Elliot Easton's Tiki Gods - Easton Island

Release date : Feb 18th 2013 (download)



I first became aware of the Elliot Easton’s Tiki Gods on a Del Fi compilation I picked up, that had their one track standing head and shoulders above all the others on it. Now, let me tell you….. that compilation had Brian Wilson, Insect Surfers and a young Frank Zappa on it. So we’re talking QUALITY here.

Other tracks appeared on the Henry Mancini tribute album “A Shot In The Dark” and various other compilations. Everything I heard, I loved. An added bonus for me was finding out Nick Waluska (Nicky Wonder) was heavily involved alongside Elliot. I jumped with joy at finding out a WHOLE ALBUM was now available. It was downloaded within minutes of being available! I couldn’t wait to get my ears around it, and I wasn’t to be disappointed.


Opening with “Tiki God’s Theme” is like a statement of intent. They are saying, “We like surf guitars and drums!” There’s also a hint of what’s to come later, with tolling bells and chants.

Rarotonga has a shimmering modulated melody with a bright, choppy guitar backing that leaves you weak at the knees when the gorgeous strings sweep in to surprise you.

Some female backing singers that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Sci-Fi soundtrack are juxtaposed with what was hinted at earlier…the tolling bells from A Fistful Of Dollars, hot burning sun, beating down over the chanting Ennio Morricone like “Blue Lava.” Cowboys in space riding surf boards! Now THAT’S a film I want to see.

The Brian Wilson instrumentation admiration is evident on the lugubrious, laid back “Mu Empire.”

“Tabu” has an American West Coast cool, with some great jazz licks Wes Montgomery would have been proud of in 1966. This feel is continued with “Jill’s Theme”, and some of the most beautifully defined guitar runs on the whole album.

We step up a gear with “Sir Surfalot”, and the pounding drums are back with what could be a TV opening title tune to a 70’s long lost cop show.

The best piece of music Burt Bacharach DIDN’T write is here on “Sydney’s Samba.” It’s a wonderful, dreamy, acoustic guitar led work of sublime artistry.

Remember those spy movies from the 60’s, when there was always a white open topped sports car, with the hero driving the gorgeous girl with the long blond hair around the hills of Monte Carlo? Well “Sabotagia (I Say Sabotage)” would fit perfectly there.

There’s an array of guitars chasing each other around the soundscape that is “Isle Of Canopic”, before the fine mixture of twang and acoustic on “Ballad Of Cowboyardee” are joined once again by the Space Girls.

This is such a great album from start to finish. To end with what can only be described as “musical erotica,” is a master-stroke. “Nocturnia” has a vibe of something dangerous lurking in the background. The danger comes in a mysterious wind, that seems to take the most wonderful 38 minutes of music I have heard in YEARS away with it.

The album isn’t a sound-a-like tribute to various musical favourites of Elliot Easton.. It’s jam-packed with original and exciting slices of music that can fire your imagination with surf, exotica, lounge, AND erotica, all mixed together for your listening pleasure

Wherever Easton’s Island is….. I want to be there.

Norman Kelsey - On The Rebound

Release date: 2nd October 2012

We were lucky enough to catch Norman Kelsey live at Liverpool’s IPO Festival, when he played with just an acoustic guitar. He was certainly different from the Power Pop you expect at this fixture in our calendar, but he did a great job in keeping the crowd’s attention with the songs he played.

The first song on this new album,” So Sophisticated”, opens with a Robert Cray style bluesy riff played by the producer, Adam Marsland, before the horns take you on a funk trip. The title “So Sophisticated” sets the tone for the album, because that’s just what the album is. A sophisticated and well-structured slice of soul, funk and lush vocals throughout.

The title track tips the hat to an obvious appreciation of Prince, which is evident elsewhere on the album.  This is no bad thing, especially since Norman has a really warm and soulful falsetto that’s difficult to tire of.

“Our Love Is Known By Name” opens with a stunning Bee Gees at their best type harmony…and then gets better! Having Evie Sands helping out on vocals guarantees greatness of course.

There’s a lot going on lyrically too, none more so than in “Supermodels With Gatling Guns,” which manages name-check R2D2 and Stella McCartney!

