Kjarr - Kjarr

KJARR is the new, rather psychedelic pop project by Kjartan F. Ólafsson, formerly songwriter and producer with acclaimed Icelandic group, Ampop and currently also keyboard player with Icelandic rockers, Leaves.

The bands debut album was carefully crafted over three years in Iceland and Scotland and serves up a lovely twist of psychedelic pop with traces of The Beach Boys, Wings, ELO and later Beatles arrangements.

The albums comes to life with one of two tracks sung in Icelandic, "Beöiö eftir sumrinu" which translates as "Waiting for Summer" a rather glorious production which had me thinking  of The Beatles, "A Day in the Life" in terms of production only, followed by the song "Lottery" which Ray Davies himself could have penned and performed, however this song and the rest of the album are certainly not devoid of originality, there is a certain deftness of the songwriter and musicians here, creating an album that won't have you bouncing around the room but will certainly grab your attention and draw you in and leave you wanting more.

Album available to buy, stream and download: Bandcamp

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love Kjarr: Facebook

Research Turtles....EVERYTHING IS FREE!

As from yesterday (18th of October) those generous guys the "Research Turtles" made all of their albums and music available for FREE Download, including frontman Jud Norman's solo debut LP which was only released yesterday.

Download everything for FREE here:  http://www.researchturtles.com/music

Contact, follow, befriend, like and love Research Turtles here: Facebook

The Electric Stars - Sonic Candy Soul.

With musical reference points that stretch from the 60's era to the present day, but floating comfortably around the late 60's early 70's, but also very much in the now, this is, as the band so eloquently put it, "Beautiful music for beautiful people!"

The Electric Stars have chosen the perfect title for this album with "Sonic Candy Soul" there is power, sweetness and plenty of soul in every track.  If you could imagine a supergroup created from The Small Faces, T-Rex, Bowie, Stones, early Pink Floyd, New York Dolls, only better, then that is exactly what you have here in this band, this is, without any doubt, one of the best releases this year, if not the best!

Andy Bee – Guitar
Keef Whitehead – Bass
French Jonny – Drums
Damien Lawson – Guitar
Jason Edge – Vocals/Songwriter
Backing Vocals – Denise Johnson (Primal Scream)

This is an album of absolutely epic proportions in every aspect, from the songwriting, musicianship, right down to the production, everything is right about this album and with the promise of a new album next year, one can only wonder where The Electric Stars will take us on their next trip.

If you only buy one record this year, buy this one and then buy everyone else you love a copy too! 

Contact, follow, befriend, like and love The Electric Stars here: Facebook

Official website: http://www.theelectricstars.com

Buy the album here: Detour Records 

Follow the band on twitter: Twitter

The Young Sinclairs and the Art of Being Under the Influence.

"We Spoke Our Minds" EP. By guest contributor Interplanet Janet

Hal David once wrote “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of”. Sure, I won’t disagree that the world could use more love, but that’s not the only thing. Listening to The Young Sinclairs I am reminded that the world can always use more Sixties-inspired pop songs with jangly guitars. What? It matters too. When done right, it’s as vibrant and soul-lifting as anything that originally came out of that delicious era and I’m here to inform you The Young Sinclairs do it right.

Starting with the Byrdsesque and ultra-jangly  “We Spoke Our Minds”,  The Young Sinclairs take us through the cream of Sixites pop without ever having to change the record over. The tracks “You Can Have Her” and “Girl, I’m For Real” are what would be produced if The Beatles and The Kinks had musical lovechildren.  Catchy and Clever.  A winning combo. “Have A Home” and “Forever After” still carry the Sixties vibe but are also reflective of the early Nineties pre-britpop bands who were also heavily influenced by the Sixties. The under-rated UK indie band, Ride, especially comes to mind. This is evident  in the selective lo-fi production on the vocals and the from-the-past-but-oh-so-now psychedelic riffs. If it’s true that one can be judged solely by one’s influences, then The Young Sinclairs can sleep easy.

