Thomas Walsh (also known for his band Pugwash and part of The Duckworth Lewis Method) will release his newest record The Rest Is History later this year.
The single "A Good Day For Me" is out now - and it's just fabulous! I love it.
Showing posts with label Pugwash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pugwash. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Thomas Walsh (Pugwash, The Duckworth Lewis Method) - A Good Day For Me
Sunday, February 6, 2022
Pugwash - Album # 8 - Crowdfunding @ Indiegogo
Pugwash is back in the studio - and album number 8 is on the way! Please support it via crowdfunding:
PUGWASH ALBUM # 8
Monday, April 2, 2018
Jason Falkner - Biography & Discography
There is this kind of musician who is writing, releasing records and performing his own music for more than two decades - but misses the aim that is chart success? The one who creates stunning music and don't get any recognition by public, but by his loyal fans? One of them is Jason Falkner.
To sum it up: he may be one of the most underrated musicians of the last two decades. What a pity!
To sum it up: he may be one of the most underrated musicians of the last two decades. What a pity!
Falkner started his musical career with a band called The Three O'Clock but soon he joined a new band of his former bandmate (Roger Joseph Manning Jr.) - Jellyfish. After the success of the first record (Bellybutton) he left the band and said he'll be never again a band member again (where he was clearly wrong).
His solo career started in 1996 with Presents Author Unknown, followed with the fabulous Can You Still Feel?. I recommend to listen to Can You Still Feel? from start to finish - there's no filler song, no low point.
2001 was a good year for loyal fans: two collection of rare songs and demos were released: Necessity: The 4-Track Years and Everyone Says It's On. Falkner also put a collection of Beatles songs, performed as lullabies, the title says it all: Bedtime With The Beatles (the follow up was released in 2008).
In 2002 a full album of unreleased material surfaced in the internet - it was called Eloquence, in 2004 he had the phenomenal Bliss Descending EP out.
His latest two records (I'm OK... You're OK and All Quiet On the Noise Floor) had only a release in Japan. Three years (THREE YEARS!) later I'm OK ... You're OK was finally out in the US and Europe. All Quiet On The Noise Floor didn't have this fortune.
Jason Falkner solo - discography:
- Presents Author Unknown (1996)
- Can You Still Feel? (1999)
- Necessity: The 4-Track Years (2001)
- Everyone Says It's On (2001)
- Bedtime With The Beatles (2001)
- Eloquence (2002) - never officially released!
- Bliss Descending (EP) (2004)
- I'm OK... You're OK (2007)
- Bedtime With The Beatles 2 (2008)
- All Quiet On the Noise Floor (2009)
Since 2009 Jason Falkner stopped his solo career and became producer, session musician and performed with several bands:
- Jellyfish – Bellybutton (1990)
- The Greys - Ro Sham Bo (1994 - with Jon Brion- vocals, guitar)
- Susanna Hoffs - Susanna Hoffs (1996 - bass, keyboards, guitar, percussion, organ, drums )
- Brendan Benson - One Mississippi (1996 - co-writer) and Lapalco (2002 - co-produced, backing vocals)
- Eric Matthews - The Lateness of the Hour (1997 - electric guitar, bass, piano, drums, co-producer)
- Chris Cornell - Euphoria Morning (1999 - bass)
- Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and Brian Reitzell - Logan's Sanctuary (2000 - guitar, lead vocals, bass)
- Air - 10 000 Hz Legend (2001 - bass, he also toured with the band), Talkie Walkie (2004 - bass)
- TV Eyes (Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and Brian Reitzell) (2001)
- Aimee Mann - Lost In Space (2002 - bass)
- The Blondes - The Blondes (2002 - producer)
- Travis - The Invisible Band (2001 - keyboards, backing vocals on the B-Side "Killer Queen")
- Pugwash - Almanac (2002 - vox continental, vocals, guitar)
- Lisa Loeb - The Way It Really Is (2004 - electric guitar, Wurlitzer piano, background vocals)
- Magnet - Tourniquet (2005 - producer)
- Ben Lee - Awake is the New Alseep (2005 - backing vocals)
- Paul McCartney - Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (2005 - electric guitar, acoustic guitar)
- The Nines - Calling Distance Stations (2006 - mixing, backing vocals)
- Beck - Sea Change (2002 - guitar), The Information (2006 - acoustic and electric guitar, bass, drums, percussion, African drums, Moog bass, background vocals) and Modern Guilt (2008)
- Anne Soldaat - In Another Life (2009) - producer, instruments, co-writer
- Daniel Johnston - Is and Always Was (2009 - producer, engineer, mixing, guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals)
- The Informers – Soundtrack (2009)
- Glen Campbell - Ghost on the Canvas (2011 - bass, guitar)
- Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (2011 - guitar)
- R. Stevie Moore - Make It Be (2017)
- Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Who Built The Moon? (2017)
- Pugwash - Silverlake (2017 - producer)
Here is the famous, never seen the light of the release day album Eloquence in all his glory:
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
PowerPopSquare Top 10 of 2017
The year draws to a close, seen musically it was a stunning year (in other areas, it was surely not).