“Airport Kisses” is a real heartbreaker that captures perfectly the sadness of someone who travels from home a lot and misses the love that's been left behind.

Throughout this album great credit has to go to Adam Marsland for his outstanding production work and musical contributions. He’s done an amazing job, and he should be very proud of the result. 

The bottom line though, is that Norman Kelsey’s great songs can stand strong with just his voice and that little acoustic guitar, as witnessed in Liverpool earlier this year.

This is an outstanding album from a truly sophisticated vocalist.

The Popdogs "Cool Cats For Pop Dogs"

Our Verdict: A Fine Pedigree

Do you remember when “Pop”… as in “Popular Music” meant something you and friends could actually enjoy openly?

This would be way before Simon Cowell destroyed the meaning of the words.  Well prepare to have your faith restored in this particular genre.  Because the debut album from The Popdogs, “Cool Cats For Pop Dogs” will do just that.

Clocking in at not much more than 30 minutes, the ten songs on the album will be the soundtrack to the quickest 30 minutes of your life!

From the power pop opening of KELLY’S ON till the harmony laden closer DANCIN ‘ AGAIN, via an almost surf  guitar instrumental in MILD MANNERED J, we are treated to reminders of just exactly what pop songs are meant to be… two and a half minutes of aural ecstasy.

Of course singer/songwriter James Styring is no stranger to great songs as anyone who had the good fortune to see or hear his last band, Postcards From Places That Don’t Exist can testify. His teaming up with guitarist Tim McKeating though, has added a definite radio friendliness to the instantly recognisable vocals provided by James.

Jangly guitars, great hooks and choruses, plus the added benefit of a unique and distinctive vocalist. What more can you look for in a classic POP album? Ten sparkling gems, highly recommended for anyone looking to have that faith in POPULAR MUSIC restored.

THE BEACH BOYS - THAT'S WHY GOD MADE THE RADIO

Band: The Beach Boys

Album: That’s Why God Made The Radio

Released: June 5^th 2012

Our Verdict: Spin like crazy – it’s FANTASTIC

It’s been a good sixteen years since The Beach Boys got together and recorded something new. Law suits between one another have dominated their landscape during those years, and many would call the band dysfunctional, but they are together again, disputes put aside (for a time anyway), to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of what has become a Southern California culture with an anniversary tour and a new studio album, with NEW material.

With the death of Dennis Wilson (1983) and Carl Wilson (1998) the band will never be the band it was in the sixties but with Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and the “lost Beach Boy” David Marks as the core line-up, it is as close as dammit we’ll get. And from giving the new CD a spin, we’ll take that thank you very much.

Before we even play it, the CD is filled with promise, with tracks titled which give the impression of nostalgia, such as “Think About The Days” and “Summer’s Gone” and tracks that hark back to the Southern California culture we have loved for so long, “Pacific Coast Highway” and “Daybreak Over The Ocean”. The song writing credits are mainly Brian Wilson and Joe Thomas (who produced Brian’s second solo album “Imagination”) but there is one song where the credit is just Mike Love, which is nice to see. The musicians involved in the backing and instrumentation are predominantly from Brian Wilson’s own touring band which is another good sign. Produced by Brian Wilson and executive produced by Mike Love, we settle in for what we hope is a harmony filled treat.

The CD opens with a smooth, lush, harmony filled short track, “Think About The Days” which is a great opening teaser of what is to come. No words, just harmonies and a solitary piano. This one has a bit of “Endless Harmony” about it, a song about Brothers, Friends and Cousins from the Keeping The Summer Alive album released in the early 80’s…..

Next up, the first single released from the album, and one that is getting a lot of airplay in the UK (particularly on BBC Radio 2), the title track, “That’s Why God Made the Radio”. Brian Wilson’s vocals are very prominent here and the harmony is amazing. We can pick out the voices of each of the band and each time we hear it we hear another layer. The lyrics are easy, and at times forced to rhyme such as “lift up my antennae” but it is extremely listenable. They are indeed “spreading the love and sunshine to a whole new generation”.

