Crossword Smiles
The Girl With a Penchant For Yellow Single
Big Stir
This sounds like a really good Fountains Of Wayne song that Adam Schlesinger could’ve written. It’s maybe about divorce, definitely a breakup song, and rolls merrily along, including some cool Vocoder sprinkled throughout. Recommended to those who like smart pop, fun songs, and music that kicks up its heels.
Andrea Weiss
Old Town Crier
You
Self-Released
Old Town Crier is Massachusetts singer/songwriter Jim Lough and friends. The music is good, guitar-based indie folk/rock, perfect for adult alternative radio. It's light and nimble on its feet and good for walking around to.
It's also very political, from the left. For instance “Coal River Mountain” is about strip mining and mountain top removal in West Virginia, and about what happened to the mountain. The Coal River Mountain Watch opposes strip mining in the region.
The opening track, "You," the most rock track, is about how the people standing together will never be defeated. Though he’s pointed in his politics, he doesn’t preach or hector, just explains the issues.
The album is a benefit for three US House candidates: Christine Olivo (FL-26), Angelica Duenas (CA-29), and Derek Marshall (CA-23). I support donating to them, and to the Democrats in any contest in your state, and vote for them, not election deniers and those who would trash democracy. (For me, it's Pennsylvania: everyone, vote for Fetterman and Shapiro, keep Oz and Doug M out of Washington and Harrisburg.)
Whether you’re a disaffected Republican who can’t stand what the GOP has become, or of the left, this album will get you fired up to do whatever you can to help our country. You’ll hear some great music and think about the issues, as well.
Andrea Weiss
The Cynz are a new band to me, but if they’re anything like their featured single, “Narrow Hips,” their upcoming album will be great. It's good punk, the best kind.
Cyndi Dawson, lead singer and songwriter for the band, was kind enough to answer a few questions for me.
Andrea Weiss: Tell us about the animator for the video, Christina Brancella. I like how everyone gets together at the end and the ladies make their peace. Did you have that kind of story line in mind, or was that scenario created by the animator and producer?
Cyndi Dawson: We were looking for an animator and a friend told me her niece went to school for that. I contacted her, she sent me her Instagram account with some of her artwork, which I liked, so I sent her the song. I wanted something cute and ‘summery.’ She eventually sent me some story boards and I loved her concept, so I told her have fun and surprise me. I trusted her ability.
AW: “Narrow Hips” is nicely punk. Who are your influences?
CD: I have an eclectic bunch of influences, but I’d say Jim Carroll, Patti Smith, The Runaways, Bowie, The Stooges, and even The Distillers. I love Brody Dalle! I love Courtney! Henry has his own influences, so our music is a combination of those.
AW: How did the band form?
CD: Henry and myself have been friends since I was 15, but our lives often went in separate directions. Somehow we’d always run into one another again. I was a poet doing shows with a band. Ran into Henry after many years. He said if I ever needed a guitar player to call him, so eventually I started working with him. He suggested I sing my pieces and that became The Cynz! Now we cross lines where sometimes I come up with music or harmony ideas and he will change or add words. We are true collaborators.
AW: Where in New Jersey are you from? I ask because I’m originally from Jersey myself.
CD: I was born in Newark. My family moved, divorced, but I was always in New Jersey.
AW: Will there be an album with “Narrow Hips” on it?
CD: Yes, we are almost halfway done recording and writing it. We hope to release it in early 2023. It will be our fifth album!
The Cynz
Narrow Hips (Official Video)
Jem Records
This animated video is about sun, fun, and surfing, but also heartache and loss. It has something of a happy ending and is a lot of fun to watch. With great animation by Christina Brancella (Creative Crossi), the song rocks and is a wonderful summer tune. If you want a reminder of summer, or long for next summer, watch this clip, and dream.
Andrea Weiss
I first became aware of Librarians With Hickeys on their excellent album Long Overdue and have enjoyed them ever since. Good pop, great jangle, wonderful lyrics. What’s not to like?
The band was kind enough to answer some questions for me.
Andrea Weiss: How does it feel to have a new album out?
Ray Carmen: It feels great! We’re really excited with how it turned out, and so far people seem to be really digging it (he said in an old 1960s hippie parlance).
Mike Crooker: Yes, after two years of writing, recording, mixing, stopping, re-evaluating, writing some more, recording, recording, mixing, mastering, making two videos – well, I gotta tell you, it does feels great!
