Kevin Mathews:
November,
2003

So Much Music, So Little Time

Ooh, how time flies…here we are thinking about the blockbuster movies coming out at the end of the year. The one I'm looking out for is The Return of the King and if the trailer is any indication, this final installment could be the best one yet. Speaking of last chapters, I am also thinking about The Matrix Revolutions even though I thought Reloaded was a tad disappointing. Musically, the September deluge passed me by somewhat and I still haven't found the time to pick up new albums by Spiritualized, Super Furry Animals, The Thrills, Guided by Voices et al. Here's an idea of what I have been listening to though.

Eve Selis Do You Know Me (Hot) Here's a factoid for ya - over at the Eve Selis page at MP3.com (www.mp3.com/eveselis) go ahead, I can wait…- Selis has managed over a million downloads - incredible isn't it! Even more amazing is the powerful country folk-blues Selis conjures with her superior songwriting and excellent vocal performances. I've got to confess that country music has seldom sounded so energized and so dynamic. It's time you got to know Eve Selis. www.eveselis.com

Buzzcocks Buzzcocks (Merge) One blistering punk rock classic after another greets the unsuspecting fan from this wonderful new album from these 'old-school' punk vets. Who else from the class of '77 is still able to deliver such pumping tunes? Tracks like the hyper-kinetic "Jerk," the Deep Purple-evoking "Driving You Insane," dynamic "Keep On," powerpoppin' "Sick City Sometimes" and surf-rockin' "Certain Move" loudly declare that the Buzzcocks are back and here to stay!

Hot Socky Hot Socky (BilltownUSA) Infectious power pop like the kind Hot Socky delivers needs no second invitation. Hot Socky covers the sort of ground you might expect, from the Kinksy jaunt of "Meltdown" to the Cheap Tricky crunch of "Believe," from the XTC edgy "Cali Easy Listening" to the Fountains of Wayne-ish geeky charm of "Power Down," Hot Socky is recommended listening for all you melodic guitar poppers out there. www.hotsocky.com

Ten Benson Benson Burner (Jetset) Songs with promising names like "Tits" and "Dark Forces," gnarled treated vocals and big dumb Keef riffs make for an uplifting decadent rock experience. I'm sorry but I'm not a fan of monotony. So sue me. www.jetset.com

Chains In The Shed Chains In The Shed (Siloh) The product of one Nathan Daniel Limbaugh, Chains In The Shed is a turgid exercise in limp indie rock. Well, all right, there's a glimmer of a groove in "Hottest Sauce in the World" but the rest of this is tedium. www.siloh.com

Adam McIntyre Rockstars & Superheroes (Headphone Treats) Meet Adam, neither a rockstar nor a superhero, but his brand of classic rock truisms will thrill you nonetheless. It's relatively understated (it's a homemade cookie) but the discerning rock listener will pick up enough hooks and chops to justify the investigation. www.headphonetreats.com

The Like Young Looked Up Plus Four (Kittridge) A 5 track EP that showcases Like Young's geeky emo-tinged indie guitar rock. Okay, so imagined a less produced Weezer or a less poppy Fountains of Wayne. Never mind if drummer Amanda can't hold a tune on "Freddy," the delights of "Looked Up" and "Threshold Person" more than compensate. www.kittnet.com

Toshack Highway vs. Sianspheric Magnetic Morning/Aspirin Age (Sonic Unyon) A little odd split release basically 2 separate EPs combined. Adam Franklin's Toshack Highway eschews guitar pyrotechnics without sacrificing his trademark atmospheric pop credentials. A strong effort. As is the case with Sianspheric who rises up to the challenge with aplomb and in the gorgeous "Beneath the Ocean Floor" surpasses its more illustrious partner. Heady chords patterns and ethereal ambience coupled with knowing rock dynamics (eg. "This All Happened") mark Sianspheric's half. Highly recommended. www.sonicunyon.com

Jesse Eubanks The Harmony of (Self-released) Eubanks is adept at mixing modern rock elements with the rustic quality of country-folk, which while maintaining the 'cool' quotient delivers a heartfelt vibe that is so crucial. A great introduction, pity it's so short. www.jesseeubanks.homestead.com

Genetic Habit From Outside (BigO) This Singaporean quartet manages to splice together many diverse influences - the corporate rock meets electronica hybrid of the opening "Living" is a good indication of where Genetic Habit is coming from. The slick jazzy soul funk "From Outside" actually attempts to address all the world's problems whilst the slightly overwrought ballad "Saturated" aims rather incongruously for radioplay. The rest of From Outside is similarly challenging (especially the attempts at rap) - only the seriously curious need apply. www.bigo.com.sg

The Long Winters When I Pretend To Fall (Barsuk) This rather remarkable album from singer-songwriter John Roderick and co has not seen much press thus far and that is a mystery but it's up there with the best of 2003 i.e. Grandaddy and Beulah. Embracing such diverse influences as the Blue Nile, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, the Byrds, REM, Gram Parsons and so on, this classy debut expresses an intelligent musical force that deserves recognition. www.barsuk.com

Lovetap Lovetap (Self-released) There's an irrelevant bonus DVD that comes with this release. Please ignore it. The album itself is a fair approximation of melodic modern-day pop-rock, enough sugar to keep the gurls happy and the right guitar lines to maintain the guy's attention. Only just. www.lovetapmusic.com