So - here is the Top 10 of PowerPopSquare for 2017:
1. Chris Price - Stop Talking
Price is a man of many talents - producer for Emitt Rhodes and Linda Perhacs, writing with artists like Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (Jellyfish) and Taylor Locke (Rooney) or recording a complete album with an iPhone 4 (his first record Homesick).
Chris Price was joined in the studio by a variety of top musicians, including Kyle Fredrickson, Ben Lecourt, Fernando Perdomo, Joe Seiders and many others. Price explains: “I spent the five years since my first album Homesick working on albums for two heroes of mine, Emitt Rhodes and Linda Perhacs. But I never stopped writing and recording material of my own, and both of those incredibly inspiring and fulfilling projects ended up deeply informing my work, pushing me to think harder about my lyrics, become more adventurous in my production and never take the safe route musically. Nearly 50 songs were recorded for this project, and I went through an arduous and at times painful process whittling it all down to the form it is now in. I’m very proud of this work, which has been brewing for quite some time. But I should really stop talking and let the music speak for itself.”
And he has every right to be proud of this record. It is my number one record of 2017. And it left me deeply impressed.
Stop Talking is available on CD and (very limited) Vinyl. Listen to it here:
2. Pugwash - Silverlake
Thomas Walsh recorded his latest record Silverlake mainly on its own - with producer Jason Falkner (yes, THE Jason Falkner of Jellyfish!).
Thomas wrote all the songs, arranged them, and played acoustic guitar. Jason played everything else (except the strings), sang backing vocals and recorded/produced.
Thomas says: "I’ve known Jason for twenty years, so I rang him last Christmas and asked him what his next year was looking like. He said, ‘It’s fuckin’ full up, but if you’re saying to me we can make a record, I’ll make time'. That was an amazing thing to hear. The minute I heard that I was hooked. I got excited again. Within a week I’d written all the songs.”
The opener and lead single (The Perfect Summer) is nothing less than perfect pop music.
I admire Sunshine True, Everyone Knows That You're Mine and Such a Shame for their tremendous melodies and lyrics. All of the twelve songs are growing the more often you listen to them. And that's what you should do right now!
You can get the download, CD, LP, a limited 7" single and a T-shirt (bundles available) directly from Lojinx.
3. Neil Finn - Out of Silence
Out Of Silence - the new record of Neil Finn - was recorded in four intimate 2-hour-sessions, broadcasted live on the internet.
The result is a minimalistic and just beautiful album. "More Than One Of You" should convince everyone within its first seconds:
4. Jeremy Messersmith - 11 Obscenely Optimistic Songs For Ukulele: A Micro-Folk Record For the 21st Century And Beyond
jeremy messersmith describes his new record (11 Obscenely Optimistic Songs For Ukulele: A Micro-Folk Record For the 21st Century And Beyond) as "jam-packed with ridiculous songs about kittens, world peace, flying cars and the transformative power of love. Why? Because we all need a ray of sunshine every now and again. Because it's important to not lose sight of how good things could be. Because the first step to a better world is to imagine a better world. (...) I don't know if a song can change the world, but singing sure can. Trust me. You'll feel better and that's a start, right?"
The record is just Jeremy Messersmith and his Ukulele. 10 songs, lyrics of pure optimism and gorgeous melodies.
5. Bill DeMain - Transatlantic Romantic
With his first full length album Bill DeMain created nothing less than an instant classic.
This gem will grow on you with every listen!
6. Charlotte Gainsbourg - Rest
Charlotte Gainsbourg is not only an actress, also she's a singer. She recorded songs with artists like Jarvis Cocker (from Pulp), Jean-Benoît Dunckel (from AIR), Nicolas Godin, Beck and Neil Hannon (from Divine Comedy).
Listen to two songs from it here:
7. Nic Cester - Sugar Rush
Nic Cester, the lead singer of JET has returned with a solo record.
"Sugar Rush" has become an amazing rock record - listen to the lead singles here:
8. Seth MacFarlane - In Full Swing
Seth MacFarlane is widely known as the creator of Family Guy and American Dad, the movies Ted and A Million Ways to Die in the West and recently the reinvention of Star Trek in The Orville.
While his kind of humor is a matter of taste he has another talent that is less known: MacFarlane is a musician with a keen sense of reinterpretations of The Great American Songbook. His fourth album is out now: In Full Swing.
If you have at least a minimal interest in this genre, listen to it NOW.
