HEARTJET – Goodbye, Stan

heartjet

Formed in Lahti, Finland in 2006, Heartjet is a power pop duo comprising of Tuomas Strandman (vocals, guitars, drums) and Mikko Levonen (guitars, bass, keyboards). Combining the best elements of the work of 90’s singer-songwriter pop/rock with a heavy influence from The Posies, their debut EP ‘Goodbye, Stan’ features five numbers which seem familiar almost instantly.

With their slightly dark vibes, ‘Do You Doubt It’ and ‘Are You Coming’ could fit snugly alongside some of The Posies’ ‘Frosting On The Beater’ era material. The slightly distorted guitars on ‘Do You Doubt It’ are in great contrast with the upbeat vocals. Smooth harmony vocals add further contrast against the hard jangle of the electric guitars. During the verses, the vocals are left to almost stand alone against a solid bass (in very retro 90s style). After a quiet intro comprising electric piano, plucked guitar and gentle vocals, ‘Were You Coming’ utilises a loud chorus where power pop vocals are pitched against slightly edgy, chiming guitars. The Posies influence here is as subtle as a brick, but for those who still enjoy Auer and Stringfellow’s best works, this should raise a knowing smile. Musically, it’s Levonen’s solid bass at the heart of the number which provides most of the musical interest.

The title cut relies heavily on a semi-acoustic jangle which is instantly uplifting. With its punchy pop-rock sound, clean vocals and twangy electric lead, it borrows from The Posies’ work,once again, but features a much stronger influence. This time, it’s a strong influence from the 90s Boston scene driving the song. Not too far removed from ‘Big Red Letter Day Era’ Buffalo Tom or the more commercial works of The Lemonheads, ‘Goodbye, Stan’ is full of sunny harmonies, which sound great when set against the semi-acoustic jangle. Being a big fan of the works of Evan Dando, Bill Janovitz and John Strohm, it’s often been this track which has kept me coming back to this release.

‘First Day’ begins with chiming guitars which fall away on occasion to allow harmony vocals more space. Without those harmonies, the track’s verses might’ve felt a little laboured, but Heartjet’s gift for arranging things in a very Posies-like manner means they pull it off with ease. Strandling’s lead vocals are easy and provide decent melodies against the otherwise slightly heavy-handed guitar work. Acoustic guitars come to the fore for ‘Memories’, showcasing singer-songwriter pop influences. With tight vocal harmonies and strong melodies, its core is very strong, but maybe a little too simple as Heartjet do little afterward to build on its initial promise: as a song, maybe it’s just a little too simple. A couple of gentle guitar leads from Levonen fill a couple of empty spaces, but look past those harmonies, a quiet keyboard drone adds a small amount of depth, but it’s not quite enough. This track isn’t a skipper by any means, since its good elements are very enjoyable, there’s just a feeling it required a bit more embellishment.

While most ‘Goodbye, Stan’ shows heavy influences from The Posies (one which is too obvious in places to be avoided), Heartjet prove to be solid song writers. With just enough of their own style to make this release worth investigating, this EP should give you just enough of a taste of their brand of power pop.

[Visiting the below link and downloading the title track is strongly recommended]

January 2011

PETE TOWNSHEND – Who Came First

townshend

In the mid 1960’s, beat groups and rhythm ‘n’ blues changed lives, and with their bombast, The Who had become one of the era’s most popular bands. Pop music had constantly re-invented itself and psychedelia had pushed pop’s boundaries even further. As part of The Who’s second album (1966’s ‘A Quick One’) Pete Townshend contributed a theatrical piece, ‘A Quick One While He’s Away’, which suggested there was more to the band than their previous work may have suggested. But things were going to get bigger. Much bigger.

