THE OFFICIAL NOT LAME BLOG

SONS OF BEACHES

2010-05-15T12:31:00.001-07:00

SONS OF BEACHES
By Mike Baron

There have been Beatle imitators and acolytes as long as there have been Beatles. Beatle imitators are legion. Three of the best are the Vinyl Kings, the Merrymakers, and The Rembrandts.

For the Beach Boys it’s another story. It took a long time for the collective musical consciousness to absorb Brian Wilson’s innovative chord progressions but finally, through osmosis and the ever-expanding pool of ever more sophisticated musicians, bands have finally caught up with the Beach Boys. Among the earliest and best of the Beach Boys pastiches is “Pale and Precious” by the Dukes of Stratospheare: Chips From the Chocolate Fireball.

The Dukes are actually XTC slumming. While most of Dukes deals in psychedelia inspired (again) by the Beatles as well as Jefferson Airplane, Floyd, Squeeze and a host of other bands, “Pale and Precious,” the album closer, draws inspiration from both early and late Beach Boys, combining the doo-wop choruses of “Let’s Do It Again/I Get Around” with the Van Dyke Parks collaboration “Surf’s Up.”

The first half of “Pale” features the advanced chord structures and fragile vocals of “Surf’s Up.” Midway the song breaks down into primordial Beach Boy doo-wop. This is an essential track for anyone who loves “Surf’s Up,” “Heroes and Villains,” and “Good Vibrations.”

Jeffrey Foskett has toured with the Beach Boys so he comes by his sound honestly. Foskett has his own voice which is apparent in any cover he does, but he is also the author of “Thru My Window,” the ultimate short and sweet Beach Boys song. Play this for the non-cognoscenti and they will swear it’s a long lost Brian Wilson composition. “Thru My Window” appears on several Jeffrey Foskett CDs including Stars in the Sand and Thru My Window. The latter used to be “the best Beach Boys album they never recorded.” No longer. That honor now belongs to Explorers Club.

Explorers Club’s Freedom Wind goes beyond the Beach Boys to build a near perfect distillation of everything that makes the Beach Boys great. Freedom Wind was my album of the year in ’08 and each new listening brings greater joy, the sign of a classic. If you love the Beach Boys you’ve got to get this record. No mere imitation, every song uses Brian Wilson chords to build unexpected yet logical pay-offs with stacked harmonies that pack a sneaky and unexpected emotional punch.

Sunrise Highway is another new band that uses the Beach Boys as a jumping off point. Less purely Wilsonian than Explorers Club, Sunrise Highway nonetheless effortlessly evokes the Beach Boys with its sunny harmonies and bittersweet chord progressions Songs like “Endless Summer” and “Lonely Guy” are obvious tributes. The rest of the album never strays far from the reservation while remaining totally fresh. “Big Brown Eyes” could easily be an Eagles song. The rest of the record is sui generis and pure delight.

The Sunchymes out of Northampton, England is another modern band eagerly following the Beach Boys trail. (Sunchymes is actually Aaron Hemington.) We are at the stage where Beach Boys-inspired bands are no longer a novelty. Their collective sound buoys the state of contemporary music

FOOL'S FACE LIVE AT LAST

2010-04-22T13:46:00.001-07:00

FOOLS FACE LIVE AT LAST

I saw Fools Face open for John Hiatt in Madison, WI in 1982. I had their two vinyl LPs, Tell America and Public Places on the Talk label. Fools Face did not disappoint, putting on a galvanizing fifty minute show.
They have now released a live record, Fools Face Live at Last (Talk, 2005) that is among the greatest rock recordings ever made. The recording is superb, the audience is electric, and the music itself is timeless fist-pumping power pop, song after song after song.
“To Be Someone” leads with pure rockin’ roots, a song from the heart of America, poignant bittersweet power chords like the Hawks or Spooner.
“American Guilt” should be the national anthem. It has a massive hook and invites sing-alongs. “Cherokee persuasion, Navajo town, got my reservation for the burial ground… Tell America her heart is in the right place, tell America be sure not to hate, tell America to move at her own pace, tell America it might be too late…when push comes to shove and we don’t have love…”
Guitars foam and snarl throughout. Listen to the guitar break on “Diamonds and Pearls.” It gave me a nosebleed. “Land of the Hunted” is a masterpiece of propulsion combining the urgency of 20/20 with the musical sass of the Buzzcocks. The recording was made in 2000 when these guys were in their forties and fifties. For anyone who loves rock this record will plunge you deep into your youth for sixty minutes.

RIP JEFF GLENN

2009-12-10T08:35:00.001-08:00

Two weeks ago, Not Lame Prez Bruce Brodeen shared the sad news with me that pop singer/songwriter and pop music archivist Jeff Glenn had recently passed away. Ironically, this news came a week after I had mentioned Jeff and his band the Retros in my most recent “Jangle On!” column. Like many of the other pop artists that I have come to know, Jeff was a talented, sweet and unselfish individual who believed that music is meant to be shared. And, like many of the other pop artists that I have grown to be long-distance friends with, I never met Jeff in person. We corresponded on numerous occasions via snail mail and email, and we even chatted a few times over the phone. The closest we came to meeting each other was August 2005, when Jeff hosted a Buffalo Springfield tribute show at the Mint in Los Angeles. I had airline tickets to fly to Los Angeles for a long weekend, but something came up and I never made that trip. I remember calling Jeff to let him know that I wouldn’t be able to attend the show, and in spite of his disappointment he let me know that he understood my circumstances. Come to think of it, I don’t believe that I ever heard Jeff express any ill will or convey negative thoughts toward others. The indie pop world was truly fortunate to have him as an ambassador for all things that are pop related.

I’m not sure how Jeff and I first “met” – but Jeff was kind enough to share the recordings of his band – the Retros – with me. The CDR that contained the Retros’ original songs and several cover songs blew me away. The songs had a crisp, jangly pseudo-60s sound, and the group’s harmonies on tunes like “Girl” and “Hey, Don’t Go Looking For Love” were terrific. The group synthesized the sounds of two of my favorite 60s bands – the Beach Boys and the Byrds – in a magnificent manner. I found it hard to believe that an indie label hadn’t released the band’s material on CD, and I began a decade-long campaign with Jeff to release the Retros’ original songs on a commercial CD. I was equally impressed with how well the band covered classic pop tunes from the Beatles, Byrds and more obscure 60s artists’ catalogs.

Although I never succeeded in my efforts to encourage the release of the Retros’ recordings, Jeff and his band mates were kind enough to record three wonderful cover tunes for each of the three tribute disc projects that I have been involved with. The Retros contributed “Long Time” (originally recorded by the Rose Garden in 1968) to the two-CD Full Circle: A Tribute to Gene Clark that was released by Not Lame in April 2000. Jeff and the Retros recorded another chestnut – “We’ll See” – for the Five Way Street: A Tribute to Buffalo Sprinfield that was released by Not Lame in May 2005. Last but not least, the Retros contributed a beautiful choir-like version of “He Was A Friend Of Mine” to the four-CD Timeless Flyte: A Tribute To The Byrds set that was released by RRO Entertainment in 2007.

Jeff also contributed regularly to my own music library by sending me 240 Jeffrey Glenn’s Lost Jukebox CDR compilations. Each CDR contained roughly 30 songs from the 60s, and the CDR color graphics displayed a 45 label from one of the featured songs. Many of these compilations had themes – ranging from Beatles knock-offs to name songs to holiday songs to novelty songs. Nearly every one of the 240 CDRs had a jangly nugget within the featured tracks. Jeff was an avid collector of vintage 60s pop, and I suspect that his vinly collection exceeded 50,000 records. Jeff also volunteered to convert material in my own vinyl collection onto CDR for me. When I asked him to do a compilation of obscure Phoenix-area bands and he listened to the records I had sent him, he asked me if he could incorporate this material into his Lost Jukebox series of discs. Needless to say, I was flattered that he asked! Jeff also sent me eight Under The Covers at Hawthorne High CDRs – which included numerous covers of Beach Boys songs done by artists around the world.

For those of you who had the pleasure of seeing Jeff and his Retros band mates perform at one of the Los Angeles International Pop Overthrow shows … or at a car show or at a party or at a wedding, you should count your blessings. You had the good fortune to see one of the nicest pop artists in his generation. Now, more than ever, I regret the circumstances that kept me from meeting Jeff in person four years ago. But every time I hear a Retros song, and every time that I play one of the many compilation discs that Jeff sent me, I will smile. Although my feelings may be melancholic, my day will be brightened by the musical legacy that Jeff has left all of us. Long may you run with your peer Spirits in the Sky, Sir Jeff!

More Eisele

2009-11-19T14:15:00.000-08:00

As if the previous weren't enough, James Eisele writes:
You are gonna freak when you hear my new cd (Perseverance). We purposely kept it all guitar - there are no keyboards or sax in any of it. My engineer said we should just focus on my guitar playing. He told me he wanted it to be the recording best representing my guitar playing. I think we achieved that. The recording is loosely based on Hendrix's Axis: Bold As Love, although we had to drop two songs off the cd because of possible copyright infringement. The songs will appear on our next cd when that gets worked out. It's too bad tho', those two songs are killer.
I'm also finishing up my next jazz/pop cd, Smooth Sailing. I think that's gonna be pretty good too - I've got Bob Corbit on that one as well as Tom McCarty on bass and Karri Daley (the gal that's sings on New Age). The songs are more recent so they have a little bit more to offer.

THE EISELEY BROTHER

2009-11-18T08:43:00.001-08:00

THE EISELE BROTHER

James Eisele is a gifted guitarist from Madison, Wisconsin who has been playing in blues bands for three decades. His blues guitar is drenched in bittersweet flletness with dazzling runs and shocking arpeggios. Now James has released two CDs, one devoted to the blues and one to jazz.

3rd Degree Blues is the type of music you’d expect to hear at Blue Chicago, Buddy Guy’s Club, or the Buffalo Chip during Bike Week at Sturgis. Michael BB on keyboards and Bob Corbit on sax make this an ass-shaking, deeply moving experience.

Coming Into a New Age is a collection of jazz originals that evoke a smoky night club in Harlem late at night. James’ warbly voice is an acquired taste but those who acquire it can’t get enough.

Both CDs are available from CD Baby. On Facebook, check out James Jeffrey Eisele.

Mike Baron's Top Ten 2009

2009-11-09T08:03:00.001-08:00

TOP TEN ‘09
By Mike Baron

The world have entered a gigantic metaphorical sphincter but there is progress in at least one field. Power pop has never been better. We are living in one of the great musical flowerings of history and it shows no sign of abating. I had a real problem picking just ten records for my top ten, so I kept on going. Just a little bit. We’ve still got a ways to go so I might have to update this list.

The qualitative differences among the top five are nugatory. One could easily choose any of them as the record of the year.

#1 The Shazam: Meteor. These big-hearted stadium rockers have been building toward this titanic yawp of iconic anthems for years.
“So Awesome” opens the record with a twenty-one guitar salute to the joy of living, lead guitar as hard and elegant as the Golden Gate Bridge. “Don’t Look Down” is a power ballad with every lick carved in stone. You could climb the notes like a staircase. Hans Rotenberry’s vocals are winsome and masterful, going from cooed aside to anthemic bellow in a heartbeat. “Disco at the Fairground” is the best Move song the Move never recorded. Alternating sinister, earth-chewing minor chords with drunken sailor music hall choruses it crunches euphorically. Zappa would approve.
“A Little Better” is a self-improvement song that might have come off Workingman’s Dead with a harder rock edge. “Always Tomorrow” is one of those bittersweet masterpieces built around a simple repeating guitar motif overlaid with Rotenberry’s pliant vocals filled with inchoate longing as is all great pop.
“Let it Fly” is an emotionally potent paean to hope harking back to “Squeeze the Day” from Tomorrow the World. The hushed beginning telegraphs its hortatory heart before that heavy bass cuts in. The chorus with its muffled kettledrums sends chills down your spine. This is life affirming rock that will have you grabbing an invisible Telecaster and yelling “YEAH!”
“Hey Mom I Got the Bomb” contains the lyric:

I got The Bomb, yeah I got The Bomb
If you don't think I'll use it you're ridiculously wrong

You have to hear this to get the full effect.
“Time For Pie” is a distillation of every great arena rock solo you ever heard.
As far as I know you can only order the record from www.theshazam.com and www.notlame.com. Should be available from cdbaby.com shortly. You won’t hear about the Shazam in Rolling Stone or Spin. You won’t hear them on Big Radio, certainly not on MTV or VH-1. The Shazam are merely the tip of the iceberg. And the hardest part of the iceberg too.

#2 Campbell Stokes Sunshine Recorder: Makes Your Ears Smile

One man band Andy Morten conducts a clinic in power pop dynamics dancing unerringly from hook to bridge to chorus with the grace of a psychedelic Fred Astaire. “Track One” opens in off-hand manner but within the space of a heartbeat transforms into the first of many thrilling anthems. Morten does everything well. Aside from the obvious songwriting and singing his drums are propulsive and mellifluous and his guitar playing is melodically spot on.
“She Looks Good in the Sun” nods to the Beach Boys but Morten’s style is as unique in its own way as Brian Wilson’s. His songs take unexpected but wholly appropriate turns. The one note wah-wah adds a delicious tension. “Tony Hazzard” is a goof on the disposable nature of pop music but the melody and dynamics are anything but. Like the other songs on this record they will echo in your skull.
With its McCartneyesque bass pops and progression of elegantly thrilling chords “Mrs. Bumble” is an instant classic, a mini-suite reminiscent of “Suite Judy Blue Eyes” or any number of Beatlesque freak-outs. A bridge as delicate as spun sugar segues into a chorus that’s all get up and go. Simply sublime.
“Everybody Loves the Good Times” is another insanely ambitious pop saga reminiscent of XTC without the clash of class warfare. Pitch perfect guitar adds poignant piquancy to a song with more changes than the second side of Abbey Road. This guy’s a pop Tchaikovsky.
“Feel the Sunshine” is merely the fifth astonishing song on one of the best records of the year. Any year.

#3 Fun: Aim and Ignite

Highly original orchestral rock with elements of Broadway musicals, Beach Boys, Sly and the Family Stone, Van Morrison, Dexys’ Midnight Runners, and Dylan. A song like “Benson Hedges” with its soaring harmonies and spectacular lead vocal performance lends weight to an eloquent, incoherent rant about the singer’s fucked-up life.
“All the Pretty Girls” could have come off Mika’s new CD, an irresistible dance ditty to a standoffish girl who threatens to leave. Very effective use of strings. “I Wanna be the One” matches Sly in its clever use of nursery-rhyme melodies incorporated into a larger structure. Fun is three guys: Jack Antonoff, Anderw Dost, and Nate Ruess. Doesn’t say who does what, but whoever sings lead has a commanding voice reminiscent of Freddie Mercury.
“At Least I’m Not as Sad” incorporates children chanting an elemental tune embellishing a horn chooglin’ reggae that grabs your attention like a desperate meth freak with vocal pyrotechnics and myriad rhythmic changes.
“Walking the Dog” also has reggae in the riddum and singing, a joyous paean to a woman who’s thinking of leaving, with a hook big enough to snag Moby Dick. “Barlights” has an almost gospel feel.
”The Gambler” is one of the most emotionally powerful songs I’ve ever heard. This is one of those great sui generis records like Dexys’ Too-Rye-Aye or Bryan Scary’s Flight of the Knife.

#4 Broken Promise Keeper: Ice Cold Pop

Straight-ahead pop rock as addictive as crack. Rob Stuart sounds effortless in everything he does, difficult to do when you’re providing your own rhythm section. Not only does he sound effortless he sounds unique in a way I haven’t heard since the first Marshall Crenshaw album. He defines his territory—the half acoustic straight ahead rocker (Tom Petty, Crenshaw, Billy Joel) and hits you with a triple combination that leaves you dazed and wanting more.
“Directions,” Worship From Afar,” and “Kristine” constitute three of the most killer first songs I’ve heard in years. BPK is instantly likeable and instantly identifiable. Some bands play their entire careers without forging an identifiable sound. All those American Idol winners.
“I Blame James,” call-checks James Kirk, James Bond, and James West as it speaks to the power of TV. Stuart’s take on “spy guitar” is pretty funny. The songs run one into another without breaks which I always like especially when they keep turning up the heat as they do here. Dig Stuart’s crazy bass line on “Look Out Hollywood.”
Effortless ass-kickin’ mastery.

#5 Throwback Suburbia

Instantly memorable series of great songs reminiscent of a thousand bands and yet unique. Craftsmanship is old school—distinctive melodies, powerful choruses, and satisfying hooks. These guys have studied their Brill Bdlg.
Keyboards give them country vibes, big guitars give them drama and tension. Jimi Evans’ honeyed tones sell everything from power ballads to lawn mowers and most songs feature three part harmonies. “Rewind” is a power ballad with guitar like the leaf spring off a Chevy truck smacking you in the head. I mean that in the best possible way. “Head Over Heels” is a joyful hand-clapper with sing along chorus. “Same Mistake” is a deliriously sweet castanet clappin’ dirge to self-destruction. I can almost see Lou Christie belting this at the Flamingo Lounge.
“All About Me” is a pitiless self-examination of narcissism that ought to be the official anthem of the Y Generation.
There’s more, much more and every one is a gem. The whole CD is a home run.

#6 Roger Klug: More Help For Your Nerves

‘Nother (mostly) damned one-man band. This is a mammoth selection of songs showing off Klug’s writing skills and musicianship. Every song has a chorus and a hook which we take for granted but you’d be surprised how many Billboard and EW hits get by on one chord or less. “Tinnitus” is an opening guitar blast that leads into the exuberant “Dump Me Hard,” among the most upbeat of failed relationship songs.
“I’m So Worried About Time” is an all-out rock onslaught that slides into a bluegrass break in the middle, then back to the avalanche. “For the Kids” is a heart breaker about a young woman geared toward motherhood. It’s not so much what Klug says but how he says it in elegiac chords that scream irony. Strong contender for Song of the Year.
“The Day I Had My Brain Removed” jolts with an unexpected but deliriously sweet hook, then marches off to a Scottish breakdown. A guitar duel highlights “Hi-Hat” which features one of Klug’s more unexpected hooks containing the memorable phrase, “Bored as Ohio.”
“When Dreams Dry Up” is another oxymoronic celebration of sadness alternating whispy Victorian regret with surprising vocal and instrumental vehemence. Klug is a clever wordsmith with unexpected rhymes, shifts, and dodges.
And so it goes, one great song after another.

#7 Curtains for You: What a Lovely Surprise to Wake up Here

Lilting melodies, soaring harmonies, and a liquid lead guitar that strokes the hypothalamus producing waves of pure pleasure land this Seattle quintet in the Top Ten. Like Explorers Club they mine the Beach Boys for inspiration but have a unique sound built around killer songs and Mikey Gervais’ sinewy guitar. I wish they’d mixed the vocals a little more upfront. Some lyrics remain opaque. Mikey and Matt Gervais with Nick Holman (b) and Peter Fedofsky (k) have an undeniable Everly Brothers vibe. .
The first four songs are joyous celebrations of all things hooky, building one on another into an stoppable locomotive of power pop which barely slows for the plaintive “Chain Link Fence.” “Dumb Angel” is an instant classic, as is this record.

#8 Paul Steel: MoonRock

This record begins on such an impossibly high note it would seem impossible to sustain at album length. And Paul Steel doesn’t quite make it but his sheer pop exuberance coupled with impressive compositional skills makes MoonRock one of the year’s most exciting releases. “In a Coma” begins with irresistible hand claps, great tonic and a hook that ratchets up the tension. Steel stacks vocals into towering harmonic wedding cakes.
The coda to “Moon Rock” is so overwrought as to overshadow the song, but the next song, “Oh No! Oh Yeah!” more than makes up for it with pop smarts, soaring harmonies and a honkin’ kazoo section. “Summer Song” is a bittersweet entry in the languid, end-of-summer blues similar to the Beach Boys’ “The Warmth of the Sun” or Scott Sax’ “I Am the Summer Time.”

#9 Lamar Holley: Confessions of a College Student

Lamar Holley’s musical-on-a-disc dedicated to the trials and travails of a first year college student contains several jaw-dropping mini-suites. “Biology” is a twelve course feast in itself, a mid-tempo winner about what the narrator’s really thinking about in a boring biology class. The record’s mostly about girls—how to get them, how to lose them, their unobtainability.
Holley’s got that Tin Pan Alley. vibe which yields well-balanced songs. He never cuts loose or rocks out, but charms with melody and crystalline arrangements. “Secretly” pines languidly to an oblivious girl, steel pedal guitar echoing the singer’s anguish.
“Madame Shamrock” is so rich in harmonic variation you may wish to consume it in tiny bites, like triple XXX dark chocolate. Holley has stumbled onto a set of harmonics that affect the lizard brain. It is difficult to stop listening. You may play this song all day. A fire could start and you wouldn’t notice. While there’s nothing else here that matches “Shamrock,” there is plenty to thrill.
Great production too.

#10 Vinyl Candy: Land

Land, a “rock opera” about an aspiring musician, presents a compelling narrative through an elegant succession of mini pop masterpieces that segue from one to the next. “All Along the Way” is typical of Vinyl Candy in that it which eschews the familiar first, fourth and fifth chords in favor of something fresher and more jazz-like. It’s not jazz—it’s fist-pumping rock with blistering guitars and intricate harmonies. But Vinyl Candy’s distinctive songwriting skills accompanied by monstrous guitar swirls give them a unique sound, one that does not suggest Jellyfish. Vinyl Candy sound more homogenous, more straight-ahead rock without Jellyfish’s charming eccentricity. .
Vinyl Candy occupies a sweet spot all their own, each song an intricate mosaic of brilliant chords, musicianship and singing. Listened to all at once they tend to blend into each other. Listened to individually they sparkle. Vinyl Candy also shows what can be done with album art in a small package, although I would dearly love access to the lyrics, either through an insert on online.

#11 The High Dials: Moon Country

Insanely ambitious psychedelic twofer from the Montreal quartet incorporating their whole arsenal of buzzing guitars, stacked vocals and Zombie-like song structures. The guitar riff that opens “(Do the) Memory Lapse” attaches itself to your brain like the Alien face hugger. With songs like “Killer of Dragons” and “Oison my Bastard Brother” the meaning is sometimes obscure but the breadth and the scope of the music are enormous.
At turns mesmerizing and threatening, Moon Country is as vast and mysterious as an undiscovered continent. The standing here doesn’t really reflect the quality of the music but the competition this year has been ferocious. The package is awful—a double cardboard sleeve from which the discs tumble every time you look at it, dark, muddy lettering and a cover painting that looks like a misprint. Produced “with the participation of the government of Canada (Canada Music Fund.” At least the Canucks know how to spend their stimulus money.

#12 Jeff Litman: Postscript

Heartfelt, personal and extremely melodic debut needs no lyric sheet because of the upfront intimacy of Litman’s voice. Acoustic power through excellent song structure—listen to “Complicate” and “Open Arms,” material that recalls Josh Rouse ca. 1972.
Kelly Jones joins Litman for “Maine.”

#13 Valley Lodge: Semester at Sea

Eric Sorensen's JANGLE ON for October 2009!!!

2009-10-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

JANGLE ON!
By Eric Sorensen‏, written exclusively for NOT LAME

I wanted to share a few “discoveries” with fellow jangleholics before I head north to relax and enjoy the Hudson River Valley, Maine and Vermont fall foliage. We’ll be taking plenty of CDs along for this autumn road trip. Before I discuss the latest in jangly discs and songs, top billing this month goes to the Roger McGuinn LIVE AT THE BASEMENT DVD released by ABC Entertainment. This DVD, which includes fourteen songs interspersed with Roger’s commentary, is available from numerous online sources for less than $15. McGuinn alternates between his signature Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar and his signature Martin 12-string acoustic guitar on the featured songs. The DVD concludes on a very strong note – with McGuinn performing “John Reilly” and “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” on his Rickenbacker 370RM. This DVD is a MUST for any McGuinn or Byrds fan!

And now, the best of the rest:

The Tabasco Flowers-UNREST
As the liner notes explain, all songs are written, arranged and performed by Gregory A. Latinette … who is the sole member of the Tabasco Flowers. Latinette is pictured playing a Rickenbacker 12-string guitar in the jewel case insert so it should come as now surprise that this disc is overflowing with jangly, chiming tracks. “Easy Time,” “My Affirmation,” “Spark In Bethany,” “I Am Near” and “Should Never Come The Day” are the standout tunes. Latinette’s nasal vocals remind me of the Dashboard Saviors and the Bodeans, and his Rickenbacker chops are reminiscent of the Flamin’ Groovies. Long may you run, Sir Gregory!

Speaking of the Flamin’ Groovies, Groovies alum Cyril Jordan and his new bandmates with Magic Christian have released their stellar sophomore effort – EVOLVER. This disc is overloaded with chiming, ringing songs: “All The Stars,” “In Your Arms,” “Run And Hide,” “Sha La La,” “Come And Go” and a lively cover version of the Beatles’ “Anytime At All.” The Rickenbacker 12-string sound is alive and kickin’ in the San Francisco area again thanks to Cyril Jordan and his new posse.

Mark Cronk - PLAYING KATCHUP
The chiming “She’s The Girl” takes “Song of the Month” honors this month … and it is representative of a terrific pop disc that jangles from start to finish. Other standout tunes include “I’ve Seen Your Face Before,” “How Many Times” and “Irene.” Bruce Brodeen compares Mark’s work to the Spongetones … but I also hear some similarities with AM radio hits by Gary Lewis and the Playboys … and similarities to one of the most unheralded indie pop bands of our time – the Retros. Note to self: remind Jeff Glenn to release that superb Retros album that is already recorded! Until that occurs, PLAYING KATCHUP will keep fans of cheery, toe-tappin’ pop music happy.

Jeff Larson - HEART OF THE VALLEY
Add this disc to one of indie pop’s most impressive resumes. The very talented Jeff Larson shines again with the usual supporting cast (America’s Gerry Beckley) and yet another assortment of cream-of-the-crop songs. The singing and instrumentation are always spot-on, and chiming guitars sublty enhance “Sudden Soldier” and “Minus Marci.” Jeff Larson has long been a member of my Pop All-Star Band; this disc is further evidence that he stands head-and-shoulders above many of his peers.

Maplewood - YETI BOOMBOX
This NYC-based band shows its affection for “canyon rock” once again. “Dust” and “Over The Hills And Down The Hollow” showcase the greatest amount of 12-string guitar and pedal steel guitar jangle’n’twang. For those too young to remember the Flying Burrito Brothers, Maplewood is the contemporary band that will definitely turn you on to the “canyon rock” genre of music.

While First In Space doesn’t fall into the jangle pop artist category, their new disc GERONIMO is top-notch pop/rock from start to finish, and the song “It’s All Gone To Hell” does feature some chiming lead guitar riffs. The band represents a crisp blend of the Gin Blossom, Miracle Legion and Better Than Ezra.

A country crossover pop tune that is achin’ to be played on mainstream radio is the very jangly “Amazing Love” from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s latest disc – SPEED OF LIFE.

Although I haven’t heard the disc yet, the concept of A TRIBUTE TO RICH HOPKINS is quite appealing because it features the songs of Rich Hopkins – AKA the Godfather of Desert Rock. Rich was a founding member of Tucson’s legendary Sidewinders/Sand Rubies; he has released numerous discs on a solo basis or with the revolving members of the Luminarios; and he has produced many other groups in the southwestern music community. Rich is also a very unselfish artist who has contributed his efforts to homeless shelters and migrant worker causes. A TRIBUTE TO RICH HOPKINS is no different – all proceeds will go to the Greg Goode Scholarship Fund. You can order this disc from the www.sanjacintorecords.com website.

Last, but not least, I will mention that Maura Kennedy’s first solo album, PARADE OF ECHOES, will be officially released in January 2010. Fans don’t have to wait until next year to hear these terrific pop tunes – you can order the disc online from www.kennedysmusic.com. The same gorgeous voice, strong songwriting and textured guitars that the Kennedys (Pete and Maura) are known for are still here in abundance, but with a bit more edge and confidence. Catch the Kennedys in concert to enjoy the best of their collaborative and solo efforts.

For those who like to surf the net and view YouTube videos, check out Scaler Wave’s great renditions of the Byrds’ “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and “Eight Miles High.” The Rickenbacker 370RM riffs and the video’s vintage touches are quite impressive.

Until next time, jangle on!

Eric Sorensen's JANGLE ON for August 2009!!!

2009-08-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

JANGLE ON!
By Eric Sorensen‏, written exclusively for NOT LAME

Just when it appeared that chiming Rickenbacker guitars were falling out of favor, I discovered a surfeit of jangly albums and jangly tunes this past month – proving again that the "feast or famine" cycle still occurs in pop music scene. New discs and new tunes that have made my "Jangle Pop" play list over the past month include:

Seven O'Clock Junkies - HERE COMES EVERYTHING
Wow! Sometimes a CDBaby search unearths a gem such as this 2003 release that features Darryl Everitt and a supporting cast. There are chiming, jangly tracks throughout this disc that merit comparisons with Dom Mariani and the Someloves, the Connells, the Gin Blossoms, Guadalcanal Diary, Smart Brown Handbag and Matthew Sweet. Standout tunes include "Don’t Talk To Me About Love", "I’m Not Following", "Everyone’s Allowed A Little Dreaming", "That Girl Is For Another Day" and "Sunday Night’s Goodbye". This is superb power-pop album that features a rich tapestry of chiming guitars in all the right places. Long may you run, Sir Darryl!

