Astroemeria - A Journey On Earth & Beyond Price: $14.00 Artist: Bhopal's Flowers Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT MUSIK LABEL!! Hindu deities dancing in the sky of the American desert, psychedelic cosmic pop hanging by a thread to the star of the shepherd, the music of Bhopal's Flowers seems to point to an unknown but familiar direction: A world where John Wayne and the Virgin Mary drive a convertible Lincoln, John Fitzgerald Kennedy on the backseat, greeting the crowd of angels. “Astroemeris…” is the second full-length release (and Kool Kat label debut) from Lione Pezzano-led Bhopal’s Flowers. Two years after ‘’Lovesongs & Psychedelic Tones’’, Bhopal’s Flowers presents a new conceptual psychedelic record: ‘’Alstroemeria: A Journey On Earth & Beyond’’. Lionel explains “The record maps a 24 hour cycle, in which each song is linked with a specific time of the day/night, slicing its journey in two distinct parts: a bright and vintage Sunshine Pop on Side 1, facing a deep and modern Moonlight Pop on Side 2. Exploring the deepest mysteries of life and drawing an esoteric vision of the soul’s materialization from upper skies to down bellow, ''Alstroemeria'' tales the cosmic and earthly adventures of the human soul, surrounded by numerous guides, divinities and historical characters: Galilee, the three Magi, Ettore Majorana, Lord Krishna, Archangel Uriel, Nikola Tesla, Zarathustra, Virgin Mary, Adam, Christopher Columbus, Jesus Christ, Paul Dirac, Napoleon Bonaparte, Yahveh, angels Seraph & Metatron, Rudolf Steiner, St John The Evangelist, Charles Darwin and Swami Vivakananda.” “Pezzano’s music combines the free flowing instrumental layers of the past with the crisp finish of today's indie rock present. There is some truly incredible guitar work here and overall a very good taste of instrument and sample selection. While the freedom and love movement is there, it's been hosed off and given a brighter neon glow with carefully placed modern updates. It's not all la la land in these songs; sometimes it can be a little haunting or just downright out there. One of the staples for music like this that I believe to be essential is that the listener is taken on a legitimate journey, and this album nails that. Expert tonal shifts that are so subtle you don't know what's happening until you're neck deep in it are all over these songs.” – DivideandConquerMusic.com So, what about the music? The record oozes shades of 60’s trippy psych/West Coast -influenced sounds with dreamy vocals, liberal sprinklings of 12-string guitars and sitar, singing the gospel life, from its very first sunrays, to its late moonbeams. Includes a cover of Cream’s “I Feel Free”! Very kool!! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

forever fresh! Price: $15.00 Artist: Bruce Moody Description: A new (old) set of pop-centric tunes from Bruce Moody, one of the 80’s power pop names that's been bouncing around for years and has only recently been investigated. Back in the early 80's Terry Carolan (True Hearts/Bloue Cartoon/Heirs Of Fortune) would spend some afternoons with fellow Beatles fan and recording kook, Bruce Moody. They’d make song demos on Bruce’s four-track deck using everything from cassette boxes, guitar cases and silverware to create sounds. But at the same time, we were both in bands doing recording in real studios. The duo ended up with a basket full of unreleased recordings that are now finally seeing the light of day. “forever fresh!” is a "select cuts" album collection of Bruce's power pop tracks from 1979-1986. It contains 23 songs, all of which have been meticulously digitally remixed and remastered exclusively for this release. “As Terry and I mastered the tracks for this album, I was overwhelmed by many of the great memories that stirred inside of me while listening to these songs again; many after more than three decades. I can still clearly remember those wonderful performance moments that were magically captured while the red light was on and the tape was rolling. Those memories are ‘forever fresh’ in my mind! A handful of these songs were very challenging to get recorded at all back then; either due to tired voices that just couldn’t capture a great take or trying to beat the clock before our session ended and someone else’s session was scheduled to start. In order to try to get a cohesive, overall album sound, we used the legendary Abbey Road mixing desk via digital plugin to re-master all of the songs here. I love the extra punch and warmth the Abbey Road mixing desk adds to all of the tracks!” – Bruce Moody The result? Another terrific piece of power pop’s puzzle has rightfully been unearthed!! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

