Paradise - NEW VIDEO - Enjoy!

One of the "Ice Cream Mans" favourite mod outfits, rolls out a great new video for the stomper song, "Humans and Stars."  Enjoy.

The Portland quintet took over a Portland Eagle's Lodge for the night and set up a Mod revival show complete with scooters and their friends dressed to the nines in retro attire.This is the official video for their second single "Humans and Stars" off of their first full-length album "Diary of an Old Soul." The video was shot mostly on Super 8 and directed by Michael Cogliantry. 

"Paradise pulls enthusiastically from the same songbook as the Troggs or Small Faces, adding their own uniquely modern spin to those evergreen tunes with plenty of distortion on their flashy guitar chords and the occasional Farfisa organ mixed into their stripped down rock. The result is loud, brash, energetic and incredibly fun." IFC

Pradise's Website: http://weareparadise.com/

Paradise's Facbook: http://www.facebook.com/Paradi

Stephen Lawrenson - Obscuriosity

This is wonderful!  Stephen Lawrensons latest offering, his first on the "Kool Kat" label, really is something special.

From the very first few chords of opening track, "Your Karma," you know you are in for a real treat or 10 as is the case here, this album is beautifully immediate, no slow growers here within, this is one of the rare albums that grabs your interest from the word go and what is more it holds your interest!

Learn how to get your music noticed at ReverbNation.com

Stephen makes quite a pop splash here on his 2013 Kool Kat debut! Playing every note on the record, he proudly wears his pop influences on his sleeve. 'Small White House" would pass for a Brian Wilson-penned song. His inner Jeff Lynne pops up on both 'Pale Yellow' and the 12-string laced 'Words To Say'." It's intelligent, well written, and completely catchy. Power pop, with loads of great hooks, melodies and harmonies. A masterful melange of 60's, 70's, and 80's guitar rock mixed and matched with no concern for the namecheck. That's how good this is. Five stars isn't enough. Six, maybe!" - MR Gomez --Mr. Gomez

"What do you think would happen if you threw The Goldbergs, The Beatles, Three Hour Tour, Teenage Fanclub (in their fuzzy period), Big Star, The Posies (circa 'Frosting On The Beater'), 'Pet Sounds' period Brian Wilson, and the Electric Light Orchestra into a giant pop blender? You'd get Stephen Lawrenson, that's what!" - Max Humphries --Max Humphries

I have to admit, that I didn't know much of Stephen's work until now and I certainly intend to look back at his back catalogue and see what I have missed, if it is anything as good as this album, then I have missed an awful lot!!!!!

Buy the album: Kool Kat Amazon itunes and CDBaby

Contacts, befriend, like and love Stephen Lawrenson here: Facebook

Sam Page - Breach OUT NOW

Last year I featured Sam Page's EP "Waiting For Another Spring, which we all loved here at "ICM" and I am pleased to share the details of his new 10 track debut album.

The album has been released digitally so far on itunes, Spotify and other good download sites and the cd release will be available on March 29th.

This guitar driven pop/rock will sit very well with fans of Matthew Sweet, Weezer, Cake, Jack White, Dinosaur JR and Blur to name a few.

Sam Page is an independent singer/songwriter who creates guitar-driven pop/rock. In 2010, he began performing at open mics, learned to home-record, and made an EP (The Garage Band Files). Sam then formed a band in 2011 and did twenty gigs in southern California. In April 2012, he released a second EP (Waiting for Another Spring) that earned an encouraging amount of praise. Sam's first full albumBreach was released digitally in January 2013. 
     In a past life, Sam scored a PhD in Philosophy and for five years was a full-time college professor. But then he needed a break from being rational. So he decided to pursue a music career . . .

This album is a real sparkler from start to finish, pleasently upbeat with plenty of guitar riffs and jangly guitars in abundance, if this fails to get you moving, then you must be dead!

