Monday, May 13, 2024

The Dahlmanns - "Lucky"


Wow! This is how you come back from a hiatus! The Dahlmanns have been favorites of this blog since (literally) day one. They are truly the perfect pop band, and their singles never fail to stun. Not counting their split with Tommy and the Rockets in 2020, the last time The Dahlmanns released new music was back in 2018. With that in mind, many of us freaked out over news of a new 7" on the always-great Snap!! Records. Was "Lucky" worth the wait? Let's just say I was not disappointed! The full vinyl release will be out this summer, but the A-side is already available for your streaming pleasure. "Lucky" is vintage Dahlmanns in every way: a magnificent slice of hard candy power pop that combines heartbreaking lyrics with absolutely intoxicating vocals and melodies. Line has never sounded better, and that chorus will propel you into a state of bliss. If you want to hear the perfect guitar sound for a power pop record, lend this song your ears. "Lucky" instantly joins the list of smash hits in The Dahlmanns' catalog. The 7" will also feature a couple of excellent cover tunes. One of the best things about this band has always been its selection and interpretation of cover material. You can always count on The Dahlmanns to pick amazing songs and make them their own. On this release, they tackle "Blue Letter" from Fleetwood Mac's 1975 self-titled LP and "Thing About You" from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' album Hard Promises. If you didn't already know it was a cover, you might mistake "Blue Letter" for a Dahlmanns original. The band's rockin', upbeat rendition of this classic rock deep cut is the very epitome of powerful pop. Dare I say it's better than the original? It's always gutsy to cover Tom Petty, one of the greatest songwriters in the history of rock 'n' roll. But The Dahlmanns more than do justice to "Thing About You," honoring a classic song but also putting their signature on it. 

The Dahlmanns have not missed a beat following their long time away. "Lucky" is as good as anything they've ever done, and no fan of power pop will want to miss out on it. The world is always a more joyful place with The Dahlmanns in it. A little birdie told me they're working on new material, and that's got to be the best news of the year. Send an email to snapdiscos@gmail.com to inquire about pre-ordering the 7"!

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Sunday, May 12, 2024

Extra Arms - RADAR


Extra Arms have been a go-to band for me for a number of years, so I'm always excited to hear new music from southeastern Michigan's finest loud pop foursome. The band's new album RADAR is its first in two years, but it's the first album the band has made together in the studio since 2019. 2022's What Is Even Happening Right Now? was a terrific record, but the band members recorded all their parts remotely due to pandemic restrictions. And when it comes to a rock band like Extra Arms, chemistry and live connection are everything. So if you want to call RADAR the first "real" Extra Arms album in nearly five years, that's not entirely inaccurate. 

Extra Arms — Ryan Allen on lead vocals, guitar, and keyboards, Ryan Marshall on bass, Daniel Stover on drums, and Jordan Wright on guitar — have come through with their best album by far. RADAR, named after Marshall's dog, takes everything you loved about Extra Arms and makes it bigger. Every aspect of this record — from the production to the hooks to the ambition of the songwriting  — feels more massive than before. Being someone who lives under the delusion that it's only a matter of time before real rock music re-takes the commercial airwaves, I can almost convince myself that I could turn the radio on right now and hear one of these songs. Perhaps that ship has sailed, but Extra Arms belong spiritually to a bygone era when there was honor and artistic merit in crafting a perfect pop song that could rock your face off. RADAR doesn't mess much with the band's musical approach, but it refines it and takes it to the next level. The sound is equal parts power pop, indie rock, and the good parts of classic rock with the spirit of punk and new wave bubbling under. If you think that sounds like something I'd be into, you'd be very right! Allen is one of my favorite vocalists, and he excels at condensing six decades' worth of melody-driven songwriting tradition into something that sounds far more timeless than retro. He manages to toss bits and pieces of Cheap Trick, The Replacements, The Cars, The Kinks, Buzzcocks, Elvis Costello, and Bob Mould in a blender and concoct something that sounds contemporary yet pleasingly familiar. Lyrically he really pushes these songs into the present, mixing personal reflections on modern life with some sharp social commentary. 

Allen and his band-mates Marshall, Stover, and Wright form a well-oiled machine; RADAR soars on the strength of thunderous guitars, tight and powerful rhythm work, and silky vocal harmonies. The album doesn't veer far from Extra Arms' usual M.O., but it does find the band incorporating some new tricks and taking full advantage of the talents of some guest musicians. "Space and Time" is a touching country rock ballad  featuring Dave Feeny on pedal steel. Jessi Dills' trumpet adds a new dimension to the band's core sound on "All Good Things Take Time." Album closer "Sit Back Up," featuring Matt Jones on saxophone, is almost Springsteen-esque. "Shut 'Em Down" is a fight-the-power anthem worthy of a packed stadium. While the album as a whole is less overtly '90s-sounding than earlier Extra Arms efforts, "Mad Dog Blue" instantly transports me to a moment when hearing Teenage Fanclub for the first time was life-changing. 

Finally given the chance to properly get the band back together, Extra Arms did not waste the opportunity to make the record of their lives. Engineered by Geoff Michael at his Big Sky Studios, produced by Ryan Allen, and mixed and mastered by Paul Miner, RADAR sounds like a million bucks — with songs that are absolutely worthy of all that studio sheen. And as polished as this album is, none of that comes at the expense of energy. Call it power pop. Call it alternative rock. Call it rock n' roll. It doesn't really matter. If you like rocking pop songs with hooks for days that come straight from the heart, RADAR needs to be on your radar.

