The Skywalkers - Year One. FREE or NAME YOUR PRICE!

 I have been meaning to include The Skywalkers on the blog for sometime now and actually feel quite bad that it has taken me so long to get around to sharing this.
Last year a friend back home in the UK called me up and managed to splutter out the bands name in an air of excitement, "You have to hear The Skywalkers, you will love it!" he said, and he was quite right, I found them on the internet within about 5 seconds of him hanging up and was listening to the free download within a minute.  I have to admit that I was slightly bemused by the fact they only had two instruments, a keyboard and a set of drums, but, along with their voices they have captured a sound in time, where notably more instruments were used, and made a brilliant job of it!

You can download the album for FREE but a small contribution to the band will ensure that "Year One" won't be the last we here from this duo.

The Skywalkers is a Freakbeat duo formed in Zwaag and based in Utrecht (NL). They got started in November 2009.

In January they released a self-produced 8 song demo online. They have performed in places all over the Netherlands and also some places abroad.

photo by Luuk Muller

The Skywalkers consist of organ player Jacco Gardner and drummer Hugo van de Poel. Both singer songwriters, they bundled their strengths to write songs together.
Their sound is easily recognizable because of the simple combination of Philicorda organ and basic drums, this together with the overdriven edgy vocals create a raw, energetic whole.

They get their inspiration from bands like; The Zombies, Herman's Hermits, The Seeds, The Electric Prunes, Tomorrow, The Blues Magoos, The 13th Floor Elevators, Love, The Pretty Things, Strawberry Alarmclock and many others that moved the underground scene from '65 till '68.

photo by Luuk Muller

In november 2010 The Skywalkers celebrated their one-year anniversary with the release of Year One.
Year one is a collection of two demo EP's recorded by The Skywalkers between November 2009 and November 2010. Year One is released on limited 12" vinyl by Grey Past Records and is released online for free.

The Skywalkers will continue playing gigs in the Netherlands and abroad. There are also plans for the release of a 7" single.

Get the album here: Bandcamp 

Follow, befriend and like here: Facebook

Ruby Coast - Whatever This Is. FREE ALBUM DOWNLOAD

Ruby Coast don't just deliver a colourful cover (artwork by Bill Scott) they also deliver some colourful Indie/Power Pop tunes produced by Howard Billerman the former drummer of Arcade Fire.

From Ontario, Canada, Ruby Coast, bring us 14 tracks of of well written songs wrapped up in some wonderful tune smithery and then give it to us FREE of charge!!!!

Follow, befriend and like Ruby Coast here: FACEBOOK

Download the album FREE here: Bandcamp

The Pulsebeats - Album Review

It is not very often (sadly) that I receive vinyl albums for review, but I love it when I do, the sound quality is amazing and I question myself as to why I started buying cds or downloaded MP3's?  The warmth of the recording is second to none and with today being "Record Store Day" why not go out and buy a record, better still buy The Pulsebeats album!

 The Pulsebeats hail from Santander in Spain a small town with a thriving underground rock and roll scene that apparently doesn't get a lot of attention outside the region, let alone outside Spain, I have a strong feeling that The Pulsebeats are going to go a long way to changing that!

The self titled album fires into life with the amazing song, "The Heart Of A Rhinestone Cowboy" full of jangly guitars a pulsing rhythm and echoes of The Clash in part, this has to be one of my favourite album openers in a long time, a pretty major statement as I gaze across the room at shelves full of records and cds!
Track 2, "Song for Cecilia" fires up with an Strokes style chugging guitar riff and has a catchy sing along chorus that I challenge you not to attempt to sing along with and so the album goes on with "Cynical Ride" another uptempo song that reminds me of the American Power Pop band "Cracker" in its first few opening notes, giving the listener a sense of familiarity with the music, but the band are in no way plagiarists, there is certainly a nod to some classic British and American Punk and Power Pop bands here within the grooves, but they have their very own distinctive style, which, with a nod and a tip of the hat to the greats that have gone before them make this a really great album with hooks and melodies in abundance and so the album continues through all 10 tracks.

This album won't be leaving the turntable anytime soon, unless The Pulsebeats bring out another album tomorrow! 

Buy the album as a digital download a CD or on Vinyl here: BANDCAMP

Follow, befriend and Like The Pulsebeats here: FACEBOOK

The Wellingtons - In Transit

 

There have been a few bands that have come out of the Australian Power Pop Scene that I have really liked but only one that I have loved and they are The Wellingtons!

In Transit is the bands fourth album and probably their best to date, not saying that the previous releases were anything less than brilliant, they just seem to have nailed a certain, je ne c'est pas?  But they have nailed it!  I'd  like to think it is so good because they recorded it in my home country (England) and mastered it at the Abbey Road studios but I think it is more than likely the knack the band have for writing great songs and delivering them with such great finesse.

"In Transit" shows the band at the peak of their game melodically and instrumentally. "I Fell For You" is as dynamic and lush as a hooky ballad can be, with strings, mellotron and crafted, layered harmonies. There's also more jangle and twang than previous Wellingtons albums with sweetly played slide guitar beneath layers of Jeff Lynne style acoustic guitars. The Wellingtons pride themselves on creating instantly memorable pop bliss and they've delivered their finest instalment to date with "In Transit". 

