New album: The Exbats || Now Where Were We

By / / Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk / 1 Comment

Last month, I read how music writers were already compiling their Album Of The Year lists. It was only September…crazy right? I guess that’s how it works if you are a serious music writer. The advantage of having your own outlet is that you don’t have to worry about deadlines and you can postpone working on year-end lists just a little longer. But my general inclination towards procrastination is not the main reason for waiting out on the AOTY list. It’s simply because there will always be late contenders entering the competition.

Now Where Were We by The Exbats is a primary example. The Exbats are daughter-father duo Inez & Kenny McLain on drums/vocals and guitar/vocals, and Bobby Carlson Jr. on bass. Now Where Were is the The Exbats third album. It is built on the same effective template as their previous albums: Scrappy and honest ’60s pop rounded out by influences from ’70s powerpop and punk, garage and bubblegum pop and blue-eyed soul. Kinda like The Mamas & The Papas x The Shangri-Las x The Archies x The Ramones. Though subtle, the music of The Exbats has steadily been evolving, and I don’t think the band has ever sounded better. The songs on Now Where Were We have more depth, diversity and better harmonies than on their previous outings; The result of a more deliberate and more extensive period of songwriting. What hasn’t changed: The Exbats still sound insanely catchy, with memorable choruses you will sing along to in no time.

I have seldom exclaimed listening to my new favorite song by a band on their third album. I think it happened at least 3 or 4 times with Now Where Were We: Coolsville USA, Practice On Me, Best Kiss, and Hey New Zealand are all instant classics. Let me tell you, when one of the funnest bands of this era release their best work yet, you’d better create  some room to update your AOTY lists.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Belaver || Lain Prone

By / / Country & Folk, Indie Pop / Leave a Comment

If you’re not yet familiar with the music of Ben Godfrey aka Belaver, I suggest you start by watching the video of his song Driver (from his full-length debut album True Love of Crime), imho one of the best of 2019 (how is it possible that this only has 734 views?) – that gives an idea of the intimate, smart and mysterious music of the NYC-based songwriter. Pretty good, but slightly alienating – it could be a soundtrack from a movie starring Bill Murray. Belaver has now released his sophomore LP Lain Prone, again produced by Robert Ellis. The 14 beautiful new songs form a coherent whole, both in terms of theme and sound. “They say the world is gonna end” is the first line of the opening track (Here It Comes). “Take my cyber lyfe, take my megabytes, make it all go away” is the last line of the second track (In The R L). Next lyrics look back on better times: “We could have a 70s adventure slash comedy” (70’s Adventure). And so on. The cover art actually says it all: isn’t it best to stay cool as the misery of the world rages by? Yet this folky indie pop is more melancholy than gloomy, in a way similar to conversations you have with a good friend in the middle of the night about the meaning and purpose of life, and that the next morning you wonder what clever things you said then. Belaver helps you remember. RIYL Gold Star, Daniel Johnston, Refrigerator.

Lain Prone is out now digitally. Add to wantlist : Bandcamp

New album: The Surfing Magazines || Badgers of Wymeswold

By / / Alternative Rock, Power Pop / Leave a Comment

The self-titled debut album by The Surfing Magazines, a rock band with members of The Wave Pictures and Slow Club, made it to the top 10 of my year-end list in 2017. The London based four-piece now have released their sophomore LP Badgers of Wymeswold, with 16 bright, fun new songs. The cover art is a collage with cut out photos of badgers, and actually the music is also a kind of collage – of styles and influences. You’ll hear experimental rock, catchy power pop, vintage folk, sun beaten harmony pop, surf-noir, and polished garage rock, incorporated into both guitar rockers and softer ballads, tracks that also include free form saxophone parts, eerie violins and melancholic piano playing. David Tattersall (lead guitar, vocals), Charles Watson (rhythm guitar, keys, vocals), Franic Rozycki (bass, vocals), and Dominic Brider (drums, vocals) provide a characteristic sound, not at least thanks to the distinctive vocals. Listen to standouts Pink Ice Cream (irresistible six bar blues with wistful lyrics relating to the childhood of the band members), and the title track (drawn from Tattersall’s nightmare vision about his home town’s population of self governing people; he also depicted his referenced dreams in the album artwork). Summer is back for a while.

