New album: Geoff Palmer || Charts And Graphs

By / / Glam Rock, Power Pop, Punk / 1 Comment

Geoff Palmer’s 2019 solo debut Pulling Out All The Stops is a modern day pop punk classic. Given the acclaim he received for the record and his ability to write insanely catchy tunes with self-deprecating and funny lyrics, I’d expected Palmer to take a similar approach with his follow-up album Charts And Graphs. But no, on Charts And Graphs we see him expanding his sound, trying out new directions and instruments (pedal steel, organ, harmonica), and writing songs that are a bit longer. Before you get worried, Palmer definitely pulls it off with the help of a strong supporting cast including Zack Sprague, Dave Strong, Kris Rodgers, Perry Leenhouts and many others. The main difference is that whereas Pulling Out All The Stops had that instant sugar rush, Charts And Graphs is winning me over one song at a time – probably more healthy in the long run.

That isn’t to say the  sugar rush has evaporated. Album openers Many More Drugs and Don’t Be provide the familiar classic pop punk we all love about Palmer’s previous outing. Every time I play Don’t Be, with its infectious truth-to-power chorus (Don’t Be, Don’t Be, An Asshole // Don’t Be, Don’t Be, A Jerk), it brings a smile to my face, but I am also thinking the song should be mandatory listening for anyone who posts on social media platforms. [post continues below]

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New EP: Meal || Jimmy

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Punk / 2 Comments

Each day we receive many Bandcamp notifications of new releases. When we hear something we like, we usually try to find the band on Spotify and add one or two songs to our new music playlist. It’s always a surprise to see how many monthly listeners a band has on the platform, and for a blog like ours it becomes a sport to find cool new artists with as few listeners as possible. Here is a band that currently has zero (!) monthly listeners. I don’t mean that as a brag, but as an encouragement to become an early adopter, because they sound pretty good.

I’m talking about Meal, a band I only know four things about: they are from Finland, they started the band in 2019, they are impossible to google, and their (debut?) EP is out now on cassette on State Champion Records. The six songs on the Jimmy EP jump from indie rock to post punk with angular guitars to altpunk, sometimes all in one song like the standout title track. Another band that deserves way more listeners.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || State Champion Records

New EP: Polar Image || The Ballad of Cowboy Logan

By / / Indie Pop / Leave a Comment

OK, just for fun a quick little post about a (digital) EP outside our usual territory. The Ballad of Cowboy Logan contains four short acoustic guitar songs as an ode to the character Logan (aka Wolverine), as seen in cowboy look in the comic series Uncanny X-men. The cinematic instrumentals tell a story: the hero rides, falls in love, is chased, and dies, all in just over five minutes. Nice and well executed idea from the Californian songwriter who goes by the name Polar Image, don’t you think?

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Golden Apples || Shadowland

By / / Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

I am at the point of the pandemic where my brain automatically associates album titles with the state of the world. In case of the new Golden Apples record, my brain may actually be right for once. The title of the record is Shadowland and the album cover has a map of the home where it was recorded. Clearly this has to be about the anxiety and ultimate acceptance of being isolated, but also the safety and comfort of being home. With Shadowland, Golden Apples (formerly known on the moniker Cherry) have created an album to those longing for new indie rock that recalls the good old days without sounding derivative.

The album opens strongly with Theme From Shadowland, which is somewhere in the middle of Fleet Foxes and Beach Boys. Forever Hollow matches the slacker rock vibe of Pavement with fuzzy guitars. Tamara Lee is another highlight, but Shadowland is best experienced in full. It’s the kind of record capable of reviving human beings who are cynical about the current state of indie rock.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Lame-o Records

New EP: Rick The Loser || Combat Boots

By / / Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop / 1 Comment

Rick The Loser is a low key side-project of Novia Scotia based singer/songwriter Eric Stephen Martin. Under his real name, Martin appears to adopt a more traditional singer/songwriter indiefolk sound. He will release his new record in a couple of weeks on his own (smartly titled) label Three First Names Records, and the first two teaser tracks are quite beautiful, particularly When I Get Back To My Feet.

