Dany Laj and The Looks - Telepathic Voices

If you like your power pop with an edge, then check out Dany Laj and The Looks.  Hailing from Totonto, Canada, Dany Laj and The Looks deliver a rather tasty slice of power pop here and I am not sure if it is Dany's looks (I watched the Chamberlain Sessions video before listening to the tracks on bandcamp) but I immediately thought of Elvis Costello when I saw him and listening to the mans music, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a fair amount of Mister Costellos music in his collection. 

The tracks here remind me of a mix of early Elvis Costello and The Replacements and let's face it, they are two excellent reference points, but this isn't saying that this is all you get, it isn't, these tracks are pleasently raw, energetic, bouncy and seem to have a little punk ethos about them, I like that.  In fact there is nothing here not to like, but, as always, take a listen to the tunes and judge for yourself, me, I am going to spend the rest of today playing this EP and the band previous EP "The Match."  Enjoy.

Dany Laj
Jeanette Dowling
Vassil Mester

Dany Laj flies the flag for Power Pop in Canada. Bursting out of woods with the hooks and harmonies of Power Pop's mid 1970's heyday. This ain't no skinny jeans new wave revival band. This is pure pop.

Stream and download the EP's here: Bandcamp

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love Dany Laj and The Look here: Facebook

Visit the official website here: http://www.solventmagazine.com/danylaj/

The Sharks - South Of The River EP OUT NOW!

Never before has the term, "Throw 'em to the sharks" sounded so appealing and now the quartet from Brixton have added another absolutely rip roaring EP to their excellent catologue, you will probably throw yourself to The Sharks......and why not!

The first two tracks "South of the River" and "Girls, Girls, Girls" thunder along at a hundred miles hour, turned up to eleven, the EP starts to slow down on the 3rd track, "She's gonna make me go blind" which is less punky but still edgy enough to let you know they mean business and the more poppy approach of the band continues onto the fourth and final track "Tokyo."

I absolutely adore this band, their energy, the prolific output of quality Punky Pop and the fact that they play gigs in their home, as well as other venues, these gigs are set to continue every month, even after a visit from the local constabulary and a noise abatement notice (someone wasn't listening properly!) these gigs are set to continue and be a positively raucous, but fun affair.  If you want to get into one of these gigs, the best way to keep up to date with proceedings is to "LIKE" the bands facebook page.

Once again the band have a seperate striking image for each and every track on the EP as they have done on the 7 previous EP's.

Stream and buy the latest EP for a name your price fee (remember a small donation helps these bands to continue making music) here: Bandcamp

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love The Sharks here: Facebook

Bang 74 - High Flying Dreams

Bang 74, from Ferrol in Spain, shared the number one singles spot in my year end list last year with their fantatsic rendition on The Now's "Can You Fix Me Up With Her," and, needless to say, I have been waiting for the bands full length debut album with a certain amount of anticipation.

Well, did they deliver?  Of course they did!  The 11 tracks on the album were everything I expected and more, with a sound of classic power pop, blended with a touch of punk/rock and even a little country tinge in there, for example on opening track, "Cloud Of Rock & Roll."

With 2 EP's and a 7" single behind them and now the debut album, this band certainly look like they are really going places and quite rightly too, this debut album is full of catchy hooks and melodies as well as some rocky guitar riffs to beef it up beautifully, no doubt this album will end up in in many year end lists this year.

Cris Veiga - Vocals/Guitar

Fran Millarengo - Bass

Oscar Millarengo - Drums

Stream the album here: Bandcamp

Buy the album: Rufus Recordings

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love Bang 74 here: Facebook

The Riots. New album and tour in March.

One of the bands that have me sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation of their forthcoming album, an album that promises to blow out the cobwebs and give the music scene a good kick up the arse, for the first time since around 1977 is The Riots album "Time For Truth."

I haven't been so excited about an album release this much since The Jam released "In The City."  A pretty long wait I think you will agree and maybe it is the fact that this band remind me a lot of The Jam circa 77, loads of attitude and great songs, mix that with a touch of Clash and you have a recipe sure to please the bored masses and The Riots promise to bring this party to you.

The album is due for release on March the 6th and hopefully I shall be reviewing/featuring it here on the blog.  Watch this space!

