Strange Tide Price: $15.00 Artist: ANC4 Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT MUSIK LABEL!! WOW!! Of course we love it (and please pardon the hype), but even if “Strange Tide”, ANC4’s second release wasn’t on Kool Kat we’d still rate as a Top 5 (or maybe even #1) “Best Power Pop Record Of 2021” – it’s that brilliant! The band delivers impeccably well crafted songs written by the songwriting duo of Roger Arvidson and Tomas Nilsson with the backing of a superb rhythm section made up of Janne Borgh on bass and Niclas Österberg on drums. “’Strange Tide’ is a 10/10 rated affair. The Swedish summer normally ends in August but this album will lengthen it to Christmas. It’s brimming with melodic songs, jangly guitars and lovely vocals. All 16 tracks have potential to be singles. ‘Being Nice’ is this year’s best power pop track. Roger Arvidson and Tomas Nilsson …. We salute you.” – Per Dahlqvist “It is not often you find a band that is consistent in the quality of their releases but ANC4 have proved they have the knack to pen and play a plethora of tip top pop. Album opener ‘Struck Gold’ is almost like an epiphany as every track on this album is gold and you will feel like you have won the musical lottery. You want jangle, you want harmonies, you want melodies and more hooks than Ikea’ curtain department, along with well crafted lyrics, then look no further than ANC4, this Swedish quartet has all you want and all you need.” Wayne Ford/The Ice Cream Man We could gush more, but have a listen…you will be pleased! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

The Lost Broadcasts Price: $14.00 Artist: Badfinger Description: Badfinger formed in Swansea, Wales, originally as The Iveys, who were the first group signed by the Beatles' Apple Records label in 1968. The band renamed themselves Badfinger, and recorded five albums for Apple, two for Warner Bros., and toured extensively. Like many bands of the day, they recorded many radio sessions featuring cover versions not released on record and alternative arrangements of album and single tracks. “The Lost Broadcasts” features the best of The Iveys’ and Badfinger’s late 60’s radio sessions. As with many lost recordings from this period some of the tracks that have been included for their historical significance do not represent the usual sound quality of studio recordings. However, the majority of the recordings on this disc sound great and are a must for any fan of this much missed band. Track listing: Respect (The Iveys) / Just One Look (The Iveys) / Maybe Tomorrow (The Iveys) / The Way You Do the Things You Do (The Iveys) / Surrender Your Love (The Iveys) / You Can All Join In (The Iveys) / Birthday (The Iveys) /Rock Of All Ages (Badfinger) / Interview - Tom Evans / Come And Get It (Badfinger) / Midnight Sun (Badfinger) / Someday (Badfinger) / Up On Cripple Creek (Badfinger) / I Can't Take It (Badfinger) / Believe Me (Badfinger). A “MUST HAVE” for all fans of the band! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Atoms And Energy Price: $17.00 Artist: Daniel Wylie's Cosmic Rough Riders Description: Daniel Wylie has had a long and distinguished career in songwriting, whether with his band, Cosmic Rough Riders, or as a solo artist. Throughout he has stayed true to a classic approach with plenty of room for influences from the 1960’s onwards, but with room too for originality of thought in both music and lyrics. “Atoms And Energy” is confirmation that the fire still burns brightly. “Anyone familiar with Wylie’s previous work will know what to expect here – but with part of that expectation comes the knowledge that the songs won’t be routine and won’t be presented without emotive input or instrumental dexterity. The guitar playing is a strong feature of the record, and the lovely shimmering textures are a possible reflection of the cloud-strewn skies under which they were written.” – Arcana.FM “Scotland is generally considered by most intelligent folk as the second-best place on earth to produce sun-kissed jangle rock and pop after California, and most of them would point to Teenage Fanclub to prove their point. Many others might however suggest that Glasgow’s Daniel Wylie has an equal claim to be Scotland’s (indeed, the UK’s) premier exponent of Byrds/Neil Young/CSN&Y influenced sounds, going back to his debut with the Cosmic Rough Riders in the late 90’s. ‘Atoms And Energy’ cements this view with Wylie delivering a solid set of bittersweet songs replete with harmonies and flurries of guitars paying tribute to the heyday of the sunshine state while remaining attuned to this modern world.” – Americana-uk.com “Once again, Daniel Wylie has blessed us with a wonderful, heartfelt record that will make your heartstrings quiver with its beauty and sadness. Highly recommended!” – BigTakeover.