The Boo Radleys - Find the way out.

 

By 2005 -- in America, anyway -- hearing the story of how the Boo Radleys didn't make it was more common than hearing any of their actual music. The recap: the Liverpool band came up shoegazers, became pop songwriters, and blew up with a single that shone like gold. But then they tore stardom to shreds with a brilliantly noisy follow-up, and disbanded soon after releasing a frustrated swan song. Since that awkward end the Boos have been a footnote for some, a pleasant memory for others, and a reason for fanatical devotion to still more. So ideally, Find the Way Out pleases all parties. It's a two-disc, fully remastered, 35-song chronological recap of the band's eight-year career, painstakingly compiled by guitarist/songwriter Martin Carr both to tell the Boo Radley story and satisfy the diehards. It begins with two songs from Ichabod & I, the noisy (and rare) 1990 debut that shoved American alternative rock into a wall of Kevin Shields-ian distortion. The dynamic between Carr's roaring guitar and Sice's effortless songbird vocals on "Catweazle" would define the group's sound. "Happens to Us All" is here too, as is a demo version of "Hip Clown Rag." There are highlights from the Boo Radleys' Rough Trade singles and EPs, including the incredible funky blister of "Kaleidoscope" and "Everybird"'s blend of pedal stomp crunch and twining acoustic strum. The set includes the lengthy 12" version of the 1992 Creation single "Lazarus," as well as its B-side, "Let Me Be Your Faith"; devotees might wonder where "At the Sound of Speed" is, but they'll have to make do with the creaky, gentle "Cracked Lips/Homesick" -- a Giant Steps-era B-side -- or any of the five songs from that album. The brassy, handclapping "Wish I Was Skinny" and "Best Lose the Fear"'s fuzzy psych-pop are highlights, showing off the Boos' songwriting development. Of course Find the Way Out's second disc starts with "Wake Up Boo!" -- it's their career definition and ultimate death knell tied up in an unstoppably glorious pop experience. The nine-minute version here -- subtitled "Music for Astronauts" -- trips out at the end in a way Super Furry Animals would soon perfect. Its flip, "Blues for George Michael," is another epic, and "Find the Answer Within" (from the Wake Up! LP) rarefies Carr's guitar to a conventional jangle. 1995's "From the Bench at Belvidere" is a breezy masterpiece of lilting piano and dripping guitar notes; there's even a flute solo. (Pray that Teenage Fanclub someday covers this.) C'mon Kids, the blaring fame freak-out album that followed the popular embrace of Wake Up!, is represented here by four tracks, and the finale Kingsize gets three. (The previously unissued "Tomorrow" is a faraway trumpet, rainy streets meditation with the gem lyric "trap set in the slums.") By Find the Way Out's end you're either convinced of the Boos' place in the U.K. music canon or mad at Carr because he didn't include your favorite song. But either way you've walked the band's creative arc with one of its creators. And that's way better than just hearing about it.  

Listen: Part 1 &  Part 2

Sloan - One Chord to Another

 

Following the bungled American release of Twice Removed, it seemed unlikely that Sloan would survive, let alone record an album as wonderful as One Chord to Another. On the group's previous album, Sloan had refashioned itself as a power pop band, often with terrific results, but on One Chord to Another the songwriting blossoms. Filled with catchy, jangling riffs and memorable melodies, the record is a tour de force of hooks and harmonies, filled with exceptionally strong songs and forceful performances, which give the record a firm, rocking foundation. Few power pop records of the '90s are as infectious and memorable as One Chord to Another. -AMG

 

Listen: NEW LINK

The Lambrettas - Beat Boys in the Jet Age

 

The Lambrettas are an English mod revival band, first active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Named after the iconic Italian Lambretta scooter brand popular among Mods, the band was formed in Lewes. Their original line-up consisted of Jez Bird (singer/guitarist), Doug Sanders (guitarist/vocalist), Mark Ellis (bassist) and Paul Wincer (drummer).
Their biggest hit was in 1980, with a cover version of the 1950s Leiber and Stoller song, "Poison Ivy", which reached #7 in the UK Singles Chart. They scored a #12 hit with the follow-up, "Da-a-a-nce". In the same year, they released the album Beat Boys in the Jet Age, which reached #28 on the UK Albums Chart, and scored another minor hit single single, "Another Day (Another Girl)" (hastily renamed from "Page 3" after complaints from the Sun newspaper. After the Mod revival faded, subsequent singles, which included a 1982 cover of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love", and a second album, 1981's Ambience, were commercial failures. The band played their final concert in their original incarnation in London on 14 April 1982. Bird re-formed the band for a time in the 1990s.
The band reformed in 2009 and are busy touring the UK and Europe.