9. Aimee Mann - Mental Illness
Aimee Mann’s Mental Illness, her first album in five years, is a return to a more musically soft-spoken but still lyrically barbed approach.
The Oscar-nominated, Grammy-winning singer remains a student of human behavior, drawing not just on her own experiences to form the characters in the songs but tales told by friends. “I assume the brief on me is that people think that I write these really depressing songs,” Mann says. “I don’t know—people may have a different viewpoint—but that’s my own interpretation of the cliché about me. So if they thought that my songs were very down-tempo, very depressing, very sad, and very acoustic, I thought I’d just give myself permission to write the saddest, slowest, most acoustic, if-they’re- all-waltzes- so-be- it record I could… I mean, calling it "Mental Illness" makes me laugh, because it is true, but it’s so blunt that it’s funny.”
10. Goldfrapp - Silver Eye
Silver Eye is Goldfrapp in its best form. They continue their dark, electronic and melodic songwriting and bring it to perfection.
Special Award: Owsley - Feel No Pain
Almost two years ago I made a serious attempt to get everything together for a project: a Third Record of Will Owsley. There are a couple of stunning songs (demos, unreleased songs, collaborations) out there and as far as I know many more are in the vaults. So I asked at Facebook if there is Interest in such a project (and man - there is!) and started a poll to look for a possible success of a crowdfunding campaign. So all signs looked good.
A lot of other musicians, friends of Will Owsley and his family showed interest, too. Sadly the project wasn't realized. To cut a long story short: I created a third record myself. And I think it's a good one. It's called Feel No Pain.
If you want to know more about the record, just write me here: powerpopsquare@gmail.com
So - here is the Top 10 of PowerPopSquare for 2017:
1. Chris Price - Stop Talking
Price is a man of many talents - producer for Emitt Rhodes and Linda Perhacs, writing with artists like Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (Jellyfish) and Taylor Locke (Rooney) or recording a complete album with an iPhone 4 (his first record Homesick).
Chris Price was joined in the studio by a variety of top musicians, including Kyle Fredrickson, Ben Lecourt, Fernando Perdomo, Joe Seiders and many others. Price explains: “I spent the five years since my first album Homesick working on albums for two heroes of mine, Emitt Rhodes and Linda Perhacs. But I never stopped writing and recording material of my own, and both of those incredibly inspiring and fulfilling projects ended up deeply informing my work, pushing me to think harder about my lyrics, become more adventurous in my production and never take the safe route musically. Nearly 50 songs were recorded for this project, and I went through an arduous and at times painful process whittling it all down to the form it is now in. I’m very proud of this work, which has been brewing for quite some time. But I should really stop talking and let the music speak for itself.”
And he has every right to be proud of this record. It is my number one record of 2017. And it left me deeply impressed.
Stop Talking is available on CD and (very limited) Vinyl. Listen to it here:
2. Pugwash - Silverlake
Thomas Walsh recorded his latest record Silverlake mainly on its own - with producer Jason Falkner (yes, THE Jason Falkner of Jellyfish!).
Thomas wrote all the songs, arranged them, and played acoustic guitar. Jason played everything else (except the strings), sang backing vocals and recorded/produced.
Thomas says: "I’ve known Jason for twenty years, so I rang him last Christmas and asked him what his next year was looking like. He said, ‘It’s fuckin’ full up, but if you’re saying to me we can make a record, I’ll make time'. That was an amazing thing to hear. The minute I heard that I was hooked. I got excited again. Within a week I’d written all the songs.”
The opener and lead single (The Perfect Summer) is nothing less than perfect pop music.
I admire Sunshine True, Everyone Knows That You're Mine and Such a Shame for their tremendous melodies and lyrics. All of the twelve songs are growing the more often you listen to them. And that's what you should do right now!
You can get the download, CD, LP, a limited 7" single and a T-shirt (bundles available) directly from Lojinx.
3. Neil Finn - Out of Silence
Out Of Silence - the new record of Neil Finn - was recorded in four intimate 2-hour-sessions, broadcasted live on the internet.
The result is a minimalistic and just beautiful album. "More Than One Of You" should convince everyone within its first seconds:
4. Jeremy Messersmith - 11 Obscenely Optimistic Songs For Ukulele: A Micro-Folk Record For the 21st Century And Beyond
jeremy messersmith describes his new record (11 Obscenely Optimistic Songs For Ukulele: A Micro-Folk Record For the 21st Century And Beyond) as "jam-packed with ridiculous songs about kittens, world peace, flying cars and the transformative power of love. Why? Because we all need a ray of sunshine every now and again. Because it's important to not lose sight of how good things could be. Because the first step to a better world is to imagine a better world. (...) I don't know if a song can change the world, but singing sure can. Trust me. You'll feel better and that's a start, right?"
5. Bill DeMain - Transatlantic Romantic
With his first full length album Bill DeMain created nothing less than an instant classic.
