New CDs

Back To California Price: $14.00 Artist: 20/20 Description: “Back To California” is the first album from 20/20 co-founders Steve Allen and Ron Flynt since 1998’s “Interstate” and its hooks, harmonies and instantly memorable tunes stand with their classic late 70’s/early 80’s work that commenced with the band's undisputed classic self-titled debut album in 1979, and brings their music to a whole new generation of guitar pop fans and long-time followers alike. “How often has a band gone more than a quarter of a century between album releases and then come up with a collection of songs that stands proudly alongside their finest work? Not too often, I’d say. What the music does on ‘Back To California’ is expertly builds a bridge between 20/20’s legacy as an iconic power pop band and Allen and Flynt’s current status as seasoned songwriters and performers who have never strayed from their love of a hook. The title track harkens back to that glorious late 70’s power pop sound, with muscular, driving guitars and a riff that vaguely recall the Plimsouls’ ‘A Million Miles Away.’ Nearly every track here is framed with an inspired guitar riff accompanying an instantly memorable melody. Sometimes the guitars are forceful (those opening blasts of distorted six-string on ‘The End of the Summer’ are pretty damned cool), sometimes they’re Beatlesque (‘When the Sun Goes Down’), and sometimes they even lean ever-so-slightly toward country-rock (the catchier than hell ‘King of the Whole Wide World’). Without fail, the hook is always king, and Allen and Flynt dole them out here like there’s no tomorrow.” - John Borack EXCELLENT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

20th Century Boys Price: $13.00 Artist: 20th Century Boys Description: Ever catch the faintest beat or riff in the distance and immediately recognize the song? That’s because tucked away in the closet of guilty pleasures in your brain is an archive of catchy choruses, clap-along breaks and dance floor rhythms. 20th Century Boys channel the spirits of the bands you loved, so sneak out of your bedroom window when your kids fall asleep and join us! Veterans of the LA scene, they’ve paid their dues in The Joneses, The Flamethrowers, Penal Colony, The Vice Principals, The Cornfed Project and many others. Now this stripped down 3 piece serves up brand new, but incredibly familiar songs that beg, borrow and steal from glam, power pop, hard soul and prepunk pub rockers from both sides of the pond. They are known for their live shows, described as "loud & wild" and capable of pulling listeners out of "sonic-limbo". What’s old is new again with the 20th Century Boys! “The debut album from 20th Century Boys doesn’t just flirt with nostalgia - it grabs it by the collar and drags it onto the dance floor. With a sound that fuses the glittering swagger of 70’s glam rock with the raw energy of pub rock, this trio delivers the goods you’d expect from a Rum Bar Records band. Right out of the gate, the album’s opener ‘Suzy’ pulses with an anthemic urgency, and even better is the follow up ‘Cuz I Want To’ follows the Stones playbook, with cocky glee and buzzing riffs. Tracks like ‘Tricky Situation’ and ‘Hotz On 2 Boogie’ are brimming with power chords and sing-along refrains, perfectly crafted for late-night drives. Other highlights include ‘Come On Jason’ and ‘Never Dull Moment,’ and ‘Rumble At The Dance Hall.’ Overall, a good debut, and I look forward to more from these ‘Boys’.” - Powerpopaholic EXCELLENT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Closer To A Ghost Price: $12.00 Artist: A View Of Earth From The Moon Description: A View of Earth from the Moon’s debut s an unashamed mashup of noisy 90’s Britpop, uninhibited garagey rudeness, and anthemic melodies that take the listener to a place where loudness is king. “I’m out there on my own with this one. I guess you could call it a solo record because this was the first time I did everything by myself. No live band in the studio, just me racking up countless hours of studio time, haha.” “Closer to a Ghost” is meant for an audience that likes loud and unapologetic rock ‘n’ roll. The album celebrates being “over the top” and many of Fickes’s influences are unmistakable. It’s “everything I’ve always wanted a record to be.” The twelve exciting tracks exhibit everything from blind irreverence to crippling obsession; from selfless love to complete