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

Crybaby Price: $12.00 Artist: Danny de la Matyr Description: Long-awaited first solo album from Danny De La Matyr, former member of The Days and The Sheers that will immediately appeal to anyone who loves The Byrds and The Beatles (and who doesn’t?). “You can be forgiven if Danny de la Matyr's name doesn't sound familiar, but if you're a long-time reader of this site you might recall his band called The Sheers, who put out the fine ‘Goodbye World’ back in 2006/2007. We haven't heard much from him since, although he's worked with Rhett Miller, Jesse Malin and more recently Luther Russell, both solo and with Those Pretty Wrongs, Russell's project with Big Star's Jody Stephens. During all that time he was putting together his solo debut, and it was worth the time. After a couple of lovely, Elliott Smith-style tracks to open the album, things perk up with the slinky melody and staccato guitars of the title track, the power balladry of ‘How Can it Be?’ and the chiming power pop of ‘Lines’. Other standouts include the Beatle-esque Skeleton Key’, the rocking ‘Misfire’, and the anthemic piano pop of ‘Fade to Grey’. A solid disc from start to finish.” – AbsolutePowerPop.com Agreed! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Diamond Hands Price: $10.00 Artist: Diamond Hands Description: NEW RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT KAT LABEL! Previously only available on vinyl! Diamond Hands is the nom de plume of the L.A. duo of Jon Flynn and Joel Wall. And let it be known, these two popsters have an uncanny knack for a never-ending barrage of earworm melodies and retro-influenced instrumentation all in under 3 minutes! “By far, it seems one of the biggest releases I missed in 2016 was this album. ‘Not The Same’ brings the jangle and hook to the front and the follow up ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ is even better with its Beatlesque chorus and tight harmonies. They break out the cowbell for the Raspberries-like ‘See You Again,’ even though lyrically its very basic. So many highlights here, ‘Just Another Day’ brings back the Rickenbacker and the rolling piano on “Come Home” is like ‘RAM’-era McCartney. All killer – no filler here. Had I been aware sooner, it would’ve been wedged into my top ten of 2016!” – Powerpopaholic.com “Diamond Hands perform a brand of sugary pop that always goes down well in these circles. Jingle jangle with great harmonies, it has all the melodic hooks you need and shows power pop is still music that’s beloved of the young.” – IDontHearASingle.com GREAT!!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Sub Textural Price: $8.00 Artist: Jamie & Steve Description: Brand new, 6-song effort from Spongtoners Jamie Hoover and Steve Stoeckel! The boys explain “A good friend of ours once said about making music: ‘You don’t drive the train, you ride it’. We believe this to be perfectly true. One common thread on all of the music we’ve ever done is that we were simply channeling, doing what we were driven to do. The tunes on this record were created over a period of several years, in different situations, and in different states of mind. The connections were the music, and we two. As a final thought, we decided to connect all of these with bits of Morse code to unite them – something that was not decided at the start, but at the end. And there is one more connection appearing yet again on this, our fifth record together: Issa Ibrahim our beloved brother in creativity. Just as we strive to turn ideas into song, Issa turns songs into images, pictures that hint at the music inside the covers he paints. The thread. The connection. And the train.” And, another great effort from this brotherly duo! 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

Bob Of The Pops Vol. 2 Price: $5.00 Artist: Robyn Gibson Description: Well ravers, here's the second of Robyn’s "Bob of the Pops" albums! The album was recorded from January to May, 2017 at the sofa studio in Leicester and at the Junipers’ studio, while the band weren’t watching. You want to be shot so high you'll hit the moon? Then take this album, listen, and jump, jump, jump, higher and higher to the swinging yet warped beats of the ham-fisted facsimiles of these explosive top pop tunes! It’s a trouser-it-to-me fab album for all Groovies from Western Park to Highfields! You’ll jump and twist and kick and shout and scream and writhe and struggle to escape from the first track to the last. Once again we are sure you, all of you - Hippies and Yippies and Skinheads; Schoolkids and switched-on Mums and Dads will help to make this fabulous album a high-stepper in the Hits Parade; for this L.P. will electrify you, anaesthetise you and your neighbors, then send you way, way up in space! Track listining: “Call Me Number One” (The Tremeloes), “The Girl I Knew Somewhere” (The Monkees), “There’s A Place” (The Beatles), “She Dazzled Me With Basil” (The Dentists), “I’ve Been Waiting” (Matthew Sweet), “Queen Of Eyes” (The Soft Boys), “Vanishing Girl” (The Dukes Of Stratosphear), “Circles” (The Who), “Useless Information” (The Move), “Yes It’s True” (Flamin’ Groovies), “5D (Fifth Dimension)” (The Byrds), “I Should Have Never Let You” (Matthew Sweet), and “Bitter End” (Felt)! 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 compiled 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

