Didn't Planet - We're Goin' Nowhere

Concept albums can be hit or miss, I remember reading about one very famous musician writing one and he gave up half way through because he couldn't get it to flow the way he really wanted, well, "Didn't Planet" did get it to flow and this one is definately a hit.

"We're Goin' Nowhere" is about a covers band going through the motions of getting it together, playing gigs, the crap promoters who suggest;  "Turn the music down, we had a band in here last night with half the equipment you guys have and they sounded great!" Also the trial and tribulations of audiences asking to hear something that you really can't stomach.
This is a rock 'n' roll album from a band that cut their teeth as a covers band who have now put that experience into this concept album for us all to hear, it is funny, it is sad, sometimes it is cringeworthy (the story, not the band) but this really deserves a listen, as with many CDs I listen to, I listened to this in the car and it had me nodding in agreement, laughing out loud, but most importantly, it had me gripped and drumming on the steering wheel.



"Didn't Planet" hail from Massachusetts and their mission with this album was to create an album that would compel listeners to listen from start to finish.  The stories told through the records songs and mini sketches, coupled with liner notes draw the listener into the concept and tie it all together and after a while, you almost feel you are there as a bystander in the audience or next to the band.

Contact, befriend, like and love "Didn't Planet" here: Facebook

Buy the album here: CDBaby

The Jac - Faux Pas. OUT NOW

This fine CD arrived in the post today, beautifully wrapped up in gift paper of the same print as the cover and a gift it is.

"The Jac" is a one man band and that man is Joe Algeri, member of Jack and The Beanstalk and The Brittanicas, a man who not only has an ear for a blinding tune, or eleven in this case, but he also has a pretty cool sense of humour too.

"Faux Pas" is a wonderful blend of Power Pop, New Wave, 60's and a dash of punk, music with no boundaries, plenty of humour and a little weirdness too, how refreshing that is!

Joe's press release for this album raised a few smiles with me and he can obviously introduce himself far better than I can, so over to Joe.



It feels silly that I should pretend to write my own press release in the third person as if I were someone else. I wrote and made every note and noise on this album and have released it myself so we’ll cut the bullshit.

After two decades of making and playing music, I decided that I wanted to challenge myself as much as I wanted to challenge people’s expectations of me. My first two solo albums, "Everything Under The Sun" (1999) and "The Stockholm Years" (2005) were rooted in some sort of acoustic, folk-rock idiom as far as being pop albums was concerned. But after a decade of tinkering with home recording, I felt confident that I could now do whatever I pleased. About 3 years ago I stopped writing exclusively on acoustic guitar. 2 years ago I started this project and it felt like a revelation - for the first time in my life I could record exactly what I wanted, the way I wanted.


Being house-bound with a young family also meant that I couldn’t necessarily be rehearsing and recording with a band as much I used to. This time around I didn’t particularly care if or how any of these tracks would ever be played live. All of a sudden I had that 1967 sense of adventure that many of my musical heroes must have experienced; let’s not set-up any creative boundaries.

I am truly grateful that over the years the music I have made with my main-stay in Australia, Jack & the Beanstalk and my more recent international collaboration with the Britannicas, have vaguely affiliated me with the "power-pop" scene. Some of the tracks from Faux Pas could have easily been recorded by those bands but most of them probably couldn’t. Some of the tracks won’t be to everyone’s taste; I’m bracing myself for some negative reviews but I’ll be over-joyed with any positive ones. Anything as long as it’s not just "nice" and conveniently filed under…

 For anyone that knows me personally they will understand my humour and I hope this shines through on the album. There are no serious or cryptic messages in these songs, the spirit of the album is meant to be fun and playful.

More than anything I’ve ever done in the past, I’m immensely proud of this album, it represents 2 years of my life. I hope you enjoy it too.

                                                                        Cheers,
                                                             Joe Algeri (the JAC)

Also included with the CD is a bonus disc entitled "Drugs Trucks and Jesus" which Joe recorded with various bands and friends which makes for excellent listening, including covers of The Kinks "Tired Of Waiting", a really cool version of The Nerves "When You Find Out" and my favourite The Turtles "You Showed Me" by The Turtles, written by Jim McGuinn and Gene Clark of The Byrds.

 This is a perfect compliment to what many people will consider "Faux Pas" to be, a perfect album.

                                     Contact, befriend, like and love The Jac here: Facebook
                     Stream, download and buy a physical copy of "Faux Pas" here: Bandcamp

Be sure to check out Joe's other ventures with The Britannicas and Jack and The Beanstalk too!

