Crippled Pilgrims – Down Here: Collected Recordings (1983-1985) (Reaction): Another splendid reissue from Reaction. Although the Crippled Pilgrims were around during my college radio days, they were just a name. And the name implied to me a nasty punk band. Boy, that wasn't even close. The Pilgrims' sound fit right in with both Paisley Underground bands like The Dream Syndicate and Rain Parade, jangly bands like The Outnumbered and Pop Art, and east coast acts like Television and Dumptruck. This disc comprises the entire output of this all-too short lived band: one EP, one LP and a couple of bonus cuts (alternate versions, at that). A lot of these songs combine an earnest, near folk rock approach with dramatic stinging guitar lines (courtesy of the talented Scott Wingo). Essentially, the other three members play the foundation of the song, while Wingo adds the color with his flashy yet very emotional solos. This approach works on track after track. Like "People Going Nowhere", which is keyed by Mitch Parker's swirling bass line and Jay Moglia's passionate vocals – Moglia was no technician, but he fit the band's normal guy concerns. Wingo burns off two great solos on a track that someone should cover – now! On the full lenght, the band stretches out on a couple of tracks: "Calculating" is pure dynamics, with drummer/pianist Dan Joseph playing pretty piano passages, which explode into guitar fire; "Not Good" is a pulsing rocker which is clearly Television's progeny. As the last song on their only album, this simmering smoker was a great way to go out with all guns blazing. Due to recording techniques and the fact that this style simply hasn't been revived yet, I suppose this disc may be fairly dated. Yet this music has an intensity that transcends the past couple of decades. I'd rank the Pilgrims right up there with Dumptruck and Dream Syndicate at their best, which means that I highly recommend this disc. parasol.com

The Saving Graces -- Outside Guiding Lights (Paisley Pop): A little pure pop, some jangle rock and it's all played with a gloss that is at times Anglophile and at times seems to be in the vein of some Down Under artists. The Graces are blessed to have an esteemed producer in the person of Spongetones' main guy Jamie Hoover. Guitarist Michael Slawter writes the songs and then sings them with the voice of an American trying to sound British, in the manner of folks like Cliff (Off Broadway) Johnson and the late Jim Ellison. Slawter knows how to build big choruses that deliver strong hooks. A fine example of this is, appropriately enough, "I Feel Fine". The song flows from the verse to the bridge into a chorus, building each step of the way, riding a basic rhythm and a bevy of guitars. They make writing a spiffy tune seem simple. At times, the music is very direct and basic, adding a vague punk edge to the proceedings. This comes forward on the mid-tempo "Kennedy Whispers", which reminds me a little bit of Absolute Grey and Newtown Neurotics -- Slawter's vocal bespeaks a certain intensity and has a real ‘normal guy' quality that is very endearing. Near the end of the disc, there are a couple of songs that sound like quintessential college radio, circa 1984 -- "Why Don't You Cry" and "My Worst Critic" fit right in with early R.E.M., Wire Train, The Connells and the like. And the band works a riff to the fullest on "I Belong to The Jet Set World". This is a charmer of a disc, that is blends a professional approach with an organic rawness that I find appealing. paisleypop.com

Jobriath -- Lonely Planet Boy (Attack): This compilation was spurred by Morrissey, who was a fan of this obscure ‘70s glam rocker. While I don't think this will raise Jobriath beyond footnote status, he certainly was an intriguing talent, and anyone who serves as a major inspiration for a motion picture (Velvet Goldmine) is worth a look. This tarted up, openly gay performer adopted a look that was Bowie-esque, and while there's a bit of Ziggy and Hunky Dory influence throughout, Jobriath's songs are more often cut from the same rhinestone studded cloth as Elton John. These 15 songs, which come from Jobriath's two long players, are heavily weighted to slow piano driven ballads. All the better to spotlight Jobriath's nasal and theatrical vocals. His dramatic presence brought a cabaret and showtune sensibility to ‘70s rock style. At its best, this is stirring and less campy than it might seem. Heck, "Be Still" probably could have been waxed by Mott The Hoople, as it has a wee bit of an anthem thing going on. Jobriath is at his best on "Blow Away", a ballad which shows off his personal magnetism and some real confidence as a composer. It has an unusual structure, with the piano taking the song to different places, always going back to the moving chorus. It's too bad he couldn't have taken more chances like this, as a lot of his other songs are a bit indistinguishable. He certainly should have rocked out more -- when he does, on songs like "Earthling", it's a lot of fun. Overall, this compilation does not reveal an artist ahead of his time, so much as a talent who needed a bit more time to sort out what he did well. This is far from flawless, but might be of interest to glam fanatics and folks who love that old Elton John style. attackrecords.net

