November 2020 REVIEWS
by Mike Baron
MUCK AND THE MIRES: Take Me Back To Planet Earth (Rum/Bar)
Six blasts of adrenaline-pumped rock and roll that will shake you like a kraken’s tentacles, beginning with “Six O’Clock Baby,” and never letting up. The title song should be The Orville’s theme. Slickee Boys swagger by way of the Doughboys and every great roadhouse band including Jeff Healey. Make you feel like a kid again. And it will make kids feel like adults.
NICK FRATER: Fast & Loose (Big Stir)
A power pop primer, with traces of Brian Wilson throughout, particularly “That Ship Has Sailed,” which would fit on Pet Sounds. I hear Wilsonesque touches in the chorus and percussion on “Would You Like To Go,” and in the gorgeous harmonies on “Endless Summertime Blues.” “Let’s Hear It For Love” smacks of the Righteous Brothers. The unforgettable “Cocaine Gurls” is the earworm cure you’re looking for. It could be mistaken for AOR pop with touches of bubblegum and The Carpenters, were it not for the stunning bridge and subject matter. “Let’s Hear It For Love” has Doug Powell ambition and Ben Folds chops. In its effortless recreation of every decade of pop from the sixties forward, it reminded me of the Dukes of Stratosphere.
THE WELL WISHERS: Shelf Life
Jeff Shelton recorded this mostly by himself. A lot of musicians are doing that these days. This is the best Well Wishers so far, filled with Plimsouls/Angel City kinetic bounce and Shelton’s distinctive song structures which always deliver a bridge and a hook, starting with the timely, wah-wahed “We Grow Up.” “My Desire” has Shoes stuck to its soul with a crazy guitar solo like a downed power chord flipping around in a storm. “Hide Away” is a runaway train. “You Never Have to Sing A Lonely Song” builds a sleek power pop body on a rockabilly chassis. “Who Cries”borrows some Creedence DNA for a three minute melodic epiphany.
BLANK PAGES: Is This Real? (FDR)
Blank Pages inhabits the same hilly terrain as the Turnback and the Hushdrops, sonic architecture with more horizontals than verticals. Greg Potter sings like an animated character, but not saccharine, and he can carry a tune. He and drummer Ed McCafferey hit that characteristic A/B harmony on half the songs, which are filled with elegant flourishes and unexpected cascades. Potter’s guitar has never been sharper, nor his writing. “Robots Will Not Win” should be a counter culture theme song. They hit that sweet Ron Bonfiglio harmony on “Nagging Feeling,” and shove you out of your seat on “Waiting In Line.” There’s that harmony again on “Hiding and Seeking.” Will end up in the Top Ten. Maybe the Top Five. Maybe the record of the year.
GREG POPE: Wishing On A Dark Star (Octoberville)
Lockdown? Pope don’t need no stinkin’ lockdown! Greg Pope’s been recording his one man shows for years, but you would never guess it to listen to his fully realized full throttle power pop. This one begins with an explosion of mad pop science. If you love Jellyfish or the Lickerish Quartet, listen to “Gone.” Pope’s distinctive sense of melody, marked by frequent forays into soprano territory, make him instantly identifiable. “When the Road Began” sounds like canyon rock, with its C,S & N harmonies, while “Wishing On A Dark Star” ventures into Umajets territory. Both “Wishing” and “Morning Sunshine” are more pensive than his full-on rockers. They grab you by the ears. “Crawling Back To You” recalls the somber mood of his song, “The Yeti.” Pope has a dark streak. His record label is Octoberville. “Blue Bird Fly” is a slinky psychedelic sidewinder with a WAR-like, as in “Low Rider,” beat. There are no bad tracks. An album you can listen to all the time, every day.
