From North Carolina, the solo debut from Jason Byrd was produced by the great power pop legend Jamie Hoover (Spongetones, Don Dixon, Marti Jones, Smithereens, Hootie & Blowfish) and features classic styled pop songs that will bring to mind Smiley Smile era Beach Boys, early solo Paul McCartney, a touch of James Taylor and the Byrds. Some of you may have heard Jason's fantastic rendition of "Something" on the Jealousy Records George Harrison tribute.
Byrd's knack for evoking memories of AM radio's golden past while conjuring up irresistible melodies becomes immediately obvious in the Badfinger-like "Know You Are," but continues onward toward the Big Star stomp of "After All." "Don't Mind" and "I'll Be All Right" assure listeners that Byrd has thoroughly studied the songbooks of not just Brian Wilson but Ray Davies, leaving fans of classic pop with precious little to complain about. Glistening harmony vocals bolster the title cut, and a lament such as "I Missed Sunday" sounds like it could be an outtake from McCartney's 1971 classic, Ram. Despite the retro feel here, Byrd gives pop revivalists like Jason Falkner and Josh Rouse a run for their money on Busy Day's standout piano ballad, "Fly."
Martin Carpenter has been honing his brutally honestpop-rock sound since he played in his first garageband in the seventh grade. Small-town NorthwestMissouri provided most of the life lessons that shapeCarpenter's music today. Though country music loomedlarge in the jukebox of his past, Carpenter has yet been unable to shake his true love - pop music.
Sheepish, Martin’s solo debut, finds him channeling the bee-stung sincerity of Elvis Costello and Matthew Sweet rather than the tear in the beer truckstop numbers one might expect based on his previous work. With Columbia, MO’sThe Little Achievers, Carpenter had carved out a solid country niche that drew comparisons To Uncle Tupelo, Steve Earle, and the Replacements.
On his solo debut, Sheepish, Martin Carpenter mines new territory and has produced a lush work that harkens to the shimmering jangle of artists such as The Church, Galaxie 500, and The Bat with a dash of early Modern English, Psychedelic Furs and even the Cars. Spanning a wide stylistic spectrum, from lackadaisical laments to sweeping, enticing rushes of pure pop satisfaction. There's certainly nothing lacking in the spare, well-crafted songwriting or Carpenter's frequently beauteous (and ever-breaking) shaggy-dog voice which brings to mind a blend of Leonard Cohen and Lloyd Cole.
Backed by the solid rhythm section of Mitch Fecht on bass & guitar,and ex-Head Candy drummer Jim Viner. The albums sound harkensback to some of the best moments of 80s college radio. Martin Carpenter plays a straightforward pop/rock firmly rooted in new wave, though owing no small debt to '60s. Would sound good on a mix tape with: The Shins, The Rentals,American Analog Set, The Pernice Brothers, Rain Parade
5 STARS!!! ....engaging pop melodies and sturdy rock arrangement As an Iowa native, I spent years attending shows around the state and picking up excellent and little-heard records (yes, those vinyl things) by bands such as the Dangtrippers, the Shy, the Hollowmen, and (here's an obscure one) Claude Pate. As did his musical forebears, what Carpenter has captured and brilliantly executed on his debut is the crystalline essence of Midwestern power pop. And as a long-standing devote of Midwestern power pop, one can find few better demonstrations of one's musical talent. The opening track "Teethmarks" starts off with a variation of the riff that Shoes used to open their classic song "Tomorrow Night," albeit with a harder and more insistent edge. Very much as the title of the song suggests, it leaves a musical toothmark, so to speak, in one's psyche. As the song surges forward, brittle yet pretty guitar arpeggios echo the melody and drive the song ahead with wiry urgency. Not to play a guess the influence game, but the insistent drumbeat/rhythm that supports the second track, "I Am Low" shares the same sort of taut urgency as does Fountains of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom." --Ken King, freelance writer
Wendie Colter is a standout pop singer/songwriter from L.A.
who's previous project Box The Walls saw her sharing the stage
with Cranberries, The Innocence Mission, Jill Sobule and Stan
Ridgway, as well as singing backups for Squeeze. Her debut solo
album produced by Rob Laufer (Fiona Apple). The LA Times said
of her music occupies the artistic space between Aimee Mann and
Alanis Morissette, fashioning catchy songs with cathartic humor
Emerging from Los Angeles' burgeoning pop circuit, Wendie's band
Box The Walls made a splash with their debut CD "Stuff."
