Blisters And Thorns Price: $11.00 Artist: Andy Bopp Description: Baltimore pop legend Andy Bopp is no stranger to rock and roll, whether as a solo artist or in his bands: Love Nut, Myracle Brah, The Modern Ruins and The Bleaker Street Cowboys. “Blisters and Thorns”, Andy ‘s first ”official” solo record released under his own name features all new material, and stands as one of the best albums of a journeyman’s career. The album is as catchy as his masterpiece, Myracle Brah’s “Life on Planet Eartsnop”. What sets this album apart from ”Eartsnop”’s brilliant power pop is the seamless blending of genres, such as Americana and power pop, creating a gorgeous, cohesive rock and roll album with lyrics that range from darkly introspective to deeply analytical. “This may just be Andy’s finest hour since the halcyon days of Myracle Brah in the late 90’s. His ample songwriting skills are on display all over the place, and the sad and lovely ‘Hello’ (colored, as are a few other songs here, by lovely steel guitar shadings), the galloping ‘Broken Ties’ and the rockin’, mid-tempo ‘Barely Hanging On’ are among his best-ever compositions and should appeal to longtime fans. Other tunes are somewhat more atmospheric, but still showcase his unerring way with a melody. Nice.” – John Borack/Goldmine Magazine “This album feels more like a Myracle Brah album, but more importantly it is as good as any in that band's discography. The riffs are there, plus there's a mix of style, pedal steel, banjo and of course those Rickenbacker riffs. Most of important, he still has one of the great pop voices. A voice that's so easy on the ear. This is ace Pop, but there's plenty of variation. The Roy Orbison like ‘Simple Thing’ has a banjo intro, the Beatle-esque ‘Broken Tie’ starts with a lovely jangly Rickenbacker riff yet has a steel guitar solo. The haunting ‘Limousine’, the psych pop of ‘Grey Matter’, the bass line driven ‘Red Eye’, all add to the variation. ‘Broken Highway’ is a real weep along, ‘Minneapolis’ is chorus led with a wonderful solo. ‘Hello’ is magnificent, but the stand out is the orchestrated acoustic joy of ‘Maybe, Just Maybe’ that just breaks out into an awesome solo. Andy Bopp is as relevant as two decades ago and he's produced a pop masterpiece to be proud of.” – IDontHearASingle.com Very Marshall Crenshaw/Paul Westerberg/Replacements-like throughout! GREAT!!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

It's All Over Now Price: $16.00 Artist: Brinsley Schwarz Description: Thanks to the fine folk At Mega Dodo Records, more than 40 years after it was recorded, legendary pub rock outfit Brinsley Schwarz’s final studio album “It’s All Over Now” is being made available! The venerable London quintet had endured their share of trials and tribulations throughout the 1970’s. A disastrous pre-release publicity campaign in America, ending with a disastrous gig opening for Van Morrison in New York City, curtailed much of their Stateside success, though British audiences would come to embrace their pioneering back-to-basics, rockabilly-esque sound. Things seemed to take a turn with 1974’s “The New Favourites Of Brinsley Schwarz”, the group’s sixth album. It was produced by Dave Edmunds, who then recruited the group to back him on several live dates (captured in part on his own album, 1975’s “Subtle As A Flying Mallet”, which featured Nick Lowe and Bob Andrews in studio. Lowe and Edmunds would, of course, form Rockpile from the ashes of Brinsley Schwarz. But even with a future classic in the Lowe-penned “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding,” the group couldn’t move the needle. But that didn’t mean they didn’t try. The band reconvened in Rockfield Studios in Wales later in 1974 for one last go. The album that would become “It’s All Over Now” remained incomplete and was never released, and ended with the members going their separate ways. Schwarz and Andrews joined Graham Parker & The Rumour, while Lowe and Ian Gomm embarked on solo careers. Lowe’s was by far the highest profile, with a song recorded during the “It’s All Over Now” sessions, “Cruel to Be Kind,” becoming a worldwide Top 20 hit in 1979. A MUST HAVE FOR ALL PUB ROCK FANS! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Black Sky Thinking + bonus disc Price: $15.00 Artist: Captain Wilberforce Description: BRAND NEW RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT LABEL! It’s been a while – six years in fact – but Captain Wilberforce is back with a new album, his Kool Kat debut, and a permanent line-up. Simon Bristoll (The Captain) has a reputation for creating songs with compelling melodies, cascading harmonies and crafted lyrics, and this album is no different. He was influenced by classic songwriters like Joe Jackson, Ray Davies and Squeeze – as well as their more contemporary counterparts such as Jim O’Rourke, Ryan Adams and Guy Garvey – in putting together the songs on the new album. He’s taken these influences and turned out a set of well-crafted pop - timeless, cultured tunes that ear-worm their way into your life. In a change from previous albums, on which different local musicians were used, Captain Wilberforce now has a new permanent line up – joining Simon (vocals/guitars) are Carl Banks (drums), Rob Simpson (guitars) and Massimiliano Borghesi (bass/vocals). “Here’s a great example of a band that should be far bigger than they are. There are so many Neil Finn and Crowded House fans around and you wonder why they are not also buying Captain Wilberforce too. On album ‘Black Sky Thinking’, Bristoll has lost none of his songwriting excellence. The album is a perfect example of how great pop should be made. There seems a little more of a mellow feel on songs like ‘Couples’ and ‘You Can't Have Me’ which ramp up the Finn comparisons, there's a particularly great piano accompaniment on the latter. ‘King Of Decision’ is McCartney Beatles pop of the highest order. There are hints of Psych Pop too, especially on the opener, the splendid, ‘The Johnny Depp Memorial Café’. ‘Stickleback Toffee’ could be a soundtrack to those old Saturday morning cartoons. The closing title track is pure psych and reveals a side of the band that I love, pre-60’s Strawberry Psych. ‘Black Sky Thinking’ sounds much more like a band album than previous albums which you sense have been Simon Bristoll and others. The 12 songs make up a proper album, none of this download one song rubbish. If there is any justice in the world, this album will be massive. This is one of the most pleasant listens that I've had in a long while. I expected nothing less.” – IDontHearASingle.com COMES WITH AN EXCLUSIVE 5-SONG BONUS EP OF TWO SONGS RECORDED ON BBC RADIO 2 (INCLUDING A COVER OF THE JAYHAWKS’ “BLUE”), AND THREE FROM EAST LEEDS FM. GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

To Hull and Back Price: $18.00 Artist: City Limits Description: This is a MUST for anyone into Power Pop/Mod. Founded by Ted Waite and Jonathan Beardsworth in 1973 at the age of fifteen under the moniker Gypsy they bashed out their first teenage efforts with a cover of “Radar Love” it wasn´t until 1976 when Paul Hart-Woods and Colin McCaig joined, that they started to play their first original material accompanied by covers like “Suffragette City” or “Black Magic Woman” due to the fact that Punk and it´s ancestors still being stuck in the traffic jam up the M1 to West Yorkshire. Right in time with Anthony Peart joining on rhythm guitar as the fifth member and increasing the number of original songs within´ their set, their personal musical trigger button was hit by the bomb pop sounds of Elvis Costello and his debut “My Aim Is True” on Stiff Records. They then set out to write breakneck speed pop songs drenched in sweat and fuelled by nothing stronger than Tetleys Bitter and they walked it tall through beer stained and smoke filled venues in and around Leeds and Bradford. Eventually settling on the name City Limits, they released their lone EP, “Morse Code Messages”, in 1979. As well as all 3 tracks from this ultra rare record, the album includes what was to have been their second 7" plus 6 other studio tracks and 2 high energy live recordings. “Watch out all you power pop ultra fanatics and 1979 heart attack rhythm lovers ´cause after having elevated your skinny tied soul to seventh heaven top floor with the incredible full-length comeback of The Jetz last year, Queen Mum Records is back with another masterstroke that you´ll rub your hands and wet your pants for. A treasure chest tailor-made for Kidnap and his dedicated label work to dig deeper in and start the hunt for more hidden diamonds that even the most nerdy collector hasn´t dared to dream of yet while cuddling his near mint Clive Culbertson and Sudden Fun originals. If you are searching for another addition to your teenage anthem gallery besides top notch purveyors like The Jags, Donkeys, Tours, Exits, and The Heats, if you want some more power pearls to dance the night and your sorrows away, then this record´s for you!” – Vibratorbuzzblog.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Wild Kingdom Price: $15.00 Artist: Cotton Mather Description: For those who prefer the melodic pop side of rock music, Cotton Mather has surely been a source of much fun over the past 27 years with their irresistible Beatlesque pop crossed with an early Elvis Costello sneer. Frontman/songwriter Robert Harrison Harrison is currently in the midst of a large-scale project wherein he pens a song for each hexagram of the I Ching. “Songs from the I Ching” will eventually be made up of 64 songs. These tracks are to be spread across a number of EPs and LPs. The first set of tracks appeared on 2016’s “Death Of The Cool”. “Wild Kingdom” represents the second installment of the project. “Harrison does not lack for chutzpah or concepts; he named this Austin power-pop institution after a 17th-century firebrand-preacher in Puritan New England, neatly summarizing its explosive union of literate confrontation