New Album: Evening Shadows || Evening Shadows

By / / Punk / 2 Comments

The weather here went from autumn to spring to summer in just seven days. This might help to explain why I’ve completely fallen for the self-titled debut album by Evening Shadows. Evening Shadows are a new all-star punk co-op with members of Valient Thorr, Strike Anywhere, ASG, and Toke. Whereas these bands all have a harder edge that goes from melodic hardcore to stoner metal, Evening Shadows blends old school pop punk with ’90s punkrock. Like a Screeching Weasel and Swingin’ Utters hybrid, the band plays midtempo pop punk that is tailor made for sunny weather. Evening Shadows is the kind of record you play front-to-back without ever feeling the need to skip tracks. More likely than not, you pause at certain songs and give them a second and third spin. I mean, songs like Psycho Chaperone, Karma Snake and Total Waste Of Time approach pop punk perfection. Out now on pretty yellow-black splatter vinyl on Eccentric Pop Records.

Add to wantlist: Eccentric Pop Records

New album: The Speedways || Borrowed & Blue

By / / Power Pop / Leave a Comment

One of the best powerpop bands of this era return with a an EP full of covers to keep us saturated until the release of their new album – their previous record made it #2 of my favorite records of 2020. The originals are by Hanoi Rocks, Abba, Kirsty MacColl, Billy Ocean, and Roky Erickson. The versions of The Speedways are respectful to the original versions, but played in the classic Speedways style. This is a band at the top of their game, and this EP is a mouth-watering appetizer for the new Speedways album.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Hurrah! Musica (vinyl) || Snap Records

Gimme 5! Stella Maxwell Of Stella And The Very Messed (And Cruiserweight) Shares 5 Records That Influenced The Marigold EP

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a 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.

There was an instant familiarity when I first heard the Marigold EP by Stella And The Very Messed. It all made sense when I found out that Stella Maxwell of Cruiserweight fronts The Very Messed. Cruiserweight was a pop punk band from Austin that had a great run in the first decade of the 2000s, and the distinct voice of Maxwell was (is!) one of the draws of that band. Together with Cruiserweight alumn Dave Hawkins, she started this new project which is not pop punk, but semi-acoustic and equal parts indie pop, ’90s alternative and americana. It’s more layered and, for lack of a better word, more mature than the music of Cruiserweight, but just as accessible an enjoyable. It’s the kind of music Maxwell’s voice seems made for. In addition to Maxwell and Hawkins, the band also includes Chris Nine (Karaoke Apocalypse, Manhole) and Donnie Adkinson (The Letters Organize, Whores), with Nik Snell (The Cutaway) and Sam Rich (Black Books) recent additions for live shows.

The video for lead single, and my personal favorite on the EP, The Feeling premieres today. The video is an arts and crafts stop-motion piece of creative brilliance. Sonically, The Feeling is a song made for spring with its gently strumming guitars and catchy forward moving bass line. Lyrically and vocally, the song pulls at the heartstrings with its dark and deeply personal undertones. “And now I drink myself to bed and I cry myself to work,” Maxwell sings, and “How can you really miss what you never really knew? I get the feeling, I do ||  How can you really miss what you never really had? I know that feeling, I do.” [post continues below]

 

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Shorter, Faster, Louder (May Hardcore Wrap-Up) || Deficit, Friction Control, Geishas Of Doom, Hounds Of War, Maladia, Reaksi, Regret, Special Branch, Veil II, Weenog

By / / Punk / 1 Comment

Though the majority of my posts are punk and garage leaning, I also listen to music that push the boundaries and expectations of this blog. I am talking about music that is a bit more extreme in terms of length, speed, and loudness. It’s the kind of music that may scare or disturb some, or met with plain disinterest by others, but I believe are still worth checking out. Each month I wrap-up those releases in one post: Shorter, Faster, Louder. [continues below]

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Shorter, Faster, Louder (May Hardcore Wrap-Up) || Deficit, Friction Control, Geishas Of Doom, Hounds Of War, Maladia, Reaksi, Regret, Special Branch, Veil II, WeenogRead More »

New album: Modern Amusement || Modern Amusement

By / / Alternative Rock / Leave a Comment

If we were still living in the 90’s, American rock duo Modern Amusement could easily have been on the charts alongside Oasis, Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, Wheatus, etc. – you can hear a lot of those influences on the self-titled full-length debut album by Sam Black (vocals, guitars, keyboards, harmonica, bass) and Marco Milo (it’s not exactly clear what his role is, besides making comics to the music), assisted by OK Go’s Dan Konopka (drums, production). These are eleven original songs full of hooks and entertaining lyrics, sung by a distinctive voice that won’t appeal to everyone but captivates me – strong uptempo songs that I keep playing these days. Even 20+ years after the 90’s we can very well use some Modern Amusement!

