Single number 7 in the single a month for a year series from Phenomenal Cat, "Life by The Seaside" has it all, echoes of the The Beatles, well, a sustained note like "Day In The Life" and outro that has the feel of The Jam's "English Rose" and some Teenage Fanclubesque harmonies and glokenspiel/xylophone and I rate this as one of the best tracks the band have released, which is a real credit to the band given the quality of the previous releases.
I hope that a record label has the initiative to sign this band and press their 12 songs onto vinyl/CD and give them the opportunity and incentive to release much, much more, there is a real quality to this band that seriously shouldn't be over looked!
Photo: Wayne Lundqvist Ford
Download "Life By The Seaside" FREE here: BANDCAMP
Contact, follow, like and love Phenomenal Cat here: FACEBOOK
I wonder where "Gooey" got their name from? Whilst some of the songs on this superb album are love songs, they are not exactly gooey love songs, so maybe I don't want to know where the name comes from after all? The name of the album is "Hold On Tight" which is a very apt title, this is a real Power Pop racer, with well written, melodic, catchy and infectious songs!
Gooey are:
Juan Avila (vocals/acoustic guitar) Chris Eudy (electric guitar) Brian Vaughan (electric guitar) Tom Hickey (bass guitar) John Noyes (drums) John Peeler (mascot)
What their biography says:
My name is Juan. I love all kinds of music. I like to write songs. John is my friend. He plays a lot of instruments. He hears music in his head. A long time ago, I told John that I was learning to play the guitar. He told me to go away. A few years later, I told John that I was writing songs. He told me that he was busy. I forgot to mention that John is grumpy. Once in a while, I would pick up the guitar when John was around and I would play something that I had written. John would pretend that he wasn’t listening. I knew that he was. One day John told me that he liked my songs and that we should record them.
These are my songs. This is our band. This is Gooey.
Whilst playing this I heard echoes of Bowie and a less well known band The Man From Delmonte from back in the late 80's, this really is a fun and uplifting album and what is more, it is totally free, although I am sure that the band have physical copies of the album for those who like to adourn their collections with a few nuggets of great power pop!
Contact, befriend, like and love Gooey here: FACEBOOK
Another truly superb band from the record label that brought us Angel Kaplan, Los Immediatos and Los Impossibles and other great bands, The Shake are dripping in sixties sound and style, knocking out tunes that wouldn't be out of place amongst The Small Faces, The Action, The Allusions, Powder etc, this is a band that have caught the essence of an era for our delight and pleasure!
Deeply in love with beat, garage, pop and psychedelia from the 60′s and
subsequent decades, The Shake have always stood a step ahead of the rest
of bands in the 60′s scene due to their never-ending talent to create
beautifully crafted songs that go farther than the basic structures and
guitar riffs, as well as their unique, neat, hypnotic sound.
The Shake Live.
With their debut lp “Tripping The Whole Colourful World” (Rainbow
Quartz/Flor & Nata 2006), critics and fans on both sides of the
Atlantic agreed on praising their virtues. That record amazed all those
who listened to it and took them to the most important 60′s meetings in
Spain, Purple Weekend, Go! Lleida, Festimod.... as well as to the
International Pop Overthrow in Liverpool, where they could perform at
the Cavern Club.
Can't fight your loving from the album Trippin' the Whole Colourful World (2007)
Later they published their first 45 (Hey Girl! Rds 2008) showing us their dirtiest and wildest side, close to garage-punk.
Now they are back full of energy (see them live and you′ll wet your
underpants!) with new exciting recordings where British-flavoured pop,
garage & psyche are seasoned with black music influences... A
cocktail for select tastes.
Jeff from the Smiling Strangers very kindly sent me a copy of the bands last CD called "Full Circle," an album which is a pleasant blend of 3 minute pop songs, not strictly power pop (if you have a definition of that?) but great, well written lyrics bolstered by great music, I guess you could call it Power Pop, folk infused...........hey, take a listen instead, I am certainly enjoying this album!
The Smiling Strangers was
an idea by Jeff Reynolds. They were formed in early 2004 and after some
pleading, arm-twisting, favour-calling and hours slaving over an
acoustic guitar and drum machine, the project was born. So far they have
released:
Dangerous Times (2004)
Space Graces and Smiling Faces (2006)
All The Way (2007)
To Think It`s Come To This (2009)
Full Circle (2011)
FULL CIRCLE available from iTunes and all major
digital distributors
For those of you, like me, who love Hammond fueled beat music, you need to check this band out, this is classic 60's sounding music at its very best.
STEREOSCOPE JERK EXPLOSION was born out of the whimsical imagination of a girl, Marie Julie, an organist passionate about Sixties music and graphics. To carry out her project, she appealed to some friends, musicians coming from the Strawberry Smell & The Cryptones, involved for a long time in the jerk & french 60's beat scene.
Since 2004, the band has been performing in many venues, opening gigs before Big Boss Man, James Taylor Quartet or before Mike Painter & The Family Shakers at the Sunslice Festival.
In 2005, they've realised their two first 7" on the new label Les Disques Cosmic Groove: one special Sitar SITARMANIA /L'HOMME GRENOUILLE, one special Hammond LA PANTHERE POP/ PROMENADE DES BRITISH with colorful pop art sleeves, 4 late 60's influenced instrumental grooves full of hammond, sitar, moog, fuzz or wah-wah guitar and a catchy rythm section.