This gem will grow on you with every listen!
6. Charlotte Gainsbourg - Rest
Charlotte Gainsbourg is not only an actress, also she's a singer. She recorded songs with artists like Jarvis Cocker (from Pulp), Jean-Benoît Dunckel (from AIR), Nicolas Godin, Beck and Neil Hannon (from Divine Comedy).
Listen to two songs from it here:
7. Nic Cester - Sugar Rush
Nic Cester, the lead singer of JET has returned with a solo record.
"Sugar Rush" has become an amazing rock record - listen to the lead singles here:
8. Seth MacFarlane - In Full Swing
Seth MacFarlane is widely known as the creator of Family Guy and American Dad, the movies Ted and A Million Ways to Die in the West and recently the reinvention of Star Trek in The Orville.
While his kind of humor is a matter of taste he has another talent that is less known: MacFarlane is a musician with a keen sense of reinterpretations of The Great American Songbook. His fourth album is out now: In Full Swing.
If you have at least a minimal interest in this genre, listen to it NOW.
9. Aimee Mann - Mental Illness
Aimee Mann’s Mental Illness, her first album in five years, is a return to a more musically soft-spoken but still lyrically barbed approach.
The Oscar-nominated, Grammy-winning singer remains a student of human behavior, drawing not just on her own experiences to form the characters in the songs but tales told by friends. “I assume the brief on me is that people think that I write these really depressing songs,” Mann says. “I don’t know—people may have a different viewpoint—but that’s my own interpretation of the cliché about me. So if they thought that my songs were very down-tempo, very depressing, very sad, and very acoustic, I thought I’d just give myself permission to write the saddest, slowest, most acoustic, if-they’re- all-waltzes- so-be- it record I could… I mean, calling it "Mental Illness" makes me laugh, because it is true, but it’s so blunt that it’s funny.”
10. Goldfrapp - Silver Eye
Silver Eye is Goldfrapp in its best form. They continue their dark, electronic and melodic songwriting and bring it to perfection.
Special Award: Owsley - Feel No Pain
Almost two years ago I made a serious attempt to get everything together for a project: a Third Record of Will Owsley. There are a couple of stunning songs (demos, unreleased songs, collaborations) out there and as far as I know many more are in the vaults. So I asked at Facebook if there is Interest in such a project (and man - there is!) and started a poll to look for a possible success of a crowdfunding campaign. So all signs looked good.
A lot of other musicians, friends of Will Owsley and his family showed interest, too. Sadly the project wasn't realized. To cut a long story short: I created a third record myself. And I think it's a good one. It's called Feel No Pain.
If you want to know more about the record, just write me here: powerpopsquare@gmail.com
Friday, November 24, 2017
Pugwash - Silverlake (Review)
Pugwash is back with a new record: Silverlake. But this time it is quite different: Thomas Walsh recorded it mainly on its own with producer Jason Falkner (yes, THE Jason Falkner of Jellyfish!).
Recorded in Falkner’s LA studio earlier this year, Thomas wrote all the songs, arranged them, and played acoustic guitar. Jason played everything else (except the strings), sang backing vocals and recorded/produced.
Thomas says: "I’ve known Jason for twenty years, so I rang him last Christmas and asked him what his next year was looking like. He said, ‘It’s fuckin’ full up, but if you’re saying to me we can make a record, I’ll make time'. That was an amazing thing to hear. The minute I heard that I was hooked. I got excited again. Within a week I’d written all the songs.”
The opener and lead single (The Perfect Summer) is nothing less than perfect pop music.
I admire Sunshine True, Everyone Knows That You're Mine and Such a Shame for their tremendous melodies and lyrics. All of the twelve songs are growing the more often you listen to them. And that's what you should do right now!
Silverlake is out now! You can get the download, CD, LP, a limited 7" single and a T-shirt (bundles available) directly from Lojinx.
Recorded in Falkner’s LA studio earlier this year, Thomas wrote all the songs, arranged them, and played acoustic guitar. Jason played everything else (except the strings), sang backing vocals and recorded/produced.
Thomas says: "I’ve known Jason for twenty years, so I rang him last Christmas and asked him what his next year was looking like. He said, ‘It’s fuckin’ full up, but if you’re saying to me we can make a record, I’ll make time'. That was an amazing thing to hear. The minute I heard that I was hooked. I got excited again. Within a week I’d written all the songs.”
The opener and lead single (The Perfect Summer) is nothing less than perfect pop music.
I admire Sunshine True, Everyone Knows That You're Mine and Such a Shame for their tremendous melodies and lyrics. All of the twelve songs are growing the more often you listen to them. And that's what you should do right now!
Silverlake is out now! You can get the download, CD, LP, a limited 7" single and a T-shirt (bundles available) directly from Lojinx.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Pugwash - The 7th record (with Jason Falkner)
The seventh album of Pugwash is out in 2017. A crowdfunding campaign just started at Kickstarter.
