The Junipers - Imaginary Friends

 

We prepare Review posts ahead as we never release ahead of a time that we can embed three selections and so most are on or just after the official release date. But we do get the benefit of plenty of listens before the words and music get posted.

This is making September really busy and The Junipers are first up, probably as they always should be, with this more than welcome new album. It also brings back memories of the start of IDHAS, 8 years ago. There were reviews of Vinyl issues of albums by both The Junipers and Caddy on the much missed Sugarbush Records label. Caddy follow this week.

Imaginary Friends is, as you might expect from them, a very melodic gentle affair. Crossing the boundary between 60s Psych Pop and 70s Pop Rock, but this time around there is a lot of time spent in my beloved Toytown.

My Imaginary Friend, already heard by many as a single, is a great example of the Toytown on display. All village like and jaunty, but with added Lieutenant Pigeon piano and a slight air of Horace Wimp. But they are not all about whimsy. 

Red Song is simply beautiful, an hypnotic melotron arrangement on a song that has a slight Americana and Folk vibe. While You preside picks up the pace and gets a little West Coast funky with a rhythm that chugs gloriously.

You're My Sugar And Spice is all mid 60s Bubblegum and The Swarthy Smith is easy listening on opening, but then floats away, a fine piece of Piano Pop. Monday On My Back may be the gentlest thing on here, but is a great opportunity to reveal a splendid set of Backing Vocals.

Annie Almond is wonderful Psych Pop and there is the great marching bassline on Mary In The Rain and Hollow Song again gives the opportunity to their Beach Boys harmonies on a jaunty closer. Just wait for the twee solo. This is an album wonderfully performed and arranged, Imaginary Friends is an absolute joy. 

The mellotron is used to great effect rather than obviously and the Fairground feel on certain songs just adds to their appeal/ It is also ace to see Manchester's Portable Radio as part of the group. They are also a band that we know and adore who also feature on past reviews.

The album can be listened to and bought here. It is currently available on CD or as a download. A Vinyl version can be pre-ordered on via the same link and that will be released on November 15.

...................

The Cleaners From Venus - Lilli Bolero

 

Martin Newell is one of the great national treasures. Too many concentrate on his Tascam 8 Track Recordings in a sort of awww bless him way when if they paid more attention to the quality of the songs and the songwriting, they would treat his work in a far more serious way.

Never one to take himself seriously, nor play down his Englishness, he is a master at making the mundane interesting. master of writing about the mundane. Just listen to the title track and realise what a great Guitar Pop song it is, all riff and chorus.

Not An Ordinary Love is also a magnificent offering.  A spoken storytelling joy, it is a splendid moody song that just engrosses you. A Poem set to a gentle arrangement. But compare that to the Jangle Pop of Queen Of The May. 

Too Nice To Be Tuesday is all 60s UK Beat, bordering on gentle Psych Pop and A Country Affair is a piano ballad, almost Peter Skellern without the Brass. Light Of My Life is a real campfire jaunty number with a great bassline and a sub baroque accompaniment that is bursting to get out without ever quite managing it.

The Queen Of Oysters is simply wonderful, a sort of modern day Gilbert And Sullivan that has a fine arrangement and harpsichord, yes harpsichord. I could write endlessly about all 13 songs. But suffice to say that this is Newell's best album in ages.

That is some compliment, because I cannot remember a duff one throughout his extensive career. The biggest take is what a songwriter he is. There is a lyrical adeptness throughout. Despite the fine arrangements, seldom do you listen to an album concentrating on the words. Absolutely ace!

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on CD and as a download.

.................................

John Wlaysewski - Far From Here EP

 

We are big fans of Late Cambrian, but are equally enamoured with band leader, John Wlaysewski's fledgling solo career which is running parallel. Following on from this year's 7 Track mini album is this splendid 3 Track EP.

Wlaysewski in solo mode reveals a great singer songwriter. Centring in Pop Rock land, the songs go further afield with changes of direction in individual songs that cover Indie Rock, Modern Pop and Psych Pop. 

The title track continually adds surprise interruptions that catch you off guard yet never detract from the song. Running Out Of Time sounds more Power Pop and has a great chubby Slacker verse that leads into an ear worm of a chorus.

