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

 Lannie Flowers

Flavor of the Month Remixes

Big Stir Records

This bonus CD comes with the vinyl version of the album, and this review is for the remixes only as they aren't available commercially, just with the LP. My review of the original version still stands. If anything, these songs are even more emotional now, and “Summer Blue” is just wonderful.

I have an untrained ear for remixes; I'm not an audiophile. While I hear many more instruments, like guitars, higher in the mix than before, what comes through the most is how loud it sounds now, mixed for the radio and other media services.

And it all sounds fine. It's a good reason to revisit this album, and no matter what version you have, I’d pick this up. You can't ever go wrong with great pop, no matter how it’s mixed or remixed.

Andrea Weiss

 Nick Frater

Stuck In My Ways/God Save Miss America

Big Stir Records

The A-Side, from his current album Aerodrome Motel, is about adult male mental health, with a melody that makes the song zip right along, and rather bittersweet lyrics. The music is rollicking and it’s easy to empathize with the protagonist here, and even get some insight into your own mental health.

The B-Side, however, isn’t just a preview of his upcoming album, it’s a gem about an outsider. Nick is from the UK, looking at the US and wondering WTF is going on politically. You’ll find yourself nodding and thinking ”you and me both, Nick, and I’m American,” while the music rolls along very purposefully.

With two great songs--the B-Side a must-hear if you are progressive politically--it's another single that hits the target.

Andrea Weiss

 Michael Simmons

Happy Traum EP

Big Stir

Happy Traum is a 60s folk singer who, along with his brother Artie, came out of the same Greenwich Village folk scene as Bob Dylan, but this EP isn’t a tribute to him. This is an EP by a 90s Dutch power pop band named Daryll-Ann. Simmons has covered the entire EP.

While the Daryll-Ann originals are very good, reminiscent of Aimee Mann’s 90s collaborations with Jon Brion, I prefer Michael’s covers; they're a little tougher, more contemporary, and I like his singing a bit better too. I would start with this EP, then go to the originals, which are on various streaming services and on CD. They deserve to be heard, as well as the cover EP, to hear Simmons having fun and paying tribute to a band he loves.

Andrea Weiss

 I first heard this debut band Crossword Smiles on the single “Parallel Lines” and was intrigued by all the combinations. It's very smart to link college rock, early REM, Steely Dan, and Fountains of Wayne.  The album is just as intriguing and good--a wonderful debut that is very memorable.

The band was kind enough to answer a few questions for me.

Andrea Weiss: How did the band form?

Tom Curless: It really started as a casual conversation that Chip and I had about forming a side project. We play in other bands together but we both had songs that would fit better in another type of environment, so we decided then and there to form a new band! Crossword Smiles was born.

Chip Saam: The band formed out of a shared love for the sound of several bands we felt wasn’t necessarily present in the independent music we were hearing: The Go-Betweens, Freedy Johnston, and The Cars among others. We’re both huge music nerds. Tom and I play in several different bands together and at some point I suggested we try writing some stuff together. We each brought a handful of songs to the songwriting sessions and by the time we were done we had formed Crossword Smiles, as the songs didn’t fit with any of our other projects.

AW: Who are your influences?

TC: Initial influences for this record: The Go Betweens, Grant McLennan solo, Freedy Johnston, Joe Jackson, The Cars, and Chris Stamey.

CS: I’d say The Go-Betweens, Freedy Johnston, Del Amitri, Crowded House, and a little bit of the Pernice Brothers thrown in there.

AW: I hear a lot of Steely Dan, REM, and Fountains of Wayne in your sound, which is great. Are they influences too?

TC: Those bands are all fair game, definitely a bit of early REM in there, and we have always admired Fountains of Wayne. The Steely Dan comparisons are a surprise (and we have heard this more than once). It was not our intent but we will take it all day long! A happy accident perhaps?

CS: I absolutely love the Steely Dan reference. I always thought Tom’s guitar solo on “Parallel Lines” could have come from an Aja outtake. But I’m a big fan of sophisti-pop--bands like Prefab Sprout, China Crisis, Danny Wilson, Swan Dive, etc.--and a lot of the bands in that genre pray at the altar of Steely Dan. Maybe some of that rubbed off on how we approached the songs. REM I think has probably influenced every band of our generation, both in attitude and sound. The Fountains of Wayne influence is a badge of honor too--one of our favorite bands. I know that, especially with lyrics, both Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collinwood have had an impact on my songwriting.

AW: Most of your songs are bittersweet, which I like. What is it about that contrast that you like?

TC: I think Chip and I both appreciate the mixing of the dark and the light. I tend to start with a cynical point of view or idea, but then try to find something positive in the situation, so it ends up as a bittersweet vibe.

CS: I think the mixture of happiness and sadness makes for a better lyric than a pure notion of either. I love to read books with a bittersweet storyline as well. The reality is that that is more representative of how life goes--most good things have some kind of cost.

AW: Songs like “Take It On The Chin” and “Girl With the Penchant For Yellow” are happy, though, which is also good. Did you want a balance of happy and sad?

TC: Both of those songs are Chip's ideas, so he just must be a happier guy than me! Ha! Some of his songs are stories, à la "Eleanor Rigby," maybe partly inspired by true events, but also partly made up. But maybe I am way off. I will let him answer this one! Ha! I don't know that we planned any balance of happy and sad but it ended up this way.

CS: Both of those lyrics were definitely intended to be encouraging to the underdog in everyone. The story of persevering is one most of us can relate to. Typically, when you’re putting songs together for a project, I think there is an attempt to balance both emotions and tempos of songs but honestly these songs all just kind of felt right from the get go.

AW: Jangle pop seems to be a big part of your sound, as well as 80s college rock. Why did you choose that era?

TC: Jangle pop in the mid to late 80's was a really cool time in music. It was really quite a scene for a few years, led by REM when they were on IRS. Bands like Let's Active and the DB's. I also include the Replacements in the college rock category; they were a breath of fresh air in the mid to late 80's.

CS: I don’t think that we chose it so much as it was a natural extension of our influences. Jangle pop bands like The Windbreakers, The Reivers, The Bats, and The Chills from the 80’s were really some of the first bands I fell in love with. The bands that influenced them--The Byrds, Big Star, The Beatles--all had a jangle component. The Rickenbacker guitar became this magnet to my ears, and where you find a Ric you’re gonna find jangle. Same goes for college rock. Bands like The dB’s, Let’s Active, REM, The Smiths, The Bangles, The Church, Game Theory, The Replacements, Wire Train, Romeo Void--that’s when I really fell in love with music.

AW: Did your band name come from the Cars song “Dangerous Type?”

TC: Yes, nice spot! We are both huge Cars fans and it seemed appropriate!

CS: What Tom said!

AW: Do you have plans to tour?

TC: We would love to tour behind the record, but unfortunately it's just not feasible at this point. We are planning on playing some shows to promote the record, and we are willing to travel out of town to play, but it has to be the right opportunity. Thanks, and I am glad you are enjoying the record!

CS: We have just started to talk about a record release show here in Michigan. We’d both love to do shows is some select markets if they made sense. We’ve played in other bands in Detroit, New York, Chicago, and Indianapolis, so who knows? Thanks so much for taking an interest in the record!