December 2021 REVIEWS

by Mike Baron

THE FOREIGN FILMS: Starlight Serenade

Like Michael Brown, John San Juan, or Marshall Crenshaw, Bill Majoros has an instantly identifiable sound, born of rarefied chords and voice. He sings in hushed urgency, with stacked harmonies and lush arrangements that never approach saccharine. Starlight Serenade begins with “The Fortune Teller,” hitting the bullseye with a swooning hook Ron Bonfiglio would like. “Echoes Of the Heart” is another of his many songs about the human condition, with hand claps and stunning changes, ending on the spy chord. An enormous Amazon bass runs through “Many Moons Ago.” Five pristine piano notes light up “Rainbow” like a shooting star. “A Photograph of You” suggests Majoros is an XTC fan. Shangri-La style doo wops highlight “The Mystery of Love,” which veers into hard rock toward the end. “Johnny Don’t Be A Fool” sounds like a Hollies/Raspberries mash-up. Another brilliant album from one of rock’s most original composers.

TIMMY SEAN: Tale From the Other Side

It’s been a long time between Timmy Seans, but the wait was worth it. Driven to home recording like so many other artists in what has been a surprisingly fruitful power pop year, Sean has come up with a concept album loosely themed around a horror movie. The CD comes in a faux VHS box for a grade Z chiller. Fellow one-man power popper Greg Hope has actually produced a horror movie, but Timmy Sean’s album is a soaring, harmonically rich dynamic power pop given to the best kind of operatic excess. Something out of Jim Steinman by way of Queen. Stunning songs interspersed among snippets of shlock horror programming, like the churning “Fortune and Fame,” which feature Sean’s multi-tracked harmonies, or the pure adrenalin of Rubinoos crossed with Raspberries “In California.” “Come Back Alive” summons a sonic storm, while “I’ve Returned” starts with an acoustic benediction which ramps up and up until it achieves the glorious excess of the last track on Sgt. Pepper.

THE AMPLIFIER HEADS: Saturnaliens (Rum/Bar)

Peppermint Kicks’ Sal Baglio strikes again with brilliant power pop that covers a lot of territory in a short span, beginning with the Dick Dale-inspired surf rock instrumental opener, “Ghost Star Rider.” It’s uphill from there, as “Rocket Boys” plucks chords like golden nuggets from a glory hole, Baglio’s multi-tracked harmonies, ending on yet another spy chord. What is the spy chord? It’s a minor key plucking familiar to any James Bond aficionado. Baglio has a voice reminiscent of John Cafferty (Eddie and the Cruisers,) and plays keyboards as well as guitar. Those keyboards light up “All Fueled Up” like the Fourth of July. “Peppermint Kicks,” named after his other band, has XTC DNA, while “Glamorama” recalls Tears For Fears. “Rock and Roll Anesthesia” has Supremes-like backing vocals with swooningly luscious hard rock breaks. “Candi Starr” is something the Hollies might have sung. The glam creeps in on the title track, an epic five minutes mini-suite. Just another great record.

NICK FRATER: Earworms (Big Stir)

Best kind of mad pop science, highly melodic, inventive, with undercurrents of rock energy, reminiscent of Dukes of Stratosphere, which is XTC with party hats. There’s a whiff of Billy Joel on “It’s All Rumours” which evolves into Frater’s unique mixture of unexpected chords and swelling harmonies. “Lucky Strike” evokes the famous one and done Campbell Stokes Sunshine Recorder, one of those sui generis rainbows that strikes and fades, never to be heard from again. “Star Crossed” indicates that Frater is a Burt Bacharach and Beach Boys fan, two rivers that mix well, and that languid guitar solo is perfect. Soaring chorales are endemic to several of these songs, no more so than on “How To Survive Somebody,” which sounds like the Wellingtons, and Nick sounds a little like lead singer Zac Anthony. As earworms are often irritating and hard to lose, the title of this album is ironic. These earworms are welcome.