Speaking of Dom Mariani – check out the stunning instrumental track he recorded with the Majestic Kelp, "The Byrds Have Flown". A very nice nod to Roger McGuinn and the Byrds!

The Wonderwheel - SAFE AND SORRY
The good folks at Rainbow Quartz have discovered a Norwegian duo – Oyvind Holm and Ulf Risnes – who combine their talents to conjure up Simon and Garfunkel, Seals and Crofts and Matthew Sweet references. The twelve original tracks feature plenty of strummy acoustic riffs and catchy layered vocals. This disc deserves "Top Ten" consideration for 2009. My favorite track: "If She Don't Mind" – which features jangly electric guitar and smooth vocals that hearken back to the Lennon/McCartney era of songwriting. Many thanks to Rainbow Quartz!

Another recent Rainbow Quartz release worthy of mention is MAGIC CIRCLES by the June. "Sir Eugene Maddog" is as close to a jangly track as this album has to offer, but the disc lives up to its Rainbow Quartz pedigree by featuring excellent pseudo-60s psych-pop.

Jeremy - JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE HEART
When he’s not recording gorgeous instrumental albums, producing the works of other artists and attending to JAM Records matters, Jeremy Morris still finds the time to release primo pop that is overflowing with jangly guitar riffs. His latest solo release – JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE HEART – will definitely please Rickenbacker fans! "Church of Byrds", "Love Is Gonna Win", "Vanity Fare" and "Sweet, Sweet Relief" all showcase Jeremy’s love for chiming 12-string guitar. I cannot think of another pop artist who is as prolific or as on top of his art form than Jeremy Morris. Long may you run, Sir Jeremy!

It’s hard to use the word "prolific" without also mentioning guitar virtuoso Les Fradkin. If you’re in the mood for Bob Dylan tunes that feature an updated Rickenbacker 12-string sound, look no further than Les’ 2006 RRO release IF YOUR MEMORY SERVES YOU WELL. This disc features Les’ interpretation of ten Dylan songs, and every track should make Bob (and Roger) proud. Here’s hoping that Les will book a show date on the east coast and I will finally get the chance to meet him and hear him perform!

In the "blast from the past" category is MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH KISSING by Euphoria’s Id. I love it when indie labels dig up vintage material from the mid-60s. This disc features a Byrdsian version of "Morning Dew" and a cover of another jangly favorite from that era – "Hey Joe".

Another, more current "blast from the past" is ON THE FLOOR OF HEAVEN by the Blue Shadows. The group featured the terrific Everly Brothers-like harmonies of Billy Cowsill (the Cowsill brother who sadly died during Hurricane Katrina) and Jeffrey Hatcher. The album has some wonderful ballads whose poignancy is strengthened by Hatcher’s Rickenbacker 12-string riffs. "Is Anybody Here" is one of my favorite all-time country crossover tunes.

Robert Gray - BORN READY
Yet another CDBaby find. Although it’s not jangly, this album has a strong appeal due to its the Beach Boys-inspired melodies. Gray’s vocals remind me of Richard Snow...and to a lesser extent, Arthur Lee of Love. This is a very pleasing listen from start to finish.

I have always been a big fan of cover tunes when they are performed with reverence for the original songs. Three recent albums are loaded with excellent cover songs from the 60s and 70s: UNDER THE COVERS VOL. 2 by Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs (AKA Sid and Susie); OUT OF THE BOX by Dwight Twilley; and COPY CAT by Andrew Gold. If you dig how Andrew covers Lennon/McCartney and Brian Wilson tunes, you will also enjoy his 1998 LEFTOVERS album...and his classic GREETINGS FROM PLANET LOVE by the Fraternal Order of the All. Andrew Gold is a one-man Pop All Star Band!

"Song of the Month" honors go to "New Driftwood" by the Trap. Runner-up tunes include "The Rain Inside" by the Electric Marmalade, "False Prophets" by the American Hot Club Band and "Hey Gene" (in memory of Gene Clark) by the Choir.

Last but not least, this year’s INTERNATIONAL POP OVERTHROW VOLUME 12 compilation includes many pop gems and a few jangly sparklers. Look no further than "His Vision Of Her" by the Smiling Eyes, "Fishwife" by Plasticsoul, "Thank You" by the Starfire Band, "Anna" by Jeff Littman, "Sorting Out The Rules" by K.C. Bowman, "My Star" by Sugar High and "See About Me" by the Shamus Twins.

For those of you who are fortunate enough to attend the IPO Festival in Los Angeles this month, I am envious that you may see some of these artists perform live. For those of us on the east coast, there is always the Charlotte Pop Festival the last weekend in September to look forward to.

Until next time, jangle on!

Mike Baron's Review of the new SHAZAM album!!!

2009-08-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

The Shazam - METEOR (Not Lame)

Nashville’s The Shazam have been around since 1993, stunning audiences with anthemic, hook-laden rock in the spirit of their two poles, The Who and The Move. They moved beyond those obvious influences on ‘03s stunning TOMORROW THE WORLD, a blast of rawk big enough to fill ten Olympic stadiums.

The Shazam are part of the underground independent pop scene, the guys who gather for the Charlottesville Power Pop Festival, International Pop Overthrow, or SXSW. Shazam have been with Not Lame since 1999’s masterful GODSPEED THE SHAZAM. This is the first disc Not Lame has produced in three years, not counting their annual
INTERNATIONAL POP OVERTHROW compilations. METEOR is a titanic yawp of brilliantly executed hard rock anthems alternating with hooks so sweet they take your breath away. Hans Rotenberry, who wrote and sings the songs, has carved style from extreme rock dynamics crossed with a sweet, supple voice.

"So Awesome" opens the record with a twenty-one guitar salute to the sheer joy of living, lead guitar as hard and elegant as the Golden Gate Bridge. "Don’t Look Down" is a power ballad with guitar written in rock. You could climb the notes like a staircase. Rotenberry’s vocals are winsome and masterful, going from cooed aside
to anthemic bellow in a heartbeat. "Disco at the Fairground" is the best Move song the Move never recorded. Alternating sinister, earth-chewing minor chord guitars with drunken sailor music hall choruses it crunches euphorically. Zappa would approve.

"A Little Better" is a self-improvement song that might have come off WORKINGMAN'S DEAD with a slightly harder rock edge. "Always Tomorrow" is one of those bittersweet masterpieces built around a simple repeating guitar motif overlaid with Rotenberry's
pliant vocals, filled with inchoate longing as is all great pop. "Let It Fly" is more of the same only better, harking back to "Squeeze the Day" from TOMORROW THE WORLD. This is life affirming rock that will have you pumping your fist in the air and yelling "YEAH!"

"Hey Mom I Got the Bomb" contains the lyric:

I got The Bomb, yeah I got The Bomb
If you don't think I'll use it you're ridiculously wrong!

You really have to hear this to get the full effect.

"Time For Pie", the closer, is a distillation of every great arena rock guitar solo you ever heard.

As far as I know you can only order the record from notlame.com, just as all the underground indie popsters are only available online, most with cdbaby.com. You won’t hear about the Shazam in Rolling Stone or Spin. You won’t hear them on Big Radio, certainly not on MTV or VH-1. But the Shazam are merely the tip of the iceberg. And the hardest part of the iceberg too.

Have you heard the new Cheap Trick...on 8-TRACK???

2009-07-29T20:03:00.001-07:00

Cheap Trick's latest album, THE LATEST, is available digitally, but the pop-rockers are going back in time to also release the album as a, get this, 8-track! You always hear people decrying the demise of vinyl, but aren't 8-tracks best left to 70s nostalgic reminising? I remember the stereo in my mom's car and how, as the 80s went one, one by one her Carpenters and Neil Diamond 8-track were eaten and spooled all over the front seat until she broke down and bought a cassette player--in 1988!!!

Here's a preview widget of the new album!!! What do you think? Rocks pretty hard--pretty sure I'll be buying it on CD! Or possibly reel-to-reel.

What new on the NOT LAME shelves??? 07. 29.09 Part One

2009-07-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

Here's some of the newest releases straight from the Boss's desk to your ears!

Peter and the Penguins-HOW TO CHOOSE A SWEETHEART
SWEDISH IMPORT! A stunner for fans of The Spongetones and other newer bands that have arrived in the last few years happily digging up the Mersey sounds of early Beatles like The Fore and The Offbeat!!!

"They usher in the new beat(le-esque) era, and are the latest, fab stewards of the good ship Beatle-esque to steer the ears of melodic pop fans and denizens of the beat music era to a rousing chorus of yeah, yeah, yeahs.There`s no doubt about it: Peter and the Penguins is the Beatle-esque `it` band of the moment. If Beatle-esque and beat pop are your game, then you`re in for a great time, and you can`t beat that!" - Alan Haber, Buhdge.com

David Grahame - DT & THE DISAGREEABLES
MORE BIG, BIG NEWS! Another bonafide power-pop classic - no question! Forty copies arrived the other day and only a few are left - DO NOT WAIT! If you have noticed, in the last few months, I have made available some of long out of print titles from David Grahame. Yes, for a short time.The latest one to be unearthed is DT & THE DISAGREEABLES. It's hook after hook after hook. Usually such albums leave the passionate pop fan breathless at the end. But as with his body of work, the feeling here is "ready for me, bring it on". Such is the light, easy and transcendent joy of albums such as DT & THE DISAGREEABLES.

"Top 5 of 2004! The mercurial Mr. Grahame strikes again, doling out a bunch of sweet pop tunes that are impossible to shake." - John Borack, Amplifier

Michael Carpenter - REDEMPTION #39
COMES WITH BONUS 15 song CD-R "best of" compilation called THE NOT LAME YEARS!!! LIMITED!!! The latest evolutionary step for Carpenter is REDEMPTION #39, for me his most consistent, most accomplished project yet. The album showcases an uncompromising, stylised sonic palette that reflects the album`s starker themes and content. While it has the familiar colors of power-pop and alt-country, his fans have come to expect from his solo output, this material comes from a more distinct creative place.

The Pleasers - THAMESBEAT
SKINNY TIE ALERT!! Japanese Only CD!!! The Pleasers were all about the Merseybeat side of that new strain of Beatles inspired power pop that was evolving at the time. They were a bit too worshipful of those sounds(and looks - they all dressed in matching suits and skinny ties a la The Knack) to make a dent on the upheaval of the music scene of the time but just listen to the samples below and you will find that this is a band that is great find for many Not Lamers. This CD has twenty-four tracks total. Twelve from their released EPs of the time and twelve bonus. Extremely Highly Recommended!

Tony Cox - UNPUBLISHED
A FIND!!! Yeah, this what pop fans are always looking for: that unknown, undiscovered treasure and Tony Cox IS. UNPUBLISHED is an album of gorgeously executed, perfect pop songs will leave you breathless - as good as anything else you will hear all year.

"10 out of 10. This Tony`s first release and consists of 11 self-penned, perfectly crafted pop songs. If you love melodies that float around your head for days you will love this album. Tony`s songs are effortlessly structured in a classic pop style." - CD Universe

"It is refreshing to be able to listen to an album made in 2009 that marries itself so lovingly with 60`s PowerPop. Tony Cox will find his place in the PowerPop spotlight." - Modern PowerPop blog

The Leftovers - EAGER TO PLEASE
The Leftovers have moved into my Top 10 for 2009 so far! Filled with ultra-catchy power pop gems, EAGER TO PLEASE successfully combines the classic 60s sounds of the Beatles, Beach Boys and Phil Spector and the 70s PowerPop of Elvis Costello, the Romantics and the Rubinoos, while keeping the upbeat energy of the Ramones and the Queers.

"Pure pop perfection - add a strong punk influence, a la the Ramones, salt in a bit of Elvis Costello and pepper with The Beatles and you are feasting on the tasty treat we know as "The Leftovers"." -Smart Punk

Here's the news you've been waiting for...the return of THE SHAZAM!!!

2009-07-12T20:34:00.001-07:00

Bruce has got big news for you guys!!!

Hey - Hey - HEY!

One of the true classic, hot rocking bands in the last 15 years...RETURNS!

Ladies & Gentlemen, won`t you please welcome back... THE SHAZAM!!!

Recorded at Sage & Sound in Hollywood, METEOR is produced by Mack, who produced Queen, Black Sabbath, Sparks, Billy Squier, and has worked with Electric Light Orchestra, T. Rex, The Sweet, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Elton John and the Rolling Stones, among others. Collaborating with Mack marks a turning point in the band's 15-year career, giving them the opportunity to record an album with the rock legend who worked on the very albums that influenced their music.

And YOU, mighty rawk fan, have the salivating opportunity to sink your teeth into a "whole lotta (Shazam) love" - with a very special Limited, Super Special Edition of METEOR. How long this version will be available is completely unknown. Could be days, a few weeks...but it will be gone before METEOR drops on August 4th.

Where you stand right now, inside the velvet-rope access to the pantheon of rock Gods (this site, this link!), you have a chance - a rare, limited chance - to snag this extremely limited version of The Shazam's new CD. For $22, you will own, enjoy and experience the digipak edition of METEOR and receive a professionally replicated six-song mini-CD of unreleased, never-before-heard Shazam rarities called HERE'S TO ALL THE MISFITS... AND a 10-song CD-R THE BEST OF THE SHAZAM, which includes one more totally unreleased Shazam track (and, trust me, this is an unheard bonafide Shazam classic!) from the GODSPEED THE SHAZAM sessions. This unheard Shazam gem will tease 'n' tantalize you as an exclusive preview of the upcoming 2010 release of the 2 CD Deluxe reissue of GODSPEED THE SHAZAM, one of the great achievements in real, righteous rock 'n' roll in the last fifteen years, then, now and forever. Amen.

Click Here to view information on the six tracks on HERE'S TO ALL THE MISFITS...

BOTTOM LINE: This extremely, limited, super special edition of METEOR is strictly limited to 250 copies. Rest assured, you will own a future eBay rarity, much sought after by those late to the party and not tuned into the Not Lame lifestyle. To order this special edition, click here.

***** If you want to simply order just the single CD version of METEOR (and not this special edition on this page), click here to order single CD version.*****

Okay, exhale the (just and proper) hype and let's continue to talk about this new Shazam album. The Shazam's garage rock and power-pop roots intertwine to make METEOR the band`s biggest sounding record yet. "So Awesome", the explosive lead-off track, sets the stage for the whole gamut of The Shazam`s modern classic rock: big, Who-sized guitars collide with glittering insanity, melodic hooks, anthemic rockers, sweeping balladry, layers of vocals, resounding drums, guitars, guitars, guitars. With each successive Shazam album, the band has grown from small-screen to wide-screen in terms of production and grandeur. It was the stripped-down English Mod approach of their 1997 debut that gave The Shazam the credit for starting Nashville`s "power-pop" scene. With sophomore release GODSPEED THE SHAZAM came mellotrons, theremins and overblown psychedelia. Dubbed their "experimental" album, REV9 was the bridge from GODSPEED to TOMORROW THE WORLD's full-tilt arena rock. METEOR is everything Shazam all at once.

All songs on the album were written by singer/guitarist Hans Rotenberry, whose soaring vocals were never more inspired than on METEOR`s 11 powerful tracks. Drummer Scott Ballew, with the band since its formation in 1994, is Rotenberry`s creative foil. Ballew`s distinctive thundering beat is the engine that makes The Shazam run. Jeremy Asbrock`s crisp guitar work and newest member Mike Vargo`s melodic bass playing are the perfect complement to Rotenberry`s and Ballew`s exuberance.

Now is the time celebrate an event in the middle of summer and remind yourself of the true, visceral, transcendent joy of what rock `n roll means in 2009 and beyond. METEOR is not just another album to put on your shelf and occasionally play. It will be a precious piece of your life, a sideman, a stately presence, a reminder of how a great piece of music colors the corners of your life with more meaning, more joy and the spirit of that rock flame that burns inside real music fans.

Engage. Enjoy. This one is for you. Right here, right now.

Eric Sorensen's JANGLE ON for July 2009!!!

2009-07-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

JANGLE ON!
By Eric Sorensen‏, written exclusively for NOT LAME

Jangly music may not be as prevalent as it was five years ago (the influence that Boomers have on popular music may finally be dissipating), but it’s still out there. It’s just getting a little harder to find and INTERNET resources are certainly useful in finding it. New discs and new tunes that have made my “Jangle Pop” play list over the past two months include:

Peter & The Penguins - HOW TO CHOOSE A SWEETHEART
Fans of Beatlesque pop have good reason to be excited about this 14-track album that brings back fond memories of the Spongetones’ early albums. The album features formulaic Fab Four-inspired pop tunes (period lyrical content, the construct of the melodies) that are overflowing with chiming, ringing Rickenbacker 12-string riffs. Want proof? Just listen to "She Took Me By Surprise", "Sweetheart", "There’s No Living Here Without You" and "That Day Will Come". You will be hard-pressed to find another new pop album that jangles as much as this one does!

Radio City – RADIO CITY
Radio Heartbeat Records has reached back--30 years into the past--to release these gems by an overlooked power-pop band from that era. The album credits indicate that three band members shared 12-string guitar duties...and it’s all good! "Don’t Mistake Love" and "Little Runaway" are the best of the chiming tracks, but the entire album is a feast for power-pop purists.

The Fire Marshals of Bethlehem - THE WORLD FROM THE BACK SEAT
This is the sophomore disc from a group that reminds me of the Kennedys, the Living Room Legends and the Trolleyvox. In other words: this band features excellent boy-girl vocals and lots of chiming guitars. "High Times" and "Off The Track" are the standout tunes on this top-notch disc.

Two Pound Planet - SONGS FROM THE HYDROGEN JUKEBOX
The wait for the re-release of this Mitch Easter-produced 1993 album was well worth it! The songs on this album deserved as much commercial airplay as the tracks from the Gin Blossoms’ NEW MISERABLE EXPERIENCE, but that was not the case. Sixteen years later, pop fans can still admire the talent and songcraft that was concentrated in this superb album. Although only one track – "Gone" – falls neatly into the jangle-pop category, SONGS FROM THE HYDROGEN JUKEBOX remains a worthy example of how a pop album should be built from start to finish.

Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey - HERE AND NOW
Sometimes you can go back...and former bandmates and musical pals Holsapple and Stamey have done just that. "Early In The Morning" sounds as Byrdsian as any song that Holsapple and Stamey have released together and the track has a distinct Velvet Crush/Chastain-Menck vibe to it. "Tape Op Blues" concludes the album with a nice strummy track. Like their earlier collaborations, HERE AND NOW will be a timeless testament to this duo’s talent!

Other jangly songs that have caught my ear include: "Built To Last" by the Lemon Clocks (a band that includes Jangle All Star Pop musician Jeremy Morris – AKA Jeremy); "Sweet Relief", a new jangly solo track by Jeremy; "Coming Of Age", a terrific chiming Rickenbacker tune from the next album by GAT (Graham Allman Talbot); "Another Day Without You", from the forthcoming album by the Crown Prince of 12-String, Horst-Peter Schmidt; "I Feel Alright", by Your Gracious Host; "Journeyman" by the Lovetones; "Come With Me" by the Pete Best Band; "Billy" by Gyllene Tider and "Goodbye" by Ice Cold Pop.

Yes, jangly tracks may be a little harder to find these days, but they’re worth the search. Thanks again to the talented indie artists who share their material with me, and thanks to my good friend in Rhode Island, Ray Verno, who discovers jangly nuggets through the INTERNET. If anyone ever asks you what a Rickenbacker 12-string guitar sounds like, tell him/her "You’ll know it when you hear it!"

Until next time, jangle on!

More info on THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND!!!

2009-06-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

More info is becoming available about this September's THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND game, and, I'm starting to get the feeling that many Power-Poppers will be going out and getting an XBOX360 just for this! Just look at what the set comes with! The instrument peripherals include Ringo's Ludwig drum controller, a Rickenbacker 325 and Gretsch Duo Jet-inspired guitar controllers and a Höfner 500/1-inspired bass controller. That's just beautiful, if you ask me. Now just check out the trailer:

Mike Baron's THE POP UNDERGROUND STRIKES BACK!!!

2009-06-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

NOT LAME best buddy Mike Baron has been writing insanely fun missive for Breitbart's Big Hollywood, and, this time, he wants everyone to know about the BEST in current Power-pop!!!

THE POP UNDERGROUND STRIKES BACK
by Mike Baron

Few shows illustrate how low the state of popular music has fallen than “American Idol.” While AI regularly finds singers of talent, the songs they feature are mostly chestnuts. The show also encourages the type of singing that is more at home on Broadway than in small smoky clubs. The judges put an inordinate amount of focus on vocal pyrotechnics encouraging contestants to test the outer limits of their ranges. The most exciting news to come out of the most recent season is the possibility that Adam Lambert might join Queen, replacing the ill-considered Paul Rogers.

I would love to see Adam Lambert join Queen. I already know all the songs. And that’s a problem. Singer/songwriters have been moving off-grid since the nineties. With the demise of the major music conglomerates, innovative talent understands it’s up to them to record and release their own material. The internet makes this possible. No one knows the extent of the effect downloading has had on the music industry, but if we are to judge from the reaction, it has been devastating. The Recording Institute Association of America has brought suits against parents whose children illegally download songs.

The music press that used to serve a vast range of interests is dying. No Depression and Blender bit the dust last year. Paste is asking its readers for financial contributions. Rolling Stone and Spin long ago gave up covering innovative grass-roots rock in favor of the ever-dwindling supply of “mainstream” acts. Rolling Stone now resembles an uncomfortable cross between The Nation and Vanity Fair.

The remaining music rags seem to be involved in a conspiracy to cover the same artists. How else to explain the simultaneous cover appearances of such bands as Vampire Weekend, Connor Oberst, and Bat for Lashes? These are the “official,” industry sanctioned “edgy artists.” Trouble is, all these music venues are waiting for someone else to sanction an artist before they’re interested. They are missing the forest for the trees.

Continued here.

Gone Troppo: EMI's Announced ANOTHER Lackluster George Harrison Best Of.

2009-06-02T20:16:00.001-07:00

My sweet Lord...can George Harrison get just a little bit of respect? A little?

I receive regular updates on all things Beatles and the other day, this announcement showed up in my box:

Collection Features Harrison's Solo Hits from 1970's All Things Must Pass Through 2002's Brainwashed, Remastered, Plus Live Recordings from 1971 Concert For Bangladesh

Hollywood, California - May 5, 2009 - Capitol/EMI confirms the tracklist for George Harrison's first-ever career-spanning solo hits collection, Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison. To be released June 16 (June 15 internationally), the CD's special packaging includes a 28-page booklet featuring previously unseen and rare photos, and newly-written liner notes by Warren Zanes. The collection's 19 tracks have been digitally remastered by Giles Martin at EMI's Abbey Road Studios, and will be available in CD and digital formats.

"Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison is a gathering of material that takes us far into the territory that was ultimately a place unique to George Harrison," writes Warren Zanes in his liner notes essay for the new collection.

This collection is the first to span Harrison's entire solo recording career, including the #1 Billboard Pop singles "My Sweet Lord," "Isn't It A Pity," "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)," and "Got My Mind Set On You." Let It Roll also features live recordings of three timeless Harrison-penned Beatles songs, "Something," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," and "Here Comes The Sun," from his 1971 all-star Concert For Bangladesh benefit at Madison Square Garden

Almost everyday I think about a George Harrison Greatest Hits album. He's the only one who has never really gotten the one he deserves. John has had box sets and numerous single discs, Paul McCartney's WINGSPAN from a few years back was the final word and even Ringo last year released the stellar PHOTOGRAPH: THE VERY BEST OF RINGO STARR which made number one on my favorite 2008 "best of/reissue list.

Yes...even Ringo.

But George's solo work has been sorely ignored. It started in 1976 with the release of THE BEST OF GEORGE HARRISON with one whole side made up of Beatles cuts. Compare that to SHAVED FISH or BLAST FROM YOUR PAST, John and Ringo's best-ofs, respectively, from roughly the same time period. There was no reason for the Beatles tracks, but the solo stuff was great, going as far as to include "You", "Dark Horse" and the studio cut of "Bangla Desh". And it had a hideous cover to boot.

Many years later, things improved nicely with THE BEST OF DARK HORSE (1976-1989), which covers a very neglected time-period in Harrison's career, but, of course, it's out of print, with new copies going for as much as $80. (I bought my copy in middle school and still play it regularly.)

Still, Harrison deserved an exhaustive collection, especially in the wake of his death! Nothing materialized, until now. Here's the track listing for LET IT ROLL:

1. Got My Mind Set On You
2. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)
3. The Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
4. My Sweet Lord
5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps [Live] - Concert For Bangladesh
6. All Things Must Pass
7. Any Road
8. This Is Love
9. All Those Years Ago
10. Marwa Blues
11. What Is Life
12. Rising Sun
13. When We Was Fab
14. Something [Live] - Concert For Bangladesh
15. Blow Away
16. Cheer Down
17. Here Comes The Sun [Live] - Concert For Bangladesh
18. I Don't Want To Do It
19. Isn't It A Pity

No "Ding Dong", no "Hari's On Tour". No "Dark Horse", no "You". No "Love Comes to Everyone", no "Crackerbox Palace". Nothing from GONE TROPPO or the LIVE IN JAPAN album. And the Bangladesh stuff? IT'S JUST BEATLES COVERS!!! No. No, please, take it back.

Sorry, but this collection is not only unnecessary, but insulting. Look: can we Harrison fans get a box set of some sort? At the very least a two-disc collection? Please??

Want to see the Kinks reunited?

2009-06-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

Yeah, me too. So there's this guy who is trying just to do that and is making a film about it. Problem is he needs your help...

What new on the NOT LAME shelves??? 05. 02.09 Part One

2009-06-02T19:33:00.000-07:00

Here's some of the newest releases straight from the Boss's desk to your ears!

The Disciplines - SMOKING KILLS
THE POSIES ALERT!!! Posies co-leader Ken Stringfellow hooks up with a Norwegian garage band as a member and the Disciplines is the result and it kicks butt and is highly melodious.

"The production and instrumentation are spare and the vocal attitude is tough, yet the proceedings are rife with unconventional melody and song-structure reminiscent of early Squeeze. Here is hoping these Norsemen keep Stringfellow high-strung for a long time to come." - NewsOK

The Sinceros - THE ART OF SUNBATHING
Finally! A mini-power-pop, new wave classic from 1979 available on CD! I get asked about this one 4 or 5 times a year about why it has not been released on CD yet... well, the wait is over! This includes the hits "Worlds Apart" and "Take Me To Your Leader" plus three bonus tracks include both sides of a non-album single and a rare live track recorded at My Father`s Place, New York. Members of the Sinceros went on to play with the Teardrop Explodes, Squeeze, Nick Lowe and Van Morrison.

J.P. Cregan - MAN OVERBOARD
A wonderful out of nowhere find!

"On his solo debut he emphasizes the pure pop (for now people) and it`s all catchy as hell. Although opener "Carolyn (The Pledge Drive)", with its Nick Lowe/Brian Jay Cline-style country/roots vibe, might be lumped in with his band work, it`s a springboard to the power pop stylings of "Count to Three" and "Barbara is Strange", perhaps the album`s best track - pure ear candy with Beatlesque backing vocals, tambourines, fine Telecaster work, and a great melody." - Absolute PowerPop Blog

Pretty & Nice - GET YOUNG
I Love This Band. A most excellent, cool quirky pop in the vein of my much beloved Field Mice. Each listen reveals something new `n fresh. Add XTC, early Squeeze and Brainiac to the mix. GET YOUNG is ten tracks of sharp-toothed, heavily armed, snappish pop songs.

A one-two punch, a collection of brashly anthemic pop songs without an aural snag to be found, and something much stranger. Listen in and wait as the pop walls begin to crumble. "Piranha" is a ravenous number that recalls the blistered pop audacity of early XTC, repeating its hooks like a mechanical hound relentlessly tickling your feet with its animal tongue.

Clockwise - FADERS ON STUN
Really cool find from Canada, listen up, please! Catchy, clever, hook laden, three minute, guitar-driven, power-pop. Comparisons can be made to early Costello, Joe Jackson, Squeeze and Crowded House.

"Clockwise matches the cartoony flair of their album cover with a cartoony flair to their power pop, which recalls Sloan (opener "Opposites Attract"), Elvis Costello & the Attractions ("Boomtown"), and The Odds ("Upside Down")." - Absolute PowerPop Blog

Wild Bores - WILD BORES
Evokes memories of the Vulgar Boatmen, Tom Petty, the Jayhawks, the Black Watch and for the more obscure minded, Rich Creamy Paint and Self. At times The Wild Bores sounds like the pure poppiest version of Pavement, if they were more direct, as the guitar lines are so spiffy and riffy. It has a rootsy pop core that will be appealing to Not Lamers.

"Akin to the reflective, and hopelessly sentimental artistry of Paul Westerburg, Ray Davies, John Mellencamp, Fountains of Wayne, and the master of them all, Bruce Springsteen." - Minor 7th

The 2009 Charlotte Pop Fest is ON!!!

2009-06-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

James Deem just sent me a message that the 2009 Charlotte Pop Fest is a go, and just check out the acts signed up so far: the Posies, the Spongetones, Bill Lloyd, Myracle Brah, the Singles, the Jellybricks, Starbelly, Cliff Hillis, Dennis Schocket, Josh Burch, Cool King Chris, Crisis, the Everyday Things, gogoPilot, Barry Holdship, Ed James, Tony Low, Leisure McCorkle, Chris McKay & the Critical Darlings, Scott’s Garage, the Stars Explode, the Stellas, stratocruiser, Transmission Fields, U-Phonik, the Vinyl Strangers and James Deem, with more to be announced!!!