But let’s talk about Martin’s other project, the one he doesn’t want us to talk about. As Rick The Loser, at least on the Combat Boots EP, Martin chugs out four classic timeless pop songs disguised as slack indie rock and garage pop. When I first heard Strange Dreams, I was blown away by how good of a song it is. It probably is my favorite recent discovery. Just My Luck is another instant favorite, but the other two tracks on the EP are far from fillers. The Bandcamp page of Rick The Loser features more recordings from the pandemic months, most of which is more mellow and more experimental than the songs on the Combat Boots EP. There is also a cover EP with a great deconstruction of Last Caress by the Misfits. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind a physical release of Rick The Loser’s lockdown recordings at all.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Drinking Boys And Girls Choir || Marriage License

By / / Indie Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

Deagu City, Korea will make a first appearance on the wantlist in 1,2,3,4. Meet Drinking Boys And Girls Choir, a punk threesome that released their debut album in 2019 but only now popped on my radar with their short but sweet sophomore album Marriage License. The band is inspired by Sum41, NOFX and the hardcore/punk/indiescene of Deagu in the ’90s and ’00s. I am not sure whether you can pinpoint those influences on Marriage License though. There is a lot of variety on the record, and the band’s sound ranges from speedy hardcorepunk (Hit The Corner, Grab The Chance) to dreamy indierock (My Second Universe, Time). The band toured with fellow Koreans Say Sue Me, and I hear touches of that band in these latter songs. For me, the band shines brightest when they play the kind of indiepunk of bands like Martha, Joanna Gruesome and Radiator Hospital (on their early albums) excel in. I am referring to songs like There is No Spring and Odoby. Listen below. And while you are listening, make sure to read more about the band and their struggle for LGBTQ acceptance back home, which will help to understand the title of record.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp 

Gimme 5! Geoff Palmer Shares 5 Albums That Influenced Charts And Graphs (Out 7/23)

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

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.

If I had a paper calendar, there would be a big red circle on Friday July 23rd. That date marks the release of the highly anticipated new Geoff Palmer record Charts And Graphs. I’ll write a review on it later this week, but I can already say that if you are a fan of Geoff Palmer’s previous solo album Pulling Out All The Stops, but also his work in The Connection, New Trocaderos, and Kurt Baker Band, you are guaranteed to like the new record as well. And yet, Charts And Graphs sees Geoff expanding his sound in different directions. Geoff recently discussed this with the excellent powerpop blog Sweet Sweet Music: “I love change. One thing that has always been a judge of success for me with a record or a band is doing something new, playing new places, trying new ideas for writing styles, new production ideas, anything we haven’t done before.” [post continues below]


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New album: Women Of the Night || Sub Rosa

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

New York City cool is back. Please meet the Women of the Night, three guys with the right looks, hairstyles and sunglasses. Singer / songwriter / guitarist Jordan D’Arsie, drummer Kyubae Lee and bassist / slide guitarist Gray Watson play a headstrong mix of proto-punk, new wave, psych, glam and garage rock. The interesting thing is that you’ll hear all kinds of well-known influences on their debut album Sub Rosa, but it isn’t possible to name them exactly; it resembles bands like New York Dolls, The Strokes, Television, Velvet Underground and Modern Lovers, but it’s different and elusive. These are three guys with their own sound, riffs and vocals. This is cool, this is good, this could get big. Listen to songs like The Stranger and Dark Horsey and it won’t take much effort to imagine that these are going to be hits. Sub Rosa is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Declared Goods (USA) and Heavy Soul Records (UK).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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New song: Televisionaries || Charlotte Beach

By / / Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

We seldom post teaser tracks to new albums. The reason why I am breaking this rule is my infatuation with this surfrock-‘n’-roll song by Televisionaries. Televisionaries features three Lake brothers (Austin, Brendan and Tevor) and Aaron Milka. Trevor and Aaron also play in The Shine and Danny’s favorites, two additional projects we featured. Full album expected this fall on Hi-Tide Recordings.

C-H-A-R-L-O-T-T-E, let’s go!


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Greg Antista And The Lonely Streets || Under The Neon Heat

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Greg Antista And The Lonely Streets exceed expectations. The band consists of four veterans of the Southern Californian punk scene: Greg Antista (lead guitar, vocals), Frank Agnew (lead guitar, vocals), Warren Renfrow (bass, vocals), and Jorge E. Disguster (drums). The list of bands they played in is long and includes Joyride, Foxy, Adolescents, TSOL, Manic Hispanic and Mink Daggers. Who would’ve expected back in the eighties that these punk kids would still be making music in 2021? And, more importantly, who would have expected that music to actually sound really good?

Under The Neon Heat is the band’s second album and finds the band in perfect shape. Is it punk? Definitely not. Powerpop is probably the most apt descripion. These essentially are three minute guitar-driven and hook-filled pop songs. But the band’s sound has also been described as rock-‘n’-roll with a touch of americana and I get that as well. Fair to say, if you like the music Rum Bar Records usually puts out (e.g., Brad Marino), you will like this as well. The vocals of Antista and his vocal melodies is reminiscent of Mighty Mighty Bosstones, but without the ska and the horns. There is a familiarity to this songs which makes this record easy to get into, but there is freshness to it as well showing that the punk spirit in these four veterans is still burning bright. Like I said, the band exceeds expectations, including mine. I did not expect to enjoy this record as much as I would. Under The Neon Heat is out now on pink vinyl on Primal Beat / Smelvis Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Road Dog Merch

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