Two for Tuesday, 6/21/11

Dropkick-Time Cuts the Ties. I've been listening to this prolific (9 full-lengths plus a handful of EPs in the last 10 years) Scottish band for several years now, had their records in my top 100 lists, but until now had not featured them on this site. I'm remedying this oversight with their latest, Time Cuts the Ties, as it's emblematic of their body of work and a damn good listen. Dropkick specialize in the melodic pop of bands like Teenage Fanclub and Daniel Wylie-era Cosmic Rough Riders with a touch of alt-country, suffused with Pernice Brothers-like harmonies. The standouts here are "Bad Line", an uptempo number augmented by piano that wouldn't have been out of place on the Pernices' Overcome by Happiness album, the stately power balladry of "Home", and the lovely, waltzing title track. Have a listen below, but set aside some time - once you introduce yourself to them, you're going to want to delve into that deep back catalog.

Official site (with lots of downloads) | iTunes



The Janglemen-5 by The Janglemen. Hey, sometimes the reviews write themselves. In this case, the band name and the title do a great job of summing things up. If you like this NYC band's full-length debut in 2007 or just like jangly power pop, this EP is for you. "Missin' Kissin' Kristen" is worth the price of admission alone, all Rickenbackers and catchy melodies. Also of note is the merseybeat of "XO XO", and the almost Knack-like "Weather Girl". Jangle on!

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Last post of 2007 - New Year's Eve Roundup.

With all of my limited (at this time of year) time for the blog being devoted to assembling the year-end lists, I've started to get a backlog of discs I've been meaning to mention. So before I head out for New Year's Eve (and before I spend tomorrow watching football), here are a few discs to consider while waiting for the big ball to drop:

The Janglemen-Tearjerker & 9 Others. The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that this late-year release made the top 125 at #74 yet had no previous mention on the site. That oversight is remedied now, as this New York City band wins the Truth-In-Advertising Award; "jangle" is the operative sound here, and they'll appeal big time to fans of Bobby Sutliff, Walter Clevenger, Roger McGuinn, etc. In other words, Rickenbacker heaven. CD Baby | MySpace

Marco Joachim-Songville. Staying with our theme of NYC artists with a something-other-than-NYC sound, this singer-songwriter will appeal to anyone who loved Bob Dylan's stuff with The Traveling Wilburys. Opener "There" has a real "End of the Line" feel to it, and "Dream Away" will bring to a smile to anyone who enjoyed the Smith & Hayes disc. Great stuff. CD Baby | MySpace

Soft Gong-Pretend You Need Me. These guys hail from the power pop hotspot of Boise, Idaho, and have an interesting origin story. They started out playing cover tunes as the house band for a marketing company, and gradually branched out to doing their own stuff. Perhaps the absurdity of corporate life contributed to the wry lyrical perspective found in tracks like "Night School Sweetheart" and "My Sweet Embraceable Defeat". First-rate power pop here, and maybe David Bash should look into an IPO Idaho. CD Baby | MySpace

Dion Read & The Afterthoughts-The Shoes & Gloves EP. An impressive debut from this piano-based Aussie. He cites the Bens (Folds, Lee, Kweller - and Affleck) as influences, and you can hear certainly hear them (OK, maybe not Affleck). It's only four songs, but it's worth every penny as the quality is high. Had this one come earlier in the year, I'd have found a spot on the top 10 EP list for it. CD Baby | MySpace