Jem Records Celebrates Brian Wilson

Various Artists

Jem Records

Originally released in 2021 and reissued to mark his passing, this delightful tribute mostly sticks to the early 60s Beach Boys hits, with “Love And Mercy” by The Gold Needles from 1988 rounding things out.

Wilson did much to build up the California myth of fun in the sun, so most of these songs are about surfing, cruising, and love, but what songs! “Girl, Don’t Tell Me” by The Anderson Council, “Warmth of The Sun” by The Weeklings, “I Get Around” by Richard Barone and Johnathan Pushkar, and “Hang Onto Your Ego” performed here by Nick Piunti (and better than Frank Black's cover of this song) are prime examples.

Pet Sounds and Smile are also celebrated here, the former with “Pet Sounds (Story)” by Lisa Mychols and SUPER 8, and “Heroes & Villains” by The Grip Weeds for the latter. Both are wonderful, but both also show Wilson sinking into his disability.

When you celebrate Brian’s legacy – and every single track here is a reason to celebrate – do it without celebrating his illness or crediting it falsely for his creativity: for his family, his friends, and even more importantly for the music. These covers are faithful to the originals, no big departures in style. Beach Boys fans will enjoy them, and for new listeners it's a great introduction. The world needs his music now, and forever, so pick this up, and have a blast.

Andrea Weiss

 I have been lucky enough to see The Cars and Fountains Of Wayne at their height of their respective fame, and can say right now that Crossword Smiles does justice to them both. Both shows were wonderful and a lot of fun, and Crossword Smiles is too.

The duo of Tom Curless and Chip Saam were kind enough to answer a few questions for me.

Andrea Weiss: Who were you listening to while making the album?

Tom Curless: My listening during the recording went anywhere from early Joe Jackson, a lot of Brian Eno, David Bowie, Nick Lowe, The Jam, The Go-Betweens, Prefab Sprout, and 80’s Genesis.

Chip Saam: I host a weekly two-hour radio show – shameless self-promotion plug, it’s called Indie Pop Takeout and airs from 8:00-10:00 AM ET on Neighborhood Weekly Radio and is archived on Mixcloud – so I listen to a lot of current indie artists. When not prepping for the show though, during the recording of the album I listened to a lot of Del Amitri, Michael Penn, Talking Heads, Aimee Mann, Beulah, Damnwells, XTC, Guided by Voices, and Connells records.

AW: Who are your influences in general?

TC: See above, those are some of them. My music tastes are pretty vast. I have a big love for post punk, new wave early 80’s music: XTC, The Police, The Cars, Gang of Four, The Clash. I also really love Progressive rock like Yes, Genesis, and King Crimson. I am, finally, a sucker for harmony groups like Queen, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, Teenage Fanclub, and Crosby Stills & Nash. There is more but I will stop there. Ha ha!

CS: I’d say my biggest songwriting influences include Freedy Johnston, The Go-Betweens, Micheal Penn, Neil Finn, Paddy McAloon (Prefab Sprout), Justin Currie (Del Amitri), and Ray Davies. I also have alt-country tinge from loving records of John Hiatt, Rosanne Cash, and Alejandro Escovedo. The overall sound of records from Tommy Keene, Teenage Fanclub, Sloan, and Marshall Crenshaw also had a hand in the deal.

AW: I hear a lot of Fountains of Wayne here, which is good. If you were listening to them, which albums did you concentrate on?

TC: I really enjoy the entire FOW discography, they were a great band. I have to say my favorites of the albums are the debut, Utopia Parkway and Welcome Interstate Managers.

CS: I’m always playing Fountains of Wayne records. The loss of Adam Schlesinger was so huge.  I lean hard on Utopia Parkway, the self-titled debut, and Traffic and Weather, but their genius is obvious on all five studio records. One of my favorite songs of all-time Is “All Kinds of Time.” That’s a huge compliment by the way – thank you!!

AW: I also hear Randy Newman. Was there some of his influence here too?

TC: That is interesting. I don’t really listen to him. The closest artist to him that that I really like is Harry Nilsson. Maybe some of that is creeping through? I think Chip’s lyrics are very “story telling” or “character study” with details that has some Randy Newman similarities.

CS: I’m in the same boat as Tom on this one. I’ll take that as a huge compliment though, as I admire a lot of songwriters who say they admire Randy Newman. I think the character study with an arched eyebrow quality of his songs has rubbed off on us in some way. I guess I need to pull out that copy of Little Criminals and give it another listen.

AW: This is also very nicely Cars-like. Were they an influence here?

TC: YES! MASSIVE influence on both Chip and me. It is telling that the band was named after a lyric from “Dangerous Type.” One of the first albums I bought with my own money was Candy-O when it was released and I still absolutely treasure that record to this day!! The Cars were an awesome band and I am sure our mutual love for that band came through, we can’t help it.

CS: Very big influence. They were easily my first favorite band – one of those “I can remember exactly where I was the first time I heard them on the radio.” Every member of the band brought a huge benefit to their sound. Elliot Easton’s guitar solos are solid gold, and Ben Orr is the perfect archetype of a rock ‘n’ roll singer. Several of the keyboard parts on the record were added to add a “Carsy” feel to the track.