Future Ghost has a more funky vibe that heads into Modern Indie Pop, very different to the two songs that precede it, but again showing the versatility on display. I recommend anything by the band that you care to listen to. All are available on the Bandcamp site.

You can listen to and buy the EP here.

..................

Dream Phases - Phantom Idol

 

It isn't coincidental that Ray Gianchetti of Kool Kat releases Phantom Idol on CD, as it was he who introduced me to the band with the 2019 album, So Long Yesterday, an album that I adore. We have since played later songs on the likes of the IDHAS Audio Explosion and Listening To This Week, so they are well overdue for a written album review.

Whereas that album was very much a Psych Rock affair, the new one is decidedly different. I've seen descriptions of the album as being Garage Rock and Post Punk and I don't hear too much of that, the main take that I hear is one of Pop Rock.

 

Indeed, Living In A Cave is adorable, melodic, gentle Melodic Rock, very 70s. Come On Now goes one step further into Soft Rock. Not Laughing even gets into the 60s, with gentle Psych crossed with the likes of Merseybeat and the riff is hypnotic.

Middle Of The Road even edges towards West Coast Country Rock. There's even a great closer in Turn Away which mixes Psych Pop and Britpop. Whilst Way Down comes up more 80s Guitar Dream Pop. Speed Of Light is a song that changes direction regularly, even adding a little Prog and Psych.

The riff on Another Getaway is Psych Pop joy, even trending towards Toytown instrumentally. No Reflection is a reminder of those great Pop Rock albums of the 70s, think Liverpool Express. Fate Came Knocking is very Psych Pop and mixes the two components of the genre equally well between verse. chorus and riff.

At times, the album sounds very Brit rather than Californian.  Phantom Idol is beautifully written, arranged and performed. Very gentle, particularly vocally, but backed up by instrumentals of the upmost quality and melody. Dream Phases are on a splendid journey. What a great album!

You can buy the CD on Kool Kat here. The album is available on Vinyl, Cassette and as a download. You can listen to and buy the album in those formats here.

...............

Listening To This Week Playlist

I think this is possibly our biggest Playlist yet. 33 songs, which is over our usual 30 limit. It is simply that the quality has been so high this week and there have been more in over the weekend that we will have to be held back  until next week.

I do hope that you can listen to all the songs across this week. The last listed is as great as the first and you have plenty of time to listen. This weekly playlist 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. This will help you to discover more about the artists who appear here. 

Haircut 100 - The Unloving Plum

Barking Poets - I Could've Been A Contender

The TOMS - Zebra

The Swedish Models - I'm Ready Now

Billy J. Kramer - My Sweet Rose

The Kindest People - Lap Dog

Defise - To The Moon

Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts - End Of An Era

Chase Long Beach - Secrets Of Summer

Gentleman Speaker - Tire Worth Kicking

Modern Moxie - RPG

GRIND - Don't You Know Me

AUTOS - Stay Clean

Some Gifts - WTFU

Ruaraidh Dumbreck - What Do I Know

Oddysseys - Cerbie

The Zaddies - When I Hear That Song

Needles - Expectation

Nurse - Beautiful Lie

The Warlochs - Clay

the unwanted overtures - keepin' on (I need a baggie)

Nic Hessler - Seven Days

Grave Waves - Bender

Hattricks - Faults

Shady Cove - Midwest

Dream Boy - Furanku

We Are The Willows - Saturday

Say Something In The Morning - New York Man

Fuzzysurf - Don't Go Overboard

Seelonce - Begone

Strawberry Moon - I'm So Wet

Skäl-'All of The People'

Orange Element - Hotel (Wanderer)

......................

Tape Runs Out - The Skeletons Above EP

 

If this was a generation ago, Tape Runs Out would be lauded as one of the bright spots of Inventive Indie. Instead, here in the UK we prefer not to put too much effort into searching out great music. People prefer to log in to Spotify and see what they recommend or listen to a band that they know and then go to the if you like this, you'll like that.