You have go to get your tickets now! $50 for a three-day VIP pass is a steal!!! Click here to check 'em out!

All the details of the new BIG STAR box-set!!!

2009-06-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

Just posted on the Rhino website!!!

Big Star - KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY (Boxed Set)
$69.98 CD / Release Date - 09/15/2009

Big Star inspired a fevered allegiance among fans of power pop, giving rise to a cult of believers who spent decades spreading the gospel. Their enthusiasm turned this obscure Memphis pop band-one that got little airplay, sold few records, and only played a handful of times- into a remarkable rock and roll resurrection story. Big Star's trek from obscure Memphis band to standard bearers for an entire genre of music has never been fully mapped-until now. Rhino presents the definitive look at the definitive power-pop band with a four-disc boxed set divided between key cuts from Big Star's three studio albums and unreleased music. KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY will be available September 15 from Rhino Records at all retail outlets, including www.rhino.com, for a suggested list price of $69.98 (physical), it will also be available as a digital release the same day. A Deluxe Edition release of Chris Bell's solo album I AM THE COSMOS is due September 14 from Rhino Handmade.

KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY spans 1968 to 1975 and shows the progression of Big Star through selections from such studio precursors as Rock City and Icewater; music from Big Star's acclaimed recordings (#1 RECORD, RADIO CITY, and THIRD/SISTER LOVERS); and relevant solo work by group principals Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, who formed Big Star in 1971 with bassist Andy Hummel and drummer Jody Stephens. The collection also uncovers a trove of unreleased demos, unused mixes, alternate versions of songs, and a 1973 concert recorded in Memphis.

In these 98 tracks you can hear what turned artists as diverse as Cheap Trick, R.E.M., and The Replacements into Big Star fans. Spotlighting the band's roots, the boxed set opens with several songs recorded before Big Star formed, including “Try Again,” one of the first songs Bell and Chilton wrote together. Those early cuts are followed by Big Star's 1972 debut #1 RECORD, reimagined here using a mix of album tracks and unreleased alternate mixes of favorites like “Thirteen,” “When My Baby's Beside Me,” and more. Among the disc's rarities are “Country Morn'” (issued as a flexi-disc single by a Big Star fanzine), the demo for “I Got Kinda Lost,” and an unreleased acoustic demo of Chilton singing Loudon Wainwright's “Motel Blues.”

Ardent Records, the band's label, experienced problems with distribution that hindered any chances at success for #1 RECORD. Its failure was a major blow to Bell, who quit the band to go solo. In 1974, the Alex Chilton-led Big Star regrouped and released RADIO CITY, an album more attuned to the band's live energy that featured the power-pop confections “September Gurls” and “Back Of A Car.” The second disc of KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY opens with a trio of unreleased demos: “There Was A Light,” “What's Going Ahn,” and “Life Is White.” The original song sequence for RADIO CITY follows, combining album versions with unreleased alternate mixes (“Way Out West” and “You Get What You Deserve.”) The disc features unissued versions of “She A Mover” and “Mod Lang,” several unreleased demos for Big Star's third album, plus Bell's acclaimed 1978 single “I Am The Cosmos” and its B-side “You And Your Sister.” Sadly, Bell died in a car accident a few months after the single's release.

When Big Star reconvened in 1975 to record THIRD/SISTER LOVERS, only Chilton and Stephens remained (Hummel left shortly before Radio City's release). Famed Memphis maverick Jim Dickinson was enlisted to supervise the recording, which languished on the shelf for years before its release in 1978. Despite its bleak timbre, wild dynamics, and fragility, the music possesses a startling grace. KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY's third disc opens with seven demos (most previously unreleased) for songs that appear on THIRD/SISTER LOVERS, including “Jesus Christ,” “Take Care,” and “Holocaust.” Among the album's 19 songs collected here is “For You,” “Kizza Me,” and “Kanga Roo.” Also featured is “Lovely Day,” an early, unreleased version of “Stroke It Noel” with different lyrics; Chilton vamping with photographer Bill Eggleston at the piano for Nat King Cole's “Nature Boy” and a raucous cover of The Kinks' “Till The End Of The Day.”

The collection's final disc contains unreleased highlights from three sets Big Star performed at Lafayette's Music Room in Memphis in January 1973. It is the best live recording ever of the band. The show captures Chilton, Hummel, and Stephens playing many of the songs on #1 RECORD, which had just recently been released. The set list includes a retooled version of “ST 100/6” lengthened by both guitar and drum solos (with a middle eight heisted from the Rock City song “The Preacher.”) Also in the repertoire are “There Was A Light” and “I Got Kinda Lost.” In addition, the concert includes fully formed versions of several songs recorded later for Radio City: “Back Of A Car,” “Way Out West,” “O My Soul,” and a particularly rocking “She's A Mover.” Those originals are mixed with a selection of covers: Todd Rundgren's “Slut,” T. Rex's “Baby Strange,” The Kinks' “Come On Now,” and The Flying Burrito Brothers' “Hot Burrito #2.”

The lavish packaging for KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY includes extensive liner notes, rare and never-before-seen photos, and insightful essays about the cult of Big Star and the band's history. In the notes, Stephens reflects on the band's belated triumph. “Sure, it would've been nice to have been huge at the time. But, here we are, 30 years later, and Big Star is still playing, our music is turning up in movie soundtracks, and young people are still excited to discover the records. I mean, if that isn't success, I don't know what is.”

What new on the NOT LAME shelves??? 05. 01.09 Part One

2009-06-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

Here's some of the newest releases straight from the Boss's desk to your ears!

Radio City - CLASS OF '77
MAJOR FIND Old School Power-pop Fans!! If you can`t get enough of 70s power-pop bands that were writing songs under the influence of the Beatles, Big Star and Blue Ash and you lament the fact that there`s just not as many of these records as there should have been. Enter Radio City into your life.

"8 out of 10. The playing is exceptional, and energy on tracks like "Tomorrow" & "Play It Like A Man" compares well with Elvis Costello or The Rubinoos, full of Rickenbacker riffs and strong drumming. For fans of Buddy Love, The Wigs, Doug Derek & The Hoax and The Toms it`s a no-brainer." - Absolute PowerPop Blog

DAVID GRAHAME David Grahame - EMITT ROAD
MORE BIG, BIG NEWS! Another bonafide power-pop classic - no question. 40 copies arrived the other day and only a few are left - DO NOT WAIT!
If you have noticed, in the last few months, I have made available some of long out of print titles from David Grahame. Yes, for a short time.The latest one to be unearthed is EMITT ROAD. David Grahame is always up to something. What it is, even he`s not sure. Titled to titilate and punish those who continually beat Grahame over the head with comparisons to `dead man walking`. EMITT ROAD gives the listener twelve straight ahead pop tunes and fifteen industrial instrumentals that are so off course from Grahame`s usual, that one might guess Frank Zappa first.

Roger Klug - MORE HELP FOR YOUR NERVES
My declaration: this CD is not only one of 2009's best, it is one of the best indie power-pop CDs of the last four years!

"It is a pop genius at play, at work, at his very best delivering the goods. This disc is an embarrassment of riches clocking in at just under an hour with 17 tracks. None of them are throwaways. Klug's mostly a one-man band with inspiration up to his ears. Too many highlights to mention, a sure contender for Top Ten of the year." - Bloody Red Baron.

"...combines his love of power pop from the Raspberries to Matthew Sweet with a equal affection for the heavy guitar sound of late 1960s British rock." - Cincinnati.com

Greg Pope - PETE
YES! Seven new songs from Greg Pope, whose solo debut POPMONSTER dazzled amazed a LOT of you Not Lamers in the last nine months. Rightfully so. It was in my Top 5 for 2008 and here he goes again, blowing me away and surely you, too. There are parts of this album that evoke Cheap Trick first two albums, classic The Shazam, Matthew Sweet and more. PETE starts off into a classic, CLASSIC power-pop treasure called "Fall Into Your Arms". You listen to this now and let it-melodic perfection stun you to play it again. The six songs that follow that one do not let up, either. Grade: Solid A all the way.

The Simple Carnival - GIRLS ALIENS FOOD
HUGE FIND! Gorgeous vocals all over. While the Simple Carnival are certainly influenced by Brian Wilson, this not another blind homage. This is a modern artist refining what inspired him to create and making it his own, updated for the present. STUNNING. Melodically rich, inventive & effortlessly hooky, start to finish. The melodies are simple and summery but OH so sweet in their special swooning affect.
Reminds me a lot of Cherry Twister - soft pop rock with a keen appreciation for early 70s AM radio - influences of Harry Nilsson abound as does the fact that Boller`s vocals remind me of Jeff and John Murphy of Shoes, as do some of the songs.

Former - "...AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH"
Great hard-rocking power-pop. Much of the material reminds me of Bleu (a whole lot!) and Cheap Trick. Some albums just hit you right between the head and ears right out of the gate, with Song Number One. Former does that, for sure. Lead off track "Lies" will leave you breathless.

"This Nashville band describes their music as "loud pop", and I can`t disagree. High-energy rock/pop that recalls Swirl 360, Steve Bertrand`s Avion, and Rob Bonfligio in spots, Former is truly worth checking out." - Absolute PowerPop Blog

The A's - THE A'S / A WOMAN'S GOT THE POWER
YES!!! Finally out on CD - a long time coming! The debut is one of my all time favorites from the late 70s - time retire my burned from vinyl CD-r!

"4 stars. Their music forged a path that encompassed power pop, punk, and a retro, almost mod, texture. They did it with accessible hooks and catchy numbers." - AMG

"If anything, The A`s resembles the Boomtown Rats` Tonic for the Troops in the way it combines wit, street savvy and relatively intricate hard-pop arrangements." - Trouser Press.

Love Bang - THE RULE OF 72'S
JELLYFISH ALERT!!! Love Bang is the unreleased project that Eric Dover of Jellyfish finished before joining J-fish. Jelly fans will notice many elements of the future sounds of Jellyfish`s BELLYBUTTON here but what this reminds me most of is classic, great Crowded House with more balls, more guitar bite. That sound permeates almost all the digital grooves of this album making it not only a keeper beyond its pedigree. At the time this was recorded, there was The Odds, Jellyfish, Crowded House, Michael Penn and The Grays. Add Love Bang to the mix of that striking group of talent. Bottom line: major find for not only Jellyfish and Crowded House fans, but fans of well-written post-Beatle commercial pop.

Danny Echo - DANNY ECHO
Danny Echo used to be called The Rye Catchers, a favorite here at Not Lame. It is flat out guitar driven rock that is not afraid to crank it up and rock it up without losing sight of melody and hooks. Lead-off track "Out Of Style" is anything but pulling off a edgier Jellyfish sound, while "Tomorrow Today" perfects the poppiest side of Oasis - better than the band has been able to pull off for years.

"Wonderfully addictive and thoroughly enjoyable, this is all that power-pop rock and roll is meant to be. Highly recommended." - The Power Of Pop

BRANDON SCHOTT - HOMEGROWN RECORDINGS VOL. 3 and 4 -- Courtesy of TooPoppy!!!

2009-05-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

TOO POPPY is just TOO KICKASS! They are back with TWO more volumes of Brandon Schott's HOMEGROWN RECORDINGS--download them now!!! Here's volume three, and here's volume four. Let them know that Not Lame sent you!

Free GRAND ATLANTIC download!!!

2009-05-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

Aussie fave-popsters Grand Atlantic--you can buy their awesomely catchy album here--got a special gift for all you Not Lamers...a fun acoustic cover of the recent Beyonce hit "Single Ladies" --download here from YouSendIt.

Their second album HOW WE SURVIVE is scheduled for June 1st release through Laughing Outlaw Records.

Eric Sorensen's JANGLE ON for May 2009!!!

2009-05-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

JANGLE ON!
By Eric Sorensen‏, written exclusively for NOT LAME

Although 2009 got off to a slow start when it comes to jangly pop tunes, things are hitting their stride nicely – in time for "top-down" spring and summer weather. Some very familiar names and some new artists have released chiming, melodic pop in recent months. Here are new discs and new tunes that have made my "Jangle Pop" play list of late:

The Boolevards - REAL POP
I must have discovered this disc on CD Baby about the same time that Bruce Brodeen added the disc to the Not Lame online catalog. In the genre of jangle-pop, this is an early contender for CD of the Year! The disc features seventeen songs – none longer than 3:13 – by the pop trio of John and Joe Nowik and Hugh Murphy. Murphy’s Rickenbacker 12-string and Rickenbacker 6-string guitar riffs chime and ring throughout the songs – so much so, that it’s probably unrealistic to choose a favorite track. The clever jewel case graphics include "Nutrition Facts" that cite 100% teenage angst, two part harmony, hooks and melodies, Rickenbackers and background harmonies...and 0% long guitar solos, drum solos, wordy message songs, loud angry vocals and rap and talking. Long may you run, Sirs John, Joe and Hugh … and thanks for sending me the Boolevards buttons for being the first customer to purchase your disc from CD Baby!

The Spongetones - SCRAMBLED EGGS
Jamie Hoover and his bandmates prove once again that they are at the top of their game when it comes to Beatlesque pop. The Fab Four from North Carolina favor chiming Rickenbackers on "All The Loving", "Inevitable You", "Pick That Up For A Song" and "She’ll Be Gone". When it comes to the Spongetones, the songs don’t need to jangle to grab my attention. These guys are in a league of their own when it comes to writing and recording primo pop tunes. The Spongetones’ "Infatuation" is still the finest Beatles knock-off tune in the past thirty years!

The Humbugs - ON THE UP SIDE
This is a very catchy pop album that holds listener interest from start to finish. Jangly tracks include "One More Day", "Calico Eyes" and "Take A Chance". While the Boolevards favor a retro sound, the Humbugs embrace a more contemporary power-pop sound. Both approaches work equally well for the two bands!

The Gilligans - MY NAME IS WILLY
Somewhere between the Boolevards’ retro sound and the Humbugs’ contemporary sound is the sophomore release by this Midwestern band. The most chiming tracks are "She’s A Boomerang", "Look" and "This All Starts With You"...but the entire disc features top-notch pop.

The Resonars - THAT EVIL DRONE
This band never misses! The pseudo-60s (think Hollies) hooks and harmonies jump out at the listener from every song. "World Apart" even opens briefly like the theme song to THAT THING YOU DO! Although the Rickenbacker riffs are not as pronounced on this disc, they are evident in the melodic layers of every song. Turn the treble setting up and you’ll find them!

Marty Willson-Piper - NIGHTJAR
Another superb solo disc from Church alum Marty Willson-Piper. Marty seems to favor a more strummy acoustic approach to the songs on this album, but his guitar chimes on "High Down Below". Even without his signature Rickenbacker 12-string...it’s all good. Nightjar represents a talented singer/songwriter/musician at the top of his art form.

The Lovetones - DIMENSIONS
This disc proves that the Rainbow Quartz label hasn’t signed every contemporary jangle-pysch-pop band in the world … but it won’t surprise me if this band releases its next disc under the Rainbow Quartz moniker. "Memory Lane", "A New Low In Getting High", "Love And Redemption" and "Journeyman" are standout chiming tracks.

Steve Pearson and British Racing Green - IMPATIENT
The jangly title song and "We Call It Love" are worth the price of admission!

This month’s "blast from the past" disc is ALL-AMERICAN POPSTER by Billy Sullivan – an interesting blend of the pop sounds of the Beach Boys, Herb Eimerman and Jeff Larson. My favorite jangly tracks on this disc are "Everywhere I Go" and "When Your Light Turned On". My favorite cover song – "In My Room". If this is Billy’s only album, it is one he can certainly be proud of. ALL-AMERICAN POPSTER will sound just as good ten years from now … and twenty years from now.

My fellow jangleholic pal Ray Verno has also been busy unearthing jangly pop tunes. Leading the pack this month is "Summer In Paradise" by the Beach Boys with Roger McGuinn. Pop musician/pop journalist Gary Pig Gold refers to this brief collaboration between the Beach Boys and Roger McGuinn as the "Beach Byrds". The Beach Boys’ stellar harmonies and McGuinn’s marble-textured Rickenbacker 12-string resulted in one of the finest cover songs ever – a remake of the Mamas and Papas’ "California Dreamin". If you’re lucky, the terrific video of this song is still archived on You Tube. Ray also turned me on to jangly tracks by Will Dailey, Larch, Papa Doo Ron Ron, Steve Roberts and Invisible, Inc.

Jangle Box inventor Steve Lasko did me a huge favor by turning me on to the multi-track talents of Craig T Fall. You can check out Craig’s "demo" renditions of classic Byrds and Beatles tunes at http://www.bluepacific1.com/Music-Frameset.htm.
Craig’s terrific version of "Bells of Rhymney" reminds me a lot of Tony Poole’s killer version of the same song on the 2007 TIMELESS FLYTE: A TRIBUTE TO THE BYRDS four-CD set. Craig, who has worked with Terry Melcher and the Beach Boys – among others, also contributed some very cool sound clips to the Jangle Box http://www.janglebox.com site. While visiting the site, check out some of the features of the new Jangle Box 2!

Head’s up to my fellow jangle-pop fans: both Horst-Peter Schmidt and Graham Allman Talbot (AKA GAT) will be releasing new albums later this year. Stay tuned to the "Jangle On!" column and you may get to hear exclusive tracks from both artists...and others!

Until next month, jangle on!

The awesome new TINTED WINDOWS video!!!

2009-05-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

You NEED this album NOW!!! Order it NOW!!!

PRESS RELEASE: The Posies to play a rare NYC show performing FROSTING ON THE BEATER + more!

2009-05-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

Figured you Posies fans would dig this:

Power-pop pioneers, The Posies, were goaded into playing their classic 1993 masterpiece, FROSTING ON THE BEATER, earlier last year in Spain, by zealous fans and promoters. Now, New York City fans will have their time to rejoice as the band fly in for a special one off performance on June 12th at Brooklyn's Bell House.

The band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1987 and quickly signed to Geffen Records, releasing three full length records. "Dream All Day" from FOTB went to #4 on the modern rock chart in 1993. The band contributed to such soundtracks as Reality Bites, Austin Powers, and the Basketball Diaries. Their popularity continues, their most recent release, 2005's Every Kind Of Light and recent tours of Japan and Spain.

Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer, the founding members, have kept busy with Big Star and R.E.M. and other projects and rarely play as the Posies. This will mark the full band's first NYC show in years and the band will play Frosting On The Beater in its entirety plus many more...

Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, March 31 at noon.

For further information: www.thebellhouseny.com

Free new music from SHAKE SOME ACTION!!!

2009-05-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone's fave Seattle power-poppers SHAKE SOME ACTION are back and they've got some free tunes for ya!!! Here a link (right-click and save as) to their latest song "Fire and Ice"!!!

There's even more over at their blog!

The Best of Bruce's RANDOM VINYL PULLS!

2009-05-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

Are you following Bruce on Twitter? No? Then you're missing out on his near-daily RANDOM VINYL PULLS. Ever since he's brought his record player into the office, he's bringing in one classic lost piece of vinyl after another. Here's some of what he's been playing--LOUDLY--around the office...

The Vapors - NEW CLEAR DAYS: I swear, this is one THE most under-rated debuts of this era. Great songs all over!

Dirty Tricks - HIT'N'RUN: Borderline great mid 70s hard rock band with some classic tracks rooted 'in the times'!

Tin Huey - CONTENTS DISLODGED: Overlooked Akron band, late 70s new wave. All over the map in a most wonderful way.

The Specials - MORE: Wow! Not listened to this one in a very long time! Guess band is back together w/o Dahmers!

1910 Fruitgum Company - SPECIAL DELIVERY: Morning bubblegum music, nothing like it. Took gray mood, made yellow

Argent - ENCORE: Two-LP live set from mid 70s. Indulgent, meandering and pointless but I still kinda like it!

BRANDON SCHOTT - HOMEGROWN RECORDINGS VOL. 2 -- Courtesy of TooPoppy!!!

2009-04-23T14:08:00.000-07:00

Holy cow! After last month's Brandon Schott homerun, Lee over at Too Poppy is back with HOMEGROWN RECORDINGS VOL. 2 -- check it out!!! let them know that Not Lame sent you!

What new on the NOT LAME shelves??? 04. 23.09 Part Three

2009-04-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

Here's some of the newest releases straight from the Boss's desk to your ears!

V/A - DO YOU WANNA BE IN THE SHOW: A TRIBUTE TO THE JETSET
The Jetset were one of the most popular and influential of the mod-power pop bands on the British indie scene in the early and mid 80s.

A 17-song tribute that is surprisingly listenable from beginning to end (never easy w/ tribute albums) - features such Not Lame faves as Jeremy, the Eddies, the Ringles, the Spring Collection, Herb Eimerman, Ed James, Mega Super Ultra, Rinaldi Sings and more.

"Full of brash youthful energy, intricate arrangements, harmonies and a surplus of melody." -Bart Mendoza, The Shambles

TELEKINESIS!
A shockingly good debut! Sounding like The New Pornographers and The Shins in many spots, these are indie kids obsessed with hooks and pure poppy melodies
The songs are ridiculously immediate, and he delivers them with blinding velocity. His approach to music isn`t unlike those spikes at the rental car place: Backing up deflates the tires, and not in a pleasant way. These are big-hearted songs, written quickly and from the gut. DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!

Shplang - MY BIG THREE WHEELER
Yes, indeed - You have not heard a band quite like Shplang. Beatles meet Zappa in pop-psych Sumo match. Bring a smile and hop on MY BIG THREE WHEELER. Shplang is an alternapop band offering an eclectic mix of psychedelia, pop and folk with an emphasis on melody, inventive arrangements and a wry sense of humor.

The sound clips will help you figure that out below. If you like your pop mixed up with different ingredients and cooked up by a musical mixologist, Shplang will reward you greatly in your belief that music has many new vistas to explore.

Glowfriends - TO HAVE & TO HOLD
Their 4th album. Glowfriends have a sound that is in the vein of Sixpence None The Richer, Mazzy Star or The Sundays. Shiny, acoustic driven ringing songs that, actually, also have a Cowboy Junkies ring to them, as well.

Gerry & the Pacemakers - FERRY CROSS THE MERSEY
2009 reissue of 1965 album from Gerry And The Pacemakers, import only. This strongest, best album in his career. Adds 16 - count 'em - 16 bonus trax which are of truly excellent quality!

"4 stars. nine Gerry Marsden originals, and aside from the hits (the title track and "It`s Gonna Be All Right"), these rarely show up on compilations; they have the same lightweight, energetic Merseybeat charm of most of their early material." -AMG

The Krayolas - LONG LEAF PINE
Indie rock by the "Tex-Mex Beatles" featuring a mixture of Garage Rock, Tex-Mex and Beatle-like harmonies.

"A long-time favorite group of this blog has been The Krayolas. I reviewed LA CONQUISTADORA and BEST RIFFS ONLY, and found that the band thrives on that razors edge between Latino and British pop influences. The Krayolas and the West Side Horns rock. A total happening." -Austin-American Statesman

What new on the NOT LAME shelves??? 04. 23.09 Part Two

2009-04-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

Here's some of the newest releases straight from the Boss's desk to your ears!

The Alice Rose - ALL HAUNT'S SOUND
Classic power-pop mixed with classic rock stylings that have plenty of hard driving lush melodies, intriguing chord changes and vocal harmonies reminiscent of Squeeze(lead singer JoDee Purkeypile sounds a lot like Glen Tilbrook, no doubt) and Crowded House, two of the strongest influences you will find on "All Haunt`s Sound".
The Alice Rose inhabit the area just outside mainstream pop, applying their eclectic reverence for music of the past to the classic pop formula and kicking out the kind of complex, yet catchy pop like their influences.

Outrageous Cherry - UNIVERSAL MALCONTENTS
Their 9th CD - evocative of artists such as early Roxy Music, Mott the Hoople, Sparks, 10cc, the La`s and Eno, and meanders at times into the improvisational realms charted by Amon Duul 2, Man, and early Soft Machine.

"More than just evocative of the psychedelic rock`s earliest years, this CD brings back the long-forgotten belief that a band could make a complete statement in 36 minutes - 10 songs no less." -Blurt

"Fans of Sloan, the Apples in Stereo, and pop songs in general, should not sleep on this one." -I Rock Cleveland

Creaky Boards - BROOKLYN IS LOVE
Many bands on the Not Lame site will have the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson cited as being big influences - so much so that many folks are immune to giving much credence to the fact that a band may truly be not only influenced by Wilson`s artistry but are worthy of our attention. I give to you Creaky Boards who ARE very much influenced by said band and lead songwriter but who bring a new vibrancy to the discussion of influences including a Phil Spector-ish display of production grandiosity.

"8 out of 10. Never boring or feels derivative and is worth many repeat listens. Enjoy it." -PowerPopAHolic

The Rockwells - LITTLE SYMPHONIES FOR KIDS
Produced by Dan Wilson of Semisonic. Part homage to the twinkling pop vistas of the Beach Boys and the sixties, part incisive take on the hopes that push us to the everyday commute, the Silver City pushes Messersmith`s precise lyrics conceptually and expands the scope of his sound.

"Literate, languid but warm acoustic ditties with traces of Elliott Smith." -Star Tribune

"Messersmith excels at one thing that can`t be taught: Songwriting." -Time Out Chicago

The Humbugs - ON THE UP SIDE
Their 3rd album. If Elvis Costello and Aimee Mann had a baby, but gave it up for adoption and it was raised by Paul McCartney and Chrissie Hynde, it`s name would be The Humbugs. Engaging and much more than just casually enjoyable. Very Highly Recommended!

"Rich pop sound born of high-quality musicianship and palpable passion. Each melody fit perfectly with the next, but each also had a character and life of its own. A killer pop outfit." -MNArtists.org

The Honeydogs - 10,000 YEARS
RE-STOCK of 2003 classic! Like YANKEE FOXTROT HOTEL(Wilco) written with early McCartney/Badfinger steroid-ridden melodies. But, of course, music this good is much harder to describe. For one, the Honeydogs got Andy Sturmer to show up and sing on a song. Other guests include Phil Solem (the Rembrandts) & Michael Penn...proper superlatives? The classic "extremely highly recommended` is but a signpost - let`s just say "indispensable".

Jeremy Messersmith - THE SILVER CITY
I knew I was going to dig Soft Targets in the first 20 seconds as lead off track "Something Else" was sounding like a track of the 1993 reunion album from Television. Many of the cool sounds here remind me of a lot of the post-C-86 bands from the U.K. in the mid/late 80s, as well as Bowie-esque glam sounds of 1973. Much of the material here exhibits a strong XTC inspiration, as well. Lots of the tunes here remind me Lloyd Cole & The Commotions, as well.

Brett Mitchell - SMALL HOUSE
Normally, albums written from a singer/songwriter fare does not grab my attention as being something that would connect with Not Lamers, yet SMALL HOUSE from Brett Mitchell kept calling me back to consider in earnest for you all to pay attention.

Most of the fifteen tracks are simply pleasant singer/songwriter stylings but these songs have heart and soul backing them up, which is why I want to give you the opportunity to check out Mitchell.

Light FM - BLACK MAGIC MARKER
Fans of Supergrass, Ozma, the Rentals and first album Weezer, Adventures In Stereo, The Argument, read and listen on! New Wave Power-Pop Done Double-Naughties Style! Fuzzbomb guitars, suckerpunch hooks and overmodulated Moog, rock on!

Light FM is a rare hybrid: plucky indie pop with glaring polish. The songs are a deluge of structured sound.

What new on the NOT LAME shelves??? 04. 23.09 Part One

2009-04-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

Here's some of the newest releases straight from the Boss's desk to your ears!

The Resonars - THAT EVIL DRONE
Leader Matt Rendon seems to have absorbed every significant guitar style and sound between George Harrison`s Rick of `63 and Peter Green`s Les Paul of `69. But those are the building blocks and combined with the spot-on harmonies you might hear various echoes, but these are not pastiches.

"They take choppy, Moby Grape-like acid pop tunes and colour them with flawless, Hollies-like harmonies and Byrdsy 12-string guitars!" - Shindig!

"Picture THE NOTORIOUS BYRD BROTHERS combined with Hollies harmonies and "Rain"-era Beatles psychedelic touches." -Trip Inside This House

David Grahame - BEATLE SCHOOL GRADUATE
LIMITED COPIES - Do Not Wait!! If you have not heard of David Grahame and you are a power pop fan, you just have made a very important discovery.want one artist to name whose spirit is evoked throughout. Emmit Rhodes. After that follows Pete Ham, Paul McCartney and Jeff Lynne (circa The Move).

"While Grahame may bow at the altar of Paul McCartney, he`s one of the few who are talented enough to be invited in for dinner. BEATLE SCHOOL GRADUATE CLASS OF `70 is a work of depth and clarity." -Sticks & Stones

The Spongetones - SCRAMBLED EGGS
2009 New Studio CD! Jamie Hoover and company just do not know how to make a bad, merely `okay` album and "Scrambled Eggs" continues on the momentum that the last five years` reinvigorated activity has created.

"I am happy to report it`s full of 13 more gems of the type listeners have come to expect from the redoubtable power pop combo." -Bruce Brown, Fix It In The Mix

"Without a doubt the finest example of pure, unadulterated Beatlesque joy to emanate from the indie pop underground." -Goldmine

The Honeydogs - SUNSHINE COMMITTEE
24 minute, 6 song mini-album that has its shelves stocked with all the elements of that make this band so special. Like YANKEE FOXTROT HOTEL (Wilco) written with early McCartney/Badfinger steroid-ridden melodies.

