Clumsy Center Of Attention Deficit Disorder GREAT!!! $13
TOMMY STINSON/REPLACEMENTS ALERT!!! "Top notch, Grade A Rock 'n' Roll. Straightforward guitar, drums and bass formula. Anyone into Soul Asylum, Goo Goo Dolls, etc. will love this band." - Alex Foht "The curse of the fetishistic rock fan is that one can never listen to something new without reflecting upon how it sounds so much like something old. The thrill of the discovery is shoved aside by the ache of stumbling, once more, across the fetid and familiar. You are forever thinking, 'I've heard this before.' If only one could cleanse the palate every time you heard something for the first time - ditch the baggage, eradicate the vestigial notes that clank around the brain, forget everything before tomorrow. We can't, instead we compare, contrast, and qualify until we completely forget there's bona fide passion beneath the familiar façade. We deride, disregard, and discard the new simply because it contains echoes of the old, which is a damned shame. This record will sound familiar to anyone weaned on the Replacements or any of its subsequent spin-offs, especially Tommy Stinson's Bash and Pop and Perfect. That is to be expected: frontman Marc Solomon played guitar in Perfect, and guitarist Nate Fowler shares with Solomon the sort of passion for the Replacements usually reserved for first loves and second wives. It would have been far more shocking had the two of them knocked out a debut that sounded nothing like the Replacements. If nothing else, they live up to expectations. Actually, they transcend them. It's easy enough to sound like yesterday, to mine and mimic without giving care to establishing your own identity, but only the capable can make yesterday sound like their own extraordinary today. Having said that, this isn't a hollow echo, a tepid homage, but a tangible kick that stands on its own without disappearing in the shadow of mythical refuse. It's an album built on a series of questions ('What have you got in mind for me?' 'Why won't you dance with me?' 'What the hell did I do wrong?' 'How could you lock me out?'), the answers to which come around the time Solomon shrugs that 'we've given up the drugs and alcohol/For dishes and Tylenol,' the admission of the musician (and music fan) who, finally, has come of age. These boys are 'living in between,' as they insist, caught between being kids playing bash-'em-up and adults living out a weekend, teenage daydream. Hence, three power ballads thrown into the barrage-rock mix--the best of which sound like 'Achin' to Be.' These guys offer a superior brand of, yes, 'replacement'!" - Dallas Observer Marc Solomon reminds us an awfully lot of Tommy Stinson – which is a good thing!
Fun. Aim and Ignite GREAT!!! $14
Major props and kudos go out to frequent contributor Max Humphries for hipping us to this! When The Format went on hiatus a year and a half ago, many fans of their music cried tears (maybe even pastel colored tears?). But dry your eyes, because a musician as talented as Nate Ruess wasn’t going to be out of the music-making business for long. His newest project, fun., is a collaborative effort between Ruess, Andrew Dost (Anathallo), and Jack Antonoff (Steel Train). Their debut is a ten track pop adventure with help from arranger Joseph Manning Jr. "Album opener, 'Be Calm,' is exactly the opposite of what the title suggests. It’s vibrant and unpredictable, delighting your auditory senses. Ruess’ voice is as great as ever; poignant and full of confidence. 'Benson Hedges' begins as if Ruess is leading the church choir before transitioning into a fast-paced tempo with riffs peppered throughout. 'All the Pretty Girls (On a Saturday Night)' is a breezy track with a strong chorus, as strings, hand claps, and gang vocals shine in the background. But this is not The Format Pt. II, as this is truly a beautiful adventure for your ears - maintaining the same kind of pop sensibilities that The Format possessed, but delving deeper. It’s eclectic, as it change tempos and vibes consistently, whether it’s busting out the horns (a Format favorite) or diving into Beach Boys-influenced pop. While Ruess maintains his signature biting lyric style, he also appears to be happier than ever. Tracks like the piano-paced 'I Wanna Be The One (BaBaBa)' and the delicate 'Light A Roman Candle With Me' are prime examples. The instrumentation here is just delicious; there is always something new you’ll catch with repeated listens. The beach-flavored 'Walking the Dog' grooves beautifully, with repeated “nah-nah-nah’s” yearning to be stuck in your head. 'The Gambler' is a beautiful piano-ballad about falling in love. In an album full of standouts, this track has that little extra that can make it one of the best songs of 2009. Closer 'Take Your Time (Coming Home)' is an eight minute epic that takes all the elements heard throughout and turning into a fine exclamation point for the album. It is impossible for anyone to remain in a bad mood after listening to 'Aim & Ingite' in full. It is one of the most fulfilling albums I’ve heard in a while. Ruess, Dost, and Antonoff have something to be extremely proud of; an album that is and will be well received from critics and fans alike. This what a pop album should sound like. So turn those frowns upside down, as this just might be the most essential pop album
of 2009." - AbsolutePunk.net Very well put!