AW: Who were you listening to when you were recording it?
Mike: Once we decided on which 12 songs were going to be on the album – that's all we listened to for the last year – I would literally fall asleep with the headphones on with the current song on a loop and then wake up at 3:30 AM with a list of tweaks to make in the morning. There really wasn't time left for recreational music listening. But, my, uh... unique process did yield results in the end, even if my sleep pattern suffered!
Ray: I was also listening to a lot of us, going back over our older material and getting psyched up for writing the new record. I was also checking out Beabadoobee, She & Him, Courtney Barnett, and The Go! Team. Then there are my go-to’s – the Beatles, the Monkees, Queen, Marshall Crenshaw, Guided By Voices, Martin Newell, R. Stevie Moore…the list goes on…and on…
AW: Which comes first for you, melodies or rhythms?
Ray: When I write with Mike, he gives me the music and I write the lyrics. I have a notebook full of lyrics and phrases, which I refer to periodically when my mind goes blank, which is often.
Mike: For me it's usually chord structures (guitar or piano), which lead to melodies, then rhythms, which lead to figuring out what words fit within that structure. For a counter example, although I had written the words for "Over You" first, long before any music, it influenced both the rhythm and the melody because of the meter and syllabic emphasis.
AW: I hear some jangle pop as well as rock here. Did you want both?
Mike: When you have a Rickenbacker guitar in a band you're legally obligated to jangle. So we do. Sometimes we break out the distortion boxes and rattle the china a bit.
Ray: Absolutely! We are most definitely a jangle pop band – everything we do is based on catchy riffs, melodies and harmonies! We like distortion too. We usually end our live sets with the distortion pedals on and the guitars cranked up. It’s a lot of fun, and it always goes over really well.
AW: The tone of some of the songs is regret. Did the lyrics just tend toward that theme?
Ray: I’m responsible for most of the lyrics for our songs. The pandemic and the planet being in such turmoil reflected in some of the lyrics, for sure. Getting older in a world that is more or less a dumpster fire will do that, I guess.
Mike: In the process of writing we ended up with about 30 songs and if the record had come out in 2021, it probably would have contained a much different song list; a song like “Stumbling Down Memory Lane” is sort of the lyrical heart of the album. There's nostalgia, regret, and sense of absence. A large part of that was the emotional mine-field we were all living through at the time.
AW: Who’s your favorite Ohio band?
Ray: Pleasure Leftists.
Mike: Yes, we just saw them in Cleveland a few months back. That's was a great show!
For me depends on what day it is. Devo, Tin Huey, Lemon Pipers, The Human Beinz, James Gang, Dead Boys, Guided By Voices...
AW: Any good Ohio bands people should be listening for?
Ray: The aforementioned Pleasure Leftists, the Tambourine People (speaking of jangle/sunshine pop!!), the Kahuna Kings, and the Rainy Day Saints. And, if you haven’t heard Pere Ubu by now, get crackin’!
Mike: The Tambourine People, The Vindys, Duo Decibel System, Operation Tomorrow.
But if you really want to take a deep dive and hear what's going on in the 330/216/440 area code (Northeast Ohio), there's some great up-and-coming bands getting played hourly on WAPS-FM (https://thesummit.fm/) based in Akron. They also have a whole sub-channel streaming area bands 24/7 called https://the330.net/
AW: Do you plan to tour?
Mike: As we have learned from living in Ohio all these years, winter is not conducive to touring in the Great Lakes area! That's one of the reasons for the two videos for "I Can't Stop Thinking About You" and "Ghost Singer" that we shot beforehand. We knew that with the timing of Handclaps & Tambourines being out in October that touring wouldn't work. So we'll probably shoot a few more videos before the end of the year to keep us busy!
Librarians With Hickeys
Handclaps and Tambourines
Big Stir Records
LWH’s debut, Long Overdue, was a great album, but their new one may top it. Jangle pop rules, and this album is gloriously full of it.
It’s also full of great lyrics, mostly dealing with what the US has been though since 2016, by turns dark, full of turmoil, regret, and anger, but the anger keeps it from being depressing. The mood is more questioning why is the US in this situation. Some songs are about getting older, like “Stumbling Down Memory Lane,” but in the sense of looking back and finding that you’ve changed for the better.