No Weapon But Love Price: $20.00 Artist: Icecream Hands Description: “No Weapon But Love” is the seventh full-length studio album from these Aussie power poppers. The album explores the idea of love as a powerful force; love lost, love unrealized, love gained, love forgotten and remembered and the uplifting kind as well – an antidote for the struggles of 2020. Here are 13 songs dripping with the irresistible hooks and harmonies that have gained the band critical praise around the world since 1992. “For a masterclass in not just the art of songwriting but the joy of it, you can start with this record. Icecream Hands are not just a melodic guitar band, although for close to 30 years they have been delivering rich, melodic guitar-driven tunes that lift the listener up and steer them through the dark times and the good. They are not just a harmonies band, although for most of that time they have been writing songs where massed harmony vocals are not just something tacked on but central to the core. There is a reason we don’t hear much great vocal harmony work in rock music any more, the kind of thing which so elevated the music of bands from The Beatles and Beach Boys to the Mamas and Papas and Fleetwood Mac. That’s because it is hard to do, especially if you are playing an instrument on stage at the same time. These guys are masters of it.” – MusicTrust.com.au “What? They’ve been away? I don’t mean the songs sound the same after a break of more than a dozen years, but rather that the Icecream Hands principles are unchanged. And those principles are solid. As easy to understand as they are to recognize. Here are a few. Keep not just the songs but the people in them human-scale; melodies are your friend, not the first hurdle to clear; if you’ve got fine harmony singers in the band, use them; just because you’ve got fine harmony singers doesn’t mean you use them at every opportunity; yes, you’re a guitar band, but make the guitars work for you, not lead you; don’t be scared of the pretty or the amusing, embrace them; if you’ve got a chorus with a hook that grabs, why wait to get to it?; did I mention melodies?” – Bernard Zeul GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Better From Here Price: $14.00 Artist: Joe Giddings Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT MUSIK LABEL!! Over two years in the making (not the record, but Joe’s decision to finally release it after remixing and tweaking it) after we first spoke, ”Better From Here” - here comes the cliché – is a power pop gem that truly was worth waiting for! “This is top notch power pop rock from one of the genre’s best exponents over the past two decades. His vocals are enhanced in a wall of sound. Brimming with melodic from start to finish, it’s an outstanding album from not only a major talent, but a real unheralded gem.” – IDontHearASingle.com "Power pop with real power. Well-crafted tunes delivered with panache and drenched in melody, sounding like a less ornate, harder rocking Jellyfish. Meaty guitar licks flying all over the place. A year-end top 10 contender, for sure!" - John Borack “While there’s a Beatles influence evident throughout, it is amazingly diverse. The melding of a variety of pop influences and brilliant, radio friendly production sensibilities make it really shine. Maybe it’s the guitar crunch of ‘Amity Horror’ that’ll grab you, or the spot-on harmonies of ‘Gone So Far’, or the FOW/Cars approach to ‘Tin Foil Crush’ that’ll hook you. Could it be the muscular guitar of ‘Rock and Roll’? For me, it was ‘Irrelevant’, with guitar muscle out front, production and arrangement reminiscent of The Sweet or T-Rex, where everything is boiled down to its most impactful ingredients. It’s all hook, swagger and smarts. Did I mention that he can really, really sing? Every once in a while I hear someone say ‘they just don’t make ‘em like they used to’. Next time you hear that, hand them a copy of ‘Better From Here’!” – Rich Rossi/PowerPopNews.com “Joe tells us right away ‘I don’t want to sing like the Beatles again, but I’m gonna do it anyway’ on the title track. His songwriting skills are in top form, evidenced by ‘Always Raining Somewhere”. His guitar can shred with anyone, as he plays with a post-punk sprightliness and a less overtly British Invasion-inspired melodic sense that's closer to the power pop greats of the 90’s. Fans of Velvet Crush and Fountains of Wayne will enjoy ‘Amity Horror’ and ‘Rock and Roll.’ The high harmonies just burst in on ‘If I Don’t Have Love.’ This is looking to be in my top 10 of 2020!” – Powerpopaholic.com “Joe Giddings’ pop world is a place where fans of Jellyfish and Redd Kross gather in animated huddles to discuss late-era Beatles. It is also a place where the go-to guitarist is Brian May. Lyrically, Giddings tries to eschew thoughts of stardom but simply comes across as self-effacing, he tells us it’s ‘always raining somewhere’ but also why we should still be all smiles. Musically, he is full-throttle but always inventive, he can deliver a heavy crunch when needed but then rounds things off by creating a slow burning, bright full glow.” – John Bottomley/BucketfullofBrains.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Shiftingears Price: $12.00 Artist: Rich Arithmetic Description: Rich Arithmetic is back after a prolonged absence with “Shiftingears”, an album that expands on the pop promises he made on 1995’s “Sleep In A Wigwam”. If you’re looking for catchy guitar riffs, you’ll find ‘em here. Looking for interweaving harmonies? They abound here. Melodies that don’t stop when the music’s over? Want something to challenge a few indie-pop assumptions while still adhering to melody-first expectations? They’re all here, in spades! Whichever way you choose to read the title of the album – as “Shiftin’ Gears” or as “Shifting Ears” – it’s a perfect description of what you’ll find here. The record charges out the gate with an all-cylinders-firing tribute to a 60’s should’a-been superstar band, The E-Types (he covers their “She Moves Me“ on the record). That opening salvo is then followed up in a Beatles-inspired vein (“Do You Remember (What The Music’s For)” that recalls the music and DJ’s of 60’s AM radio. He “shifts gears” and “shifts ears” with an eclectic collection of pop-and-harmony songs that draw from a variety of influences while still establishing his own unique pop credentials. Familiar to fans will be the influence of The Beatles, of course, and XTC, naturally, along with incorporations of criss-crossing “ba-ba-ba” harmonies inspired by Brian Wilson, punctuated by surf-guitar riffs here and there. The influences do not obscure Rich’s own unique pop approaches to tune-making. New this time around are several piano-based numbers, a moody Chris Isaak-esque introspection that eventually flings itself into Mamas & Papas harmony sunshine. There are melodic hooks disguised in bar-band clothes, and a couple of pieces that borrow from the extended-song approach of the late 60’s and early 70’s. There’s also a flirtation with Baroque pop (“Before For The First Slice”) that sees him accompanied by a string quartet that back in the day would have made The Left Banke proud. In the meantime, another piece with a 50’s chord progression is followed up by a droning “I Am The Walrus”-like organ-guitar-and-cello song (“Waiting For The Isaac”). Along the way, Rich is assisted by special guest Maura Kennedy from folk-pop duo, The Kennedys. In addition, Ray Carmen (from Librarians With Hickeys) and Christopher Earl (aka Squires of the Subterrain) share songwriting credits with Rich on a couple numbers. Welcome back Rich!! TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR EXCLUSIVE 2-FER OFFER! GET THIS AND RICH’S CD “SLEEP IN A WIGWAM” FOR ONLY $20! IF PAYING MY PAYPAL, YOU WILL BE REFUNDED ACCORDINGLY. IF PAYING BY CREDIT CARD, YOUR CARD WILL BE CHARGED THE 2-FER PRICE. GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Better Days Price: $13.00 Artist: Rick Hromadka Description: The solo album Rick Hromadka (Double Naught Spies/Maple Mars/Ruby Free) has been toiling with for well over a year has been done since before the pandemic, but there was no way he was gonna release it while the world stopped turning. But…Rick states “I finally realized that waiting for the world to get better is like chasing your tail. So here's to ‘Better Days’! Unlike my last solo record, which was very ‘solo’, this time 'round I wanted to include a bunch of my musical friends, many of whom I've admired for years and finally got up the nerve to ask to play on this record. I can't tell you how unbelievable it was to work with so many talents. Receiving recorded tracks from these people was like opening gifts at Christmas!” "Hromadka and a batch of his musical pals have created an album that is one of the best power pop releases in memory, a surging and artful effort that is bolstered by excellent song craft, experimental flourishes aplenty and nuanced musicianship. It’s the perfect find for those in search of music that is melodic, memorable and expertly crafted. "- Robert Kinsler/Rock 'n Roll Truth "A top-flight collection of wonderfully-realized pop ‘n’ roll songs!" - Alan Haber/Pure Pop Radio "A powerhouse of an album!" - Pseu Braun/WFMU “This is one of the best albums of Rick's career. It’s up there with the magnificent 2010 Maple Mars album, ‘Galaxyland’. Yes, that good.” - Mike Lidskin/Woody Radio GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Songs From Another Life Price: $14.00 Artist: The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT MUSIK LABEL! TBWTPN are an atypical music group on the frontiers between indie pop, jangle pop and power pop. “Songs From Another Life”, their second effort was initially going to be a Bobo Integrel Records vinyl-only release – but that was until the Kool Kat mafia stepped in and made an offer Madrid’s Gonzalo Marcos (El Palacio de Linares), and Edinburgh’s Andrew Taylor (Dropkick) couldn’t refuse to make a CD available on Kool Kat! Here, the boys open the range of influences, more American, more exuberant and present a powerful sound with arrangements that make us dream of better days. In addition to Teenage Fanclub, Big Star and The Byrds, there are sonic references to Fountains Of Wayne, Matthew Sweet, Weezer, R.E.M., The Lemonheads, The Beach Boys and there are even distorted breaks à la Dinosaur Jr. or Sugar. Recorded separately, in two parts, applying social distance before it was an obligation. These songs so beautiful, so bright, so stimulating, this gorgeous guitar and harmony-filled music of heavenly guitars, can only come from another life, from a life that might never return. “You could line up a whole host of driven, melodic, harmonious power-pop bands, blindfold yourself and stick a pin in one of them and the chances are that the very best of the chosen p(r)icked act, will sound much like this. Following precisely on from the sheer and absolute jangled beauty seen in 2019’s ‘Dead Calm’ album and dares to tread just that little bit further into the more gregarious, dynamic power-pop territory that is frequented by the most well known of today’s power-pop acts…and even has the temerity to do it better. As ‘Waking Up In Sunshine’, ‘How I Really Feel’ and ‘I Don’t Mind’ slide over the edge of ‘just genuine pretty’, by increasing the tempo and adding a subtle sense of ‘more’. More noise, more tempo, more percussion, just more. When the tempo decreases and the harmonies usurp dynamism, we see the band return to the sheer laconic grace of their debut, with ‘Can’t You See’, ‘Falling Through’, ‘Lethargy’ and ‘In Between’, providing the perfect vehicle for Taylor’s voice to smoothly reverse into. Never hurried, never wavering, without the quirky inflections that much musical modernity insists upon in their frontmen, Taylor’s is possibly the most perfect voice in jangle/power-pop at present (sorry Teenage Fanclub fans!). A genuinely stunning album…as if there was ever any doubt it would be!!?” – JanglePophub.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

BANG!: The Best Of The Sails 2006 to 2020 Price: $14.00 Artist: The Sails Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT MUSIK LABEL!! As The Sails (all the work of multi-instrumentalist/producer Michael Gagliano) prepare a brand new full-length in the not-too-distant future, we though it a good time to introduce/re-introduce the music of The Sails to power pop fans everywhere. For any newcomers The Sails, from the outskirts of London, deliver intensely rich power pop. It's an all-original blend of groovy 60’s influences with a uniquely modern edge. Highly active with The Sails from 2006 to 2010, Michael has spent the past decade touring worldwide as a performing member of the “Let It Be” musical theater production, playing in many of the same theatres as The Beatles themselves, growing his profile for The Sails in the process. The digital-only releases of "One Hot Mess" in 2019 and "Dr. Michael's Medicine Bag" in early 2020 demonstrated a new wave of original creativity. With pandemic-forced temporary stop of live shows, Michael has doubled-down on writing and releasing new singles, igniting a spark of renewed interest in the UK. This new activity has led to a demand for past releases that have been hard to find anywhere. This includes the critically acclaimed eponymous Rainbow Quartz Records debut from 2006, 2007's "Drum Roll Please" which was available as an import from Japan, and 2010's "A Headful of Stars" on Rainbow Quartz. A major highlight from this time is "I’m Only Bleeding” ranked the #1 “Coolest Song of The Year” on Little Steven’s influential “Underground Garage” for 2010, and “Liar” ranking #2 in 2011 - both are included here. The CD delivers the best fifteen songs from The Sails to date, including selections from the three aforementioned releases along with previously download-only tracks “The Slow Down”, “Lovebonds”, “Sitting In The Corners” and the title track making their C D debut. With a wide range of influences within the genre of power pop, it includes harmonies that channel the Everly Brothers. Fans of Small Faces will appreciate the intensity of “In My Head.” You’ll be forgiven for thinking “Best Day” is an unreleased single from the vaults of Neil Diamond! Elements of The Beatles (of