In The Crowd Price: $14.00 Artist: Absolute Losers Manufacturer: We Are Busy Bodies Records Description: Canadian trio Absolute Losers follow their instincts and delve into 60’s-influenced melodic pop for their second album "In The Crowd". And, for The Losers, it’s a winner! “On several occasions, whilst listening to the record I was struck by that familiar feeling that I’d heard this music before. That’s not to suggest that Absolute Losers are copyists – they’re not. They just have an enviable knack of being able to hook their listeners in. And the tasteful ‘Words Of Love’-like guitar lick that propels penultimate track, ‘Better Things To Do’, along its way has that very effect – bright and sunny, and so VERY solid. And, it’s the a dreamy, vibrant, harmony-drenched chant – ‘It’s An Understanding’ – that concludes the record. There’s an underlying Beach Boys aura to the song as it gently fades. What’s not to like?” - AtTheBarrier “Despite coming from Canada’s smallest province Prince Edward Island boys Absolute Loserrs have got a big, big sound on ‘In the Crowd’, brimming with jangle and Beatlesque melodies. Departing somewhat from the more experimental pop rock sound of their 2023 debut ‘At the Mall’, you only have to hear the opening chords of album opener ‘At The Same Time’ to know this record is getting right to the rock and roll point. And it’s pretty much the same attack on the title song. ‘Eagerness’ pauses the rock bluster for some very April Wine high-melody moments. But the range of song stylings isn’t limited. There are clear Buddy Holly influences all over ‘Don’t Go’ and some very George Harrison guitar flourishes colouring ‘For So Long.’ ‘Better Things To Do’ rides a pretty fine Beatles/Tom Petty line while ‘Kiss of Death’ gives a punky feel to a solid BTO rhythm guitar groove. Shifting to a more modern mood, ‘You Never Say You Love Me’ has a Sloan-like pop clarity to my ears. Then there’s ‘Letter,’ a song that sounds like a more upbeat Weezer. Personally, I think ‘Your Colours’ is also pretty special, almost folky with great jangly guitar and yearning vocals. Taken all in over one sitting the album is a delightful selection of tunes. Absolute Losers have produced a real winner!” - PopRockRecord GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Live @ The Performance Center, Cambridge, MA 1974 Price: $22.00 Artist: Badfinger Manufacturer: Renaissance Records Description: Badfinger were a Welsh rock band formed in Swansea in 1961. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). They are recognised for their influence on the 1970s power pop genre. It is estimated that the band sold 14 million records. After Apple Records folded in 1973, Badfinger struggled with a host of legal, managerial, and financial problems mostly due to their fraudulent manager Stan Polley, leading to Ham's suicide in 1975. The surviving members struggled to rebuild their personal and professional lives against a backdrop of lawsuits which tied up the songwriters' royalty payments for years. Their subsequent albums floundered, as Molland and Evans alternated between co-operation and conflict in their attempts to revive and capitalize on the Badfinger legacy. Evans died by suicide in 1983, Gibbins died from a brain aneurysm in 2005, and Molland died from complications of diabetes in 2025. Badfinger wasn't particularly known for rocking hard, but they rocked hard at this concert. Especially near the end, some of the songs are seven, eight, or nine minutes long, with lots of jamming. It's different from their carefully produced album versions. There is quite a bit of stage banter, some nonsensical, but incredible for a 50 year-old recording. EXCELLENT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

The Escape Artist Price: $15.00 Artist: Bird Streets Manufacturer: self-released Description: AVAILABLE AGAIN - AT A LOWER PRICE! Bird Streets is the alter ego of Brooklyn indie-rock troubadour John Brodeur. Produced by Jason Falkner, “The Escape Artist” is John’s third release under the name Bird Streets. “If ‘The Escape Artist’ sounds a little paranoid and isolating, you can chalk that up to the global pandemic. Four years in the making, much of the record was written and recorded during the lost COVID years, where uncertainty was a running theme in everyone’s lives. As the restrictions finally started to loosen in 2021, Brodeur met up with his longtime collaborator and producer, Jason Falkner, to start recording what he had. The die is cast from the first moment of the opening song, ‘Bedhead,’ where Brodeur sings ‘Another gray December morning fell upon my head’ over a lonely acoustic guitar, before an even more maudlin violin comes in. The song titles alone – ‘Run For Our Lives,’ ‘Everyonewelovewillgoaway’ and ‘Pride is a Gun,’ – give away the plot. While his 2018 self-titled debut was more steeped in power pop and indie rock, and 2022’s ‘Lagoon’ added more Baroque Pop elements to the music, ‘The Escape Artist’ is a darker, starker folk sound – with a few exceptions. Brodeur has described it as a ‘paranoid guitar-pop record at heart.’ The song ‘Fossil Eyes,’ with muscular, syncopated guitars, leans more into the rock camp, while the solid Power Pop influence on ‘Run For Our Lives,’ complete with handclaps and pristine harmonies, would fit naturally onto the debut record. ‘Pride is a Gun’ is a confessional song about self-destruction sung over an acoustic guitar, but it grows more tense once the drums and electric guitars kick in a third of the way through. Sung over ominous guitars and keys, ‘Wasted Years’ could serve as an anthem to the COVID years. ‘Don’t Be a Stranger,’ another slow-tempo track highlighted by an acoustic guitar, also epitomizes the loneliness of the record. You can even hear fingers slide across the steel strings of the guitar as the chords change, pairing nicely with the lyrics about isolation. The five-and-a-half-minute closer, ‘Suite: Amnesia,’ aptly caps the recurring themes of the record, struggling with loneliness, isolation, and a fragile mental state. It starts out with just drums and cymbals, but by the last minute, the song evolves into an almost punk rock-inspired cacophony of instruments. While emotionally and lyrically ‘The Escape Artist’ is definitely an album of its time, there is still plenty to like about the record in our post-pandemic clarity.” - GlideMagazine "Introspective art wrapped in beguiling indie rock."- Music Connection "Timeless and honest. A fine balance between melody, tension, character, meaning and relatability." - The Dell EXCELLENT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Shouting At The Moon Price: $16.00 Artist: Brinsley Schwarz Manufacturer: Fretsore Records Description: Brinsley Schwarz returns with “Shouting At The Moon”, a record representing the third part of a trilogy that began with his debut solo release “Unexpected” in 2016 and “Tangled” in 2021. Founder of the 70’s pub-rock icons of the same name, and subsequently Graham Parker and The Rumour, his passion for writing and recording re-ignited in recent years following two albums and tours with that band, as well as duo shows with Parker. The gestation period for the songs on the new record goes back even further. “I wrote ‘The Chance’, ‘Nothing Is What It Seems’ and ‘What In The World’ sometime between the late 90’s and early 2005,” he explains. “‘Hard To Change’ and ‘It’s Been A Long Year’ were written during 2024 and 2025 and recorded during that time. So you can see a big spread in time of writing and recording; some songs were recorded and were intended for my first solo album. With a surplus of recorded tracks, we could pick them based on how the songs seemed to gel together as an entity.” As with “Tangled”, Brinsley pays tribute to his friend with a well-chosen cover: “Graham Parker wrote ‘Watch The Moon Come Down’, one of my favourite GP songs, in the late 70’s. I loved rearranging and recording it.” Key to this revived activity has been producer, engineer and keyboard-player James Hallawell another Parker collaborator, also noted for his work with the likes of The Waterboys and Jackie Leven. Perhaps his most soulful album yet (the Brinsleys were not shy champions of southern soul) hints at the influence of Steely Dan and Van Morrison, rich in Hammond and Rhodes vibes, while Brinsley’s smoky vocal and distinctive fluid soloing prevail. The groove is the thing. “The album’s best tracks emit a soulful groove. ‘What In The World’ pays its dues to Steely Dan with Schwarz’s clipped guitar notes doing a passable Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter impression whilst ‘The Chance’ offers a similar musical lineage. ‘Falling Over Backwards’ continues the cool Rhodes/Hammond configuration (courtesy, another Graham Parker acolyte, James Hallawell). The laid back feel evoking the likes of a Snowy White or Robben Ford. ‘Watch The Moon Come Down’ (a Parker original), ‘Maybe One Day’ and ‘It’s Been A Long Year’ offer some respite from “the groove”. It’s as if there was a conscious doff of the stetson to the more thoughtful pop and tunesmithery characterising Schwarz’s earlier outings and epitomised by the likes of Squeeze.” - GetReadytoRockMe "Rooted in a laid back, almost world weary, nod to classic rock music, the good stuff mind you, the laid back grooves of Van Morrison, Peter Green’s brief return to recording, snatches of J.J. Cale and a brief nod to the sly funk of Steely Dan.” - Paul Kerr EXCELLENT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Keep Showing Up! Price: $14.00 Artist: Bruce Moody Manufacturer: Shaken Not Stirred Records Description: Bruce Moody’s new album sounds alive in the best possible way - sharp, melodic, and charged with an emotional urgency that feels timeless rather than nostalgic. Rather than looking back, the record reaffirms everything that has always defined his songwriting: total commitment to performance, an instinctive feel for melody, and an unshakable belief in the emotional power of pop songs. Bruce provides the backdrop for “Keep Showing Up” “The driving force of the album for me was to make a joyful noise right back into the face of an exhausting and sometimes depressing year. Going into my tiny studio almost every day was the best therapy I could think of