The songs here reflect a complex, often nuanced intersection of art and humanity while marking a return to a more live, rocking sound. Shades of the Stones` EXILE ON MAIN STREET, FRESH-era Sly Stone, twilight Hendrix and REVOLVER-esque Beatles winding sinuously through the savory mix.

Secret Powers - SECRET POWERS AND THE ELECTRIC FAMILY CHOIR
The followup to the stunning 'n awesome self-titled 2008 debut has arrived!

"This CD brings the band one step closer to the big time with clever, layered, hook-laden pop songs thrown together with the casual ease of real musical talent. If you are violently allergic to cute, you may sniff at a song or two, but sunshine makes me sneeze and I like it anyway." -Missoula News

Cheap Star - SPEAKING LIKE AN ELEPHANT
French import, Cheap Star SPEAKING LIKE AN ELEPHANT is co-produced by Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer of the Posies.

Indeed, they draw a huge inspiration from The Posies, as well as Teenage Fanclub. Impregnated by the music of the Byrds, George Harrison and Big Star, their songs evoke as much of AM radio from California in the early 70s as they do college rock of the aforementioned bands and the Lemonheads.

Terry Anderson & the Olympic Ass-Kickin' Team - NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
It`s an butt-kicking good time, just like the Rock `n Roll Doctor ordered. Like all their records, it`s like finding that long lost NRBQ or Rockpile record.

Flashy rawk guitars, lunatic fringe vocals and humor-filled lyrics that are sure-footed and irreverant. Roots-rock swagger ladled with refined melodic soul for catchy sing-a-along choruses that will elicit streams of "whussups" as you order another Bud for your pals.

The Boolevards - REAL POP
AMAZING PRICE for these 17 nuggets! If you are a fan of the bands on Titan Records, early Romantics, the Flashcubes (big time!), the Scruffs, the Heats, the Wigs, the Poppees, early Rubinoos, "Shake Some Action"-era Flamin` Groovies -- well, you have found a slice of heaven!

This could have been the second Wonders cd after THAT THING YOU DO. Translation: Celebrate!! It really is a major find for fans of this era and will surprise many, many pop fans!

Saturday Morning Pictures - IT'S COOL TO HATE THE SINGER
The signposts are clear: early, classic Ben Folds, Josh Fix, early 80s Joe Jackson and add in some bits of Todd Rundgren, Jellyfish, Elton John and Billy Joel and you now know that the piano is a key element to the pop alchemy to this CD.

If Difford & Tilbrook ever teamed up with Bacharach-David, you have an idea.

New video from Maple Mars!!!

2009-04-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

Maple Mars last album, BEAUTIFUL MESS, was a great time for us here at the NOT LAME office, so we can't wait to see what the guys are cooking up next! Here's the first video from their next album, a song called "Transcendental Guidance"!

What do ya think?

Check out Mike Viola's LURCH!!!

2009-04-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

NOT LAME fave Mike Viola's got a great new record out, LURCH! Click here for details and a few MP3 downloads!

From the website: "Brand new full length studio album by Mike Viola. Featuring fan favorites Girly Worm, So Much Better, That Part Of Me Is Dead. A cross between the Lovin' Spoonful and late Beach Boys records with a splash of Nilsson and....Mike Viola."

Here's the first video from the album for the moving "Good Ideas Grow On Trees":

Neil Diamond on the MIKE DOUGLAS SHOW, 1967!!!

2009-04-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

Via Classic Television Showbiz.

Mike Baron's got TWO DESERT ISLAND DISCS!

2009-04-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

One brain listening to new pop 24/7 couldn't keep up with it all. That's why websites such as this are essential to the discriminating pop consumer. Some records slipped under my radar when they debuted.

Marmalade Souls from Rainbow Quartz is a desert island record. Michael Klemme, the leader of this trio, writes Southern California sun-drenched bittersweet melodies that are equal to or greater than anything by the Mommas and the Poppas, whose sound they closely resemble. Klemme has an unparalleled gift for the soaring pop vocal, and with sweet-voiced Johanna Klemme taking lead, they do for the M and P what Explorers Club does for the Beach Boys. The opening track "It Won't Be Too Long" wallops you with chords that are both inevitable and surprising. When Souls slip from major to minor on the soaring bridge the song smacks you in the head like a two-handed Bruce Lee ear pop, instantly inscribing itself on your medulla oblongata.

"Daydreams" is daring for its simplicity and breadth. You could swear someone sang it before-but no one has. It's just one killer after another: "Belly Butterfly", "Yeah Yeah!", "Say Goodbye", "Words of Love", and "Good Days" constitute one of the most astonishing runs of killer songs since those damned guys from Liverpool. Marmalade Souls belongs on anybody's list of hundred greatest power pop albums.

Unfortunately, Johanna has dropped out of the band due to a neck injury, but the Souls carry on. We await news of a new recording.

The second record that I critically overlooked was The Foreign Films, Bill Majoros' tour de force with collaborator Carl Jennings. This two disc set packs an emotional punch like a Rampage Jackson hook to the gut. The second side in particular, whether intended or not, forms a sort of song cycle that once heard cannot be broken up. Once you hear the opening chords of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" you have to take the whole journey to the final fade-out of "A Day in the Life." At least I do.

Starting with "The Lonely #1," Majoros puts a hammerlock on your heart. By the time you get to the joyous "Polar Opposites," you're hooked like a cigarette-smoking granny parked in front of the slots at Harrah's. "Cinema Light" is a bittersweet masterpiece once heard never forgotten. "Fall of the Year", "Reason or Rhyme" and "Arcade by the Beach" have a mathematical logic and an emotional wallop that rolls over you like a mob of shoppers breaking into a Wal-Mart the day after Thanksgiving.

Majoros wields guitar with samurai precision. His foot-thick fuzztone is particularly poignant on-every song-"Smoke and Mirrors" where he veers into a pitch-perfect John Lennon solo, and "Fall of the Year" wherein his fuzztone consumes all the juices in your brain.

What new on the NOT LAME shelves??? Part Three

2009-03-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

Here's some of the newest releases straight from the Boss's desk to your ears!

TOTOS - ROOMMATE
JAPAN only import and a great find for jangle fans with much of the material on this 16 song album from Totos, a band I have not heard of before. Probably because the Japanese pop scene appears to insular and separate from the rest of the world. When you listen to these trax, you will wonder how not more of the world`s pop fans know of Totos. Listen to the perfection of BANDWAGONESQUE-era Teenage Fanclub on track #1 at the link. Gorgeous. What follow is more of that style of jangle pop and bits of early/mid 90s indie pop. Think Velocity Girl as some of the songs feature male/female counterpoint. There is no information on the band or informative reviews of the CD in English anywhere but now we all can enjoy the sunny, uplifting energy of Totos here. Extremely Highly Recommended!

THE SWIMMERS - FIGHTING TREES
What-A-Gem! Just listen to the four samples below and hear what you think. Have heard `zero` talk about this band and can not fathom why. Echoes of The New Pornographers would seem merit some kind of hip, indie buzz but, alas, it is up to you and me to get the right `n proper word out bearded, bespectacled hipsters be damned.

"Piano-banging, hook-laden wistful pop, a la the Zombies, ELO, the Shins. Through its single lens, Yutzy-Burkey has focused on three of the great themes of pop music: lost youth, thwarted love and the fear of death. This is serious stuff, yet couched in such likeable, easily absorbed musical settings that you hardly notice the angst. And in a way, is not that the secret of great power-pop? You are humming along to philosophy`s most serious questions...but with a big smile on your face." -Pop Matters

THE DIPSOMANIACS - SOCIAL CRUTCH
Their 6th album has arrived and the Dipsomaniacs just keeping doing whey do so very, very well. As is their trademark, they parade out a strong Replacements vibe (but tighter) along with plenty of Material Issue, some Flamin` Groovies, some Posies, The Who. It`s a familiar drill, arguably, but The Dipsomaniacs have their patent on this sort of filtration system and it works extremely well and goes down with ease.

"If you like the early power pop stylings of The Who and/or guitar driven Replacements-like rockers, this is gold. Throw in a splash of Weezer on some of the poppier stuff and Steve Earle on the country tinged rockers for some great flavor." - Rolling Stone online

THE PALE FIGURES - MEMPHIS AND CHICAGO
Thanks to Not Lamer Tom Hibdon for turning me onto the Pale Figures, a band that will enigmatically avoid any easy comparison to anything you have heard before. The first song on this album, "You Are A Star" (sorry, did not soundbite this one), sounds like Willie Nelson playing with the Feelies and Pavement, while others evoke such obscure bands like the Vulgar Boatmen and the Texas Instruments with their laid-back, `hanging on the porch`strumming and when the heat turns up, it is all cool 90s indie rock, bringing to mind Versus , Spent and Pavement. But the band they most remind me, for those who are truly ultra-cool in your good tastes, is the late 80s Austin, Texas band, Glass Eye. If you know of what I talk about here, trust me, it is really, really, *really* cool music going on here with these 19 trax.

Speaking of, the title speaks to the fact there two different albums here with the 11 being recorded in Memphis and the other 8 recorded in Chicago with Steve Albini, surprisingly. The band is the same, the articulation of spirit with the material is reflected in the cities they were recorded in.

THE RESPECTABLES - s/t
After how well that the Respectables second album SIBLEY GARDENS did the last few months here at Not Lame, `wowing` dozens of your over with their classic rock riffs and pure popping melodies, it is now time to offer up their self-titled debut. Both albums have that Replacements Mid West rock thing going on; it`s classic rock for the power pop sect with its mixture of Keith Richards/Stones guitar riffs(think Black Crowes) and a soulful punch of tasteful horns mixed in here and there. Passion, GUTS and TUNES! Think Mitch Ryder meets Cheap Trick. The Respectables combine equal elements of power pop, glam rock, roots rock, and classic rock to create their version of the truth. Great songs, bad ass playing and let the tape roll! What`s captured here is a straight ahead pop rock record that`s not afraid to let it`s roots show.

NICK PIUNTI- s/t
Nick Piunti is the leader of Detroit`s the Respectables, whose two albums grace the NOT LAME web site proudly and which not only light the fire under my rock `n roll soul but have for many, many Not Lamers the last year. This CD from Piunti is from 2002 and it comes from the same swath as the Respectables, albeit a little less rocking - but, hey, that usually is the domain of solo records, right? Here, the flow of heartland rock and the MidWest shines. Think a more cool, less pretentious BoDeans and 54-40. Also, reminds me of the Del Lords, the Del Fuegos and the Rainmakers. Now, those sounds were popularized for many us back in the 80s ,mostly - but it really is the timeless sound of rock `n roll done with a working class soul, working for that weekend. Very Highly Recommended.

What new on the NOT LAME shelves??? Part Two

2009-03-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

Here's some of the newest releases straight from the Boss's desk to your ears!

THE JUNIOR LEAGUE - SMILE SHOOT SMILE
The sophomore album has been unearthed! The Junior League`s debut, CATCHY was, well, indeed that. SMILE SHOOT SMILE delivers more of the (thankful) same ,this time mixing in some classic rock elements with a few songs sounding like Marshall Crenshaw and Credence Clearwater Revival with a Beach Boys breakdown. Fans of Sloan, The Gripweeds, classic Lemonheads power pop, Big Star and bands that have been influenced by Buffalo Springfield but are making modern-day pop, the Junior League are happening for ya. It touches on all kinds of power popping stepping stones and creates a fresh, lively sound - JUST what we are all looking for. Very Highly Recommended!

JIM BASNIGHT - WE ROCKED AND ROLLED: THE FIRST 25 YEARS
A truly special 25-track release that covers all the very best years and trax from Jim Basnight`s music career. This collection starts off with 11 trax from the legendary the Moberlys, who were highly touted in Trouser Press back in the `heydays`. Classic late 70`s/early 80`s power pop going on here, driven by loud but always hook honed guitars. Think the Plimsouls, the Real Kids, the Scruffs and Titan Records, the Beat and early REM and Athens-based pop bands in the early 80`s.

From there it travels in the 80s incarnation of the Moberlys, whose material keeps up w/ the time and in the 90s we have four tracks from the Rockinghams, who released the album this material comes from on Not Lame Limited back at the end of that decade and then into his most recent excursions with the Jim Basnight Thing. The title song is also represented in its original form, a great demo track recorded at EMI studios in Los Angeles in 1986 by the Moberlys, which was also the final track on Jim Basnight and the Moberlys SEATTLE-NY-LA - a compilation that was released in France on the Pop the Balloon label in 2001. All six of the unique CDs of Jim`s career are well represented here. Catch up with a bonafide power pop legend here on this excellent, top quality compilation. Timeless always.

FOUR EYES - ANTHOLOGY 1977-1990
Another lost skinny tie, power popping band that so few have heard of but sure do merit attention now. Mark DeCerbo`s band Four Eyes has a rich, deep legacy - much of it captured here on this anthology of 22 songs, a very healthy sampling I have put below because I want to make sure you check this unknown treasure out. Like recent reissues like the Wigs and Doug Derek & the Hoax, even the most ardent power pop fan `back in the day` might not have heard of Four Eyes but if distribution of information had been different in the late 70s, we sure would have.

Well, sometimes these things take time and in 2009, that problem is rectified. Listen to the samples over at the home page and hear the sounds of Shoes, the Deal and Phil Seymour and the Romantics. As the band moves into the 80s, the embrace the indie rock sounds of the times (echoes of, say, the Rainmakers in some areas) with skill and good taste(anotherwords, they avoid the nasty gated drum sounds wisely). There is mention of Greg Kihn and Dane Conover of the obscure early 80s fave future-pop band, Trees, appearing on some of these tracks, too. Beginning To End, Four Eyes is a really wonderful find for many of you there. Listen for yourself right here, right now!

THE PERMS - KEEPS YOU UP WHEN YOU'RE DOWN
2009 from one of Canada`s brightest pop stars, the Perms return after a 3 year break. As (really) good as "Better Days" was with it leaving their previous work in the dust, KEEPS YOU UP WHEN YOU'RE DOWN shines above because of its consistency and renewed vigor to attack their songs with hard-pop edge. There`s a special, unique branding and merging of a lot of artists familiar w/ Not Lamers, like late 70`s/early 80`s Elvis Costello, Sloan, the Lolas and some PINKERTON-era Weezer. What separates the Perms from so many other pop bands is their careful artistry and arrangements, fusing that soulful horn sound alongside archetypal power pop melodies `n hooks. This baby is laced up and ready to glide along smooth ice of its special blend of harmony-laden power pop. Extremely Highly Recommended!

"The Perms are a timeless pop band, employing catchy melodies and tight songwriting above all else, and it`s something proven by the classic pop sounds of "Better Days" - an upbeat and joyful treat for the senses." - UK Music Search

THE I LOVE MYSELFS - SHOW STOPPER
Well, we lost the Young Sportsmen, a big fave here at Not Lame, last year but from the ashes of that bands` demise, we have the I Love Myselfs, featuring head Sportsmen Ryan Maxwell and former Riffbroker guitarist Eric Olson. It is pure rock `n roll, like an angry version of the Flamin` Groovies and more melodic the Hives. We are talking brawn, dirty rawk, pop and cowbell. The I Love Myselfs are about blistering rock and roll reminiscent of Redd Kross, the Dead Boys, the Godfathers, Hoodoo Gurus, and Swinging Neckbreakers. The style ranges from heavy 70s guitar thunder to rootsy twang.

MARK AND THE SPIES - GIVE ME A LOOK
GERMANY ONLY import. Much as I loved their self-titled debut, I REALLY love GIVE ME A LOOK from Mark & the Spies, where they perfect form. Their main influences are the Beatles, Barry & the Remains, early the Who, Motown, Simon & Garfunkel, Link Wray, the Motions and the ZOMBIES, so you can imagine that most of their songs are filled with great melodies, heavenly harmonies and up-tempo beats. Great pop base inside their garage! This album is once again recorded by the legendary E.J. `I`ve got my mono working` Kloosterboer and filled with great jangling guitar-pop with a delicious sixties sauce. In times where the packaging, the number of different color pressings, the most limited circulation and the crappiest sound seems to be more important than the ability to write a great, simple and dead catchy tune, Mark & the Spies entered the studio again to prove all you self-appointed rock`n`roll experts wrong, with their awesome blend of pure crystalline 60`s pop and classic garage-beat.

Mark & The Spies enter the scene to prove all you self-appointed rock`n`roll experts wrong, with their awesome blend of pure crystalline 60`s pop and classic garage-beat Mersey-pop. This Dutch quintet plays music that is hard-tempered and expansive without ever seeming precious or compromised. Extremely Highly Recommended!

What new on the NOT LAME shelves??? Part One

2009-03-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

Here's some of the newest releases straight from the Boss's desk to your ears!

KYLE VINCENT - WHERE ARE YOU
2009 release! It has been some time since we last heard from Kyle Vincent and he sounds renewed and re-energized. Somehow Vincent has found a way to take a large dose of 1972 and make it sound fresher than a 2009 summer day. The production is crystal clear, warm, bright, and sassy on top, with a strong live rhythm section providing the bed. On WHERE ARE YOU, he focuses on what his strengths are in the past with emotional ballads and songs alongside moving melodies all over the place here.

"Kyle Vincent`s WHERE ARE YOU is another in a long string of high-quality, exquisitely sung and impeccably performed releases by the Crown Prince of Soft Pop. If this was the `70s you`d no doubt be hearing these songs all over your AM radio, but today, just be thankful that there`s still a craftsman like Kyle making music from - and for - the heart." -John M. Borack, GOLDMINE

DAVID GRAHAME - TOY PLANE
*** BIG, BIG NEWS! A bonafide power pop classic - no question. TOY PLANE is back for a VERY LIMITED TIME ***

Pay attention. If you have not heard of David Grahame and you are a power pop fan, you just have made a very important discovery. Very. Check out each every one of his releases available here. With TOY PLANE, his first release from 1998, here`s one fact that may clinch this one right off the back for many, hopefully. TOY PLANE was voted as one of Goldmine`s essential 25 Essential Power Pop Albums a few years back AND it is #56 on the list of the "Top 200" Power Pop Albums Of All Time from the SHAKE SOME ACTION: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POWER POP book.

TOY PLANE is available for only a LIMITED TIME - Do Not Wait!!

CHRIS RICHARDS - SAD SOUNDS OF THE SUMMER
I *knew* Chris Richards had it in time to deliver a true treasure. With SAD SOUNDS OF THE SUMMER he has. With his band the Subtractions, Richards has found fellow musos to articulate his jangle pop vision. Just jump in head first below and start listening to what`s going on here. If you are a fan of the Windbreakers, Bobby Sutliff and Tim Lee, this kind of music is going to win you over big. Echoes of many Swedish power pop bands we love so much are here, alongside pumping Velvet Crush-like guitar lines, Tommy Keene inspired melodies and the Lolas--and so much more. The guitars ring proudly, the vocals soar heavenward and the hooks rip the line off the fishing rod - it`s pure pop delight.

I mentioned that his previous albums were mansions of happy, sunny and bright pop melodies, chippy guitar sounds and snappy vocals and the same applies here, but in spades. All areas of the creation are upped to a higher level - everything rings stronger, brighter and exhibits quiet confidence that only a veteran can deliver. EXTREMELY Highly Recommended!!

THE TOMORROWS - JUPITER OPTIMUS MAXIMUS
The Roswells are now...the Tomorrows! It has been many, many years since the last Roswells CD came out and the core of the band has been keeping busy and working on their magnum opus with JUPITER OPTIMUS MAXIMUS released under the name the Tomorrows.

"The Tomorrows carry on the psychedelic pop tradition, but streamline things a bit so that the songs are tighter and even more melodic. Fans of Chewy Marble will eat up those great bent notes and striking chord changes! Definitely a force to be reckoned with!" - David Bash/IPO

THE RAVINES - MANIFESTO OF A BROKEN HEART
Okay, HOW do thousands of power pop fans miss, completely, a release like MANIFESTO OF A BROKEN HEART from the Ravines?! This one was released back in 2005 and 4 years later I have heard of it and will not try and convince you to embrace a band that should have snuggled up into your ears years ago. Take a few minutes to listen over at the link. Perfect Michael Carpenter, the Odds, Greenberry Woods and Gin Blossoms sounds are all over the place, but there is the Rembrandts and Crowded House, which Power PopAHolic accurately points out(as always).

KENNETH ISHAK - SILVER LIGHTNING FROM A BLACK SKY
Okay, you may not know the name of Kenneth Ishak, but some of you should know his band Beezewax. SILVER LIGHTNING FROM A BLACK SKY is a solo album from Ishak and it is absolutely gorgeous, the kind of record we do not hear enough because the ambition it seeks to explore are vistas that scare most artists and labels - yet, when you get right down to it, works beauty like this are the most practical ways to each an audience by being authentic, by being true to ones self. Fans of Jon Brion, Elliot Smith, Charles Jenkins(Ice Cream Hands), the solo works of Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, Jeff Tweedy and Ryan Adams -- it is all here. It is all just a joy to listen to, from beginning to end.

MPFrees!!! for 03.13.09

2009-03-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

Fire Town's fantastic 1987 album, IN THE HEART OF THE HEART COUNTRY, was reissued not too long ago and, man, did it fly off the NOT LAME shelves? (There's still a few copies left, you should pick one up..hint, hint!)

Our friends over at the awesome new blog Fix It in the Mix have posted an incredible live set from Fire Town, which, according to Fix It has "more than likely has never been heard since Westwood One first broadcast a portion of it in 1987."

To download the concert, check out this post here.

NOT LAME fave Martin Popoff interviewed on Shockwaves Skull Sessions!

2009-03-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Are you familiar with Martin Popoff? You oughta be. Sure, his book stray from the realm of, ahem, power-pop, but there's room for other genre love, right?

You see, Popoff is, or at least should be acclaimed as, the world's foremost authority on metal of all types. You name it: from authoritative tomes on Rush, Black Sabbath and Van Halen to his incredible YE OLDE METAL series, focusing on some of the most obscure of 70s metal and hard rock acts.

Interested? Check out his website and then check out this great podcast interview with him!

MPFrees!!! for 03.11.09

2009-03-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

Been over to PowerPop Overdose lately? You NEED to check out their series WHO ARE THOSE GUYS! Volume 3 has just been posted and features cuts from artists such as Sorry, the Hippie Love Gods, Tyler Esposito, Curlee Wurlee and six others!

To download--and you really, REALLY ought to-- check out this post!

The Best of Bruce's RANDOM VINYL PULLS! 2

2009-03-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

Are you following Bruce on Twitter? No? Then you're missing out on his near-daily RANDOM VINYL PULLS. Ever since he's brought his record player into the office, he's bringing in one classic lost piece of vinyl after another. Here's some of what he's been playing--LOUDLY--around the office...

Starz - ATTENTION SHOPPERS: "...never tire of this bands' 1st 3 albums. Mid/Late70s candy-coated hard rock with hooks."

Early 80s Power Pop goodness. 4 Out of 5 Doctors. Released two albums, some gems on each one. Check 'em out here.

The Secrets - s/t: YEAH!! Not played this one in ages - Very rare, one of the best power pop LPs back in the day.

Fabulous Poodles - THINK PINK: Remember "Mirror Star"? Btw, I AM the world's best air guitarist!

Tom Robinson - SECTOR 27: Have to say, TRG's "Power In The Darkness" may be an album in my All Time Top 30 list.

The Stompers - s/t: Ill-fated Boston band, the city's version of a more bar-room-ish Springsteen, Southside Johnny...

Awesome new JELLYBRICKS video!!!

2009-03-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

It's hard to keep a Jellybricks album in stock, and with good reason: they rock! Here's a video from their latest, GOODNIGHT TO EVERYONE, which cleverly uses some Rock Band graphics! You gotta check this out, and then immediately check out the new album!!!

MPFrees!!! (Kinda...) for 03.06.09

2009-03-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

Power-pop legend Tommy Keene's latest record has dropped and, well, it is of course phenomenal!!! Have you got it yet? No? Well get it NOW!!!

To celebrate, MAGNET let Keene make a kick-ass mix tape. And while you get a free download of his cover of Big Star's "Nighttime", the rest of the mix, featuring tunes by Aerosmith, Television, Roxy Music and the Beatles, among others, are playable only on the page. (Well...maybe it's not so bad, as chances are most of you already own these tunes...)

Click here to check out MAGNET's Keene Mix Tape.

THE BEATLES: ROCK STAR - More details announced!!!

2009-03-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

We here at NOT LAME love Guitar Hero. Love it! We rock Guitar Hero: Aerosmith like nobody's business. But now it looks like we're gonna have to invest in this whole Rock Band package--there's no way I'm passing up the chance to be in the Beatles! Even cooler, the instruments are going to be modeled after the Beatles own--all you need is a Beatle wig and pair of Beatle boots!

Here's the press release...

APPLE CORPS LTD., MTV AND HARMONIX ANNOUNCE "THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND", WORLDWIDE RELEASE SET FOR 9/9/09

New York, NY - March 5, 2009 - Apple Corps, Ltd., Harmonix and MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), today announced the 9/9/09 worldwide release of The Beatles: Rock Band (http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com). The music-based video game, an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles, will be available simultaneously worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Wii home videogame console from Nintendo.

The Beatles: Rock Band will allow fans to pick up the guitar, bass, mic or drums and experience The Beatles extraordinary catalogue of music through gameplay that takes players on a journey through the legacy and evolution of the band's legendary career. In addition, The Beatles: Rock Band will offer a limited number of new hardware offerings modeled after instruments used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr throughout their career.

The Beatles: Rock Band will be offered as standalone software and hardware as well as a limited edition bundle. The game will be compatible with all Rock Band instrument controllers and other current music-based video game peripherals.

* Available on 9/9/09: The Beatles: Rock Band Software - Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $59.99 MSRP

* The Beatles: Rock Band Standalone Guitars - Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $99.99 MSRP

* The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle: Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $249.99 MSRP

The Beatles: Rock Band marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. The Beatles: Rock Band will be published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world's premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band. Electronic Arts will serve as distribution partner for the game. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE album project, is providing his expertise and serving as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.

Exclusive content created by Apple Corps, MTV Games and Harmonix will be made available to fans over the next few months who participate in a pre-order campaign through major retailers. More details on The Beatles: Rock Band game and pre-order will be revealed in the coming months.

Please visit thebeatlesrockband.com.

Who wants to come over to the office and play???

MPFrees!!! for 03.04.09

2009-03-04T16:08:00.000-08:00

A couple of week's ago I was sent a press release for Dylan Connor's full album redux of Weezer's GREEN ALBUM. I had been planning on downloading it for the past few weeks, but only got around to it yesterday and, you know, it's really, really, REALLY good. It's extremely low-fi, but actually improves on certain songs, such as "Hash Pipe" and "Islands in the Sun". Fans of Brady Harris's recent triumph COVER CHARGE will love this.

Download Dylan Connor's ALMOST GREEN ALBUM here.

If you like what you hear, why not head over to dylanconnor.com and check out his new album BREAKAWAY AND BURN. “Connor falls somewhere in between power pop and indie pop, but whatever label you choose to apply, he has a way with a melody.” – Absolute Powerpop

The first TINTED WINDOWS track!!!

2009-03-04T16:03:00.000-08:00

So...how are we liking it???

Eric Sorensen's JANGLE ON for March 2009!!!

2009-03-04T14:13:00.000-08:00

JANGLE ON!
By Eric Sorensen‏, written exclusively for NOT LAME

It has been a slow winter in terms of “new” jangly music. There have been some recent notable exceptions, so here are a few new discs that fellow fans of jangly music ought to seek out:

Jim Hitchcock - GRATEFUL
I did a “Rickenbacker 12-string” search on CD Baby, and – voila! – this excellent 2008 disc appeared. The opening track, “She Came Alone,” sounds similar to the Roger McGuinn/Tom Petty radio friendly tunes of the early 90s. Hitchcock’s Rickenbacker chimes, rings and jangles on other tracks – like “The Love For The Game,” “I Gotta Get Away” and “Pacific Coast Highway.” The liner notes state: “This CD is dedicated to the 60s and Roger McGuinn of the Byrds for his chiming Rickenbacker guitar sound, to the 70s vocal harmony of the Eagles and finally to the melodic digital beauty of U2’s the Edge.” For this, we are grateful to you Jim!

Hey, fans of female vocals and chiming Rickenbacker guitars! Be sure to pick up a copy of the new Jenny Wolfe album AFTER SCHOOL that was just released on the Steady Boy Records label. Ms. Wolfe made quite a splash with her debut disc Jenny Wolfe And The Pack, and now that she is a sophomore in high school, her sophomore disc showcases her growth as a vocalist, songwriter and musician. Mentor Freddie Steady Krc has the 16 year-old Jenny leaving American Idol wannabes eating her dust on 14 tracks of classic rock covers, Explosives covers and original tunes. Jenny’s pipes and chops draw easy comparisons with the Spector girl group sound, the torch-rock repertoire of Linda Ronstadt and the straight-ahead rock’n’roll of Joan Jett. Jenny’s maturing talent is further seasoned with Krc’s steady production skills and a fine handful of studio sidemen that give her big voice a 21st century wall of sound. Jangleholics will be pleased to note that Krc’s bandmate and pal Cam King does the honors on Rickenbacker 12-string guitar, and Ms. Wolfe is pictured in the jewel case with a jetglow Rickenbacker. My favorite tracks: “After School” and “Twisted Smile,” co-written by Jenny and Freddie, and her cover of the Beau Brummels’ mid-60s gem “Just A Little.” Move over Maura Kennedy, Penny Davis, Mary Lou Lord et al - there’s a new girl moving up the jangly charts!