The Grimm Generation - 'Blink, I'm Gone' VIDEO

The Grimm Generation whom I featured a while back on the blog have just released a new video, which I think is rather wonderful, so I decided to share it with you all.  Enjoy!

'Blink, I'm Gone' is a song / video based on modern crime and old fashioned betrayals.

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'. '

 The Grimm Generation sound has been described as Morning After Music and Radio Songs For Voyeurs though personally described as ‘If Alan Lomax and Ziggy Stardust had a baby’. It’s creepy, suburban pop-noir made and played by creepy suburbanites. Carmen Champagne and Jason P. Krug started The Grimm Generation as an outlet to tell real time stories of cheap excess and alcohol, but with the addition of Lys Guillorn (lapsteel, banjo, bells, rawk guitar), Eric Bloomquist (bass) and Julie Drechsler (cello) has evolved into more a sweeping soundtrack of a movie that may be your real life.

Contact, Befriend, Like and Love The Grimm Generation here: Facebook 

Listen to more songs and find out more at the official Grimm Generation site: http://www.thegrimmgeneration.com/ 

The Absolutes - Everybody's Feeling Alright

 

I love this album, it has a fantastic 60's garage sound, it has a very strong flavour of the British and European garage bands of that era which is fantastic.  Seeing as these guys are still at school, I can only guess that they have stolen their parents records and discovered some great tunes along the way, and then decided to do something, in some cases, much, much better!  Great work lads!

Since 2005, The Absolutes have been kicking booty and taking names like only the dirtiest of garage bands can do. Despite what outsiders may view as an intensely hostile relationship between the members of The Absolutes, Alex, Alex, Schuyler and Keenan are joined by a love for the sounds of the 60's...and video games. The synergy between these talented chaps is almost too much to handle; original

songs flow from the brains of The Absolutes faster than snot from a sneezing nose! Unfortunately for their fans, The Absolutes are often bogged down by extraneous activities such as schoolwork and girlfriends and therefore recording and gigging must play second fiddle. Nevertheless, The Absolutes made time to release their first EP in June 2010, "She's Alright With Me", and released their newest record, "Everybody's Feelin' Alright", in August 2011. The Absolutes always impart a heaping helping of funk to their fans at every show. If you're in the mood for a rollicking good time, go see the Absolutes live!

 

If this album had been released this year, this would most definately be in my top ten albums of the year so far, this really is that good, great songs, well, crafted, delicious hooks and some very nifty keyboards on top of everything else.

 

 

The Absolutes are:

Alex Patrick - Guitar, Lead Vocals
Keenan Bartlett - Keyboards, Backup Vocals
Schuyler Skuse - Bass, Backup Vocals
Alex Cote' - Drums, Backup Vocals

 

Stream and buy this fantastic album here: Bandcamp 

 

I am not sure if the band have run out on this offer but they have a rather splendid T-Shirt on offer with the CD for just $15-00.

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

Likely Lads - Melrose Place Demos

 

Don't be put off by the word "Demos" in the title of this album, these are very good quality demos and very good songs reminding me a little of the early Libertines.  These guys have just played to a massive crowd at Leeds music festival and look to be heading for bigger things, with this sort of quality of music, I really wouldn't be surprised!

Likely Lads are a four-piece rock band from the city of York. Formed in late 2010 the band has taken great strides towards becoming the most promising outfit to emerge from northern England in some time.
In the eighteen months since the band’s formation Likely Lads have achieved what the majority of most young bands would wish achieve in their whole careers; sharing the stage with the likes of Pete Doherty, Shed Seven and The Rifles; drawing in over 400’000 YouTube views and counting on their demos; and signing to the biggest booking agency in Europe who cater for acts such as The Black Keys, Cage The Elephant, Foster The People and Muse to name but a few. The band has enjoyed recording time at the prestigious Dean Street Studios in Soho, and also at Universal Music Publishing in Fulham.

  Taking influence from wherever it strikes, Johnny Marr’s style of guitar playing can be heard in the melodies of guitarist Ash Harding, and the observational in-your-face lyrics of artist such as Paul Weller and Alex Turner are subtly felt through the refreshingly honest lyrics of lead singer/bassist Ross McLeod. However, as with any previous great British bands, Likely Lads have their own distinct sound which is reflective of their personalities and experiences.

Observations Single Out Now!

Buy, Download, get involved, iTunes, Release, Single
Tags: first, new, observations, release, single

In their song What You Waiting For Ross belts out “I’d rather have a go even if it goes wrong, all is not lost I’m just back at square one!” This line encapsulates the band’s attitude and determination to give it their all, and shows their passion for performing and belief in the music they have written. Likely Lads have the work ethic that has set them up for a promising future, and if they continue to progress at their current rate it won’t be long before they arrive in a big way.