As the lead track from Mark Wirtz’s ‘A Teenage Opera’, Keith West scored a hit single in the summer of 1967 with ‘Excerpt from “A Teenage Opera” (Grocer Jack)’. EMI pulled the plug on the release of the complete ‘Teenage Opera’, but between Wirtz’s grand musical vision and the rock musical ‘Hair’ making its off Broadway debut at the end of the year, some important musical seeds had been sown. Via experiments with psychedelia, The Who released their career defining rock opera, ‘Tommy’, in May 1969.

This was not only a career defining moment for The Who, but for rock music in general. After an appearance playing ‘Tommy’ at Woodstock and the release of their seminal ‘Live at Leeds’ album, Pete Townshend (alongside a few famous chums, including Small Faces man Ronnie Lane) recorded ‘Happy Birthday’, an album of music inspired by the spiritual teachings of Meher Baba. The Who returned in 1970 with a re-recording of a track from this release, ‘The Seeker’, which became a UK top ten hit. Pete Townsend intended The Who’s next album to be an ambitious concept piece called ‘Lifehouse’, though the project was abandoned in favour of a more conventional album release. In 1971, The Who released ‘Who’s Next’, an album containing a solid collection of rock tunes (some of which were intended for ‘Lifehouse’. ‘Who’s Next’ is rightly regarded as a masterpiece; one of its many stand-out moments is ‘Baba O’Riley, a track which would also appear in extended instrumental form on a second collection of spiritual material, once again dedicated to Meher Baba.

After live shows for ‘Who’s Next’ wound down, many musicians would’ve taken the time to step back from such an extraordinarily busy schedule. But not Townshend. He returned to the studio to record a second album of songs inspired by Meher Baba, ‘I Am’, and ‘Who Came First’, an album of personal material; a collection of songs which is widely regarded as his first official solo release.

As expected, the album showcases Townshend’s skill as a songwriter, but also highlights his talents as a studio hand. With the opportunity to have the final say with regard to this project, Townshend not only takes on vocal and guitar duties, in addition to playing various keyboard parts, but also becomes producer, engineer and mixer too. Where The Who had previously enlisted either Kit Lambert or Glyn Johns to produce, ‘Who Came First’ was Townshend’s opportunity to oversee all technical aspects of the project in an almost Orson Welles like fashion.

He’s not so arrogant as to not enlist other musicians where necessary though (even letting them take the musical reigns on occasion). Old friend Ronnie Lane contributes vocals and guitars, Caleb Quaye (best known for his work on Elton John’s albums from a similar period) is enlisted as bassist, drummer and sometime guitarist, and Billy Nicholls adds guitars and vocals. As for the material itself, it’s very much a rag-bag of stuff; some which is instantly enjoyable and some which requires work on the listener’s part to get to grips with.

The album opens with one of its most familiar numbers. Originally intended as part of ‘Lifehouse’, ‘Pure & Easy’ made its debut here as a Pete Townshend solo recording, but was re-recorded by The Who a short time later (eventually appearing on their 1974 compilation of rarities, ‘Odds & Sods’). In the hands of The Who, the song features some great harmony vocal moments in addition to Daltrey’s commanding lead. Townshend’s original take is weak in comparison. The harmonies are all but absent, and Townshend’s vocal during the opening verse is almost painful to listen to, as he hits notes which are far too high for him. Thankfully, he settles down by the pre-chorus, and the song finds its stride. Despite Townshend’s vocal shortcomings in various places ‘Pure & Easy’ is a great song and his band is solid throughout (if never remarkable). Since the song features some great moments but never quite reaches its potential, it makes sense that The Who re-recorded it so quickly, improving it a great deal in the process.

‘Evolution’ presents one of the album’s best numbers. Here Ronnie Lane takes the helm in an acoustic reworking of ’Stone’, an old Faces number. Lane’s vocal is easy and natural, the perfect fit for the rootsy, blues-folk hybrid of the music. The main acoustic part is fairly basic, but a few complicated runs and some fantastic soloing really bring style to the number. Having long been peers by this point in their careers, there’s a mutual respect between Lane and Townshend and the space each performer affords the other on this recording highlights that. [Lane and Townshend would work together five years later on a completely collaborative album, ‘Rough Mix’].