The results sound nothing like you have just heard. Meanwhile great music disappears down a big black hole and yet the artists continue to want to be on Spotify above all else. How the hell would you ever discover a band as great as this lot from Cambridge.

I mention this because there has to be some way of getting music as wonderful as this heard. The complexity and depth of the arrangements reveal how great Pop can be when you allow the box to be opened. The Skeletons Above is six songs of absolute quality.

The band can develop a soundscape via instruments or vocals that just takes you into another world. Pastoral at times, gentle even, yet with an ability to breakout unexpectedly, they can be anything that you want to be, but mostly they are themselves.

Atropos Sharpens Her Scissors is Indie Pop, Electro, Psych and Prog and all in less than 3 minutes, almost a chant. Here Comes The Gods is masterful Indie Pop, but threatens to burst into Psych. Small Joys is the poppiest that Tape Runs Out get and is a truly beautiful song.

Sandwich is splendidly haunting with a stunning breakout. The strength of the band is that they want you to feel relaxed to understand the depth of what they do, particularly arrangement wise. The Skeletons Above is a satisfying gentle listen that will prepare you for whatever the day wants to bring you.

You can listen to and buy the EP here.

...........

Ex Norwegian - House Music (Less Tiësto Edition 2024)

 

Rewinding as a long time Ex Norwegian fan, I remember House Music, the band's third album to be the time that I started to realise that there were others who shared my passion for the band. It still remains one of their favourite albums of mine. 

It seemed more experimental at times, but a song like Spin Win It is very much of the Ex Norwegian template that we know and love. It is a song that could easily feature on their 2018 masterpiece, No Sleep, an album that remains one of my most favourite albums of the past decade/s.

The strength of the album is even more incredible due to a drastic line up change that meant different musicians across the songs. It remains, for me, that the band opened their route, a route that I've never ever been let down by.

This was a band who were American with a European name that sounded so British. They remind you of New Wave and Brit Pop, but are also flirt with UK Beat and Psych Pop and so the 60s to the 90s are covered. Tong As In Pete is a great example of the ease they slip into Psych Pop.

Yet, a long time favourite, Original Copy sounds wonderfully Guitar Pop and Ginger Baby sounds like something from Modern Life Is Rubbish. Not A Mouse is great 60s UK Beat with a slight feel of The Move and a great rhythm track.

There is the bonus included here with the entire album played at the Live Release Show and the splendid B Side Ebenezer Beaver. The album is remastered by Prof. Stoned and also available on Vinyl for the first time, although there are not many left. So cast your clock back to 2012 and discover why Ex Norwegian remain an essential listen.

You can listen to the album and buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl, CD and as a download. You can also buy it from the Think Like A Key label here.

.................

The Supernaturals - Sitting In The Sun

 

Joe Greatorex's work in bringing The Supernaturals' early adventures pre the big It Doesn't Matter Anymore 1997 release is more than admirable. It allows fans who joined in the Brit Pop days to get their hands on what were holy grail self released recordings sold largely at gigs.

It also allows the new generation of fans to learn about the band's history and realise that there are even more recordings to enjoy. Sitting In The Sun is the last of these, originally released in 1994 and the only one on CD at the time. The re-release is also available now on CD.

The signs are really apparent at what was to come in the Food days. James McColl's lyrics are as essential as they ever were and are. Stories of everyday life's banality are delivered with a self depreciating wit and weariness in jaunty fashion.

The Supernaturals were one of the great Guitar Pop bands of Britpop and there are great examples of that here, particularly on Slab, I Don't Think It's Over and Deep In My Heart I Know I'm A Slob all including wonderful turns of phrase.

But there are also more stripped down moments delivering an Indie Pop feel at times. That is when the comparison of MCColl's vocal with Paul Heaton is more apparent. A song like There Must Be More To Life Than This is great Piano Pop.

People will tell you that Brit Pop was about all the big names and neglect the rest. To me it was more about the stretch from the middle to the outer edges when the Great Melodic Pop shone through. I could name you at least a dozen bands that proved this, but The Supernaturals were the best. Oh and the title track here is still a fantastic song.

You can buy and listen to the album here. It is available on CD and as a download.

...............................