Badgers of Wymeswold is out now digitally, on CD and double vinyl LP through Moshi Moshi Music.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Sillicone Values || Streaming TV b​/​w Nothing Wrong With Me

By / / Indie Pop, Jangle Pop, Punk / 1 Comment

Bristol (UK) postpunk/indiepop hybrid Sillicone Values make a deliberate attempt of showing how little they care on their latest single. They don’t care if they sound like other bands. And, they explicitly mention that they recorded the two songs “without due care or attention.” They probably could care less if anyone listens to these songs, let alone write about them. I am not sure whether the four-piece is too cool to care or whether it genuine disinterest. Unfortunately, I like these two too much not to share. Streaming TV and Nothing Wrong With Me are a time capsule to the underground pop scene in ’80s UK. The only reason I’m sure this is in fact a present day band is that they sing about only feeling safe when they are streaming tv.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: She/Beast || Violent Tendencies

By / / Blues & Roots, Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

When the pandemic prevented Katja Nielsen from touring with her punk outfit Arre! Arre!, the Swedish singer / guitarist used the free time to develop her own identity as a singer-songwriter. Her isolation writing sessions led to the moniker of She/Beast, and the release of two EPs – In the Depths of Misery (December 2020), and This Too Shall Pass (March 2021) – with lyrics about the struggle with her bipolar disorder over a 80s synth vibe. Now here’s her debut full-length, Violent Tendencies, for which Nielsen fished from the same pool of 60s garage rock / girl group influences as Shannon and The Clams. This vintage sound, which is also somewhat reminiscent of the music on the Slow Grind Fever compilations, appeals to us a bit more than the goth pop of the earlier EPs, which were also interesting. The popcorn noir feeling – very well produced by Joakim Lindberg – fits perfectly with the crime theme of the new album; each of the ten tracks looks at a different female murderer. The cool, distinctive vocals of the artist convey the sinister stories in an immersive and convincing way – listening is literally an exciting experience.

Violent Tendencies is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through PNKSLM Recordings.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || PNKSLM

New album: Dummy || Mandatory Enjoyment

By / / Indie Pop, Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

Busy day at work yesterday, and a perfect opportunity to catch up with some of the advanced streams I’d been receiving lately. I grabbed a coffee and pressed play on Dummy’s Mandatory Enjoyment. After releasing two EPs in 2020, both of which I liked, it’s the L.A. band’s debut full length and first release for the ever reliable Trouble In Mind Records. Somehow, I found myself still listening to it three hours later – the stream automatically restarts after finishing the album. Not sure if I was in a state of flow due to the nature of my work or because of the music, perhaps a bit of both. Sure to say, Mandatory Enjoyment offered a perfect backdrop to a productive morning.

When I paid a little more attention to the music, I started to see how Dummy draws you in, hook their tentacles in your skin, unwilling to let you go. Their music blends noisy guitar pop with sonic influences ranging from jazz, to synth to drone to showgaze to new age. The songs on Mandatory Enjoyment have a lot going on, tender a great deal to discover, but also leave ample space for reflection and mind wandering. H.V.A.C may be the best example of this, with his hypnotic and repetitive rhythm and the broad soundscapes. Ultimately, Mandatory Enjoyment works on a subsconscious and conscious level.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Trouble In Mind

New album: Zoo || No Man’s Land

By / / Country & Folk, Indie Rock / 1 Comment

Zoo is the brainchild of Cincinnati-based songwriter, Cory Pavlinac. Pavlinac used to major in Jazz guitar at Belmont University (Nashville) but then switched to creative writing – a logical step after many late-night drives studying the words and music of Bob Dylan and Patti Smith. That backstory is relevant for two reasons: One, the musicianship of Pavlinac has a level of complexity and depth that is marvelous. There are hints of The War On Drugs and Kevin Morby, but Zoo sounds less bombastic and more nuanced than the former and more diverse and complex than the latter. Above all, No Man’s Land is highly accessible, and full of well written folky indie rock.