AW: I like too how there is so much empathy for women in these songs. How much did you draw on real life relationships for that?

TC: I grew up with three older sisters, all girl cousins, and now I have two daughters. So…needless to say, there has been a lot of female influence on my life. I think Chip and I both have a fondness and sympathy for females. We are also intrigued by them. It makes for better subject matter in a song, because females are also more emotionally complex than men. Just my 2 cents.

CS: I had a great relationship with my mother and I’m sure that along with my wife and daughter has seeped into my songwriting. I’m also a big fan of female artists: Aimee Mann, Lisa Loeb, Kelly Jones, Mandy Moore, Patti Smith, Joan Armatrading, Kate Bush, Patty Griffin, Sarah Harmer, Kathleen Edwards. Rosanne Cash, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kim Richey…  And I’ve always been intrigued when male songwriters write a song from a woman’s perspective – Paul Kelly does this especially well

AW: Satire seems underused in rock. Do you want to add more of it to the genre?

TC: Absolutely! Life can be tough and I often look to music to cheer me up or inspire me. Or maybe on occasion to make me laugh. We look for every angle we can for writing a song. If satire creeps in there for a moment, we will roll with it! We are serious about making music, but at the same time we try not to take ourselves too seriously!

CS: I positively enjoy satire in songs, but am always weary of going too far, especially with the humor side. I like the use of irony for sure and think we took a satirical view in some of the lyrics – “Night Train,” “The Never Seens,” and “Typical Waving Goodbye” come to mind.

AW: What do you hope for with this album?

TC: I want many people to hear it and respect what we created. If they buy it, even better, because that will support us making another record. So far, based on the debut and this one, we have gotten a lot of compliments on both albums. I have been told several times that people have been impressed with the writing and musicianship. We have also been told we are diverse, which is another huge compliment. When people are respecting your craft and sharing the record with other people, that’s all an artist can ask for. I just want it to make an impact. There is a lot of music coming out these days and it’s hard to rise above all the white noise.

CS: I hope that this record reaches people in some way that makes them think and feel something – maybe connect to something in their life. We work hard on our songs and take a lot of pride in crafting tracks that may surprise with a twist, be it a sound, a melody, or a lyric. We tried to use sonic templates that haven’t been overused and made a point to present a diverse range of styles on the record. I’d love for it to reach as many people as possible and be one of those records that people keep in their playlist for a long time.

 Crossword Smiles

Consequences & Detours

Big Stir Records

Combining Fountains of Wayne and the Cars, both musically and lyrically, makes for an irresistible blend. That’s what Crossword Smiles have done on their new album.

While all of these songs are about relationships, except for “Fake A Smile,” which is about getting through life, the band dissects romance very well, even on a song called “Girls Club,” which could be about coming out, but I’ll let the band explain what it’s about in the companion interview to this review.

Like the late Adam Schlesinger, the band’s empathy for women looms large here. They look out for women even if the women did them wrong in the relationship, and to do that is feminist. “Once Or Twice” is about a married couple in a not-so-happy marriage, and it’s nice to see pop/rock delving into that too.

So if you want pop/rock that’s going to make you think, this band is for you. You’ll hum the songs, starting with the wonderful melodies, as you contemplate relationships. It’s a great album for both.

Andrea Weiss

 I’ve been hearing the The Airport 77’s for a while now. This is their second album, and a good one, just like their first. I recommend MJ Lenderman too.

Andy Sullivan of the band was kind enough to answer a few questions for me. 

Andrea Weiss: Who were you listening to when recording this album?

Andy Sullivan: The Osees, Bad Moves, MJ Lenderman, the Midnight Callers, the Messthetics, Nad Navillus.

AW: Who’s in the band?

AS: Andy Sullivan, guitar and vocals; John Kelly, drums and vocals. We were lucky to have Cal Everett on board for this record, playing bass and singing as well. He contributed two fantastic songs, “She's Everything” and “Anyone But You.” He lives too far away to play with us regularly. Gina Cocco just joined as our full time bass player.

AW: With “1999” were you afraid it would be misread as a cover of Prince’s song, or a comment about Taylor Swift’s album?

AS: No. Songwriting is like archaeology -- you start off with a random chunk of stone sticking out of the ground and start excavating until the whole lost city emerges. This song started off with a lyrical fragment - “take me back” - I heard at a performance of a Verdi opera in Maine last summer, and then built on the two-note musical motif you hear in the verse and the chorus. The 1999 hook emerged later. I think of it as a response to the Prince song -- the long aftermath of the party. Prince isn’t the only one with a 9 to his name: Taylor Swift had 1989, Bryan Adams had “Summer of ’69,” the Smashing Pumpkins had “1979.” I guess I could have made this song “Take Me Back to 2009” but that doesn’t seem quite right, nobody was having a good time in the depths of the Great Recession.

AW: “Summer Can’t Wait,” which is a great song, seems to be about summer, the season, a disabled person, or both. Which would be the correct interpretation?

