Faves from The Co-Op Communiqué Volume Four: The Well Wishers, Pseudonym, The Click Beetles, The John Sally Ride, Jonny Weathers, John T. McMullan, Wicked Immigrant

We recently received an emailed communique from Mr. Dw. Dunphy announcing the latest compilation of songs "to break the stalemate between an eager audience and the distribution channels that cannot come together." And break it he certainly does, and with a loud and very satisfying pop. You can read all about it at Bandcamp, but in the meantime, here are our very favorites from the latest, 57-song menu, all available for free download. We might mention that after sampling all 57 and noting our favorites, we found when it came time to post that some of the playing order had been changed. We hope the songs posted below conform to the list of artists we named in the postitle.

The Well Wishers AREN'T the Enemy and ARE Just Right

Hot off their (his, Jeff Shelton's, really) excellent June release, Comes And Goes, fly two new sizzlers by San Francisco faveband The Well Wishers. "I'm Not The Enemy" is available below for free download, and the understatedly titled "It's Just Right" stands ready to increase pulse rate/dopamine flow beyond optimum levels.*** And in case you missed it, we're including Comes And Goes as well.

We've been enjoying The Well Wishers for quite a while now, and you might want to check out some of our previous posts on the band, not for the writing, of course, but because several of them still have free and legal downloadables available. We've also been enjoying Jeff Shelton's insights over at the I Love Power Pop Facebook group page and his always in-the-know Power Pop Show, which you can hear live or via podcast. The Facebook link is to an enjoyable thread in which a 'booker asks the question, "Are there any powerpop bands/artists that everyone seems to love, but you just couldn't get into?" Go watch the fur fly if you like, but be prepared to find your favorite band dissed and dismissed (but also, in most cases, defended).

***Yassss, we contradict our postitle, but so, like, what?

Soundcloudownloadables: The Well Wishers, Dignan Porch, Tiger Waves, Wimps and Machos, Summer Fiction, Party Lights

Sorry we've gotten a "little behind" in posting. (Pants fit better, though.) Here are some recent, fairly recent, and downright ancient downloadables we've been much enjoying.

Many thanks to Jeff Shelton of long-time faveband The Well Wishers for making this available, as well as this excellent ABBA cover:

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Free & legals still available 

here.

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Some previously posteds by this much-beloved band are still available 

here.

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The Well Wishers Tweak "Father Nature"

Tweakin's tiring.

The Well Wishers' chief Wisher, Jeff Shelton, has been tweaking the final song on this year's superb LP A Shattering Sky and is making it possible for all of "us" to profit thereby. We pp's don't usually make "Best Of" lists, but if we did, A Shattering Sky would most definitely be on ours for 2014. Does that mean we're on the verge of shattering tradition, that for the first time in our blog's eight-year history we're gonna succumb to year-end listomania? Nnnnnnnnnnmaybe, but don't hold your breath.

We do, however, want to expend both breath and cyber in thanks to Jeff for making this free download available. The entire LP is available for purchase here, here, and here. Faceoff friendlily here. Some of our previous Jeff-sanctioned posted freebies can be found here.


Click here to get the name-your-price download.

Hot Nun's Hot

We always get excited when finding out Spinning Jennies/The Well Wishers aceman Jeff Shelton is up to something new. Thus are we well fired up to hear of his latest project, Hot Nun, some early fruit of which is posted below and final harvest of which is due out early next year. We may follow up on this soon, but want to post it right away, the mad, mega-competitive world of powerpop being what it is(n't). BTW, there's another selection by Hot Nun st(r)eaming at Bandcamp. Click here to check out our previous Well Wishers posts containing Shelton-sanctioned free and legals.

The Well Wishers' Dreamy New One Due Next Month

We're delighted to hear from bandleader Jeff Shelton that San Francisco powerpoppers The Well Wishers will be releasing new LP Dreaming of the West Cost on January 24. The song below is downloadable at Bandcamp, where you can also stream the rest of the album. We've loved The Well Wishers for years now, and you can still download some songs we previously posted here and here. We don't usually do end-of-the-year Faves lists, but if we did, last year's Post Modern Romantic most definitely would have been on ours.

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The Well Wishers' Saturday Surprise

I was about to step out of the house but found some jewels in my emailbox and had to post posthaste. We happily featured San Francisco powerpoppers The Well Wishers back in December and now find WW Jeff Shelton is making new tuneage available. Jeff took two unfinished songs from his previous (excellent) band, Spinning Jennies, and polished them into the gems below. The email also had the exciting news that The Well Wishers are demoing songs for their fifth LP, hope to begin recording this fall, and anticipate releasing it in early '10. Needless to say, we wish them well and know their music will return the favor.

The Well Wishers

I Before E mp3

Down mp3

For good measure, here's one of the previously posted songs from that December post. The other two are still there, so go dig 'em if you dare. (Are we coyly, greedily sending you there just to increase our site traffic, build up our number of page clicks, and augment our massive revenue stream? Surely you jest.)

Moving Mountains mp3 - from Jigsaw Days

Wishing Well

San Francisco's powerpopping The Well Wishers are essentially the solo project of former Spinning Jennies frontman Jeff Shelton, with SJ bandmate Nick Laquintano on skins. I got on a Well Wishers jag this fall and may well never recover, which suits me very well indeed. I was further delighted when Jeff gave me permission to post anything I like from this year's Jigsaw Days. Jeff, you really shouldn't oughta tempt me like that, and I'm assuming you didn't mean to let me go ahead and post the entire superb lp, now did you? Oh, you did? Right then, I will. (Not.) Anyway, it doesn't get any purer than this primo pop, and it's no puzzle why, as you will hear with three simple clicks. Before I post some of my favorites from Jigsaw Days, though, I'd like to mention my favorites from earlier TWW lps, variously available at Not Lame (link gets you to one lp, then use search box for others), eMusic, and iTunes. Your kilometerage will vary, so go test drive at your convenience.

Twenty-Four Seven (2004): Press Begin to Play - Sex & the Suburbs - See for the First Time
Under the Arrows (2005): Brain Trust Odyssey - Break It Up - Double Vision - In Search of Alter Egos
How I Won the War (2007): It's True What they Say About Girls - Broken Glass - I'm In Love - The Optimist - Hope Is Fading - Seashells - Grey Skies Black

While we're at it, you can also find Spinning Jennies tuneage here (as above), here, and here.

Okay, get clicking.

The Well Wishers - from Jigsaw Days

Moving Mountains mp3
Heroes mp3
All The Suckers mp3


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