to temporarily escape a world that seemed like it was on fire just about everywhere I looked and to try to do something positive. As a solo artist who plays a lot of different instruments, I wanted the album to be very musical. I've always liked the idea of things like doubling a guitar line with a melodica to give it an added texture. I also added some brass instruments on a couple of songs. There's one song ("Nasstasja") that's even got bagpipes and a sitar on it! Fun stuff! Of course, the album has lots of harmonies throughout. The end result was 12 new songs, plus a 1982 unreleased bonus track - “Record Deal” - that was recorded by my band Walkee Talkee.” “The record feels remarkably vital and energetic, and it’s striking how youthful it sounds. Power pop has always been so deeply rooted in melody, immediacy, and strong hooks with bright, hook-driven approach as self-evident to Bruce today as it did when he made his 1982 debut ‘Fresh Out!’” - ChimingBack GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Surveillance Price: $15.00 Artist: Chris Lund Manufacturer: self-released Description: “Surveillance” is Chris Lund’s third solo record, and the follow to 2022’s hard-rocking “Indian Summer”. “Chris Lund is a power pop time machine with no return ticket. For instance, ‘Craxy Drive’ is an all-caps CLASSIC power pop track. No faux romanticism, just a pure ’70s rock throwback with hard rock guitars and sugar-sweet melodies. Chris is one of those characters who never really left the 1970s—spiritually, musically, and aesthetically. He looks and plays like the world stopped spinning in 1979, and we’re all the better for it. The songwriting and playing here are excellent, with ass-kicking guitar work and melodies that could have put him in serious contention for fame back in the day. And to be clear, ‘Crazy Driver’ isn’t the only gem on the record - it’s a no-skips kind of album.” - AddToWantList “There’s a sweet spot in the Beatles career when the guitars get a little edgier but retain their distinctive poppy demeanor. ‘Revolution’-era definitely. Chris Lund inhabits this world and then some on ‘Surveillance’, coming at it from the Lennon side of the street, most of the time. The other main comparator act for his stuff is Cheap Trick, obviously. ‘You’ve Got a Lot of Nerve’ fills the gap between these two bands perfectly, full of droning psychedelic hooks with just a touch of rock abandon here and there. Then ‘Crazy Driver’ is so spot-on Robin Zander with Rick Neilson-worthy guitar riffs. ‘Got Me Running’ hits the Cheap Trick marks pretty hard too. Both ‘Blow Up the Night’ and ‘God Loves All His Children’ vibe solo Lennon for me but ‘Swallowed’ leans in a more McCartney direction. Mixing things up, he offers up a blistering political takedown of someone we all know on ‘No Ethics, No Future.’ ‘Come On Home’ shifts between nice jangle, Byrdsian vocals, and straight up seventies melodic rock. ‘Touch or Go’ goes in a completely different direction with its distinctive new wave bite. Altogether ‘Surveillance’ is another rocking melodic tour de force from Chris Lund.” - PopRockRecord GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Serving You... Price: $16.00 Artist: Cream Soda Manufacturer: Spinout Nuggets Records Description: Cream Soda are a trio of late teens hailing from the Medway Delta,UK offering punk rocked Power Pop, fused with 60’s Freakbeat and Garage, as well as the late 80’s indie stuff. Forming at through local school and hitting the gig circuit in 2023 including support slots for The Masonics and The Len Price 3 (whoss Glenn Page is Cream Soda s Tom’s dad). The group released a lathe-cut single and an EP before returning to the studios to cut extra tracks for this disc. Respecting the past, with eyes firmly on the road ahead, they echo the classic Medway sound, respecting The Prisoners and Thee Milkshakes, whilst also incorporating more recent influences, along with their very own sound. “You can tell from the get go that Cream Soda is a Medway band. It's a no-nonsense attack, the earthy subject matter and the unfiltered vocal roar. Containing some fine slices of overdriven British garage rock with a punk edge, their sound rattles speaker cones with the fuzz-wah throb of ‘Looking Out For You’ conjuring a solid block sound of sound and ‘I Don't Owe You (A Single Thing)’ recalling Gene October’s ‘Right To Work’. There's jerky ragged pop interludes of power pop, Bo Diddley beats and the fantastic, churning ‘Submergeed Affair’ comes over as a twisted Medway ‘Born To Be Wild’.” - Shindig! Magazine “Loud brash earth shaking stuff that’s wonderful from a power trio that are not intending to come up for air regularly. ‘Serving You’ is really noisy, but also incredibly engaging. There are so many influences to note. Punk is certainly one, but not the mindless type along with hints of New Wave and early Jam-like rhythm lines. There’s also a 60’s vibe of Garage Rock, Breakbeat and UK Beat. At times, they are very Canvey Island R&B, an even more aggressive Dr Feelgood perhaps, but for all the up and at 'em attitude, the choruses are memorable, almost football anthemic