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Too Loud, Too Fast, Too Much Price: $14.00 Artist: Doublepluspop Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT MUSIK LABEL!! Over the past 17+ months, many artists have used pandemic time to get creative and crank out an album. Others used this time to revisit projects that they’d previously abandoned. Thankfully, Doublepluspop revisited a project that was supposed to be their debut album, a collection of tracks that has been sitting in a vault since 2002. Wanting to create a power pop band, frontman Paul Averitt formed Doublepluspop sometime between the late 90’s/early 00’s. Along with Jon Lenzer on guitar, Mike Bowman on bass and Neil Saunders on drums, they cut tracks in various studios, including a rehearsal space owned by Salim Nourallah. The band would split soon afterwards, the results seemingly never to be heard. In March 2020, Paul received a “cryptic” text message from audio engineer Coy Green, who had worked with Doublepluspop during their early days. The message contained a picture of two ADAT tapes and read, “I wonder what I’m going to be doing tonight.” Later that evening, Green sent another message stating that he was able to successfully transfer 12 Doublepluspop tracks to a format he could mix digitally. Green felt nostalgic mixing and mastering the project, stating doing so brought him joy. “It just blew my mind,” Paul explains. “I was like 12 songs? What are you talking about?’ I had no idea that we had done all that. None of us remembered this.” This collection of “rescued” songs make up Doublepluspop’s debut album “Too Loud, To Fast, Too Soon"” which we’re thrilled to release on CD! Consisting of hook-filled melodies whose music references include smatterings of Matthew Sweet/Weezer/Brit Pop influences throughout, which of course means lots of guitars making this another essential piece of power pop history rescued from possible oblivion that would have certainly made year-end “Best Of” lists if had been released back then! Includes a terrific take on Todd Rundgren’s “Couldn’t I Just Tell You”!! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Songs To Dream Along To Price: $14.00 Artist: Ian M Bailey Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT MUSIK LABEL!! During the summer of 2020 English singer songwriter Ian M Bailey (The Lost Doves) began work on a brand new co-writing project with Glasgow’s songsmith Daniel Wylie of Cosmic Rough Riders. Following the release of the Ian’s “Shots Of Sun” EP to critical acclaim, Ian and Daniel agreed to start work on a full-length album which would soon become “Songs To Dream Along To”. Recorded and produced at Ian’s home studio Small Space Studios, the album sits rich in melody and fine songwriting interwoven with Ian’s trademark 12-string Rickenbacker, adding its unmistakable jangle to the blend of bass, drums, keys, strings and harmonies. The songs are rooted in respectful inspiration of artists such as The Byrd’s, CSN, The Association, REM, The Moody Blues, The Bee Gees, America, Lennon & McCartney and The Jayhawks to name but a few, “Songs To Dream Along To” nods a head and hangs its coat proudly on the hooks and melodies of some of the greatest songwriting predecessors. The record has already gained high praise from some noteworthy people! “Thank you for sending me these tracks. I love them! I can definitely hear the Byrds/America influences in ‘Everything Will Be Alright’ and is there something of The Association in the sound of ‘Take It Or Leave It?” - Bob Harris “Bailey and Wylie have created a mini-soundtrack of not just sunshine on a cold grey day, but hope…and sometimes hope is all we need.” - Rocking Magpie “Each song has been written and treated to a highly melodic and sumptuous arrangement, exploring various influences from REM to CSN and The Jayhawks to the Byrds” - Northern Sky “The fruits of the Bailey/Wylie collaboration are tracks steeped in 60’s folk-rock and West Coast close harmony vibes” - Folking.com “Hitching a lift on Ventura Highway, Bailey positively glides along this sun blissed two-lane blacktop with joyous inspiration” – Paul Kerr/Blabber’n’Smoke.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Rave On! Price: $16.00 Artist: Radio Days Description: “Rave On!” is Radio Days’ fourth LP that features 10 power pop gems that translate to music the many souls of the band. Taking the Paul Collins’ Beat and The Knack experience as a starting point, the songs of the album take a metaphoric trip from the scratching 70’s riffs (“I Got A Love”) back to the Beatlesque vibes (“Between The Lines”), moving across the British pub-rock of the Elvis Costello legacy (“Till The End Of The Night”) and through the 90’s power-pop of Teenage Fanclub and Weezer (“Walk Alone” and “No One To Blame”). It’s a tribute to rock ’n’ roll, an exciting journey on the Buddy Holly rollercoaster and the title is homage to the 50’s minstrel. It travels at high speed surfing the waves of the jingle jangle British invasion and lend on the 70’s punk-rock territory (‘Lose Control’). They also utilize the talent of a bunch of great international guests on the power-pop hymn “What is Life?” - namely Paul Collins, Kurt Baker, The Yum Yums and Psychotic Youth all on vocals! “Full of perfect pop songs in the neighborhood of three minutes long - with hooks to die for and melodies you can whistle all day. The