Telepathic Butterflies - Breakfast in Suburbia

 

Over 40 years after the Beatles grabbed North America's musical consciousness by the lapels and gave it a friendly shake, their brand of guitar-based pop is still influencing bands here, there, and everywhere, and the third album from Winnipeg's the Telepathic Butterflies, Breakfast in Suburbia, shows that plenty of good things can still be built from the Fab Four's model. The Telepathic Butterflies aren't devoted to the Beatles at the exclusion of all else — "Telescope" shows flashes of both the Hollies and the Kinks, and "If It's All Too Much" suggests someone in this band listened to a lot of Who records. But the clean melodic lines and energetic guitar figures of the Beatles circa 1963-1965 clearly loom large in the Telepathic Butterflies' pantheon of influences, and they certainly do right by their role models. Réjean Ricard's guitar work is sharp and engaging, and he's a first-class songwriter to boot, sounding equally clever as a lyricist and tunesmith, and Jacques Dubois and Eric Van Buren are an excellent rhythm section, giving the songs plenty of snap and crackle while pushing the tunes forward with just the right degree of force. Though it isn't difficult to suss out this group's influences, the Telepathic Butterflies aren't overwhelmed by them, or living in a bygone era; these are simply bandmembers who understand the virtues of a smart, well-crafted pop tune played with fire and skill, and they have the talent to apply those lessons to their own work. Breakfast in Suburbia is superb pop/rock in the classic style that anyone who still believes in the curative power of the electric guitar will want to hear. -AMG

Listen: HERE  Link refreshed and working.

The Cry! - The Cry!

 

Brian Crace :  Lead Guitar, Vocals
Ray Nelsen:  Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Dave Berkham:  Bass Guitar, Vocals
Maus Mersky: Drums

 

The Cry say they are going to save Rock 'n' Roll from the grave and listening to their music I can tell you they are already in command of the undertakers shovels and menacingly looking at the back of Justin Beibers head.....and I am ready to look the other way!

This is brilliant straight up rock 'n' roll with a twist of doo wop , sure, it isn't reinventing the wheel, but it is keeping the wheel rolling (at great speed) greased with a passion and energy that is so often forgotten these days.

 The album is a brilliantly crafted power pop affair with only 3 of the 12 songs going past the 3 minute mark, three part harmonies in a 50's/60's styling and echoing bands such as The Beach Boys and The Exploding Hearts, and listening to the track "Be True" on the album, you could be forgiven for thinking that these guys are the bastard sons of the aforementioned artists! 

This album plays like a dream, from track one to track twelve The Cry! don't miss a beat, look as you might, there isn't one filler track or sub standard track to be found on the album.

The band have a motto and that is "Never Suck!" What a breath of fresh air that is in a world filled with X-factor, Idol type artists that seem to have the motto "Keep Sucking!"

The Cry! are playing loads of live dates from now until June in the States, so do yourself a favour, go and check them out and "Never Suck!" The Cry are rated A+ live!!!!!!

You can contact the band, like them on Facebook and find details of the album and the shows at the following links:

Official Website:  http://www.thecrypdx.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/thecrypdx

Reverb Nation: http://www.reverbnation.com/thecrypdx

The Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic

 

At first glance, the Exploding Hearts seem like mere revivalists. From the pink and yellow cover to their 1977 looks to their influences, it would be easy to dismiss them. But you need to hold the phone a minute and listen, because the Exploding Hearts are the best punk band to come along in a long time, maybe since the original wave. About those influences, here is a partial list: the early Clash if Mick Jones wrote all the songs and the Only Ones or Buzzcocks at their emotional best, but also classic power pop sounds like a (much) tougher Rubinoos, rock & roll like a tighter and sober New York Dolls, and the lo-fi approach of Billy Childish. Guitar Romantic is an amazingly raw and melodic debut, fully realized and original despite the obvious debt to the punk past. It is difficult to pinpoint just what it is about the band that helps overcome their idol worship. Maybe it is the love and authenticity that they pour into the worship, the raw production that smashes the guitars and bass into a whirling mess of tuneful noise, or the wonderfully tough but tender vocals. Most likely it is the songwriting. Too many bands that seek to re-create a sound or an era don't have the tunes to back it up. Not the Hearts. Every song on Guitar Romantic makes a bid to be the best on the album: "I'm a Pretender" is a jaunty kick in the head, "Sleeping Aides & Razorblades" is an ultra-catchy doo wop-inspired ballad with a brilliant guitar line, "Thorns in Roses" is a rollicking '50s-influenced ballad, "Throwaway Style" melds a lovelorn lyric to a Motown beat (the same one the Strokes heisted for "Last Nite") to great effect. There isn't a weak song here, not a single one that isn't on par with the best punk-pop. If you don't have this album and have even the slightest affinity for poppy punk rock or punky pop/rock, you are missing out on something special. -AMG

 

Listen: HERE 

Mod Gun - Fools - FREE ALBUM DOWNLOAD

 

Well, I can't tell you very much about this band, in fact I can't tell you anything other than who the members are and they are;

Paul Peters: Rhythm Guitar/Vocals
Jon Dyer: Lead Guitar
Kathleen Peters: Bass
Trevor Rubin: Drums

 

The band plays in a style reminiscent of Swervedriver, The Telescopes and Catherine Wheel, nice dirty guitars and well crafted songs with an almost floating effect to them.