...
You haven't pledged yet?
Yes, it's Jason Falkner (of Jellyfish) in this picture below. And he is playing and working on this record, too.
So hurry up and go to Kickstarter NOW!
...
You haven't pledged yet?
Yes, it's Jason Falkner (of Jellyfish) in this picture below. And he is playing and working on this record, too.
So hurry up and go to Kickstarter NOW!
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Top 10 Records of 2015
It's mid-december, the nights are getting longer, days shorter - so it's time to finish the year 2015 (musically). Again it was an incredible year with stunning new music! Here they are - my Top 10 Records of 2015:
1. Adam Levy - Naubinway
A really good record can be found almost every month. But then there are unique records. Special albums that stay in your mind - and on your turntable/CD-player/smartphone - for a long time. They are really seldom (for me it's about one or two in a decade).
Naubinway - the first solo record of Minneapolis music legend Adam Levy (best known from The Honeydogs) - is out now! And for me it IS one of these unique recordings.
Adam Levy's son Daniel committed suicide in 2012. Adam stopped his musical work and spent much of the next three years grieving and sharing his story in public forums. In 2014 Adam started to work on the new record. The songs are very introspective and refer to the time around this tragic event. Naubinway has become an album of exquisite songcraft that focuses on the themes of love, loss, grieve and grace.
Daniel s stunning artwork is featured on the cover and in a 32-page booklet.
Every single one of the 13 tracks is self-contained and quite different from each other which makes it very hard to recommend single songs to get a taste of the album. I simply recommend to listen to the LP from start to finish.
If you just want 3-4 songs at first listen to "Take It As It Comes" (it's simply beautiful), "Atoms Never Die" (it's haunting; one of the very few songs I know that I tend to repeat just after the first run), "Naubinway" (it's overwhelming and heartbreaking) and "When Your Well Runs Dry" (I'm sure Lennon would have been jealous because he didn't write it himself).
Buy Naubinway at Bandcamp (or listen to it entirely) or Amazon.com (CD, Vinyl, digital)
2. Pugwash - Play This Intimately (As If Among Friends)
I'm sure no artist likes to be compared with other ones ... except its idols.
So it's no shame to state that Pugwash is best located somewhere very near to The Beatles and E.L.O. It's already four years since the impressive forerunner Olympus Sound. Now Pugwash are back with their new record Play This Intimately (As If Among Friends). And it's huge!
3. Marc Martel - Impersonator
Three years ago Marc Martel posted a video of a Queen cover on YouTube. I'm very sure he didn't expect at all what would happen after that: 10 million people watched the video.
He became the frontman at the official Queen Tribute Band (Queen Extravaganza) - chosen by Queen drummer Roger Taylor - and toured the world. In 2013 he released his debut EP (Prelude EP), which was co-produced by Bleu and produced by John Fields.
Earlier in 2015 the full debut record was out (also produced by Fields): Impersonator has become my personal best debut record in at least the last 5 years. The record is filled with 12 songs and 47 minutes of pure intensity and passion for good music.
Yes, Freddie Mercury comparisons can't be denied. Listen to "Stalemate" or "Our Best" and get a picture of it. But please also listen to "Paradise" or "Say The Word". He is much more than a voice double. He is one of the most talented new artists out there.
4. Aqualung - 10 Futures
10 Futures is the latest album by Matt Hales - also known as Aqualung.
I was very sceptic about this record. About half of the songs are performed by guest vocalists, which is quite new to Aqualung. And the first single Tape 2 Tape shocked me the first time I listen to it quite a bit.
The thing is: this record is a grower. A huge grower. The 10 songs combine a wide range of genres into a surprisingly homogeneous result.
Stand-out tracks are hard to name. I recommend to start with: Tape 2 Tape, Eggshells, Be Beautiful, New Low, Hearts, To The Wonder (every single one of these songs would be worth it alone to buy the album).
5. Taylor Locke - Time Stands Still
Taylor Locke co-founded the L.A. based band Rooney in 1999 and was signed to Geffen Records at the age of 18. After 3 albums and a number one single in Germany he was ready now for a solo career with his debut solo album "Time Stands Still".
The record has 10 songs and not a single filler - Time Stands Still is full of highlights:
There are songs of pure beauty - like the opener Burbank Woman, the title track Time Stands Still or The Art Of Moving On.
Running Away From Love travels back to the 70s, So Long is the perfect track for radio airplay and the heavy Call Me Kuchu occupies the middle of the LP.
There are lyrics from the late Kim Fowley, as well as co-writing with singer-songwriter Kelly Jones and Chris Price (who is also a member of Taylor Locke & The Roughs).