‘Sheraton Gibson’ tells a tale of life on the road and of how it takes its toll upon the artist. Townshend’s gentle vocal is full of aching and longing and set against a beautiful plucked acoustic arrangement, it’s certainly one of his best performances. A few electric guitar overdubs during the chorus flesh things out unnecessarily – as if to remind us of Pete’s usual background – but essentially, this solo performance (without bass or drums) has an air of fragility – of feeling lost. Whether the home he refers to is literal, or whether home refers to the spiritual teachings of Meher Baba is unclear.

‘Time Is Passing’ is a rumbling pop-rock number, which has echoes of The Who, only without any of the power. The guitar parts are somewhat understated, but there’s some great organ accompaniment. Townshend’s vocal style makes this number sound far more twee than it ought to be, but the end result still has more in keeping with The Who than most of the numbers present on ‘Who Came First’. Townshend may be star of his own show, but it’s Caleb Quaye’s bass and drum work which is this number’s strongest feature. Granted, his drumming might not carry the breezeblock subtlety of Keith Moon, but it’s powerful enough; his bass style is very upfront, giving this track an anchor.

‘Forever’s No Time At All’, written by Billy Nicholls sounds like filler material. It has a similar-ish vibe to ‘Time Is Passing’ (clearly that kind of rock-pop was Townshend’s band’s forte) and Townshend’s multi-tracked guitar parts are fabulous (lending themselves to a great use of stereo). Sadly, his great contributions are almost eclipsed by handclaps which are far too loud in the mix. Since it was his number, Billy Nicholls takes lead vocal and his high tone kills any enjoyment this song may have had.

‘Heartache’ is an acoustic cover of the Jim Reeves number ‘There’s a Heartache Following Me’. Hearing Townshend lumber his way through this old, crooning number is just bizarre. Recorded just after the most inventive part of The Who’s career, it seems so out of step with Townshend at his best. However, with ‘Who Came First’s main focus being on more introspective and personal material, it almost fits here. Why did Townshend choose to include it, when the sessions included better cuts which were originally left behind (such as the basic blues workout ‘I Always Say’ or the wonderful film-score-like piano instrumental ‘Lantern Cabin’)? The answer is simple: it was one of Baba Meher’s favourite songs.

Released as a single by The Who the previous year, ‘Let’s See Action’ appears on ‘Who Came First’ as alternate recording made by Townshend and his band. Having Daltrey, Entwistle and Moon on hand may have improved ‘Pure & Easy’ but interestingly The Who’s rendition of ‘Let’s See Action’ isn’t as good as Townsend’s solo take. With Townshend up front, this rolling bar-room rocker feels more natural; his softer vocal appears far more understanding with regards to its mid-tempo, mid-volume arrangement. The Who’s single version appears to drag in places, despite only a four minute duration; by contrast, this six minute extended arrangement stays the course, with Caleb Quay’s rhythm work carrying just enough punch to keep it flowing.

‘Content’ is an interesting choice, particularly for a rock star of Townshend’s usual posturing and bravado. For this track, he uses a poem by Maud Kennedy as a lyric, which he then sings rather gently over a simple piano arrangement. The piano chords are played slowly and very clearly defined in an unfussy style. There’s almost not quite enough happening to make the music gel, so an overdub of Townshend’s buzzing guitar strings is used to add extra musical depth. Again, it’s a world away from the then most recent Who album (‘Who’s Next’), but what is a solo album for, if not to release pieces of music which have no suitable home for a main project? The idea of including poetry just wouldn’t sit right with The Who, although it is very much in keeping with the hippie ethos of the early seventies [See also the old woman reading poetry at the end of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Bare Trees’ LP].