The debate about bands who are clearly heavily influenced by other bands has been done before and I’m not going to take up precious web space outlining the argument for or against bands wearing their musical influences on their sleeve.  Let’s just say I’m in the “wear it with pride” camp.  It’s as clear as the day is long who some of the bands are that The Young Sinclairs might call their musical influences, but therein also lies the bands strength. The Byrds, The Kinks and The Beatles are all the obvious ones, and with superb production as well, but the way the band interprets them in each song is what’s striking about The Young Sinclairs. Anyone can replicate a bands sound, but to do it and still somehow  retain their own unique sound is the difference between being great or being a tribute band. The Young Sinclairs, who hail from Roanoke, Virginia, are then no laughing matter. On the Roanoke City website it reads “In Roanoke you’ll find something unique: unexpected balance”.  I’m pretty sure it wasn’t meant to describe the band that calls the city home, but it is just as fitting. They perfectly balance the best of the Sixties and Nineties and make it fresh for my retro-loving-but-not-completely-living-in-the-past ears.

I won’t name names, but you have bands that ride on the coattails of their influences and it just falls flat. Therefore, it seems to me then that taking the music of your heroes and making it good in it’s own right should be considered  a fine art. The Scottish indie bands Lenzie Moss and The Wellgreen are other excellent examples of bands who excel at wearing their influences on their sleeve without compromising their originality. Just think of your favourite band and you will probably say they are superb at this as well. If you can’t, then The Young Sinclairs may deserve to be your new favourite band. Now,  time to give them some love, sweet love.  

Review by Interplanet Janet

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love The Young Sinclairs here:  Facebook

Stream and purchase the "We Spoke Our Minds" EP here: Bandcamp

You can find several releases at the bandcamp page including a "Name Your price" download album of covers, B'sides and demos.

Physical copies of the bands records can be found at the excellent: Planting Seeds Records

The Popdogs - Cool Cats For Pop Dogs. OUT SOON

Putting the Pop firmly in Power Pop by name and by virtue, The Popdogs lead us through 10 tracks over 30 minutes that will have you tapping anything to hand, singing along to catchy lyrics, punky power chords and if you are a cat person, you will certainly become a dog person!

This band, currently a two piece consisting of James Styring (Ex "Postcards From Places That Don't Exist") on vocals and Tim McKeating on guitar and backing vocals, hail from Lincoln in England and seem to have cracked the perfect pop song formula as this album displays.  It is very hard to pick out a favourite track on this album, every track on the album could quite easily be released as a single, something that is pretty rare these days.

Who let the dogs out?  Who cares?  Thanks! 

At present there is no official release date for the album as the "boarding kennels" all snap at the heel of The Popdogs, but as soon as this magnificent debut is made widely available, I wil be sure to let you know, this is one that you will not want to miss!

In the meantime, contact, follow, befriend, adopt a dog, like and love The Popdogs here: Facebook

The Condors - 3 Item Combo. Out 31st October.

"3 Item Combo" is the third album from this Los Angeles 3 piece and, as per the previous two releases by the band, it is full to the brim with Power Pop pearls of wisdom, attitude, intellect and an abundance of energy.
The songwriting skills of Pat DiPuccio absolutely sparkle here with tales both personal and emotional,  coupled together with great scores of music that will satisfy all your desires with gritty riffs and sweet harmonies, and like the bands previous albums, will surely become staple listening for fans of quality Power Pop/Rock 'N' Roll.

The band’s one constant has been songwriter and frontman, Pat “Pooch” DiPuccio, but past and present band members have added their stamp on each incarnation of The Condors. Formed out of the remnants of several groups, this band has grown into a tight, proficient outfit; logging many hours recording in the studio and playing live shows.

The Condors are:

 Pat "Pooch" DiPuccio - Lead Vocals/Guitar

Miggs DiLeva - Bass/Vocals 

Mark Francis White - Drums/Vocals

"Set Me On Fire" from the film "Target Practice" taken from the bands second album "Wait For It."

Listen to tracks from "3 Item Combo" here: Amazon

I am really enjoying this album, it is certainly going to be one that graces my year end "Best Of" list and really deserves to be in there, this is proper old school power pop, brilliant!

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

The album wil be available from October the 31st from: Amazon cdbaby itunes Napster and other quality websites.

Te Condors Official website: The Condors

The Bidons - Granma Killer!!! OUT NOW

The Bidons were created for the weekend, ok, they probably didn't have this in mind when they formed, but their brand of 60's garage punk will get you in the mood to party and party hard!

This 8 track album ticks all the boxes, the bands own compositions sit beautifully next to the two covers included here, which happen to be personal favourites, "Night Time" by The Strangeloves and "Be a Caveman" by The Avengers.