Track three is “Isn’t It Time” which has a similar beat to, “Crack At Your Love” from the 1985 album. The more we hear this, the more it grows on us such that it is now one of our favourites. The song starts with Brian Wilson on vocals with the bass vocal from Mike Love and then Al Jardine joins in….. and in the middle, a lovely falsetto from Jeff Foskett (himself a member of the Beach Boys band in the 80’s). A lovely rhythm to this one.

“Spring Vacation”, with the lead from Mike Love, is a bit of a cheesy song when you consider the lyrics in terms of the band’s history and their reunion tour…. “long as we can all stay together…..as for the past it’s all behind us…..singing our songs is enough reason…..some say it wouldn’t last……all we can say is we’re still having a blast….we’re back together…..easy money…….” This is another that worms its way into your musical veins and you can’t help but sing along.

The fifth track is “The Private Life of Bill and Sue”, lead from Brian Wilson, all about a reality TV couple, with a brilliant, catchy chorus which has a real Rio Grande/Mexico feel to it, some great percussion and vibes in the backing and a lovely bit of bass saxophone too.

“Shelter”, again with the lead from Brian Wilson, includes a fantastic shiver down your spine falsetto from Jeff Foskett, a member of the Beach Boys band in the 80’s and a key member of Brian Wilson’s current band. His vocals can be heard throughout the album, but they really do stand out on this track. Love it.

“Daybreak Over The Ocean” is a Mike Love composition and it is his vocals that are the prominent ones here as he takes the lead, and admittedly took a bit of time to grow on us. But the seed was planted, and although we wouldn’t say it was one of our top tracks from the album, it is certainly one that evokes images of the beach, and waves breaking with the rumbling of the cymbals, and the acoustic guitar giving a calmness and tranquillity about the whole song. This is probably the best song Duglus T Stewart has never done!

Track eight, “Beaches in Mind” is (for us anyway) the weakest track. We feel it’s quite 80’s influenced, with the organ and the drum beat, and although we don’t dislike it, we just don’t feel it’s up there with the rest of the tracks.

“Strange World” evokes many memories from our trip to LA last year, with the references to Santa Monica Pier. The intro has a great full drumbeat, some lovely percussion with the castanets, and we really like the string arrangements too. The added touch of the bicycle bell was cute! To us it sounds like Scott Bennett’s contribution on “Midnight’s Another Day.”

The final three songs on the album are a suite of divine perfection. “From There To Back Again” has Al’s strong vocals to start, and as the song progresses, the backing harmonies just wash over you. The flute adds a touch of Sunflower’s “At My Window” and works really well. With Brian’s vocals half way through, and then a change in tempo, a bit of whistling, this is a strong track which we like a lot.

More memories of our LA trip flood back again with “Pacific Coast Highway” a short piece, with some lovely harmony, flute, and a bit of cello and violin too really adds a lot to the song. The album closes with “Summer’s Gone” which is a great final song. The more we hear this the more it impresses. The vocals are just wonderful, each part blending in perfectly, and you can almost see the sun setting on the West Coast and the winter approaching as the song fades to the sound of waves and rain.

Our only gripe is the lack of liner notes. The CD insert gives only the lyrics (and writing/recording credits) and even then they are in tiny white text which is at times very hard to read against the backdrop. A wasted opportunity we felt.

CHILD OF WINTER - RACHEL & THE REINDEERZ

BAND: Rachel & The Reindeerz
TRACK NAME: Child Of Winter
RELEASED: 7th December 2010
RATING: Probably one of the best Christmas tunes we’ve heard in a long time


LINKS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rysxg6ID0FI&feature=player_embedded

This has to be one of the best Christmas songs going. The video is brilliant, the tune is superb.

A cover of the 1974 Beach Boys recording of Child of Winter, a song written by Brian Wilson and Stephen Kalinich has been recorded by Rachel & The Reindeerz.

The Brian Wilson / Stephen Kalinich connection stays throughout and Stevie K actually appears in the video, with the Bob Dylan-esque boards, the sleigh-bells and the mistletoe. Original Beach Boy David Marks produces some great guitar licks and Beach Boy boffin and music historian Alan Boyd is there on the key boards (and I suspect somewhere in the production side of things too). Oh, and to add to the mix (although you won’t hear it on the ITunes version) Brian Wilson’s grandchildren, from his 2 daughters Wendy & Carnie, provide some real treats with the kids’ voice overs.