‘Parvardigar’ is a reworking of a track from the second album for Meher Baba. The lyrics are based upon one of his prayers, but it’s the music which is of greatest interest. Multiple ringing acoustic guitars make up the core of the main tune, but it’s not always gentle. There are moments where Townshend just cannot resist throwing out huge ‘Pinball Wizard’ style chords and during the moments where the band provides complete support, it sounds like a Who demo. Even Caleb Quaye’s drum fills are a nod to Keith Moon (albeit played with far more subtlety). While I don’t care especially for the spiritual aspects of the lyrics, or the general praise lavished upon Meher by Townshend, it would have been great to hear Daltrey at his peak absolutely belting his way through this tune.

‘Who Came First’ only achieved limited commercial success at the time of release, spending just two weeks on the UK album chart, its highest position just #30. Over the years, the album has been re-appraised and is often seen as one of the best Who-related solo ventures.

While ‘Who Came First’ features some good songs,Townshend’s vocal approach doesn’t always bring out their best qualities. Over the years Daltrey breathed a great amount of power and presence into Townshend’s songs and, in comparison, Townshend’s high voiced (although more than competent) style is often unremarkable. While some people have heaped praise upon ‘Who Came First’, it’s possibly more of an interesting curio than an essential album.

[An expanded version of ‘Who Came First’ features most of Townshend’s main contributions to the Meher Baba albums as bonus tracks, as well as a few other choice cuts].

November 2010

HELL IN THE CLUB – Let The Games Begin

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Although ‘Let The Games Begin’ is Hell In The Club’s debut release, a few of the band members are well-known faces on the Italian metal scene. Vocalist Davide “Dave” Moras is best known as for his work with fantasy metal outfit Elvenking, while bassist Andrea “Andy” Buratto and drummer Federico “Fede” Pennazzato are both members of power-metallers Secret Sphere. Rounding out the line-up is session guitarist Andrea “Picco” Piccardi. This side-band was put together after Andy decided he wanted to move away from the sound of Secret Sphere and perform sleaze-rock anthems inspired by Skid Row, Mötley Crüe and Ratt.

For the most part, if that’s the spirit they were attempting to capture, then this album is a success. Although some tracks work better than others, the love of the band’s original influences shines through – and often without sounding like flat-out imitation.

Of the best numbers, ‘Raise Your Drinkin’ Glass’ is a mid-paced stomper, where Dave gets to stretch his vocal a little. The opening riff has a slight AC/DC vibe, but as the song progresses, it carries a great amount of the spirit from ‘Shout At The Devil’ era Mötley Crüe. Underneath the crunching riff, an acoustic rhythm overdub has been added, thickening out the final sound; Andy’s bass work is rock solid and very high in the mix in places. Throw in a decent solo and and a slightly groove-oriented bridge and it makes a great rock workout. A funky riff lies at the heart of ‘Daydream Boulevard’ where Hell In The Club are extremely tight. The rhythm work is unfussy but great, the solo work even greater. The band already packs a hefty punch, but Fede’s occasional drum fills are immense. Dave’s vocals more than hold their own against the verse riff, while during the chorus, there’s an effective interplay between his lead and the backing vocals. I could point out that a few of the lyrics are a might sexist, but there’d be little point. If you’re still reading (and interested), you’ll already have a fair grasp of Hell In The Club’s schtick and know what to expect!

‘No Appreciation’ is much harder with heavy riffing on the verses, giving way to a shout-along chorus driven by gang vocals. It’s impossible not to think of early Guns n’ Roses on occasion, especially as Dave slips the words “Sunday dress” into the first verse! The funky mid-section has a G N’R slant also – which is very welcome here – and Picco’s soloing is fluid, if a little short. ‘Natural Born Rockers’ carries another sledgehammer riff that’s pure eighties sleaze rock and, like ‘No Appreciation’ the reverbed shouting gang vocals which creep in from time to time really capture the mood. While there are better numbers on ‘Let The Games Begin’, this one highlights the energy the band are capable of generating, as does ‘Rock Down This Place’ with its sweary refrain. I’m not a fan of songs with the word “rock” in the title, but it’s clear such numbers here have been designed to energize a live audience.