emptiness; from boundless joy to unshakable regret. Singer/songwriter, Jonathan Fickes, is the sum of a farm town childhood spent listening to 60’s pop, a young adulthood playing folk music in New York City, and years spent in the vibrant Seattle indie rock scene with bands such as To the Sea and The Fraidies. “It’s not often that albums can evoke a strain of nostalgia while still presenting something new and re-listen worthy. A View of Earth from the Moon’s debut greets you like an old friend with the contradiction of new and familiar sounds. If ‘Closer to a Ghost’ conjures tones of 60’s Mod or 90’s Britpop, it may be due to Fickes’ love for Oasis and past of touring in a Beatles tribute band. ‘I Had to Go In to Come Back Out Again’ crashes open and continues to roll with heavy drum punches and attractive guitar rhythms, while ‘How I Lost You’ is a slow narrative with a morose breakup back story.” – The Big Takeover “A wonderfully evocative record from this Seattle combo that’s sometimes evocative of Teenage Fanclub, other times recalling early Posies, it’s all melodically stimulating with undercurrents of melancholy and mystery running through the proceedings. The glorious ‘Distance Runner’ is the highlight.” – John Borack/Goldmine Magazine GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Star Price: $15.00 Artist: Acme Rock Group Description: Acme Rock Group was formed in 1996 by guitarist-singer-songwriter-producer Erik Rex. Their 2001 debut combines elements of influential British guitar-based rock and roll bands like the Beatles, the Kinks, and the Who. "Indie pop fans have been heaping a large amount of justifiable praise on Rick Corcoran for his gem of a Beatles-inspired album, The Orgone Box. Save some of that same applause for 'Star'. Rex and his musical pals have released a dandy of a Beatlesque album that excels with their original power pop and psychedelic tunes. The disc opens strongly with three straight tracks that smack of 'Sgt. Pepper'’s era songs – the last of which, 'Floating,' even has a bit of a David Bowie sound to it. The slower tracks are reminiscent of 'Rubber Soul'. In fact, this is one of those rare discs where the songs blend seamlessly together, and has just helped pseudo-60s psych/pop take a big step forward!" - Amplifier Magazine Very reminiscent of Teenage Fan Club and Superstar. Features kool covers of Beatles/Peter & Gordon’s “World Without Love” and The Who’s “Odorono”. GREAT!!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

This Is Action City Price: $12.00 Artist: Action City Description: Action City came to be on December 27, 2019. Winston-Salem based musician, Michael Slawter was hosting a post-Christmas show at his guitar shop/venue Heyday Guitars. The drummer that evening was an old acquaintance from the Charlotte area, Shawn Lynch (Balderdash Ltd/The Eyebrows). At the end of the evening after everyone had left Shawn and Michael shared a beer and did some catching up. The subject of working together came up and a plan was hatched. Weeks later Michael and Shawn were face to face again with guitars in-hand working through new song ideas. Then the pandemic hit and the world shut down. Planned recording sessions were scrapped, so an alternate plan was hatched….let’s just do it ourselves. Software was downloaded and mics were borrowed. Weeks later, two songs were recorded. Over a series of weekends 2 songs were recorded each session. Before long they had accumulated 10 fully realized songs. On a whim LA-based engineer/producer Adam Lasus was contacted about mixing and quickly joined the fold, giving masterful direction and whipping the songs into a tizzy. Matt Tuttle in Winston-Salem mastered all 10 songs in quick order and gave Adam’s already keen mixing a more sonically dense feel. “Whenever I think of Winston-Salem, like many others I think of Mitch Easter and why not? The man literally saved us from the dressing up nonsense of the 80’s. Well! Michael Slawter is also a fine artist. The 10 songs here are a fine selection of guitar pop and all of its avenues. At times I'm reminded a lot of Chris Church, particularly on ‘In My Finest Hour’. When Action City rock, the certainly rock, especially on ‘Stay (Tiny Love Song)’ which has an 80’s Rush-like feel on the verse. Elsewhere the duo's versatility shines through across Surf (‘The Blame’), Power Pop (‘Beside Me’) and Psych Pop (‘The Lines You Blur’). The latter is a corking tune, top notch in fact. Very 60s, very jangly with a killer guitar solo, it ticks all the boxes. The record is a splendid listen. I can't wait for more.” – IDontHearASingle.com GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

