Dennis

New album: Swansea Sound || Live At The Rum Puncheon

Here’s another indie supergroup that has spent time in lockdown very well. We’ve heard songwriter Rob Pursey (bass, guitars), Ian Button (drums), and Amelia Fletcher and Hue Williams (shared lead vocals) previously in cool bands like Heavenly, The Pooh Sticks, Talulah Gosh, The Catenary Wires, Tender Trap, etc, but together – under the moniker of Swansea Sound, named after (and a requiem for) a lost radio station – they have created some incredibly catchy new songs. The UK four-piece stand certainly in the C86 tradition with its discordant, jangly, and jittery guitar rock, but that statement actually falls short. The 13 tracks on their full-length debut album Live at the Rum Puncheon – the title is somewhat misleading as this isn’t a concert registration – are completely present-time, with clever references in the lyrics where rebellion and fun alternate, well-found hooks and vocals that complement each other in a great way.

I can’t get the opening track Rock n Roll Void out of my head for days, what a hit it is (when a record starts with words like this, you know it’s meant for you: “Went to the Ramones // When I was thirteen // They’re the coolest thing // I had ever seen”). The criticism in I Sold My Soul on Ebay is obvious (“I sold my soul on Spotify // Get a doctor, someone get a doctor // I’m earning 0.000000000000001p // But several thousands follow me”) – a sign of the time that a one-off 7″ lathe cut single of this song was auctioned on Ebay (with a £400 winning bid). The Pooh Sticks is a heartfelt tribute to the band that Hue and Amelia were in. And so we could go on and on to indicate how many appealing and smart things have been incorporated into this album (that also applies to the videos). The Swansea Sound can grow into a genre in itself.

Live At The Rum Puncheon is out now digitally, on cassette (via Lavender Sweep Records (UK, Europe), Austin Town Hall Records (North America), and Shiny Happy Records (Indonesia)), and on CD and vinyl LP (via Skep Wax Records (UK, Europe), and HHBTM Records (North America)). The album doesn’t stream on Spotify, Apple Music, or other corporates.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

Gimme 5! Ryan Hamilton Shares 5 Albums That Influenced ‘1221’

With ‘Gimme 5!’ we take a peek into the collections of artists we admire. The premise is simple: artists WE like share 5 records THEY love.

When I ordered Ryan Hamilton‘s solo debut album Hell Of A Day (2015) at the time, he wrote a personal thank you note, which shows how sympathetic this guy is. Since then, the Texan singer-songwriter has been continuously releasing new music, with a new LP every year: The Devil’s In The Detail ‎ (2017) and Traitors Club Year 1 (2018) by Ryan Hamilton & The Traitors, and This Is The Sound (2019) and Nowhere To Go But Everywhere (2020) by Ryan Hamilton And The Harlequin Ghosts. Little Steven heard it right (again): this is a cool musician who creates cool songs, an artist that deserves a cool label and more appreciation. During 2021, when touring was not possible due to the pandemic, Ryan has been releasing a new single the 12th of each month via Wicked Cool, for his project 1221. They include originals of his own as well as some covers, including The Refreshments’ Banditos.

The 2021 standalone singles will be bundled as one full album, titled 1221. Prior to its release this Friday, we asked Ryan about his sources of inspiration for all those great songs, and he was kind enough to answer in detail. His choices make perfect sense if you are familiar with his sound, but they give a new dimension to listening with his explanations.

New album: The Vernes || Nuclear Winter

“Dead // Sleeping on the floor // Blame it on the weather // A nuclear winter.” The lyrics of the closing title song of the new full-length album by Philadelphia four-piece The Vernes doesn’t really paint an attractive picture, and that goes for more of the songs here. Quite a contrast with the sound of the garage pop / indie rock band, which is vibrant and uplifting. Compelling synths and restless guitars are kept in line by the rhythm of the drums, while you wander around in a dystopian world. There’s more music been made about the contradiction “Everything is going wrong // But we’re so happy“, but The Vernes add a successful slacker rock chapter to it. For example, listen to standout track Time (Cool Version): you hear “When the weight // Of the world’s // Crushing down // On your skull // Overload // Gravity // Sensory,” but an irresistible organ makes you dance on the table instead of sitting under it. Suddenly, radioactive energy doesn’t seem so bad.

Nuclear Winter is out now digitally, on cassette, CD and vinyl LP. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Jim Lindberg || Songs from the Elkhorn Trail

What is it with experienced punk rockers who go solo and turn the volume down a bit? Actually, the result is almost always satisfying, because when they don’t hide behind a wall of noise, you really hear how good their melodies, playing and vocals are. That certainly applies to singer / songwriter Jim Lindberg, who with Pennywise has provided skate punks their soundtrack for the last 30 years. On his acoustic solo debut album Songs From The Elkhorn Trail he lets out a different sound, quiet and intimate. It feels very fitting to his more personal lyrics – about his life story, family and friends, loneliness and alienation, memories of his late father. Although the 12 original songs are not necessarily cheerful, musically they are certainly not depressed – the tracks radiate hope and understanding, as if a good friend puts an arm around you in comfort. Satisfying.