This has to be the most immediate album I have heard this year, but as a fan of 60's garage punk, it wasn't going to be hard to impress me with their style, they may not be the most original band on the block but they are certainly one of the best at what they are doing and for that reason alone this band will go on to feature heavily in the year end lists of many blogs I am sure.

As usual, don't take my word for it, I don't like to teach granny to suck eggs, in the same way I don't believe these guys are "Granma Killers!" Go take a listen.

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

Stream and but the digital album here: Bandcamp

Buy the physical album here: AreaPirata

Bang 74 - Three Kids

Bang 74, from Ferrol, Spain, play Power Pop ignited with flash of Punk, creating an explosive sound as the 2009 release "Three Kids" displays.  The 5 tracks on this EP are filled with high energy, melodic songs delivered with real flair and passion, sometimes recalling some of the great bands Power Pop bands like Red Kross, Cheap trick, The Rapsberries but not seeking to imitate.
Bang 74 will leave you longing for more and the good news is that more is set to follow in the next few weeks in the form of a 7" single of absolutely blinding covers, The Now's "Can You fix me up with here" and a version of Roky Eriksons "You dont love me yet." The singe will be followed by an album, both of which I am looking forward to in pretty much the same way that a kid looks forward to Christmas and I promise to feature it here as soon as I can.

"Time to make things right" from Three Kids EP

Bang 74's fantastic cover of The Now's "Can you fix me up with her" currently being sung by every member of my household!

Bang 74 are:

Cris Veiga: Guitar & Vocals
Fran Millarengo: Bass Guitar
Oscar Millarengo: Drums

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

Downloads available to purchase here: CDBABY and here: Bandcamp

Physical copies of the EP available here: Rumble Records

Neon Cough - Draculas Mixtape FREE DOWNLOAD

This reminds me a little of The Cars in as much as it has a very electronic sound to it, if you know what I mean?  It has a kind of lo-fi feel to it........ I can't really explain it, but I do know it is very pleasing to the ear, it does hark back to the 80's in many ways, but the good bits of the 80's.

Tagged as New Wave, Indie, Surf, Power Pop, I think they have it covered, this is a really cool album and what is more, it is totally free, so give it a listen, give it a download, it is pretty laid back and actually a really lovely album, go get it!

Neon Cough's music is a mix of sunny surf-pop melodies with a spookier shoe-gaze vibe. Their debut album was nominated for Best Pop Album at the San Diego Music Awards and their second record "Dracula's Mixtape" was recently released. They can currently be seen performing around Southern California.

The more I play this album, the more I love it, it is immediate in many ways, but with each play it just gets better and better, I can't put my finger exactly on what it is that grips me with it, it just does and that mystery to it just makes it even more endearing!

Stream and download all the music by this band completely free here: Bandcamp

Contact, befriend, like and love Neon Cough here:

 Facebook

Research Turtles - Mankiller Part 2. Part 1 for free download

Last year The Research Turtles released Part one of this 2 part album, 5 tracks of epic proportion power pop songs to warm the heart, mind and soul with promises of part two to follow shortly after, but with all the best plans, there are also hurdles to get over as the band found out, in this case with budget restraints, but finally it is here and it was well worth the wait.  Part 2 completes the exercise perfectly with six more tracks that compliment Part 1 perfectly.  These songs are kicking from start to finish, the 2 parts of this album together make an almost perfect power pop experience.

And if just getting your hands on this album isn't enough, well, don't despair as from October the 18th the band will be making all of their music available for FREE download, along with Jud Normans's (Bass/Vocals) solo album, so their is no excuse not to do some research into this most excellent band from LA.

Research Turtles, hailed by critics as “the epitome of Brit Rock and Power Pop,” are rapidly becoming the favorite band of rock aficionados across North America and the British Commonwealth. This group of seasoned twenty-somethings from Lake Charles, Louisiana. has independently sold over 5,000 copies of their 2009 self-released, debut album and toured extensively across the Gulf Coast, opening fo

r such international acts as Toad the Wet Sprocket, Sister Hazel, and Candlebox. Evidence of their rapidly expanding fan base includes their nomination in Great Britain for RadioSix’s “Record of the Year Contest” for their debut album’s opening track, “Let’s Get Carried Away.” 