Tour dates to support the release of the album are as follows:

06.03.2013 D - FRANKFURT - DKK Album Release Party :: versus C-TYPES

07.03.2013 F - BESANCON - Les Passagers du Zinc

08.03.2013 F - PARIS - Cafe de Paris :: versus FRENCH BOUTIK

09.03.2013 F - LYON - La Triperie :: versus CAVEMEN FIVE

10.03.2013 F - DIJON - Deep Inside Klub Rock :: versus THE CHEMIST & THE ACEVITIES

14.03.2013 D - FREIBURG - The Great Räng Teng Teng :: versus DELILAHS 

15.03.2013 D - MÜNCHEN - The Atomic Cafe 

16.03.2013 D - NÜRNBERG - Kulturbrauerei

17.03.2013 D - LEIPZIG - Conne Island Cafe

18.03.2013 D - HAMBURG - Yeah Yeah Yeah Studios

19.03.2013 D - HAMBURG - Yeah Yeah Yeah Studios

20.03.2013 D - HAMBURG - Hafenklang :: versus THE LAST THINGS

21.03.2013 D - KASSEL - Nordstadt

22.03.2013 D - BERLIN - Bassy Cowboy Club :: versus THE PIKES

23.03.2013 D - KÖLN - Sonic Ballroom :: versus THE MAKE

26.03.2013 D - BIELEFELD - Desperado Concerts

28.03.2013 A - VIENNA - Chelsea :: versus NORB PAYR + BAND

29.03.2013 D - PFARRKIRCHEN - tba

30.03.2013 CH - BASEL - Schiff *Mods vs Rockers*

31.03.2013 TBA - Secret Last show

Contact, befriend, like and love The Riots here: Facebook

The album will be available here Time For Action as are the bands earlier singles which are all well worth checking out, also check out the bands previous incarnation "The White Trainers Community" which is also excellent.

John Hopkins - Sunlight Madness NAME YOUR PRICE

With an affliction of Brian Wilson's Smile and perhaps some ELO, this charming piece of work sets the mood for a sunny day, a day to be spent chilling and listening intently to the lush arrangements and harmonies.

"My music is a mix of a variety of styles, most of which have been defined at some time or another as "pop," with further elements drawn from the orchestral realm. Vocal influences include everything from the Beach Boys to the Mills Brothers and any group in between that made extensive use of close harmony."

Stream and download the album here: Bandcamp

Contact, follow, befriend, like and love The Musical World Of John Hopkins here: Facebook

Jeff Melin - Smile Like A Lemon, Kiss Like A Papercut

SMILE LIKE A LEMON PEEL, KISS LIKE A PAPER CUT has the best record title of the year, bar none FULL STOP... PERIOD...if that wasn't enough, it's a classic US feisty Powerpop bounce-along, a little bit EDDIE & THE HOTRODS, a little bit ELVIS COSTELLO (with Attractions, natch), and a whole lot BESERKLEY... when Jeff gets to headline Madison Square Gardens THIS will be the tune the 19,522 punters scream for throughout the set... THIS will be the tune WINONA RYDER, PHOEBE CATES and MOLLY RINGWALD ressurect JOHN HUGHES for to retrospectively make the best US college flick EVER, solely to have it played over the closing credits... oh, and also features DOUG YULE and Helen and Steph from SHRAG, and as such is the past, the present and the future handily compressed into 2 minutes 56 seconds of MAXIMUM POP JOY... GRIN, SPIN, WIN... oh yes..

wiaiwya-7777777 is a series of seven 7" singles released during 2013, one on each day of the week, and always on the 7th of the month, in the 7 colours of the rainbow, with exclusive tunes from 7 of the most exciting indie, electronic, folk and alternative bands around... oh, they come in editions of 777 too... 

the bands and release dates are:

Thursday 7th March (yellow) – Jeff Mellin

Sunday 7th April (orange) – Hong Kong in the 60s

Tuesday 7th May (violet) – Darren Hayman and the Long Parliament

Friday 7th June (red) - Sourpatch

Wednesday 7th August (blue) - Pups

Saturday 7th September (indigo) - Comet Gain

Monday 7th October (green) - the Middle Ones

Find them all: Bandcamp

More information here: http://wiaiwya-7777777.blogspot.co.uk

The Unswept - Surf Song EP

Where possible I try not to draw too many comparisons with other bands when putting my features together on the blog, but I feel I really have to with The Unswept, not because they lack any originality, they really don't, but, the influences here are so much fun when brought together, I can't help myself.  Imagine The Jesus and Mary Chain jamming with The Mighty Lemondrops (you remember them right?) and The Monkees swing by and add some 60's stylings to the equasion, what you would have is The Unswept.

I like this a lot, it is good fun and the O'Brien cousins obviously don't take themselves so seriously which is refreshing, see the video for the explanation of this statement.

The O'Brien cousins, Charlie and Ryan, grew up on the same estate in sunny Sheffield, UK and attended university near London. With a couple mates at school they formed The Council Walls, whose one and only independently released single, “Unimpressive,” managed to scrape the bottom rungs of the local indie charts.
Following a show on a stifling summer night at the 100 Club that ended in a food fight, the band split. Charlie & Ryan soon found their way to the USA, eventually settling in Chicago, Illinois and forming The Unswept.
They now write & record tunes in a small but tiny apartment in the Logan Square neighborhood.

The Unswept have been confirmed for the International Pop Overthrow Festival in Chicago this year, so go along there and catch the guys live, along with all the other great bands that the IPO book.

Check out more tunes from the unswept and download the EP here: Bandcamp

Official Band Page: http://theunswept.com

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love The Unswept here: Facebook