Bounce around

minisnap - bounce around (2007) *****

Nominated by: Kevy

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  Innocent

Kevy's instructions were to listen to the first few songs and try to guess who the band was, minus the lead singer. I'm big on compliance.

To me it sounded quite indie rocky for a start - so I thought maybe The Beths, then the Dunedin jaggly indie-pop sound predominated and I wondered if Look Blue Go Purple had reconstituted themselves. Both of those bands I love, so this album was already off to a flyer!

I was kind of on the right lines. It's The Bats, without main man Robert Scott. I also love The Bats!

Minisnap is roughly The Bats with lead guitarist Kaye Woodward taking over vocals and writing duties.

Those first three songs were all great and third song - Innocent, has a killer riff.

I loved everything about this album - the off kilter song development, the non-polished vocals (reminded me a bit of The Marine Girls sound with Tracey Thorn), the beaty pulse. Every song was terrific - no downside.

I need to find a physical copy of this one Kevy - maybe your finest selection yet (high praise with Golden Horse and The Chills also hitting the heights).

Actually, speaking of Golden Horse - I couldn't believe how much better it sounded on CD than on Spotify. It really pops on CD.

Great introduction to a new band/voice - thanks KS. Go you good thing!

Try

Soda Blonde - Small Talk (2021) ***

Nominated by: GK

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  Tiny Darkness

ABBA-esque first track Tiny Darkness kicks things off well with a great perky up tempo slice of synth-pop/ alt pop. Unfortunately that one appears to be something of an outlier on this set.

Things get a little strained after that one as the heavily processed/ synth sounds largely take over the songs. Plus the vocals become more bombastic. Some of the songs and delivery remind me of Florence and the Machine's second album Ceremonials. I really enjoyed their first album - Lungs, but then the follow up lathered up with overly dramatic big sounds. So, Ceremonials was a mis-step for me.

Soda Blonde's Faye O'Rourke sounds like she has been inspired by Florence Welch. She clearly has a very powerful voice and the material suits her on Small Talk. I'd say she's mostly half way between Lungs (the more understated ones like I Still Have Feelings For You) and Ceremonials (Holy Roses).

It's purely a matter of personal taste, I'd say (and have said plenty of times). Some voices I love and connect with - Patti, Grace, Janis, Yoko and so on. Other voices I like (like Faye) but don't actually connect with emotionally. Nobody's fault but mine.

Special mention to the hypnosis inspired artwork - what a great cover! Perfect.

So - I like it but don't love it = three stars for me and a hearty thank you for the introduction GK.

Something's changed

The Mockers - Swear It's True (1984) ***

Nominated by: K Simms

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  After The Rain

Reporter: What are you? A mod or a rocker?

Ringo: Er, I'm a mocker.

From that snippet of Hard Day's Night dialogue comes a name for Nu Zild's teen pop sensations of the early eighties. Great choice!

Back in 1983-84 Andrew Fagan and his band of school mates were quite something. 

I loved their pop smarts on 1983's My Girl Thinks She's Cleopatra and 1984's Forever Tuesday Morning. But I guess I instinctively knew they were more of a singles proposition than an album band because I didn't follow through and buy Swear It's True at the time.

Plus, I was a tad busy: 1983-1984 was a period of transition for me, literally - moving from the Windmill Rd flat in Auckland to New Plymouth for my first teaching job, meeting Jacky, getting married, starting a family - all in that order and all before 1984 was done.

It was a great year for music, 1984. Among what I bought that year: REM - Reckoning; Prince - Purple Rain; Stevie Ray Vaughn - Couldn't Stand The Weather; Springsteen - Born In The USA; U2 - Unforgettable Fire; Van Halen - 1984; Big Country - Steeltown; Brewing Up With Billy Bragg; The Alarm - Declaration; Tom Verlaine - Cover; Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome To The Pleasure Dome; Alison Moyet - Alf.

So The Mocker's debut album passed me by.

Fast forward forty years! And Kevy picks The Mockers for his latest poptastic delight from Nu Zild.

I found an album of two extremes - some good A songs, delivered with youthful exuberance and pop smarts, but other B songs are of uneven quality - either in composition or delivery.

Clearly, the songs I had heard before were still bright and shiny in the nostalgic morning light: Cleopatra; After The Rain (the B-side to Cleopatra); Forever Tuesday Morning. 

Album opener, Woke Up Today, is also a step in the right bubblegum pop direction (I'm a big fan of bubblegum pop). 

But between Cleopatra and Alvison Park we hit a rough patch of lesser material where we find either some sparse instrumentation, blander arrangements (Good Old Days),  banal lyrics (Swear It's True, You Only Live Once), attempts to do an ABBA treatment (Destiny), overreliance on synths (You Only Live Once) or songs where Andrew Fagan's singing lacks quality (Ancient Times/Good Old Days are shockers). 

Swear it's True (the song) is interesting. Fagan, I think, would maybe consider himself a bit of a poet but look at those rhymes: you/do/glue/true are repeated over and over and over.

Yes, I hear you - The Beatles' Yes It Is is not Lennon's greatest  lyric either (blue/you/true again), but he's John Lennon inne.

The album does end on some stronger songs - Alvison Park onwards. That one is not too inventive musically but the lyrics are more interesting and reveal a glimpse at some depth.

After The Rain is my favourite track. Interesting arrangement, interesting lyrics, good performance by Fagan, and a successful attempt at a Cure type delivery. When I bought the Cleopatra single I played the B side a whole lot. I'm not averse to synths as such (Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, Vangelis, Eno, Patrick Moraz etc etc) and they work well on this track.

Nothing is terrible (okay - maybe Good Old Days), but too many songs smack of album filler-hood.  Maybe it was a rush job to cash in on the singles? 

My initial eighties impression is therefore backed up  - a solid singles band, but not really having the ability to extend quality over a whole album.

For me The Mockers are like NZ's Herman's Hermits - charismatic front man, some great (albeit slight) singles and a lot of filler.

Stumbling through the dark

The Jayhawks - Rainy Day Music (2003) ***

Nominated by: The Big Gee

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  Madman

I've enjoyed The Jayhawks off and on since 1997's Sound Of Lies. The alt-country, pop/rock stylings of the band are well within my wheelhouse.

Rainy Day Music escaped me at the time but it's one of their better albums, although they were down to a trio at the time. Gary Louris is definitely the main man, so it doesn't matter too much who the personnel are as it's his songs that dominate.

This album sounds a lot like their influences - Poco and CSN&Y. In fact I could have sworn that Madman was a long lost CSN&Y track, with Jerry Garcia on guitar.

The album gets off to a great start with Stumbling Through The Dark. A song so good it bookends the album. The band gets back to a more alt-country sound generally on this album with some banjo and pedal steel appearing at times, and the Jayhawks harmonies are great on this track and elsewhere.

So, all is well. No duds, no skips.

Favourite tracks - Stumbling..., Madman, Tampa To Tulsa (echoes of Ryan Adams on that one), and the six bonus tracks.

If I was a nit picky person I would point to the over-reliance on Gary Louris. His voice is fine but spread over the whole album, I do find myself yearning for a different lead voice at times. Which is why I much prefer the Golden Smog albums that he contributes to and which I'll eventually get around to selecting for my weekly WTWMC choice.

I know the Mighty Gee warned us off the extra tracks, but, call me perverse, I liked them much more than the actual album. They seem to have been joined to subsequent releases of the album so they are legit to comment upon.

There is something honest and natural about these demos, live versions, and acoustic tracks. Plus Fools On Parade is a welcome up tempo number (something that's missing from the actual album).

Nice one Gee!