and bracing Who-ish dynamics. After an extended break and two decades on from the group's 1997 classic ‘Kontiki’, Harrison has launched an extended odyssey – initiated last year with ‘Death of the Cool’ – in which each song is based on one of the 64 hexagrams in the I Ching. ‘I don't know how to quit,’ Harrison admits – and boasts – in ‘The Cotton Mather Pledge,’ a punchy anthem that opens the new record, like hot, shiny Raspberries fortified with the elevated argument of Squeeze and Attractions-era Elvis Costello. For the philosophy inside the jangle, Harrison has a running log of progress and analysis at ichingsongs.com. For the roots behind the mission, note the lick that opens ‘Wild Kingdom’'s ‘Girl With a Blue Guitar’ – a treble chip off ‘Have You Seen Her Face’ from the Byrds' ‘Younger Than Yesterday’ LP.” – RollingStone.com “What impresses most about Cotton Mather is that they continue to make relevant, exciting, brilliant music to this day.” – PopMatters.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

So The Wind Won't Blow It All Away Price: $17.00 Artist: Erik Voeks Description: WOW!!! Though he only just released a few singles (on legendary indie labels Bus Stop & Parasol), and the classic 1993 album "Sandbox" (recorded with a cast of friends that included Adam Schmitt, Patrick Hawley, Jay Bennett, Steve Scariano and Nick Rudd), Erik Voeks' music has resonated deep with a small but dedicated group of power pop aficionados throughout the world. "Lost treasure", "hidden gem" are expressions often used to describe "Sandbox". For years Erik kept a low profile, but he never gave up music recording home demos, playing with a few friends as The Octopus Frontier, or even touring in the U.S. and Europe with Jon Dee Graham. In late 2012 Spring Records released on vinyl a 4-song EP titled "Free Range", that received rave reviews. Since then Erik has kept himself busy putting out more new recordings through his Bandcamp page, playing shows and touring Spain a couple of times. "So The Wind Won't Blow It All Away" gathers a series of digital only singles Erik released monthly (from April to September 2016), plus two new recordings. The result? Thirteen new songs of pure unadultered POP. Every bit as good as good, if not better, as his much remembered and revered "Sandbox". THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE, STONE-COLD MUST FOR EVERYONE WHO LOVES FIRST-RATE, GREAT POP!! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Cumulus + bonus disc Price: $16.00 Artist: Mark & The Clouds Description: WOW!! Their sophomore outing is another fine collection of 60’s-tinged power pop that also leans towards psych pop. “A terrific set of new songs of yearning, lusting, failed relationships, and anger that are a mixture of upbeat music, garage-pop-psych ballads, and rock. There some interesting touch points as well. ‘Hit By Lightning’ bears a passing resemblance to Hawkwind’s ‘Silver Machine,’ ‘Baby You’re Just a Liar’ rocks like The Clash’s ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go,’ the acid folk ballads ‘Another Grey Morning’ and ‘Take My Sky’ could have been ‘Ummagumma’-era Pink Floyd tracks. Running through all the songs are electrifying fuzzed/tremelo/jangling guitars, Mellotron, and great vocal harmonies. The songs that really stand out for me are the Syd Barrett-influenced ‘Another Grey Morning’ with trippy vocals, minor chords, and harmonium; the acid folk ‘I’m Stopping Here (Bombs & Guns)’, the West Coast psych ala The Byrds ‘Don’t Block the Sun’, and the acid folk album closer ‘Evil Fairies’.” - Henry Schneider “What a glorious racket this is! Their modus operandi, of course, has not changed – classic 60’s-styled pop that prompts comparisons to everyone from the Beatles to the Kinks and onto the Small Faces, but with an extra-added buoyancy that bops in corners that most others never think of. This is one of those fist-pumping, knee bending, guitar strumming offerings that leaves you grinning like a loon for days on end, a transistor radio worth of hits-you-missed that sends you scrambling over the sand dunes to sit near the person who’s playing it loudest – in fact, it seems strange to be playing it in the depths of an east coast winter, when it ought to be adding its weight to the sunniest day. No matter. Eased into the mood by ‘On Her Bike’, set dancing by ‘Road, Mud and Cold’, and reeling by ‘Hit By Lightning’ – we’re only three tracks in and already, ‘Cumulus’ has tingled toes that most records never touch. By the time you hit ‘You’re Just a Liar’, ‘Take My Sky’, and ‘Don’t Block the Sun’, you’re reaching for their debut album and bunkering in for the long haul. Just don’t dare leave the room, ‘cos you’ll miss another killer hook.” – Goldmine Magazine COMES WITH A BONUS CD OF THE BAND’S LIVE PERFORMANCE AT THE HALF MOON IN PUTNEY, LONDON! GREAT!!