course), Oasis, The Who, The Jam, and other classic influences come together for a distinctly fresh sound that is simultaneously familiar yet modern. GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Teenage Tragedies 1974-1979 Price: $15.00 Artist: The Scruffs Description: Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, The Scruffs are best known for their classic power pop LP “Wanna Meet The Scruffs?” issued in 1977 on Power Play Records. Although Robert Christgau, rock critic in Village Voice wrote “A middle-period Beatles extrapolation in the manner of Big Star, it bursts with off harmonies, left hooks, and jolts of random energy Only a sucker for R’n’R could love this record, and I am that sucker”, they received only local airplay and little more. The Scruffs started to record a follow-up album with John Fry at Ardent Studios, supposedly entitled “Teenage Gurls”. In 1978, due to interest from Warner Bros in New York City, the band moved to The Big Apple, playing at CBGB and Max's Kansas City. Same old story, they didn’t land any major label deal out there. One year later, leader Stephen Burns returned to Memphis to finish the recordings which survived for years in his archives. They eventually resurfaced only on CD, in 1998 on Burns' private label Northern Heights and in 2003 on Rev’Ola. Die-hard popsters regard some of these songs as their strongest material with the best ones being compiled here. In 1974, the same year of Big Star’s “Radio City” LP release and Chris Bell solo recording sessions, producer Jim Dickinson heard the Scruffs’ early stages and their pre-”Wanna Meet...” material and expected the band to be the next big thing. Only heard on CD on Northern Heights in 1998, the best tracks from this stunning collection, recorded in the same Shoe Studio where Chris Bell immortalized the track “I Am The Cosmos” basically at the same time, are compiled here as well. “The late great Alex Chilton once put "Break The Ice" and "Bedtime Stories" on a compilation tape for me. What a great introduction to The Scruffs.” - Francis Macdonald/Teenage Fanclub “Some tracks may sound like Chris Bell outtakes except they were probably recorded before or at the same time” - Stephen Burns “Are The Scruffs over the top? At times. Heartbroken? I think so. Cool? Ooh yeah.” - Judith Beerman/Back Of A Car Magazine GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

9:30 Girl Price: $11.00 Artist: The Tummies Description: Meet The Tummies: step back in a time when all you wanted was a date on Saturday night, a cool car, and a great place to hang out with your friends. This is what The Tummies are all about; Brit-pop from the 60’s like Gerry and The Pacemakers, Manfred Mann, The Rooks, and early Beatles – but modernized. With couple Dana Radford and Judd Fuller at the helm and based in Nashville, TN, the two wrote songs in every room of their Tudor style home, just having fun and being spontaneous. The energetic duo has had a love affair with the Beatles since they were young children. Judd explains, “My mother was born and raised in Liverpool, England, and my earliest memories are hearing those old Beatles records through my sister’s bedroom wall. I also remember the lilting sound of my mother’s English accent, tying it all together.” For Dana, it represents her first childhood musical love. She recalls stacks of Beatles 45s were being played in her house and has a fond memory of unwrapping ‘Abbey Road’ for a Christmas gift in 1969. And, ironically, she was born on the very day the Beatles first landed in America! “The Beatles, and their amazing music, are parts of our DNA! We can’t get enough of the sound!” she proclaims. The Tummies are the epitome of cool, from their sound to their attitude and looks. It’s uncanny how they have morphed themselves into that moment of music that represented something brand new and unheard of to the world’s ears. “They have a great dynamic with the dual vocals of Fuller and Radford, and a Beatlesque streak a mile wide. Fans of The Rooks and Grip Weeds will adore this band. The original songs all wear the influence on their sleeves but don’t sound like a slavish imitation at all. The jangling Rickenbackers and harmonies of ‘Sweet Little Mistreater’ will carry you away to Merseybeat heaven and it sticks fast. The catchy ‘Little Blue Heart’ and ‘Puppet’ continue the party, and the title track is a slow ballad daydreaming about a girl you see on your commute. It effectively shifts moods on the acoustic ‘Collector’ but it’s the groovy dance tunes like ‘Stuff Like That’ is what these Tummies do best. Overall, the songwriting and musicianship are perfect without a note of filler. Highly Recommended.” – Powerpopaholic.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none