“Hello, goodbye, hello again // Loneliness, you are my only friend // It’s just you and me inside my head”

The album is produced and mixed by Tedd Hutt (Gaslight Anthem, Lucero, Dropkick Murphy’s), and features David Hidalgo Jr. (Social Distortion) on drums, Joe Gittleman (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Avoid One Thing) on ​​bass, and Marc Orrell (The Dropkick Murphy’s, The Walker Roaders) on guitar and keys. Connor Vance (cello, viola, violin) and Glen Marhevka (trumpet) make valuable contributions. The album title and Bob Dob’s cover artwork reflect the fact that many of the songs were written at Jim’s father’s Palm Desert rental house near the Elkhorn Trail.

Songs From The Elkhorn Trail is out now digitally, and May 6 (2022) on CD and vinyl LP, via Epitaph.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Epitaph

New album: David Christian & The Pinecone Orchestra || For Those We Met On The Way

UK singer / songwriter / guitarist David Christian (aka David Charlie Feck aka Charlie Damage) has been making pretty good music with eclectic indie rock collective Comet Gain since 1992, but after 29 years it felt like a good time to also do a solo album. He had exchanged London for the South of France, and after a while of picking up pinecones with the sun on the back of his head, in which he tried to make sense of all the opinions about the pandemic, Brexit and stuff, he decided he simply had to express his inner soul. With the kind help of numerous friends* on numerous instruments, he created For Those We Met On The Way, a timeless folk-rock album – honest, tender and authentic as it should be. The album title and songs are inspired by the relocation and all the emotions that came with it, which brought faded moments, people and places back to mind. There are beautiful acoustic guitar ballads like Holloway Sweethearts, but also haunted rock tracks with a post-punk feel, like The Ballad For The Button-downs, all well crafted. This first solo LP is an instant classic in the genre.

*The group of friends, meanwhile called The Pinecone Orchestra, consists of James Horsey and Alasdair MacLean (The Clientele), Ben Phillipson (18th Day Of May/Trimdon Grange Explosion/Comet Gain), Gerry Love (Teenage Fan Club/Lightships), Anne- Laure Guillain (Comet Gain/Cinema Red And Blue), Joe-Harvey Whyte (Hanging Stars), Mike and Allison Targett (Heist), and Cosmic Neman (Zombie/Zombie, Herman Dune).

For Those We Met On The Way is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Tapete Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Tapete 

New album: Toby Vest || False Regime

You may know Memphis songwriter/producer/engineer Toby Vest of psychedelic garage rock band Tiger High, who recorded some fine records in the first half of the 2010’s. But since then he has also released four albums under the Shadow Brother moniker and other collaborative projects such as Detective and The Bulletproof Vests, as well as producing music by numerous other artists/bands. It had to happen, today he released False Regime, the first LP under his own name. It’s a debut that sounds completely different from the Tiger High stuff: no lo-fi guitar violence, but eleven perfect pop songs, rich, soulful and orchestral. I asked Toby about that:

“This album was very influenced by the mid 60’s California Wrecking Crew era of production. Albums like Pet Sounds and Forever Changes are constantly referenced when people talk about this period, so it’s not like I’m re- inventing the wheel or anything, haha! The work of the Wrecking Crew on songs/albums by the Association, the Monkees, the Grass Roots, etc., and the production work of Curt Boettcher on albums by the Millennium, Sagittarius, and the Left Banke were major influences along with Scott Walker’s Scott 4. Outside of the production influences I think the way those producers and the Wrecking Crew approached song arrangements was another thing I wanted to bring to my songwriting on this album. In order to do that I had to call on my own wrecking crew* of musicians here in Memphis and they are really responsible for bringing the arrangements to life.”

Here speaks a real musician. Even if he taps from another barrel, the brew is very tasty. You could call the new work of the skilled multi-instrumentalist baroque pop; it breathes the late 60’s, with a psych edge. Anyway, this is very pleasant music, melodic, colorful, melancholic and mind-blowing. Stream the full album below.

“All your stars stay broken // Prisoners of your unrequited dreams // All your faith is stolen // Seen it a 1000 times // Lived a 1000 lives // What’s one more false regime” (from: Pennies In The Well)

*Toby Vest wrote, produced, and sang all the songs, and played acoustic guitar, piano, mellotron, vibraphone, and percussion. Horn arrangements were done by Marc Franklin and Art Edmaiston (Gregg Allman, Dolemite score), string arrangements by Krista Wroten and Jana Misener (Memphis Dawls), who also added background vocals to a couple songs. Most of the piano and organ parts were played by Rick Steff (Lucero). Electric Guitars by Jeff Schmidtke, Steve Selvidge (The Hold Steady) and John Whittemore (Neighborhood Texture Jam, Reigning Sound), bass by brother Jake Vest. Drums and Percussion by Shawn Zorn (Amy Lavere, Twin Forks) and Rory Sullivan. Background vocals by Luke White (Snowglobe, Spiral Stairs) and Chris Milam.

