The Lockdown Session: April 2020 Price: $13.00 Artist: Andrew Taylor Description: With a lot of time at home, Dropkick’s Andrew Taylor listened back over some sound clips on his phone, recorded during the last year. On April 11, a short burst of writing ended with 10 new songs that were recorded and mixed on the following 3 days in his garage! Andrew provides us the deets: “During the Covid-19 lockdown, these songs were written from unused audio clips of little melodies and chord progressions on my phone, all thought up during the last year. With all Dropkick shows cancelled for the foreseeable future and no band activity possible, I suddenly got the time to listen to them and, ultimately, make a completely unplanned album. The writing took place on April 11th in a quick, creative burst with recording at home in my garage, East Lothian, Scotland on April 12th and 13th. The home recordings were mixed on April 14th.” Andrew only did an initial run of 50 copies which sold oput immediately. He has authorized Kool Kat to press/make copies available to fans in the US or anyone else who missed out! Thank you Andrew! EXCELLENT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Lockdown Session: May 2020 Price: $13.00 Artist: Andrew Taylor and The Harmonizers Description: Recorded in our homes during the COVID-19 lockdown in Scotland between May 13th and 20th. Starting life as another solo project to amuse Andrew (Dropkick, The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness), it quickly snowballed to become a lockdown, full band effort. Here’s the Harmonizer’s lineup: Andrew Taylor - Drums, Vocals, Guitars, Alastair Taylor - Guitars, Vocals, Ian Grier - Bass, Keyboards, and Iain Sloan - Pedal Steel, Guitars The album was officially released at 8.30pm (UK time) Sunday, May 24th and quickly sold out! But fear not, Kool Kat Musik once again comes to the rescue for anyone who missed out – copies are now only available here! Keep em’ coming Andrew! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

False Alarm Price: $11.00 Artist: Brad Marino Description: Brad Marino, singer, guitarist, songwriter, and co-founding member of beloved garage rock n’ roll band The Connection, stepped into the spotlight on his first solo outing “Extra Credit” (2019) with a wave of rave reviews accolades, and radio play. The momentum, song-writing, and recording continued and we have for you today Marino's second solo outing of brand new material plus a covers of Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue Got Married” and The Hoodoo Gurus’ “What’s My Scene?”. What you have is a release filled top to bottom with tried and true rock n’ roll. Rockpile meets the Ramones, Mick and Keef get into a tussle with the Flamin’ Groovies, The Knack get all tangled up in blue. Hints of Chuck, shades of country, stabs of punk, and jolts of power pop, all celebrated and created in the garage... get the picture? “Brad Marino is one of my favorite people in music, and I love how he injects poppy, hook-driven songwriting into the style of pure rock and roll. The lineage of Buddy Holly to the Flamin' Groovies to the Ramones to Rockpile is carried on in Marino's solo recordings. He does a fantastic rendition of The Hoodoo Gurus' classic ‘What's My Scene?’ that Guru Dave Faulkner himself recently endorsed. Brad's take on the song is largely faithful to the original, but he still adds plenty of his personal touch. A mandatory purchase for all fans of rock and roll aged 9 to 90!” – FasterandLouder.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Dear Life Price: $15.00 Artist: Brendan Benson Description: After a seven-year hiatus, Brendan Benson returns with what is probably his most joyful solo album to date. On album seven, he has found a place of peace that he has been yearning for a long while. The cynicism that once permeated his lyrics has been replaced by comfort, wonder, and delight, all of which make it a joy to listen to. “His first two albums set a high bar, especially 2002’s ‘Lapalco’, and while his preceding albums have aimed high, each with great standout songs, none have since hit that mark. Many of his songs have seemed like windows into his personal life, a shard that has cracked through to his own insecurities, his hopes, relationships, and often a reflection on his failings. On ‘Dear Life’ there is a new-found joy and optimism in many of the songs that shine through more than anything else he has written in the last 20 years and, there is a playfulness to the music and melodies that raise a smile. The opening couplet of ‘I Can Do What You Want Me To’ and ‘Good To Be Alive’ pump with more of a synth-funk sound and the programmed drums certainly add a disco vibe, but he’s soon back on his well-trodden path by track three with ‘Half A Boy (Half A Man)’. A blend of alt-country and power pop, it’s exactly what he is best at. It’s when ‘Richest Man Alive’ kicks in