The homemade pop sides of a Welsh indie-rock psych band
Although one might connect the pop sounds of KEYS latest album to their earlier incarnation as the indie band Murry the Hump, the bubblegum-styled opener “This Side of Luv†was no doubt transported through a tartan-patterned fissure in the space-time continuum; it’s worthy of segueing between Nick Lowe’s “Bay City Rollers We Love You†and “Rollers Show.†The psychedelia of the band’s previous album, Bring Me the Head of Jerry Garcia, can be heard in the moody organ of “Cargoes†and the Dukes of the Stratosphere-styled “Leave Your Mind Behind,†but glam is the touchstone for “Trick of the Light,†and the powerpop of Badfinger and Teenage Fanclub for “Phases†and “The Strain.â€
Originally released in 1982 amid the MTV/New Wave boom, this San Francisco band’s only full-length album shared some of the boom’s pop sensibilities, but with a craft that was more musically rich than its video-enhanced counterparts. Hayes’ roots in jazz might have informed some of the chords and harmonies, but her musical training never hindered the album’s pop joy, finding expression in a depth of songwriting that was often missing from the mainstream. The band’s indie label (Slash) and its corporate distributor (Warner Brothers) failed to turn any of the album’s tracks into hit singles (though “Girls Like Me†and “Shelly’s Boyfriend†both appeared on the soundtrack of Valley Girl), and Slash dropped the band after this album. A follow-up EP, Brave New Girl, was self-released in 1984, and marked the end of a surprisingly short run for a group whose debut was so brimming with life, and whose songwriter proved to have a great deal more to say (notably penning “Have A Heart†and “Love Letter†for Bonnie Raitt’s Nick of Time).
The original album was reissued in 2007 by Wounded Bird, but is augmented here by the follow-up EP, the pre-LP single version of “Shelly’s Boyfriend†(and its flip “Rochambeau,†released as The Punts), and a trio of demos that failed to make the album. The debut opens with the exuberant one-two punch of “Girls Like Me†and the cautionary sibling shout-out “Shelly’s Boyfriend.†Hayes’ slow piano intro doesn’t tip off the punchy rhythm of “Separating,†and her organ and coy vocal give “Dum Fun†a hint of new wave before her solo and Paul Davis’ scorching guitar give the throwaway-titled song some soulful musical heft. The original “Coverage†would find subsequent cover on David Crosby’s 1993 release Thousand Roads, giving Hayes’ songwriting the exposure its lyrics seemed to beg for.
1982 debut EP of irreverent, pointed and catchy pop-punk
San Francisco’s Pop-O-Pies may have been one of punk rock’s most melodic bands. Punk in attitude more than sound, but punk nonetheless. They alienated and then enthralled early audiences by playing a set that consisted entirely of the Grateful Dead’s “Truckin’,†and wrote original songs that sarcastically appraised Catholics and cast cops as donut eating fascists. A 1983 opening slot for Iggy Pop in Seattle so agitated the crowd that by the time the headliner appeared the mood was incredibly dark; fittingly, Pop’s set ended in 30 minutes after some stage-dancing audience members toppled the speaker stack into the crowd.
The band’s debut, the six-song The White EP, was a college radio staple, with two versions of “Truckin’†(one pop-punk, the other styled like “Rapper’s Delightâ€), an ode to Timothy Leary (which the LSD guru apparently took to playing at his public appearances), the hard-driving rhythm guitar monotone “Fascists Eat Donuts,†sing-song reggae “The Catholics Are Attacking,†and punk-styled lament “Anna Ripped Me Off.†The Pop-O-Pies simultaneously take the piss out of both their subjects and their listeners with songs that are funny, ironic, serious, irreverent, pointed and catchy, all at the same time.
Triple-disc collection of catchy pop (power and otherwise)
Jangly guitars? Check. Catchy melodies? Check. Broken hearts and vocal harmonies? Check and check. Three discs filled to the brim with three hours and forty-five minutes of pop (power and otherwise) recorded in studios and bedrooms all around the world. After a couple of volumes on the Del Fi label, more than a decade on Not Lame, and another seven volumes on Bruce Bordeen’s purpose-built Pop Geek Heaven, IPO bestowed its annual compilation (which became a triple-disc affair with volume five) on Omnivore with volume twenty-one. The latest collection, featuring bands that have played the annual IPO festival, and some that have not, is a solid entry in the series. 69 tracks that include a few luminaries (Bird Streets, Peter Holsapple, Van Duren, Kimberly Rew, and others), and a load of bands you may not have heard of.
