Selection Box Vol. 1/The Appleyard Sessions (2CD) Price: $17.00 Artist: Amoeba Teen Description: Ameoba Teen’s core members Mark Britton (rhythm guitar and keyboard) and Mike Turner (lead guitar) met as teenagers and have been writing together for nearly two decades. They first bonded on a shared appreciation of Cream and other classic British blues acts, but their interests soon moved on to artists that were more melodic but still with prominent and layered guitars, including Neil Young, Jellyfish, Wilco, and Teenage Fanclub. In early 2017 they rewarded fans with “Selection Box Vol. 1” followed in five months by “The Appleyard Sessions” (both download-only releases). They now make their CD debut on this 2CD collection! Although “Selection Box” is ostensibly the “pop” album and “Appleyard” the “folk” album (they even contain songs titled “Pop” and “Folk,” respectively), when paired together, they seem not so much two different genres as two different ways of conveying the writers’ inner lives. “I love power pop, be it from the Mod 60’s, the skinny-tie 70’s, or any of the genre’s various revivals, up to the present day. But if I am honest with myself, I will admit that whereas power pop classics retain a timeless immediacy, many of them have something missing. That something is emotional maturity. Hence, for the listener who loves catchy melodies, ear-candy harmonies, guitars that alternately jangle and fuzz, and simple rhythm, there is a crisis built into power pop: how can an artist take a medium designed to express teenage angst and adapt it to say meaningful things about adult life? Is such a task even possible? I submit that it is, and that the proof is in the Amoeba Teen recordings that comprise this collection. There is no doubt that ‘Selection Box’ wears its emotions on its sleeve. From the supercharged starburst of ‘This Spark’ to the defiantly above-the-weather ‘Good Morning Sunshine,’ to the tenderly encouraging ‘Fade Out,’ the message is clear. Adult life is messy and often disappointing. The frankness of the lyrics finds its complement in the intensity of the album’s musical arrangements. Save for a couple of tunes where the band lightens the mood, such as the lush ‘Memory Lane’ (which manages to capture the mood of ‘Penny Lane’ nicely without falling into soundalike territory), there is a surfeit of nervous energy in its grooves. It’s palpable in the crunchy staccatoed guitar lines of ‘This Spark,’ the slightly neurotic high-hat on ‘Hearts and Minds,’ and the plaintive Al Kooper organ line feeling its way through ‘Fade Out.’ Often, it threatens to bubble over into a kind of ecstasy, and sometimes it does. But even when it doesn’t, it’s always satisfying, because it speaks to the experiences of people who are trying to find beauty in everyday life. That same search for beauty is evident in ‘The Appleyard Sessions’, but there it is expressed far more delicately, with lyrics that read like poems and arrangements that feel like soundscapes. For my money, the standouts are ‘Folk’ and ‘3 a.m., Here I Am,’ which combine to give the impression of a swatch of a soundtrack to a lost film. There’s an entire story just in the reverberations of the opening guitar chord of ‘Folk,’ with its mysterious tuning recalling Jimmy Page in his most Bert Janschian mood. I’m also taken with the subtle ambient effects that pan left-right left and the other elements of ‘musique concrete’ that waft through the mix. Add Mike’s tensile voice as it chimes in with haiku-like verses, and Amoeba Teen succeeds in creating a sound collage that evokes ‘Bookends’-era Simon and Garfunkel. A sense of melancholy pervades those songs and others throughout this disc. With the recordings on this collection, Amoeba Teen successfully stretch the boundaries of power pop to make it express grown-up ideas. At the same time, they display a unique and beautiful flair for the familiar-yet-new melodies that keep the genre forever young. Their sound has real substance, and I’m excited to discover where their muse will take them in the years to come.” - Dawn Eden Goldstein Eloquently stated Dawn….thank you! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Medium Wave Price: $12.00 Artist: Amoeba Teen Description: Amoeba Teen were founded by critically acclaimed songwriting team of Mark Britton and Mike Turner. Armed with a four-track tape recorder and junk shop guitars, the pair began writing together back in the dying embers of the last century. With a rag-tag collection of scratchy demos, they slowly honed their craft, melding together lush harmonies, hooky melodies, the odd sample and overdriven guitars. Hints of power pop can be heard - Teenage Fanclub, Jellyfish and Big Star spring to mind - but Turner’s raucous guitar and reverb soundscapes keeps the vibe punky and a little dirtier. When speaking of a band like Amoeba Teen, as they manifest themselves today, it's difficult not to fall back on clichés like "going from strength to strength", "at the height of their powers", or "firing on all cylinders". It's better, perhaps, to borrow a song title from the group themselves and say that they're coming on stronger: the banner year of 2018 saw an extensive reissue of their back catalog on Kool Kat Musik, their invigorating live set captured audiences at home and on festival stages across the UK, and for 2019 they have, in “Medium Wave” synthesized their live energy and nuanced songcraft into an album that's bracing, immediate, and humming with the energy of its time in a way that fans of peak period Kinks, The Jam and classic power pop across the decades will recognize and adore. Amoeba Teen's arrival in the orbit of the burgeoning Big Stir massive comes at a renaissance moment for both parties, as Medium Wave proves to be a gorgeous summation of the band's recorded and live strengths into a cohesive and affecting work that's certain to catch ears both at home and in the US. Crowded House-like at times.... EXCELLENT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

September Gurls (Expanded Edition) Price: $16.00 Artist: Anthony Meynell & Squire Description: Fronted by Anthony Meynell, Squire were arguably the best Mod act around when The Jam brought attention to this burgeoning scene in the late 70’s. With an impressive canon on timeless pop songs, as danceable as they are melodic, Squire sounded like no other band at the time and from their debut single onwards, Squire stood head and shoulders above anyone else. Squire were at the forefront of the “Mod Revival”, releasing the first single of the genre – “Get Ready To Go”, and kicking off the legendary Mods Mayday concert and live album. They released two fantastic singles for Arista – “Walking Down The Kings Road”, with the anthemic “Its A Mod Mod World” on the flip side, and “Face Of Youth Today”, and a “My Mind Goes Round In Circles” which featured Kirsty MacColl on vocals. Squire went on to record five albums and ten singles, including the sunshine pop album “Get Smart” in 1983, and the groundbreaking “September Gurls” album in 1984, the title track a cover of Big Star’s classic song. The newly expanded edition of “September Gurls” takes the original tracks and tacks on recently recorded versions of songs that never got past the demo stage back in 1984 – but don’t sound like they were done recently. The result is a seamless, front-to-back pop gem! "When the Jam moved up from punk upstarts to mod statesmen in 1979, the British kids turned to other mod outfits to satisfy their craving for everything well-dressed and retro. While the Chords followed in the Jam's footsteps, the three other main contenders for the mod followed different musical paths: Secret Affair were a magical blend of punk, soul and pop with a mild dose of prog; the Lambrettas were straightforward power pop; and Squire were a mix of all of the above and more. In fact, if the mod scene hadn't existed, Squire would have still made brilliant, timeless records, no matter what was going on around them. If you can imagine the first Beatles album slammed through the sound of classic Flamin' Groovies, with all the wide-eyed enthusiasm and tunefulness that that implies, you'll be close to capturing the sheer joy of Squire…nonstop Mod mayhem!" " – AllMusic.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Under Blue Skies (Expanded) Price: $13.00 Artist: Armstrong Description: Armstrong is one of those mysterious and elusive bands that stays well beneath the surface, but anyone willing to dive a bit deeper is richly rewarded with pearls of great value. The band is centered around singer/songwriter Julian Pitt whose songwriting influences are many, including Aztec Camera, The Beach Boys, The Smiths, The Beatles, Chris Montez, Simon & Garfunkel, Burt Bacharach, and Scott Walker to name (more than) a few. Originally released in 2007, Armstrong’s debut album “Under Blue Skies” is a most satisfying and melodic album. “This lustrous debut presents Pitt as the new unheralded prince of pastoral pop. With a voice that lilts and soars like Roddy Frame or The Pearlfisher’s David Scott, Pitt is truly a splendid find.” – CaughtInTheCarousel.com The original 12 song release has been unavailable