I rate this band very highly and hope that they continue to jump the hurdles set before them and deliver more great music in the coming years.

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love Research Turtles here: Facebook

Free download of Mankiller Part 1 here: MANKILLER 1 FREE

Official Website: http://researchturtles.com

The Ace - Next Time Around

A couple of weeks ago, I received a really nice e-mail asking me if I would like to check out a Beat/Garage/Bubblegum band with a bit of psyche from a band called "The Ace."  I listened to the couple of tracks they had sent with the mail and was blown away.  The band had very kindly offered to send me  a CD if I was interested, I literally bit their hand off with their kind offer (if that is possible in an e-mail?) and eagerly awaited delivery.

The album, "Next Time Around" arrived yesterday with an additional 3 track EP and has barely been off the stereo since.

This 3 piece from Leeds truly evoke the sound and energy of the beat bands of the American west coast, every song here is driven forward with real style and panache.

If, like me, you are a keen collector of the Rubbles, Pebbles and Texas Flasbacks collections, then "The Ace" are a band that you will enjoy immensely.

This album is an absolute listening pleasure from start to finish, anyone who is passionate about the Freakbeat/Beat/Garage genres, will find hours, days, months, years of delight in this album, ace by name ace by nature!

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

The album and EP are available directly from the band.

Alternatively, for the album or AOB contact: jonnymagus23@btinternet.com

Dot Dash - Winter Garden Light OUT NOW

Dot Dash are back with their second full length release, "Winter Garden Light" and have moved on from their previous musical leanings on the first album, "Spark>Flame>Ember>Ash"  which at times echoed The Jam or The Clash, not that there is anything wrong with that of course, but the bands new direction sees them finding more of a distinctive personality for the band and one that very much suits them!

Dot Dash are:

Terry Banks - guitar, voice;
Bill Crandall - guitar;
Hunter Bennett - bass;
Danny Ingram - drums

Guitarist/singer Terry Banks and bassist Hunter Bennett were in punky power poppers Julie Ocean. Before that, Terry was in a bunch of jangly guitar bands, including The Saturday People, Tree Fort Angst, Glo-Worm and St. Christopher, Guitarist Bill Crandall was in the mod/pop band Modest Proposal. Drummer Danny Ingram began musical life in Dischord-label punks Youth Brigade before moving on to Strange Boutique and later, U.K. guitar-wranglers Swervedriver.

Check out the band's Facebook . 

The album can be purchased from The Beautiful Music, Amazon or iTunes.

The Grimm Generation - Coming Home OUT NOW

The new EP from "The Grimm Generation" is anything but grim.  Yep, it still has the haunting tones of of life itself but it also has so much more as well, Jason and Carmen have moved on leaps and bounds with this latest release, possibly their best material to date.  This time Jason takes control of the lead vocals on the fabulous opening track, "Blink, I'm Gone" and then the reigns are handed back to Carmen Champagne (until closing track "Brooklyn Good), whose distinctive and haunting vocals take us through the rest of the journey on this 5 track EP with more songs about love, life, lust, irony and confessions.
I love the lyrics this duo write and whilst I may not interpret them in the way they are meant, I find myself listening to them intently and constantly return to analyse them again, usually in a completely different way from the previous listen, but that is great songwriting isn't it!

The Grimm Generation's 'Blink, I'm Gone' is a tale of marginalized people heading ever long into their only eventuality: oblivion. Directed by Zack Wussow, 'Blink, I'm Gone' tells the story of criminal conspiracies and the fall out of a few bad decisions. Starring The Grimm Generation's Jason P. Krug as 'The Driver', Carmen Champagne as 'The Muscle', and Lys Guillorn as 'The Boss', 'Blink, I'm Gone' also features a performance by Alexander delCampo as the star crossed 'Asher'. 

Download the EP here: cdbaby

Contact, follow, befriend, like and love The Grimm Generation here: Facebook

Hula Baby - The Rochester Sessions 7" OUT NOW

Hailing from Vallodolid in Spain, a town famed for its Easter celebrations, recognised as an international interest, the town now has something more to offer the world, I am of course referring to the seminal rock 'n' roll band, Hula Baby!

