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Pugwash - "Eleven Modern Antiquities" |
| Finally, the long awaited (3 years), brilliant new effort from Thomas Walsh (aka Pugwash)! Includes (as well as regular band mates Keith Farrell and Johnny Boyle) contributions from Andy Partridge and Dave Gregory of XTC, Neil Hannon, Michael Penn, and the Section Quartet! "There are a number of words us music journalists use as shorthand to describe things in the hope that you’ll understand what we’re talking about ('angular', 'hooky', 'warm', 'poptastic'). One of these often used phrases is 'chamber pop'. When I heard this excellent new album the only think I could think of saying was 'this is chamber pop'. It has a level of sophistication in its song structures that suggests opposable thumbs and a highly developed cerebral cortex. This means it’s beautifully arranged – harpsichords, pianos, strings, synths, vocoders, guitars and vocals wrap themselves beautifully around the songs. But to be honest that doesn’t tell you a huge amount. Then, of course, there’s the word ‘pop’. This bit suggests it’s very, very catchy. And it is very, very catch. From the single ‘Take Me Away’ to ‘Here’ to ‘Song For You’, you will be humming this at the traffic lights. However, pop’s a pretty broad church that stretches from the Pixies to Girls Aloud!" - Hot Press "There s a lot of attention given to what has become known as the difficult second album. In reality, things dont get any easier with the third, or in Pugwash's case, the fourth. Following 2005's "Jollity" was a big undertaking, yet Thomas Walsh has made it sound like one he has relished. In fact, this is an album that has such an array of qualities, that it's very easy to overlook some of them. 'Take Me Away' opens proceedings and features a bassline that almost steals the limelight all to itself. As you move deeper into the album, it evokes images of many of Pugwash's heroes and influences, a number of whom are guests and co-writers (XTC's Dave Gregory and Andy Partridge, Jason Falkner and Michael Penn). Many of the ideas aren't what you would class as groundbreaking, but its the manner in which they are delivered that is truly remarkable!" --The State EXCLUSIVE OFFER! COMES WITH A BONUS 4-SONG "MODERN ANTIQUITIES" EP! GREAT!!!! |
| Price:$18.00 |
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The Crash Moderns - "Good Night Glamour Good Morning Disaster" |
| We loved their debut EP! Critics have described their sound as pulling the best of the classic styles of timeless pop bands like The Cars, Elvis Costello and Cheap Trick (they get our vote), coupled with the energy of the best modern rock acts, And that's pretty darned accurate! Their radio-ready infectious melodies and undeniable hooks supported by lots of loud, crunchy guitars, stick in your head after just one listen! This, their first full-length was produced by the band and The Churchills! "The absolute essence of flirtatious, effervescent, sublime pop music. With their fresh pop hooks and the synth high in the mix they have created an energetic, effortless and playful sound!" - Blogcritics.com "There are so many tracks on this record that have single written all over it!" - Melodic.net "Stacked with catchy saccharine filled pop tunes that will give you a monumental sugar rush. A composite of a whole bunch of different rock formations from the SoCal pop of The Monkees and the glam-rock of Sweet to the alternative rock of Barenaked Ladies and the new wave/dance-pop of The Cars. As soon as you think that you have their sound pegged, they hit you with something else that veers more into ‘50s rockabilly regions like in 'Everybody Hates Me,' or the synth-pop balladry of 'Notice Me.' It's barreled with a number of stylish classic power pop tunes like 'This Time' and 'Where’d All the Scene Girls Go.' The SoCal pop of 'Pimp My Life' have a modern finish on a tune that The Monkees probably wish they could have recorded first, and the catchy pop hooks of 'Solid Gold' have an x-factor that make it a song you’ll want to hear repeatedly!" - AbsolutePunk.net Makes a great companion to the latest from Orange Park! Sugar sweet, crunchy, harmony-filled, power pop at its best - plain and simple! GREAT!!!! |
| Price:$10.00 |
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Foxboro Hot Tubs - "Stop Drop and Roll!!!" |
| Primo garage from some familiar faces not so cleverly disquised! It was probably the worst-kept secret in rock history, Green Day have confirmed that they are, in fact, the Foxboro Hot Tubs, thus ending months of speculation that the Hot Tubs - a secretive East Bay garage act that appeared out of nowhere late last year and sounded an awful lot like Green Day - were actually Billie Joe Armstrong and company playing an elaborate prank on their fans. It's the same kind of stunt they pulled back in 2003, when they released an album as the masked synth-rock outfit the Network. From the design of their website, which includes 60's clips of girls dancing the Swim and the Jerk, to the style of music, the 'Tubs are riffing on the aesthetic of classic garage bands like the Animals and the Kinks. Specifically, their inspirations were “red wine and the Troggs,” they say. Hey, nothing wrong with