The Original Mark Edwards – Rewind Tomorrow (Princess): As a college radio DJ, I quickly learned the secret to cool segueways and good sets. Putting together a set of similar tracks was dull – who needs four straight punk or blues-based cuts? You could be really diverse if you paid attention to the mood and tone of tracks, and get a great flow. Because no matter how much we classify styles and insert artists into genres, there isn't as much of a gulf between styles and genres as we sometimes think. The Original Mark Edwards (not to be confused with My Dad Is Dead leader Mark Edwards) is a Minneapolis artist whose music can't be easily pigeonholed. He stitches together all sorts of sounds from psychedelia, to Elliot Smith-style acoustic pop, to shoegazer, to electronic music, and much more. His mastery of the studio and the consistent mood and tone turn his sonic collages into excellent pop-rock songs. I deliberately mentioned psychedelia first, because, to a large extent, this disc is truer in spirit to that musical idea than the hundreds of artists painstakingly replicating the late ‘60s. Edwards is truly trying to do something mind expanding and creative, and, in that sense, this record shares a lot in common with classics by The Pretty Things and that ilk. On this album, there's a pretty and disquieting instrumental ("Three Minutes to Impact"), which combines electronic swirls, recorded voices in foreign languages, acoustic guitar plucking and a liquidy lead guitar part that is reminiscent of Robert Fripp's solo work. The title track has a similar vibe, however it starts as a song in that previously referenced Elliot Smith tradition, played here on an electric piano with a drum machine rhythm track. The chorus is Edwards on a vocoder, and then a lovely and sad keyboard line comes in. The track builds until a choral part that smacks of classic Elton John, a la "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". Edwards achieves a quiet majesty on "Can You Believe?", which comes off like a less precious Granddaddy. "Hooray" starts off in a synth-pop mode, and then blasts into guitar rock without blinking an eye. On "Sleeping Memories", Edwards sings plaintively (reminds me of East River Pipe – actually, his vocal quality is quite similar on some songs), with some soft "shooby doo wop"vocals coming into play, along with light percussion, treated piano, guitar notes, a counter backing vocal. This is a very layered song. There are many more examples of Edwards' talent throughout. This is one of the year's better albums. princessrecords.com

Eric Ziegenhagen -- You're Talking To The Wrong Guy (self-released): Ziegenhagen is a Chicago-area folk singer who puts his guitar in his lap and picks out his simple and direct tunes, in a voice that is limited but quite expressive. On this album, he paints tiny portraits in two to four minutes, akin to artists like Ron Sexsmith and Chris Hickey. Unlike those two, Ziegenhagen's music doesn't really enter into the spheres of pop and rock. Not that it needs to, as his gentle songs are charming and engaging. There is just a wee bit of backwoods in his friendly voice. He stretches that voice beyond its limits, albeit intentionally, on "Can't Hold Love at Bay". Each verse is like another pithy journal entry. The tune is a variation on some old Hank Williams song (I'm thinking "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"), as Ziegenhagen occasionally goes to falsetto range, while singing nuggets like: "The sheriff cruses by in his Chevrolet/while local boys drive round and round/you can't hold love at bay". Elizabeth Lindau of Chicago up-and-comers Canasta provides some lovely violin accompaniment. Now, Ziegenhagen doesn't even need that much detail in the lyrics to be compelling – working again with Landau, "Is That Star Wars?" is barely a mantra, as he pretty much repeats the title phrase, sometimes asking "what is that/who is that/where did you get that." The pretty music and the sincere vocal make it work. Still, that song is the outlier. Instead, songs like "Huevos Rancheros" are more typical. He tells the story of a band that liked to "play country music/in an ironic way." As they band travels around, it goes on "an unsuccessful hunt for the authentic." Man, what a great line. This song sounds like a subtle dig at hipsters, yet it's done so gently, that it's never mean. Hmm...maybe this is the beginning of some nouveau empathetic neo-folk genre. Whatever, this is really nice music. ericzieg.com

