Tuesday, April 26, 2022

 Nick Frater

Buggin’ Out/How About It Girl? (Sara Pt 2)

Big Stir Records


The second single from Frater’s album Earworms is great. Bittersweet lyrics bemoan a relationship that used to be better than it is and how his partner could be doing so much more if they just tried, with music you can dance around the room to, as it high steps all over the place.

“How About It Girl (Sara Pt 2)” is a non-album B-side. Sara dithers, and finally leaves her boyfriend. The music is nimble and steps lively. 

Put the two songs together for one wonderful single, maybe one of the best of the year.

Andrea Weiss

 Nick Piunti & The Complicated Men

Trying Too Hard single

Jem Records


The first single from the band’s upcoming album Heart Inside Your Head is a rocker, speedy and heavy without being weighed down. The lyrics speak of perseverance, but they aren’t depressing, as he’s confident that someday she’ll be his. The combination makes for a very good track and a nice preview of the album, coming out May 20th.


Andrea Weiss

Friday, April 22, 2022

 I’d heard Amoeba Teen on a few Big Stir singles, and the one that should be the starting point if you want to hear a great band is “New Material World,” which I think is the essence of their sound.  If you like that song, you’ll love the album. While I liked the other songs, “New Material World” made me hear them like never before.


Mark and Mike from the band were kind enough to answer a few questions.


Andrea Weiss: How did the band form?


Mark Britton: Mike and I were introduced at college and shared an interest in songwriting. You can read our back story here:  http://www.amoebateen.com/biography/ 


Mike Turner: After playing in a band together at college, myself and Mark ended up recording some song ideas that we had on an old 4-track tape recorder, sketching out the wires and wonderful songs that we had at the time. Thus Amoeba Teen was born. After a while Mark suggested we try to play some of the songs live. We probably had 80-90 songs by this point, and after enlisting a few friends to play with us we hit gold with Ian Rogers on bass and Carl on drums. When Ian eventually moved away a couple of years later, Simon joined us, and it was a perfect match. We’ve known Simon since we were in our college band and he was playing the same scene. And the line up was finally complete!



Andrea: Who are your influences?


Mark: We’re fans of all sorts, but as a band we all tend to agree on the ethos of Teenage Fanclub, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Big Star, Jellyfish, Wilco, and later era Beatles. If it’s melodic, got harmonies, a nice hook, and a little dirt, we’re in.


Mike: Typically it’s guitar-based pop and rock. But not exclusively. If the songwriting is good, it will normally get a look in. Anything from Big Star to Belle and Sebastian, The Zombies to Teenage Fanclub, The Beatles to Blur. On the latest album, the likes of Wilco, Wings, Teenage Fanclub, Fountains Of Wayne, and The Byrds, to name a few. 



Andrea: “New Material World” was a great choice for a single--powerful music, hopeful and cautious lyrics. Could you say a few words about it?


Mark: Thank you. It literally took 15 minutes to write! I’m terms of the title, Carl had enquired about new material that we could record and I’d recently watched George Harrison’s film, Living in a Material World, so that play on words was in my mind. The theme was a fantasy about moving on from an unhappy relationship, and finding someone you could really connect with deeply,   where everything is full of possibility, and exciting. The middle eight is a nod to George Harrison, where we elevate out of the material ‘flesh’ world and into the spiritual. When we find someone we truly love it can bridge both worlds, don’t you think?


Mike: Thank you. As with so much of this album we took the approach that we wanted everything to have a purpose in the song, catchy and melodic. This paired with Mark’s lyrics and the driving energy mean it’s a delight to play live. Mark done good with this one!



Andrea:“He’s Just Not Into You” is about more than a bad romance. It sounds like an anti-drug song, too. Is it?


Mark: I’ll let Mike answer this. One of his best songs on the album though!


Mike: The song is a bit of a metaphor for getting a little lost in what you’re doing in life. You think it’s the right direction at the time,  but the reality is that you know something is off, you don’t want to admit it to yourself. The bad romance narrative was inspired by a story that I heard at the time, but the drug reference was just part of the story.



Andrea: Your songs have real power, like “Barlight Crawl.” Do you like to put the hammer down as much as possible?


Mark: You need light and shade to help make the powerful stand out, of course. This one’s new territory for us, I believe, and very much a band effort in terms of the arrangement. When recording this we definitely wanted it to sound dirty, snarly rock n roll -- I envisaged that kind of dumb ladism from the 90s as a backdrop to some now older fella with an Oasis t-shirt on a pub crawl and still thinking he’s 18. Our producer, Sean Lloyd, really helped capture the vibe that first was established through Simon’s fuzz bass and Carl’s drumming.


Mike: This was one that myself and Mark wrote whilst staying in Snowdonia, Wales for a songwriting session. When we brought it to the band Simon kicked on the fuzz and that was that! Much of what we do will have light and shade, some songs can be as light as a feather, but we like to make a glorious noise when the opportunity appears.



Andrea: Most of the songs seem to be about failed romances, but “Putting The Kids Through College” is about a successful long-term relationship. It also rocks. Is that what you were after?


Mark: Another one for Mike!


Mike: Yeah. We all have families and responsibilities outside of the band. “Putting The Kids Through College” is looking at a point of resignation. The success of building a family together, but you know you just keep doing all that you can, even if sometimes it can be a bind. I was channeling Fountains Of Wayne at the time. But the fuzzed up middle 8 was just an opportunity to let loose.