that the album takes on a whole new life. As someone who has at times seemed so self-deprecating through his lyrics, here we find him enamored with a domestic bliss that has no doubt grounded him. The music that drives it is just as upbeat and heartwarming, with a wonderful brass part running along in the background. On ‘Baby’s Eyes’ he hammers it home even more as he looks back on previous hurts and wishes that they never dull the shine of his own children’s eyes. He’s never afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve for all to see. The title track, coming closest to the more folk-pop sound that he achieved on ‘Lapalco’, brings back the idea of hanging in there through life’s obstacles, and comes back to it again on ‘I Quit’, which melds his acoustic background with the fresher grooves that he has started to explore on the album. The piano-led, album closer ‘Who’s Gonna Love You’, is replete with samples of what we can assume are his own children. It’s a downbeat ending to the record that focuses his current bliss back on the fear for the future of those around him, a fear once directed internally, here it is for those he cares for most.” – LouderThanWar.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

When The Dust Just Won’t Settle Price: $15.00 Artist: Captain Wilberforce Description: NEW RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT LABEL – AVAILABLE JUNE 5 – ACCEPTING ORDERS NOW!! So, as we find ourselves in strange, interesting and frankly scary times, another album released by some unknown indie band (we’re trying our best to eliminate that description) is a minuscule footnote in the War and Peace of current events - but to us, getting people to hear the songs Captain Wilberforce have worked so hard crafting, learning, recording, mixing, producing and releasing is hugely important. Hopefully these songs can transport you from the savage reality of 24 hour pandemic updates, if only for the 43 minute run-time, to a less stressful head-space, leaving you humming some new earworms. “Combining an aggressive guitar attack with catchy riffs and vocal work, ‘When The Dust Settles’ displays a wealth of songwriting talent. Song structure and performance rule with an alternative pop rock sound. The complexity of the record is the antidote to uninspiring earworms and shallow repetition. Captain Wilberforce should be the go-to artist for restless indie aficionados in search of higher quality. Their fifth full length album, to paraphrase Declan MacManus, easily ‘stands up from falling down’. Proof can be heard starting at the 4:10 opening number, ‘Sad Machine.’ The length of the track avoids conforming to a shortened radio play standard. An inviting melody and accessible time signature welcome listeners before the guitar’s amplitude kicks in and things get under way. An electronic drum tone sets the pace as low key vocals enter the mix. The title accurately matches the music. ‘The Last Dance Is Over’ has a heavier quality via a thicker guitar character while remaining tuneful. Once again, the vocals come across as subtle but no less significant. The drumming makes more use of skins compared to the opening track. A melodious but somewhat moody piano introduces ‘I Think That She Knows’ prior to the songwriter’s storytelling. ‘I’m The Fool’ returns to more of a rocked out feel in volume and presentation. Though comparisons to Gaz Coombes are in line, Squeeze’s Difford and Tilbrook also come to mind. Changing things up a bit, ‘The Finest Excuses’ is mostly an acoustic drive before culminating in a bold mix, while songs like “Green Unpleasant Land” and ‘Take Me To The Moon’ retain an almost Beatle-esque quality.” – MusicInterviewMagazine.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Dollybirds & Spies Price: $18.00 Artist: Cleaners From Venus Description: The Cleaners from Venus are four 65 year-old guys who all dress the same and look a bit like each other. They live together in a house and sing these very popular guitar-based songs, in between having lots of adventures. Every week it usually ends up with the band being chased down the street by groups of women in their late 50’s, who all have a fave member that they'd like to go out with! “One of the reasons why I like Martin Newell’s work and especially the brilliance of ‘Dolly Birds & Spies’ so much, is that he celebrates this human affliction to hyperbolize anything they are familiar with, whilst at the same time displaying the perspicacity to juxtapose such affection with a sense of realism. His fondness for all things yesteryear has always been apparent in his ramshackle approach to production and a definitive love of all things retro in the knob twiddling department. Amid such a clutter of the immensely uncluttered, Newell's stories of 'times gone by' characters and themes have no choice but to thrive with his famous downplayed and distant jangled retro-pop, without