Rookie Card -- Near Mint (Blanco Nino/Earthling): This San Diego band plays an appealingly sloppy wiseass rock that brings to mind Too Much Joy and the Young Fresh Fellows, though not quite as polished as either. They showed promise on their debut record, but needed to raise the bar just a bit higher, both in terms of the songs and performance. They have done so here, relying on simple and familiar riffs and progressions, confident that their personality would make them stand out. And they are absolutely correct. Of course, I'm predisposed to rooting for a band that comes up with songs titled "Escalator" and the brilliant "Mazzy Starship". Or can come with a spiffy tight composition built around loud melodic guitars like "Constantly Waiting" -- this number sounds like Ultimate Fakebook if they were a bit less bratty and pinch more rootsy That rootsy quality is also evident on the midtempo "The Sun Always Shines on Christmas", a laid back rant about Los Angeles: "I hate the Golden State/No more endless summer/gimme a Zamboni caravan/that stretches from here to forever." Hmm...maybe Rookie Card is the 21st Century Thelonious Monster (a good thing, in my book). They cut loose on "Got No Time (for Expansion Teams)", which is actually about a guy stuck in a traffic jam, trying to get to his girl. Rookie Card really unleashes some power, with Jason Hee's bass playing keeping things swinging, while Adam Gimbel works himself into a lather reeling off the names of baseball teams. Not enough of that in rock and roll. Rookie Card -- not just wiseass, but kickass, too. rookiecardthemovie.com

Vocoder -- The Collapsed Stars EP (Popboomerang): This is an energetic rock and roll record from a band that plays just tight enough and writes songs just catchy enough that when you factor in their enthusiasm and commitment, you have a real winner. On "Falko", the band blisters the ears with careening guitars while Jamie McIndoe tries to make his voice heard, finally breaking through in the chorus, where things get organized enough to create a big hook, his bandmates singing some ‘ba ba' backing vocals. A lot of this record reminds me of a host of smoking rock bands from the ‘80s, like Soul Asylum (early on), The Oysters, The Replacements and The Dogmatics. This isn't either garage or punk, per se, yet it's only a heartbeat or two away. Think of every local band you've seen in a bar the past two years, and these guys are better, and having a good time while doing it. They also have good taste, doing a nice cover of The Kinks' "This Is Where I Belong". The best song might be "Brighter", a mid-tempo jangle with a strong melancholy vibe that sticks around long after the song ends. Back in my college DJ heyday, I would have gladly stuck this in between the dB's and Green On Red. Get back to the studio, lads! popboomerang.com