Among the no-nonsense rockers, the album features couple of slightly lighter numbers. ‘On The Road’ highlights more melodic leanings. The clean-toned guitar work during the verses is superb, against which the lead vocals are well delivered. The chorus itself contains another big hook, making it one of the best tracks on offer. Although the influences are obvious, ‘Star’ showcases another fantastic group vocal arrangement. For the opening section of the song, Picco’s electric guitar work rings out over the acoustic base, while during the numbers closing moments, the group vocals collide against a full-on, electric melodic rocker, where Picco’s soloing is top notch. It may never gain the accolades of Poison’s Every Rose Has It’s Thorn’ or Mötley Crüe’s ‘Home Sweet Home’, but this track certainly deserves to find a home among cult classics like Tuff’s ‘I Hate Kissing You Goodbye’.

I must confess, when I saw the band name and album art, I expected leather-trousered 80s metal played in a tired fashion with nothing much to recommend it. I take it back. While my album collection contains a whole bunch of albums which sound not unlike this – mostly purchased between 1987-92 – Hell In The Club deliver almost as well as those heroes and inspirations. If the sound of the late 80s LA scene still does it for you, then hopefully, most of this album should really hit the spot.

January 2011

AUGUST CHRISTOPHER – A Brand New Day

August Christopher is a Nashville based band which has a sound which encompasses many different elements, but could best be described as rock/pop with a leaning towards country rock. They’ve gained a reputation for being a hard working band and have secured support slots in the past with various bands, but appearances with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Train, Seven Mary Three and Nickelback would certainly be among their more high profile.

This third August Christopher release is a concept disc about “a man struggling with his alter-ego, walking a tightrope of good and evil”. As always with concept albums, this isn’t always completely clear. Concepts aside, though, ‘A Brand New Day’ features some good quality material. A couple of tracks fall short of the mark, but generally, the album presents a solid set of tunes.

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MORITZ – Undivided

moritz

I first became aware of Greg Hart in the mid 90s when he teamed up with ex-Ya Ya vocalist Sam Blue and Airrace’s bassist Toby Sadler to form the short lived band GTS. Their debut release ‘Tracks From The Dustshelf’ contained a few great pieces of Brit AOR, though I have to confess, as good as the album may have been, I much preferred the unfussy approach of their original demo recordings. I backtracked and checked out one of Greg’s previous bands, If Only, subsequently finding myself completely underwhelmed, despite having read good reviews.

A few years previously, Hart was the guitarist with Moritz, a Brit-AOR band who were contemporaries of Airrace, FM and Virginia Wolf. They released a couple of self-released singles and played regular shows at London’s Marquee, but failed to gain any record label interest. Various Moritz recordings dating from between 1986-88 were belatedly issued on a compilation album, ‘City Streets’ in 2008.

Following the cult success of ‘City Streets’, the original members of Moritz – Pete Scallan (vocals), Greg Hart (guitars), Mike Nolan (guitars), Ian Edwards (bass) and Andy Stewart (keys) – decided to reunite. Augmented by Mick Neaves on drums, and delivered long after their heyday, ‘Undivided’ is the band’s first full album.
It may have been delivered over two decades later than planned, but fear not, this album features all the hallmarks of mid-80s melodic rock and the original Moritz sound, with no other influences creeping in. While musically, it’s still has much in common with Moritz of old, fans may notice that Pete Scallen’s vocals aren’t quite as strong as they once had been, now sounding a little rougher around the edges due to the ravages of time.

