February 2022 REVIEWS
by Mike Baron
THE BOOLEVARDS: Real Poptastic
The Boolevards are throw-backs, from the early Brit invasion chords with the sunny, care-free music of the Archies or the Knickerbockers, to the K-Tel style cover art. Leader John Nowik has that wipe-out surf drum down cold. You can instantly identify a Boolevards song by his characteristic rat tat tat. “Can You Tell Me” carries echoes of Chad & Jeremy, and ends on the Beatle chord, a major chord which the Beatles often used in their early material. You hear it again at the end of “It’ll Be Alright,” like a closing benediction. “A Really Good Day” was inspired by the Cyrkle’s “Red Rubber Ball.“ “Red Rubber Ball” charted in 1966. And a whiff of Paul Revere in “Whe Will Have To Be There Too.” Top down cruisin’ music.
FREELOADER: II (Rum/Bar)
Rum Bar’s write-up for Freeloader is hilarious, but spot on. (https://rumbarrecords.
Freeloader are four seasoned musicians from Boston. Rum Bar calls them “old-timers.” They sound like a southern-fried band from the Florida Panhandle, with their twin-guitar attack and subterranean sound. They remind me of the Doughboys, in that they were active in the sixties, and they’re active now. That experience shows through in hard-driving pub rock that at times suggests Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers. Lead singer and guitarist Nat Freedberg sounds like a cross between Tom Waits and Dr. John, and on “Fastest Gun In Town,” he sounds like the devil muttering into his whiskey over a driving blues beat. Guitars snap and writhe on “Lazy Days” while Freedberg sounds like a voice from the sepulcher. The insane double guitars, Freedberg and Charles Hansen, on “When I See You In My Dreams” sound like Led Zeppelin turning pysche.
The last song, fittingly, is “Stuck Inside A Coffin With You.”
DANA COUNTRYMAN: Pop Scrapbook (Sterling Swan)
Dana Countryman writes pitch-perfect sixties pop songs inspired by Neil Sedaka, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill, and the Brill Building in general. Countryman loves that Burt Bacharach sound which comes through in “My Little Caroline” and “Sunday Comes Along” in effervescent horn arrangements. You might dismiss this as ephemera, but it’s a labor of love and will effortlessly transport you back sixty years. There is substance to this parfait. “Record Store Employee” is from another record, perhaps the Millenium or something else by Curt Boettcher, while “Brand New Feeling” sounds like something ZZ Topp might play.
ED RYAN: Don’t Follow Where They Lead (Kool Kat)
Ed Ryan’s brilliant evocation of sixties power pop recalls the Knickerbockers, the Vogue, Barry and the Remains, the Modulators, and any other driving group, with masterful first and fourth chord harmonies on nearly every song. I was surprised to learn that Ed is responsible for everything cuz this sure sounds like a band. Another lockdown masterpiece. “Why Doncha Do It” recalls 20/20 with minor chords and sinuous guitar, and he plays like Brian May on “What’s True.”
HUSHDROPS: The Static (Pravda)
Certain musicians have an instantly identifiable sound. For some, it’s their vocals. For others, it’s the instrumental line-up. But for a precious few, it’s their melodies. Marshall Crenshaw. Michael Brown. And John San Juan of the Hushdrops, who uses creative dissonance and sour chords to whip your head around and force you to listen. The odd structures create songs of great beauty, in the same way a single drop of black paint in a bucket of white makes the white whiter. San Juan can play guitar, as heard on the instrumental “The Lummox” and the unnamed fourteenth song, which breaks down into a masterfully disonant guitar solo. The bittersweet “Elevator” will resonate long after it fades out, as will “Secrets” which will please Tears For Fears fans.
San Juan’s compositions are unique and infinitely appealing. His solo record is magnificent as well.
THE RIGHT HERE: Northern Town (Rum/Bar)
The Right Here sounds like early Springsteen and current Nato Coles, although both The Right Here and Nato do Springsteen better than the Boss. Hortatory, heartland rock that brings to your feet, as in “Good Luck Trying,” or the rhythm section’s throbbing tension in “Drinks & A Dress.” The Right Here follows the same groove as John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, but their songs are more fully realized. No weak links. “Northern Town” sounds like the soundtrack to a John Sturges Western.
THE LAISSEZ FAIRS: Curiosity Killed the Laissez Fairs? (Rum/Bar)
Vegas-based pyschedelic quartet summons echoes of The Byrds and Laurel Canyon while forging a unique sound of their own, with chiming guitars and delightfully cheesy Farfisa-sounding keyboards. “Tell You What It Means” has an XTC sing/song quality, like something off English Settlement. There’s a whiff of the canyon in the Stephen Stills-like guitar of “Two Sides of the Same Coin,” and again on “Sensation,” with its CS&N style harmonies and roller rink keyboards. “Drydenseek” passes like a circus train trailing a drum solo coda. Their sound is both timeless and up-to-the-minute.
