Released: Jul 2019 (on cd Oct)
Label: Flowers in the Dustbin
Listen on Bandcamp
This is a collection of rough demos and recordings from Glasgow's The Echo Session, who are completely new to me. To my knowledge, they only ever released one single 'Tell Me' in 2009.
The recordings are from 2005 onwards and quite raw sounding with vibes of The La's and The Coral. It opens with 'But I'm Scared' which is a brilliant example of 60's style jangle pop. The rough production adds to the retro charm. It is also reminiscent of 'Suspicious Minds' by Elvis Presley, in places.
'Mystery Man' is another highlight with some great guitar work and elements of psychedelia and surf. 'Barapba' is a simple but highly enjoyable little song with a great melody. Acoustic demo 'Sailor Song' is also one of my favourites here and is quite moody sounding.
The album ends on 'Wait and See' and there are some nice harmonies and great melodic pop hooks. It could benefit from a slightly clearer production but the strength of the song shines through. On the whole, this is a great collection of songs which I am glad have been brought to light.
Released: Jul 2019
Label: Bingo Records
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London songwriter John Myrtle is a very recent discovery for me. His EP is a magical listen, with 60's psych pop vibes, and I would highly recommend it.
It opens with 'Foggy', which is so laid back and beautiful. I hear a range of influences including a hint of Jazz and the psychedelia of The Zombies, The Kinks and early Pink Floyd.
'There Must Be Something More to You and Him' is a stripped back, more acoustic song about a troubled relationship. The lyrics express a desperate longing which is just heartbreaking.
'Cyril the Slug' is a jaunty almost-nursery rhyme. It has the quirkiness of Syd Barrett's more surreal songs.
My favourite song on the EP is closer 'Beware of Love' which is just stunning. The way the harmonies and guitars work together is almost hypnotic. It actually sounds like it could be a lost song from the 60's era.
All in all, this is such a beautiful EP and I look forward to hearing a lot more from him.
Released: 6 Sept 2019
Label: Subjangle
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Lost Ships are a fairly new band hailing from Portsmouth UK. They are back with their second EP after last year's amazing 'Best Laid Plans', which I'd also highly recommend.
It opens with the splendid guitar riff of title track 'All of the Pieces'. Their sound is reminiscent of Bandwagonesque era Teenage Fanclub. The whole EP has heavy 90's jangle vibes.
'Drug Store' is super melodic and demonstrates some great guitar solos and thoughtful lyrics. By far, my favourite on here is 'How Can I face The World' which is so catchy and brought to mind The Dream Syndicate - 'That's What You Always Say'. It also has an energetic punk edge to it.
Piano led ballad 'Sheila believe Me', is the perfect closer and expresses feelings of loss and emptiness. It just proves this band has a lot more depth to them than many other purveyors of this genre.
On the whole this is a highly enjoyable EP and I am looking forward to hearing a full album from them at some point in the future.
Released: Jul 2019
Label: _
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This is the debut album from LA Power Pop band - The Brothers Steve. The band features members of Tsar who have been around since the early 00's. The Brothers Steve have a more melodic pop sound, rather than the slightly heavier punk edge of Tsar.
It opens with 'Angeline', which is a great song with a strong chorus. The guitars are heavy and energetic but the song is still melodically driven. Their sound here is reminiscent of 70's power pop bands, The Only Ones and Cheap Trick.
Another highlight is the brilliant 'She', which is highly melodic and more 60's jangle sounding. 'Carolanne' echoes the Velvet Underground's 'Pale Blue Eyes'. The songs on this album are quite varied, meaning there will be something on here to please any fan of this genre.
My favourite song on here is the beautiful 'Carry Me', which is reminiscent of The Byrds and Teenage Fanclub. The chorus is excellent and it stands up well against anything of those two bands. 'Good Deal of Love' is fantastic too, with some lovely harmonies.
This is a superb debut album full of memorable songs, rich in hooks and great melodies. Any fan of the Jangle/Power Pop genre should really check them out.
