In the spring of 2013, record producer Andrew Curry gathered many power pop superstars and cult artists to record their own versions of 1970s AM radio hits. Highlights included a note perfect take on 10cc’s ‘The Things We Do For Love’, alongside previously unheard covers by the almost legendary Mike Viola, ex-Candy man Kyle Vincent and – no stranger to the cover version – one man pop factory Michael Carpenter, who put his own stamp on Cliff Richard’s UK #1 hit ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’. ‘Drink a Toast To Innocence’ was the embodiment of “guilty pleasure”, for those who believe that such things exist. A year on, Curry gathered more cult pop performers – including return visits for some – for ‘Here Comes The Reign Again: The Second British Invasion’, a similar look back at 80s radio hits.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
ROONI – Pilot EP
In 2011 Swedish singer songwriter Gustav Nilsson released his fifth EP, ‘Makeup On, Letdowns Off’, a collection of tunes which mixed power pop and indie in a way that marked a departure from his more rootsy beginnings. Not perfect by any means, the recording had spirit – and one track in particular, ‘Paper Cuts’, set Nilsson aside as an artist worth watching. Not too long after the release of ‘Makeup On’, Nilsson reappeared as frontman with retro pop/indie pop outfit Rooni [not to be confused with Taylor Locke’s defunct US band Rooney]. The band issued a couple of standalone tracks via their soundcloud account in 2012 – both of which showed promise – but it was the release of their song ‘Ambulance’ the following year which really hit the mark. ‘Ambulance’ is one of those tunes that once heard a few times really sticks; its blend of early 90s indie and a knowing wink to power pop of many years previously resulted in an almost perfect three minute earworm. The styles with which Nilsson had experimented on his last solo EP had finally blossomed into something marvellous.
GREASY HEARTS/SUN VOYAGER – Grease Voyage (split release)
2014 was a very busy year for Brooklyn-based garage rockers Greasy Hearts. At the start of the year, they turned up at fledgling lo-fi label King Pizza Records with their debut EP already recorded, which the label put out straight away. A few months later, they were back in the studio with the label’s in-house producer Seth Applebaum recording new material – the six resultant songs sharper, the performances capturing more fire than before. Gigs were played…lots of gigs; guitarist Joey Farber also played and recorded with his other band The Jeanies. Somehow, between everything else, the Greasy Hearts still found time to record three more tracks, released here as part of a split release with Sun Voyager for the first time.
ORCHARD HILL – Make It Out Alive
A self-released EP, Orchard Hill’s ‘Make It Out Alive’ comes with a surprisingly American sound for a quartet from Oxfordshire. With some tough pop-punk/emo chops and a first rate production job from Ben Humphries [Maximo Park] and John Mitchell [You Me At Six], this debut is incredibly professional. For the genre, you’d be hard pushed to find a better sounding release from bands with ten times the budget at their disposal.
PINEAL – Smiling Cult EP
Putting it bluntly, Pineal aren’t exactly shy with regard to their core influences on this release. Although their recording budget occasionally shows a few limitations, this London-based trio really love Alice In Chains. Their stock riffs are never a straight up reconstruction of the AIC sound, though, since most of the heavier elements are more of a doom-rock persuasion, much slower in pace than AIC at their most sludgy…and certainly much heavier in many respects. Any Alice In Chains homages are due to Daniel Murney‘s vocal style which – in more than a few places – really taps into Layne Staley’s trademark spooked out, nasal croon.