More Action City Price: $12.00 Artist: Action City Description: Action City (Michael Slawter and Shawn Lynch) are back with the followup to their terrific 2021 “This Is Action City” debut! Recorded in the Fall of 2021 and Spring of 2022, the boys re-enlisted Adam Lasus and Matt Tuttle once again for mixing and mastering duties respectively. Hey, why mess with a winning formula, right? The result is another hook-filled, guitar-centric, no frills collection that rests quite comfortably in the garage pop category! “On their sophomore effort, Action City come out with an army of 6 + 12 string guitars and riffs a-blazin’ on another 10-song, 60’s’70’s-inspired hookfest that whizzes by in a flash. Some of the tracks (‘The Leaving Lights’ and ‘Canadys Girl’ are prime examples) have a very Richard Turgeon-ish vibe, which is certainly a good thing! You can add some Guided By Voices (their poppier, more accessible side) and Jeff Shelton (in any of his guises) in there too. While familiar pop-craft and melodic virtuosity occupies center stage, this latest batch of songs ride on colorful guitar flourishes, there are hooks and earworms aplenty within, representing another level of songwriting and performance from Slawyer and Lynch.” – Max Humphries GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Live at the University Of Cadiz Price: $16.00 Artist: Adam Levy & the Brass Buttons Description: HONEYDOGS ALERT!! Very kool recording of Honeydogs’ frontman Adam Levy terrific, spirited performance backed by the more-than-capable Spanish roots poppers The Brass Buttons that sees him revisiting his back catalog of both Honeydogs’ and solo recordings! TRACK LISTING: “10,000 Years”, “Aubben”, “Clemens In Plainview”, “At Ohms Never Die”, “Devices”, “Vermillion Billows”, “When Your Wells Run Dry”, “We Are”, “Our Post Morten”, “I Miss You”, “Two Weeks”, “Watching”, “Potter’s Field”, and “Naubinway”! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Go West Price: $10.00 Artist: Adam Marsland Description: NEW LOW PRICE!! 2009 2CD offering from the former Cockeyed Ghost frontman that was hailed at the time as his best ever effort! It’s an undertaking that operates logically in two ways: it's a highly engaging pop/rock conception or dig a little deeper and it is an engrossing journey from hope to despair and back to hope. "I'm on my third spin of 'Go West' and I must say I'm very taken with it. To my ears, this sounds like Adam's most cohesive record to date. You know, it just fits together very well. More importantly, I also think this double disc easily contains some of his best work to date. To name a few songs that jump out - 'Go West', 'My Pain', 'No Return', 'Despair', 'December 24', 'Grateful For The Rain', '1 In 4', 'Two Children In A Bed' (funky, yes, it is funky), and 'I Don't Want To Dance With You' (this is the surprise track on the album per it's dance club groove vibe. It's a wonderfully fun track especially per the cheerleading like backing vocals. Words fail, you'd just need to hear it. I smile every time I listen to it). Finally, to my ears 'Fade Away' is a stone cold classic tune. Lovely song, great vocals, melody and harmonies." - Steve Durbin/Audities "What's most gratifying is not only how well it holds together, but how well it holds together given the range of things he's doing and the fact that it's all cohering over two discs. Quite an accomplishment." - Sam Smith/Audities "Double albums in pop music can sometimes be troublesome beasts, which is why Marsland's opus is such a great discovery. Like all good art, it is ambitious, did not come into being without heartache or sweat, and is filled with contrasting emotions. It is important to note this is unlike most albums: the ace material is not rolled into the record's onset, but rather spread throughout, which is why the second disc has as many compelling moments as the first. And of course the secret to any good song collection is, if someone puts in a perfect pop tune, then follow it up with a rambunctious garage-punk track. In his case that is The Replacements-soundalike 'This Is Hard,' with a toughened hunk of gritty guitar, deliberately sloppy bass and drums, and disorderly vocals. Anyone who misses Paul Westerberg's early misbehavior needs this shot of adrenaline.He has put together an unassuming masterpiece." - AudAud.com In case you missed it the first time…. EXCELLENT!!