Rich Arithmetic

Bend the Arc (Video)

The images of this video, of protest and fighting for justice for all, are set to some great music. This impure power pop is somewhat folk, somewhat rock and goes very nicely with the lyrics. The slide guitar is wonderful and adds a little touch of country. It’s easy to be inspired by this and want to get active. The title is repeated in various ways throughout, but it’s basically “let’s bend the moral arc of justice.” That's what you will want to do too when you see this.

Andrea Weiss

 Luciano Panama

Famous Blue Raincoat (live session video)

This Leonard Cohen cover, live from somewhere in Milano, Italy, is just Luciano on electric guitar, doing this cover maybe the way Elliot Smith would have, just louder and more electric.

It’s very good, very atmospheric, filmed at 4 AM, in what looks like a park, with apartment buildings, some with their lights on, in the background. It’s the perfect song for that time of the night, and one of Cohen’s best songs. Try it. I suspect you’ll like it as much as I do.

Andrea Weiss

 I’ve been a fan of Chris for a while now and this is another good album from him. He was kind enough to answer a few questions for me, and as we discuss below, this album is a shift in style, and a good one. Enjoy this interview, and then pick up the album for something different.

Andrea Weiss: Who were your influences for this album?

Chris Church: I started this project with the idea of trying to combine what I hear in the music of The Fixx with Lindsey Buckingham's stuff. Eventually other influences revealed themselves, but those were the two touchstones when I started writing.

AW: Not much new music styled like early 80s new wave that I'm hearing is guitar- based. Why choose that style and not synth pop like, say, The Human League?

CC: I wouldn't have felt comfortable employing quite that much of a style over substance type of choice unless I was purposely doing shtick. As a musician, I'm a guitar player first and foremost, and I wrote these songs on guitar. As a songwriter, I know whether I'm kidding around or not. I think. I hope.

AW: This album is a shift in sound for you, and I like the shift. What prompted it?

CC: I don't see it as a really drastic shift. I just used my Danelectro 12 string electric guitar, which creates a thinner sound, and splashed a bit of synth and keyboard on top. The bass lines do a bit more of the work on some of the riffs, but this isn't a big change from any of the pop rock records I've made. The lack of heavier, more distorted guitar in the mix probably helps to make it seem more accessible. That, and Lindsay Murray's backing vocals and Nick Bertling's drums. Those two people are very talented and make everything on which they perform sound way better. I'm fortunate to have those folks helping me out.

AW: The lyrics still seem the same as your previous work, but did you subtly alter them for the new style?

CC: I've made a lot of albums, a lot of different types of music, and I've never really thought about that. I have done everything from heavy progressive rock to psychedelic punk, to conceptual song sketches, to folky country-ish songs, to experimental, to performance art, and every piece of music I've ever worked on is just what it is, from the germ of the idea all the way through to the finished product. That's the best answer I can give to that question. If I thought about it like that, my music would be very different.

AW: I like that the lyrics seem fun, even playful. Did lyrics like that seem to fit the theme of album?

CC: I had a really good time making the album, so I guess it stands to reason that some of the more playful moods would show in parts of songs.

AW: Was a project like this something you always wanted to do?

CC: I have no idea how to answer that. When I completely finish one thing, and I do mean I have to wait until the album is released, I then sit down with the guitar to see if I can agree within myself on the next thing. So far this seems to eventually yield results. It often feels like I'm just along for the ride. It sounds pretentious, but I get it when artists repeat the cliches about the muse being in control. And a cliche is only a cliche because it's been a truth.

AW: Do you plan to do other albums like this?

CC: I have no idea. And if I did, I probably wouldn't tell anyone. I'm old and crotchety. Get out of my yard. Turn the heat on, it's cold in here. Where are my glasses?

AW: Do you plan to play any concerts for it?

CC: I have no plans. At this point I am a writing and recording entity. I do play occasional shows with The Long Players in Nashville, but I have no desire to tour right now. But as an artist, I will always reserve the right to change my mind. I'm older, but I'm nowhere near ready to hang it up, so who knows? Probably not, though. It seems like work. And f**k that.

 Chris Church

Radio Transient

Big Stir Records

While Chris usually plays in an early 80s new wave style, like the Fixx, this great new album also throws the styles of Lindsey Buckingham and Hall and Oats into the mix. While there are synths and keyboards on this album, this is not synth pop, which is to its credit. Totally guitar-based early 80s new wave is neat idea, and a neat trick.

And Chris pulls it off. From the outstanding single “Going Till We Go” to the post breakup song “One More Chance To Get Over You,” to the closer “Flip,” about accepting fate, he updates the early 80s well, smartly. Chris co-produced with Lori Franklin, his wife, and sounds very good, bubbly and effervescent.

It's a lot of fun to listen to, especially if your remember that era when things were wide open musically and MTV wasn’t dominating the landscape. It’s freewheeling experimentation that feels good. This album will take you back without living in the past, as the sound is very 2023, and makes 1983 sound a lot better too.

Andrea Weiss

 Johnathan Pushkar/MiniSuperHeroesToday

Let's Get Small (Ant-Man LEGO Stop Motion Music Video)

Jem Records

This video is so much fun, both to watch and to listen to. LEGOs have come a long way since I built things with them as a kid, when LEGOs were new, and to see them today, there was no way I could’ve dreamed of this when I was young. The song is really good power pop theme music that goes with the action perfectly.

Superheroes get the bad guys, which is what happens in this stop motion animated video by JoMotion Studios. Recommended for people young and old who like LEGOs, superheroes, good music, and just having fun, which never gets old.

Andrea Weiss

 I was introduced to The Plus 4 with their single “You Look Right Through Me,” which is a wonderful, mid 60s pop sound. Now comes “It’s A Mystery,” a cover of the Toyah Willcox song. The cover is very different from the original, and very good.

The band was kind enough to answer a few questions. So who are these guys? It's a mystery!

Andrea Weiss: How did the band form?

Plus 4: The Plus 4 came about as a reaction to the way that music seems to have become secondary to image and celebrity. We’ve made a conscious decision to try to remain anonymous and just let the music speak for itself.

AW: Who are your influences?

P4: Any good songs with strong melodies, harmonies and interesting arrangements! Our ears seem to be drawn to the music of bands beginning with ‘B’: The Beatles, The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Big Star, Bacharach…

AW: Will your two singles “It’s A Mystery” and “You Look Right Through Me” be on an upcoming album?

P4: We think so. We’re working up the album as we go. “It’s A Mystery” is actually our third single. We kicked off the year with “Resolution (Happy New Year)” because we didn’t feel there were enough New Year songs. So we already have those three songs short-listed as album contenders

AW: What is “It’s A Mystery” about?

P4: It’s a mystery! Good question: we didn’t write the lyrics for this  - it’s a cover version - so we’re not sure what the original songwriter had in mind when he wrote it but the title appealed to us as it seemed to fit with what we’re about and we immediately heard a new and very different way to arrange it. Who knows? We might introduce a few Toyah fans to our music off the back of it!

AW: Do you plan to release more singles?

P4: Yes. We’ll continue to release regular singles while we’re writing the album, keeping about half the tracks up our sleeves for the album release.

 The Plus 4

It’s A Mystery (Single)

Self-Released

This is a cover of a Toyah Willcox song, which is very different. I like this cover much more than the original. Toyah’s version is very early 80s new wave. This sounds more like 60s guitar rock. I like the idea of making this cover Hollies-like, jangly, and tougher, not as cute as the original. So if you want to hear a good cover, or just like the 60s better than new wave, check this song out.

Andrea Weiss