for some time. The fine folks at The Beautuful Music have seen fit to re-release this rare gem in a much nicer package - and to make it even more interesting - have added 8 previously unreleased bonus tracks of lost songs and alternate versions (bringing the total to 20) for your enjoyment! “With tracks such as ‘Love Hate Passion and War’, ‘Baby You Just Don’t Care’, ‘Ralph and Gustav’, ‘October Song’ and ‘Perhaps It’s Time We Said Goodbye’ all adding fluttering 1000 Violins-style guitar-pop to the sort of vocals that Roddy Frame might omit if he swallowed incessant sugar pills… Essentially Pitt’s voice is amazing and these tracks are lucky to have him. Of course too much beauty can begin to taste saccharine sweet after a while. This is avoided on this extended album (8 extra tracks/alternative versions, added to the original) with Pitt dropping over the guitar-pop precipice in tracks such as ‘The Things That Pass You By’, ‘September Skies’ and ‘Raise Your Head’ into the dangerous waters of sophisti-pop that have engulfed so many artists when they get it wrong. Pitt reveals that he can reside just as comfortably in indie-pop and it’s surrounds, with ‘Sorry About Lately’, the superlative ‘Gratitude’, ‘Still Miss You’ and ‘On a Clear Night You Can Stay Together’, being the sort of tracks that are suddenly discovered from some long lost jangly indie-pop band that were not quite fleecy enough for Sarah Records. Usually my closing paragraph will deliberate upon the fact an album may be something of a ‘grower’ and that the listener will have to devote enough time to get maximum rewards. That’s not needed here. It is instantly brilliant.” – JanglePopHub.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Watching A Garden Die Price: $11.00 Artist: Berwanger Description: The fourth full-length from Josh Berwanger, former member of The Anniversary. He must have raided his parents’ and possibly grandparents’ record collections to find sounds that were so fundamentally 60’s, 70’s and 80’s to combine them into something new that all at once sounds so familiar and comforting while at the same time modern. “Josh’s adventures have marked a move from indie guitar ‘Dude Rock’ towards a more pop related direction. His ‘Exorcism Rock’ album hinted at how melodic he could be, although the pop seemed to be fighting it out with the indie sentiments. Although I knew album number four would be ace, there's a sense of pedigree now, I was completely taken aback by its direction. ‘Watching A Garden Die’ is pop rock-tastic. It's a wonderfully laid back affair, you are more likely to hear a pedal steel, rather than a lead, electric guitar. The album feels incredibly personal and those pop hints are now shouting out to be heard. The album is gentle, less electric, relying more on piano than six strings. From the soft psych pop mellowness of ‘Turn Off Your Mind’ to the hand clapping toe tapping of ‘Bad Vibrations’, the album is a revelation. The acoustic ‘Even The Darkness Doesn't Know’ is all Simon and Garfunkel, ‘Long Way Down’ has a killer chorus and the steel guitar and harmonica of ‘The Business Of Living’ is a real west coast weeping joy. This record is a very grown up affair, I'm not sure all of the kidz will be as mad keen on it as I am. The lack of electric guitar is more than compensated by the pensive heartfelt songwriting. This is an absolute stormer of an album.” - IDontHearASingle.com “Imagine a shotgun blast consisting of Dylan, Lightning Seeds, Beck, and The Beach Boys as those small pellets of awesome penetrate every inch of your flesh, the endorphins created from ‘Watching A Garden Die’ will flow freely through your twisted bag of bones, creating a killer high, that your crave like a deranged junkie.” – BlogginRotten.com EXCELLENT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Berwanger and The Star Invaders Price: $11.00 Artist: Berwanger and The Star Invaders Description: This 2017 offering from Josh Berwanger contains some of his most memorable rock anthems yet. “The Star Invaders” wasn't marketed as a concept album, but it could qualify considering its songs were written following a UFO sighting that Josh experienced two years prior. “The execution of many records that revolve closely around one topic end up heavy-handed, but this one suffers no such fate. The album is kicked off with its title track, a two-minute power pop banger with ambitious nods to the glam rock style of David Bowie and other greats of the genre. The speedy synth lines present on the song and others like ‘Horror Show’ don't sound out of place at all and add