Marta Delmont, Marina Correa, Xiri Romaní, and Robert Busquets are back with 14 minutes of Spanish noise pop. On their new mini album Sálvame you hear eight short songs that make you long to travel to Barcelona right now to experience this live. What an energy and power radiates from this band, breathtaking.
Sálvame is out now digitally. Add to wantlist: The Orchard
I may need to call my dentist, because I’ve been spinning a record on repeat today that is so sugary sweet, I wouldn’t be surprised if the damage to my teeth is permanent. Was it worth it? I guess so, in a “I didn’t need to finish that bag of chips but I probably will do so again next week” kind of way.
I’m talking about Falling In Love by Trevor Blendour. Blendour usually releases acoustic tunes as The Blendours. Falling In Love is more electric. Or should I say electrifying? It is an highly entertaining and extremely catchy record. If you like how Masked Intruder integrates doo wop and ’60s pop influences in their pop punk, this record is a must listen for you. Although with Blendour it’s the other way around. He sounds more like a ’50s rock’n’roller or a ’60s Beatlemaniac who just discovered Green Day’s Kerplunk record – listen to songs like Lost A Girl and Cold Heart for example. It’s kinda crazy, perhaps even criminal, how effortlessly Trevor Blendour mixes those styles, how he adds sweet harmonies and make this record sound like a golden oldies covers album.
The weekend is here, Valentine’s Day is coming up. Falling In Love is a timeless, yet timely record which sure will steal some hearts!
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp
Here’s a new band I’m adding to my watchlist. Stiff Drinks are a new outfit from Maryland, whose love for mod, powerpop and garagepunk shines through in their songs. Their 2021 demo showed promise, but this single is definitely a step up. Both tracks are a lot of fun, and I am particularly fond of the rock’n’rolling Crashing Down.
Keep an eye/ear out for more from this band!
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp
Both this post and my previous one features a band from Baltimore. Both bands use similar instruments, but the similarities between that band (Ravagers) and this one (Concrete City) end there.
The four members of Concrete City have played in bands like Sick Sick Birds, Roads To Space Trabel, The Fuses, ADVLTS and Squaaks. As Concrete City, the four-piece self-describes as power pop for a disappointing world. The band’s music is far from disappointing though, although their songs are easy to overlook. Concrete City’s brand of indie rock, with its altpop, new wave and post punk leanings, has that bermuda triangle quality of being understated, sophisticated and melancholic.
The songs on Lovers In Love With Nothing were recorded in the past 3 to 4 years and, if I’m not mistaken, most of these songs were released previously as digital singles. That, in combination with the understated nature of their music may explain why I haven’t written about this band before. But this is good stuff. And to be honest, I feel these songs work even better in album form.
Lovers In Love With Nothing is a record that gets better with each play. It’s out now on Ashtray Momunent, limited to 165 copies of randomly colored vinyl.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Ashtray Monument
Safe to say, this year we’ll be on the receiving end of a lot of releases that were shelved in the hope that the pandemic would end sooner or later – or due to pressing plants unable to keep up with demand. Take Sunset Motel, the sophomore record by Columbus (Ohio) indie rockers El Camino Acid. Sunset Motel was recorded in the Summer of 2020, and it’s such an accomplished and confident record, I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been for the band to wait so long to release it.
El Camino Acid see themselves as garage rockers with a love for power pop. I would place them in the indie rock bin though, although their love for power pop definitely shines through – listen to Get Along and Mirror Mirror for example. I also sense a touch of americana in some of their songs. Sunset Motel was recorded by Twin Peaks multi-instrumentalist Colin Croom, and while the two are decidedly different bands, El Camino Acid kind of has a similar vibe as Twin Peaks, particularly in the more laid-back tracks.
One word that keeps coming up when I listen to Sunset Motel: Solid. This is not the kind of record that will shatter your world. But, it’s hard to find fault with it. It’s well executed, it has plenty of variation and swagger, and it rocks. Sunset Motel is out now, self-released on Sunset Orange Vinyl and available on the band’s website.
Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, eg as a tribute to such a musical hero for a special reason, or they simply feel that a song deserves to be dusted and polished to reacquaint fans with great songs from the past. Other times, bands cover songs as a parody. Regardless of intent, some of those cover versions are so good or so much fun, we’d like to put a spotlight on them. Chosen from a wide range, here are – in random order – ten of our favorite covers from last month – links to the pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.
We’ve already posted reviews of cover albums by Pedico (pop-punk) and The Krontjong Devils (surf rock) last month, and compilations with covers of songs by Los Campesinos! and Townes Van Zandt were released, but a lot more great new covers came online.
