November 2022 REVIEWS

by Mike Baron

GREG POPE: Rise of the Mythical Creatures (Octoberville)

Greg Pope has been a monster on the power pop scene since releasing Popmonster in 2020. A sole proprietor, Greg does it all himself. Rise does not disappoint, continuing his string of melodic, indiosyncratic power pop, beginning with the “Love March” cadence of “As You Love.” “Words No One Can Say” has a brooding power even without its powerful message, and Greg dips into XTC’s cauldron for the delightful “Smile, Nod & Slowly Back Away.”

“I never felt this way With every word you say I wanna run and hide But that would be rude So all I can do is Smile, nod, and slowly back away Smile, nod, and slowly back away Smile, nod, and slowly back away.” This is anthemic for so many situations. “Sorry I Wrote This Song” is typical Pope with its descending melody. “Holding On To A Sunny Day” is sunshine pop without the west coast references. Pope has a big range and effortlessly reaches for falsetto on so many of these songs, as on “Looking Down.” He’s also produced a horror movie, Something In the Lake, a theme that runs through many of his records, such as “The Yeti” from Pop Motion Animation.

THE GLAD MACHINE: Hey! (Big Blast)

Billed as an EP, with eight songs, Hey! is more of an album. If The Glad Machine had a sister city or brother band, it would be Melbourne’s The Wellingtons, with whom they share an effortless flair for great bridges and hooks. Brad Thayer sounds a lot like the Wellington’s Zac Anthony. Each song bursts with pop originality and rich arrangements, as on “We All Fall,” including crazy guitar solo. The pensive and pulsating “Slow Motion July” gives way to the sinuous “Shout,” with its minimalist guitar solo. Every track scores a bullseye. One of the best of the year.

BRAD MARINO: Basement Beat (Rum/Bar)

A bullet train of a record bristling with punk energy that flashes by like graffitied railroad cars at a crossing. Very few songs make it past the two minute barrier. Most of Brad’s guitar is furious chord strumming. “I ain’t got time for solos!” “Communist Creep” is destined to become a classic. The three chord “Brain Gone Dead” is what those kids in the awful “Cars For Kids” ad should be playing instead of that treacle. Brad’s solo on “Nancy Is Narcoleptic” are intransigent chords fighting to get out. Brad does it all except for the drums.

CHRIS LUND: Indian Summer

Another sole proprietor with an enormous sound. Records like this are among the best things to come out of the pointless lockdowns. Lund is a master of dynamics and texture, each song bursting with complementary contrasts, as evidenced by “Everything Is Fine,” with more tonal shifts than multiple personality disorder, followed by the title track. Lund takes a deep dive into dissonance on several songs, including “Down the Line” and “Down the Line Reprise,” shades of Sgt. Pepper how the reprise summons the whole record. “Mary Jane” uses classic rock tropes. “Guarantee” echoes The White Album in orchestration, but no one will confuse Lund’s wildly inventive guitar for George Harrison. “Killing Kindness” recalls the peeling intro to Heart’s “Barracuda,” but Lund doesn’t stop there, the dissonance reaching stratospheric heights before subsiding into a more harmonic mode. The guitar explodes on “Please Me” with a twelve-string sound, and through it all, Lund’s singing is masterful and on point. There’s a little Kurt Baker type chit-chat on “Down the Line Reprise” to close the show.