Grand Atlantic How We Survive + bonus disc GREAT!!! $15
WOW!!! The latest from these poppers from down under is a real power pop gem! But don't just take our word for it! Read on! "Sometimes you just know. It doesn't take more than a second. An instant. One note, one beat, or in this instant one mutated guitar tone exploding into a spectacle of crashing chords and resounding bass. That's all it took for me to know. They successfully mold the psychedelic post-punk ethereal moods of their countrymen, The Church, with the shoegazing swirling madbeat of The Stone Roses, and toss in a touch of garage crunch a la Ripple favorites The Thieves just for kicks. The results of this combination of psychedelic distillery are intoxicating. Their sound is as grand as their name suggests and as open and vast as their namesake ocean. Many bands have tried to navigate these same post-Oasis waters, with variable degrees of safe passage. Grand Atlantic captain their ship with absolute fluency. When I say this is an addictive album, I mean it makes crack cocaine seem like salt water taffy. This is absolutely hypnotic, mind-numbingly good sixties-flavored alt pop of the sort the entire world needs to pay attention to!" - The Ripple Effect "The way they survive is by writing catchy songs. This is the excellent album Oasis should have done after 'What’s the Story Morning Glory' but didn’t. True to their name, Grand Atlantic go after big, towering hooks. They know that hit songs are simple, and they keep them that way – this is the kind of album you’ll be humming despite yourself after you’ve heard it once. As terse as the writing is, the production has a massive, big-room 90's feel, with a ton of guitar overdubs ringing, pinging, clanging and crashing in their allotted spaces. What hits you right off the bat is how smartly and tastefully this has been assembled!" - Lucid Culture "Let’s take a journey back in time - back to the roaring 90s, shall we? A time when blue hairspray was mandatory at all concerts and festivals (only to be sweated out after 10 minutes), a time when it was stylish to own wine glasses the size of small cars and a time when distorted grungy guitars ruled the music hemisphere. I’m talking Nirvana, Tumbleweed, Bush, Everclear, Green Day etc. Grand Atlantic sure know how write songs chock full of guitar driven rock/pop dynamics with grungy drums, driving bass and somewhat nasally vocals and it’s not a far stretch to say this album could transport some people back to the time when they were scuffing their cherry Docs on the side of doors so they didn’t look so new!" - TheDwarf.com.au COMES WITH AN EXCLUSIVE BONUS DISC FEATURING FIVE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS: "SAILOR TO THE SEA", "SINGLE LADIES", "SHE'S A DREAMER" (live at the Hi-Fi Bar), "THESE ARE THE TIMES" (live at the Hi-Fi Bar), AND "SMOKE AND MIRRORS" (live at the Hi-Fi Bar)! Very "Frosting On The Beater"-era Posies-like throughout too!