This song has you bopping around and makes you glow. It doesn’t matter that the video is shot in sunny California... you still feel all Christmassy, and “happy and bright”. Rachel sounds great. The song is filled with sleighbells, great vocals and sounds just fantastic.

I think this is one Christmas tune I’ll never tire of....... “I’m building a snowball, that someone will throw...... here comes Santa Claus... right down Santa Claus lane......a Merry Christmas to you.... ding dong ding go the bells..... BRILLIANT.

Surfin' Lungs

BAND: Surfin’ Lungs

ALBUM NAME: Full Petal Jacket

RELEASED: Jan 2010 – Wild Punk Records
RATING: A complete blast and loving every “explosion”

LINKS:
www.myspace.com/surfinlungs


In Minty’s opinion, the Surfin’ Lungs are THE Godfathers of British Surf and their latest release, “Full Petal Jacket” rubber stamps that appraisal.

Full Petal Jacket, to start with, has fantastic artwork – based on the Stanley Kubrick “Metal” film poster, the cover artwork is a surfer, compete with the Hawaiin lei around his neck, bass guitar slung over his shoulder, and the US Army hard-hat with “Born To Surf” across it…… This is the best artwork on a Lungs CD to date.
And the insert is not bad either… it has the lyrics and who does what on each song…… interspersed with some atmospheric photos that were taken at a Lungs’ gig (by Lady Casanova).

What about the music I hear you cry? Well, straight away I was on that “Surf Bus”. What a fantastic opening song…..one that makes you dance along and clap your hands. You can just imagine the Honeys in the background….
There are a few songs about girls gone bad, with “The Girl’s Gone Wild” and “Out On A Corner” and “Talk Of the Locker Room”, a couple of terrific instrumentals, loads of 12 string guitar and a totally fantastic bubblegum song, The Lungs sing about “The Perfect Summer”, complete with the West Coast harmony sound and then immediately give us a “Storm Warning” (Steve, what is a rainstick btw?). “She’s A Surf Punk” would sit neatly on any Surfin’ Lungs album – it’s like The Ramones meets the West Coast head on and creates something wonderful.

Throughout, the drums are fantastic, a great (almost jungle) beat which works really well with every track, especially on “Ungawa”. Minty really loves 12 string guitar, so seeing it feature on 5 tracks on this album is a real bonus. The vocals are great, the harmonies are…… harmonious (how else could I describe them??)

Tops for Minty are Ungawa, Surf Bus, Bubblegum Summer, She’s A Surf Punk and that is just 4 songs – the other 10 are just as good. So go buy this CD…….. it’s available from CD Baby immediately, or in the UK imminently!

And the guys are touring Spain in February - check out their MySpace page for dates - Minty is gutted she is in Madrid the week before they hit the town......

BAND: Wondermints

ALBUM NAME: Kaleidoscopin’ – Exploring Prisms of The Past

RELEASED: Dec 2009, Now Sounds

RATING: Wondermintal - Spin it, Spin it, Spin it, and Spin it some more, more, more

LINKS:
www.myspace.com/wondermints

http://www.nowsounds.co.uk/

First off, a bit of background on Minty’s favourite band…….

Wondermints were formed from a friendship between Darian Sahanaja and Nick Walusko who met in 1982 and from 1992 through to 1994, self-distributed their songs on a series of cassettes, known as the Blue one, the Purple one and the Green one (unsurprisingly from the colour of the covers!). During this time, the duo of Nick and Darian were joined by bassist Brian Kassan (who later left and was replaced by Jim Mills and then Probyn Gregory, both multi instrumentalists) and drummer Mike D’Amico.

In 1994, they recorded a 4 track demo for Epic. They didn’t get the deal with Epic, and the demo songs were released on a fourth cassette.