It also has one of the finest songs of the year on it, “Ghost Singer,” a relationship song that says, “I won’t let you dump me at this concert, I’ll do the dumping instead.” It's angry jangle with great backing vocals from Christina Bulbenko and Rex Broome, and an unforgettable refrain: “Time is, time was, time will always be between us. Time is, time was, time will always be against us.”
Great singles deserve great albums to back them up, and this is absolutely that. If you love jangle pop, this will be a treat. If you love great pop, go get it, and have a blast.
Andrea Weiss
Lori Goldston
High And Low
Sofaburn Records
Goldston is best known as the cellist on Nirvana’s In Utero. She has played on a lot of other albums by artists as diverse as Earth, David Byrne, and Black Cat Orchestra, which she co-founded, and has released many solo and ensemble albums. This is her Sofaburn debut and it’s a great one.
The best way to listen to this album of amplified cello with effects, is to concentrate on the patterns made by her playing. It’s all little melodies and rhythms swirling around, but always propelling the music forward. Some tracks include percussion, like “Crossing Over Place,” played by Dan Sasaki, who has played with Jackie-O Motherfucker, Gun Club, and others, and "Moss on Rock," which features Dave Abramson on drums and percussion and Greg Kelley on trumpet. The drums and cymbals add more textures, which is another thing to look for: the shifting textures moving things along, and the interplay between percussion and cello.
The High section of the album is a tribute to a friend who had recently passed away, but the music is never mournful, more like a celebration of her life and a tribute. The Low section doesn’t have a unifying concept, but is as lively as the High section and just as exciting.
What this really is, though, is contemporary classical music, and those who like that will love this album. It’s special, it’s different, fun in its own way, and thrilling.
Andrea Weiss
Danny Wilkerson
Strawberry Sherry single
Big Stir Records
This new single, from an album in progress, is very blissed out. Sherry is the girl he loves like anything, and he wants to marry her. It’s sweet, nicely psychedelic power pop and a lot of fun to listen to.
If you need something to feel good about and something cool to listen to, this song fits the bill.
Andrea Weiss
The Flashcubes/Paley Brothers
Come Out And Play
Big Stir Records
What I like about this cover is it’s a bit more rock than the original Paley Brothers version from the 70s; the original is more bubblegum pop. But both are really good, and the Cubes are joined here by the Paley Brothers themselves, who do add something good on guitar and vocals. So if you’re new to the brothers as I am, this is a good introduction.
Andrea Weiss
Lori Goldston
We Miss You And Wish You Well (Official Video)
Sofaburn Records
Watching this video, filmed and directed by Clyde Petersen, is like drinking a strong, but relaxing cup of tea. Soft focus, flying above the clouds, with long shots of Mount St. Helens, the effect is soothing and meditative.
The music is amplified cello with effects, and the playing is very intricate. Interlocking little melodies, drones, and rhythms going everywhere, with lots of textures making the pieces fit together, it suggests many things going on below the surface, not necessarily bad, just contemplative.
Sit down with your favorite hot beverage, or maybe iced tea, and watch this. It’s a nice way to unwind after a long day, or just take a break in the middle of a busy one. This is a great video, and it’s always a joy to hear some good cello playing.
Andrea Weiss
Librarians With Hickeys
Ghost Singer
Big Stir Records
This song is about saving yourself from being dumped at a concert by leaving on your own. It’s a rowdy rocker with twin guitars. Ray Carmen's singing is great, with inspired backing vocals from The Armoires' Christina Bulbenko and Rex Broome.
The single will be on Librarians With Hickeys’ upcoming album, Handclaps & Tambourines. It's one of the finest singles of the year. Grab this. The guitars are killer, the singing is wonderful, and it’s just a really great song. The full album will be out October 14.
Andrea Weiss
Lung
Let It Be Gone
Romanus Records
This album, recorded before the pandemic and delayed because of that, trouble finding a label, and being on the soundtrack of a horror film that never got released, doesn’t sound dated. What it does sound like is one of the best albums of the year.
The sound of Lung, who are Daisy Caplan and Kate Wakefield is unique. Kate is classically trained and plays the electric cello, making it sound like a lead guitar. Daisy plays drums. It’s not for the fainthearted. It’s pretty dark, yet doesn't sound disturbing, just filled with dread and unease, which does fit today's mood. It was recorded and engineered wonderfully by Mike Montgomery.