Andrea: Do you have any plans to tour?

Mark: We’ve a few shows this year after a long time of lockdowns, but future tours aren’t on the agenda for now. We’ve been asked to do the Power Pop Weekender in London in the summer and we will be playing the International Pop Overthrow in Liverpool in May.


Mike: We have a few dates lined up through May, June, and July. Details will be on our website or Facebook pages. Of course we’ll be dropping in at the IPO Liverpool too.



Andrea: What advice would you give someone first starting out in music?


Mark: Learn to play your hero’s music first if you want to write your own songs -- you’ll uncover all their secret tricks. Playing with others (rather than sitting in your bedroom) will help sharpen your saw. Most ‘talent’ is just pig-headed perseverance, so don’t be intimidated by what others can seemingly do with ease. We all have limits -- work with them as a creative challenge.


Mike: Enjoy it, don’t be dictated to about what other people think you should be doing. Listen to lots of music. Oh, and write your own songs!

 Amoeba Teen

Amoeba Teen

Big Stir Records


On the sophomore album from Amoeba Teen, you get hopeful, happy, positive sounds. Even when the lyrics are slightly bittersweet, you can tell the band is going to persevere.


The single “New Material World” is great, all the giddiness and uncertainty of a new romance, with very confident music. “Putting The Kid Through College” could be about marriage or someone helping someone out as a partner, but marriage may be it, as the lyrics are nothing but love and devotion.


Musically, the band echoes everyone from Crazy Horse at their heaviest, to Jellyfish’s plush pop, to the power of the Cars, all with a good deal of themselves, making for a diverse set of sounds. It's enjoyable and Sean Lloyd's production is perfect, not a hair out of place.


This album is what pop should be like: fast, but controlled, smart, but never pretentious, enjoyable and with a lot of substance, and no synths. There should be more pop like this, that also rocks, and is the better for it.

Andrea Weiss


Saturday, April 16, 2022

 Michael Simmons

Singing In My Heart

Big Stir Records


This collection of covers sounds like, though most of these songs are much younger,  music you’d hear on FM radio in the late 70s. It's smooth, polished, a little punk, somewhat AOR, and all of it good. As someone who remembers that era, this music sounds like it was from a golden age, and at its best, it is one.


Steely Dan’s “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” that also sound checks the Dan’s song “FM” in a power pop context? About time! The Dan are more punk than they’re given credit for, and that’s plainly what this cover wants to state for the record.


Ditto for CSN’s “Just A Song Before I Go.” As someone who always liked the original version too, it’s very nice to hear this update. It sounds right at home with more traditional power pop, like the covers of Sloan, The Move, Squeeze, XTC, Crowded House, and Mathew Sweet.


Much could be said about the Carpenters’ “Let Me Be The One,” the two songs by Wings, and George Harrison’s “Here Comes The Moon.” In short, the diversity of this collection, and throwing in NBRQ, Elvis Costello’s “Mystery Dance,” and Nick Lowe’s “Cruel To Be Kind,” live and even more fun to listen to than the original, and this is one fine mixed bag.


So if you remember that era of the 70s, or wish you did, this album is for you. Or if you just want to hear some new takes on old, or rather older songs, this is a must buy.


Andrea Weiss

Friday, April 15, 2022

 The Weeklings

Baby, Let Me Take You Home video


The Weeklings pay tribute to the Beatles and other pop bands of the era through a mix of covers and power pop originals. This new video from their album 3 shows the guys rocking out and having a good time, while proving they just want to comfort the object of their affection. It’s just good, honest fun, no special effects, just the band and their song. So spare a minute and watch this clip. It will make you smile.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BVELy7DS3khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BVELy7DS3k

Andrea Weiss

Sunday, April 10, 2022

 What If It Works?

The Loud Family and Anton Barbeau

Omnivore Recordings


Originally out in 2006, this is a welcome reissue, since most of the late Scott Miller’s Loud Family albums haven’t been. It’s a classic album. Scott and Anton balance each other perfectly, as do the mixture of covers and originals.


This was the final Loud Family album before Scott’s death, as Supercalifragile was issued posthumously, and he went out on top. There isn’t a bad song in the bunch, which also goes for Anton's contributions. My favorite from Anton is “Pop Song 99.” From Scott, it's “Mavis Of Maybelline Towers.”


This deluxe reissue has a second album of demos and outtakes. The songs were good from the get-go, even in acoustic guitar form for the most part, and those that are rocked up a little, like the drum machine on “Don’t Bother Me While I’m Living Forever,” show the outlines even more of what would become finished songs.


So if you’re a fan like me, cherish this, as there may not be any more Loud Family re-releases or previously unreleased Scott recordings for the foreseeable future, if ever. You won’t go wrong in buying this album.

Andrea Weiss



Saturday, April 9, 2022

 Amoeba Teen

New Material World single

Big Stir Records


This single is what pop/rock should sound like – fast, rocking, with crunchy guitars and meaningful lyrics about love, capturing the giddiness and uncertainty you feel when you meet someone you really like. In a better world this would be topping the singles charts. So let’s get it played on your off or online station of choice by requesting it. And if you buy it, you'll be glad you did.

Andrea Weiss