becoming a total pastiche of the whole 'happier times affliction'. With every album of his, there are moments of extra jangled intensity that are not really in harmony with the remainder of the album and as such often convey an exceptional quality, which is accentuated by merely being comparatively more vibrant. The truly beautiful ‘Trade Winds’ and ‘Ragged Winter Band’ are there to remind you that this man is a jangle-pop legend.” – Janglepophub.com “Dollybirds & Spies” was played on a bunch of old guitars and an upright piano, kitchen percussion a lovely old Yamaha DX27 with no RAM memory and other dodgy old electronica. Known for his quintessential British pop songwriting, Martin Newell makes music with out of whatever's closest to hand. And, that there’s the charm, we’ll take new music from him any day of the week! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

4 Price: $15.00 Artist: Coke Belda Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT LABEL! The followup to Coke’s “3 (Gs)” tribute to the Bee Gees is here! We’re gonna turn it over to the ever-loquacious Alan Haber of Pure Pop Radio and his terrific review who absolutely nails it - “When the previously-unknown Coke Belda emerged from nowheresville in 2013 with his first long player ‘1’, a pretty perfect specimen of catchy pop presented as art, I flipped over, under, sideways and down, knowing full well that a craftsman, schooled in the ways of melody and harmony, had emerged pretty much fully formed. Successive releases, including a sophomore collection of joyous originals (‘Nummer Zwei’) and a third long player, a lovingly-rendered tribute to the Bee Gees, as well as a number of standalone cover versions of favorite songs from such diverse artists as Nick Garrie and the Cowsills, proved that Coke had the ability to translate the stuff of dreams to track after track of earthly delights. And now the fourth time is, again, the charm. With ‘4’, where he has fashioned yet another parcel of tunes that speaks to the heart of people for whom the song continues to be the thing. From the delicious tribute to Paul McCartney, ‘Thank You, Paul,’ which cleverly calls out the titles of treasured Wings numbers, to the amazing ‘Watching You,’ a song about love gone away that stretches out to more than six minutes of harmonic splendor and lyrical guitar solos, this album is a celebration of the pop music form from one of the form’s modern masters. After 25 years of being on the radio, and nearly as long writing about it, I still wake up every day hoping to hear something new that is crafted with care that will move me to shout out to the world, ‘Don’t miss this!’ This record is unmissable!” Couldn’t have said any better ourselves! COMES WITH A LIMITED “4” BADGE/PIN WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Come Into My Studio Price: $10.00 Artist: Dana Countryman Description: For most outside of our world of power pop/pop, Dana Countryman remains a mystery. He never performs live in concert, and the press in his own hometown have no idea he lives there. Deeply allergic to hip-hop and most modern radio sounds. Having been described as a “one-man Brill Building”, he stays happy in his 60’s/70’s retro pop world. And that’s OK with us! It's hard to believe it's been almost 2 years since Dana's last album, 2018’s “Cabaret Of Love”. For close to 50 years the multi-instrumentalist has been part of the Seattle music scene and now with his sixth solo release, he has hit the worldwide pop music secen with a bang! “Come Into My Studio” is full of nostalgia, love, full of emotion, and loaded with plenty of pop hooks that will kep your ears glued to your speakers. True to form, he tosses in musical references to that sunny wonderful 60’s California style but he also has further diversified and pushes the feeling of this album to even higher musical heights. With many styles represented, the record is like the Beach boys hanging with Elton John accompanied by a rare band called Airwaves, while having the Beatles appear here and there. His voice has that “Neil Sedaka” quality about it of course he infuses that ever-present uptempo spirited piano throughout. The impressive list of contributing guests includes Dee Long (Klaatu), Probyn Gregory (Wondermints, et al), Scott Bennett (The Dotted Line), Kai Danzberg, Tricia Countryman, Scott McPherson (Vanilla), Ronnie D’Addario, and Brian Gari! “He’s a master pop craftsmasn. His music is timeless, from the 50’s onward. His message is love, everlasting love, and his music will touch your heart.” – PopForever.com You can file Dana next to your Kyle Vincent CDs! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