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Bob Of The Pops Vol. 1 Price: $5.00 Artist: Robyn Gibson Description: JUNIPERS ALERT!! A very kool album of covers from Robyn Gibson, a member of The Junipers. He performed all parts on this particular project. Sneaking in recording sessions after his main band was done work for the day, he took five years putting together this amazing collection of covers. The range is spectacular, from rare to well known choices covering 60’s up to the 90’s. His formula is simple: take catchy tunes and apply his unerring talent for recreating a jangly 60’s British pop rock sound. “I don't know what it is about the city of Leicester, but it seems to produce jingle jangle bands of the highest order. I've always been a fan of Diesel Park West and The Junipers are in the same mould. If you've never heard of them, you should chastise yourself and head off and grab their two albums. This album is as jangly as you'd expect from Mr. Juniper, but the song selection is inspired. I'm particularly glad to see the presence of Nick Heyward's’ He Doesn't Love You Like I Do’, an underrated gem from an underrated album. Elsewhere, you'd expect to see some Teenage Fanclub, but not necessarily ‘Slow Fade’ and ‘Did I Say’. The nod to power pop is there with Kirsty MacColl’s ‘They Don't Know’ and the obligatory Lennon and McCartney (‘Nowhere Man’). It's also fantastic to hear The Dentists and Wire's ‘Outdoor Miner’ and Honeybus's ‘How Long’ is something that I don't recall being performed too often. The influences build up with The Rutles' ‘With A Girl Like You’. The Springfields' ‘Island Of Dreams’ is better than the original and there's even the theme tune to ‘Laverne and Shirley’. There's even one of Gibson's own songs to round things off. The spoof ‘Top Of The Pops’ album cover is inspired, not the usual suggestive female pose and I definitely want one of those cardigans.” – Idonthearasingle.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Shades Price: $11.00 Artist: Ruby Free Description: The sophomore outing under the Ruby Free banner from Rick Hromadka (Maple Mars/Double Naught Spies) and wife/vocalist Lisa Cavaliere. Two years in the making "Shades" picks up where their first album "Introducing Ruby Free" left off, but with a few new turns. And to help them navigate some of the new turns, they’ve enlisted some pretty heavy help from the likes of Rick Gallego (Cloud Eleven/Jiffipop – bass/pedal steel), Joe Giddings (guitars/vocals), and Probyn Gregory (Wondermints/Beach Boys - horns) who provide the perfect, sympathetic accompaniment throughout – ensuring that this is a winner. The harmonies through are also a true delight. “Ruby Free have released one of the best albums so far for 2017.... For real. This is a top-shelf pop tour de force from start to finish.. Another infectious pop platter!” - Jeff Shelton(KSCU) Indeed. “The songwriting (as always) is top shelf, the performances are top notch, and the results are the top of the toppermost!” – Max Humphries GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Matchless Gifts 2006-2016 + bonus disc Price: $15.00 Artist: Son Of Skooshny Description: NEW RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT MUSIK LABEL! Contrary to popular rock'n'roll belief, flash isn't everything. It's quite conceivable that no band in rock's hoary history was less flashy, more self-effacing than Skooshny. The name itself, widely disliked even by the band's strongest supporters, is Russian for "boring". Skooshny was Mark Breyer (vocals, guitar), Bruce Wagner (guitar, keyboards, vocals), and David Winogrond (drums). Among other contributors were Beach Boys engineer Jeff Peters and keyboardist Michael Meros, Eagles keyboardist Michael Thompson, and acclaimed singer/songwriter Michael Penn. This modest band, with its equally modest official recorded output, consistently produced music of rare quality, featuring spectral harmonies, labyrinthine song structures, and playful, literate lyrics that transcended the low-budget productions to which they were constrained to resort. The Sunday Times of London praised one of Skooshny’s albums, calling it "an irresistible era-defying classic." MOJO gushed "...that rarest of breeds, an album that sounds totally self-contained and complete...pain, heartache and loss never sounded so gorgeous!” Son of Skooshny is a spin-off featuring Skooshny frontman Mark Breyer with producer–collaborators Steve Refling, Jeff Peters, and Arthur Schlenger. From 2006-2016, Mark and mates released a series of digital-only EPs that many Skooshny fans were probably not even aware of and are complied here. “Mark Breyer is one of the best underrated rock tunesmiths and lyricists of the past four decades, keeping the literate jangle rock flame burning as strongly as any songwriter is these days. Richly tuneful, jangly, anthemic, deviously lyrical rock. Both lyrically and musically, this is a genuinely amazing album." — New York Music Daily COMES WITH AN EXCLUSIVE BONUS DISC CONTAINING 5 MORE TRACKS NOT FOUND ON THE FULL-LENGTH RELEASE! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none