Come Clean Right Now, an album the band recorded while the wait for Let It be Gone was on, was spare and stark. Gone, on the other hand, is lush with many layers, more cello, and more vocals. The ultimate 1-2 punch of the album is “Siren Song” and “Her Voice Is What follows.” The former says beware the siren's song, and we don't know if the person running from the siren gets away. The latter continues the siren’s voice, presented as an aria.
If you want something different and very good, try Lung. You’ll be rewarded with a great album. Gone was more than worth the wait.
Andrea Weiss
Speed Of Sound
Virtual Reality 123/Charlotte 12” single
Big Stir Records
This is an old-fashioned style 12” single made for today, to mark the 1 year anniversary of their album Museum of Tomorrow.
These extended remixes make “Virtual Reality 123” sound like a mix of jangle pop and goth, “Charlotte” is 80s style goth. The album had been a concept album about sci-fi themes. The single carries this theme, but sounds a bit more ominous than the original versions.
So if you want to remember what 80s 12” single remixes sound like, want to revisit the album in a new way, or both, give these remixes a listen, then check out the album, which is really good too.
Andrea Weiss
Push Puppets are a new band for me, but I'm glad I found out about them. They are modern power pop, always the best kind, and the music on their new album, Allegory Grey, flows in a unique way.
Lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist Erich Specht was kind enough to answer a few questions for me.
Andrea Weiss: How did the band form?
Erich Specht: Push Puppets began as my solo project. On the first two albums I played all the instruments except drums, which were played by Chris Morrow, who has since moved to Urbana to play jazz. In putting together a band, I first reached out to John William Lauler after seeing some videos of him playing. He suggested Greg Essig, our drummer who is fantastic. Kyle Magnusson on keyboards was recommended by a friend. Now for live shows we also have Tommi Zender playing guitar and singing. This band began playing at the album release show for the album titled A Boat of Lies and a House of Cards and have grown a lot while recording Allegory Grey.
AW: Who are your influences?
ES: There is an interesting mix of tastes within the band. Most of us appreciate things like King Crimson and Wilco. I'd say there's common appreciation for jazz, blues, and prog rock. Kyle plays a lot of jam band stuff. I grew up digging The Clash, The Replacements, XTC, Elvis Costello, and The Tragically Hip.
AW: What comes first for you, melodies or rhythms?
ES: Melodies. Ideally a melody suggested by a lyric.
AW: Your lyrics are very positive. Do you find happy songs easier to writer than sad ones?
ES: It’s funny you say that. I think they sound positive, but there's often a melancholy undertone. When I was writing "Sometimes the Buds Never Flower," I called my mom to ask some questions about flowering trees. I said I have this new happy song and when I got to the part "Nurtured the same as her neighbor, but she never opened her eyes," she said, "I thought this is supposed to be happy."
For whatever reason, I find a juxtaposition of pretty melodies with darker lyrics to be interesting. That said, there are plenty of older Push Puppets songs that are very positive like "Will It To Happen" or "Part of the Plan."
And there are plenty of songs that describe an imagined situation matter-of-factly, like "October Surprise," about the spreading of disinformation, "Your Secret's Safe," about someone freaking out after receiving an email saying a computer has been compromised, or "Center of the Storm," about convincing a co-conspirator to take the fall. I've been enjoying writing songs with characters like that recently.
AW:When there are non-cheerful situations described, it's mostly "keep your chin up," which I like. Do these songs come easily?
ES:I definitely wouldn't say they come easily, but they are coming more frequently lately. I think that might be because I've been reading more.
When I'm writing a song, I'm going to go where the song takes me. Sometimes that can lead to awkward situations. Like with "The Bane of My Existence," the bridge says, "You'll rue the day that your life skidded into my lane / Sounds like something my mother might say / When someone's been stringing her along." Before putting the album out, I ran that by my mom, who I am very close to, to make sure she was cool with it. It's certainly not about her, but it reinforced the old timiness that is throughout that song.
AW: "Perfect Picture" is almost folk/rock. Would you say your music has that element to it?
ES: I appreciate folk rock - Simon & Garfunkel or Gillian Welch. I tried to dial back my Americana tendencies on this album, but a couple made it through. I've never really cared much for genres. I appreciate bands like Gomez or Wilco that can blend genres into something interesting.
AW: Do you have any plans to tour?