Time Stands Still has its band parts, but there are also intimate acoustic parts where the band steps aside. And it's exactly these parts, which makes this album so special to me.
6. Ron Sexsmith - Carousel One
There's not much to say to the new Ron Sexsmith record (in the best way you can imagine) except it's high quality music as always.
7. Jim Boggia - Ukepop
Jim started a Patreon campaign more than a year ago (more information HERE). It's all about music and ukulele. It works like this: You follow the artist. Every time he releases a new video or song, you pay for it automatically. You can pay different subscription levels - and get different rewards.
On November 2, 2015 he offered a CD called UKEPOP filled with his ukulele songs. It's exclusive for patreons and was available until November 15, 2015.
It's really sad that this isn't purchasable anymore (maybe it will be again in the future, you never know).
8. Brandon Schott - Crayons & Angels
Brandon Schott is not just a very fine musician, he's also a great human being! His new record Crayons & Angels was out in 2015 on Curry Cuts.
"It was in a small two bedroom condo on Louise Street in Glendale, California that the story of Crayons & Angels began. In the healing shadow of a life changing illness I started writing and recording an album called Dandelion. That album featured music that ended up being little meditations, reflecting back on the immediate past of those years. But there were other songs that started to emerge at the same time. Songs that felt very different, that played through the darkness more like a celebration of spirit. They've been kicking around ever since, waiting for the right record to shine. These are the songs that inform the heart of Crayons & Angels."
Brandon Schott, Summer 2015
9. The Candle Thieves - Chemicals Of The Imagination
I'm a fan of The Candle Thieves for some years now. Their latest record Chemicals Of The Imagination was available for pre-order for a short time at their Official Website a few weeks ago. Now it's not anymore - the official release will be sometime in 2016. I hope so!
10. Mike Viola - Stairway To Paradise
Mike Viola is playing guitar in Ryan Adams’ band the Shining for almost a year now.
In return the "Stairway To Paradise" 7″ (available on vinyl and digital) was produced and recorded by Adams.
The title track is slightly different from what Mike has done before. It's darker, quite mysterious - but still with his well known ability for harmonies. "Roxxy Girl" and "Clink Glasses, Salud" prove he's again on top of his game.
Side note: If you look at the song length you'll recognize that three of the four songs are just 60 to 100 seconds long. That's really short for a song, but regarding to Mikes' discography it's exactly the length of the best songs he's ever written.
Ryan Adams talks about Mike Viola at Pax-AM: "Mike is a genius. His songs are pure genius. He records himself though sometimes and he ruins everything. So I made him come to my studio and just him and me made music under the name Defcon 4 ( which is a really funny story where I tried to be friends with him for 4 FUCKING YEARS and he never really wrote back so I wrote him a mean email and he asked if we could please bring it down to Defcon 4 please… now we are true bros )…. Anyway he is a genius and I basically make him make stuff really quickly and not think about it.
When you do that to him he breaks your heart. Fuck you, Mike. You’re so smart you asshole. I love you.
These tracks are assorted, a few from the first session we ever did together and a few from the concept record “I’m Going To Kill You” that Mike is making about going back in time and hunting his own self."
Buy it at Pax-AM or mikeviola.com
Honorable mention: Emitt Rhodes & Chris Price - How Can You Mend A Broken Heart (7" red vinyl)
Following the Pledge Music campaign of Emitt Rhodes (HERE) I researched and found a Record Store Day exclusive record of him from 2015.
It's a truly beautiful translucent red 7" vinyl of two Bee Gees covers:
A Emitt Rhodes - How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
B Chris Price - Please Read Me
Limited to 1000 copies. Neither available digital nor on CD. And to make it short: it's a gem.
1. Adam Levy - Naubinway
A really good record can be found almost every month. But then there are unique records. Special albums that stay in your mind - and on your turntable/CD-player/smartphone - for a long time. They are really seldom (for me it's about one or two in a decade).
Naubinway - the first solo record of Minneapolis music legend Adam Levy (best known from The Honeydogs) - is out now! And for me it IS one of these unique recordings.
Adam Levy's son Daniel committed suicide in 2012. Adam stopped his musical work and spent much of the next three years grieving and sharing his story in public forums. In 2014 Adam started to work on the new record. The songs are very introspective and refer to the time around this tragic event. Naubinway has become an album of exquisite songcraft that focuses on the themes of love, loss, grieve and grace.
Daniel s stunning artwork is featured on the cover and in a 32-page booklet.
Every single one of the 13 tracks is self-contained and quite different from each other which makes it very hard to recommend single songs to get a taste of the album. I simply recommend to listen to the LP from start to finish.
If you just want 3-4 songs at first listen to "Take It As It Comes" (it's simply beautiful), "Atoms Never Die" (it's haunting; one of the very few songs I know that I tend to repeat just after the first run), "Naubinway" (it's overwhelming and heartbreaking) and "When Your Well Runs Dry" (I'm sure Lennon would have been jealous because he didn't write it himself).
