Every now and then my inbox is graced with something sweet, almost familiar but somehow different.
Today it was The Candy Strypers, the brainchild of Paul Hughes, a Manchester lad who passed through the same school as one Mr Ian Brown and one Mr John Squier, listening to a couple of riffs on this album, you can imagine they could have had the same music teacher?
Not only does the album have traces of the Roses in there but also present are The Byrds, and Big Star, but Paul, very nicely, puts his own stamp on the recordings making them all his with some beautiful vocal work to boot!
The Flamin' Groovies' debut album went almost directly into the cut-out bins within a year or so of its 1969 release. Fortunately, the band survived the neglect heaped on that record, and has survived in one form or another into the 21st century. And in the ensuing years, Supersnazz has achieved an exalted reputation among not just Groovies fans, but lovers of rock & roll in general, having held up extraordinarily well across the decades and still able to make its own case for greatness as an astonishing document of straight-ahead rock & roll circa 1969 -- fully contemporary to its time (and, by extension, almost timeless), with none of the artificial period nostalgia (and parodying) that was already creeping into the "oldies" scene. But it's also a lot of fun; in fact, based on the evidence, Supersnazz may well have been the most fun record of 1969. Roy Loney, Cyril Jordan, Tim Lynch, George Alexander, and Danny Mihm run through a quirky mix of Loney and Loney/Jordan originals and standards, encompassing styles from proto-'70s punk (want to bet the Ramones wore out copies of this album?) to '50s New Orleans R&B, country music, and even ragtime, and while a small bit of it is compromised by the presence of some too-prominent clarinet and saxophone, the whole record is a rollicking good time, made even better by the sequencing, which offers a full range of surprises, even on the fourth or fifth listen -- one can never settle in with this record before something weirdly wonderful comes along to draw the listener in yet another direction. From the fiery, Brian Jones-era Stones-style, fuzztone-driven opener "Love Have Mercy," the band shows what it can do in everything from straight-ahead boogie to slow ballads ("A Part from That") and '50s rockers ("The Girl Can't Help It," "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu"), country ("Brushfire"), and R&B, all done with a unique array of stylistic flourishes that made this one of the most original long-players of 1969. By the ninth track, the pounding, punk-driven "Somethin' Else/Pistol Packin' Mama," the whole album achieves a kind of otherworldly continuum, like something out of a strange and wonderful corner of the universe that -- though none knew it at the time -- pointed the way to a coming decade of achievement by the likes of the Ramones, Jonathan Richman, et al, not to mention the Groovies themselves. The 1969 LP was wonderfully offbeat and perfect in its presentation, and recent CD reissues, incorporating the single mixes on four of the tracks, are also a bit of an insult. It seems almost like sacrilege to place anything after the catchy group singalong "Around the Corner."-AMG
“Time Cuts The Ties” is Dropkick’s 4th release on Swedish label Sound Asleep Records. Coming less than 6 months after their 2010 Christmas EP “25th December”, the album sees the band reverting back to their original line-up with the return of founding member Ian Grier after a 5 year break. “Time Cuts The Ties” is Dropkick’s most varied and accomplished collection of songs to date, demonstrating a new maturity in their songwriting and arrangements. The generous sprinkling of piano, organ and strings has added new textures and an extra dimension to their already well established alt-country powerpop sound.
Dropkick’s profile has risen significantly since the release of their self-titled debut album in 2001. The band have now released a further 9 albums and 2 EPs, mainly on their own label Taylored Records label. Their 2008 album “Dot The i” was re-issued on Rock Indiana Records of Spain and was also made “album of the week” on BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal’s Rapal show. Since autumn 2008, Dropkick have released material on Sound Asleep Records of Sweden, including the critically acclaimed albums “Patchwork” and “Abelay Hotel”.
Dropkick have played hundreds of gigs (including several headline Scottish tours, the Darvel Festival, Tartan Heart Festival, International Pop Overthrow Festival and most recently, 4 sell-out headline shows in Spain) in the past 5 years. They have also had significant airplay over the same period, including BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio Scotland’s Tom Morton, Brand New Country, Get It On, Vic Galloway and Janice Forsyth shows. Many local UK radio stations also regularly play Dropkick’s music, as well as countless stations throughout the world, particularly in Spain where the popularity of the band’s music has increased dramatically thanks to the internet. Dropkick have performed 10 songs live on the Tom Morton Show on BBC Radio Scotland, firstly on an outside broadcast in July 2007 and then at the BBC studios in Nov 2007, the latter being part of a Children In Need special. They also played live on the same station’s ‘Highland Café’ show in July 2008 and again in July 2009.
In recent years Dropkick have shared the stage with acts such as Marc Olson, Seasick Steve, The Primary 5, Half Man Half Biscuit, Snow Patrol, Kit Clark (ex Danny Wilson), Nigel Clark (Dodgy), Sid Griffin, Roddy Hart and ‘Guitar George’ Borowski.