With their infectious blend of Rock'N'Roll and Surf beats, Hula Baby are putting the town on the music map and giving the locals another reason to celebrate, but like any good band in the 21st century, they are not keeping it to themselves, but sharing it with the world.

The three tracks on this EP are sung entirely in Spanish, but don't let that put you off, you will be singing along fluently whilst riding the crest of the wave that the bands music creates....Rock 'N' Roll indeed!

This EP is limited to just 350 copies on the brilliant KOTJ (Kick Out The Jams) label, so if, like me, you love your vinyl, get an order in quick as they are sure to sell pretty fast!

Contact, follow, befriend, like and love Hula Baby here: Facebook

Order your EP here: KOTJ RECORDS

(If you have any problems with the language, drop them an e-mail and they will help you out)

Find more by Hula Baby here: Bandcamp

And, if like me, you love your T-shirts, Hula Baby have a really fantastic design on theirs which you can have in a variety of colours for a mere 10 Euros with which you get a download of one of their albums!!!!!

Button Up - "Modena" and "Covered Up" EP OUT NOW

What an album to take us into Friday and the weekend, get your dancing shoes on, slip into your glad rags, fire up the scooter and hit the town. The weekend is here
I first heard "Button Up" on the Glory Boy Radio show a few weeks ago and immediately fell in love with their mixture of Northern Soul, Mod and Hammond beats, the 4/4 beat gets me every time, you can't help but tap your feet to the music and more often than not you end up dancing........with a great big smile on your face too!

Button Up new 10 track album “Modena” is out now and released on button up RECORDS. The musical theme comes from the title and includes the musical styles of Northern Soul, Ska and the Hammond Mod sound all blended together. Modena contains 5 tracks with vocal and 5 tracks intrumental, written by founding member and bass player Garry John Kane. The oustanding vocal talent of Sara Kerr leads on 4 up-tempo northern soul style tracks including the successful single/video from the album “Listen To Your Heart (Beat)”.  Mark Hannaway displays a Joe Strummer/Terry Hall vocal style on the Ska/2-tone track “Someday” to create another stunning vocal performance.   The other 5 Intsrumental tracks have a blend of Reggae, Garage and the wonderful “Midnight Stroll” and “Two, Two One” top the Sixties Hammond feel on the tracks.

Button Up are: 

Andy Gardner – guitars Garry John Kane – bass, guitars, percussion  Greg Barnes – keys and pianos  Lesley Mclaren – drums and percussion Sara Kerr – vocals

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love "Button Up" here: Facebook

Buy the album "Modena" the latest EP "Covered Up" and everything else by the band here: Button Up Records

Downloads are available at itunes, Amazon MP3 and emusic

Thee Eviltones - In The Shadow Of The Beast

From Nottingham in the UK, this band deliver their wares by way of fuzzy, dirty guitars, rip raw vocals, pounding drums and driven blood dripping bass, all in a  60's style garage frenzy, mix that with their leanings towards the dark side, a dash of punk attitude and you have a band that are struggling to remain human amidst their own creation, ladies, gentleman and beasts of the night, I give you THEE EVILTONES!

Tattered, torn and covered in the blood of a thousand demons, Thee Eviltones are the fearsome four horsemen of Apocalyptic Garage rock. The delivery of their debut album "In The Shadow of the Beast" is imminent, coming straight from the gaping jaws of Hades. 
Thee Eviltones are a four-piece rock n' roll band, bound by a love of garage rock and influenced by 60s soul, surf rock and punk. They provide a grooving soundtrack for stories of horror and terrifying dreams.
"In The Shadow of the Beast" is a 13 track artillery of savagely raw, yet soulful tunes that encapsulates everything Thee Eviltones have strived to create from their twisted sadistic minds. Along with the 12 virulent original tracks, "In The Shadow of the Beast" features a nightmarish version of Rolling Stones classic "Paint it Black" further ensuring that "In The Shadow of the Beast" will no doubt melt faces and take names to great effect.

Follow, contact, befriend, like and love....if you dare...here: Facebook

Buy the album: itunes Amazon

Official Website with gigs, news and more here: http://www.theeeviltones.co.uk

The Turnback - If I Were God. New video from the upcoming release.

Ice Cream Man favourites, The Turnback are back with a new video from their upcoming new release which promises to be a real scorcher.  Enjoy!

Contact, follow, befriend, like and love The Turnback here: The Turnback