AS: Both of your interpretations can be correct; there’s not necessarily a right way or a wrong way to interpret this song. It evokes a certain mood - unease, romance, idleness - that could fit either scenario. I see certain distinct images in my head when I think about this song -- the August sun setting over an empty playground, a swimming pool with nobody in it, idle kids milling around the house.

AW: The slow, dreamy songs, like “Satellite,” are good, and I like the change of tempo. What made you include more slow songs on this album? Was it just that they fit in well between faster songs, or is there another reason?

AS: We took more chances with this record than with our previous two. There’s more shifts in tempo, texture, and mood, and that creates opportunity for the two ballads at the end of the record, “The Hands of Time” and “Satellite.”

AW: There are songs that sound a bit like great Fountains Of Wayne songs. Were they someone you were listening to when writing the songs?

AS: We are big Fountains of Wayne fans. Each song is like a short story. We actually played at a gala Fountains of Wayne tribute show in April 2023, so yes, we were listening to them a whole bunch when we were making our record.

AW: What do you hope happens with this album?

AS: We hope a lot of people hear it and enjoy it!

 The Airport 77’s

Don’t Let Go

Jem Records

The new album from this very good pop/rock band find them very much in Fountains Of Wayne mode -- poppy, satirical, serious when needed, and a lot of fun.

All of these relationship songs also get into other areas, like the nostalgia of “1999,” or the couple on the run in “Make ’Em Pay.”  

But it’s “Summer Can’t Wait” that is the classic here; Summer as not just a season to love, with a lot of wry, dry humor, but sincerely as a person with a disability. There can never be enough songs like this. The only other one I know of is Dar Williams’ “Sullivan Lane.” As someone with a disability, I celebrate it, with no inspiration porn to be found. 

The whole album is a stand out, a lot of smart fun. It rocks, for adults, and is all around good. If what I say here intrigues you, try it. I bet anything you’ll love it.  

Andraa Weiss

 I’ve been listening to Chris Church’s music for some time now, and really like his Neil Young as pop/rock approach. A great example of that is his new album Obsolete Path and you might agree after giving it a spin.

Chris was kind enough to answer a few questions for me.

Andrea Weiss: What artists were you listening to when writing and recording this album?

Chris Church: Too many to mention, really. That's always the case for me. There's always Todd Rundgren.

AW: To my ears, the sound of this album is like a combination of Neil Young, Lindsey Buckingham, and hard rock. Would you say that’s accurate?

CC: I definitely think you're onto something there!

AW: The lyrics sound as heartfelt as Neil’s, which I like. Is that who inspired your lyrical approach, or did someone else?

CC: Neil Young is always an inspiration, Todd Rundgren more so perhaps, and I think they're both great examples of being able to lyrically go back and forth between heartfelt, more personal lyrics, and also just whatever else they choose to present. I love the idea of not being nailed down to just one approach.

AW: Of the people and styles I’ve mentioned, which do you like the most?

CC: That’s impossible to answer. I love music so much, I honestly see songs as friends. I've been obsessed with the concept of blueprints and practical applications of building a song since I was about 10 years old.

AW: Who played on the album? They are very good.

CC: Yes they are! The drummer for Obsolete Path is Brian Beaver, a great all around artist who also plays drums with me in our metal band, Däng. The wonderful Lindsay Murray (from Gretchen's Wheel) is singing background vocals yet again, as she has on several of my albums, and is truly a fantastic artist in her own right. Nashville music legend Bill Lloyd co-wrote and plays mandolin on the song "Vice Versa. " Other than that, the versatile Nick Bertling mixed the album, and the rest is me.

AW: Your last album sounded very early 80s new wave, but before that you sounded like 70s Neil Young. What caused the switch in style?

CC: I’ve actually attempted quite a few different stylistic approaches with my recordings, from metal to psych to folky to experimental, but I think I'm mostly landing in the territory of pop rock. I'm always fine with a Neil Young mention!

AW: What do you hope will happen with this album?

CC: I guess I hope it will mean something to someone besides me. I like it, and that's always my main goal.

AW: If you could give anyone one piece of advice about music, what would it be?

CC: Think about your choices, young soldier. Maybe try the stock market instead... Seriously though, if someone is truly an artist, they won't need or even heed a whole lot of advice. The blessing and curse is that they have to do it, and they're going to do it their own way.

Thanks Andrea!

 Chris Church

Obsolete Path

Big Stir Records

This powerful rock album, with a few quiet moments to rest on, really is a great listen. Heartfelt lyrics, guitars that in spots approach hard rock, and Americana are always nice to hear.

The songs that approach hard rock are reminiscent of 70s Neil Young, with some Lindsey Buckingham for spice. On the quieter songs, think the folk side of Neil Young, like Harvest.

While the lyrics on some songs are early 80s new wave-like, such as “I’m A Machine” and “Life On A Trampoline,” some of the relationship songs are Rundgren-like. “She Looks Good In Black” is wry, and grim. “The Great Divide,” filled with regret, is also wry.

If you want some variety in your pop and rock, try this. And try what Chris is saying in the short, sweet title song, and take that path. You might find a great way to go, with some great music for your walk or ride down it.

Andrea Weiss