Two, Zoo is the kind of record where it pays off to take the lyric sheet out, and fully experience the record while reading the lyrics. The album deals with the challenges of dealing with intimacy, isolation and empathy as an introvert, and getting married and becoming a father. The personal and heartfelt lyrics create a synergetic experience while listening to the music. Conversely, the music sets the right tone and atmosphere for the words to hit even harder. Worry is a good example of this. Pavlinac: “I wrote this song at 2a.m., laying in bed one night with all these thoughts flying around my head, unable to sleep. The song took shape immediately when the first line popped into my head (“Staring At The Ceiling In The Middle Of The Night // I Got Worry On My Mind”), and I snuck out of bed to go record it.” But there is also the anxiety of political and societal polarisation in the album’s best song Sleeping Dogs. “There is maybe a little of myself in the caricature of this person who is waiting it out, while complaining about the state of the nation all the while, and day dreaming of societal fallout,” Pavlinac explains.

No Man’s Land sounds tailor-made for the season of falling leaves, rain and wind, and the occasional indian summer day. For those shelving their records in alphabetical order, you could do much (much!) worse than having Zoo as the outer bookend of your collection. Another strong release by Good Eye Records who brought us that acclaimed Spud Cannon record earlier this year.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Almost Lovers || Almost Lovers

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop / 1 Comment

You probably never wondered what happens when you put influences from Teenage Fanclub, Together Pangea and Oasis in the blender, but the result would sound something like this fun self-titled debut EP – including nice minimalist cover art – from new French-Belgian power pop band Almost Lovers. Nini Mathy (vocals), Aurélien Gainetdinoff (bass, vocals), Fab Couz (guitar), and Clignotant Hugo (drums) play or played in several other bands (Annabel Lee, Crusaders of Love, Okay Monday, Departure Kids, etc.) , but from a shared taste for the same music and beers they wrote these six original songs together in no time. Listen to standout tracks 2 Good 2 Be True (a garage rock hit that lives up to its title) and So Gone (one that will become a live favorite). Reportedly, more is on the way, and that’s good news.

Almost Lovers is out now digitally and on cassette through Howlin Banana Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Red Pears || You Thought We Left Because The Door Was Open But We Were Waiting Outside

By / / Alternative Rock, Garage Rock, Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

A cover photo with a clown out of focus, a long album title –You Thought We Left Because The Door Was Open But We Were Waiting Outside – that tells a story in itself, music that is somewhere between The Strokes, Allah-Las, The Subways, and SadGirl:- listening to the eight songs on the new (third) LP by Californian indie / alternative rock band The Red Pears is an exciting adventure. The sound of Henry Vargas (guitar, vocals), Jose Corona (drums), and Patrick Juarez (bass) evokes feelings of nostalgia, but sounds quite urgent in 2021 though. Fuzzy guitars, dynamic melodies, screaming vocals, and haunting lyrics (fron standout track House of Mirrors: “I don’t know if this was for attention // Whether your mind plays the games I should mention // I could take it away just for this time // I just want to be me if it’s alright” ). A lot can happen in 23 minutes, as it turns out.

Out now digitally. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Ike Reilly || Because The Angels

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk / Leave a Comment

American singer / songwriter / guitarist Ike Reilly offers that rare combination in which everything is right: he is a great storyteller, has a distinctive voice with an attractive gritty edge, and his experienced band knows exactly how to create the necessary greasy sound. On the new full-length album Because The Angels you’ll hear ten perfectly produced rock ‘n’ roll songs with sharp observations. The ten songs vary in tempo and instrumentation, the poetic lyrics are always captivating, and the hooks and harmony vocals provide nice surprises. This is rebellious punk rock in a country blues package, dark and uplifting at the same time. The opening track Little Messiahs sets the tone: “Who will sing these working blues // For the working poor // Whose souls are oozing // Solvent as each day it passes on // And after the candidates are gone // And everything is said and done // Who will sing these working songs” – it should be clear who fulfills that role from an intrinsic motivation, and in an authentic way. Besides Ike Reilly himself (guitar, vocals), the band (The Ike Reilly Assassination) consists of Phil Karnats (guitar), Dave Cottini (drums), Pete Cimbalo (bass), and Adam Krier (organ). On the previously released single Trick of the Light, the front man trades lines with his sons Shane, Kevin, and Mickey, asking questions about faith, hope, family, money, and fate. We could describe song by song in this way, but in fact everything about this LP is beautiful, right down to Tony Fitzpatrick’s cover art.

Because The Angels is out now on CD via Rock Ridge Music. You can listen to the full album on all streaming services.

Add to want list: Discogs || Ike Reilly

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