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Daylight Kissing Night – Adam Marsland’s Greatest Hits Price: $8.00 Artist: Adam Marsland Description: NEW LOW PRICE!! A handsomely packaged, 2008 collection of 20 pop songs “almost too literate and catchy for mass consumption”, now offered at an artist-breaking budget price, that heralded Adam Marsland's return to full-time music making. Not so much a retrospective as a reintroduction, all the previously released songs are remastered along seven newly recorded tracks that are exclusive to the collection. “A high-energy cross between Brian Wilson, Paul Stanley and Elton John” – SPIN Magazine” “Marsland's brainy pop adventurism and ornery idealism have fueled one of the more intriguing music careers of the last 10 years. With The Negro Problem, Cockeyed Ghost, three years of touring solo and a tour-de-force live album of songs written by Beach Boys Dennis and Carl Wilson. Thanks to word-of-mouth, a jaw-dropping live band including soul chanteuse Evie Sands, he has found a whole new audience.” - AllMusic.com “You cannot call yourself a power pop fan if you don’t own this CD. Marslands songs are both smart and literate, as well as insightful and raw along the lines of Ben Folds or Joe Jackson. However, the musical influences are much more than that. He channels a number of diverse rock/pop elements into his songs; Brian Wilson, Elton John, Pete Townshend, Matthew Sweet and even Green Day. Most of his best work is autobiographical, and chronicles the life of a kid who wants to be a successful rock musician (‘My Kickass Life’) and all the pain and pleasure along the way. Much piss and vinegar goes into his experiences with this band Cockeyed Ghost and his roller coaster ride with the ‘music industry’ that gives us great tracks like ‘Big, Big Yeah,’ ‘Burning Me Out (of the Record Store),’ ‘I Can’t Do This Anymore’ and my personal favorite ‘The Fates Cry Foul.’ Marsland really revels in the “glorious futility of playing in a band” and the listener will too. This compilation has something for everyone and a lot of his revelations resonate with me personally.” – Powerpopaholic.com EXCELLENT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Nothing Means Anything Price: $12.00 Artist: Adam McIntyre Description: LIMITED STOCK!! On his 2005 sophomore release, Adam reinvented himself, presenting a compelling statement on love and its accompanying struggles, all played with the dynamic urgency that was present on his excellent debut! Detailing his experiences with divorce, desperation, and deliverance through new-found love, this album is composed around seasonal themes enabling him to construct a personal pop monument. In doing so, has created a tightly and enthusiastically played example of DIY, jangly n' crunchy guitar (with some nice ballads thrown in) garage pop! "Sometimes I'm in the mood for music that doesn't require a lot of thinking, pop tunes that let you press play then sit back and listen. Other times I need something with introspective lyrics that seem like they were written for me. This record magically satisfies both cravings. Pop music and songs about love kind of go hand in hand, but McIntyre takes it a step further by telling his story across the four seasons. Oh, and did I mention I'm a total sucker for theme albums? Especially when I can sort of relate to the subject matter?. Some of his music recalls early Owsley and a less piano-heavy Ben Folds 5. The sound evolves with each song, not only showing his progress in life and love, but representing fall, winter, spring and finally summer. Listening to the opening 'Your Only Friend', a melancholy tune about being alone in an empty apartment, its hard to believe the same guy is performing later tracks such as the guitar-driven 'I Need You'. I was definitely rooting for him by the end of the album. But hey, if it doesn't work out with this new girl, at least hell have some good song material." - LeftOffTheDial.com "Lyrically and musically poignant as all get out... hope the new love lasts; this LP sure will." - Jack Rabid/The Big Takeover EXCELLENT!!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none