Contact, befriend, follow, like, love and download the album at the following links:

Gavin Guss - Riga In The Fall. Video

Gavin Guss - Riga in the Fall from Fin Records on Vimeo.

Here is a really lovely video for the track "Riga In The Fall" by Gavin Guss, from his album "On High" which landed at number 5 in the Ice Cream Man 2012 year end list.  Enjoy!

Stream the album here: Bandcamp

Buy the album here: Fin Records

Download available here: itunes

Official Website: http://gavinguss.com

Surf School Dropouts - Summer is a State of Mind VINYL RELEASE

Last August I raved about "Surf School Dropouts" and they finished second in my year end list, which is no mean feat considering the copious amounts of great music I received last year, and to this day I am still playing the download on a regular basis.  However, you can now own this superb, infectious piece of surf pop on vinyl, the ultimate format, since the band were, quite rightly, snapped up by one of my very favourite labels, "Sunny Day Records."

Surf School Dropouts are:

 

Andreas Jacobsen - vocals & keyboard/guitar/bass/drums, Christian Bendix - vocals & guitar/bass, Jari Nielsen - vocals, Martin Jensen - vocals.

As the name of the band suggests, these are sun soaked harmony, laden songs with catchy melodies  that will warm you to the core, place a smile on your face and probably make you want to grab your board and head for the beach and soak up the surf. 

Since 2009 Andreas, Christian, Jari and Martin have been on a mission to bring sunny sounds to the frostbitten, Northern shores of Denmark. Based in Copenhagen, these guys may be far, far away from the California sun and beach scenes they sing about. But they nevertheless channel their love of Brian Wilson and infectious harmonies to great effect.
Above all, ‘Summer is a State of Mind’ is a celebration of the classic pop sound with 14 self-penned songs featuring shared lead vocals by all four Dropouts and lots of catchy melodies. 

Buy the vinyl at Sunny Day Records here: Sunny Day Records Shop

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love Surf School Dropouts here: Facebook

Stream the album here: Bandcamp

http://sunnydayrecords.es

FREE DOWNLOAD - Souvenir Stand - Days I've Spent With You - FREE DOWNLOAD

Here is a rather charming EP that I wanted to share after stumbling across it on Bandcamp, 60's styled beautiful, dreamy pop in the vein of The Beach Boys, had they been blessed with a female voice of course!

I can't really tell you too much about the band, other than that they are a 4 piece from New Jersey, but I can tell you that you should download these three beautiful tracks and take a listen to the bands demos too which are every bit as beautiful!

Download the EP FREE here: Bandcamp

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love (very much) Souvenir Stand here: Facebook

The Twin Sets - Romance EP

The Twin Sets are back with their second EP, and once again, showing fine form with the extended play"Romance."  I am never sure if a six track should be called an EP or a mini album, but what the hell, we get six tracks, not four and what great tracks they are too!

The last time I featured the band on the blog I was full of praise for their musical abilities, as I still very much am, but I criticised their tracks sung in English as being "quite nonsensical," it was a minor criticism but one the band obviously took to heart as they have certainly nailed the tracks in English on this offering, showing that they are a band that will strive to get it right and get it right, they have!

The Twin Sets are a band that will go far as they work towards getting everything right, from the driving Power Pop sounds to the perfection of the lyrics.  Each and every one of the six tracks on "Romance" hit the mark. 

So, this time around, do I have any positive criticism to share?  Nope, nada, nothing at all, this record is brilliant, the future is looking extremely promising for this four piece from A Coruna in the north west of Spain and they are now sitting very comfortably besides my other favourite bands in the world of Power Pop and I am certainly looking forward to a long player from them in the not to distant future.

The Twin Sets are:

Denís Graña : Vocals, Acoustic Guitar

Borja Fernández: Electric Guitar 

Nacho: Bass 
Pablo Pita "Lito": Drums

Stream and buy The Twin Sets "Romance" EP here: Bandcamp

Contact, befriend, like and love The Twin Sets here: Facebook