False Regime is out now through American Grapefruit. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Sanitizers || Kiss me, I’m vaccinated + 3

Do yourself a favor and don’t skip this one because the title above doesn’t appeal to you. The pandemic is still not done with us, but we are done with the pandemic, so we try to avoid news, books and music on that subject. But, as always, there are exceptions, as this socially isolated supergroup* – members of MFC Chicken, King Salami & The Cumberland Three, The Nettelles, Barrence Whitfield and the Savages, Lyres, among others – have put good advice to good music. Under the moniker of The Sanitizers the musicians previously released the disinfected tunes Kiss Me, I’m Vaccinated, Sneeze In Your Sleeve, and Sa-Ni-Ti-Zin, and together with a fourth, new track EE-NO-CU-LA-SHON!, these are now available as EP. Classic garage and surf rock riffs are combined with semi-serious lyrics that will make you laugh, and thanks to a saxophone and toy piano it sounds like catchy pub rock. It may be a gimmick, but it’s also a sensible use of the lock-down time: I wouldn’t be surprised if these songs are a more effective way of communicating than the government’s rational public service announcements, but what I know for sure is that this is a lot more fun. 

*The Sanitizers are Spencer Evoy (vocals, saxophone), Dan Criscuolo (guitar), Eric “Baconstrip” Boitier (toy drums, percussions), Angus McPake (vibraphone, organ, piano), Phil Lenker (bass), and Peter Greenberg (guitar, extra sneezes). Their EP Kiss me, I’m vaccinated + 3 is out now digitally and on vinyl 7″ through Folc Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Betty Won’t || Lucky

It took me a while to decode what’s in the cover photo, but my attention was captured. The band name of this five-piece hailing from South Minneapolis also raises questions: who is Betty and what does she refuse to do? That’s guesswork, but what we do know: the band consists of Margo (guitar, vocals), Eliot (lead guitar), Sheela (keys), Fletcher (bass), and Jackson (drums), and they play tender twangy rock ‘n’ roll with influences from country, blues and soul. If Tami Neilson had played in a garage rock band back in the day, I guess it would have sounded something like this. Their own description is more telling though: Betty Won’t sings with a tear in her eye and a skip in her step. Their debut album Lucky, just released, consists of five new original songs and four re-recorded tracks that were previously on a demo with the Guarantees. Lo-fi, honest, raw and authentic, captivating in every way. One question remains: would the stuffed animal on the cover be the Demon Dog they’re singing about?

Lucky is out now digitally and soon also available on cassette. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Landovers || Labor Dazed

Let’s take a break, and look at everything that’s going on from a distance for a moment, while listening to Labor Dazed, the debut EP by the Landovers from Urbana, Illinois. “Ya can’t complain, let me tell ya why // Cause there’s folks out there, got it worse than I // So when I ask how ya been // Let’s just start by saying, I can’t complain.” Wise words, set to beautiful music, by a bunch of accomplished musicians who used the time during the pandemic to record four soulful country songs. There is simply nothing to complain about this project from Nicholas Stine (distinctive vocals), Clayton Deering (pedal steel), Charlie Harris (bass guitar), Cody Jensen (honky tonk piano/organ), Emily McKown (backing vocals), and Dave Pride (drums).


Labor Dazed is out now digitally. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Jr. Gone Wild || Still Got The Jacket

Between 1983 and 1995, Canadian alternative country band Jr. Gone Wild was successful with five albums and countless epic live shows, combining folk and rock with a punk attitude. Over 25 years later, original members Mike McDonald (guitars, vocals), Steve Loree (lead guitar) and Dave “Dove” Brown (bass) have reunited, with McDonald’s nephew Quinton Herbert on drums (he’s replacing drummer Larry Shelast, who passed away in 2019). On their new double LP Still Got The Jacket, on which they pick up where they left off. The 16(!) new tracks are energetic, uplifting and danceable, a stunning mix of twangy rock, melodic country-punk and glorious power pop. Original tracks like Old and Ugly and Barricades are new classics, the cover of Chilliwack’s Fly At Night (featuring Chilliwack founder Bill Hendersen) is telling – “Four men in a rock ‘n’ roll band // Fly at night, in the morning we country” – and fits in well. You can hear the chemistry between skilled musicians, the hard-earned experience, and the joy of playing in everything. The band name may seem a bit strange in 2021 – time has not stood still (that also applies to the girl in the crowd) – but the four men not only still have their leather jackets, but also still play with the fire that characterized their performances back in the day. If this is what alt-country means, Jr. Gone Wild should continue like this.

Still Got The Jacket is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl 2LP through Stony Plain Records / (weewerk) Recordings.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

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