Featuring musicians who’ve also had connections with Ellen & The Degenerates, Choke Up and Answering Machine (not to be confused with Manchester’s The Answering Machine), Sadlands are an indie punk/power pop outfit from the US, whose stock sounds often lean towards the feel-good. This four track debut is big on riffs, but even bigger on alternative melodic hooks that often allow great vocals to shine.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
IMPELLITTERI – Stand In Line
The mid 80s saw a slew of guitarists whom, obsessed with the neo-classical chops of Deep Purple/Rainbow guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, foisted upon the world various records that often seemed to do little more than regurgitate Blackmore’s more inventive playing at twice the speed. Yngwie Malmsteen is arguably the best known practitioner of the style and it’s no coincidence that his 1988 album ‘Odyssey’ remains the finest of all his albums thanks to the presence of an ex-Rainbow vocalist, Joe Lynn Turner, on most tracks. Roughly around the same time Yngwie was recording his masterwork, another shredder, Chris Impelliteri had also enlisted an ex-Rainbow voice – Mr. Graham Bonnet – for singing duties on his first full length studio album, ‘Stand In Line’.
downtalker – All My Friends Are Dead / Watch Your Heart Break
Billed as a “post-punk disco project”, Boston’s downtalker (always credited in a lower case) bring retro sounds of a little left of the norm on this double whammy of digital singles. At a time when a lot of the underground seems obsessed with 90s indie and 80s pop, these guys have channelled their inner weirdos to bring you something a little different.
RONNIE ROMERO – Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters
Throughout 2022, Ronnie Romero continued his very prolific streak of releasing new material. The year brought four new albums: another studio recording with the brilliant Sunstorm, an album with The Ferrymen, a solo disc featuring some well chosen cover tunes and, not least of all, a titanic piece of metal reuniting the hard working singer with his band Lords of Black. With just two albums released in 2023, it was a quiet year by Romero’s usual standards, but you still have to ask: at what point does having a ridiculous work ethic start to look like a man on a musical treadmill at the behest of his record company?
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Socks On Records And Friends Volume 3
Ever since its launch as a not for profit label in 2021, Socks On Records has always conveyed a sense of community spirit. Members of Das Kapitans may well have been the instigators of Socks On and their band is the label’s most prolific act, but everyone who encounters the label becomes a member of their extended family. There’s no one-upmanship; no hierarchy – just a gathering of friends on a mission to make and share good music, DIY style.
This release really extends the Socks On ethos of sharing music in an altruistic way. It brings together over thirty tracks from various names who might not be familiar, and all monies earned from downloads will be donated to CPSL MIND, a mental health charity in Peterborough.