In 2007, they were back with fuelled force for two new 7" on Les Disques Cosmic Groove. This time one is special Fuzz JERK A LA VAGUE / FUZZ PARTY, one special Moog BUMBLEBEE / MOOG TRAFFIC
For these tunes, the band has gain in maturity and the sound is more explosive and powerful than ever with the addition of horns, vocals or theremin.
Now the first album of STEREOSCOPE JERK EXPLOSION is just finished. It’s a concept album made like an original soundtrack of the film LA PANTHERE POP.
Album Teaser.
It includes 21 songs, played in different moods like 60's psychedelic, sitar beat, garage, cinematic, lounge or even bossa nova, but always with catchy pop themes, and a touch of modern sound.
New instruments and some additionnal musicians like Chris Joss come to supplement this fantastic album accompanied by a booklet including a complete scenario (in french and english) based on the name of the tracks, and the storyboard of the film in comic strip.
Marie Julie and other members from Steeroscope Jerk Explosion have another band called "Cucumber" which plays in a similar style, you can check them out their new album "The Frech Job." Listen here: Cucumber
And if you find, like me, you can't get enough, Stereoscope Jerk Explosion have several 7" single for sale as well as a new album in the pipeline, which, at present has no release date set.....so keep 'em peeled! Don't worry, I will let you know when it is released ;)
This is a fine EP, among the influences listed are Blur, The Breeders, Matthew Sweet etc, but you can safely add to that Super Furry Animals and many more great bands, that, is not to say that the songs or music lack originality in anyway whatsoever. This EP, or Mini Album of six tracks is remarkably immediate and extremely well produced, the more I listen, the more I love it and I am sure that you will too!
Sam Page climbing to dizzy heights!
Sam Page is an unsigned singer/songwriter whose guitar-driven pop/rock
combines upbeat grooves and powerful rockers. There is no electronica in
his music – just a raucous (albeit melodic) mix of guitars, bass,
percussion and vocals. After releasing a home-recorded EP in January
2011, Sam formed a band and did 20 gigs in southern California. He then
released a second EP (Waiting for Another Spring) in April 2012 that seems to resonate with fans of Matthew Sweet, Jack White, Sam Roberts, The Breeders, Blur, and CAKE.
What others are saying:
"Much like the rest of the EP, 'Pass Me By' has a fun swing to it,
complete with heavy distortion and happy riffs. It has a power popish
feel ... like Weezer." -- Audio Splash (June 19, 2012)
"Instantly hummable songs ... Page stands out among the DIY indie
hopefuls with his knack for songwriting and creating a full sound on a
shoestring budget." -- Here Comes The Flood (June 10, 2012)
"It conjures up good weather and good times, so you can put off waiting
for spring with Page’s own sunny melodies and laid back vocals, almost
Jack Johnson style. But in songs like Lottery and Like@FirstSite, it’s
mixed with loud and infectious riffs reminiscent of The White Stripes." -- Anastasia Aboim, New Reviews (June 2012)
"I really love the sounds and production on [Lottery]. The vocals reminded me a little of Beck in places." --Rathole Radio (May 27, 2012)
"Sam Page kicks ass ... It's the best EP I've heard so far this year. 'Nuff said."
-- Berkeley Place (May 22, 2012)
To listen to the EP, take a trip over to Sam's website and take a listen, if you like it, make a purchase and help support an artists that I believe we will be hearing a lot more from in the future.
Listen to Sam Page - Waiting For Another Spring HERE
Contact, befriend, like and love Sam Page: FACEBOOK
Futureman Records is one of those rarest of breed record labels where all profits go straight to the band, in fact the label was set up to promote good music and support the artists, this deserves our attention and support in order to help artists to continue to produce the music we love.
"Please Don't Eat The Daisies" is twenty
songs recorded over twenty years (1988-2008). These homemade bedroom
demos and studio recordings have been revived and made public here for
the very first time by Futureman Records. If you need convincing of the quality of this, take a look at the artists featured on this recording!
Joel Boyea, singing and playing. Chris Richards, bass playing. Doyle Dean, drum playing.
Other records on the label are "The New Sell Out" by Various artists in a tribute to The Who and the "Sell Out" album which contains some real gems of covers.
Put together 12 years ago and gathering cobwebs ever since, The New Sell
Out is finally out! Dedicated to Rick McBrien, the soul of Futureman.
Thanks to every contributing artist and everyone who worked on this!
Special thanks to Shawn Wolfe and Hans Martin-Buff! Full liner notes
and artwork included in download.
An artist that doesn't really need an introduction is the amazing Michael Carpenter who has an album of covers, SOOP (Songs of other people) on the Futureman label, these are brilliant covers, many of which I had not heard before, but will be playing plenty from now on.
Some highlights from Michael Carpenter's amazing collection of covers records! Head over to michaelcarpenter.bandcamp.com for the full collections along with his amazing originals.
Finally, for now, The What Gives, a band that had somehow passed me by until now and if they have also passed you by up until this point, you can rectify that now as this is a sterling piece of work that needs to be heard.
Recorded in various sessions during the late 90s at what was then Red
House Recording in Eudora, Ks. Principals were Jon Harrison on guitar
and keyboards, Bret Dillingham on Drums and Stephen Naron on Bass. Bret
and Jon sang. Dan Berchenko played guitar on "Right as Rain" and
probably something else. Kit Cole played the string section on
"Friends." Tawni Freeland-Crider contributed some backing vocals. Ed
Rose played a bit of guitar and other tasty treats, as well as recording
and co-producing with the band.
There are more artists being added to Futureman Records, if you would like to keep up to speed with who is being added, then join their facebook page and support the record label that supports the artists!
Contact, befriend, like and love Futureman Records here: FACEBOOK