Barely Pink Last Day of Summer (Not Lame) A Not Lame release comes with a certain level of expectation and rightly so. Oh, it's good old fashioned power pop in the traditional sense so you more or less know what's coming and that's the caveat. It's a tad too predictable and that's all right if that's what you're looking for. Me, I could have done with a little more distinct personality from Barely Pink. www.notlame.com

Glassbyrd Open Wide This Window (Word) Marc Byrd and Christine Glass demonstrate a pleasing combination of their considerable talents to produce a worshipful, reverent and ultimately joyous album. With the evident influences of Peter Gabriel, U2 and delirious, songs like the thoughtful "Tonight," the folky "Weight of the World," the atmospheric "Jesus You Are Beautiful" and "God of Wonders" provide the high points. www.wordrecords.com

Stereophonics You Gotta Go There To Come Back (V2) You gotta laugh! Not intent on 'borrowing' The Jam's sense of working class punk ethos, chief Stereophonic Kelly Jones has, with this latest release, attempted to parlay Paul Weller's rock 'n' soul approximations but only succeeds into presenting a retro-chic knockoff reminiscent of Lenny Kravitz! Okay, so full marks for perspiration if not inspiration but do we really need a Bad Company for the new millennium? www.v2.com

Glenn Hansen Him (Self-released) This self-produced, self-released disc is no vanity project - Hansen has consistently poured heart and soul into every track to deliver provoking lyrics and sophisticated music that often recalls the neo-prog rock of Porcupine Tree, Spock's Beard and Marillion. www.glennhansenmusic.com

Dwight Sleeptalking (Fierce Rabbit) Pereira fancies himself a serious singer-songwriter-poet and most of this competent album bears that out. The music is sophisticated and slick with production values to match. Elements of jazz, funk and new age dominate the ten tracks and so guitar pop-rock fans need not bother. If there is a reservation, it is the occasional wordiness that rears its ugly head. However, highlights like the lively "Maybe This Will be the One" where Pereira actually sounds like Cher (!), the assured balladic "Less" and the impressive title track make Sleeptalkingone for the curious. info@fierce-rabbit.com info@fierce-rabbit.com

Singapore Sling The Curse of Singapore Sling (Stinky) Hailing from Iceland (now perhaps the hottest music scene on the planet! Think: Sigur Ros and Leaves), Singapore Sling utilize a wide range of influences from the Sixties to the modern era, from the Velvet Underground, MC5, the Stooges, Suicide, Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine, Primal Scream, JMC and BMRC. Highlights include the visceral "Overdriver," the driving single "Listen" and the darkly atmospherix "Chantisissity." www.stinkyrecords.com

Frank Bango The Unstudied Sea (Sincere) Artists like Frank Bango should be lauded for bringing intelligence and elegance into the amorphous creature that is modern rock and pop music. Thus, stellar material like the "A Clear Eye For Daisy," "Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been," "Always Looking Up" share a stripped down quality where strings weave in and out to provide emotional ambience and atmosphere. www.sincererecording.com

The Violet Burning This is the Moment(Northern) The Violet Burning's latest release is one the year's strongest, encapsulating the passionate inspirations of 80s post-punk and 90s indie pop whilst still remaining relevant in the new millennium. Essential listening for 2003. www.thevioletburning.com

Fiel Garvie Leave Me Out Of This (Self-released) Fragile. Thoughtful. Waiflike. Breathy. Vaguely anthemic. A contrast in styles. Fiel Garvie succeed in conveying mood and tone, the kind one feels at dusk. Liberating yet constrained. File under idiosyncratic Britpop. www.fielgarvie.com

Lazy Essentially (Slumbertone) Joel Bell and Pete Pagonis are Lazy. Both don't let that fool you cos the kind of clever, edgy, accessible pop music on show here only comes through hard work and no small amount of inspiration. Fans of XTC, the Nines, the Egyptians, Jellyfish and the Tories will get Lazy without any difficulty. www.lazymusicproject.com

$ign Of 4 Dancing With St. Peter (Track) Yes, I realize that this was the kind of macho cock-rock I probably would have listened to in my teenage years (and in truth, I think I must possess a couple of LPs by $O4's singer Phil Mogg's former outfit UFO) but along with 80s new wave, this brand of music is pretty much passé. Nothing much to recommend this album with unless you're hankering for third rate Led Zep/Deep Purple knock-offs. www.trackrecords.tv

The Cloudsmen The Cloudsmen (Self released) The Cloudsmen, I believe know the high powerpop standards they're trying to emulate so tracks like the beaty "Heat Score," the cod-psychedelic "House of Cards" and especially the dynamic "Window" show signs of promise though there's still work to be done. As a statement of intent, this is a good start. www.thecloudsmen.com

Joy Electric The Tick Tock Treasury (Tooth & Nail) Ronnie Martin has been soldiering on with vintage electronics (and eschewing modern-day computer gadgetry) for some time now and the results are often mixed. I mean, it's not really rock 'n' roll and is strongly reminiscent of 80s electro-pop's finest moments so presumably fans of that particular era would certainly lap this up. www.toothandnail.com

Fountains of Wayne Welcome Interstate Managers (S-Curve) Sixteen tracks that fairly encapsulate FOW's personal musical tastes (and every single sophisticated pop listener on planet earth - that includes you), which makes this third FOW album a breath of fresh air in the petrified stench that is the modern music scene. If you're reading this, I assume you already own this fab effort if not… www.fountainsofwayne.com

Whew! And still I see the CDs piling up on my desktop! Guess we'll have to wait for December won't we? See you in 30…

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