West Coast Highway Cosmic Price: $15.00 Artist: Datura4 Description: Hot on the heels of their critically acclaimed third album, “Blessed is the Boogie”, the Dom Mariani-led Datura4 have hit the motorway running for another sonic journey through burning boogie, dirty blues and rock and roll soundscapes on West Coast Highway Cosmic”. The record is named for the 200 kilometer stretch of highway along the southwest coast of Western Australia that the band has traveled to get to the recording studios they’ve been using to record the four albums they’ve done so far. The record sees them stretching out and experimenting with their sound built up since their 2015 debut. Garagey but not grungy, power-poppy but not cheesy, muddy but not sludgy, blues-respecting but not formulaic, trippy but not spacey, Datura4 is carving out their own niche. “If you were lucky enough to grow up in the 60s and 70s, you know that the music coming out at that time had a certain vibe. We’re not talking about the bubble-gum pop that was prevalent on the AM stations of the day. This is that blues based, uber-overdriven, gritty sound that blasted on many a stereo. Datura4 have captured not just the sound, but that whole atmospheric ambience on their latest effort. The music of Datura4, at least on this album, has a flavor that goes back some 50 years, but is, at the same time, incredibly fresh. Bob Patient, who joined the group toward the end of their ‘Blessed is the Boogie’ record, was involved from day one on the new album and his keyboards play a bigger part and have added an additional flavor to the D4 sound. On the title track, we’re blessed with a heavy dose of Patient’s organ. From the beginning strains I wasn’t sure if I felt more like I was approaching church, or the outset of a Vanilla Fudge show circa 1967. Either way, my soul was lifted. Throughout the album, D4 provides tons of psychedelic, reverb-heavy, crunchy guitar and a back-line made up of drummer Warren Hall and bassist Stu Loasby that booms. Songs like ‘Wolfman Woogie,’ ‘Rule My World,’ and ‘You Be The Fool,’ have a decidedly stripped-down blues feel as comfortable as your favorite band t-shirt. Listen for harmonica ace Howie Smallman. ‘Get Out’ is a straight forward rocker complete with pounding, boogie-woogie piano, while ‘Evil People Pt. 1” has a Woodstock-era, Santana-esque, jam band sound. From the fast-paced ‘Mother Medusa,’ to the funky, driving ‘A Darker Shade of Brown,’ to the swamp blues meets modern western movie vibe of ‘You’re The Only One,’ there’s not a bad song in the entire collection.” – AmericanBluesScene.com A little Deep Purple-ish at times! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

It's Pronounced... Price: $11.00 Artist: Dave Kuchler Description: Once upon a time jangle guitar player/singer/songwriter Dave Kuchler joined an already established New Jersey band to help deliver one of the most criminally overlooked pop rock masterpieces of the early 2000’s, the Soul Engines’ “Closer Still”. It’s Dave singing lead on that janglicious, hook-infested “It’s Just Another Day.” “It’s Pronounced…” brings together the old and the new, with six tracks representing recovered older material (some from the early 90’s, others from aborted Soul Engines sessions circa 2002), while others are newly recorded songs, supported by longtime Joe Jackson bass player Graham Maby and regular collaborator/producer/instrumentalist Pinky Giglio. “Dave Kuchler is back and it’s definitely been worth the wait. He has put together a collection of tracks that exudes a distinctive New Jersey rock and roll synthesis (think heavy doses of Hammond B3 and saxophone) with a particular accent on melody. Just check out the medley of influences on the album’s stellar opening cut ‘If I Saw You’ with its Springteen-esque roll out that trades melody lines between electric guitar and sax, with hints of Byrdsian jangle hovering in the background. It’s an auspicious start that doesn’t let up over the album’s twelve tunes. Beyond elements of what some might call a ‘Jersey shore’ heartland rock, the record covers a broad range of styles, from the neo-Mersey vibe of ‘Better Things to Do’ to the Elvis-style rockabilly vocals on ‘Pull My String’ to the Jackson 5-influenced ‘Go!’. Who would have thought the world needed another cover of ‘When You Walk in the Room’ but he aces it, adding muscle to the tune amid killer organ flourishes and spot on sibilant guitar work. The highlights of this record are the double-barreled should-be hit singles, ‘Really Lasts’ and ‘Slave to Katy.’ The former cooks with an unrelenting Motown meets Stax-Volt pop soul dance groove, ornamented with an ear-wormy bells/keyboard effect. Originally recorded with the Soul Engines for the follow up to ‘Closer Still’, the song sounds just as fresh and contemporary as ever. Meanwhile ‘Slave to Katy’ illustrates how Giglio’s Hammond B3 organ work is the not-so-hidden star of this album (as well the sonic glue linking old and new material). This record has the sound of a timeless classic, a paean to pop rock songcraft and performance.” – PopRockRecord.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none