In my last column, I mentioned multi-track artist David Heselden’s self-produced disc, BYRDMAN OF BEARWOOD. David has recorded a number of other jangly tracks on his follow-on compilation disc, HEAR AGAIN! This second disc features more crisp, chiming Rickenbacker riffs on Beatles, Searchers and Byrds covers … as well as some original material. Standout cover tunes include: “When You Walk In The Room,” “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away,” “All I Really Want To Do,” “If I Needed Someone,” “Don’t Throw Your Love Away” and Buddy Holly’s “Maybe Baby.” David’s material is not available commercially, but you can contact him at his email address – djheselden@sky.com - and mention that you read about him here. He might be willing to share some of his excellent home-recorded music with you. Many thanks to David for keeping the jangly pop-rock of the 60s alive in this millennium, and thanks again to my pal Ray Verno for discovering David’s music via his online searches.

Ray also tipped me off to some new releases involving singer/songwriter and Rickenbacker 12-string guitarist extraordinaire Tony Poole. Tony has released START THE COUNTDOWN, a compilation of material that Tony recorded with the group The Sun in the early 80s, on his own Aurora label. In addition, the Broadside label is releasing a single CD Hits compilation of songs by Tony’s best-known band Starry Eyed & Laughing. Hits will include the band’s superb version of “Chimes Of Freedom” and two previously unreleased live recordings of “He Was A Friend Of Mine” and “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.”

“Song of the Month” honors go to Tony Poole for the awesome tune “Stranger In My Time” - which could easily be mistaken for a McGuinn solo track by diehard Byrds fans! Tony also teams up with Sid Griffin (Long Ryders, Coal Porters, Western Electric) on a live version of Sid’s “I Tell Her All The Time.” Fans of the Rickenbacker 12-string sound must have been quite pleased to be in that concert audience. One final note regarding Tony Poole: you can hear Tony’s chiming 12-string guitar on Katie Humble’s disc TRUE TO YOUR SOUL. Katie’s album features a number of cover songs, and Tony’s Rickenbacker is quite pronounced on “Rain” and “Kiss From A Rose.” Long may you run, Sir Tony...and please cross the pond and play a couple of gigs on this side of the Atlantic!

Although the “Godfather of Desert Rock” – Rich Hopkins (Sidewinders, Sand Rubies and Luminarios) – is best known for his snarling Neil Young-inspired “wall of guitars” sound, Rich has given several nods to melodic pop music over the years. His latest disc – LOVELAND – is a collaboration with Lisa Novak, and two of the duo’s songs, “Lucky Guy” and “Matthew Sweet,” are power pop gems...with some Rickenbacker riffs thrown in for good measure. I have said this many times before, but it bears repeating - long may you run, Sir Rich!

A RIVER SO WIDE by Tiller’s Folly
I have CD Baby to thank for finding this excellent disc by a very talented trio that crosses a number of musical genres – pop, rock, country, folk, celtic and bluegrass. While I enjoy the entire album (which features some nifty vocal harmonies reminiscent of Poco), the standout track is “The Things I Haven’t Done” – which is a very radio-friendly song that reminds me of Blue Rodeo.

In the “blast from the past” category comes a handful of groups and artists who all crossed paths in the greater New York City area back in the 80s and 90s. Lauren Agnelli, Dave Rave, Gary “Pig” Gold, Shane Faubert, Tony Low, Buddy Woodward and Mick Hargreaves collectively had a hand in forming the Washington Squares, Agnelli and Rave, the Cheepskates and the Ghost Rockets. While the Cheepskates’ albums featured the most jangly tracks of all of these artists, each of these artists/groups released some excellent melodic pop music that has stood the test of time. What a blast it was to see the Ghost Rockets perform twice in the Washington, D.C. area – and I’ll never forget how enthused Buddy Woodward was to show off his “Nudie” suit when the band played at IOTA.

A similar cluster of talented pop artists crossed paths with one another in the NYC area in the mid-70s. Imagine what it was like to hang out with BEATLEMANIA cast members David Grahame (Paul McCartney), Marshall Crenshaw (John Lennon) and Les Fradkin (George Harrison)...who, while developing their own solo material, admired the home-recorded material by wunderkind indie artist Mark Johnson. Crossing paths in today’s NYC pop scene are, among others, members of the Grip Weeds, the Smithereens, Richard Heyman (once a bandmate of Tommy Keene in the D.C. power pop band the Rave), George Usher, Ed Rogers and the Kennedys. If only I lived closer to Manhattan!

Until next month, jangle on!

BRANDON SCHOTT - HOMEGROWN RECORDINGS VOL. 1 -- Courtesy of TooPoppy!!!

2009-02-20T13:36:00.000-08:00

So, the other day, I got this email from Lee over at the great TooPoppy blog:

Hey, friends at Not Lame! I wanted to alert you to a new feature we're doing at Too Poppy with Brandon Schott. Each month he's offering a free download of a hand-picked unreleased tune from his personal archive. First up is a beautiful cover of Bjork's All is Full of Love. He's also throwing in a custom video as well. Check it out: http://toopoppy.blogspot.com/2009/02/exclusive-brandon-schott-homegrown.html.

Brandon Schott is a fave here at NOT LAME--have you heard GOLDEN STATE yet???--and these songs are a total testament to that love. Download this now, and leave a comment telling Lee that NOT LAME sent ya!!!

Band to watch: TINTED WINDOWS!

2009-02-20T13:20:00.000-08:00

Bruce brought to my attention the formation of the new supergroup Tinted Windows--check out this line-up: Smashing Pumpkins' James Iha, Hanson's Taylor Hanson, Cheap Trick's Bun E. Carlos and Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger. I think that this is a crazily awesome, odd group of musicians, but, look at that pedigree.

The one guy in there that I think that most people will have a problem with is Taylor Hanson. While the mainstream public only knows Hanson for their one huge hit--the infectiously catchy "Mmm-Bop", their albums are actually just as strong, mixing a bubblegum sound with sharp poppy hooks and great songwriting. I highly recommend at least picking up the budget compilation 20TH CENTURY MASTERS - THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION: THE BEST OF HANSON, which can be bought used from Amazon, for, like, $4.00.

While I thought that most music blogs would be pretty excited by this news, check out what the snarky hipsters at Prefix had to say:

Tinted Windows: The Least "Super" Supergroup of All Time

At the Billboard showcase on March 20 at SXSW, the world will be, um, treated to a performance of a new supergroup called Tinted Windows...

The group has apparently already recorded an album, and are looking for a label. I'm guessing the material will mostly be power-pop, but it might (likely) end up being classified as "awful."

I know that the writer is trying to be "clever", but what is it in these guy's DNA that automatically makes them hate everything? Are their lives such joyless, fruitless searches for the "cool Grail" that makes them so utterly bitter? Give the music a chance before you urinate on it, Prefix! Geez...

Regardless, us here at NOT LAME Central are pretty dang excited!

MPFrees!!! for 02.11.09

2009-02-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

I know that it's not really power-pop per se, but the ROIR label, with their cassette releases in the 80s, were legendary for their roster, putting out music by such punk greats like Johnny Thunders, the Mirrors, the MC5 and the Dictators. Over at Amazon.com, they've got an awesome free comp called SO INDIE IT HURTS: ROIR ROCKS VOLUME ONE, eleven free cuts in all.

NOT LAME has a great Dictators rarities album called EVERYDAY IS SATURDAY--Bruce was playing this in his office and I overheard it and immediately fell in love. It's melodic, pop-punk at its best and well worth a listen!

The Best of Bruce's RANDOM VINYL PULLS!

2009-02-11T14:21:00.001-08:00

Are you following Bruce on Twitter? No? Then you're missing out on his near-daily RANDOM VINYL PULLS. Ever since he's brought his record player into the office, he's bringing in one classic lost piece of vinyl after another. Here's some of what he's been playing--LOUDLY--around the office...

Tom Dickie & The Desires-COMPETETITION: Criminally overlooked album from the late 70s, new-wave but good wave!

The Strangers-THE RAVEN: NOT one of my faves. "No More Heroes" may go into my casket,tho.

Joe Jackson-BEAT CRAZY: My favorite Jackson album, in a body of work I adore from beginning to present.

SUPER BUBBLE: an excellent two-LP mail order set from Warner Special Products from '77. Bubblegum music lives!

Shawn Phillips-RUMPLESTILSKIN: Whoa, not SEEN, let alone heard, this LP in almost 30 yrs!

Blue Oyster Cult-CULTOSAURUS ERECTUS: STILL my favorite BOC album by a LONG shot! Hugely overlooked.

Blogs That POP: Accelerated Decrepitude weighs in on the death of Lux Interior!

2009-02-06T12:35:00.000-08:00

I am not the biggest fan of the Cramps, but I now that Bruce is and many Not Lamers are. Still, it's hard not to feel sad about the death of punk legend Lux Interior. No one has done a better, more exhaustive tribute than Tom Warner over at Accelerated Decrepitude. Not only does he post some a great vid, a nice historical primer and some personal rememberances, he also lets us in on this little nugget that should raise the eyebrows of a few pop-fans:

"In 1977, fellow cult star Alex Chilton (who produced their early recordings) christened The Cramps "the greatest rock'n'roll group in the world."

Did you guys know that? I didn't know that. To read the full post, click here. And, while you're there, leave a comment!

Larry Koestler's TOP 10 of 2008!!!

2009-02-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

So Monday I put out a call for readers to send me their top ten albums of 2008 and Larry Koestler, who does the immensely readable blog This is What We Do Now, sent me his list, filled with power-pop goodness. Check it out...

I've always loved doing my year-end top ten albums list, but I'm not sure I've ever been as excited to write my annual music wrap-up as I am for this year's edition.

Simply put, 2008 has been an absolutely monster year for power-pop fanatics. In years past it's been something of a struggle to determine which albums merit the 9th and 10th slots on the list; this year there was so much amazing music that the albums in slots 6 through 10 could have easily made the top 5 in a weaker year.

10) Wisely - S/T: This is just a wonderful, happy, warm and free album with a mellow yet glowing vibe throughout its duration. Once again, my thoughts from my original review back in August still hold more than true: "Willie Wisely released an album called PARADOR two years ago which was hailed by many in the power-pop community as a classic, given Wisely's status as something of an elder statesman of the genre. I didn't quite see at the time, but this self-titled follow-up has made me a believer. Talk about a beautiful, nuanced, mature record of blissful power pop. Maybe it's because I'm getting older, but I definitely found myself shining up to this record a lot more than I may have a few years ago. Wisely has such an easy way about his voice, and the songs are powerful and moody yet still sunny and irreverent. While their voices sound nothing alike, I would almost equate Wisely to a slightly more grown-up Pete Yorn, as far as songwriting sensibilities go. This is a really easy record to listen to, and I highly recommend it for anyone more interested in the singer-songwriter end of the power-pop spectrum."

9) The Crash Moderns - GOODNIGHT GLAMOUR, GOOD MORNING DISASTER: Do you long for the halcyon days of alternative rock circa 1998/1999/2000, a time when Butch Walker still wrote great songs and performed with the now-legendary Marvelous3 and bands like Lit, Tsar, Stroke9 and Eve6 were churning out hyper-melodic kick-ass pop-rock records? If so, then your days of pining are over, as the Crash Moderns have crafted an album that sounds as if someone took all of the aforementioned bands, stuffed them in a blender, hit puree, and poured the results into a 200-CD Changer. Kicking things off as appropriately as possible with"This Time," the band races through catchy song after catchy song, never letting up, and ensuring that the album is eminently listenable the entire way through. Standouts include "Pimp My Life," "Everybody Hates Me," and in true late-90's alterna-rock fashion, the record culminates with "Closer is Better," a stereotypically slow-building closer that bursts into an anthemic, epic-sounding chorus that will have you repeating the title phrase on infinite loop.

8) The Crayons - WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU: This was one of the first albums I heard in 2008, and it stayed with me for the entire year. That's some longevity right there. One thing I love about this album is that, despite some stylistic similarities to other acts here and there, there really isn't one band you could compare the Crayons' sound to. While they have the unmistakable hooks of a tried-and-true pop-rock act, the lead singer's unique voice really elevates the material to a new level. Here's what I said earlier this year: "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU is just a solid album of mostly mid-tempo power-pop, with great vocals and arrangements. Reminds me of the Tories in parts, and the Rosenbergs elsewhere. It starts off strongly, and then it surprisingly actually gets even better in the middle of the record (an area where, as we all know, a lot of records tend to sag), highlighted by the 1-2-3 punch of 'Well,' 'Maybe' and 'By the Way.' Seriously, try to get 'By the Way' out of your head, what with that little guitar lick throughout and then the sweet-ass lyrical shift and minor chord in the coda - that's great stuff."

7) Paper or Plastic - DON'T BE LIKE THAT: In a year of outrageously strong debuts, this one ranks right up there with the best. At an all-too-short 9 tracks, Paper or Plastic deliver a knockout punch of piano-driven power-pop, doing their best to patch the hole that Scott Simons and the Argument left in our hearts post break-up. "Move It Away" starts the proceedings off on the right foot, giving way to the killer one-two of "For Christ's Sake" and the astonishingly good "Postcards and Technology." In fact, if I were doing a top 5 songs of the year, "Postcards and Technology" would probably be in the top 3 -- that's how damn good it is. What an astonishingly catchy chord progression, and the vocals are absolutely perfect. A fine, fine album.

6) Jack McManus - EITHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT: Basically take what I just wrote about Paper or Plastic and multiply it by another factor of awesome. This is piano-driven power-pop at its finest, and a worthy companion to our album of the year (you'll have to keep reading to find out who earned that most coveted of positions). I've read a handful of negative reviews of this album, but I can't fathom what record these idiots were listening to, as McManus' energy, clever arrangements, hooks by the bowlful and outright catchiness pervade every single song. There's just no getting away from it on this album - these songs are astounding and you can't possibly listen to this album and not smile. You just can't. If you like power pop, you will love this album. If you are a critic and hate this album, you are a miserable human being who should probably find another profession because you clearly don't know a damn thing about good music. "Bang on the Piano" is easily one of the highlights of the year, and can stand up to anything produced by any of the go-to top modern pop pianists, Elton John included.

5) The Wellingtons - HEADING NORTH FOR THE WINTER: I had initially slotted this album for around 9th or 10th on the list, but over the last few weeks it has made an aural charge into my brain that simply cannot be ignored. I've loved the Wellingtons for a few years now, ever since their debut made the top 10 back in 2005. My first few listens to HEADING NORTH seemed to confirm that they had once again put together another nice record, but it didn't immediately grab me. However, by the 4th or 5th listen the band's extra-large hooks started taking up residence inside my brain, and I could not stop hitting replay on my iPod for a solid two weeks. And then I began to realize just how incredible this band is at crafting the absolute sugariest, stickiest, flat-out extraordinarily catchy music -- I don't know that any band has crafted power-pop this cavity-inducing since Second Saturday. Lead singer Zac Anthony's voice pretty much IS the vocal embodiment of modern-day power-pop. Truly, as one listens to the first six amazing and outrageously sugary tracks of "Heading North for the Winter," from the bouncy infectiousness of "Song for Kim" to the slightly slower, wonderfully ebullient and background vocal-buoyed "Natalie" and the four hook-drenched power-pop gems in between, you almost can't help but feel as if you are being beaten to death with a giant, life-sized candy cane, and I of course mean that in the least-violent, nicest way possible.

4) Captain Wilberforce- EVERYONE LOVES A VILLAIN: This record came out of left field for me, as I can't say I was expecting all that much from a band with another ridiculous moniker, and I still wasn't all that into after a couple of listens, but by the third go-round I realized that I had discovered something wonderful. The lead track "No Strings or Ties" propels the album with a pulsating energy that never wanes, and the entire record feels as if it's been comfortably nestled among the top power-pop albums of the decade for years, although this is not to say it sounds unoriginal or dated, in fact far from it. This brilliantly catchy, creative and inventive record teems with unexpected chord changes and melodies throughout, and even the more conventional-sounding stuff sounds fresh and incredibly engaging. This is exactly what I hope to hear when listening to a new album - songs that stick in my head and beg to be replayed, while also providing something new for the brain to digest and enjoy. The most appropriate comparison for this band would be Jackdaw4, which, seeing as how BIPOLAR DIVERSIONS was my top album of 2007, I think it's safe to say Captain Wilberforce delivers the goods.

3) Bryan Scary - FLIGHT OF THE KNIFE: When I first listened to this album, I figured it was a lock for album of the year, no questions asked. Truth be told, you could probably reorder my top 3 albums any which way you please and I wouldn't complain, but the two albums I've ranked ahead of it really do deserve their rankings. Still, this is an utterly astonishing record, one that absolutely begs many, many repeated listens, and also the only album on this list I've managed to hear live. Unfortunately, as talented as the Shredding Tears are, I didn't actually love the band live, as they played every song about 4 times faster than they should have, but I guess it's hard to blame a band for being too keyed up. Anyway, here's what I had to say about the record earlier this year: "At this very moment, the album that has taken up full residence in my brain and refuses to let go is FLIGHT OF THE KNIFE, the new disc from Bryan Scary & the Shredding Tears. Some of you may recall Bryan Scary from last year's brilliant debut, and incredibly he's managed to outdo himself on this sophomore effort. It's almost impossible to describe everything that's going on here, as Scary literally runs the gamut through seemingly every possible musical genre imaginable - pop, rock, '50s doo-wop, glam, orchestral baroque pop, vaudeville, carnival whimsy, chamber pop, prog, post-punk, and probably several other genres that I can't think of right now - and somehow seamlessly melds everything together in an utterly brilliant hook-drenched pastiche of a concept record. Seriously, every single song tosses off about 8,000 hooks, and you could listen to each track several times and still catch new hooks that will quickly lodge themselves into your brain each time. The story has something to do with spacecrafts and other assorted flying vehicles, but as always for me, the lyrical content is secondary to the outstanding songwriting and musicianship. Scary manages to evoke the Beatles, Queen and Bowie to name a few points of reference, and as far as more recent bands, there's some Chris Brown (my #2 record of '07), Jackdaw4, a ton of Jellyfish and traces of just about every good power pop band I've ever name-checked. Even though we're only in April, it's going to take an absolute monster to surpass this album as #1 record of 2008." Well, it turns out not one but two absolute monsters came out.

2) Roger Joseph Manning Jr. - CATNIP DYNAMITE: April 2008 will probably go down as one of the greatest months in power pop history, as that was the month that both FLIGHT OF THE KNIFE and CATNIP DYNAMITE came into my world, basically providing a nonstop soundtrack of incredible music for the next two straight months. As incredible as FLIGHT OF THE KNIFE is, CATNIP DYNAMITE might be even more amazing, demonstrating how ridiculously talented Roger Joseph Manning Jr. really is. I mean, every song on this album is just absurdly good. Well, except for "Drive-Thru Girl," but despite one clunker, I still feel this album merits second place. Here's my write-up from earlier this year: "A big-time contender for top album of 2008, I grabbed this record right around the time Bryan Scary's album came out, and was subsequently in pure power pop heaven for several weeks as a result. For those unfamiliar with his pedigree, RJM was one of the founding members of that most reverent of modern-day power-pop bands, Jellyfish, which means the expectations for him from fans of the genre are astronomically high, and probably super-unrealistic for him to ever reach. That being said, he comes awfully close. Track-for-track this album is a knockout, with hooks by the barrelful and intricate, interesting and unexpected arrangements sprinkled throughout, making repeated listens extra rewarding. It doesn't get much better than opener 'The Quickening,' and RJM doesn't waste any time after that firmly establishing his astounding ability to craft insanely catchy songs that will never leave your head. "Love's Never Half as Good" is an addictive-as-hell ballad, 'Down in Front' is a straight-ahead uptempo, energetic rocker and 'Imaginary Friend' is a fun 60s-style British invasion number. And it gets even better as it goes on. 'Haunted Henry' is flat-out awesome -- this beautiful, somber minor-key masterpiece literally sounds like a dirge that wouldn't be out of place on a ghost ship in the high seas somewhere, or at least that's what I can't help but envision. 'Tinsel Town' has a fun, easy hook in the chorus with a lot of pop-cultural reference points, which then gives way to the best track on the album 'The Turnstile at Heaven's Gate.' Wow. All I can say is, what a fucking chorus. I couldn't get this one out of my head for weeks. Not only are the hooks plentiful throughout, but there is an olde-timey-'Step right up and see if you can knock down the glass bottles'-carnival-music-style breakdown in the bridge. If that's not awesome, I don't know what is. The epic-length 'Survival Machine' is a bit on the gloomy side and very baroque (it basically sounds like a funeral procession being played at high mass), but also includes a carousel-style-music breakdown in the middle, which, again, just wow. Definitely one of the best albums of the year, if not the decade." Check, and check.

And if you're somehow still reading this disgustingly lengthy top 10, here's my pick for album of the year:

1) Josh Fix - FREE AT LAST: I pretty much knew it from the first moment I heard the astoundingly creative Queen-inspired kickoff track, "Don't Call Me in the Morning," that Josh Fix had written the album of the year. Talk about talent -- in any other year, I don't see how a complete newcomer bests two established power-pop behemoths in Bryan Scary and RJM, but Josh Fix not only hit the ball out of the park with FREE AT LAST, he somehow managed to sock an 8-run home run in the process. I could throw all the power-pop cliches and accolades in the world at this album, and they would be more than apt, but tossing away hyperbole for a second, moreso than anything this record flat-out makes me happy. It feels inspirational just listening to it. I love music, and I especially love catchy-as-hell music that I can sing along to, but when catchy-as-hell music also makes my soul feel good, well, you know you've found something special. Once again, I will defer to my gushingly praiseful write-up from earlier this year to expound on how much I love this album: "Holy motherfucking shit. Where did this guy come from? I had initially heard the lead single off this album, "Don't Call Me in the Morning," last year, and instantly loved it, but figured there'd be no way he could pull off the insane catchiness of this song across an entire album. Turns out I was dead wrong. FREE AT LAST is a stunning accomplishment. I read a review that called his style 'Queen meets Elton John,' which definitely isn't that far off, although it's probably closer to 'Queen meets a wide variety of awesome piano-based power-pop bands with a little bit of soul and R&B tossed in for good measure.' Fix arranges the songs primarily around his piano, but man, does this album fucking rock. If your blood pressure doesn't get going with the thumping and joyously soul-uplifting 'Jethro' (seriously, try listening to this song without a huge smile plastering itself across your face when the chorus comes on), rollicking and bombastic 'Whiskey & Speed' and 'Tiger on a Treadmill,' then I can't help you. Fix also does slow-burn ballads with equal dexterity, as evidenced by the title track, 'Rock and Roll Slut' and 'The Water in My Brain.' This guy is a huge talent and absolutely, criminally under-the-radar. This is a phenomenal album - not only 100% in the top ten of 2008, but a serious contender for album of the year. Oh yeah, and did I mention he plays every instrument on this record but drums? Sweet Jesus, just buy this already." If there's any negative to be drawn from all this, it's that Josh Fix has set the bar outrageously high, but if anyone can clear that hurdle, I have to figure it would be him.

(For the full, uncut article, click here.)

Anyone else got a best of 2008 list? Send them to me at notlameblog@gmail.com and I'll post it! Everyone's got an opinion!!

Bruce's TOP 20 of 2008!!!

2009-02-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

Bruce has put out his top 20 of 2008 and, true to form, he's done this crazy interactive thing where you can hear his commentary and listen to sample tracks (and hear his bonus ten!). To hear this miracle of modern telecommunications, click here.

1. Bryan Scary - FLIGHT OF THE KNIFE

2. Greg Pope - POPMONSTER

3. Josh Fix - FREE AT LAST

4. Rose Hill Drive - MOON IS THE NEW EARTH

5. The Cute Lepers - CAN'T STAND MODERN MUSIC

6. Higgins - Zs

7. BigElf - CHEAT THE GALLOWS

8. Ness - YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO FEEL

9. Class Three Overbite - HORSES FOR COURSES

10. Starling Electric - CLOUDED STAIRCASE

11. The Pranks - MODERN COMMUNICATION

12. Frank Ciampi - BIG TOP WOMAN

13. The Rollo Treadway - S/T

14. Secret Powers - EXPLORERS OF THE POLAR ECLIPSE

15. Kelly Jones - SheBANG!

16. Khalid Hanifi - PAMPLEMOUSSE PRESSE

17. April's Rain - STELLAR TRANSMISSION

18. Respectables - SIBLEY GARDENS

19. Skybombers - TAKE ME TO TOWN

20. Captain Wilberforce - EVERYONE LOVES A VILLAIN

You can buy any of these releases by clicking the links. Anyone else got a best of 2008 list? Send them to me at notlameblog@gmail.com and I'll post it! Everyone's got an opinion!!

Careening Around My Cranium with Daryll Collins #4!!!

2009-01-28T22:01:00.000-08:00

I know I promised a Holiday Edition of my little wacky-assed column, but due to circumstances beyond my control it didn't happen. I trust that none of you were terribly distraught or crestfallen over this. So it's onward and upward with the first order of business for 2009 being...

MY TOP 20 FOR 2008!!!

This is in no particular order. Each release received ample playing time on CD and iPod over the course of '08. I didn't rate them 1 through 20 as that process gets too tedious. It's very rare that a release stands head and shoulders over all others by a large margin that I would bestow a clear cut #1 for the year. There are exceptions though... in 1986 XTC's SKYLARKING reigned supreme. I could not stop playing that disc. In fact it is my favorite album of the 80's. I suppose I could break them down into groups of six or seven as being more favorite than others, but really my taste is not your taste and vice versa. This is just a snapshot of what new music really floated my boat.

Also, I decided that both The Silver Seas - HIGH SOCIETY and Mike Viola's LURCH were 2007 releases. Otherwise they'd be on this list.

*The Simple Carnival - GIRLS, ALIENS, FOOD
*Jim Boggia - MISADVENTURES IN STEREO
*Black Stone Cherry - FOLKLORE AND SUPERSTITION
*Brent Cash - HOW WILL I KNOW IF I'M AWAKE?
*Jack McManus - EITHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT
*Rob Bonfiglio - BRING ON THE HAPPY
*Willie Wisely - WISELY
*Glenn Hughes - FIRST UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR KITCHEN
*Ron Sexsmith - EXIT STRATEGY OF THE SOUL
*Kelly Jones - SheBANG!
*The Goldbergs - UNDER THE RADAR
*Rick Springfield - VENUS IN OVERDRIVE
*Pugwash - ELEVEN MODERN ANTIQUES
*Jordan Zevon - INSIDES OUT
*The Pop Project - STARS OF STAGE AND SCREEN
*Roger Joseph Manning Jr. - CATNIP DYNAMITE
*Glen Campbell - MEET GLEN CAMPBELL
*Ike - WHERE TO BEGIN
*Todd Rundgren - ARENA
*All Day Sucker - THE BIG PRETEND

Two late 2008 releases/discoveries that I'm really diggin' are Fall Out Boys - FOLIE A DEUX and Paul Steel - APRIL & I.

DARYLL'S IPOD SHUFFLE - SPECIAL END OF 2008 EDITION!!!

Did I mention I have a separate iPod for music of the current year? My 2008 device has 1114 songs. I load new stuff, listen for a while and periodically delete everything but my favorites. Let's see what shakes out.

* Adrian Bourgeois - "My House"
* Amiel - "No Game To Play"
* All Day Sucker - "Santa Ana"
* Secret Powers - "We Are Alone"
* Greg Pope - "Sky Burn Down"
* Black Stone Cherry - "Devil's Queen"
* Jack McManus - "Milky Way"
* Cliff Hillis - "Elevator"
* Greg Pope - "Backwards"
* Dungen - "Mina Damer Och Fasner"

A MASSIVE UNDERTAKING

I got one of those ION turntables for Christmas in 2007. Since then, whenever I have a decent chunk of time I grab a small stack of records and convert them to digital files. Most of my favorite LPs have already been re-purchased as CDs, so it's mainly been a process of converting the single tracks from each album that I still like. I have about 200 albums left to plow through. And about 100 singles...

MUSIC, MOVIES & COMICS

In these tough economic times I've had to make some harsh decisions about my discretionary income. I've cut my movie-going by half, waiting to rent most films or seeing them on weekdays at reduced prices. (One of the perks of being self-employed!) If a movie I want to see is truly enhanced by seeing on the big screen, I'm there. But at $10 bucks a pop, I usually walk out of the theater feeling like I didn't get my money's worth.

Marvel comics are raising their prices by $1.00! DC will probably follow suit. Four bucks for a 22 page comic book is where I draw the line. I buy mostly indies anyway, but will now be cutting back on the books from the Big Two dramatically. And so it goes...

But... I'm holding the line with music. I will continue to buy as much music as possible, with emphasis on physical CDs. I'm old school that way. I guess of all my passions/interests, music reigns supreme.

This was cobbled together quickly. I'll have more soon. Until next time...

***
Daryll Collins is a free-lance cartoonist/illustrator who has worked for a wide variety of clients including magazines and newspapers, advertising, greeting cards, character design & development, children's books, comic strips and gag cartoons. You can check out his work at www.daryllcollins.com

Twitter? TWYTTYR!

2009-01-27T20:56:00.000-08:00

I know that just about everyone here is a huge fan of Byrd-man Roger McGuinn. C'mon--we ALL are! Well, Mr. McGuinn has joined the Twitter revolution and now, through your Twitter account, can follow his day-to-day life--he updates quite a lot. Want to add him to your Twit-list? Click here!

Louis's Top 20 Records of 2008!!!