There are too many highlights to name them all, but standouts include the joyously wordy verses and harmony choruses of Pecker’s “They Painted With Their Fingers,†the Popdudes’ dance floor-filling cover of the Wonders’ “Dance With Me,†Wolf Circus’ compassionate indie pop “I Will Answer,†the Posers’ Beach Boys-tinged psych “The Time and Place,†the magical mix of Rain Parade’s drone and Simon & Garfunkel’s duet harmony on Harrison Clock’s “Divine,†the catchy rhythm guitar on the Brothers Steve’s delicious bubblegum “She,†the Knack tribute sounds of Japan’s The Sharona on their original “Oh My Girl,†the full-throated harmonies and drippy guitar of Three Hour Tour’s “Lonely Place,†the Pat Benetar power of Slyboots’ “The Fall,†the twin lead guitars and emotional rebirth of the Jeremy Band’s “Joy Comes in the Morning,†the grungy psych of the Anderson Council’s “Lord Cornelius Plum,†the aptly named Zombies of The Stratosphere’s groovy cover of Billy Nicholls‘ (and Dana Gillespie’s) “London Social Degree,†and the Last Hurrah’s set-ending “Saturday in the Sunshine.â€
Expanded edition of McKuen’s popular 1969 hits album
San Francisco poet and singer Rod McKuen was as popular with the people as he was reviled by critics. The latter labeled his works schmaltzy and facile, while the former bought his books and records, and attended his readings and concerts in tremendous numbers. The gap between his lack of critical accolades and his surfeit of popular acclaim likely hinges on the resonance his plainspoken words of isolation and spirituality struck with an audience who might otherwise not read poetry. The raspy earnestness of his vocal performances was often parodied, but the loneliness that threaded through his songs struck a deep emotional chord with listeners, and his uplifting messages provided hope.
Despite the sales of his records, McKuen’s chart success as a musical artist was limited; more successful were his songs, which were recorded by Oliver (“Jeanâ€), Terry Jacks (“Seasons in the Sun,†an English translation of Jacques Brel’s “Le Moribondâ€), Damita Jo (“If You Go Away,†a translation of Brel’s “Ne Me Quitte Pasâ€), Perry Como (“I Think of You,†co-written with Frances Lai), Frank Sinatra (“Love’s Been Good for Meâ€), Perry Como (“I Think of Youâ€), the Kingston Trio (“Ally Ally, Oxen Freeâ€), Waylon Jennings (“Doesn’t Anybody Know My Nameâ€), and many more. Other writings – notably “Listen to the Warm†and “A Cat Named Sloopy†– remain fan favorites in both their original poetic form, and when subsequently set to song. The former is included here as a bonus track, the latter, unfortunately not.
The dream duets of a singer, producer and music fan
The role of vintage Top 40 radio can’t be understated in its influence and impact on the generation of musicians who grew up in the ‘60s and ‘70s. In the years before consultants balkanized commercial radio into genre islands, AM radio offered a regionally-influenced mix of pop, rock, folk, country and soul that fueled the taste and imagination of both listeners and artists. Olson grew up in Austin, Texas listening to long-gone (and now surprisingly obscure) KNOW-AM, taking in the wide variety of influences reflected in this eclectic collection of covers. This follow-up to 2013’s Have Harmony Will Travel cherrypicks Olson’s deep musical memories of the Buffalo Springfield, Searchers, Governor Jimmy Davis, David Allan Coe, and adds songs, such as the previously unrecorded “Haunting Me,†that she picked up in her musical travels.
Olson pairs herself with compatriots and idols that include Gene Clark, Percy Sledge, Peter Noone, Terry Reid, Mick Taylor and Mare Winningham. The album opens with the Long Ryders’ Stephen McCarthy joining Olsen for a superb cover of Patty Loveless’ 1989 country hit “Timber, I’m Falling in Love.†Slowed to a deliberate tempo, the duet parlays the original’s ecstatic declaration into a mature, deep-gazing conversation of magnetic mutual attraction. For much of the album, Olson acts more as ringmaster than singing partner, drafting participants (including former Bee Gees’ guitarist Vince Melouney for a gallop through Governor Jimmy Davis’ “Shackles & Chainsâ€), selecting song with the ears and heart of a music fan, singing harmonies and producing tracks.
As a producer, Olson fits the guests with songs, complimenting the pairings with nostalgia-tinged, guitar-based arrangements. Peter Noone rekindles the emotional throb of his early days with a cover of the Searchers’ “Goodbye My Love,†and Olson provokes appealing contrast in pairing the gravel of Terry Reid’s voice with the gentility of “Scarlet Ribbons.†She joins Eagle Timothy B. Schmit and steel player Rusty Young for the Buffalo Springfield B-side “A Child’s Claim to Fame,†and adds harmony to actress Mare Winningham’s fetching cover of Gene Clark’s “After the Storm.†The latter track, along with Percy Sledge’s “Honest as Daylight,†I See Hawks in L.A.’s “Bossier City,†and Gene Clark’s “Del Gato,†were all previously released, but fit seamlessly among the newly recorded performances.
Jason Brewer’s fourth album as the Explorers Club finds him relocated to Nashville and fronting friends and studio musicians, rather than a set band. The results show the strength of Brewer’s musical vision as he expands well beyond the Pet Sounds / Smiley Smile stylings of earlier albums with 60s-tinged pop that flows with the airy feel of Boettcher, Bacharach, Usher and others. And he does so without landing hard on any one; there are echoes, such as the piano of “Ruby†drawing upon Three Dog Night’s “One†and vocals suggesting the Turtles; but, winningly, the songs never linger on any one influence long enough to be branded imitative. Brewer has so deeply internalized ‘60s and ‘70s pop that his creations are inevitably shaped by the era’s melodic, instrumental, vocal and production style, without overtly copying.
Terrific ‘70s-styled teenage power pop