The following year, 1995, Wondermints started to appear on various compilation CDs and finally in the same year, their first CD (self titled, “Wondermints”) was released by a Japanese label. This release was an anthology of some (but not all) of the tracks from their Blue, Purple and Green cassettes. A few years later, and after two more CD releases (“Wonderful World Of” & “Bali”) the band got the attention of Beach Boy, Brian Wilson and became part of his 10 piece backing band when he began touring in 1999. The guys have been very busy on the road with Brian Wilson since then, and Darian was instrumental in helping Brian recreate the “lost” 1967 Beach Boys album “SMiLE” live in London (and then around the world) to huge critical acclaim.
Through the Brian Wilson tours, Wondermints has accumulated a new fan base (which included Minty) and the demand for their back catalogue grew. Eventually the band found time out of their busy touring schedule and in Sept 2002, their fourth CD “Mind If We Make Love to You” was released, with Brian Wilson providing backing vocals on some tracks. Since then, the fans have been clamouring for more.
And here it is……

We are not going to do a track by track listing, but give a general impression of the CD, picking out some bits that really stand out…..

You could call this a “rarities” CD, and considering the pedigree of the tracks, you would not be far wrong. If you own “Wondermints”, then you have some of the Blue, Purple and Green cassette tracks. “Kaleidoscopin” gives you the rest of those tracks and more and what a treat it is…….

Darian and Nick have their own distinctive styles and they blend together well whilst keeping a certain individuality which gives the CD a great mix. This is noticeable when you listen to “And Penny Knows” which is a Sahanaja composition and sits right up there with “Protto Pretty” & “In a Haze” and then listen to “Gone” which Nick describes in the sleeve notes as a “sad, waltzy ballad about regrets and the fear of loss”. Two totally different songs but each, fantastic.
“Truth Or Consequences” is a composition by both Nick and Darian, and with undertones of Nirvana guitar, Darian’s voice, and the line “you move me” which could lead to a mash up with the Troggs’ “Wild Thing” this is a real highlight of the CD.
Of the first seven tracks, only one is unknown (officially) to Minty – “No-One’s Girl”. This was pre-cassette days, but is fast becoming one of the best tracks on the CD in Minty’s opinion.

From track 8 onwards, with the exception of the four tracks that were on the Epic demo, we are treated to songs that have appeared on compilations, and a real bonus for fans that got into the Wondermints post 2002 when the compilations were pretty much out of print.

These include some cover versions - the Hollies “You Need Love”. Brian Wilson collaborators’ Gary Usher and Roger Christian’s “Ski Party”, “Full Moon” and Henry Mancini’s “The Party”. It was this track that caught Mike Myers’ attention and led him to approach Darian to write a song for his new the film, resulting in “Austin Powers” (which should have been the theme song to that movie!).

“Galactic Patrol” was on a free CD given with an edition of the UK pop magazine, Bucketfull of Brains, and The Beeb really, really likes the rock guitar on this.

The liner notes come in the form of a 24 page booklet and have been written by the band, adding some nuances around the origin of the tracks which is a delight to read through. The notes are interspersed with pictures of the band, including one where they are with Mike Myers all sporting Autin Powers wigs!, and the centre spread is a load of flyers from gigs performed in the 90's. The booklet itself was designed by the main man from Now Sounds - Steve Stanley, with Darian designing the front cover and back inlay. This really adds to the whole package - Nice job guys.

In a nutshell, this is a great CD, Not only does it plug the gap between the cassettes and the first Wondermints CD, but it also gathers together the majority of all the tracks that appeared on various compilation albums through the late ‘90’s. If you have all of the Wondermints previous CD’s, this CD dots the i’s and crosses the t’s. If you don’t have the Wondermints previous CD’s then this will just whet your appetite and leave you wanting more… their back catalogue is still available so go buy!

There are a couple of notable omissions, - namely, “Do You Have Any Regrets”, Darian’s single that was released in France, and Nick’s version of the great Pet Sounds track “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” both of which appeared on a homeless charity CD, “In My Room “ in 1995. These two tracks would have been the icing on what is actually a rather grand and exquisite cake.

10/10 guys
Just don’t leave it so long next time huh?
Oh, and Nick… we are now waiting for your solo CD with great anticipation!