The title cut is one of the strongest examples of Moritz’s songcraft, as they combine a hard hitting riff with huge chorus vocals. The mid-paced stomping style shows obvious influences from Survivor and while the chorus could have been a little more interesting, big backing vocals lend its main hook plenty of punch. The mid-paced power ballad ‘Should’ve Been Gone’ is top notch, making good use of choppy guitars and very 80s keyboard sounds. It’s almost certainly something you’ll have heard time and again (and quite often on songs called ‘Don’t Walk Away’), but Moritz more than give it their best shot. While the production is a little homegrown and Pete Scallen’s lead vocal style isn’t quite as smooth as some, the overall arrangement is classic AOR, and the featured guitar solo is superb.

‘Who Do You Run To’ features another great chorus featuring harmony vocals from Jackie Bodimead (ex-Girlschool) and acoustic guitars overlaying the electric rock elements. Listen beyond the obvious hook and you’ll also notice that Andy Stewart’s piano work is rather busy, giving an already fairly cluttered number an extra layer; when all thrown together it works rather well. I wish I could be as enthusiastic about the album’s second power ballad ‘Can’t Stop The Angels’, which aside from a superb guitar solo, is incredibly stale. Scallen over-sings constantly throughout a rather cheesy number and as a result everything feels overdone. Swathes of keyboards open ‘World Keep Turning’ and continue to play a huge role as they pump their way through a great number which utilises the best elements of mid-80s melodic rock. It’s another number which brings a decent chorus and although it’s very by-numbers, it’s one which captures Moritz in good form. a great chorus. Against the keys, the rhythm section keep things grounded and the guitar riff is suitably crunchy. The hugely pompy ‘Power of the Music’ is also recommended listening, with its huge vocal arrangement and pumping bass, settling somewhere between Boston and Angel for a number which gives a knowing nod to AOR of the 1970s. Despite harbouring great feel good intentions, Scallan’s vocal style and a rather cutting solo make the track a little less smooth than its main influences, but overall, it’s a very tight performance.

Vibrato-led guitars step to the fore for ‘Can’t Get Away’ – the album’s only cover tune. Written by Laurence Archer, the song has a history, having first been demoed by Phil Lynott in 1984 (recordings of which exist in almost unlistenable quality). It appeared regularly in live sets by Lynott’s Grand Slam (of which Archer was a member), but did not get recorded properly until 1986, when it finally appeared on Archer’s 1986 solo release ‘LA’. Listening to that recording, it’s clearly a great song, but is marred somewhat by Archer’s woeful vocal performance – he growls and croaks his way through its four minutes, killing any spark it may have had. Thankfully, Moritz give ‘Can’t Get Away’ the kind of treatment it really deserves: the guitar fills during the verses are perfectly balanced by some top keyboard stabs and the guitar solos (Nolan and Hart, bother differing greatly in tone) are a definite high point. Scallen’s vocal performance runs rings around Archer’s, though undoubtedly, it still doesn’t have that charisma it could have had, if only Lynott had recorded a definitive version. It’s pure speculation, though. Although most of Moritz’s own songwriting is okay (barring the pretty ropey ‘Same But Different’), in terms of arrangement and hook, this track is a cut above – a really classy example of 80s melodic rock.

Aside from their take on ‘Can’t Get Away’, you won’t find anything here from Moritz that could hold a candle to ‘Can’t Stop Loving You’ or as infectious as the ‘Hearts On The Line’ demo from their ‘City Streets’ release. However, it still contains some decent – albeit old school – rock tunes. It features a few clunkers too, but when the album’s good, it hits its mark. On the negative side, it has the sound of a polished demo and there are more than a few occasions I really wished they had a different vocalist. It’s unlikely to make Moritz stars in the genuine sense, but for die-hard AOR buffs – particularly those who witnessed the band live back in the day – ‘Undivided’ is a welcome release. As good as this may be in places, though, we can only but wonder how much better Moritz would have sounded, had they been given the opportunity to record for a major label and get an album released back in ’87…

January 2011

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