ES: I’d love to tour if we can afford it. We're focusing mostly on Chicago and the Midwest at the moment, but I expect that to change.
AW: What advice would you give someone starting out in music?
ES: Learn how to tend bar.
Push Puppets
Allegory Gray
self-released
With a band this good, it’s no wonder that they’re getting a wide audience for their music. It’s very catchy, kinetic, and has an uncommonly good flow.
The lyrics are mostly bittersweet about love, but also tend to be upbeat and smart, sincere and earnest, and there’s never a sense that they're faking it.
What’s not to like? This is a modern power pop band that sets itself apart from the rest in very enjoyable ways. This kind of music never goes out of style, so get in style with their new album ASAP.
Andrea Weiss
I first encountered The Airport 77s on their delightful single from last year, with its fun, sweet video, “Losers Win.” The B-Side, “The Illustrated Book of Cupid,” is good too. Now they’re back with a great album that includes the single.
Andy Sullivan, guitarist for the band was kind enough to answer a few questions for me.
Andrea Weiss: How did the band form?
Andy Sullivan: Chuck and John needed a new guitarist, and they had seen me play with another band. They did some due diligence, and were told that I was fussy at practice: playing the chorus over and over until we GOT IT RIGHT, etc. Apparently that was what they were looking for. At our first jam session it was immediately clear that we were a good fit.
AW: Who are your influences?
AS: ”My Sharona" and songs that sound like "My Sharona." We can probably play every song off The Paul Collins Beat's first record. The Hold Steady forced us to sharpen our lyrics. Ex Hex got us thinking that maybe this Betamax-era power pop sound could work in a modern context.
AW: How does it feel to have your first album out?
AS: This is the culmination of a year-long sprint. When we signed with JEM we thought they would re-issue our self-released EP "Rotation" with a few extra songs to round it out. When we found they wouldn't be able to put it out before spring, 2022 at the earliest, we wrote, arranged, and recorded a whole batch of new songs between November and April. It was a lot of work and a ton of fun. It turned out way better than we expected, thanks in large part to Kurt Reil's deft mixing. We are excited for people to hear it.
AW: Your songs are about grown up relationships, which is great. Do you think you would have that kind of perspective if you were younger?
AS: That’s a great observation. As grown ups, we are more certain of who we are and less insecure about our prospects for romantic success, and that informs the stories we tell. You won't find songs complaining about "chicks just don't understand us, man," for example. And a song like "Losers Win" couldn't be written by a 19-year-old -- it's about two people who are trying to rekindle a romance, despite all the experiences they've had over the past few decades, and it's told with compassion.
AW: Is “Drinking Alone” meant to be a Cars tribute, since it quotes “Just What I Needed”?
AS: The Cars' first two albums are our Book of Genesis. But "Drinking Alone" is more of a country song -- take away the jittery guitars and any Nashville hunk with a sense of humor could pull it off. It was written during the depths of lockdown and, like many country songs, it uses cornball humor to cover up the existential dread.
AW: I like how your characters have fun, especially on “Birthday Girl.” Did you want to lighten the at times serious mood of the album?
AS: This song was inspired by a posse of women at one of our gigs. We started off as a cover band, and it's in our musical DNA to make sure the audience is having a good time. But, like "Losers Win," this song has some shadows -- the couple has been through some rough times and now they are spending way too much money to exorcise those demons.
AW: Do you have any plans to tour?
AS: We are playing the International Pop Overthrow on Nov. 12, and there might be an East Coast tour in the offing next year, but we are not at that stage in our lives where we can just hop in the van and set off for parts unknown.
AW: What would you say to someone just starting out in music?
AS: When you're on stage, make sure to look every single member of the audience in the eye.
The Airport 77s
We Realize You Have A Choice
Jem Records
This debut from the Silver Spring, Maryland band is a lot of fun. Mostly it’s about being in and out of love, with a few exceptions.
One is “Since The Circus Left Town,” which is either about desperate lovers meeting on the sly or the end of the world. It’s a little darker than the rest of the album, but it’s also a bit more serious, which is good too.
There are two sex songs. “All Torn Up Over Tina” is self explanatory. “Bad Together” mentions staying in bed all day. Both are about falling in love.
So if you want a great album that rocks very well and is fun in every way, this is for you. Use as the soundtrack for whatever you’re doing and it will improve it.
Andrea Weiss