and these three can play, locked in perfectly.” - IDontHearASingle GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Sparks On The Tarmac Price: $12.00 Artist: D. Rogers Manufacturer: Popboomerang Records Description: LIMITED STOCK!! Welcome to the mind of musician/producer D. Rogers. On his third album, 2009's “Sparks On The Tarmac”, he beautifully covers themes of travel, change, developments, construction, destruction, escape, and taking stock. In the tradition of Josh Pyke, Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes, and Guided By Voices, he allows the song to take precedence over production, without sacrificing fidelity. It's not rock, it's not folk, and it's not country. Listening to “Sparks On The Tarmac” you're in D. Rogers Country. To record this, he teamed up with drummer Dave Kleynjans and Emma Heeney and a collection of friends from both sides of the river: Fi Claus, Adrian Whitehead, Tim Reid, and Ben Birchall. Peter Farnan (Boom Crash Opera) was roused from a lucid dream to straighten the tie, gel the hair and apply spit to the face of the album. From the character study of “Poison Pen” to the country love song, “Away From The Microphones”, D. Rogers draws you in with a hook, a familiar lyric and his unconventional style. “To England” and “When It's Done, It's Done” explore the themes of travel, leaving friends behind (to follow new ones). "...gorgeous country/folk/pop crossover..." - Clem Bastow/Inpress "Further refines his already impressive folk-corssover style. The lyrics are intelligent and are ably backed by his understated guitar." - Syn.au It's been quite a while since we've featured a title that's a candidate as an "Early Sunday Afternoon" suggested listening title, and this gorgeous little fills the bill quite nicely! EXCELLENT!!!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Spiders & The Sun Price: $13.00 Artist: David Lisko Manufacturer: Majestic Records Description: After 40 years with Infidels and stints in such Youngstown, OH bands as The 8 Balls and The Smarties, Dave Lisko has gone solo with “Spiders & the Sun,” a record that was born during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I had a little Tascam 24-track (recorder) at home, which I hadn’t taken out for a long time, and I started writing songs,” he said. He started sharing them with musical friends - his Infidels’ bandmates Pete Drivere, John Hlumyk and John Koury as well as Chris Leonardi, whose bands include Slack Jaw and Dopamine as well as playing keyboards occasionally with Infidels. David thought he had 30 songs worth recording, Leonardi expanded that number to 35. Members of Infidels, 8 Balls and Smarties appear on the record, but Lisko brought in some new collaborators as well, including Don Yallech (Psychedelic Furs), Jackie Popvec (The Vindys) and Ed Davis (The Vindys/Red Wanting Blue). Staying true to his Midwestern power-pop/post-punk roots (think Matthew Sweet, OK Go, Cheap Trick), this album has 12 songs that lyrically explore heartbreak and happiness of a life well lived, and musically ranges from hard-driven rock like “Drown” to the melancholy “Sebastian Sing”. Many of the tracks on the album wouldn’t sound out of place among the well-crafted rock and power pop songs that are Infidels’ forte, but Lisko’s album also includes more experimental tracks like “Huminsanity” with its chaotic swirl of synthesizers and percussion. GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Green Circles Price: $14.00 Artist: Green Circles Manufacturer: Kool Kat Musik Description: NEW RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT LABEL AVAILABLE MARCH 6! It started with one gig, at the Union Hotel in Adelaide, Australia. It may have ended that way too, but the Green Circles wrote a song, then another, and another - so now, here they are, proudly presenting their 5th album (and second on the Kool Kat label “No Room For Squares” was released in 2017). It’s brimful of their signature garage rock/psych sound with a splash of acid folk. Added to the mix is a Stax-influenced attack courtesy of the Green Horns, the lighter fluid to the fire, as the Green Circles burn through songs of anger (“Days Of Blue and Grey and Green”), passion (“Said It Would”), work (“Too Bright For A Monday”), frustration (“Move On Down the Lane”), love (“She Walked Along Here” and “Ladder in Her Stocking”), loss (“Yesterday’s Glass”), gunning down straight outback roads (“I Watch the Line”), and football (“Dirty Taste”). On previous releases, they have been known to include their own takes on tunes by hometown heroes such as the Twilights, the Inside Looking Out, The Screaming Believers and the Units. This time they go to the mountain top, to deliver a raucous version of “Undecided” by the Masters Apprentices. It’s been ten years since their last album - the world got in the way of this latest recording project. The world has turned and the Green Circles have spun their way back. “This album does not disappoint. Edgy, raw, fun, and sophisticated, and airs well with your favourite beer or vendetta vodka."- KatheJ GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none