Produced by Kevin Moloney (U2, Sinead O'Connor, The Caulfields)
and released on Unity Entertainment/Countdown Records, the album
received national airplay and charted in both Gavin and Radio
& Records. Consistently garnering five-star reviews, CMJ called
it "as striking a debut as we've heard in a very long time."
About her honest and poetic songwriting, Venice Magazine raved,"Thank
God for Wendie Colter!"
After
sharing the stage with The Cranberries, The Innocence Mission,
Jill Sobule and Stan Ridgway, Wendie is back with a bumper crop
of exciting new songs for her first solo CD: Payday! Tracks produced
by Rob Laufer (Fiona Apple, Melissa Ferrick, Beatlemania). Repeatedly
cited as one of the most refreshing voices within the contemporary
music scene, Wendie possesses a vast range and vocal power that
profoundly conveys the poetry she writes. Her music has been compared
to Aimee Mann, Elvis Costello and Neil Finn (Crowded House), and
it's fitting that she sang back up vocals for seminal pop group
Squeeze.
This 24 year old singer/songwriter - making frequent use of both guitar and piano, intimate vocals and belting melodic choruses and harmonies - belongs somewhere alongside the likes of a fusion encompassing the Finn Brothers, and Michael Carpenter (who co-produced this).James Cooper is a major talent to discover now..not later!
Would Sound Good on A Mix Tape with:
Fountains of Wayne, Paul McCartney & Wings, The Thrills,
The Posies, Matthew Sweet, Bobby Sutliff, the dB's
"If there were some way to combine Lou Reed’s lazy introspection with Marvin Gaye’s sex appeal, you might be able to capture the essence of Eric Gregory."
-Kareem Ghanem, Stanford Daily
Joyce Hotel is the smashing debut from Portland, Oregon’s Crack City Rockers, a band that steeps itself in the greatest sounds of the early punk explosion. Co-produced and engineered by Larry Crane (Sleater-Kinney, Elliott Smith, The Go-Betweens) at Portland's Jackpot Studios, it inhales deeply from the music of bands like the New York Dolls, Richard Hell & the Voidoids, the Saints, Patti Smith Group, Television, and early Rolling Stones.
The band wears their influences on their sleeves like on the extremely Television-esque "Zombietime (Last Bus in Town)," which walks that fine line between imitation and tribute. But hey, its only rock'n'roll but I like it,like it, yes I do.
Even on the relatively subdued numbers such as the blues workout "Yr Rotten Luck," the band sounds like they're locked in tight, always exuding that confident swagger. The lyrical content is mostly about love, getting fucked up, and heartbreak, all presented through a Lou Reed-type delivery.
WOULD SOUND GOOD ON A MIX TAPE WITH: The Strokes, The Buzzcocks,
Velvet Underground, MC5, Television
Awesome second release from Portland, Oregon’s Crack City Rockers. Working again with Co-producer and engineer Larry Crane (Sleater-Kinney, Elliott Smith, The Go-Betweens, Quasi) at Portland's Jackpot Studios, New Myths picks up where their debut, Joyce Hotel left off with quick, melodic, attitude-charged songs in the classic style of post-Heartbreakers Bowery punk.
What separates Crack City Rockers from the wave of post-White Stripes/Strokes bands of the world are lead singer Eric Gregory’s streetwise vignettes which have drawn comparisons to both Lou Reed and James Joyce. Throwing their lot in with other like-minded adherents of the "short, sharp, shocked" such as the Kuchar brothers, Angry Samoans, Kenneth Anger, Richard Hell and the Voidoids and the Buzzcocks, "New Myths" is approximately 14 minutes in length
Listen
2. 