Released: Aug 2019
Label: Wonderfulsound
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I have only been listening to London based songwriter RW Hedges for a few months but he has already become a favourite of mine. This is his third album, and the follow-up to last year's lost classic - 'The Hunters in the Snow'.
Childhood friend and talented musician - Luca Nieri, co-wrote the music and produced the album. He has some impressive solo albums himself, full of lovely folk instrumentals. RW Hedges' sound is largely folk but with an array of influences, from 50's Easy Listening and Doo Wop, to the vocal harmony groups of the 60's.
It opens with 'Haven't Seen Her In A While', a timeless ballad, which is so beautiful and heartbreaking. On first listen, I couldn't help but get a bit teary eyed. It expresses such a lot of emotion which is rare in most recent music.
'Down to Venezuela' is a joyous song, and creates imagery of life in the bygone era of the Wild West. It is so melodically perfect, you will be humming along. A lot of the songs here are Western themed but it is charming, rather than overbearing which can be the case with themed albums.
'Deep in the Valley' another highlight, tells the story of a cowboy outlaw. It is beautifully written with sublime melodies and there is also a hint of sadness. 'My Dearest' is one of the sweetest songs you will ever hear. It is delicate and full of emotion, yet has the simplicity of a lullaby.
'Sure Enough' is also very moving and has themes of loss and loneliness. The aching vocals at the end of the chorus, again are hard to listen to without feeling emotional.
This album only goes further in proving RW Hedges has a unique and rare talent, the kind which doesn't come around too often. I believe in years to come his albums will be regarded as 'classics', which they deserve to be.
Released: Aug 2019
Label: Thirty Tigers
Listen on Spotify
London Folk duo, The Rails, return with their third album, Cancel The Sun. They are a new discovery for me and I was so impressed by this collection of folk inspired, guitar pop songs, rich in vocal harmonies and dark lyrics.
It opens with my favourite on the album - 'Call Me When it All Goes Wrong', which is a sad song about a complicated relationship. The music is upbeat and anthemic with a superb chorus.
Their sound combines folk with more mainstream rock and it works so well. The songs are really varied, with some songs closer to traditional folk. Kami is the daughter of Folk legend Richard Thompson, and you can definitely hear his influence here.
'Save The Planet' is a hard-hitting song about Climate Change. Lyrically it is very dark, suggesting humankind should sacrifice their own lives so the planet can be saved. It is a beautiful song with an important message. There are not enough songs being written about this issue.
'Something is Slipping My Mind' is a highlight and is a lovely ballad. The vocal harmonies in this, echo back to the 50's and 60's. There is so much raw emotion conveyed here too, it can be hard to listen to without being affected by it in some way.
Other highlights include 'Ball and Chain' which is another catchy pop song, with great melodies. 'The Inheritance' is more traditional folk and quite powerful with heavy guitars and superb vocal harmonies.
This album will probably go on to be one of my most played of the year. An essential listen.
Released: Aug 2019 (on CD)
Label: Kool Kat Musik
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Chicago band, The Embryos are another new discovery for me and I was instantly drawn in by their melodic power pop songs. This album was originally out last year but is now available for the first time on CD.
'Circleville' is the opening song and it immediately drew to mind Tom Petty and the 90's power pop of Velvet Crush. The chorus has an anthemic quality to it. The songs on this album are not short of strong, memorable hooks.
The best song here is 'Ghost Dreams, Mainly'. It is a beautiful but sad song looking back on a past relationship. The music itself is upbeat and energetic with aching harmonies in the chorus. There is some great guitar work and psychedelic jamming towards the end. The whole song is pretty epic, and well worth a listen.
Other highlights are 'The Frightened Few' and 'Eleven Forty'. Both are melodically strong and very catchy. The psychedelic element is still prominent, especially in the former.
There are 3 extra songs here, singles which were previously only available on 7" vinyl. 'Wasting all my Time' is the best of these and very jangly like The Byrds. It features some great guitar solos too.
On the whole, this album is well worth investigating. It's well-written with some really memorable songs and melodies. Highly recommended.