 

So there you are, a new favourite band making honest everyday observations in song backed with some killer tunes, go check them out.

Download "Melrose Yard Demos" for a name your price fee, you can download for free but try to do a bit to support the band and don't forget to tell your friends!

Download here: Bandcamp

Contact, befriend, like and love Likely Lads here: Facebook

Official web page here: http://nottoofussed.com/

The Warm Fuzzies - Fuzz Of The Month

The Warm Fuzzies from Athens, GA play a style of Power Pop/Indie/ New Wave that I really like, it is catchy, bouncy, fun and er........ fuzzy!
The bands style is reminiscent of Weezer, FoW, The Cars and Ozma, it even reminds me a little of Heavenley, led by Amelia Fletcher when Laura Cropp takes over the vocals, this is sunny day music that will lift you and make you smile and that is what music should do, right?

Fueled by a mutual admiration of bands that played catchy pop songs with fuzzy guitars and analog synthesizers, Athens, GA-based singer/songwriter Jason Harwell and former Heros Severum drummer Davey Staton set out to use this combination as a template to create their own hybrid fuzzy pop songs. Throughout 2007, the two convened at Davey’s house, each with scribbled papers strewn about and guitars in hand. “We had a pretty simple mantra: If it’s not fun, don’t do it,” says Harwell of the writing process. “And that’s what we did. Davey had written all this really catchy, upbeat music and given the tunes ridiculous titles, and we would then try to write ridiculous songs to fit those titles.” In fairly short order, the boys wrote a cohesive batch of tunes about robots, eyewear, close-talkers, and pen-pals from Eastern Europe, among others.

 The Warm Fuzzies are:

Jason Harwell, Davey Staton, Laura Cropp, Jonathan Staton

Contact, befriend, like and love The Warm Fuzzies here: Facebook 

Listen to and buy "Fuzz of the month" at a "Name Your Price" cost here: Bandcamp 

Visit The Warm Fuzzies official web page here: http://www.thewarmfuzzies.com/

The band have also released a 6 track EP that smells of bubblegum, what more in life could you want?  Available at the bands official site.

Jason Karaban - Shift. Out 4th September.

I often get to thinking how lucky I am having this blog and hearing all the bands releases prior to the general public, I know patience is a virtue and all that, but when something like Jason Karabans album turn up, it feels like I am being treated to something special and feel privileged to have a few extra weeks of it all to myself, well, me and a few others anyway.

This is a delightful album, well written and constructed and one that effortlessly holds your attention on every track from start to finish.

From a home studio in Los Angeles, CA, a songwriter crafts melodic, harmonious songs.   The music eventually makes its way to a handful of well-known musicians across the country.  Though the musicians do not know Jason Karaban, they will listen.  And, eventually, they find themselves in the studio working with the reclusive musician. 

 Karaban isn’t new to the game. He began his career fronting the Philadelphia based indie rock bands Dragstrip Courage in 1997 and Grand in 2000.   A deal with Maverick Records emerged and then evaporated before the music was released and an artist once on the rise went into a dark period.  However, he never stopped writing music.  Karaban emerged as a solo artist with the release of Doomed to Make Choices, in 2006, co-produced with Mike Napolitano (Joseph Arthur, The Twilight Singers) and then later with Sobriety Kills, co-produced by Barry Maguire (The Wallflowers, Natalie Merchant) in 2009. 

A look at Jason’s solo career illuminates his impressive list of collaborations that read like a who’s who of the music world.   Over the years he has worked with the likes of Sara Watkins, Ani DiFranco, Ivan Neville, Lucy Schwartz, Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket), Garrison Starr, Pete Thomas & Davey Faragher of Elvis Costello’s Imposters, Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum), David Immerglück & Charlie Gillingham of Counting Crows just to name a few.  The result has been two critically acclaimed records, an obscure b-sides record and a three song EP from which numerous songs have been licensed for programs on NBC, MTV, VH-1, commercials, and indie movies. 

 On September 4^th Jason returns with Shift, his most realized work to date, and is planning to tour for the first time in his solo career.  Tracks from Shift can currently be heard on WFMU, WXPN and KCRW.

Contact, befriend, like and love Jason Karaban here: Facebook

"Shift" is instores from September 4th, listen to other tracks by Jason here: Bandcamp

I believe the album will be available there too.  Don't forget to grab the free single download there too!

Jason Karaban website: Official