'd look around the internet to see what other people felt. I got more and more frustrated. The majority of the half dozen that I read, all miraculously said the same thing, described the album in the same way and said nothing about any of the songs.

All were obviously cut and pasted from a PR Release or Blurb. What is the point of this? Do people want to look cool, but don't particularly listen to any of the stuff? Are they just trying to get numbers up? It can't be Clickbait, because these bands aren't important enough to people. Clickbait is for the comfort listening of reviewers who want to get Facebook likes, it's always older stuff, led by nostalgia.

I really do not see the point of reviewing an album if you don't tell people why you like it and if you have listened to it, tell us what you think. If you haven't listened to it, why review? I read a lot of other people's writing and there are some fantastic writers out there. Writers who show they love music and you can feel the passion. Writers who make you listen to an album by a band that you don't like, because the writing is so great.

I do not yearn for olden days. The internet has brought as much good as bad, but one of the most irritating things is that everyone is an expert now. Everyone is in Showbiz, Everyone is a Star. Just because you have a Blog, doesn't mean that you can write. The judges are out there worldwide. If your reviews aren't acknowledged or liked, it may not be because of the crowded review market place, the fault of the internet or the state of the music industry. It may just be that people spot a PR piece and once they do they'll never bother with you again.

I'm still amazed at the success of I Don't Hear A Single. It grows and grows not because I'm such a wonderful writer, but because I try to tell you why I like an album and only review albums that I like. There is no quid pro quo or payment. People may not like the album I recommend, but at least they will listen to it, something many reviewers don't seem capable of.

Phew I'm glad that's off my chest!

Silver Sound Explosion - Pop Dithyramb (Free Download)

It was Brian Bordello who turned me on to Silver Sound Explosion. Brian and I have a lot in common and know what each other will like. We also both come from the Industrial Wasteland  Pound Town that is St. Helens. The older brigade still can't get over the town changing counties from Lancashire to Merseyside, where as I like to look at it as the county of Nowhereshire.

There will be more news about Brian's solo musical adventures early next year, but first to Silver Sound Explosion, a Manchester band that recently reformed. Pop Dithyramb gathers ten of their earlier recordings and they are well worth a listen.






Ben Fuzz is something of a lost pop genius. He can certainly craft a catchy affair, there are some splendid choruses here. This is very much a Lo-Fi DIY affair, wonderfully so, there is a 60's feel to the songs, but more so a real Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers vibe.

There's also more modern comparisons, certainly a rocked up R. Stevie Moore, even Ian Broudie's solo album. There's also plenty of nods to the early 80's Postcard days in Glasgow. There is real with in the lyrics and some inspired rhyming couplets. However, it's the choruses that grab you most.






I wouldn't want the lo-fi description to put you off, because Pop Dithyramb is fine Bedroom pop, inspired at times. Recorded in Fuzz's Manchester Back Room, it really is a cracking listen. There's an array of percussion and some fine guitar riffs amongs the sing alongs.

The twang of Your World could be a single, Telephone Wired is Chinn and Chapman locked in a cupboard and Sidekick is almost a Bubblegum Shuffle. Kicks is noisy messy Garage Rock and the closer, Space Kid is a melancholic beauty. The band will be gigging around Manchester and the North West Soon. You can record Coronation Street and go and watch them.







You can listen to and download the album FREE here.  It will cost you nothing and take up a few minutes of your time. You can tell all your friends that you support new music. How good will that feel?


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Dan Luke And The Raid - Out Of The Blue

When you are in your 20's, life should be messy, you haven't been trained for this, so you mix being popular with being an obnoxious tosser. It is about friends learning together. Alternatively, you could be in the UK, grow a beard, wear a woolen hat, talk about how great it is to be vegan and playing the latest War On Drugs album on your Crossley Record Player.

Thankfully, Dan Luke And The Raid choose the former and here we are told all about it. Out Of The Blue is a slightly messy affair, gloriously so, but it is also wonderfully melodic in it's absolutely charming lo-fi way. It's full of unexpected hooks and big choruses.








The stand out song is Disco Is As Disco Does, a killer chorus accompanying a UK New Wave verse. It's the constant tempo changes that makes the album so damn interesting. The despair in the verse of Golden Age breaks into a sort of Lounge Lizard chorus.

Rita Repulsa is very Lou Reed, yet Maybe It's The Drugs is a splendid Bop Shoo Wop song, very Wreckless Eric. Black Cat Heavy Metal is a cracking slice of UK Beat Psych Pop, bordering on Garage Rock. Exoskeleton is again very UK New Wave Post Punk.