Time Of The Season || Cover: The Ergs! || Original: The Zombies
Technically The Ergs! broke up 15 years ago, but the American punk rock band would pop up occasionally. After a new single in 2016, they’re back again, with four-track EP Time And The Season, out digitally and on 7″ vinyl through Dirtnap Records – each side opening with an original and closing with a cover. Besides The Remains’ Say You’re Sorry they’re also playing the Zombies’ Odessey & Oracle classic in their own style.
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Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of January 2022Read More »
Such a solid week for musical discoveries from the European continent. In our most recent posts, we hopped from the Netherlands (The Mieters), to Italy (Hakan), to Russia (The Diasonics), to Sweden (Hjelle). Next stop: Paris, France!
The Suttles are an Undertonesque power pop band featuring members of Les Terribles, Jon & The Vons and Les Braqueurs. The Suttles made a convincing debut two years ago. The band returned this week with their second LP. It is called Stories and is out now on Soundflat subsidiary Topsy-Turvy Records.
The Suttles don’t limit themselves to a specific genre on Stories. But safe to say, if you like two minute pop songs packaged in late seventies wrapping, you’ll find a lot to like about the record. Opener I Wanna Get That Girl is the perfect point of departure for a hit-packed trip through all of the high energy music of that era, from mod to powerpop to punk. I’ll highlight the trio of songs in the band’s native language which I love, particularly Seul. And don’t overlook the fun cover of The Roulettes’ Bad Time. Sad Story is another standout. In short, I’m enjoying this plenty! RIYL: Tranzmitors, Suspect Parts, The Briefs, Undertones, Joe Jackson.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Soundflat Records
After three self-titled records (Hakan I, II, and III), Italian pop punk meastros Hakan return with their latest hit-filled record Hakan Manifesto. If you haven’t heard about Hakan, you may think it is an one man band. It’s not. It’s a three-piece from North Italy, with all three members (Andrea Carminati, Andrea Facheris, Marco Facheris) involved in the song writing process.
Hakan Manifesto has all the ingredients that made the band’s past efforts so entertaining: High energy, and a sense of melody that is above par in the scene. Intentional or not, the pop punk of Hakan appears to harbor many influences. Do you like the Queers? You’ll like Hakan. Do you like the music of Jeff Burke (Marked Men, Radioactivity, and Lost Balloons)? You’ll like Hakan. Do you like Wild Honey Records and Dirtnap Records? Well, put their rosters in a blender and it will kinda sorta sound like Hakan. So yeah, Hakan Manifesto will appeal to a broader fanbase than the Ramonescore crowd. It is a killer record that’s full of hooks that can be distilled to one word: FUN.
Want to know more about Hakan and their new record? Check out their interview with New Noise Magazine. Hakan Manifesto is available for streaming now. Vinyl records expected to ship this Spring through Striped Music (Worldwide) and One Chord Wonder (Italy).
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || One Chord Wonder || Striped Music
Obviously this isn’t about German Gabba Mafia DJ Fast Eddy, nor about American house producer Fast Eddy, not even about the boxer, the cyclocross rider, or the musician with this nickname. No, this is about Denver rock ‘n’ roll band Fast Eddy (allegedly named after a drug dealer of that name). Their new full-length album Take A Look, produced by Tuk Smith, is out now on vinyl LP through Spaghetty Town Records. It’s a good-natured monster that barks but doesn’t bite, featuring ten tracks with riffs, handclaps, screams, and sing-along choruses as were common in the 70’s. The whoo-hoos in the opening song are an indication of what awaits you: half an hour of fun, during which it will be hard not to shake what you’ve got. This is the one and only Fast Eddy you want to see and hear at your party.
Add to wantlist: Dragstrip Riot Records (Europe) || Spaghetty Town Records (US)
Has it really been ten years since Kids On A Crime Spree emerged seemingly out of nowhere with their debut (mini)LP We Love You So Bad? It was love at first sight. An one-sided love perhaps, because the three-piece has been playing hard to get in the past decade, only releasing a handful of songs on three singles, two of which were splits with different bands.
No hard feelings though, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and all that. But seriously, Fall In Love Not In Line was worth the wait. The reverb heavy bubblegum powerpop of these ten songs surely will create some tsunami sized waves in the underground pop scene. The opening combo of Karl Kardel Building and When Can I See You Again? alone is worth the price of admission. All Things Fade and Boomdoom are also standouts, but you won’t find any fillers on Fall In Love Not In Line. Whatever they do, Kids On A Crime Spree make it sound all so spontaneous and effortless, almost like they can’t help writing hits like these.
What a week for Slumberland Records who simultaneously released that amazing Artsick record last Friday. If this is the bar for the good kind of pop music in 2022, we’re in for a treat.