2009-01-27T20:49:00.000-08:00

20. Umlaut - I UMLAUT EINS (Buy here.) German heavy metal by way of Fort Collins. It may be a joke, but it’s a damn funny one. I highly recommend their live show. Listen to: “Danse”

19. Malibu - ROBO-SAPIENS (Buy here.) The latest side-project from Roger Manning, a fun, bouncy 80’s-synth throwback. It’s extremely fun and will incite much dancing. If people still danced, that is. Listen to: “The Bounce”

18. Journey – REVELATION (Buy here.) Laugh if you want, but this is old-school Journey, filled with soaring vocals (courtesy of new frontman Arnel Pineda) and that “believe in yourself” songwriting that bands just don’t do anymore. Listen to: “Never Walk Away”

17. Neil Diamond - VELVET GLOVES & SPIT (re-issue) (Buy here.) A sterling in-between album that finds Diamond leaving the Brill Building and searching for success on his own. Even though it contains the classic “Shilo” and “Brooklyn Roads”, it’s probably most famous for “The Pot Smoker’s Song”. Listen to: “Shilo”

16. Original Soundtrack - PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (Buy here.) Yeah, this has got lots of previously released material by Eddy Grant, Bel Biv Devoe and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, but I got this for the title cut, a brand new song by Huey Lewis and the News. It’s a really good song. Listen to: “Pineapple Express”

15. Vee Device - LOVE WILL TEAR US TO SHREDS, ACT II: THE GENRE OF SILENCE (Buy here.) The casual listener would be apt to call the output of Fort Collins’ Vee Device, well, pretentious, but unlike similar acts, such as the abhorrent Decembrists, Vee Device as so much catchiness to their music that it becomes the sort of pop music you’d heard during the Russian Revolution. Which is what I think they’re going for. Hopefully. Listen to: “Bastille Day”

14. Duffy – ROCKFERRY (Buy here.) It’s so great to have a British neo-soul singer who is not a total crack-whore. No, Welsh chanteuse Duffy likes to take good care of herself and, if that weren’t enough, she knows how to craft a classic sound that is sexy and poppy, but, you know, won’t cut you for a fix. Listen to: “Warwick Avenue”

13. The Proclaimers- LIFE WITH YOU (Buy here.) Am I the only Proclaimers fan in the United States? I have bought every album since SUNSHINE ON LEITH, and each one is better than the last, more raucous than the last, and, more bitingly sweet than the last. This British import (once again, eff you American record companies) is their best record to date. Listen to: “Life with You”

12. Weezer - THE RED ALBUM (Buy here.) Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. They practically invented emo so I should hate them, but you know, I just can’t. Weezer is just so damn likable. Their music is so damn likable. I’ve listened to “Pork and Beans” probably more than any other song this year. It feels like ’95 all over again. Listen to: “Pork and Beans”

11. Brady Harris - COVER CHARGE (Buy here.) I am a total sucker for cover albums. Hearing a new artist (well, an artist that’s new to me at least) doing an unique cover of a popular song, to hear how they take that tune on, is always an inviting proposition and here, Harris does hauntingly jaunty version of “Like a Prayer”, “Smile Like You Mean It” and a stellar mash-up of “I Want You to Want Me” and “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me”. Oh, and let’s not forget that take on “Ace of Spaces”. Listen to: “I Want You to Want Me / Do You Really Want to Hurt Me”

10. Ringo Starr - LIVERPOOL 8 (Buy here.) What does it say about me that Ringo’s output is my fave solo Beatle’s body of work? I can’t help it—the guy’s work is so freaking enjoyable, and sing-songy, and happy, and, well, lovably sad-sack. This album (back on Capitol) didn’t sell for crap, but I bought it on release day, excited to get it home and in the headphones, and it really delivered. It’s a mature sound, but fans of later releases like TIME TAKES TIME will be in Heaven. Listen to: “Liverpool 8”

9. Christophe - THE LIFE OF AN OUTLAW: 1-17-08 DEMOS (Buy here.) Straight outta Lawton, Oklahoma, is the brutally exciting first outlaw country record from OKC horrorpunk legend Christophe. Sure, his punk stuff was good, but his country stuff is GREAT. This self-released disc, stripped bare, with a quivering voice and a resonate acoustic guitar, is full of that small-town spite’n’quiet anger that singers like Merle Haggard and Hank Williams Jr. had, but with a sleek little evil edge to it. Listen to: “The Life of an Outlaw”

8. Flight of the Conchords - FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS (Buy here.) Man—that song “Business Time” was written for me. Too close to home. But also too funny. Listen to: “Business Time”

7. The Osmonds - CRAZY HORSES / THE PLAN (Buy here.) I really have no problem losing credibility with you. The Osmonds should be held in way higher regard than they do. Way higher. Need proof? Look at this two-fer import. CRAZY HORSES is one of the greatest metal—yes METAL—albums of all time, filled with Mormon rebellion at it’s finest and then, as penance, comes THE PLAN, a whacked-out rock opera based around THE BOOK OF MORMON that make’s the Beatles’ SGT. PEPPER look like Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees’ SGT. PEPPER. Listen to: “Crazy Horses”, “Let Me In”

6. Ben Folds - WAY TO NORMAL (Buy here.) Ben Folds follows a formula, sure, but it’s a reliable formula that never fails to deliver. Profane comedy easily mixes with piano-driven melancholia, with liberal doses of maudlin bitterness strewn throughout. If you like Ben Folds, you’ll like this. Listen to: “You Don’t Know Me”

5. Jeff Finlin - BALLAD OF A PLAIN MAN (Buy here.) It would be too simplistic to call Jeff Finlin country, Americana, folk, rock, whatever. I mean, how do you categorize Bob Dylan? He’s a genre unto himself. And that’s what Jeff Finlin is. A powerfully snide—but never bitter—voice telling tales about the darker side of the everyman. His music is a personal thing that desires a personal connection to be fully understood. Listen to: “Jesus Was a Motorcycle Man”

4. Glen Campbell - MEET GLEN CAMPBELL (Buy here.) It’s an all covers album, so you got me sold already, but add Campbell’s sweetly plaintive voice to songs like “Sing” and “These Days” and you’ve got a thoroughly melancholy masterpiece, with the songs taking on a whole more meaning in his mortality-filled delivery. Listen to: “Grow Old with Me”

3. Josh Fix - FREE AT LAST (Buy here.) Every year, I search for the next big Queen/Billy Joel operatic/piano man sound. Past winners have been Mark Mallman, Mika and, now, out of nowhere, the attitude-laden Josh Fix. Catchy doesn’t even begin to describe his songwriting. Biting and, at times, mean, his lyrics are definitely prime-era Joel, but with a glorious almost-wall of sound production. Listen to: “Don’t Call Me in the Morning”

2. AC/DC - BLACK ICE (Buy here.) Quite simply, if you don’t like AC/DC, you’re lame. These guys are what rock is all about and, in a time when most piss-poor modern rock is all about whining about how daddy didn’t understand you, these stalwarts return to kick you in the ass and tell you to grow the hell up. All these songs are about rocking, getting laid and blowing shit up. The way rock is supposed to be. Listen to” “War Machine”

1. Neil Diamond - HOME BEFORE DARK (Buy here.) Don’t call it a comeback, he’s been here for years. Enough with the jokes, hipsters. Neil Diamond is not some kitsch artifact—he’s the real deal, and probably the greatest living American songwriter. Produced by career-boosting Rick Rubin, HOME BEFORE DARK improves upon the 12 SONGS formula, by having Neil return to his storytelling roots, writing stark songs that are surprisingly uplifting and strangely dour at the same time. If you ever had any doubt to the legitimacy of Neil, pop in this album and then quietly go screw yourself. You should have never doubted Neil to begin with. Listen to: “Act Like a Man”

It's the return of Eric Sorensen's JANGLE ON!!!

2009-01-26T11:09:00.000-08:00

JANGLE ON!
By Eric Sorensen‏, written exclusively for NOT LAME

Time has flown over the past few months, and I find myself long overdue in chiming in on chiming 12-string music! As always, I am indebted to Not Lame maestro Bruce Brodeen for keeping his online catalog stocked with jangly material. Recent online additions that merit jangleholics’ attention include:

MELLOW DRUNK - ONE THOUSAND LIGHTS
The Church references are hard to miss, and comparisons to Marty Willson-Piper’s 12-string guitar are warranted on tracks like “If Only I Could Change” and “Seeker.” This is classic psych-pop that Church, Grip Weeds and Rainbow Quartz label fans will really dig. This CD is going to remain in the “play stack” for a long time... and it’s one I enjoy listening to from start to finish.

DROPKICK - PATCHWORK
The band’s latest disc really shines, as evidenced by tracks like “Patchwork,” “Breakdown” and “What’s Going On.” The disc showcases mainstream power pop with just the right amount of alt-rock elements. Bruce is right on the mark when he compares this band with Teenage Fanclub and the Pyramidiacs.

SPRING COLLECTION - IN BETWEEN
Where do I start? Joe Mendoza (Bart’s brother) deserves a place in a contemporary pop All-Star band with a plethora of chiming, ringing and jangly tracks on his second full-length disc. The title track and other songs – “Christmas With You,” “Photographs Of Me & You,” “Like All Those Other Times Before,” “It’s Only Love” and “Better With You” – are just what fans of pseudo-60s pop have been looking for. The cover art even looks like Joe may be shopping at my favorite record store in San Diego – Rich Horowitz’s Off The Record shop in Hillcrest. Long may you run, Sir Joe!

What else is new? A great big thanks to my pal Ray Verno for turning me on to the following artists and songs:

BYRDMAN OF BEARWOOD
A compilation of fourteen terrific covers of Byrds songs by multi-track artist David Heselden. Heselden gives Andrew Gold and Byrds of a Feather a run for the money on classic Byrds tunes like “Turn! Turn! Turn!” “It Won’t Be Wrong” and “She Don’t Care About Time.” Heselden truly excels at getting his Rickenbacker 12-string compressor to create the “snap, crackle and pop” sustain sound that Roger McGuinn introduced in 1965. Long may you run, Sir David!

JEFFERSON STARSHIP - JEFFERSON'S TREE OF LIBERTY
The latest release from a band that has witnessed the birth of psychedelia in San Francisco in the mid-60s and the election of the first African-American President of the United States in 2008 … and everything in between! This album features the band performing their renditions of many classic folk songs (“Santy Anno,” “I Ain’t Marching Anymore” and “Chimes of Freedom”). The standout track is the mid-tempo tune “Maybe For You” - which features Marty Balin on lead vocals and excellent Rickenbacker 12-string guitar riffs as part of the supporting cast.

PENNY DAVIS AND ROGER ILOTT - BIG WATER
Male/female vocals accompanied by a Rickenbacker 12-string should make pop fans think immediately of the Kennedys, the Woodys and the Living Room Legends. Jangleholics will flip for songs like “The Humpback Whale,” “Listen To The Wind,” “Rusty Dusty Days,” “Pushing It Down” and the pair’s own cover version of “Turn! Turn! Turn!”

RAINY DAY
A 1984 release on the Rough Trade label that brought together Susanna Hoffs, Michael Querico, David Roback and others. The album features nine cover songs by the studio collaborators, with Roback doing the electric 12-string honors on Rainy Day’s cover of “John Riley.” This disc is a very cool nugget from over twenty years ago, that served as a sneak preview of Susanna’s more recent collaboration with Matthew Sweet.

The following tracks are my favorite songs from Ray’s last five BYRDSIAN volumes:

“Every Little Dream” by Lamar Sorrento
“Doctor Gee” by the Len Price 3
“Driving Under The Frasher River” by Dave Gibbs
“Try To Get Away” by the Haggs
“Everything To Me” by Copperdown
“Everything Again” by The Quarter After
“Find A Reason” by The Strawmen (which reminds me so much of the late/great Rumors’ Rickenbacker-driven pop/rock)
“Into My World” by Basement Apartment (Teenage Fanclub, anyone?)
“Long Time” by the Rose Garden (a cover of an obscure Gene Clark tune, that was reprised by the Retros on Not Lame’s FULL CIRCLE: A TRIBUTE TO GENE CLARK)
“Oceania” by Bobby Previte
“Even Geronimo Surrendered” by John Coinman
“She’s Got A Way” by the Smithereens

While Ray was compiling material from his own sources, I spent part of November culling through some pop compilation CDs to identify the most jangly tracks from each compilation. Standout tracks include:

“Provisional Love” by Barry Mauer
“A Thousand Years Away” by The Minus 5
“Sunflower” and “Reach For The Stars” by the Springfields
“Every Single Day” by Mersey Beach
“Full Circle” by Frank Brown
“A Certain Kind Of Shy” by The Saucers
“Result of Your Love” by Mind Reels

Last, but not least, a great track by Walter Clevenger and the Dairy Kings – “Fast As I Can.” Like David Heselden, Walter gets a Rickenbacker 12-string to chime as crisply as Roger McGuinn does! Walter deserves a place in the Indie Pop All-Star Band not just for his musicianship, but for his good guy support of indie pop compilations and tribute discs. Walter is one of a handful of artists who have appeared on the Gene Clark (“White Light”), Buffalo Springfield (“Burned”) and Byrds (“Full Circle”) tribute disc projects that I have been affiliated with. Many thanks, Sir Walter … and long may you run!

Until next time, jangle on!

NOT LAME linkage 01.26.09

2009-01-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

* Attention Blue Ash fans...Power Pop Criminals has got BLUE ASH - THE ALTERNATE AROUND...AGAIN!!!

* 1000 Secret Sings has got a great demo from Superdrag's John Davis.

* Paul Collins' official page has got tons of free audio and video!

And here's some recent POP blogs we've come across:

* Thoughts on Melody!

* Smashin' Transistors

Careening Around My Cranium with Daryll Collins #3!!!

2008-12-15T10:34:00.000-08:00

MUSIC PUBLICATIONS...

I don't know about you, but the only stateside publication I buy these days is THE BIG TAKEOVER. For the most part my monthly music mag habit is confined to Brit publications MOJO, UNCUT and CLASSIC ROCK. The Brits have got it right! All three are outstanding publications that cover the music scene and the artists that I most care about.

I'm certain BLENDER actively tries not to appeal to my demographic and ROLLING STONE has lost it's way. It's now an amalgamation of a liberal NATIONAL REVIEW combined with a healthy dose of TIGER BEAT. I know RS has always covered the political scene and that's fine but I guess I prefer to have more diversity of opinion in my reading material as in a newspaper editorial section. I don't like being pounded over the head with an agenda.

I only seem to read ROLLING STONE when I'm killing time in an airport, which was the case recently. The issue featured "The 100 Greatest Singers Of All Time". Now I could bitch and moan about some of the selections and the rankings but why bother. These things are subjective. One man's Egg McMuffin is another man's Filet Mignon.

With that in mind I present my list (in alphabetical order) of Top 15 Singers Who Didn't Make Rolling Stone's Top 100...

Ann Wilson (Heart), Chuck Negron (Three Dog Night), Daryl Hall, Glenn Hughes, James Dewer (Robin Trower Band), Laura Nyro, Lewis Taylor, Mark Farner (Grand Funk), Molly Felder (Swan Dive), Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy), Raul Malo, Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), Steve Mariott (Humble Pie), Terrence Trent D'Arby, Todd Rundgren.

And now for the musical exercise that's sweeping the nation...

DARYLL'S IPOD SHUFFLE!

You loyal readers know the rules...Set listening device to shuffle play and list the first 10 songs that come up. No skipping. You must include all embarrassing selections! List yours in the comments section and thanks to all who have previously participated. And now without further ado...

*Marshall Crenshaw -"Stop Her On Sight" (live)
*The Pearlfishers - "You Justify My Life"
*Buck Owens - "Excuse Me (I Think I've Got A Heartache)"
*Jon Brion - "Her Ghost"
*Sanford & Townsend Band - "Lu"
*Thin Lizzy - "Do Anything You Want To Do"
*Lindsey Buckingham - "Don't Look Down"
*The Shazam - "Some Other Time"
*Ben Folds Five - "Regrets"
*Cheese - "Where Are They Now?"

MUSICAL THIS AND THAT...

How 'bout that Bruce Brodeen and his audio updates? It really gives us music fans a better overview of the recent releases and reissues carried by Not Lame. Keep 'em coming! I anxiously await the video format where supermodels will hold up the CD's as Bruce pontificates.

What are songs or moments in songs that literally give you goose bumps?

I'll list three. The spoken word coda on "Knights In White Satin" by The Moody Blues.
As soon as I hear, "Breathe deep..." I can feel the skin rise up on my arms. There is something about that narration, the narrative itself and the accompanying music that cuts right to my soul. It encompasses life's great questions, our purpose, the passage of time and our reflections on it. Stunning.

Second example, "Bag Lady" by Todd Rundgren. One of the saddest songs ever! Lyrically and musically touching as it examines societies "invisible" people. I believe the sax solo on this is by Edgar Winter and that in itself will bring a tear to your eye. I've never heard a song ending with such pathos.

A song that is a partial goose bump inducer is PFR's "Goldie's Last Day." It's about the recent passing of a beloved Golden Retriever.
It starts as a loving tribute, although in a Queen-like vaudeville style. It really works until you get to a goofy megaphone vocal that arrives mid-song, totally ruining the sentiment. It rebounds after that to finish in the original heartfelt style. I find that musical curveball beyond irritating! So as an animal lover you could say, "goose bumps, irritation, then more goose bumps."

Feel free to list yours in the comments section.

New Roger Klug album in the works! YEESSSS!!!

That's what he says on his web site. A 2009 release.

CARTOON THEMES

You know what theme really gets the blood pumping? The original Jonny Quest!
One of the big mistakes Hanna-Barbera made when they brought the show back in the '90's was to ditch the original theme and soundtrack.

IF YOU'RE HAVING A PARTY...

With lots of different folks/different ages and don't know what music to play, I've found that Sly & The Family Stone's GREATEST HITS always does the trick.

That's all for now. I'll have a Holiday edition coming up in a week or two. It'll be a hoot!

***

Daryll Collins is a free-lance cartoonist/illustrator who has worked for a wide variety of clients including magazines and newspapers, advertising, greeting cards, character design & development, children's books, comic strips and gag cartoons. You can check out his work at www.daryllcollins.com

Mike Baron's Top Ten Records of 2008!!!

2008-12-15T09:50:00.000-08:00

Two thousand and eight was one of the greatest years for pop music in history but you would never know it following the so-called music industry. The major labels are mired in obsolete thinking based on mega-records. Fools! There will never be another THRILLER! Mick Jagger will not live forever! During the American Music Awards, I watched Ne-Yo, Pink, New Kids on the Block, Taylor Swift, and Leona Lewis perform. With the exception of Lewis they all sang one-chord songs showcasing their one-octave ranges surrounded by a distracting carnival of dancers and light shows. It was awful.

This most misunderstood of genres, power-pop consists of catchy, upbeat songs built around at least three chords, to deliver a bridge and a hook. Fortunately there are thousands of young bands slaving away in their garage and basement laboratories crafting transcendent pop music—music that takes you out of yourself on shimmering waves of pure happiness.

The best records of the year are in descending order:

1. The Explorers Club-FREEDOM WIND. Languid and exquisite, achingly beautiful, familiar but strange. Critics who chastise this young Nashville band as Beach Boy imitators are missing the point. The Beach Boys were not an end in themselves. They pointed the way toward a more sophisticated sound incorporating elements of doo-wop, Chuck Berry, American classicists such as Ferdie Grofe and Aaron Copland, and surf drums. Rarely has a record achieved such poignant beauty so effortlessly. Sure, the lyrics dealing with love and loss can be banal but the songs themselves are never less than striking. They possess a glowing afterlife that stays with you long after the record ends. Every song on this album is at least great.

“Forever,” sets the tone with gently self-assured surf drums leading into the type of soaring bittersweet architecture which Brian Wilson used to toss off with casual abandon. “I Don’t Know Why” combines tongue-in-cheek country twang with a chorus that takes your breath away. Separate the lyrics from their music on “Last Kiss” and it sounds almost bland. But couple those lyrics with a bridge and chorus that celebrates their unique harmonies and uncanny knack for the perfect hook you have a song you won’t be able to get out of your head.

2. Bryan Scary & the Shredding Tears-FLIGHT OF THE KNIFE. Bryan Scary’s eponymous debut last year was a high point with his grandiloquent keyboard constructions and music hall zeal. Add a very intense band and the Shredding Tears don the mantle of Queen proudly, producing the type of music Freddie Mercury might have written if he’d worked with Ben Folds. The title song is an instant classic, beginning with a typically rococo operatic intro to a chunk of art rock that rolls over you like an Abrams tank. What it’s about? The lyrics are intriguing but extremely personal, encouraging listeners to find their own meaning.

“Imitation of the Sky” may have more hooks per square inch than any song ever written. By the time Graham Norwood busts loose with an enormous Brian May-like chorus, you cannot drag yourself away. The secret to great pop is in the dynamics, how the artist tricks you into running, slipping, falling forward, breathless with anticipation. In this regard Bryan Scary is without peer.

Too many highlights to list, but the double whammy of “The Purple Rocket,” which blends elements of children’s sing-alongs with King Crimson-like art rock and surf music, and “The Zero Light,” with its reggae rhythm and haunting chorus, will leave you gasping on the floor like a beached catfish.

3. Greg Pope: POPMONSTER. This record explodes on the first track and never stops. Pope, ringleader of the Tennessee-based Edmunds Crown, does it all. He is the only musician on the record yet achieves a groove many bands would kill to possess. Pope’s guitar playing is both massive and puckish as in that great kerrang that ends “Sky Burn Down,” the CD opener.

Pope’s interests extend beyond puppy love. These songs are refreshingly adult. “Burden” is wry, rockin’ philosophy that recalls Scott Miller in Pope’s spoken choruses. “All Day Long” summons the Zombies. Through it all there is a refreshing joie de vivre that translates effortlessly through these grooves. A hard record to take off.

4. The Offbeat-S/T. This English duo writes pop songs in the tradition of the Zombies, Beach Boys, Beatles et al, yet put their own stamp on it. Each song is an event, in the same way as the Red Button. If you liked the Red Button, you’ll like this. Their minimalist packaging puts the only info on the disc itself, and that’s only song titles. They’ve got a website which isn’t much better. All the value is in the material.

“Lonely Girl” starts things off in an exquisite Turtles/Hollies mode with its sighing vocals and a fantastic bridge begging for hand-claps. “Keeping It Real” is a blend of Britpop and the Beach Boys. One reason these songs stick in the head is because nothing seems forced—each stage of the song grows ineluctably from what has gone before, and still manages to surprise. “Between Us” showcases everything that makes Offbeat great—an appealing melody, effortless harmonies, and propulsive percussion light as a French soufflé. The effect is whispered wisdom.

5. Josh Fix: FREE AT LAST. Like Bryan Scary’s first record, Josh Fix presents an operatic hook fest with a brilliantly expressive voice and dramatic keyboards. “Don’t Call Me in the Morning” teases and teases and then delivers a hook that knocks it out of the park. And it goes on and on like a Queen opus with Sir Elton sitting in. Freddie Mercury and Elton John make a record.

Each song is fully rounded, in the way the Band’s first album of songs were fully rounded. None match the sheer exuberance of the opener, but they all repay repeated listens. “Jethro” evokes the Band sung by a smoothie. Imagine Robbie Robertson singing it.

Crazy soaring bass introduces “Whiskey & Speed,” an ode to despair whose bouncy melody ironically underscores the subject matter. “Tiger on a Treadmills” a Billy Joel-like stunner. “Bad With the Superbad” inevitably raises Ben Folds comparisons. “Rolled in from the South” lends itself to languid horns. This might have been written by Allen Toussaint or Tower of Power. Fix is a one-man band, like Greg Pope, Bryan Scary on his first record, and Ed James. You’d never know it listening to this.

6. The Quarter After: CHANGES NEAR. Conjuring the full range of psychedelia from Country Joe to Arthur Lee, the Campanella brothers Dom and Robert summon guitar-driven rave-ups that get under your skin. This may be the jangliest of all contemporary bands, 12-string Rickenbackers, Les Pauls, and Mellotron kicking up dust. Quarter After’s textures are pure Byrds but they create their own spell. Changes Near is the type of album to which we used to drop acid and listen in college. It has the feel of a classic.

Less self-indulgent than their self-titled debut, CHANGES NEAR is better focused and edited. “Sanctuary” grabs you by the throat and won’t let go. “She Revolves” would make a great single with its instantly memorable guitar signature and chorus. “Counting the Score” and ”Early Morning Rider”could have come off American Beauty. “See How Good it Feels” is driving rock psychedelia. The title track contains a swooning pedal steel that turns your spine to jelly. This is one of those discs that WILL NOT get off my player. There is always something new to admire.

7. The Pillbugs-EVERYBODY WANTS A WAY OUT. This is the second year in a row the Pillbugs have made my top ten list. Last year’s BUZZ FOR ALDRIN was a triumphant two-disc set of dynamic psychedelia, old wine in new bottles. This year is more of the same only different. Again the disc is generous, over fifty minutes. “Life As it Happens” opens the disc with a superb distillation of late sixties/early seventies California country/psychedelic rock, instantly familiar yet fresh. Like Rock4, they share a particular love for that era.

“Can’t Get It Right” reminds us that along with Hindu Rodeo’s Dirk Freymuth, Mark Mikel is a master sitarist (as opposed to Randy Newman, who is a master satirist.) The song’s bridge sounds like Arches National Monument looks. “Greeting Committee” is a swooning Mikel composition with gorgeous harmonies that holds the chord three beats longer than the ear expects. Lovely touches abound: the added rhythm instruments, the sinuous guitar line. “Emily Loves” is pure early Yardbirds/Kinks/Blodwyn Pig, a simple blues structure with an insistent guitar that lulls you into a state of suspended grooviness that the next song, “Sound Man,” delightfully blows up. This is magnificent power-pop that appeals to the head and the heart with ringing fuzztone guitars and great lyrics about a band on the make.

“Play the Hear Back” draws inspiration from King Crimson and Led Zeppelin but the Bugs dive reassuringly back into rockin’ psychedelia with “Trip Fast” and “North of Reality.” Instead of instant classic, let’s call this an event record. Yeah.

8. The Wellingtons-HEADING NORTH FOR THE WINTER. This five-piece from Oz has a warm, rich sound stemming from exquisite harmonizing and the presence of two keyboards. Their music is like plunging into a Jacuzzi—immediate warmth. Zac Anthony has an elastic and conversational voice that infuses his music with wry joy.

Fat Farfisa powers “Come Undone,” a typically strong Anthony/Goldby composition. “I Get My Heart Broken Every Day” also features unforgettable chords along with whip-smart lyrics. “Popped Balloon” carries a trace of Eddie Cochran. “Waiting for My Time to Come” contains everything that makes the Wellingtons great: strong chords, warm, elastic vocals, and that inchoate yearning endemic to all great pop.

9. Private Jets: JET SOUNDS/A FOUR LEAF CLOVER IN E MAJOR. What is it about Scandinavia in general and Sweden in particular that produces such great power-pop? Maybe it’s the long winters. Like their kin the Tunes, the Sun Shine, or the Mop Tops, Private Jets are a quartet of rosy-cheeked lads in pursuit of that Beatlesque epiphany. Unlike most of their brethren, Private Jets go beyond mere stylistic worship to forge their own sound. The cleverly titled Jet Sounds is a gorgeous slab of retro-pop but what really seals the deal is the four-song EP, A FOUR LEAF CLOVER IN E MAJOR. Too many highlights on the album, but “Extraordinary Sensations,” “Speak Up, Speak Out,” and “Fireman for a Day” and its follow-up “Fire Academy” all have that Brill Building ethic.

I don’t know why the Jets didn’t put the EP songs on the album. They’d fit, and they greatly expand the Jets’ sound. “Target in My Heart” and “Magic” are over-the-top, Jellyfish ambitious, suite-like compositions with gorgeous harmonies. “Magic” is a bodacious sunrise of a song with a soaring chorus and the line “My heart is beating like Keith Moon,” followed by the most exquisite acapella since Take 6.

10. Kelly Jones: SheBANG! Tenth was a bitch to fill with many records vying. Then along came Kelly Jones to settle the question. Kelly Jones has a bell-tone altoid voice reminiscent of the Honeys and Ronnie Spector. Her collaborator, producer and co-writer Mike Viola has smart pop chops. These songs hit just the right note of frothiness and emotion. “Same Songs” with its brilliant balance of major and minor chords will replace that ear worm you’ve been carrying around for the past six months. Kelly channels Carole King and “Fire Escape.” “The Girl With the Silver Lining” is destined to become the theme song for a hit movie or TV show.

I Was Totally Destroying It!!!

2008-11-14T07:47:00.000-08:00

By Gary Miller

I met with the five members of North Carolina's I Was Totally Destroying It on a blustery November evening at their secluded rehearsal space/house for an interview, and after exhausting our knowledge of Death Metal (which only took a moment or two) we discussed their history, how they approach songwriting, their struggle with the concept of genre and the shelf life of their quirky name. What follows is a quote-driven narrative of our 45 minute conversation on their night-chilled screened in patio.

I Was Totally Destroying It (IWTDI) formed from the ashes of En Guarde a group that "slowly, slowly dissolved" according to John Booker, founding IWTDI member and one of the group's songwriting principles. "I was not very fun to be in a band with at the time," he says. "One guy moved to Switzerland, another guy got into another band that he was more into, and another guy moved back to New York."

"People couldn't just quit that band, they had to leave the state," says J. Curtis Armstead, guitarist and least talkative member of the group. Booker continues, "It was my first attempts at being a songwriter instead of a backing musician, and I was a little high strung about it at first."