The opening and closing songs on the album reveal the inventiveness. Farrah Mantra is C86 Psych, Last Goodbyes is moody twee indie par excellence. This Kentucky four piece have come up with an outstanding album. It's captivating. Out Of The Blue may be all over the place, but delightfully so. What a great listen it is.







You can listen to and buy the album here.



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No Buses - Boys Loved Her

Whenever Japanese Guitar bands are mentioned, people immediately think of twee and Manga. Maybe even copy Beatles bands. I've even heard people ridiculously say, but they sing in Japanese, as if that has any relevance. I mean they are Japanese after all. Well No Buses are a quartet from Tokyo and they are nothing like any stereotype that you care to mention.

This album is so left field Indie as to bear little resemblance to Japan and yes the lyrics are in English for the philistines amongst us. Boys Loved Her resides in an area frequented by the US Indie 90's, the UK New Wave and Post Punk and C86 Glasgow. It is wonderfully inventive and absolute revelation.

Angular riffs slash out from everywhere, think Talking Heads and Franz Ferdinand. It sounds like an Indianapolis band recorded in a Glasgow Basement. Dandruff sounds like early XTC without the keyboards, In Stomach could appear on any album from The Sugarplastic that you'd care to name.

The Franz Ferdinand similarity is never so more apparent than on Ill Humor and Little Boy has a real Smiths feel. Rat and Medicine are both in The Strokes ball park. Sleepswimming has an hypnotic riff, a bit Dandy Warhols when they were interesting.

Untouchable You is another cracking song which opens with a Heroes like riff, but overall it's the complete album that enthuses me so much. Boys Loved Her is one of those albums that gets more and more interesting as you listen further.

There's a lot of debate about what Indie is and the catch all category that it has become. This to me is Indie. Inventiveness and breaking boundaries are much needed in these sophomore days. No Buses have fashioned up an outstanding 11 song affair that ranks with anything that you will hear this year. Exceptional!

The album is available everywhere and all the streaming sites. No Buses are destined to solely Big In Japan no longer.


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Dave Cope And The Sass - Dave Cope And The Sass

I often joke about living in 1974, I mean I even walked to the shop this week, but this is more an ambition than a policy. Philadelphia's Dave Cope And The Sass are convincing me even more that this idea should be developed further. Afghan Coats and Shang-A-Lang's all round everyone!

Cope has been around for a while. He was first mentioned to me about a decade ago and A Proper Record. his 2014 album as Davey Cope And The English Breakfast is recommended. His previous recordings can be found here and I urge you to visit there.








Dave Cope And The Sass is essentially recorded as a three piece with Fred Berman and Ethan Rider, although it sounds much bigger than a Guitar, Bass and Drums Trio. This is Cope's most focused work yet and yes it is essential 70's.

I refuse to get involved in the Is It Power Pop nonsense, but if Badfinger and Raspberries are, then this is, although to me it's all splendid Pop Rock. I played My Way Out on a recent Audio Explosion and there was lots of applause, although there's more The Sugarplastic, maybe XTC, about the song, it is an absolute 4 minute gem.








The closing Ballad, From The Moment has hints of Andy Partridge, think This World Over. but overall the album is a magnificent celebration of the 70's. Bring My Whole Day Down is essentially ELO without the strings and Show Your Love, a trippy Argent. Living In The Middle is pure Christie.

High is a real harmonic Pop Rock show band "yeah man" sing along. But it is the Five And A Half Minute Opener, Seeing Things that grabs me most. Not a second is wasted, from the Beach Boys choral opening to the happy clappy verses to the foot stompin' chorus. It's a sort of Folk Rock gem. Not the most obvious opener, but it is inspired, all the way to it's uplifting end.







 This self titled album is wonderful, absolutely essential, it'll knock your socks off. Now I wonder if those Flares still fit me. You can listen to and buy the album here.


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Bottlecap Mountain - Dismayland

Dismayland is the fourth album from Austin Texas quartet, Bottlecap Mountain and it rocks along or I should say Pop Rocks along. Both Indie Rock (an irritating tag that captures the man, the dog and the bus they came in on) and Austin are crowded market places. Hopefully, something great will rise above the mediocre and Bottlecap Mountain seem to have it.

The hooks and choruses work beautifully in these beautifully arranged songs, but what is particularly great is the looseness of the material. This is partially exaggerated by Stewart Gersmann's top notch drawl that really matches itself to the material.