Buy Naubinway at Bandcamp (or listen to it entirely) or Amazon.com (CD, Vinyl, digital)
2. Pugwash - Play This Intimately (As If Among Friends)
I'm sure no artist likes to be compared with other ones ... except its idols.
So it's no shame to state that Pugwash is best located somewhere very near to The Beatles and E.L.O. It's already four years since the impressive forerunner Olympus Sound. Now Pugwash are back with their new record Play This Intimately (As If Among Friends). And it's huge!
3. Marc Martel - Impersonator
Three years ago Marc Martel posted a video of a Queen cover on YouTube. I'm very sure he didn't expect at all what would happen after that: 10 million people watched the video.
He became the frontman at the official Queen Tribute Band (Queen Extravaganza) - chosen by Queen drummer Roger Taylor - and toured the world. In 2013 he released his debut EP (Prelude EP), which was co-produced by Bleu and produced by John Fields.
Earlier in 2015 the full debut record was out (also produced by Fields): Impersonator has become my personal best debut record in at least the last 5 years. The record is filled with 12 songs and 47 minutes of pure intensity and passion for good music.
Yes, Freddie Mercury comparisons can't be denied. Listen to "Stalemate" or "Our Best" and get a picture of it. But please also listen to "Paradise" or "Say The Word". He is much more than a voice double. He is one of the most talented new artists out there.
4. Aqualung - 10 Futures
10 Futures is the latest album by Matt Hales - also known as Aqualung.
I was very sceptic about this record. About half of the songs are performed by guest vocalists, which is quite new to Aqualung. And the first single Tape 2 Tape shocked me the first time I listen to it quite a bit.
The thing is: this record is a grower. A huge grower. The 10 songs combine a wide range of genres into a surprisingly homogeneous result.
Stand-out tracks are hard to name. I recommend to start with: Tape 2 Tape, Eggshells, Be Beautiful, New Low, Hearts, To The Wonder (every single one of these songs would be worth it alone to buy the album).
5. Taylor Locke - Time Stands Still
Taylor Locke co-founded the L.A. based band Rooney in 1999 and was signed to Geffen Records at the age of 18. After 3 albums and a number one single in Germany he was ready now for a solo career with his debut solo album "Time Stands Still".
The record has 10 songs and not a single filler - Time Stands Still is full of highlights:
There are songs of pure beauty - like the opener Burbank Woman, the title track Time Stands Still or The Art Of Moving On.
Running Away From Love travels back to the 70s, So Long is the perfect track for radio airplay and the heavy Call Me Kuchu occupies the middle of the LP.
There are lyrics from the late Kim Fowley, as well as co-writing with singer-songwriter Kelly Jones and Chris Price (who is also a member of Taylor Locke & The Roughs).
Time Stands Still has its band parts, but there are also intimate acoustic parts where the band steps aside. And it's exactly these parts, which makes this album so special to me.
6. Ron Sexsmith - Carousel One
There's not much to say to the new Ron Sexsmith record (in the best way you can imagine) except it's high quality music as always.
7. Jim Boggia - Ukepop
Jim started a Patreon campaign more than a year ago (more information HERE). It's all about music and ukulele. It works like this: You follow the artist. Every time he releases a new video or song, you pay for it automatically. You can pay different subscription levels - and get different rewards.
On November 2, 2015 he offered a CD called UKEPOP filled with his ukulele songs. It's exclusive for patreons and was available until November 15, 2015.
It's really sad that this isn't purchasable anymore (maybe it will be again in the future, you never know).
Brandon Schott is not just a very fine musician, he's also a great human being! His new record Crayons & Angels was out in 2015 on Curry Cuts.
"It was in a small two bedroom condo on Louise Street in Glendale, California that the story of Crayons & Angels began. In the healing shadow of a life changing illness I started writing and recording an album called Dandelion. That album featured music that ended up being little meditations, reflecting back on the immediate past of those years. But there were other songs that started to emerge at the same time. Songs that felt very different, that played through the darkness more like a celebration of spirit. They've been kicking around ever since, waiting for the right record to shine. These are the songs that inform the heart of Crayons & Angels."
Brandon Schott, Summer 2015
9. The Candle Thieves - Chemicals Of The Imagination
I'm a fan of The Candle Thieves for some years now. Their latest record Chemicals Of The Imagination was available for pre-order for a short time at their Official Website a few weeks ago. Now it's not anymore - the official release will be sometime in 2016. I hope so!
10. Mike Viola - Stairway To Paradise
Mike Viola is playing guitar in Ryan Adams’ band the Shining for almost a year now.
In return the "Stairway To Paradise" 7″ (available on vinyl and digital) was produced and recorded by Adams.