that! "We think that the only similarity [between the Hot Tubs and Green Day] is that we are the same band." they proclaim. "We are Jason White, Jason Freese, Michael Pritchard, Frank Edwin Wright III and the Reverend Strychnine Twitch, four guys who love to play music and be spontaneous, [and] after a few late night jams we were inspired to record some rockin' eight-track recordings!" For those who don't know, Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt's real name is Michael Pritchard, and drummer Tre Cool was born Frank Edwin Wright III. We're just going to assume that "Strychnine Twitch" is the alter ego Armstrong has adopted for the Hot Tubs project (it's also a lyric in Foxboro's tune "Stop Drop and Roll"). Freese and White have both played on Green Day's recent albums, and White is also a member of Armstrong's side project, Pinhead Gunpowder. The result is a wonderful blend of stripped down, late 50's guitar rock and roll and 60's guitar and Farfisa-fueled garage! "Red Tide" sounds like the first cousin to The Kinks' "Tired Of Waiting For You"! In fact, most of this record is Kinks-inspired! The kind of stuff we love! GREAT!!! |
| Price:$12.00 |
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The Explorers Club - "Freedom Wind" |
| Hey fans of classic Beach Boys - this one's for you! Ditching the coal-ridden hills of South Carolina for sunny 1960s Southern California, they offer a sound as quintessentially Venice Beach as a Woodie hugging the curves of the Pacfic Coast Highway. With Jason Brewer's sailing falsetto poised atop layers of melodious, interchanging backing vocals and plenty of eclectic instrumentation to boot! "'THEY'VE FOUND THE NEW SOUND AT LAST!' shrieked the headline over a London Sunday Express review as 'Good Vibrations' hit the English charts at #6 and leaped to #1 the following week. Bright, cheery, bouncy, shiny: pretty much the true sound of Los Angeles, in 1966. A critic or two might've groused that groups like the Beach Boys and the Beatles were drowning out real American rock'n'roll - who would squander their good American gin-and-glue buying power to consume this surfer-limey drivel? - but a gazillion years later, it's pretty clear which old farts won that battle. For confirmation, look no further than The Explorers Club, who have created nothing less than a full-fledged teenage symphony to Brian Wilson. More than a decade after the likes of the High Llamas and the Elephant 6 groups helped revive interest in the Beach Boys' psychedelic period, they have refreshingly more innocent ideas, taking inspiration from the Beach Boys' songs about girls and fun in the sun, from the years before and after their Chuck Berry-style rock'n'roll was replaced by sounds that were more complex and disturbing - 'Holland' as much as 'Today!', with some of 'Friends' low-key charm. From their Spector-lush production to their layered vocal harmonies, and even into some specifics of their compositional structures, songs like 'Don't Forget The Sun' or 'Last Kiss' and 'Do You Love Me?' could almost be mistaken for lost Beach Boys sides. What could come as higher praise?" - PitchforkMedia.com "There is a lot of sweetness and sunshine here, but everything is so well composed and balanced that it never gets too much!" - Eardrumsmusic.com Even the cover is a throwback - both the typeface and the design looks like something that could have been released 50 years ago. There’s even a worn mark from an old 12 inch vinyl album on the top of the cover! You gotta love their attention to detail! GREAT!!!! |
| Price:$15.00 |
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Chewy Marble - "Modulations" |
| WOW! Brian Kassen and mates are back after nearly 7 years with their long overdue third effort! And we're thrilled to report that it's been worth the wait, as this gem has already lodged itself as one of our favorite releases of 2008! Reading like a tribute to all that is 60's/70's Brit-inspired pop, it channels The Beatles, Badfinger (especially on "Picture The Finger") and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd ("My Monster"). All of the catchy, hook-filled songs are top-notch, the guitars crunchy when necessary, and the harmonies are spot on! Nelson Bragg (The Quarter After/Brian Wilson, et al) lends his drumming expertise to the proceedings. Even the two instrumentals are fascinating. The electric piano-led "Mental Toothache" sounds like something from The Zombies (circa "Odessey and Oracle") mixed with "On Sir Francis Drake" from The Youngbloods' "Elephant Mountain"! The George Harrison-inspired "Moments" sounds like it could've been a "White Album" or "All Things Must Pass" outtake! "You'll find much of the kind of hooky, melodic power-pop that has made them a fan favorite. They also expand their horizons a bit as songwriter Kassan takes on lead vocals on several of the tracks, giving the band a darker, more introspective side. This album could end up as many fans' favorite Chewy Marble disc because of the varying hues!" - David Bash/IPO Spot on, David! Some of our favorites are "Black & White", "She Roxx", "Picture The Finger", and "Somewhere Else". Can't say enough about this one! GREAT!!! |
| Price:$12.00 |
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