Jade Faces Of Jade EXCELLENT!!! $19
Cincinnati's Jade were another one of those elusive early 70's psychedelic acts who left behind only one private pressing before vanishing into the mist. Virtually nothing is known about the band, but collectors have been swarming record fairs and pillaging eBay for years in the hopes of snagging this relic. "So does the album live up to its hype? Mostly, yes... Considering the modest budget of such a DIY undertaking in 1970, the mix is well done and the material is very well constructed. Blending the Beatles, Blossom Toes and a number of other pop/psych acts of the era, Jade create a formidable aural tapestry. With slight folk leanings, each track breezes along quite nicely throughout the duration of the album. The engineering trickery in places here are subtle reminders that Jade were foremost Beatles influenced. Perhaps the strangest track is 'My Mary' which is absolutely mindblowing. This ingenius piece of music features backwards accompaniment along with warped vocals that sound deceptively reversed but are actually sung forward. The outcome is like a bent merry-go-round, wobbling in circular motion while the seasick vocals spill out over the arrangement. It's truly a sound to behold. The rest of the album is mostly just as satisfying and any lovers of quirky psych will find alot to enjoy here!" - RobotsForRonnie.blogspot.com "This came to me with an 'underrated?' tag attached, and I'm inclined to agree. It's late '60s Brit-psych/pop of the McCartney/Roy Wood variety, serving up plenty of innovation, fun and a fair amount of label money on hand. Opens with dreamy psych mini-epic that recalls the second Fallen Angels album, the rest holds a middle ground between London '68 and the clever pop that Ohio would become famous for, leaving the listener to decide if this is a late '60s lytepsych LP or in fact an Anglo-retro '70s trip. Lots of piano, 'Penny Lane' fanfares, high-pitched teen harmonies and unexpected studio tricks. One of the best in the style." - Acid Archives
The Rationals Think Rational! GREAT!!! $29
34 track, 2CD collection from these Michigan-bred '60s rockers. This punchy quartet from Ann Arbor ruled the state during the mid-60s with a blend of rootsy garage and exciting blue-eyed soul. The handful of records they cut have become totems of cool
to garage fanciers the world over. They predated the MC5 and Stooges, so perhaps they were just a few years ahead of their time. They recorded initially on Jeep Holland's local A Square label. Despite hitting the lower regions of the national charts with their wonderful version of Otis Redding's "Respect" in 1966, they never got a whole lot of popular or critical attention outside of Michigan. "This energetic little pop-soul combo - half British Invasion and half Memphis soul - had a lot going for itself, and it's possible to imagine them having the kind of success the Rascals had during the same time period, only with a much more garage-styled approach to soul and R&B. Alas, that didn't happen. This delightful set of singles, B-sides, and outtakes covers the group's earliest (and arguably best) period, from '65 to '68, and includes material done for A Square, Cameo/Parkway and Capitol, but cuts off before the band's sole LP (simply called The Rationals) was issued in 1970 by Crewe. The collection includes the original single version of "Respect," the garage blast of "Feelin' Lost," the Byrds-like "Gave My Love" (there are two versions here, with the earlier 1965 one being marginally more effective), two scorching takes on the Motown song "Leavin' Here" (with the later version, done in 1967, perhaps being the better of the two), and a vicious, slashing rendition of Johnny Watson's "Poor Dog (Who Can't Wag His Own Tail" that was punk well before even the Stooges' unwittingly created the template for it. Collectors and fans of the Rationals have been waiting for a set like this for a long time, and while it isn't perfect, it's still going to be the one to beat. The fuss in Ann Arbor
all started with these tracks!
Shindig! Magazine – November –December 2009 $12
The latest and greatest info-packed issue contains features on: PROCOL HARUM -First of a two-part exclusive on the former Southend R&B wailers who invented progressive rock and cut the most successful single of all time. HERON - Recently reborn pastoral ’70s Freak-folk heroes whose influence just gets bigger and bigger. BRITISH EXPLOITATION FILMS - A second helping of vintage sleaze, horror and weirdness and the wild sounds that soundtracked it. THE LITTER - From "Action Woman" to "Emerge" – the Minneapolis noiseniks exposed at last. NIK TURNER - Twenty questions for Hawkwind founder, still standing after 40 years in deep space. PETE ATKIN - Following the reissue of his ’70s solo albums, one of our most talented and unsung singer/songwriter/raconteurs pops in for a chat. PLus tons of reviews, regular columns, and other news tidbits!
Shindig! Annual No. 2 $19
Following the much acclaimed first compendium, Shindig! Annual No.2 features the biggest and best bits from the pages of Shindig! Magazine. Prepare yourself for a feast of features from the technicolour back pages of 1960s, '70s and even '80s rock, including: Moby Grape, West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, The San Francisco Scene 1965-67, The Dukes Of Stratosphear, Tyrannosaurus Rex, The Youngbloods, The Sonics, The Charlatans, and Gary Walker & The Rain! These in-depth and exclusive features - from the pens of top pop writers, archivists and historians - hail from out-of-print back issues of the bi-monthly hip and happening chronicle of super-cool new and vintage music. An absolute must for all lovers of cult rock, pop, garage and psychedelia!
