Phenomenal Cat Need YOUR help!

As many of you are aware, Phenomenal Cat are one of our little darlings here at "Ice Cream Man Power Pop and More!"  In fact, we adore them and hope that you have enjoyed the single a month free downloads they have provided for you this year as much as we have.

If you have and would like to show your gratitude, the band need your votes to help them to expose themselves....calm down, calm down, I mean in a live performance at "Lounge on the farm festival!"

If you would like to ensure that one of the UK's finest Power Pop bands are in attendance at this festival, please follow the link here: http://www.yousaytheyplay.co.uk/voting/band/Phenomenal%2520Cat  all you need to do is submit an e mail address and your vote will be cast.  Lets make sure that Power Pop gets some representation at this festival.

To download the Phenomenal Cat FREE single a month, follow this link: http://phenomenalcat.bandcamp.com/

Many thanks in advance from Ice Cream Man and Phenomenal Cat. :)

Brian Young - See What I Made. FREE DOWNLOAD

Brian Young's debut album "See What I made" is beautifully sublime and is somewhat a diary of one mans life experience that could easily be a reflection of each of our own lives.
Each song is delivered with passion and feeling and whilst some of the songs are of rejection and heartache, the music takes the songs to a completely different, happier place.
This is a sparkling debut with a lyrical content that we can all relate to in some way shape or form.  There are many stand out tracks here and not a filler in sight,  Brian's voice sometimes reminds me of David Gedge from the Wedding Present during his Cinerama days, only better!

Brian Young started writing songs at the tender age of 16 with his
first band, The Promise. By the end of college, that band lost a
couple members, gained a couple more, and became The Ideal Husbands.
Just before the year 2000, The Ideal Husbands caught the attention of
indie-pop mecca Shelflife Records, and work began on their debut EP.
Unfortunately, the band dissolved before it was finished, saving one
track (“Statues”) for Shelflife’s OMD tribute CD, Pretending To See
The Future. Soon after the split, Brian bought a bass guitar, a drum
kit, and began recording on his own. Taking a couple songs written
with The Ideal Husbands, as well as a few newer ones, Brian finished
his first solo EP Hi-Lo in 2005.

 
The next year, after moving to a small apartment in South Pasadena CA,
Brian began writing what would become See What I Made. The idea was to
document what was happening at that moment in life. It begins with a
prayer, a less than successful string of dates, finding love, feeling
disillusioned, breaking up, taking long walks at night, a dream, and
learning to laugh at it all (in that order).
 
See What I Made took a ridiculous amount of time to finish. In fact,
by the time it was, Brian had moved on from that small apartment,
played several shows (under the name Swimteam), got married, and then
moved again to Whittier CA. He has started a new band with his wife
Annette, called The Briannettes, and also plays with Los Angeles
indie-pop band The Tartans, and Pasadena post-punks The Guestimates.

Influences include:

The Smiths, The Zombies, Love, Beach Boys, The Kinks,
The Shangri-Las, Curtis Mayfield, Felt, Belle & Sebastian
 
Brian plans on recording a new EP in Summer 2012.

Download "See What I made" FREE: HERE 

Blog: thebriannettes.blogspot.com
Contact: seewhatimade@gmail

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!