Jamie Hoover -- Jamie Hoo-ever (Loaded Goat): Based on Hoover's outstanding talent as a vocalist, instrumentalist and producer, I scientifically calculated the odds of Hoover performing a selection of covers, all good to great songs, and churning out a bad album (note: many of these were previously released on tribute discs). It turns out that there was a 1 in 834,296 chance that this album would suck. And now I must tell you that Hoover comes nowhere close to beating those odds, as this mix of familiar and lesser known songs by others is a consistent pleasure. Right away, Hoover gets a gold star from me for his excellent take on Let's Active's "Horizon". Working with Don Dixon, Hoover polishes this overlooked gem to a breathtaking gleam. The song, a Mitch Easter/Angie Carlson collaboration, is actually not far from the early material that Dixon's wife Marti Jones used to perform -- intelligent adult power pop. If you want to be stunned, slide on over to a choir of Hoovers doing an a cappella rendition of We Five's "You Were on My Mind". That this was just something he did one afternoon to pass the time makes it all the more impressive -- it's soft pop in the Beach Boys and Association tradition. Of course, there are some Beatle-y things in the mix -- a great version of George Harrison's "It's Only a Northern Song", a rendition of Ringo Starr's "Goodnight" and Klaatu's "Silly Boys". Other cool selections include "Sukiyaki" (with a swell vocal by Rina Hersey), Bobby Fuller's "It's Love, Come What May" and that Everly Brothers classic "Cathy's Clown". Excellent pop. jamiehoover.net

Bowman -- Living To Dream (self-released): Well crafted power pop release in the vein of acts like Owsley, Jason Falkner and The Gin Blossoms. Bill Bowman has a husky voice (it sometimes sounds like John Waite if he sang in a lower register -- he sounds great) and a distinctive guitar tone that stamps his mark on all 14 tracks on the disc. He makes it sound effortless. In fact, too effortless. While Bowman is certainly engaged with this material, this disc lacks a little bit of passion and verve. As a result, almost everything is served at the same musical and emotional temperature. Hand-in-hand with this bland approach, Bowman doesn't really have a whole lot to say. The words are somewhat generic, which may contribute to the lack of sparks ignited. This is a shame, because the appeal of Bowman's sound is readily apparent. Not only is he an ace singer, he can also deliver some fine guitar work. This is best showcased on the hottest track on the disc, "Upside Down". He rips off a nifty lead guitar part that puts the song in constant overdrive. He needs to find this musical place more often. The album does get off to a good start, as Bowman plays some of his top cards, on the automatically catchy "Save Me" and "Enemy", which has some terrific chord changes and is truly Falkner-esque. The problem is that once he fires the first few shots, the rest of the songs are lesser versions of the fine numbers at the beginning. Despite my complaints, there is no doubt that there is a ton of talent here. And while it may seem like I'm trashing the album, it's more that I hear so many good things here, yet it hasn't translated here to an above-average album. With a bit more variety, intensity and stronger lyrics, Bowman can fulfill its considerable potential. bowmanband.com

The Zinedines -- Take Me Take Me (Rainbow Quartz): These guys should send a small portion of their royalty checks to Teenage Fanclub, as their influence is evident in more than a few spots on this disc. And then they can kick in another percentage to Apple Records. Not that there's anything wrong with that. This talented Spanish quartet is led by Manel Martinez, who engages in some two guitar magic with his brother Miquel -- Manel's rhythm parts provide a fine foundation for Miquel's tasteful lead work. Moreover, all four members can sing, and so the harmony vocals are lovely. Indeed, the band immediately seduces on "Twice Upon a Time". The Byrdsy/TFC jangle meets a bevy of Zinedine voices. And these are real full bodied harmony vocals, with high parts and low parts, creatively placed throughout the winsome tune. This album is easy on the ears, and might be a bit too easy. This is definitely a disc where the style is the substance -- this is as light as cotton candy, almost psychedelic muzak. Yet I'm powerless to resist the Beatle-isms of "I'm Not Me" (any song that uses the bass line from the Fabs' "Rain" or any variation on it will usually win me over), the lovely acoustic "Together" (which has a hint of the Bee Gees), the rocking "It's All Around You" (they should kick the jams out a bit more, methinks), and especially the sitar-saturated "I Know Your Bird", which comes close to the inspired psych-pastiche of labelmates RockFour. Indeed, that's a good comparison point -- RockFour is more creative in how they build on their influences. So The Zinedines can still take it up a notch. As it is, this is a quality psych-pop disc. rainbowquartz.com