Shindig! presents Psychotic Reaction: A Garage Rock Special $12
These in-depth and exclusive features - from the pens of top pop writers, archivists and historians - cover a broad spectrum of North American bands who have come to define the term "garage". Loooooong hair, Vox guitars, Farfisa organs, Beatle boots, tight Levis and a ton of snot and attitude - these bands invented the punk ethic 10 years before the word "punk" was even being used.From New York (The Blues Magoos) down to Florida (We The People); from Texas (Zakary Thaks) up to the North West (The Sonics, The Wailers); this is the first US garage reader to hit the shelves to date. Nobody has covered the U.S. '60s garage band explosion with such dedication and know-how before. Complete list of bands featured: Sonics · Bay Area Garage · Count V · Flintstones · Gonn · Texas Garage · Garage in the Movies · Blues Magoos · Pleasure Seekers · Elastik Band · Standells · Rationals · Tampa Bay Garage · Davie Allan · We The People!
Todville Road Carousel GREAT!!! $13
WOW! A blast from the past that's a real treat for roots pop fans! Houston's Todville Road is a four-piece guitar pop band -"guitar" because their sound is driven by electric and acoustic guitars and "pop" because they perform catchy songs that include a variety of styles and sounds. This, their 1999 debut is a culmination of an intense period of adversity, lineup changes, live gigs and long hours and hard work in the studio - a guitar and harmony-filled package of instantly memorable songs. The record reveals a band very capable of writing memorable, high quality tunes, with a penchant for displaying joy, or a certain amount of good-naturedness, that was (and is) sadly missing from many musical acts. There is very little weak material here. Combining elements of the Byrds, late 60's garage/psychedelic rock, while sharing a poppy guitar jangle, the results are rollicking, foot-stomping bar-band music which was nearly impossible not to charm the sh*t out of the most diehard roots pop music foe! Their brand of cosmic American music includes straight ahead rock 'n' roll, but with healthy doses of country, folk and power-pop. Many bands are referred to as "overlooked" by fans, and this band falls into that category. This record is a clear testament to that. Taking chances and having fun are what Todville Road do best. Rootsy throughout (the Long Ryders immediately come to mind - a good thing) with some definite poppy moments (can you say Greg Kihn?), that are chock full of jangly/twangly guitars and songs as catchy as poison ivy!
Various Artists Chooglin’: A Tribute To The Songs Of John Fogerty
EXCELLENT!! $14
An all-star roots tribute to the great Mr. Fogerty! "Meredith Ochs and The Damn Lovelys' beautiful, deep-groovin' version of 'Hey Tonight' turns the song on its head - it's a big garage-y wall of sound with cool backwards guitar, Wurlitzer keyboard, and vocals that sound Blondie-ish. Big Silver does an aching version of 'Wrote A Song For Everyone' that brings a tear to the eye. The Mary Janes' 'Bad Moon Rising' is prophetic. And Gringoman's 'Run Through the Jungle' is pure swampy fun. The entire collection does a fine job of capturing Fogerty's mojo, and it proves that great songs stand up to a number of arrangements and styles." - HotChaCha.com "Absolutely phenomenal, not only because it highlights the talents and widespread influences of Fogerty, but also because the individual bands contributing emerge as solid, creative groups in their own rights. The lead track is an absolutely stunning and unforgettable 'Who'll Stop the Rain' by Mark McKay and Scott Murawski. The precise and high energy playing and the penetrating vocals leave the listener feeling awakened and primed for more. And more awaits. Throughout the rest of the production, the now-expectant listener will not be disappointed. A smashing rendition by Frog Holler of 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain' soon follows, as does a low-key 'Lodi' by Calico Bind. John Jorgenson's rendition of 'Lookin' Out My Back Door', Western Electric's 'Keep On Chooglin'', Meredith Ochs and the Damn Lovelys' 'Hey Tonight', and the Mary Janes' 'Bad Moon Rising' continue to carry the listener on the twofold journey of renewed appreciation for Fogerty and newfound appreciation for the artists he influenced. There is not space here to mention every contribution, but that is unfortunate, because each and every one is to be commended. And the bottom line is this: from opening to curtain, this collection a pure winner, an absolute pleasure, and ought to be widely heard." - M.R. Gomez