So, as En Guarde drew to a close, a seamless transition followed into IWTDI. En Guarde was asked to perform at a 2006 Christmas show at Chapel Hill's noted Cat's Cradle. But, having lost a few members already, new faces were recruited to fill in the gaps. Those new faces formed the core of what officially became IWTDI one month later.

Where En Guarde thought of themselves in the vein of other Chapel Hill stalwarts like Superchunk, newer members differ in their opinions of the outcome. But, all agree that it was a big rock mess in the best possible manner, with three guitars, busy bashing drumming and melodic vocals over the top. A "clusterfuck of power chords" one member notes.

Contrastingly, the IWTDI's self-titled first record, released a bit later in 2007, is streamlined and dynamic in tone and tenor, if occasionally jagged in melody and message. Youngest member Rachel Hirsh, keyboardist and vocalist, notes Booker's songwriting is more sophisticated now. Booker retorts that things are also more collaborative and especially points out Hirsh's contributions (and somewhat pensively later in the interview notes the duo is a couple).

Since most readers won't know the story, the name I Was Totally Destroying It came from a conversation in which a bandmember was describing his efforts of busting up concrete. Positively busted concrete = I Was Totally Destryoing It. When asked how the name is holding up now that they're approaching their second anniversary, the reviews are mixed. Hirsh notes, "it's polarizing. People love it or hate it." And that dichotomy appears to be present even within the group. "I hate it," laughs founding member and drummer James Hepler. But, Joe Mazzitelli, mutton-chopped newest member and bass player, notes that "it looks great on a t-shirt."

When asked to give the "recommended if you like" list for their band, they struggle to align how they feel about themselves with how they think others perceive them. Some, they say, are likely to lump them in with an emo crowd. To my ears, they do reflect some of the guitar sounds and production values of early Jimmy Eat Word. But, I can equally hear flashes of That Dog, Versus and The Spinanes, as well as a dedication to the concept of "the hook."

Asked to give the elevator speech description of the group, Hirsh offers, "I believe it is possible to rock out in a very raw manner through a pop filter." Booker reverses the roles and says, "I think we're maybe more a pop band that has rock sensibilities." The two agree to disagree, while I crack a joke about a Buckingham/Nicks conflict already arising in the band.

Rather than belabor an attempt to describe them, I recommend you jump on some free mp3s to find out for yourself. The group has made a new EP available via free download on their Reverb Nation site. Among these tracks are what I think is perhaps their melodic high point -- the track "Done Waiting," which was produced by Josh Cain of Motion City Soundtrack, who Booker notes has taken them under their wing. The track combines Hirsh's draw-you-in delivery with a big sing along chorus and Cars-vibe keyboards.

So,take advantage of the free tunes. And, don't be too surprised if the next one, for which they are currently writing songs and intend to record in the coming months, rockets their profile up a notch or two. The band has the potential to be much better known this time next year. Maybe on a radio station near you.

***

Gary is a musician, blogger and powerpop fan who lives in Durham, North Carolina. He lived previously in Seattle, where he started and ran the Seattle Powerpop Blog and played bass in both the Scheme and Shake Some Action!, the latter of which now exists as a bi-coastal recording project.

Careening Around My Cranium with Daryll Collins #2!!!

2008-11-14T07:39:00.000-08:00

Little Known Albums-All Time Favorites

In what I hope will become a regular column feature is the first "Little Known Album That Is An All Time Favorite". The name of the band and album is Aorta.

This group is a bit of a mystery as for whatever reason information about them is scarce. What I do know is that they were out of Chicago and recorded two albums.
This release was on the CBS/Columbia label. It is not a power pop release but there are touches of The Beatles and The Beach Boys scattered about. You'll also find traces of Cream and The Doors thrown in for good measure.

I was turned on to this album as a kid by a teen aged neighbor in 1969 or 1970 and from the first listen I was hooked. I never owned the album and by the time I was earning my own cash as a paperboy, I couldn't find it anywhere. Now I could get my mom or dad to spring for a Beatles or a Monkees album, but The Aorta would be an extremely hard sell! It took me over 25 years to track down a CD copy.

I consider this album a psych masterpiece as it incorporates a Sgt. Pepper feel but with more of an eerie component in parts.The flow of the tracks is seamless. There are Beatleish flourishes to the arrangements as some of the songs incorporate strings and horns. Beautiful Beach Boys harmony vocals especially on the stellar "Thoughts And Feelings", which sounds like a missing track from Pet Sounds. On the harder rocking numbers the guitar tone is quite similar to Cream era Eric Clapton. Quite possibly the best fuzz tone guitar ever! In some parts a Doors like keyboard sound dominates. The musicianship and imagination involved in this release is absolutely stunning!

Did I mention this conglomeration is loosely wrapped around a theme referencing the circulatory system???!!! Actual song titles include, "Main Vein", "Heart Attack", "Main Vein 2, 3 & 4". Above is the album cover for your perusal... This art really captures the musical genius/madness therein. They recorded a follow up album that completely and totally sucks! What happened??? If anyone out there in the NOT LAME community has any more information about this group, please post and clue us in.

And now on to the musical fast break...

How do you like The Smithereen remakes of Beatles tunes? They’re fairly faithful to the originals but Pat DiNizio & Co.'s vocals really give them a fresh spin. And how cool is it to have Jack Davis illustrate the cover art to their B-Sides release! Pretty cool indeed.

Let’s All Do The iPod Shuffle!

It’s fun and easy. Just list the first 10 songs to pop up after setting your listening device to Shuffle Play. No cheating. Include all selections, even the ones you don’t want your friends to know about! Some of these random playlists can be downright inspired. This is from my 80GB iPod that currently holds 10,612 songs. Here we go...

* Joe Jackson - “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”
* Average White Band - “Goin’ Home”
* Valley Lodge - “Cruel”
* Gorillaz - “Feel Good Inc.”
* Tubetop - “Bleeder”
* Supergrass - “Sun Hits The Sky”
* The Raspberries - “Starting Over”
* Stevie Wonder - “All In Love Is Fair”
* Supergrass - “You Can See Me”
* Ivy - “I Think Of You”

Feel free to list your Random 10 in the comments section...or not.

I had my iPod on shuffle this morning and “Anyway” by Poole came up from their outstanding album, Among Whom We Shine. Whatever happened to these guys? Bruce, anybody? Ditto for Roger Klug. Where are you?

Does your personal listening device have any pecularities in how it selects random songs? Does it play favorites? Mine seems to really give preferential treatment to XTC (58 songs) and ignores The Beatles (148 songs).

A group that should have really made it big time is Artful Dodger. It would be great to have all of their releases on CD.

That's it. Short and sweet this time. I'll be back...

***
Daryll Collins is a free-lance cartoonist/illustrator who has worked for a wide variety of clients including magazines and newspapers, advertising, greeting cards, character design & development, children's books, comic strips and gag cartoons. You can check out his work at www.daryllcollins.com

Gary Miller reviews the latest DOLL TEST album!!!

2008-11-03T06:45:00.000-08:00

Hey guys--please give a warm welcome to out newest NOT LAME blogger, the one, the only...Gary Miller!!!

THE DOLL TEST - MOSQUE ALARM CLOCK
Review by Gary Miller

When Scott Sutherland was approached by the Devil at the crossroads, he was met with a challenge. The horned one threw down a songwriting gauntlet -- whoever wrote the
better pop song would be victorious. A win for the Devil meant getting Scott's soul for all eternity. For Scott, the reward was to be granted an encyclopedic knowledge of rock and roll's historic eras.

Given what I'm hearing on MOSQUE ALARM CLOCK, the new album by Scott's band the Doll Test, there's no question who won the battle. After listening to this record repeatedly, it is clear that Scott is a walking "rockumentary" with classic songs coursing through his veins. What you get on the new album is that well-travelled history of rock songwriting fed to you through Scott's stilted and slanted (and possibly drug influenced) personal perspective.

On the surface, this is a solid modern power-pop album that is both melodic and toe-tap inducing. But, as you dig deeper through repeated listening, the record also reveals itself as laced with psychedelia, folk and garage rock overtones. The Mama and the Papas, the Raspberries, Bob Dylan, the Zombies and the Kinks all pop into my mind as I listen. But, there is a coherence in place that relies on
Scott's vocals and the bouncy bass work of Boyd Remillard from track to track.

This is one of those albums that kind of gets under your skin and sticks with you. I find myself singing random parts of the songs, even when I haven't listened to the record in several days. I'm beginning to think that pehaps mind control was part of the deal with the Devil, as well.

***

Gary is a musician, blogger and powerpop fan who lives in Durham, North Carolina. He lived previously in Seattle, where he started and ran the Seattle Powerpop Blog and played bass in both the Scheme and Shake Some Action!, the latter of which now exists as a bi-coastal recording project.

NEW FEATURE: Careening Around My Cranium with Daryll Collins!!!

2008-10-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, Louis here. I am extremely happy to welcome Daryll to the stable of NOT LAME bloggers and boy, does he have a lot to say about power-pop, and that's the way we like it!

I am a self professed music nut. In fact I can't remember a time when it wasn't an integral part of my life. My folks tell me that as a toddler I would sit in front of the TV and rock back and forth to the music on American Bandstand. This was when it was on for an hour, Monday through Friday afternoons on ABC. Yeah, I know, I'm old!

Of course The Beatles on Ed Sullivan made a huge impression. And in what seemed to be the case for one out of every three "youngsters" at that time, I took guitar lessons. After guitar lessons came the prerequisite crappy grade school, junior high and high school rock bands. When I finally realized I wasn't going to be the next Robin Trower I settled into a career in my other life's passion...cartooning!

But the love for music has always been there and I have the vinyl, 8 Tracks, cassettes and CD's to prove it! Not Lame has been highly instrumental in turning me on to music and artists I might never have come across. I recently was carrying on an e-mail conversation with Bruce about various music related subjects when I had this thought...

Remember those columns Larry King used to do for USA Today? He would just give random opinions on whatever was on his mind at the time and spill them out rapid-fire. Maybe I could do that for the Not Lame blog with whatever musical gems of thought that were currently careening around my cranium.

Bruce said great, do it. So here we are!

And now without further ado, my latest collection of musical gems of thought...

"I've never been that impressed with how fast a guitarist can play. It's what they play. Most shredders leave me unmoved"

"That brings us to Bill Nelson of Be Bop Deluxe. What a criminally underrated talent! Beautiful melodic leads that can flow as quickly as any speed metal guitar god, yet with a feel and resonance sorely lacking in so many highly rated fretsmiths."

"Are you familiar with Be Bop Deluxe's debut "Axe Victim"? How could any teen aged dude from the 70's resist purchasing that album once they've taken a look at the cover art. That creepy skeleton headed guitar leering back at you in front of a stark black background! YOW!"

"Always found Nelson's guitar prowess with his David Bowie-like vocal style such a unique combination."

"Really enjoying Todd Rundgren's latest, Arena. Just wish he would have recorded it with an actual band, especially the drums. Also, the vocals, in my opinion, are a little lost in the mix."

"Those upstarts, Black Stone Cherry really bring home the goods on their latest, Folklore and Superstition. Very few young bands are truly able to lock into that 70's classic rock aesthetic."

"So Robert Plant isn't interested in a Led Zepplin reunion tour. Here's a replacement who I think would be dynamite...Glenn Hughes! The former vocalist for Trapeze and Deep Purple would absolutely do Zeps catalogue justice. Plus he's a bitch of a bass player that would allow John Paul Jones to play keyboards exclusively on certain tunes."

"On the other hand, I am not buying the Paul Rodgers fronted Queen. Not one bit. Can't be the Queen I know and love without Freddie Mercury. As a vocalist Rodgers is great and May and Taylor are outstanding musicians. But the song writing chops and unique vocal performance are not there to create the magical mix that was Queen. Mercury's input is essential."

"I've never let music define my "coolness" even in those peer pressure filled high school days. I dug Led Zep, Sabbath, Alice Cooper and Grand Funk Railroad but I also dug The Carpenters, America and Three Dog Night. I like what I like and make no apologies. Guess I wouldn't be an ideal candidate for nominating board of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

"Speaking of high school and music, two guys in my class once got into a fist fight over what was the better band, The Stones or Chicago! Oddly enough the Chicago dude won the fray. Good times..."

"As we're in the Halloween season I'll pose this question... Have you ever had a song actually scare you? The first track off of Black Sabbath's debut appropriately titled, "Black Sabbath" scared the hell out of me. As I sat in my room listening with headphones my eyes had to have been buggin' out of my head!"

My Top 20 for 2008, so far and in no particular order...

The Silver Seas - High Society (this may be a '07 release but I didn't hear it until now)
Todd Rundgren - Arena
Brent Cash - How Will I Know If I'm Awake
Black Stone Cherry - Folklore and Superstition
Willie Wisely - Wisely
Glen Campbell - Meet Glen Campbell
The Pop Project - Stars Of Stage And Screen
Ike - Where To Begin
The Spongetones - Too Clever By Half
The Goldbergs - Under The Radar
Rick Springfield - Venus In Overdrive
Starling Electric - Clouded Staircase
Jim Boggia - Adventures In Stereo
Kelly Jones - SheBANG!
Roger Joseph Manning - Catnip Dynamite
Pugwash - Eleven Modern Antiques
The Audition - Champion
Glenn Hughes - First Underground Nuclear Kitchen
Harem Scarem - Hope
Owen Sartori - Another Beautiful Day In The Cube

As always I have a stack of CDs I haven't gotten to yet including new releases by Class Three Overbite, Cliff Hillis, The Morning Light, Brown Line Fiasco, All Day Sucker and Greg Pope. So this list is sure to change.

***
Daryll Collins is a free-lance cartoonist/illustrator who has worked for a wide variety of clients including magazines and newspapers, advertising, greeting cards, character design & development, children's books, comic strips and gag cartoons. You can check out his work at www.daryllcollins.com

Bruce's NEW AT NOT LAME Update for late Oct. 2008!!!

2008-10-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

Straight from the boss, here's Bruce's list of what's new at NOT LAME...

Here are the Top New Releases on the Not Lame web site for late September. There are many new releases on da 'ole home page, but for the time starved, these are the ones worth of your precious time. Click on the links for full mini-reviews on each CD and listen 'n sample lots of soundbites, as well. Have Fun!

CLASS THREE OVERBITE - HEROES FOR COURSES
We have TWO in this space this week that will make my top five or ten. Class Three Overbite is one of those - right next door to the right is the other one!
I hear some early Queen, Imperial Drag (yup, and some Jellyfish goes along w/ that), Electric Light Orchestra, Bryan Scary, Roger Joseph Manning’s solo work and a whole host of others, but the band is not mimicking while it wallows in its inspirational launch-pads here with this killer batch of 12 songs(and not a bad one in the bunch!). There’s an encyclopedic embrace of just lots of great musical inspirations all over the place.
The arrangements are accomplished and ambitious and all the songs are sweetly filled with layers of vocals and affects, this is a varied, textured album that makes their ambition and skill abundantly clear. MASSIVELY EXTREMELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

GREG POPE - POPMONSTER
Along with the CD at the top, Greg Pop will be making my top five or ten for 2008. There is so much here for *all* pop fans. Like what? The Shazam, Matthew Sweet, The Replacements (at their finest!), the Grays, Terry Anderson or Bill Lloyd and plenty of more of that where this comes from!
Greg Pope is the leader of Edmund's Crown, long a favorite here at Not Lame but on this solo outing, he not only pulls out all the stops, Pope plays every instrument and does the impossible: it sounds like a band at work here there’s so much connection of the instruments to the material. Big ‘ole Talent? You betcha – in spades. MASSIVELY, PROFUSELY Extremely Highly Recommended!

THE WELL WISHERS - JIGSAW DAYS
You have not heard the Well Wishers? Well, now is your chance to score big! Order the Well Wishers brand spankin’ new fourth release and I’ll send you an eleven song “Best Of” CD-R compilation of my personal favorite tracks from their previous three albums PLUS two bonus songs!
I'm a huge, huge fan of Jeff Shelfton and all his work over the past ten years with Spining Jennies and The Well Wishers - in fact, Not Lame put out the first two WW CDs. This one sees yet another creative step forward into the template of pop wonderfulness.
It's all easy to enjoy for genuine power pop fans with chugging, melodic rhythms, powerful hooks, angelic vocals, verses that tickle `n hint at `the great money shot of a classic chorus and a respectful homage to pop peers. Those inspirations include Shoes, The Posies, Nada Surf, Matthew Sweet and REM.

CLIFF HILLIS - THE LONG NOW
This offer will be PULLED SOON as Cliff really wants the folks who take action in a very short time of this CD coming out to ACT - so do not wait. What is this bonus? It's a six song CD-R of rare, out of print and unreleased tracks
This is Cliff Hillis' third solo album and like his previous efforts since leaving one of the 90's best power pop bands, Starbelly, Hillis stretches his wings a bit, never losing is innate and natural ability to deliver melody and hooks to the fore. It`s impossible for his being, apparently. Powerful, guitar-driven pop that`s slick withut being cheesy, light and pleasant without inducing cavities, and that has a rock `n roll soul. Cliff Hillis is one more great reason to empty your bowl. DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!

THE SMITH BROTHERS - RESTLESS
What a surprise! It’s been seven or eight years since we’ve heard from The Smith Brothers, whose debut album LOST was a huge favorite at the turn of the century here and has been out of print for a *long* time (due to be reissued soon – details coming!). Now, RESTLESS has been unleashed and ushers in the powerful, triumphant return of this ‘lost’ band. So cause for celebration, pop fans old ‘n new. More than a welcome return for power pop fans, an event!

ROB SMITH - TRICK OF THE LIGHT
This work features more terribly appealing power pop that fans of the Rubinoos, the Knack and Spongetones need to check out. Fourteen happy, bouncy "ever-green" pop gems. These songs have Beach Boys-ish rich harmonies and catchy pop hooks in the tradition of the Raspberries & the Rubinoos!
So that means lift those lighters, pop fans – Rob Smith (he of the classic Australian skinny-tie power pop band, The Innocents) has delivered a classic that should pull at the heartstrings and sensibilities of most folks hanging out in these quarters on the Not Lame site. For those who like comparisons (or like to trace influences) one can hear unmistakable shades of the Beatles, Split Enz, the Raspberries, the Records and the Rubinoos. Rob Smith’s voice also contains flashes of Roy Orbison and Cliff Richard. He’s released a string of really strong albums this decade but TRICK OF THE LIGHT leaves those so far in the dust, it’s hard to even draw a connection to those.
Hard find any fault to bring up on TRICK OF THE LIGHT–he mixes things up with different styles of pop with assured control and confidence.

BLUE ASH - NO MORE, NO LESS
This offer expires on October 31st! Leader Frank Secich has gone back the original studios where the band recorded throughout the 70s and has unearthed a lot of songs to offer Not Lamers for picking up the reissue of NO MORE, NO LESS from this site - Details on the Exclusive Bonus thirteen Song CD-R at this link.
As for the CD reissue itself, the twelve songs are all at the link for you to sample - they sound great and the liner notes from leader Frank Secich are in depth with the full behind the scenes story of this classic.

ANDY BOPP - THIS GUITAR KILLS SONGWRITERS
EXCLUSIVE BONUS for THIS GUITAR KILLS SONGWRITERS is a cool six song mini CD-r of six of my favorite tracks from Myracle Brah, including a few from the out of print "Life On Planet Eartsnop" , one of the 90's most important power pop albums and #44 on the list of the All Time Best Power Pop Albums in SHAKE SOME ACTION!
This is the first solo album from Andy Bopp, frontman and songwriter for Rainbow Quartz’s sparkling guitar pop melody makers Myracle Brah. Chock full of acoustic versions of Myracle Brah songs performed in a semi-Unplugged mode – plus a few brand new tunes – your ears will be treated to pristine, gorgeous arrangements with beautiful acoustic guitar work while delivering jangly psychedelic rock-pop.

NEW ENGLISH - s/t
THIS is what it’s all about. A ‘out-of-left’ field find! It’s all here – very commercial, immediately catchy power pop in the most classic sense. Reminds us most of *really* good Matthew Sweet, The Churchills, The Rosenbergs, Adam Schmitt, The Bears and Edmund’s Crown for those well versed with what’s going on with indie power pop. Echoes of Cheap Trick and The Who sneak inside the grooves.
It’s one of those releases where if you had to explain to someone who does not ‘get’ what ‘power pop’ is all about and you put something on say --- “THIS is what’s it’s about!”

Brand new MICHAEL CARPENTER video!!!

2008-10-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

Even though it was an extremely limited release, every new Michael Carpenter release is a definite event here at, not only the Not Lame office, but in your headphones as well! So, please Mike, hurry up with that Cuban full-length!!!

Until then, here's his new video to tide you over...

Louis's Latest Obsession: MALIBU!!!

2008-10-06T07:20:00.001-07:00

Listen up: You NEED this record: Robo-Sapiens by MALIBU!!!

I know this might make me sound like a heretic, but, while I respect their work, I was only a passing fan of Jellyfish. Don't get me wrong--they are awesome, but, for me, I have always preferred the side-projects and production work of Roger Manning Jr. Does that make me bad?

The first time I got interested in his stuff was, when I was in middle school, a chubby Beatles-obsessed loser, buying Ringo Starr's TIME TAKES TIME album. Maybe being a thirteen-year-old excited about a new Ringo Starr album, in the early 90s, no less, didn't win me any popularity, but c'mon, have you heard the song "Weight of the World", feat. the Jellyfish kids? To this day it is one of my fave songs of all time...

See how awesome that song was? (When I first started working at NOT LAME a year or so ago, I made Bruce get a copy of that long out-of-print album--I don't know if he ever listened to it or not...)

My next Manning obsession was 1995's MOOG COOKBOOK project which, as novelty project as it first seemed, with them Moog-in' up songs like "Free Fallin'" and "Buddy Holly", was instumental in bring the Moog keyboard out of retirement and back into the (music geek) public consiousness. Here's their cover of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun"...

It got even more nerdier for me in 2000 when Manning, Jason Falkner and Brian Reitzell of Redd Kross got together to make a soundtrack to an imaginary sequel to one of my fave films of all time, LOGAN'S RUN. Titled LOGAN'S SANCTUARY, it was a space-age 70s blast that I beg you to track down--it's is way out of print, originally issued on the awesome Emporer Norton label.

Lately, his done work with Beck and is on the new increidble Glen Campbell album, (and of course his latest solo offering CATNIP DYNAMITE), but now I am totally obsessed with his new side-project Malibu. Teaming once again with his LOGAN'S crew, this is an all super-synthed-up album that is like Kraftwerk if they were produced by Giorgio Moroder and they decided to make an album you can dance to. To me, that is all you need to know. Listen to a song like "Bounce" and I dare you not to get off your chair and start jumping around the room. Don't let this one disappear under the radar too!

NOT LAME is FINALLY on MySpace!!!

2008-09-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it had to happen sooner or later! I was finally able to convince Bruce to get NOT LAME a MySpace. It's now up, so, all that's left is for you to friend us! That's right--show your NL love and add us and, while you're at it, leave a nice, ego-stroking comment!

Click here to visit the NOT LAME MySpace!

Bruce's NEW AT NOT LAME Update for late, late, late Sept. 2008!!!

2008-09-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

Straight from the boss, here's Bruce's list of what's new at NOT LAME...

Here are the Top New Releases on the Not Lame web site for late September. There are many new releases on da 'ole home page, but for the time starved, these are the ones worth of your precious time. Click on the links for full mini-reviews on each CD and listen 'n sample lots of soundbites, as well. Have Fun!

VIBEKE - THE WORLD FAMOUS HAT TRICK
If Blondie could have kicked some real-punk ass, this is what she would have sounded like in the late 70`s. With super catchy hooks, edgy guitars, sultry vocals and driving drums, the comparison to early Blondie is truly apt. It's a "glam slam" to be sure.

THE CRASH MODERNS - GOODNIGHT GLAMOUR MORNING DISASTER
Co-Produced by the Churchills, fans of that band will more than happy with the results here! Fans of Rooney, the Blakes, the Waking Hours, Tsar, a harder rocking Tories, Hotsocky (remember them?) and Phantom Planet are going to love, love this! Well-rounded, hook-driven and highly layered vocals rule the day and pounding pop melodies explode around every corner.

ALL DAY SUCKER - THE BIG PRETEND
Talk about delivery of the goods, first class! Reminds me most of Todd Rundgren working with The New Radicals (listen to song #4), if you remember that band. What makes them so cool is that these guys are true music geeks – the influences of Motown, ELO, Jellyfish, early 70`s Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello, Jellyfish, Prince are all over THE BIG PRETEND.
Their songs are instantly memorable with a rare blend of grooving riffs, captivating hooks, and skillfully crafted pop-rock compositions. With bits and pieces of British flavored "blue-eyed soul", the hook-heavy faded denim of the seventies, and the over-the-top, anything goes flair of a Broadway musical, ALL DAY SUCKER fuses "classic" and "timeless" without ever going "retro".

BLACK BUNNY - BLACK BUNNY
Black Bunny sounds like an updating of Emitt Rhodes (listen to #2 at the NL link), Paul McCartney, Wisely, David Grahame, Michael Penn and Jason Falkner (in particular on song #3) but you’ll find the more haunting melodies that one finds with some of the more modern rock bands like Midlake and Travis – but without the pretension.
This is another project from Brandon Wilde, whose album earlier this year has been a favorite for many folks here.
Black Bunny presents kaleidoscopic array of gorgeous colors and the songs here are carefully constructed, crafted and complimented by arrangements that fit snug and perfectly, merging analog depth and studio prowess in all the texture here. A subtle stunner.

TODD HERFINDAL - COLLECTIVE
Fans of The Honeydogs and Tom Petty will find some traces of their inspiration here but there`s overwhelmingly catchy vibe here, as songs splendorously drift from gentle roots-pop jangle and open chorded sounds to sweeping, accessible and good-natured melodies.
Classic power pop. All the elements are here to easily digest and enjoy. Unpretentious without fault, Todd Herfindal’s “Collective” is modern rock with a sharp, clear understanding of what great pop should be comprised of.
Part of its power lays in the collective nature of the musicians appearing here - Todd co-wrote more than two albums worth of songs with some of LA's & Nashville's finest writers like Duane Jarvis (Lucinda Williams, Frank Black), Rich McCulley, Michael Dukes (Mechanical Birds), Kevin Houlihan (The Meadows). Inescapable talent peppers the album.

KHALID HANIFI - PAMPLEMOUSSE PRESSE
Fans of the Grays, Toy Matinee, Kevin Gilbert and The Odds – just listen up here, please. All the material here is highly-textured, carefully craftyed and maximized for power-impact - and it all works with luminous lustre and superior shine.

THE MODEL ROCKETS - HILUX
IMPORTANT NOTE: For the first 20 people who get this, you will receive a free 24 track sampler from Paisley Pop called “The Sensitive Guy’s Guide To Groovy Music” featuring songs from Jamie Hoover & Bill Lloyd, James Cooper, Tim Lee, Lisa Mychols, Kimberly Rew, The Windbreakers, Robert Crenshaw, Trolleyvox and many others! LIMITED bonus here, folks.
2008 reissue of The Model Rockets’ 1993 debut, “Hilux”(produced by ex-Young Fresh Fellow Scott McCaughey), John Ramberg unleashes his beast upon an unsuspecting audience. Fans of the more recent material from the band will find a different band here from 1993, mostly – a bit of forewarning, not that it diminishes the youthful spunk and energy here. It’s like a power-pop version of the Replacements on an early alt-country kick ala the early/mid 90s.

FORCE 10 - FORCE 10
Best described as progressive power-pop with a strong Supertramp stamp but you’ll hear hinting of what would come from bands like Jellyfish. There are nine songs here – eight of the sheer genius (the last one is, arguably, a throwaway).
Folks who recall the obscure albums from Reggie Knighton will recognize some of guitar sounds and quirky melodies that appear here, as well as some Split Enz, The Sherbs and 10cc. This has been truly, honestly in my Top 5 list of albums I have wanted to be reissued on CD.
If “Hypnotized’ bizarre stylings does not grab you, I’ll give you a hug and apology next time we connect. Just do me a favor - give me a few minutes to listen to the samples at the Not Lame website and HEAR what you'll think!

SAUL ZONANA - CHAPTER 1: THE BEST OF
A 16-song “best of” collection from his previous 5 albums making CHAPTER 1 essential listening for most here at this site.
All Zonana’s music is filled w/ the splendorous guitar, high energy hooks and expressive vocals found, the music falls into the schooling of such artists like Matthew Sweet, Todd Rundgren, Rick Altizer, Michael Penn, Candy Butchers, Doug Powell , The Dotted Line and Greenberry Woods.
While every track is immaculately clean in production, underneath pulses something more untamed, an element of something raw and timeless, ultimately giving his songs a depth that roots them into the soil of the soul, much like an oak tree. Pop with a shadow. Every song here is full of rich, melodic steam, filled with superb twists of the wrist or surprising and delightful eruptions of harmony, while the production is stunning.

JANGLE ON! for SEPT. 2008!!!