The Bobbleheads -- Automatic Fun (PopPop): At times, this album plays like a compilation of some lost ‘80s college radio fave. They play a handful of discernible styles, with a sufficient consistency that the diversity is a real boon, and actually aids in the flow of the record. At different places, I hear hints of The Jam, Style Council, The Smiths and jangle rockers galore, including The Connells and Pop Art (not that these are all influences -- it's just who they remind me of). The clear cut winner on this album is "Crush", which comes in very Smiths-y, and then pulls out a chorus that could have come from a classic early Billy Bragg single. So it's electric folk meets Brit indy pop, with one gigantic hook Bravo! This fits in with the lilting soft-poppish "#37 Bus", sincere breeziness like "I Don't Know", intent electric folk like "Bedazzler" and my other favorite, "Longboard", which really reminds me of Pop Art, because of John Ashfield's voice and the easy flow of the melody from verse to chorus. Nicely done! thebobbleheads.com

Lazy Susan -- Never Better (Self-released): Mellow melodic pop from Australia in the vein of the quieter side of Crowded House and more recent acts like Lynchpin. Paul Andrews and Pete Wilson are the primary songwriters (with bandmate Duncan Young penning one number), and they clearly share a winning sensibility, as I had to look in the CD booklet to determine who wrote what. The song "Misunderstood" exemplifies the pleasures of this collection. Musically, the song starts out with vocals and acoustic guitars and then slowly builds in intensity, with more guitars, more volume, a rousing final chorus, before ending in a near whisper. The lyrics are also stellar, written from the point of view of a commitmentphobe who has a real problem with intimacy. How's this for an opening: "She looked just like Kylie Minogue/only with more meat on her bones/and with jet black hair/and a different nose/and she didn't share Kylie's taste in clothes/she was the spitting image." Damn good. Another Andrews' composition confirms that he is an astute lyricist, as "Top of Her Goodbye" is an original take on the ol' "I'm unlucky in love" ditty. He sounds like he's so used to it, he's barely affected by it anymore: "And it's so funny when worlds end/I shrug my shoulders and pretend/that they'll return." The R & B laced chorus is a nice touch. Wilson is no slouch either, with a bit more direct lyrical approach. "Never Better" is a slow spacious song, almost acoustic pop gone Western, before the electric guitars kick in midway through, and eventually, the Australia-by-way-of-Memphis horns kick in. Wilson doesn't care what goes on with the rest of the world, because "all that you are/is all that I am/but never better." That sounds like a double-edged sword. Wilson's a bit more clear on "Wasting Time", a ringing guitar piece extolling the virtues of not doing much of anything. This is music that is as smart as it is catchy, and it's very smart. lazy-susan.net

Outrageous Cherry -- Why Don't We Talk About Something Else (Rainbow Quartz): This teaser EP consists of two songs from the Cherry's 2005 LP and three other tracks. If these songs are a fair warning of what's to come, then Matthew Smith and company have turned the pop dial up a few notches. The songs here are almost completely devoid of the reverbed guitars and strong psychedelic touches that typify most of the band's work (the exception being the instrumental finale, "Detroit Blackout", which has a nice R & B/blues rock feel, yet remains light on its feet). Other than the usual cavernous effects on Smith's vocals, this is ultra-‘60s pop. And there's nothing wrong with that, when you have a band that set their way back machine for 1968 and never bothered to return. The title track is a light hearted gem with dry humor. The music sounds like something The Turtles might have wanted to try, as Smith wants to change the subject from "not your shock treatment childhood/or your split personality...not the things you'd do if you could." This could be a celebration of avoidance, or, more likely, the type of friend most of us have, who just had to dredge up the same shit over and over. "My Suspicious Midwest" is another bopping number that is not quite as good as its title, though it's nice. Smith puts things in perspective on "Don't Worry", a piano based slice of Detroit-made Brit pop. Not the most original song, but this type of tune always works for me. Meanwhile, "Eternity Changed Her Mind" is a sweet ballad, something this band should do more often. All-in-all, this is yet another worthwhile Outrageous Cherry release. rainbowquartz.com

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