You can contact and like Mod Gun: Facebook

You can download Fools here with the compliments of the band: Mod Gun

The Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray

 

If Lovey captured Evan Dando as he found his signature blend of punk-pop, jangle pop, and folk-rock, It's a Shame About Ray is where he perfected that style. Breezing by in under half an hour, the album is a simple collection of sunny melodies and hooks, delivered with typical nonchalance by Dando. None of the songs are about anything major, nor do they have astonishingly original melodies, but that's part of their charm — they're immediately accessible and thoroughly catchy. Dando's laid-back observations of middle-class outcasts are minor gems. The heartbroken title track or "Confetti," the crushes of "Bit Part in Your Life," the love letter to substances "My Drug Buddy," or the wonderful "Alison's Starting to Happen," where a girl finds herself as she discovers punk rock, capture the laconic rhythms of suburbia, and his warm, friendly voice, which is offset by Juliana Hatfield's girlish harmonies, gives the songs an emotional resonance. [It's a Shame About Ray was later re-released with a competent punk-pop remake of Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" added as a bonus track. As Dando approached stardom, the album was repressed again with the title of "My Drug Buddy" truncated to "Buddy." It was later restored to its original title.] -AMG

 

Listen: HERE

Thee Vicars

 

We at Ice Cream Man  Power Pop and More think this is great and are really looking forward to the forthcoming album!!!!

Thee Vicars believe that life is too short for boring music. They have self-belief and faith in what they are doing. They started out by wanting to stomp on all the crap music they heard week in, week out in their small little town. They say they are “ready to, if it comes to it, to kick kung fu style all the shit bands into orbit! We will set the bullshit bands’ hair straighteners on fire...make them melt, and their hair go curly! Make them go out and buy a belt for their jeans! So they sit at the right height! Not with their arses hanging out! So kids, do you wanna be the problem? Or do you wanna be the solution?”

Following two singles and two albums, on Dirty Water Records, the band has been working hard at their sound, rehearsing, playing countless live shows, writing dozens of new songs...and have progressed along the way, from hard-hitting but trashy sixties influenced punk rock towards a more melodic but still teen-garage sound. They’ve shed a few members along the way but in their current line up as a trio with great girl drummer Alex they are sounding their best yet.
One of the hardest working bands in the UK, they are constantly travelling around Europe and the UK, and have also toured the USA, including appearing at a Vice Magazine music festival in Portland, Oregon. The Horrors chose them as support act for their first gig in a year for the live debut of the songs from their Mercury nominated second album Primary Colours. And the Black Lips chose them as their European tour support last summer. If you haven’t taken note of Thee Vicars already where have you been hiding?!
Writing about their second album Clash magazine said that, “Ironically, in displaying barely a drop of originality, Thee Vicars actually sound fabulously fresh when set against the current crop of synth-pop bunnies...” and that it “reveals both glorious tunes and a sense of mischief. Mindless, and endless, fun.”
Meanwhile, the Guardian said, “They might dress smartly, all suited and booted, but Thee Vicars create an unholy, unruly row. They are much like the Cribs’ new favourite proponents of back-to- basics rifferama, the Strange Boys. You can also hear echoes of the early Stones here, as well as of more contemporary outfits such as the Hives, and there is something in Whittaker’s snarling vocals that reminds us of Pete Shelley. Together they create a decent fuzzy racket, full of energy and heavy on the treble, with a low-end throb that does the job.”

Find more information about Thee Vicars: Facebook Myspace

Buy: Dirty Water Records

The Allusions - Anthology 1966 - 1968

 

Fans of the early- and mid-'60s Merseybeat sound (the Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers, the Searchers, etc.) will probably love this 21-song compilation, which assembles the Allusions' complete recorded output over a four-year period. At their best, as on "Gypsy Woman," they had a fresh, original sound somewhere midway between the romanticism of the Beatles, the dynamism of the Kinks, and the Who's early ballads, with a unique vocal sound and good attack on their instruments. "Fever (Burns My Brain)" is a strange, yet workable, mix of two seemingly conflicting themes, a harsh, smooth farewell main lyric bridged by an achingly beautiful chorus reminiscent of Gerry & the Pacemakers vocally and the Zombies instrumentally. "The Dancer" is one of those odd low visibility numbers, like "I'll Remember the Night" by the Roulettes (whom these guys also resemble) that are such smooth and catchy examples of the Merseybeat sound that they belong on any anthology of the era and the music. "Roller Coaster Man" sounds like a Searchers outtake or a Gerry & the Pacemakers reject, with a guitar part that resembles "You Can't Do That." "Looks Like Trouble" owes a bit to "I Feel Fine" in its intro, although it also includes a thoroughly American garage-band style guitar break. Some of the later numbers, such as "Roundabout," are less interesting as songs, although even this wimpy ballad offers a catchy chorus and, overall, resembles nothing less than a decent Micky Dolenz-sung Monkees song. And "I'll Be Home" is the kind of song with which Ringo Starr could have done wonders, especially with the Beatlesque harmonies at the end of each line. The album's later songs are an interesting mix of subdued, moody ballads and high-energy rockers, such as "I Gotta Move," which may be the most Kinks-like cover of a Kinks track that you will ever hear. This disc's sound quality is excellent and the annotation extremely thorough.  

Listen: HERE

Alternative link: HERE