Days Between Stations (Expanded) Price: $13.00 Artist: The Dangtrippers Description: The Dangtrippers were one of the few Iowa bands to play first-class jangle pop/power-pop for a global audience. The songwriting team of singers and guitarists Devin Hill (who released some pretty fine solo albums after the band split) and Doug Robertson penned gorgeous tunes of everyday life with a joyful and mature attitude. Now, the fine folk at Zero Hour Records has taken this original classic pop album, dug up all their singles and comp tracks along with some unreleased beauties and put them all here for your listening pleasure. Zero Hour’s George Matzkou explains – “In 1990, I was sent this album. Once I heard it, it was never far from reach for the turntable - that's how much we loved this album. I tried to get the rights to release it but the band was signed to R.E.M.'s manager Jefferson Holt’s label (Dog Gone Records) and he was asking some crazy money to release it. He knew how good the band were but he didn't give them as much attention as he should have and the record disappeared into the ether. So now with the blessings of two main members, Zero Hour's dream has come true some 30 odd years later. It truly is an album worth hearing and we 100% guarantee will NOT DISAPPOINT.” And we’re sure glad you did George! “They specialized in a jangly stripe of power pop with an aesthetic in league with the Gigolo Aunts and Greenberry Woods, though I'd submit these lads packed a tad more bite. This debut was produced by a gentleman named Tom Tatman, though an alliance with Mitch Easter or Don Dixon would strike me as more appropriate. But it’s still pretty damn good - and that's perfectly fine with me.” – WilfullyObscure.com “The jangly guitars and well-crafted pop songs reflect the ‘college rock’ sensibilities of young music makers raised on classic rock and power pop (particularly The Raspberries and The Byrds), with enough guitar arpeggios to place the group under the ‘New South’ umbrella. Dumptruck, Dreams So Real, and a host of bands on dB Records found a niche in R.E.M.'s wake making this kind of music, but The Dangtrippers add superior songcraft and a mild strain of psychedelia that at least gives this record a longer shelf life.” – AllMusic.com GREAT(ER)!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Transparent Blue Illusion (Expanded) Price: $13.00 Artist: The Dangtrippers Description: Zero Hour released the second Dangtrippers album back in 1991 but their distributor at the time destroyed 700 of the 1000 pressed CDs. That made this album basically an unknown release and it has been lost for 26 years. Thankfully, Zero Hour have decided to reissue this brilliant lost album along with 7 rare bonus cuts. If you love their “Days Between Stations” album, you will love this as well. With main songwriter Devin Hill leaving (Doug Roberson, his songwriting partner from their debut remained) and Pat White joining, their guitar sound changed to a slightly heavier feel but the jangle and harmonies are still there. “On their sophomore release, which was also their last, their jangle pop was now infused with a healthy dose of psychedelia. This new element was most perceptible in songs like 'Headhunter' or 'Pictures in the Sky', but also in the kaleidoscopic cover artwork. In addition, there was a heavier sound reminiscent of a band like Dramarama. Consequently, the songs were more 'rounded' than on their one-dimensional debut.” – Pop Phil “Superb neo psyche that’s perfect ear candy for fans of this genre” – Monty Cat Complete your Dangtrippers collection today! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Broken Circle Price: $14.00 Artist: The Greek Theatre Description: NEW RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT MUSIK LABEL! The second album by Sweden’s premier West Coast psych act. Their debut, "Lost Out At Sea”, was a gem and took many people by surprise with its quality. Their new album is the sequel of sorts but goes much deeper into full-on psychedelia yet retains - and even improves on - their excellent songwriting. While a lot of modern psych bands adhere to trance like Floydian space rock it is a rare thing to find an album like this of song based psychedelia. “This is psychedelia of the highest order. Laid back, bordering on folk and prog, proper psych. Those gentle vocals weave into the pastoral background, this is real chill out stuff. These guys are streets ahead of any of the psychedelic pretenders. Don't expect to rock out. You need to allocate time to listen to ‘Broken Circle’ all the way through. It's hard to pick out favourite tracks from something put together so lovingly – it feels like a complete piece.” – Idonthearasingle.com “I’m always hesitant to throw around terms like ‘instant classic’, but this certainly fits the bill. Kicking off with the wonderfully titled ‘Fat Apple (at About Noon)’, it really sets the stage for this beautiful record. For the initiated fan, within the first 30 seconds you will recognize that you are in familiar territory and in for a real treat. Indeed, this is unmistakably The Greek Theatre that we know and love, a duo who have somehow managed to create a stunningly unique sound that I've not heard any contemporary band match. The guitar work is even better than ever, and that is saying something. As with all of their songs, there is a tremendous amount of depth and texture to the music. There is quite a bit going on, which is evident when you carefully listen to and study each track and realize how it somehow all blends together so seamlessly. This is psychedelic music at its very finest, with some wonderful folk, country, and even progressive rock elements as well. Do yourself a favour and dispense with genres, labels, and any preconceived notions, as there is really no way to pigeon-hole their sound. Just close your eyes and allow the music to take you to that special place that only music can do. The pacing of this record is brilliant, incorporating all sorts of instruments and arrangements, and takes you on a truly majestic flight. The trademark Greek Theatre vocals are firmly in place throughout, buoyed by some outstanding interwoven guitar work.” – TheActiveListener.com “To me, their sound is Pink Floyd as filtered through a Harpers Bizarre lens. There is atmosphere to spare in these songs, with some of them sounding like they could have been on just about any mid- to late-period Floyd record, which is to say they work in that forum. The song "’Stray Dog Blues’ is very Harpers Bizarre-like with a bit of Van Dyke Parks seasoning (and has an early Floyd-ish title). An engaging listen for sure.” – Alan Haber/Pure Pop Radio GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none