The album can be downloaded from the following sites:
Physical copies can be purchased via Amazon on the bands site or through Sound asleep Records.
Dropkick recently made 59 previously unreleased recordings free to download from their website: HERE all of which are well worth downloading, but don't stop there, the bands previous recordings are all highly recommended.
Disappear Here is an album that is built to be enjoyed in the classic Silver Sun style. This is how pop music should be made; ten tracks and it`s all over in exactly thirty minutes as the band adhere to the three-minute template of the perfect pop record. It`s impossible not to get that adrenalin rush you get from hearing boisterous guitar pop catchier than a dose of chicken pox. You just can`t help but to want to dance to this record. Nowhere is this more evident than on the first single taken from the album, `Bubblegum`. As the album opener this sets out the Silver Sun manifesto in three perfect minutes. The guitars crunch gloriously, while the melodies forcefully implant themselves in your brain. By the time the `na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na` section kicks in it`s sugar-coated power-pop heaven.. hopefully the world will be ready this time around for Silver Sun`s brand of high energy power-pop and this album will see the band back in the spot-light in 2005. As James Broad advises in the sleeve-notes, `the way to enjoy this? - play it loud.-Americana-UK.com.
Another wonderful bandcamp find PHENOMENAL CAT are a power pop 4 piece from Sandgate, Kent, UK. who are releasing a single each month for 2012, the three songs that are up so far are delectable slices of power pop from the top shelf of the power pop confectionery shop!
Since they all lost their jobs at Woolworths, Phenomenal Cat have made the most of their free time writing and rehearsing a load of new tunes in a small room above a local greasy spoon. 'Sugary Tea' has been their hallucinogenic of choice and helped fuel a batch of new songs about love, money, jobs, sex and 21st century England.
January's release "Letters Home From Nazi Occupied France" a song written from the perspective of a front line soldier in the trenches during World War 2, is a really well crafted piece of power/indie pop with overtones of The Kinks (maybe not surprising given the bands name is a Kinks song) and The Doors amongst others, this really is a great piece of music and a great song.
Februarys release, "Ramshackle Heart." Once again a well crafted number with lyrics suggesting love is like Richard and Judy (A husband and wife morning TV presentation team)....brilliant and humorous!
"Postcards from the British Empire" is another blinding song, both lyrically and musically. Phenomenal Cat are writing in a style that relates to the now in the same way that Blur wrote in the 90's and The Kinks wrote in the 60's, these are great songs backed with some real ear pleasing tunes, the only downside to Phenomenal Cat and it really is quite terrible....is that we have to wait another month for the next song to come out, I don't like to wish my time away, but I am looking forward to playing the 12 tracks that the band produce this year in one go, I hope they can keep up the momentum and continue to release 9 more songs of the same brilliance as these.
Phenomenal Cat are:
Samuel Carney (Guitars, Organ, Mellotron and Voice)
Ben Day (Drums & Percussion)
Natalie Kuroczycki (Bass Guitar)
Mik Peirson (Guitar & Voice)
Other musicians:
Dan Whitehouse (Trumpet)
Download "Letters from occupied France" HERE and navigate to the side bar on the right hand side of the bandcamp page to download the singles for February and March.
The band are pressing a limited 25 cd singles for each song and they are currently being sold in a charity shop, with the total sales price all going to that charity. If you want to collect the whole 12, contact the band and I am sure they will sort something out....all for charity....what lovely people as well as a great band!
Contact, like and keep up to date with the next 9 releases FACEBOOK
The primordial core of FEMME FATALE born during the summer of 2007. Rox and Mick, high school’s mates, met Dave, a Mick's old time friend. Rox and Dave discovered to havea common passion for indie rock and played music, so they had the idea to form a band, getting Mick involved.
Only two guitars and the vocalist were ready. Looking for a drummer, Rox thought of a guy met during the just finished summer at the Arctic Monkeys’ gig in Turin: Nick. About the bass guitar, they decided to entrust this role to Mick. With the confirmation of Nick, the personnel of the band was ready. The monicker FEMME FATALE got chosen, as homage for a certain kind of woman’s charm and for Velvet Underground’s song, dedicated to Edie Sedgwick.
In October of 2008 the band cuted their its first “single”: You’re The One. In September 2010 they’ve released their first, totally self-produced, EP ”Fading Night Sounds”.
Later they began to pursue the goal of playing live as much as possible. The route brougth them to Milan, Florence, Genoa, Turin, Ferrara, Pavia, Biella, Novara, to mention few. The Femme Fatale’s style begins to be forged: emotional and tough, cynical and meteorosensitivity.
The band is now composing new songs whose sound is slowly detaching from the initial Brit Pop. It’s opening itself to other sounds always connected to the North American independent scene which developed during the 90s.