2008-09-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

JANGLE ON!
By Eric Sorensen‏, written exclusively for NOT LAME

Several promotional treats have arrived via the mail during the past month. Many thanks to the labels and artists who sent me their promotional discs. Not all were jangly, but one is certainly headed to the top of my “Best of 2008” list. To make this month even more pleasant, I was able to attend my third Roger McGuinn concert of the year – this time, at the restored Carlisle Theater in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Many Southeast Pennsylvania Boomer fans went home happy that evening after hearing Roger’s 24-song show that included numerous Byrds chart hits. Although Roger surrounds himself with four instruments, he clearly favors playing the Martin seven-string acoustic guitar that he designed several years ago. Here is a summary of the albums and songs I have been listening to recently:

THE RHINOS - IN RHI FI
Fourteen tracks of the finest jangly pop music this side of the 60s...and from the other side of the Atlantic (Sweden)! Think of classic pop bands like the Byrds, the Beatles, the Association, the Beach Boys, the Cyrkle and the Hollies and add some more recent influences like the late, great Time Lodgers. Jangly, chiming and ringing Rickenbacker 12-string riffs are interwoven into many of the songs, and the last three tracks give a nod to the circa 1967 Byrds sound that featured the emergence of David Crosby’s and Chris Hillman’s song arrangement skills. I mentioned the track "Everything That She Believed" several months ago, and this song remains a very strong candidate for "Song of the Year". I am indebted to the Rainbow Quartz label for sending me a promo copy of this terrific disc. From my perspective, pop music just doesn’t get any better than this! Long may you run, Sirs Leif, Lasse, Bjorn, Jonas and Palle!

THE PARTIES - CAN'T COME DOWN
A week after receiving In Rhi Fi, Rainbow Quartz sent me another top-notch promo disc by another excellent pseudo-60s group. This time, the Rickenbackers aren’t as chiming, but the tone of the Parties’ material will definitely appeal to fans of classic power-pop music. My favorite chiming track is "Gotta Get Out", but "Cold Life", "Yours And Mine", "Velvet Love Affair" and "Waterfall" are all radio-friendly tracks. The sweet boy-girl vibe reminds me a bit of the Kennedys and Dave Rave/Laura Agnelli collaborations.

FREDDIE STEADY'S WILD COUNTRY - TEN DOLLAR GUN
Texas Music Hall of Fame member Freddie Steady Krc returns with a 12-song disc that pays homage to the "Beatle boots and Tex-Mex roots" that so heavily influenced Freddie when he was young. While the Beatles and Sir Douglas Quintet references are plentiful, there are more subtle references (Buddy Holly, Bobby Fuller Four) also evident in Freddie's original compositions. Longtime pal and collaborator Cam King may have turned down the treble setting on his Rickenbacker 12-string guitar, but the mid-60s still provide the framework for songs like "What's So Hard About Love", "Pirate For Your Love" and "You Gotta Take That Girl". It's been three years since Freddie wowed our guests and friends with a solo acoustic house concert. Please, Sir, may we have another?

THE BEDSIT POETS - RENDEZVOUS
This is the sophomore release from Ed Rogers and Amanda Thorpe who are joined on this disc by newest BP member Mac Randall. There’s a lot less jangle on this disc than on THE SUMMER THAT CHANGED, but the 60s vibe is still present, with some cocktail lounge, French pop and British folk overtones. The upbeat "I'm In Love With A Girl" is an anomaly on a disc where ballads take center stage. It's still pop, and it's still a showcase for three very talented singers/songwriters/musicians.

THE JELLYBRICKS - GOODNIGHT TO EVERYONE
This is pure power-pop that transcends the last three decades. Just drop this disc in your CD player and keep hitting the replay button. Standout tracks include "Ruin Us", "Nobody Else" and "More To Lose".

THE SMITHEREENS - B-SIDES THE BEATLES
Pat DiNizio, Jim Babjak and Dennis Diken return to record more classic tracks on this second Smithereens disc that features Fab Four songs. Don’t miss their live shows that feature their excellent renditions of Beatles songs and their own repertoire of pop/rock gems. Babjak can still invoke some strong jangle from his Rickenbacker guitars!

STARLING ELECTRIC - CLOUDED STAIRCASE
Buried in the midst of 18 psych-pop tracks is the very jangly "New Era". Seek it out!

In the "Jangly Hall of Fame" category are several songs that I included on a "Jangle’n’Twang Roots Sampler" CD that I compiled in January 2001. Top tracks include "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" and "Better Days" by the Jayhawks, "Hippie Girls And Sippin’ Whiskey", "Mt. Airy Mistake" and "Wiley Coyote" by the Psychedelic Cowboys, "Something I Don’t Recognize" by the Beachwood Sparks (pioneers in the new "Canyon Rock" movement), "The Trouble With Trouble" by the Blue Shadows (Billy Cowsill’s final band) and "Torn In Two" by the Schramms. Other "Jangly Hall of Fame" songs that were included in a late 90s "Midwestern Pop Sampler" include "Halcyon Days", "Miserable Girl", and "Day By Day" by Swinger, the very Beatlesque "Dirty Little Secret" and "Mr. Rain" by Love Candy, "The Colour Of Candy" by Bill Retoff, "Yer Gonna Need My Lovin’ Someday" by the Lolas, and one of my all-time favorites – "Is This Love? by Big In Iowa. Former Big In Iowa frontman, Big Bob Burns, now resides in the Washington, D.C. area...so I look forward to crossing paths with him at one of our area's live music venues.

Until next month, jangle on!

Bruce's NEW AT NOT LAME Update for late Sept. 2008!!!

2008-09-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

Straight from the boss, here's Bruce's list of what's new at NOT LAME...

Here are the Top New Releases on the Not Lame web site for September. There are many new releases on da 'ole home page, but for the time starved, these are the ones worth of your precious time. Click on the links for full mini-reviews on each CD and listen 'n sample lots of soundbites, as well. Have Fun!

MONKEEMAN - LIFE IN THE BACKSEAT
GERMAN IMPORT - third album of Not Lame fave!
This one delivers on all fronts. He still mines classic power pop influences here and gives them a bit more modern edge on LIFE IN THE BACKSEAT but there is no sacrificing meaty, tasty, melodious hooks. Fans of Swedish pop greats like the Grass Show and the Merrymakers will notice those stylings dotted around the corners of the material on the CD, but more modern faves Brit-Pop faves like Silver Sun, the Switches and Supergrass .
The CD combines raw guitars and gyration-worthy grooves with sharp lyrics and the kind of pop hooks that get lodged in your head in that kind of way where you`ll just be brushing your teeth or something and you`ll notice a song playing over and over again in your head until finally your brush grinds to halt. EXTREMELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

THE JELLYBRICKS - GOODNIGHT TO EVERYONE
A Tour-De-Force From The Jellybricks! GOODNIGHT TO EVERYONE showcases the Jellybricks` ever-maturing songwriting skills and studio sensibilities. The songs here reflect the ensuing maturity that fives since their past one bring into the light and you`ll be hard press to find more easily enjoyable power pop to digest because it`s all filled with mesmerizing, hummable melodies, earthy jangle, relaxed, layered vocal harmonies and an adrenalized band vibe.

"Bringing us power pop with a capital 'P', they bring to mind statemates Ike (former Ike Cliff Hillis produced 'Power This'), as well as Matthew Sweet and The Tories. Saul Zonana co-produced, played on and mixed several of the tracks, and his fans should enjoy this one as well. This is classic power pop at its finest." -Absolute PowerPop Blog

READYMADE BREAKUP - ALIVE ON THE VINE
Fans who like the idea of classic Squeeze, do not miss Readymade Breakup – that simple. If sweet, intensely rich vocals, hard driving guitar hooks, a amplified guitar sound and whalloped back choruses are your bag, open Readymade Breakup, right now!

"Asbury Park's kings of power-pop revisit the lush, harmony-filled ballads of their earlier releases, as well as a new energy that frees vocalist Paul Rosevear to release his inner McCartney. Revel in the Beatlesque melodies, exquisite soulful falsetto, and some crunchy rock on this self-released gem." -Jersey Beat

Crafting silky-smooth, melodic crooning melodies is what this band is all about, so go with the flow and smile away. Simply, not to be missed! Crystal-clear production, crackling passion, unrelenting, rewarding and breathtaking choruses, great ballads `n rockers standing bside each other - it`s the full pop package.

SAUL ZONANA - BLUE MONKEY
A mixture of Jason Falkner alongside Adrian Belew’s more wiley, proggy-pop - absolute KILLER! Amazing guitar work, all over BLUE MONKEY. Filled w/ the splendorous guitar, high energy hooks and expressive vocals found, the music falls into the schooling of such artists like Matthew Sweet, Todd Rundgren, Rick Altizer, Michael Penn, Candy Butchers, Doug Powell , the Dotted Line and Greenberry Woods.
It`s the type of power pop that would be right at home on most FM rock-oriented radio stations if radio played decent music. But it`s highly intelligent music at all corners.

"Strikes the balance between punchy pop and crunchy rock is borne of Zonana`s broad musical experience." -Amplifier

ORANGE PARK - REVELATIONS OF FUTURE PREDICTIONS
Reminds us of Fountains Of Wayne, Rooney, Superdrag, the Posies, the Elms, Copperpot, Butch Walker and Not Lame`s True Love. "Songs From The Unknown" is a striking parade of heart-warming, mouth-salivating pop songs with more hooks than a ship full of pirates. Insistent hooks, clever choruses and really great sounding rhythm guitars.
Always an interesting twist at every turn on all the material here--high impact, dead center, fastball melodies and clean, catchy guitar sounds with just the slightest edge to make it completely modern and fresh.

"They have a default setting of earnest, the songs constantly pummel with bonhomie, melody and effects, there’s little space for reflection, everything is so up, so much on the surface and is so glossy that you can skate across the top of it enjoying this beautiful bright shiny pop noise without ever having to think of the sheer effort that goes into it." -Americana UK

THE BLACK MOLLYS - IGNORANCE IS BLISS
This smokes huge billows of rocking power pop roll out of the rusty stacks of present day power pop, folks! If you like crunchy sweet'n'loud guitars with your pop, it does not go down more smoothly or easy than with the Black Mollys. Fans of Fuzzbubble, Enuff Z`Nuff`s poppy stuff, the Fags, True Love, Supermint, Cheap Trick (lots of that!), the Millions, really melodic King's X and Marvelous 3/Butch Walker.
The Black Mollys is a power-pop packed rock and roll rollercoaster! This is the kind of band that aches for an "11" on the volume knob! The grade-A production is only eclipsed by the hook filled songwriting and playing by this power trio.
Raucous, yet stylistic as they blunt their way along. This is loud, catchy grinding power pop. The hooks are monsters - simply massive. Sharp, shredding guitars, strong doses of melodic fury.

BROADFIELD MARCHERS - THE INEVITABLE CONTINUING
Heads up fans of SHOES: the Broadfield Marchers may be the most Shoes inspired band I’ve heard since the Spinning Jennies, but add slices of other classic pop influences like Guided By Voices(at their very finest, pop-wise), SELL OUT-era Who, Badfinger, Cheap Trick, Alex Chilton, early Pink Floyd and others.
These short and succinct songs (many under two minutes) are ethereal, sophisticated, and filled with pop craftsmanship. It appears that the members of Broadfield Marchers have been quietly writing and recording power-pop gems for several years.

"Totally addictive lo-fi power pop trio from Louisville with lotsa moves lifted from the Wilson brothers and SELL OUT-era Who." -Arthur Magazine

DOUG DEREK & THE HOAX - WHO THE HELL IS DOUG DEREK?
Fans of late 70s/early 80s classic(and I mean ‘classic’!) power-pop, Doug Derek is a huge find the way that the Deal reissue five years ago was for many serious pop geeks. Fans of Paul Collins’ Beat and the Plimsouls break out the napkins as you’ll need something to wipe off the drool.
Doug Derek & The Hoax, simply, were a very, very good and very short-lived edgy and unpretentious American Alternative Power Pop from New Haven, CT - a quartet with lots of energy, catchy melodic hooks and memorable songs who could rock with the best of them live. In other words, "Pop With A Lot Of Balls"! OLD SCHOOL POWER POPPIN' FUN!

MONO Y MONO- THE 5 SONG EP
Not only are all five of these songs killer but their early Elvis Costello new wavey charms are insidiously seductive and, yes, bear repeated listens. Occasionally, there's a bit of Cars-y skinnny tie but it's evocations of a time long gone sounds vibrant, new and fresh.
The five songs here are so damn GOOD (arguably, great!) that hearing the momentum created by the 5 songs here and - then having it - END - is a drag. In terms of EPs in 2008, this is my favorite, for sure. Some folks won't bite down on EPs as they find them, ahem, 'frustrating' for the reasons above. If that is you, I encourage you to give the samples below a try and see if you opinion can be modified. Let's get the full-length DONE - more, encore!

The new ANDY BOPP is almost here!!!

2008-09-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

I met Andy Bopp a few months ago when he came through town to perform an acoustic set at the radio station that I have a show on. He was an awesome, funny fellow and afterwards, we all ate Thai food. Man, was it delicious! You should've been there!

ANYWAYS, we're all huge Bopp-fans here and I gotta admit that his latest album--THIS GUITAR KILLS SINGER SONGWRITERS--has the best album title of the year! I bet the music is twice as great!

Here's what Bruce has got to say about it...

DUE OCTOBER 14th - We'll have something special for folks who pick this up from Not Lame that I'll set up with Andy himself--details will be forthcoming!

"This is the first solo album from Andy Bopp, frontman and songwriter for Rainbow Quartz’s sparkling guitar pop melody makers Myracle Brah. Chock full of acoustic versions of Myracle Brah songs performed in a semi-Unplugged mode – plus a few brand new tunes – your ears will be treated to pristine, gorgeous arrangements with beautiful acoustic guitar work while delivering jangly psychedlic rock-pop conjuring Byrds, Beatles, Badfinger and Raspberries.” Like a fledgling Lennon was rocking out with Dinosaur Jr. on a weekend bender with Teenage Fanclub at their most cuddily.” -Mojo

"The Myracle Brah man and lead Love Nut breaks out his trusty acoustic guitar and leafs through some of the yellowed pages of what is now a rather large songbook to reel off a reliably entertaining set of tunes. This album contains no revelations but serves to confirm what I already knew -- he’s one helluva songwriter. Well, I suppose there’s one revelation. Okay, revelation is putting it strongly, but "Hello" is a new song. And it sounds like a typical Bopp song. His vocals are strong, the hook is established early, and fans of music that gravitates in The Beatles/Badfinger/early Big Star universe should enjoy this quite a bit. That universe is a large part of Bopp’s songcraft, though his work with Love Nut showed an affinity for Cheap Trick at times, while Myracle Brah periodically attempted to build on it’s ‘60s classicism with some moodier sounds. In this acoustic format, pop rules the day. But it’s not overly slick. If anything, the more intimate approach draws more emotions out of these songs, even when the lyrics may seem a bit impenetrable.

Bopp draws most from what may be the two best albums from his past: three songs apiece from Life From Planet Eartsnop and the second Love Nut album, Baltimucho. Knowing a good thing, he opens the album with the lead track from Eartsnop, "Whisper Softly". This is just over two minutes of pop perfection. The rise and fall of the melody is matched by the even greater rise and fall of the melody. Bopp also takes on "Just Because", a ballad that has a bit of a John Lennon-ish feel, and my favorite Myracle Brah song of all, "Good Day to the Night". "Night" simply has one of the best power pop choruses I have ever heard. It’s urgent and memorable and Bopp sells it with all he has. This is a song that, even when played without a full band, is intense from the get go and manages never to let up. All without any outrageous tempos or excessive guitar noise. The winners from Baltimucho sound great too. "Falling Down" and "Miss Fortune" (a song Myracle Brah also recorded) have that "should have been a hit" kind of feel. While the first Love Nut album was alright (and is represented here by "Jane"), Baltimucho was chock full of great songs. One of those was the type of song that should have been played at high school proms everywhere, "If You Go Away"." -Mike Bennett, Hablo Ennui

TRACK LISTING:
1. Whisper Softly
2. Broken
3. Hello
4. Jane
5. If You Go Away
6. Miss Fortune
7. Minimum Mary
8. Good Day to the Night
9. Hearts on Fire
10. Just Because
11. Falling Down
12. Blue (Instrumental)

PRE-ORDER HERE!!!

New BLUE ASH reissue on the way!!!

2008-09-17T08:53:00.000-07:00

Bruce just gave me this awesome new info:

Details coming--ships October 28th! I'll have a special bonus I'll put together for folks who pick this up here at Not Lame, too. Details forthcoming! My understanding is NO bonus trax on the formal reissue--a straight-up reissue but at least it's OUT finally!!!

Here's the information sent out on the reissue:

When England's esteemed GUARDIAN newspaper assembled their list of "1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die", the 1973 debut album from Blue Ash made the grade amongst all the established classics--pretty remarkable for an obscure record that was out-of-print for over 30 years! Well, we at Collectors’ Choice have rectified that injustice, so this critically acclaimed LP can take its rightful place in the power pop pantheon. Signed to Mercury by legendary rock critic/publicist Paul Nelson, this four-piece from Youngstown, OH was among the first power pop bands alongside Badfinger, Big Star and Raspberries to revive the virtues of mid-60s rock against the then prevailing tides of prog excess and singer-songwriter self-absorption. NO MORE, NO LESS showcases the band's knack for melodic three-minute pop tunes delivered via a breathless attack that melded the Byrds’ jangle with the Who’s rhythm section and the Fab Four’s harmonies, as heard on the first cut and best-known track "Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her?)". Also includes their rave-up of the Dylan rarity "Dusty Old Fairgrounds" and such proto-power pop gems as "I Remember a Time" and "All I Want". This first-ever CD release features brand-new liner notes, courtesy of the band’s bassist and co-songwriter Frank Secich, along with rare photos from the band’s archives.

Pre-order here.

BRUCE HAS GONE KRAZY!!! It's a huge blowout sale!!!

2008-09-17T06:32:00.000-07:00

Hey guys--here's a heads up: Bruce has gone absolutely nuts, and he passing the savings on to you!!! We're having a HUGE blowout sale, with CDs marked down to crazy low prices! If you have been waiting to buy, or on the fence about a certain title, now is the time to get it!

Why do we do it? Because we care.

You gotta hurry though, because the sale ends this Thursday!!!

Link: BLOWOUT SALE PAGE!

Link: EVEN MORE BLOWOUT SALE ITEMS!

The OK Gazette reviews IPO 11!!!

2008-09-12T07:19:00.000-07:00

Do the math: 66 songs, three discs, one low price. No wonder the record company is called Not Lame.

The 11th volume of the long-running “International Pop Overthrow” compilation series features cover art that lovingly goofs on Apple’s silhouette-driven iPod ads. But the image is no joke: Those who look forward to the “IPO” discs will be rockin’ out, with little care in the world.

“IPO” and Not Lame are dedicated to the genre of power pop. It’s nowhere as commercial as teen pop or gangsta rap, but those who love their melodies sweet and their guitar chords crunchy, there’s plenty on which to munch. The lack of big names is not the point — exposing your hungry ears to new artists is.

Fervent followers will recognize more than the average Joe, such as Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (from the late, great Jellyfish), who’s represented by “American Affluenza.” But don’t miss the easygoing Sixties sounds of The Tomorrows’ “Effortless Lee” (nice wordplay), the young-punk bop of Blackout 101’s “Let’s Not Get Ahead of Ourselves,” the garage-floor goodness of The Doom Buggies’ “Gravity” and the feel-good surge provided by Bird Mancini ’s “Holly.”

Pop goes your tympanic membrane. Now with power.

—Rod Lott

Link: http://www.okgazette.com/p/12836/a/2294/Default.aspx

Have you got the new Matthew Sweet yet???

2008-09-01T11:10:00.001-07:00

Very good interview with Matthew Sweet on the BULLZ-EYE site(always a fine read!) where he talks about the new album, past projects, upcoming ones and working with cool people like Susanna Hoffs. His new album, SUNSHINE LIES, has just arrived and after one listen, must say, it's the best album from him in a long time. He's remembered how to ROCK again but Sweet flexes a new, creative muscle tweaking his special brand of pop in new directions, fully pleasing long-time fans. I put up a lot of soundbites for you check out just now. CLICK HERE to listen and read about SUNSHINE LIES and CLICK HERE to go the interview.

Glen Campbell LIVE!

2008-09-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

So our favorite album at the office right now is the new Glen Campbell! We can't get enough of it! I know that, at first glance that may not seen too power-pop, but hey, did you know that BOTH Jason Falkner and Roger Manning Jr. play on it? They do!

Not Lamer Stephen sent Bruce an email about the joy of seeing Glen live! Check it out!

***

To some, it may seem 'unhip' that I went and saw Glen Campbell last night at the Troubador in West Hollywood. But the show itself was one of the most anticipated shows around, it was sold out and people were jealous that eight of us at Super D had recieved free tickets to this show! I even saw Clem Burke, the drummer from Blondie outside trying to get in but couldn't (or at least at the time I was outside). Two co-workers think they saw Billy Bob Thornton at the bar. I am sure that there were plenty of celebrities there since it was mostly an industry type show.

Glen has a brand new album out that finds him covering some surprising material in his own glorious way. The album is great and seeing the man perform live was incredible. The last time I saw Glen live was when I was 7 or 8 years old, so this was a big deal for me! He's always been a favorite of mine...

So, I decided to search on YouTube to see if anyone had filmed the show and posted clips on the 'net. Yup, someone did! I even think I saw the person that filmed this. We were standing about 10 feet to the right of whoever filmed this, so these two clips are pretty similar to our point of view. Enjoy!

Jelly-links!!!

2008-09-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some links to recent interviews with Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. and Jason Falkner from Jellyfish and their own respective solo careers-big faves, of course, here at Not Lame. (No, we don't have any copies of our Jellyfish FAN CLUB box set for sale! Very out of print and a $300 item on eBay!!!) Roger dropped a line the other day and he HAS pinned down a US deal for his CATNIP DYNAMITE album! It will include three live bonus trax for the U.S. release, too! No date yet, but it's
looking like Winter sometime. I'll keep you posted!

Now, check out the interviews from the fabulific PopShifter web site!

Interview with ROGER!

Interview with JASON!

JANGLE ON! for AUGUST 2008!!!

2008-09-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

JANGLE ON!
By Eric Sorensen‏, written exclusively for NOT LAME

The past month has showcased a balance between new discs that feature chiming, jangly and ringing twelve-string songs and some "old" favorites that paved the way for so many of today’s jangly pop artists. Here is a summary of the albums and songs I have been listening to recently:

THE SUMMER SUNS-GREATEST
This long-time-in-coming 22-song compilation is a "must have" disc for all fans of jangly music. This Aussie power pop band's lineup changed several times during their decade in existence, but the formula for their very catchy melodic and chiming songs varied little from start to finish. Power pop luminaries like Dom Mariani and Joe Algeri combined their talents with the band’s chief composer Kim Williams to generate a magnificent catalog of songs that has already stood the test of time since the band ceased in 1996. Long ago, I discovered "Girl In A Mexican Restaurant" on a power pop compilation CD, and I immediately added the Summer Suns to my want list. Unfortunately, I was never able to find the rest of their material on CD stateside. That has finally changed, and jangleholics should not hesitate to acquire this disc. Rickenbackers chime throughout the 22 tracks, but standout songs are “She Understands,” “Girl In A Mexican Restaurant,” “Samantha,” “Brighter Than The Sun,” “Honeypearl,” “All Away” and “Stephanie.” If you mix equal parts of the Byrds and the Hollies with Dom Mariani bands, the Stems and DM3, you will get some idea of what this pseudo-60s pop outfit sounds like. I am truly sorry that I never got to see this band perform live, but GREATEST is a vibrant celebration of their chiming pop music. Long may you run, Sir Dom, Sir Joe and Sir Kim!

KAI REINER-s/t
It’s hard to ignore a pop album that pictures a Rickenbacker guitar (albeit a six-string model) on its cover. It’s even harder to ignore the body of work that is represented in this debut solo disc by DIY artist Kai Reiner. Like Bruce Brodeen, I hear Teenage Fanclub and Shoes references in Reiner’s songs; and I also hear Ted Holden references in Reiner’s jangle-oriented tunes. As one of my work colleagues likes to say – “it’s all good!” Reiner sets a high standard for first-time albums that other pop artists should abide by.

DROPKICK-TURNING CIRCLES and DOT THE I
Back-to-back albums by a British band that is right at home with the Teenage Fanclub vibe...that sometimes embraces the orchestral “wall of sound” and other times showcases Beach Boys-styled harmonies. When you toss in some similarities with the late great Feelies and chord progressions that occasionally remind me of early REM material, you have the makings of two excellent discs. My favorite tracks are “Open Door,” “Figure It Out,” “You Didn’t Make It,” “Only For Yourself,” “Black Book” and “Good Vibes.” This is very “smooth” power pop that will appeal to jangleholics.

BROADFIELDS MARCHERS-THE INEVITABLE CONTINUING
The Rainbow Quartz label has delivered another winner with this soon-to-be-released 19-song psych-pop disc. Fans of the Green Pajamas, the High Llamas, the Greenberry Woods and the New Pornographers will really dig this material. Pop listeners with a more veteran ear will pick up on some Who references in some of the tracks. Although this disc doesn’t jangle, the band’s tight sound will hold your interest from start to finish and if you’re like me, you’ll consider this a “keeper.”

CHARLOTTE POP FEST 2008
The Pop Fest souvenir disc is a terrific value–and it features 25 tracks by 25 artists. The standout track is the very jangly “Pretend” by Crisis–a strong contender for “Song of the Month” honors. Like any good compilation disc, this one will force me to search out more information about some of the featured artists!

In the “surprise of the month” category is MEET GLEN CAMPBELL by none other than Glen Campbell! The disc reunites the former “wrecking crew” member (who was a studio musician on Beach Boys and Byrds records) with the Capitol record label. Producer Julian Raymond selected ten songs (including hits by Green Day, Jackson Browne and John Lennon) for Campbell to reinterpret, and the results are very pleasing. Campbell’s take on Tom Petty’s “Walls” happily preserves much of the Rickenbacker jangle that the original version featured. Whether you are a Glen Campbell fan or not, MEET GLEN CAMPBELL is a solid testament to his enduring guitar skills.

Speaking of cover songs, Sugarland (with some help from Little Big Town) delivers one of the best cover songs of 2008 with their update on the Dream Academy’s “Life In A Northern Town.” Love those chorus harmonies, y’all!

In the “blast from the past” category this month is the Connells, a North Carolina-based pop/rock band that I was able to see perform live on three different occasions. In fact, I discovered the need to move out of the way of their younger fans who were afflicted with “happy feet” at Connells shows. The band frequently flirted with a jangly 12-string sound (“Scotty’s Lament” and “OT2”), and they were always able to sound as good live as they did on their albums. WHFS deejay “Weasel” first introduced me to the Connells by playing “Get A Gun;” later, Weasel also showcased other radio-friendly songs like “Maybe,” “Slackjawed” and “Doin’ You.” The venue where I saw the Connells perform is now home to the “new” 9:30 Club. It was a tougher neighborhood in the early 90s, but it was worth the risk to see this terrific band. The scuttlebutt about the Connells was that they dropped out of law school to form the band. If that is true, the pop universe is a better place because they made that choice!

In the “Jangly Hall of Fame” category are songs that I included on a compilation of favorite teen songs-a disc that always stays close to my CD player. Topping the list is “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better” by the Byrds–a song I often refer to as “the greatest two and a half minute song in rock’n’roll history.” Other tracks are: “She Don’t Care About Time” by the Byrds (arguably, one of the best b-side songs in pop history); “If I Needed Someone” and “I Need You” by the Beatles; “Don’t Talk To Strangers” by the Beau Brummels; “Needles and Pins” by the Searchers; “When You Walk In The Room” by Jackie DeShannon; “Little Girl” by the Syndicate of Sound; “Look Through Any Window” by the Hollies; “Friday On My Mind” by the Easybeats; “Let’s Live For Today” and “Where Were You When I Needed You” by the Grass Roots; “It Ain’t Me Babe” and “Let Me Be” by the Turtles; “Turn Down Day” by the Cyrkle; and versions of “Hey Joe!” by the Stillroven, the Leaves and the Cryan’ Shames. These jangly songs made such a strong impression on me that I have been attracted to derivative tunes ever since the mid-60s. I will write more on those derivative songs in months to come.

Until next month, jangle on!

NOT LAME has got a TWITTER! (But we're still all man, ladies!)

2008-08-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

Follow Bruce's mini-updates all throughout the day!!!

Add Bruce's Twitter here. Just wash your hands when you're done!

Louis's Friday Pick: JOSH FIX - FREE AT LAST

2008-08-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know Bruce has touted this on the Not Lame website with his usual ecstatic glee, but dammit if he's not right! Josh Fix's latest album FREE AT LAST, really is one of the best albums I've heard this year. No lie!

Mixing the beautifully heavy wall-of-sound Jeff Lynne / ELO sound with soaring Freddy Mercury vocal-stylings, the first track, "Don't Call Me in the Morning" has that great 70s operatic (but still rocking) sound that you hear very rarely, as does my other fave track, "Whiskey & Speed". He's like a more masculine Mika, whose album, BTW, was my favorite of last year. Fans of Mark Mallman, L.E.O. and solo Ben Folds will appreciate this quite a bit too, I'd imagine.

Listening to this though, it kind of makes me realize how much I really don't like too much new music. Too many new bands try to sound like Hinder or Three Doors Down or some such shit, totally forgetting harmony, melody and GASP, actual singing ability. It seems like the only new singers I tend to gravitate to have booming, multi-layered choruses and big finishes. (Speaking of which but completely off topic, I just became a big Barry Manilow fan last week too, when I bought on a whim the ULTIMATE MANILOW compilation. Gotta love songs you can sing along to!)

Here's the video for "Don't Call Me in the Morning":

You need this album NOW!!! Click here to order it from the NOT LAME website.

Josh Fix's website.

Josh Fix's MySpace.