album takes you on a musical journey through the history and pre-history of power pop - from Buddy Holly (the inspiration for the album title) to the British Invasion to the Big Star/Raspberries heyday to the new wave to the alt-rocking '90s. If you're like me and have been excited for years about a follow-up to Radio Days' last album ‘Back In The Day’, ‘Rave On!’ will be everything you hoped for and then some. This is a vintage Radio Days release - and in my book, it's the band's best album yet! When it comes to songwriting, vocals, and musicianship, the band is at the very top of its game. You could randomly select any song on the album and land on a potential radio hit. With the Paul Collins' Beat and The Knack cited as the album's starting inspirations, you've got a good idea of what to expect here. Songs like ‘I Got A Love’, ‘When I'm With You’, and ‘What Is Life?’ are prime slices of power pop right out of the textbook! Elsewhere, the band gets a touch punky on ‘Lose Control’, tips the cap to Teenage Fanclub on ‘Walk Alone’, masterfully rips off Weezer on ‘No One To Blame’, and shows off its elegant side on ‘Till The End Of The Night’ and the Beatlesque epic ‘Between the Lines’. It's a great mix of songs. Just importantly, it's a mix of great songs! If you love power pop, you'll be raving about ‘Rave On!’” – FasterandLouder.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

A Little More Price: $17.00 Artist: The Aerovons Description: The Aerovons recorded their masterpiece “Resurrection” in 1969 at Abbey Road. Beatles’ sound engineers Geoff Emerick, Alan Parsons and Norman Smith worked on the sessions. The album was produced by their prodigious 17-year-old leader Tom Hartman. Although two singles were released in 1969, “Resurrection” was first issued by RPM Records in 2003. This was when the music papers and newspapers went overboard for The Aerovons and learned their mind-blowing story and how they had hung out with The Beatles, went to the pub with The Hollies and met Jimi Hendrix at The Speakeasy. “It’s like hearing newly discovered Beatles tracks while walking down Carnaby Street wearing Ringo’s candy striped hipsters.” The Guardian asserted “They should have been as big as The Beatles.” Rolling Stone heaped acclaim on a “stunning album of bull’s-eye Beatle pop…with the soft-brush folk rock of ‘Rubber Soul’-gilded with the opulent psychedelia of ’67-’68 Fabs.” Now, in 2021, the Florida-dwelling Tom Hartman is back with his follow-up to “Resurrection”. A couple of decades here or there didn’t stop The Aerovons before, and they won’t now. Although the sensibility running through “A Little More” is that of a man who has lived life rather than that that of a wide-eyed teenager, there’s a sensation that time has blurred. Not that time has stood still, but that Tom still draws from what inspired him in the first place. The record even opens with a song written in 1969. The irresistible, McCartney-esque “Stopped!” has a sit-up-take-notice melody and the rolling rhythms of classic late 60’s pop. Title track is more than a reference to picking-up again. Also written in 1969, it’s another classic-in-waiting. A version was first heard on the flip side of Tom’s post-Aerovons single released in 1971 by the Bell label. Unavoidably, looking back at the experience of being in London and at Abbey Road with The Aerovons colors Tom’s new songs. “Swinging London” paints that picture, while “The Way Things Went Tonight” nods to “Resurrection”’s creamiest, most vocal-infused moments. The record also draws from Tom’s path though life after the magical adventures in London. In time, he became a songwriter in the world of advertising. “So Sorry” and “You & Me” draw from human relationships and emotions, while “Shades Of Blue” evokes memories of a particular place. Contrastingly, “Me And My Bomb” recalls one of the first steps towards adulthood. “A Little More” is “Resurrection”’s welcome follow-up. It’s more though. It’s about the whole of Tom Hartman’s life, and how he sees it as a kaleidoscopic journey. Not a resurrection then, but a seamless fusion of everything that makes him who he is today. GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Magnetic Price: $14.00 Artist: The BellTowers Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT MUSIK LABEL!! WOW!! Raise your hand if you love 12-string drenched, 60’s-inspired sounds!! We certainly do! Master janglers The BellTowers are back with “Magnetic”, their Kool Kat label debut! After a series of singles on the Market Square, Hidden Volume and Hypnotic Bridge labels, have delivered their first full-length record since 2015’s “Day Breakaway”. The band - Paul Mutchler-vocals, guitars (formerly of The Lears), Eddie Foeller-guitars, Marshall Huggins-vocals, bass, keyboards and string/brass arrangements and Bill Langbein-drums, percussion) decided to go into a professional recording studio to be able to record on a 24 track MCI 2-inch recorder. The record was recorded during the summer of 2018 at Alpaca Ranch Recordings. In the age of digital, they wanted to experience recording magnetically – hence the album’s title. The songs here range from folk rock, psychedelic, garage to power pop. Layers of 12 string jangle, fuzz, electric sitar, organ, harmonies, strings and brass. Songs of dreams, heartbreak, memories of the past, and hope for the future. The album is dedicated to Eddie Foeller, who passed away in November 2020. “Byrds-like throughout! Arthur Lee/Love-like at times, ‘Annabel Lee’ sounds like a ‘Forever Changes’ outtake and ‘Dusted’ is very early Love-like too. The Acid/fuzzed-drenched ‘Wait’ is straight outta the ‘Back From The Grave’ series! There’s so much to ‘love’ here!” – Max Humphries GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Bridge and Tunnel Price: $14.00 Artist: The Junior League Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT MUSIK LABEL!! “Bridge and Tunnel” is the eighth album by The Junior League, the name under which singer/songwriter/performer Joe Adragna works. Since the mid 00’s, Joe has travelled down the pop rock path, moving between pure power pop (such as 2006’s “Catchy” or 2009’s “Smile Shoot Smile”), harder pop rock (2019’s “Adventureland”) and everything in between. “Bridge and Tunnel” touches upon all these influences and more, from sunshine pop (“The Sunshine Saves Everyone” with its very Martin Newell-ish chord changes) to moody, ambient, tracks (“LIRR”, “Woodlawn Avenue”). Most of the record was recorded between the second half of 2020 and early 2021 at Joe’s home studio. Friends would make their contributions from their own studios. Although the pandemic did factor into this arrangement to some degree, this method was not out of the ordinary as Joe pretty much records that way all the time. “I’d already been writing songs about where I grew up, meaning New York and Long Island. Linda Pitmon’s picture, coupled with a suggestion by my friend Jay, pushed me to try to connect as many of the songs as possible to New York in some way. That said, I don’t think the songs are really about New York as much as they are perhaps about fitting in. New York was just a coalescing factor, I guess. But the main thing that runs through the record is “Where do we belong”? But to be honest, I don’t think about all that very much. I just write songs. It’s not ‘Tommy’ or something.” The record includes important contributions from Joe’s friend Scott McCaughey, in whose Minus 5 Joe serves as a member. “Scott is and has always been very, very good to me, and always brings out the best things in the songs,” Joe states. “He mixed quite a lot of the record, and added loads of keyboards, guitars and vocals and was really involved throughout the process. He is one of the most talented (and generous) people I have ever met.” Joe also received help from his pal Michael Giblin (Parallax Project/The Split Squad), who mixed three songs on the record and, as Joe points out, “served as a sounding board for a lot of these songs - extremely encouraging and helpful.” GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Past Perfect Tense Price: $14.00 Artist: The Raves Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT MUSIK LABEL! The Raves are a power pop band based in Atlanta, Georgia and were most active in the 80’s. Originally formed in 1971 and called Nod, the band consisted of three Yoakum brothers and Ken Kennedy. Unusual for that time in the southern United States, they played original rock music in the vein of The Pretenders, Badfinger, Big Star, and other pop rock bands. In 1980 the group changed the name from Nod to The Raves. The group also had their own local public-access television program titled "Eh, Wot's This?, a mix of original comedy sketches and music videos that aired from 1980-82. An LP titled “The Color of Tears” was released on their own label later that year. The group disbanded in 1983. In 1992, a limited edition CD titled “Past Perfect Tense” combining tracks from “The Color Of Tears” along with newly recorded material from 1989, was released. The Raves’ music is power pop at its finest - with tight vocals, soaring and jangling guitars, powerful bass and a driving beat... but it's really the songwriting that sets them apart. The songs are instant classics and as immediate today as when they were recorded. “Unabashed power pop was their calling card, rooted in the likes of the Raspberries, but in practice more tangibly resembling Shoes, The Rubinoos, and a variety of their equally obscuro contemporaries on the Titan Records imprint (e.g. the Secrets and Arlis).” – WillfullyObscure.com “The Raves truly have a solid grasp of the style of music they play. Bulging at the seams with chirpy rhythms and sighing harmonies shaped of oohs, ahs and woo woo woos, ‘Past Perfect Tense’ would have pierced the airwaves from sea to shining sea had it been recorded a decade and a half earlier.” – Beverly Paterson “The Raves have the power pop style DOWN PAT! A road that’s plenty of fun to travel.” – John Borack Now in 2021, Kool Kat Musik brings you a fully-fleshed out, nicely packaged, remastered version of this classic power pop release! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none