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Needles//Pins || Needles//Pins

By / / Punk / 2 Comments

Our brains are wired to see connections between events, facts and persons, but also bands. And whenever I hear new music from Needles//Pins I have to think about Sam Coffey And The Iron Lungs and vice versa. Both bands are from Canada (Vancouver and Toronto, respectively), both started around the same time (over a decade ago), and have had a similar musical trajectory. That is, both started out as garage bands with punk and pop leanings and a decidedly lo-fi and ramshackle sound before moving towards a bigger sound. For Sam Coffey, that sound evolved into arena sized rock on their excellent 2021 record Real One. In case of Needles//Pins, who just released their new self-titled record on Dirt Cult Records, the music has made a natural transition to the orgcore made famous by Hot Water Music. Gruff vocals, heartfelt punkrock, fist pumping anthems, you get the picture. Ten songs, 22 minutes. Their best record yet, if you ask me. What a week for Dirt Cult, which simultaneously released a new Neighborhood Brats record.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Dirt Cult Records

New album: Kevin Robertson || Sundown’s End

By / / Jangle Pop, Psych / 1 Comment

Scottish singer / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Kevin Robertson has already made some albums with his band The Vapour Trails, but here is his solo debut Sundown’s End, underlining his craftsmanship. He wrote eleven wonderful jangle pop songs in which you can hear influences from 60’s psych and late 70’s / 80’s power pop. Standout track Silicone Sun is such a perfect guitar song, with beautiful vocals, that are rarely made these days. Out now digitally and on CD via Subjangle / Futureman Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: True Loves || Sunday Afternoon

By / / Funk & Soul / Leave a Comment

Uplifting instrumental funk & soul on this sunny Sunday afternoon, anyone? The sophomore album by The True Loves is the ideal soundtrack for that moment. The eight musicians from Seattle know how to create a good mood with their instruments; it’s as if the guitar, bass, drums, two trombones, two saxophones, and percussion are talking to each other, complementing and amplifying the other players. Sunday Afternoon is out now digitally, on CD and blue vinyl LP via Color Red.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Color Red

New album: UV-TV || Always Something

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

UV-TV used to make super catchy and super fast garage punk with some twee undertones, most notably on their 2017 debut Glass. It was an exhilerating record and the one-two punch of You’re High and Run, Run (Morning Sun) was one of my musical highlights of that year. I must admit, I played their second record Happy (2019) less often. That one was less fast and less punk and I didn’t connect to it, despite some excellent songs like Hide and Happy. The latest UV-TV record has just arrived and shows a band that continues on a path away of garagepunk and towards pop: Always Something is more Alvvays and The Primitives than Neighborhood Brats. It’s a good record though, and songs like Wildflower, Distant Lullaby, Back To Nowhere will improve most playlists you put them on. Can’t wait to see this band live someday. Always Something is out now on Papercup Music.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Papercup Music

New album: Dennis Dalcin || The Incomplete Completeness

By / / Garage Rock, Jangle Pop / Leave a Comment

Dennis Dalcin has had an impressive career, which began 50 (!) years ago. The number of bands he played in is impressive, and includes Bite (1972), The Look (1974), The Shades (1976), Perfect Strangers (1982), The Petal Pushers (1988), and The Lears (1990). The Lears released one cd on Get Hip Records that I highly recommend. It’s like the Byrds but played slighty faster and louder. Ultimately, doing a deep dive into Dalcin’s career will likely add several releases to your wantlist. The Incomplete Completeness, out now on Kool Kat Musik, offers a good point of departure for such a deep dive. It’s a 17 song collection of previously unreleased tracks from Dalcin’s vault, and shows the many sides of Dalcin’s talent.

Add to wantlist: Kool Kat Musik

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