The title track is slightly different from what Mike has done before. It's darker, quite mysterious - but still with his well known ability for harmonies. "Roxxy Girl" and "Clink Glasses, Salud" prove he's again on top of his game.
Side note: If you look at the song length you'll recognize that three of the four songs are just 60 to 100 seconds long. That's really short for a song, but regarding to Mikes' discography it's exactly the length of the best songs he's ever written.
Ryan Adams talks about Mike Viola at Pax-AM: "Mike is a genius. His songs are pure genius. He records himself though sometimes and he ruins everything. So I made him come to my studio and just him and me made music under the name Defcon 4 ( which is a really funny story where I tried to be friends with him for 4 FUCKING YEARS and he never really wrote back so I wrote him a mean email and he asked if we could please bring it down to Defcon 4 please… now we are true bros )…. Anyway he is a genius and I basically make him make stuff really quickly and not think about it.
When you do that to him he breaks your heart. Fuck you, Mike. You’re so smart you asshole. I love you.
These tracks are assorted, a few from the first session we ever did together and a few from the concept record “I’m Going To Kill You” that Mike is making about going back in time and hunting his own self."
Buy it at Pax-AM or mikeviola.com
Honorable mention: Emitt Rhodes & Chris Price - How Can You Mend A Broken Heart (7" red vinyl)
Following the Pledge Music campaign of Emitt Rhodes (HERE) I researched and found a Record Store Day exclusive record of him from 2015.
It's a truly beautiful translucent red 7" vinyl of two Bee Gees covers:
A Emitt Rhodes - How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
B Chris Price - Please Read Me
Limited to 1000 copies. Neither available digital nor on CD. And to make it short: it's a gem.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Pugwash - Play This Intimately (As If Among Friends)
I'm sure no artist likes to be compared with other ones ... except its idols.
So it's no shame to state that Pugwash is best located somewhere very near to The Beatles and E.L.O.
It's already four years since the impressive forerunner Olympus Sound. Now Pugwash are back with their new record Play This Intimately (As If Among Friends) - it's out September 5, 2015.
And it's huge! Listen below to the first two songs.
So it's no shame to state that Pugwash is best located somewhere very near to The Beatles and E.L.O.
It's already four years since the impressive forerunner Olympus Sound. Now Pugwash are back with their new record Play This Intimately (As If Among Friends) - it's out September 5, 2015.
And it's huge! Listen below to the first two songs.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Farrah, David Myhr & Pugwash - Live in London (March 31)
If you're able to get there (I can't), mark your calendar on March 31 2012.
Farrah, David Myhr (Ex - The Merrymakers) and Pugwash will perform at The Borderline in London (7:00 PM).
You can buy tickets here or here. Find more information at Lojinx.com or at the facebook event page.
For those who can be there: I'm already insanely jealous.
You can listen to some of their newest songs below.
Pugwash - The Olympus Sound
Pugwash is a band I stumbled upon again and again in the last years. Haper from Popfair posted several times about them. I don't know why, but I ignored them for a long time. With their last record The Olympus Sound I had finally a listen.
The Olympus Sound is their fifth full album. It was recorded at Abbey Road studios in London with guests like Ben Folds, Andy Partridge and David Gregory (from XTC).
If you like ELO (Answers On A Postcard, Here We Go Round Again), The Beatles (To The Warmth Of You), wall of sound (There You Are), powerpop (Fall Down), The Beach Boys (Be My Friend Awhile), Ben Folds on piano (Dear Belinda) - and beautiful harmonies than you really should list to The Olympus Sound.
Highlights: Every song. Really. Period.
One more thing: The track list is somewhat ... difficult:
Original tracklist:
1. Answers on a postcard
2. There you are
3. The warmth of you
4. Fall down
5. Be my friend a while
6. Dear Belinda
7. 15 Kilocycle tone
8. I don't like it but I gotta do it
9. Here we go 'round again
10. Such beauty thrown away
11. See you mine (Coda)
12. Four days
2. There you are
3. The warmth of you
4. Fall down
5. Be my friend a while
6. Dear Belinda
7. 15 Kilocycle tone
8. I don't like it but I gotta do it
9. Here we go 'round again
10. Such beauty thrown away
11. See you mine (Coda)
12. Four days
With the single Answers on a Postcard you get the B-Side Heal Me.
iTunes has also two exclusive bonus songs called You Can Build A House On Love and August Born.
Lojinx releases the record in Europe on April 2 2012 along with Heal Me ... and two completely new songs which gives you the following additional track list:
13. Heal me (bonus)
14. Happy again (bonus)
15. Waltz with me (bonus)
It's simple, right?
I recommend buying the Lojinx CD version and if necessary the iTunes version, too (you can't buy the two exclusive iTunes tracks separately - thank you Apple ...).
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