to the record's mysterious narrative. Aside from the rubber-burning power pop and glam tunes, Berwanger brings other, more contemplative themes to the record. ‘Broken Moon,’ perhaps by no coincidence, features slow, eerie guitar solos similar to those on Pink Floyd's ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ and is the record's longest and most ambitious effort. ‘I'm A Loser’ is another slow jam, but plays more like a bedroom, headphones rocker for all the misfit teens daydreaming about outer space. One of the final cuts, ‘The Astronaut,’ showcases the band's pop smarts and its talent for less-is-more songwriting. Each lick and riff stands out clear as day and offers another break from the rock-n-roll bombardment.” – ShuttlecockMusic.com EXCELLENT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Berwanger and The Star Invaders Price: $11.00 Artist: Berwanger and The Star Invaders Description: This 2017 offering from Josh Berwanger contains some of his most memorable rock anthems yet. “The Star Invaders” wasn't marketed as a concept album, but it could qualify considering its songs were written following a UFO sighting that Josh experienced two years prior. “The execution of many records that revolve closely around one topic end up heavy-handed, but this one suffers no such fate. The album is kicked off with its title track, a two-minute power pop banger with ambitious nods to the glam rock style of David Bowie and other greats of the genre. The speedy synth lines present on the song and others like ‘Horror Show’ don't sound out of place at all and add to the record's mysterious narrative. Aside from the rubber-burning power pop and glam tunes, Berwanger brings other, more contemplative themes to the record. ‘Broken Moon,’ perhaps by no coincidence, features slow, eerie guitar solos similar to those on Pink Floyd's ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ and is the record's longest and most ambitious effort. ‘I'm A Loser’ is another slow jam, but plays more like a bedroom, headphones rocker for all the misfit teens daydreaming about outer space. One of the final cuts, ‘The Astronaut,’ showcases the band's pop smarts and its talent for less-is-more songwriting. Each lick and riff stands out clear as day and offers another break from the rock-n-roll bombardment.” – ShuttlecockMusic.com EXCELLENT! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Sync Or Swim Price: $15.00 Artist: Big Tide Description: Founded by Liverpool native Ben Thomas in 2016, Big Tide was born out of Thomas’ disillusionment with the electronic music scene. The impetus to form this new project came in 2013 while touring with Spectrals as lead guitarist. A stay in Paris was the final catalyst for a change in musical direction when Ben picked up his 12-string and the chiming sound of Big Tide was born. Whilst the majority of instruments are performed by Ben, the album also features guest appearances by former members of Spectrals, Hookworms, Cowtown and Deadwall, who contribute drums, organ, and saxophone. Thomas sings in his signature northern vocal style whilst shimmering 12-string guitars form the cornerstone of the Big Tide sound. Coupled with Ben’s idiosyncratic lyrics and unique delivery, this music presents a great find from Northern England. Taking influence from bands like Big Star and Teenage Fanclub, Big Tide’s music blends elements from ‘60s power pop like The Byrds and ‘70s folk-rock espoused by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to create music that is original while somehow feeling familiar. “With Big Tide I’m focussing on songwriting,” Ben explains “I want people to feel a level of familiarity when listening to our songs. They have this wholesome feel good vibe which you don’t hear all that often nowadays” “We loved their earlier 12" which allowed me to live out all my Dumptruck/Guadalcanal Diary fantasies. It's been a long time in the waiting but here is a debut full length which will hopefully set Ben Thomas towards the big(ger) league. Think classic sounding chiming pop rock with nods towards the Byrds and the Icicle Works.” – NormanRecords.com “Ben Thomas is a thinking man’s songwriter. With music history at his side and originality at the center, creativity comes full circle with his project, Big Tide, and his new album titled ‘Sync or Swim’. Each track is a feel-good summer outing in its own right as stand-alone tracks, but, they also come together as a full musical score. I really can’t tell what could be singles on this album because each song is worthy of that title. With solid songwriting and beautiful hooks, ‘Sync or Swim’ is the best of Indie.” – NoiseJournal.