Beat Boys in the Jet Age was the debut album by English mod revival band The Lambrettas. It included the bands hit cover of the song "Poison Ivy" which reached #7 in the UK Singles Chart. The band would continue this success with the release of their very own "Da-a-ance", reaching #12 in the UK Singles Chart. The album reached #28 on the UK Albums Chart, and scored another minor hit single, "Another Day (Another Girl)" which reached #45 on the UK Singles Chart.

 Listen:HERE

Beulah - The coast is never clear.

 

When the sun is shining, this album ticks every single box, but don't stop here, check out all the other albums by Beulah too!

ALLMUSIC After the dazzling reception of 1999′s When Your Heartstrings Break, Beulah wasn’t concerned with following things up with something fashionable. The bandmembers were near masters of crafting the perfect pop song — for themselves — and quite comfortable with the process. The Coast Is Never Clear captures Beulah’s classy cool indie pop, akin to what came before. Singer/songwriter Miles Kurosky‘s quirky lyrical rants are spry, and the personal experiences behind each song allude to Beulah’s unabashed nature. From the twangy licks of the bittersweet “Popular Mechanics for Lovers” to the psychedelic soul tinker of “A Good Man Is Easy to Kill,” Beulah gives way to a breaking heart. Sulking and wistful, the theme works and it’s not beyond measure. The pop melodies are relaxed; the harmonies are solid. “I’ll Be Your Lampshade” is Beulah’s country take, with sweeping horns and a sad, pathetic harmonica wallowing over a lost love. It’s not necessarily fit for tears, but The Coast Is Never Clear isn’t necessarily joyless. The band is sarcastically sweet on “What Will You Do When Your Suntan Fades?,” while emulating what everyone has faced in the role of eager, adoring wooer. Beulah’s indie cred cannot be tarnished with The Coast Is Never Clear. It’s not strict rock music — it’s basic. And it’s good. [by MacKenzie Wilson]

Get it: HERE

The Prisoners - A Taste Of Pink

 

The Prisoners were a mod revival/1960s garage band formed in 1982 in Chatham, Kent, England. They were a regular live fixture on the London "psychedelic revival" mini-scene of the early 1980s, and often toured with sparring partners The Milkshakes who included Billy Childish on guitar. The Prisoners' sound combined catchy, retro flavoured melodies, punky guitar riffs, a Steve Marriott-esque vocal style and a lead instrument of the then-unfashionable Hammond organ. The Prisoners never met with much commercial success during their original lifespan but have latterly been likened to Paul Weller and The Charlatans. Indeed Tim Burgess of the Charlatans has cited the Prisoners as a major influence.
The band's lineup was: Graham Day (vocals and guitar), Jamie/James Taylor (hammond organ), Allan Crockford (bass) and Johnny Symons (drums). (From Wikipedia).

Listen:Prisoners

Model Rockets - Tell the Kids the Cops Are Here

 

Saying that a band is power pop may automatically evoke thoughts of Big Star, the Raspberries, or the Knack, but such a narrow definition would completely miss a band like Model Rockets. Yes, they are power pop — whatever that means — but they owe a lot more to late-period dB's than to any of the above. Actually, the dB's comparison is crucial here, as not only does Tell the Kids the Cops Are Here sound pleasantly like Sound of Music-era dB's, but lead vocalist John Ramberg is occasionally a vocal dead-ringer for Chris Stamey. And as if that isn't enough, Scott McCaughey of the Young Fresh Fellows returns to twiddle the knobs on this release. If any of those references sound familiar or give an idea of what to expect, then Tell the Kids the Cops Are Here is almost certainly for you. The Rockets' old sense of humor is intact here, with lighthearted if not explicitly goofy lyrics sprinkled throughout the album, and the songwriting is consistently memorable and upbeat. Model Rockets are very much a jangle pop band, but are easily one of the best bands in that often hit-or-miss subgenre; while many rely too heavily on craft and style, Model Rockets' sardonic wit, unpolished hooks, and willingness to delve into both alt-country and post-punk give this album its vital edge. Even the tracks that don't make an instant impression reveal their charms on repeat listens, establishing Tell the Kids the Cops Are Here as one of those rare pop records that sounds different — and better — on the tenth, 30th, and 50th listens.   (All Music Guide)

Listen:Model Rockets

Kowalskiy! Free compilation EP Downloads of Scottish bands!

They say all the best bands come from Scotland, well, that is what The Very Most sang and I wouldn't disagree and nor would Kowalskiy who has compiled over nearly 20 free EP downloads for your listening pleasure, and, it really is a pleasure from EP number one right the way through to number nineteen.

Kowalskiy is, supposedly, a "cult" Scottish music blogger. He's not really though. He does do a fine line in free monthly 5-track Scottish EPs mind you, featuring the best up-and-coming artists from around the country. There's 20 for you to wrap your lugs around. Enjoy!

 Download all 19 EP's free and discover some new bands here: Kowalskiy Bandcamp

One of the bands featured on the first EP are one of my favourites, Cancel The Astronauts.