There's a looseness that's not quite as all over the place as the Black Crowes matched with an almost Van Morrison feel, not in the actual vocal, just the feel.  They could certainly do Country Rock, but rightly don't, so we'll settle on The Jayhawks at times.

Having said all this, the album opens up with a stomper in Dismayland, a real in your face blast. The pace slows a tad after this, but it's still all at pace. This allows the band to show what they can do. For instance, King Of Almost is wall to wall Power Pop with a splendid Cars like Keyboard break.

The stand out here is the magnificently moody The Big Sleep, it is a crackerjack of a song. Golden Heart even veers into a Deacon Blue vibe, particularly in the chorus. Compliments And Such is a fine Jangling Pop song.


Dismayland is a fine fine listen. A step away from those never ending love songs. Wonderfully unconstricted, these are ten songs to sing along and toe tap to. It's a really accomplished set of songs. You will be delighted to have this album in your collection.

You can buy the album via the band's website here and everywhere else. You can listen to the album here. 


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Nick Frater - Full Fathom Freight-Train

OK! I've hung on to this for a long time. I've been bursting to tell you about it for months and held back waiting for the release date. Then that day arrived and I thought again. I decided to hold back. Not because it isn't wonderful, because it is, of course it is. But I wanted to allow other reviews to get out and about, before I expressed my thoughts.

This is simply because I consider Nick to be a great friend and quite a few know that. So I didn't want my review to be tainted with a "you would say that wouldn't you" tint. I've said in the past that if I Don't Hear A Single was an album, it would be a Nick Frater album and Mr Croydon doesn't let up here.







The man is a walking Jukebox. He's already probably two albums ahead of this. You just can't stop the pop. 2018's Goodbye Kayfabe was in IDHAS's Top 10 Of The Year as well as on many other lists. You can read that review here. Now Frater ups the ante with these 10 pop nuggets.

I consider Nick Frater to be one of the great singer songwriters of our age. If this was the 70's, he'd be selling millions, living in a castle with a pile of coke. Too many write about how awful their life and times are. I'm told it's much easier to write a sad song than a happy one. Well some work must have gone into this one.






My favourite song on first listen was What Does Good Look Like? It still is. It is Gilbert O'Sullivan in feel with full on harmonies, it is classic mid 70's stardust. But it is surrounded by top quality. Sunshine After Rain is west coast sea side Wilson-esque, Mermaid Street is pure Streets Of San Francisco and Your Latest Break Up Song is in Bay City Rollers territory.

There's a killer Pilot like riff that opens up the show stopper that is Holding On To You. There's even Disco Pop on The Getaway with a couple of superb Guitar Solos to boot. What is most noticeable most is that Frater stretches his vocals even further here. This adds a new dimension to the continued excellence in his arrangements. Full Fathom Freight-Train is a fun packed journey, an essential listen, a must have.







You can listen to and buy the album here. You can also buy the Vinyl Edition there. The CD is available on the always excellent Kool Kat label here.


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Colin Wylie - Colin Wylie

Ontario's Colin Wylie was the drummer for Blinker The Star in those early glory days. More recently, he can be heard in Hinterlandband, an excellent gentle Folk Pop affair, far removed from the noise of those 90's days.

Now out of the blue, or pink, comes Wylie's debut solo album. Looking every inch, a Flaming Lip, on the front cover, not only is the album a surprise, it's also ridiculously versatile. It sounds like he wants to get out every different idea out to the great unwashed.

He succeeds in this, not because of all these directions, but because these songs are deeply original. The album has a foundation of great left field pop. When it does veer off, and it does, it is brought back to earth with another top Pop offering.

There are ten songs in these 34 minutes, three are instrumentals. one of which, Georgia May, is a reminder of Hinterlandband. Don't be put off by the lack of words, Surf Wawa is like a Miami Vice chase seek and capture soundtrack. These other seven songs have words aplenty.

The album is held together by two magnificent wit laden Pop Songs. Pop, Chips And A Bardown is a masterpiece in catchy with killer lines (Weekend Weekend, We Stay Up Till Ten) and ends with a wonderful tempo change. Back On Your Feet Again is top notch 70's Singer Songwriter Pop Rock.

Something Else has a hint of Orgone Box, Can't Stop The Havelots is in Prince P Funk territory. Then there's The Closer an aching Ballad that morphs into a McCartney-esque harmonic close. Have no doubt that there's a lot to take in here, but it is so worth it. Mr Wylie, you appear to have a solo career! Don't leave it so long next time.


You can buy the album as a download or Vinyl and CD here. You really should! You can listen to it on all the streaming sites including Apple Music here.


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