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Extra Credit Price: $11.00 Artist: Brad Marino Description: Totally rockin’ solo debut full-length from the frontman/guitarist for The Connection and member of The New Trocaderos! Brad has spent the past year writing, recording, playing every instrument, and producing “Extra Credit” with a little “extra” help from his friend Kris Rodgers on the keys and mixing board. What you have is an album filled with tried and true rock n’ roll with hints of country, stabs of punk, and jolts of power pop, created in the garage. Featuring tunes like the power pop punk sweetness of “Broken Record Baby”, head boppin’ and fist raising of “Fit To Be Tied”, Mick Jagger swagger of “No One Else Tried It”, and the country hearted barroom twang of “What Comes Naturally”. “Pure, untainted, top shelf rock n’ roll.” – Audio Ammunition.com “Marino serves up a dynamic and breathless 11-song rock, pop and roll romp on his beat-driven solo album that finds him paying homage to a group once dubbed ‘England's Newest Hit Makers,’ Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Elvis Costello and, well, Rockpile with the gloves on. The guitars are plugged in and raving, and, oh yeah, the guitars are plugged in and raving. It's that kind of album, about a minute and a half shy of a half-hour long, with most songs dressed in tight-fitting get-in-and get-out-before-they-overstay-their-welcome ensembles, which is as it should be. These songs take no prisoners and make no apologies. From the hit-the-road-running ‘Broken Clocks,’ a breakup song in which the girl's the bad guy and the breakneck-paced solo channels Chuck Berry, to ‘C'mon, C'mon, C'mon,’ about a girl who plays hard to get, Marino hits the mark with rockin' and rollin' spirited performances (he plays all of the instruments other than the keyboards, which were essayed by sometime Connectioner Kris Rodgers). The album comes to a close with a four-on-the-floor, there's-a-speed-limit? cover of Berry's ‘Bye Bye Johnny’. The record is this season's breathless hit platter. Cue the guitars and get that snare a-drummin'...Brad Marino's pumped and ready to rock, pop and roll.” – Alan Haber/Pure Pop Radio It’s all Rockpile meets the Ramones, Mick and Keef get into a tussle with the Flamin’ Groovies, The Knack gets all tangled up in blue… get the picture? We do, and we like it! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Car City Price: $12.00 Artist: Car City Description: BRAND NEW RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT MUSIK LABEL! AVAILABLE NOW!! Car City’s 2018 self-titled debut was previously only available as a vinyl LP/download, but is now available on CD with a previously unreleased bonus track (a recently recorded, alternate take of “Connecting The Dots”)! “They offer up a poptastic 10 song debut. Jason Lemke's songs jangle chirpily around his bitter sweet lyrics. Think Housemartins in approach, indeed ‘Hopeless’ is very Paul Heaton like. Hardest to believe is the US connection as Car City sound so English or more relevant UK. These songs could hail from late 80’s Glasgow or late 70’s New Wave. The jingle is ace and the songs are so damn catchy. ‘Hangman’ could be from the Liverpool Brit Pop revival. ‘(Don't) Give Up On Love’ is Merseybeat in spirit. ‘Challenger’ comes over all psych folk and ‘Soul Jam’ is like Michael Stipe fronting The Searchers.” – IDontHearASingle.com “Car City has been described as a “Fox Valley Wisconsin supergroup”, a reference to the fact that while all the musicians were long-standing members of the local live music scene they had really only recently come together to work on this project. Their experience clearly mattered because their album sounds like the work of a cohesive band. The resulting sound is like Weezer on anti-depressants, a slightly dissonant, melody rich concoction that delivers on Jason Lemke’s great songs. It’s all there on the opening tracks, ‘Connecting the Dots’ and ‘Like a Wave’ with their earworm-worthy yet subtle melodic turns and twists. Then things get really interesting when ‘Hopeless’ breaks out the Aimee Mann synth to good effect with some inspired full stops and background vocals, while ‘(Don’t) Give Up on Love’ kicks off all Beach Boys vocal harmonizing before dusting off Steve Nieve’s organ. And the songs I haven’t mentioned? Also great. Frankly, I love all the tunes on this record. ‘Car City’ deserves to be in your collection.” – PopRockRecord.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none