Category: Blog

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Watts – On The Dial (2010)


Watts
On The Dial
2010

Watts are back.  Guess what?  They still sound like Watts.  Are you surprised?  You shouldn’t be.  Watts have their sound and they’re sticking to it.  On The Dial is well rounded power pop with its roots in good old fashioned rock n’ roll.

The album opens with the one-two punch of “On The Dial” and “Chaperone”.  Dan Kopko’s gruff voice tears through the mix with conviction.  “Afterburn” and “Time To Give The Devil His Due”, the latter sung by drummer John Lynch, get a healthy charge of AC/DC.   “Girls On Holiday” has a Phil Spector vibe (maybe it’s the guitar line nicked from “Then He Kissed Me”).   Do I hear a guiro in “Dancehall Days & Nights”?  I’m a sucker for a good guiro part. Guitarist John Blout takes a vocal turn on the hooky “She Wants To Rock”. Craig LaPointe’s lead vocals on “Don’t Mind” help to add a bit of variety late in the proceedings.  The scathing “Fight Song” is the most aggressive Watts tune to date.

On The Dial is another solid effort from Watts.  I expected nothing less.

Where to get it:

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The Rationales (Acoustic Set) @ Lizard Lounge 5.14.2011

The Rationales opened and closed their own CD release show for The Distance In Between. They booked a great bill with friends OldJack and The Future Everybody. They had special guests join them during their sets. The Rationales did it up right.

The first set was a stripped down acoustic affair featuring mandolin, cajón and melodica. Good stuff.



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Ultrabreakfast – Ice Cream Tricycle (1997)


Ultrabreakfast
Ice Cream Tricycle
1997

Mix equal parts Pavement and Smudge (the Australian, Tom Morgan fronted Smudge) and you’ll get a rough idea of what Ultrabreakfast sounds like. It’s quirky, fuzzy, catchy and fun. The production is mid-fi, the playing is a little sloppy, and it’s full of heart. All of this is documented on their full length album, Ice Cream Tricycle.

While much of the record is full of indie rock crackle and buzz, my favorite song on Ice Cream Tricycle is a straight up pop tune. “Mary” has a sweet guitar line and a simple melody that works well with Josh Boughey’s cool vocal delivery. The song has an innocence to it that will put a smile on your face.

The rest of Ice Cream Tricycle has something for everyone. There are quick and dirty up tempo numbers like “Orange Car,” “Dragon” and “Wishlist” (which mentions such wonderful things as Superchunk, albino kangaroos, time machines and dear departed local legend Billy Ruane). Kristen Day’s kick-snare beat and Tim Farrell’s slide guitar give “On The Floor” an almost country feel. The slower numbers provide the band some room to experiment with their sound. These songs serve as a showcase for Paul Wisner’s creative guitar effects. There’s even a conceptual song trilogy within the album’s ranks. All of this in under 40 minutes. That’s some marvelous ’90s indie rock efficiency.

Where to get it:

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Davina Yannetty @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.27.2011

Davina Yannetty is a dynamo. She has a big voice and a small guitar.* She loves Billy Squier, prog rock and long walks on the beach.** Oh, and her last name rhymes with spaghetti.



*Not really. It’s a ukulele.
**I know 2 out of 3 of these things to be true. The third could be conjecture or a blatant lie.

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Melvern Taylor And His Fabulous Meltones @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.27.2011

I had never heard of Melvern Taylor before this night at TTs. Over the course of the evening a few different people asked me if I had ever seen him perform before. They knew. Now I know. Melvern Taylor And His Fabulous Meltones are amazing.



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Niki Luparelli @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.27.2011

Niki Luparelli

Look at these pictures:


I wasn’t sure how I was going to describe that, so I figured I’d get right to the photos. Seeing a picture of Niki Luparelli hula hooping while strumming a ukulele and playing a kazoo with a microphone in her cleavage sums up her immensely entertaining vaudeville act better than me saying “Niki Luparelli was hula hooping while strumming a ukulele and playing kazoo with a microphone in her cleavage.” I don’t know if a picture is worth a thousand words, but the one of Niki Luparelli hula hooping while strumming a ukulele and playing a kazoo with a microphone in her cleavage is worth at least 18.

What you can’t see in the photos are the polio jokes…

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The Rationales – The Distance In Between (2011)

The Rationales
The Distance In Between
2011

The Rationales have taken their Wilco, Tom Petty and Big Star influenced sound and injected it with a hefty dose of late ’90s indie rock in the vein of Buffalo Tom, Teenage Fanclub and Matthew Sweet. What do all of those acts have in common? Great songs. So it is with Dave Mirabella and his bandmates.

The Distance In Between is a damn fine record. “Tongue Tied” and “Another Moon” both have a nice mid-tempo feel. “Braedon” and “Jaded” ratchet the energy up a level. “Still We Believe” is anthemic. Spot on backing vocals and melodic guitar lines compliment every track. The production is excellent. Like I said, a damn fine record.

Guitarist Kevin McMahon takes over lead vocal duties on one of my favorite tracks, “Try To Tell Me”. This song was driving me crazy. The overall sound reminded me of another record I couldn’t place. Finally I realize that the song sounds like it could have come from John P. Strohm’s criminally overlooked Vestavia album. That’s good company to keep.

I’ll leave you with this snazzy lyric from “Slower-Faster”:

Cut it live or multi-track it
Either way it’s made of plastic

I love that.

Full Disclosure: I took the photos that grace the cover of The Distance In Between. The lovely and talented Nicole Anguish of Daykamp Creative made the whole thing look great. Don’t hate this record because it’s beautiful.

Where to get it:

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Corin Ashley – “Being Twelve” @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.27.2011

Ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo. Sha la la la la.

Here’s Corin Ashley doing a ukulele version of his song “Being Twelve” with a little help from Davina Yannetty. You may have noticed a little “Ram On” in there. If you didn’t, you should probably watch it again, because it’s right there in the beginning. It’s pretty obvious. They play it for, like, a minute. Hear it now? Pretty cool, right?