 

 The Wellingtons are currently looking for a new drummer, so if you are a drummer in The Melbourne area of Australia, or know someone that is, and you fancy playing with one of the best power pop bands around, then please e-mail mail@thewellingtonsmusic.com for an audition or a chat.

Contact, befriend and like The Wellingtons here: Facebook

Listen to and watch more Wellingtons videos here: Wellingtons Youtube Channel

The Wellingtons albums are available from all good stockists.

Phenomenal Cat......MORE FREE DOWNLOADS AVAILABLE!!!!!!

Those generous people over at Phenomenal Cat headquarters have decided to make 150 more free downloads available of their first three singles to celebrate the release of the 4th single in their single a month project, "Love on the dole."

If you missed out on a free download before (they went pretty quick), then go over to bandcamp and download, all FREE  http://phenomenalcat.bandcamp.com

Don't forget to go to FACEBOOK to like and to follow!

The Semis - Decapitator Blues FREE DOWNLOAD

Another brilliant find on Bandcamp.  The Semis have a little bit of something for everyone and a lot of everything for everyone, you will find bit of Glam, Britpop, Power Pop within the 12 tracks of Decapitator Blues and much more.  This album will make grey skies look blue, cold days warm and sad faces smile!  Download, kickback and enjoy!!!!

The Semis are a rock band with a beachy garage-pop vibe full of beat and melody. They were formed by songwriter, singer, guitarist Billy Summer. The blindingly handsome and shamefully talented Summer has produced some of the finest classics you’ve never heard deftly intertwining solid gold song craft with unbridled and pure rock N’ roll id. The Semis 2010 album, Back to the Beach, was warmly received by fans and critics alike and was awarded Album of the Year by Creative Loafing magazine. Songs from The Semis have been featured in the movie Dropped Frames, various regional television commercials and the Bravo series Flipping Out. The Semis are always writing, recording, and slaying, that is, if they’re not at the beach. Their new album Decapitator Blues will knock your meat in a knot and can be found on itunes, cdbaby, bandcamp, soundcloud and other fine digital distributors.

Billy Summer - guitars, bass, keys, vocals, drums
Kyle Lovell - drums
Rop Pastore - pedal steel on The Ballad Of Andy Howard
Scott Meyers - keys on Echo 

Photo by Nicole Kilbert.

DOWNLOAD FREE: THE SEMIS

Navigate to the discography on the right hand side of the bands bandcamp page for more music and more free downloads.

The Semis have four essential albums;
Route 666 ( 2004 )
White Powder Black Power (2007)
Back To The Beach (2010)
Decapitator Blues (2011)

all of which can be found here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-semis/id45392330
and here:
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/TheSemis

other earlier demos can be found here:
http://thesemisrock.bandcamp.com/album/upper-middle-trash

Follow, befriend and like the band: FACEBOOK

Buy the albums if you like them and support the band, they also have a great T Shirt Design too, so why not buy a package and be a ready for the summer in style!

Booking, Press and other enquires to: thesemis@gmail.com

Martha and the Vandellas - Heatwave and Dance Party

 

Martha & the Vandellas began making their first noise on the pop and soul charts with their 1963 album Heat Wave. Martha Reeves had a phenomenally powerful voice, and the Holland-Dozier-Holland title track of the album was a well-deserved Top 10 hit: the instrumental backing is so funky that you hardly mind the long delay before the vocals start. Unfortunately, Motown's music factory wasn't in full gear at this point - H-D-H produced but couldn't be bothered to write any further original material. So the LP does not include any of the Motown standards that the company later recycled as a matter of habit. Instead there are some decent, solidly performed, remakes of vintage tunes ranging from Phil Spector ('Then He Kissed Me') to Wayne Newton ('Danke Schoen'). Two years after their second atempt, the girls issued what is considered to be one of the great party albums of the '60s. Dance Party was, oddly enough, the work of a Motown act that wasn't known for delivering great albums. Martha & the Vandellas had enjoyed some serious hits from 1964 onward, but hadn't quite measured up in the LP department until the release of Dance Party in the spring of 1965. Made up of material from singles that went back to the previous summer, the album benefited from the presence of the group's biggest single, 'Dancing in the Street,' its follow-up, the hypnotically pounding, driving, soaring 'Wild One,' and the classic 'Nowhere to Run,' surrounded by a trio of well-above-average B-sides and covers of such Motown dance standards as 'Mickey's Monkey' and 'Hitch Hike.' Even the rest was hardly filler, however, with Martha Reeves turning in a gloriously impassioned performance on the ballad 'There He Is (At My Door)' and the group acquitting itself beautifully on 'Motoring.' Each side was always good for at least two plays at any self-respecting teen party of the '60s, and it all still holds up today. This comp gathers both albums on one disc for your listening pleasure. Enjoy! http://www.warr.org/, http://www.allmusicguide.com/

 

Listen: HERE