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Saturday, May 11, 2024

The Battlebeats - Meet Your Maker


I was quite surprised when I realized that The Battlebeats' new album Meet Your Maker is only the band's second full-length album — and first in four years! Andresa Nugraha has kept his one-man-band in the conversation with a series of killer 7" releases on various labels, but Meet Your Maker is the first proper album from The Battlebeats since Search and Destroy was released back in March of 2020. Funny how that album came out, and the world was never the same. Not surprisingly, there has been quite a musical growth between albums. Andresa is clearly a better musician than he was four years ago, and that's a good thing since he literally plays everything on this record. And as a songwriter, he's come quite a way from simply worshipping at the altar of Teengenerate (not that there was anything wrong with that!). On Meet Your Maker, we're hearing a less lo-fi, harder-edged, and more ferocious-sounding Battlebeats. Elements of action rock, high octane '90s punk rock 'n' roll, and blood & guts American punk rock have been injected into the mix, but overall this is still garage punk at its absolute finest. The running joke about one-man-groups is that you don't have to worry about creative differences breaking up the band. But you do have to figure how to keep your band progressing in a way that makes sense. Meet Your Maker is a considerable progression from Search and Destroy, but it still sounds like The Battlebeats. When it comes to modern-day garage punk rock 'n' roll, it just doesn't get much better than this. Andresa has developed into a fantastic guitarist and more confident vocalist, and he has expanded on his musical influences without fundamentally altering his approach to songwriting. What results is an absolute ripper of an album that you all need to own. Vinyl is out on Sweet Time Records in multiple colors. Go!
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Saturday, May 04, 2024

The Daniel James Gang - "Misery"


It has been over three years since I reviewed Indonesian Junk, one of my favorite bands of recent times. While I'm sad to say that IndoJunk has called it a day, I'm happy to report that Daniel James has revived their solo project The Daniel James Gang. New single "Misery" features Daniel teaming up with Logan Stang and Miski Dee, and it's an absolute monster of a song. It was originally written for Indonesian Junk, so you have some idea of what to expect. This is power pop for people who love glam-punk — or is it the other way around? This tune blends face-melting energy with ultra-catchy guitar hooks and powerful vocals that fully capture the anguish of the lyrics. Daniel sings the hell out of this song and rips it up on guitar as always. The vibe is a little like the Dead Boys and Johnny Thunders getting together to play power pop, and I am here for it! More singles are to come from The Daniel James Gang, so stay tuned!

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Friday, May 03, 2024

The Bacarrudas - Pool Party

 


I duly warned you last month, so I hope you have prepared yourself for the debut album from The Bacarrudas. Pool Party is out today on Mom's Basement Records, and now the rest of your day is shot. You're not getting any more work done. No obligations will be met. All adulting has been postponed. Be ready to spend the next few hours dancing around the kitchen, wailing away on the air guitar, and singing along so loudly that your cat gives you the side-eye. The Bacarrudas have come storming out of the North Philly suburbs with 13 tracks of infectious, high energy, organ-driven frat rock goodness suitable for parties by the pool or anywhere else. Of course the whole vibe of this album is undeniable (this band must be insane live!), but it's the quality of the songs that really separates The Bacarrudas from your ordinary garage rock band. When it comes to crafting a catchy, rockin' tune, Adam Rabuck is undeniably an all-time great. Even outside the realm of pop-punk, he knows how to write a hit. If the likes of "You Can Have My Love If You Want It, OK?", "Elizabeth Anne," "Trouble," and "Rave It Up" aren't on your summertime playlist, you might as well not even have a summertime playlist! In 2024, The Bacarrudas have managed to produce what sounds like the best garage/R & B album of 1965, and who could deny that this is exactly what the world needs right now? 

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Thursday, May 02, 2024

Hayley and the Crushers - "Unsubscribe"


Now this is kind of a big deal! Hayley and the Crushers have released their first original song since the fall of 2022. Given the way the Crushers have been evolving and growing musically over the last few years, I was intrigued to hear how they'd sound on their new single "Unsubscribe." A lot can happen in 20 months, and I had a feeling that "Unsubscribe" might reflect that. Spoiler alert: I was not disappointed! "Unsubscribe" is vintage Crushers but by no means a copy of the group's past hits. It's a punky earworm that will have you dancing around the house, but it's also vaguely haunting and quite deep lyrically. A lesser writer might have come up with that one great line "Unsubscribe from the underground" and done something obvious or superficial with it. But obvious and superficial are not in Hayley Cain's playbook, and "Unsubscribe" is a fascinating reflection on the tensions that exist within music scenes: between the old and the new, between tradition and change, between the past and the future. As many of these same tensions exist in other sub-cultures and within society itself, this song will be relatable far beyond the world of music scenes. Keep in mind that the lyrics are written from the point of view of a fictitious scene veteran and not Hayley herself — the Crusherverse will never be hostile to new ideas and new faces! 

Instrument tracks for "Unsubscribe" were recorded in lead guitarist Ryan DeLisio's Detroit basement, and the vocals were recorded at Kitten Robot Studios in Los Angeles. This combination gives the song a perfect mix of gritty punk energy and California pop polish. This particular Crushers lineup, which also features Gabe Masek on drums, is sounding fantastic. Dare I say that Hayley and Dr. Cain sound re-energized? If you like punk and pop or any combination of the two, you ought to be opting in on "Unsubscribe." A full EP called Unsubscribe from the Underground will be out in September on Kitten Robot. Now you'll have a reason to not be bummed when the summer's over!


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