Introducing SUZES!

Hot news! Lee Jones, former singer/guitarist for Aussie power pop band The Solicitors, has relocated to Duesseldorf and formed SUZES with new band-mates Roman and Tomo. I was such a huge fan of The Solicitors that I reviewed them an amazing six times between May of 2013 and December of 2014. Jones, a true English gentleman and man of many talents, is also the developer of TAD - an app that enables  musicians to create professional-looking cover art for their online releases.With TAD having surpassed 100,000 installs, the app's latest update has added video functionality in an attempt to plant a flag in the on-line video album cover sphere. Jones is hedging his bets that the on-line video album cover will soon be a big thing in digital music. You can read more of his thoughts on this matter here. Meanwhile, I am happy to report that Jones continues to demonstrate why he's one of my favorite songwriters. SUZES have just released their debut album, which in my opinion is as good or maybe even a little better than The Solicitors' lone LP.

While Fragile Development will no doubt please anyone who loved The Solicitors, SUZES are a new band entirely. SUZES rock a little harder, but without abandoning those new wave and power pop influences that Jones so skillfully absorbs and re-imagines. If The Solicitors mostly existed in an eternal 1980, Fragile Development pushes the calendar forward by years and sometimes decades. "Information Overload" recalls that brief moment in the early '80s when the line between new wave and album oriented rock was frequently blurred. It's a great opening statement for this band, with guitars hitting hard and Jones' lyrical game as sharp as ever. And while Jones throws us power pop purists a couple bones with the splendid "A Stones Throw" and the pilfered Knack riffs of "Blind Trust", a lot of the standout tracks on this album find Jones tweaking his usual formula or throwing it out altogether. "Interested Photographer" is super creepy yet so totally alluring and catchy (which is clearly the point!). "First Love, Last Resort" - a sleek, modern update on the new wave motif - sounds very "now" without sacrificing the stellar pop hooks. "Sometimes Bad Things Happen To Bad People", a punchy nod to the angry young men of new wave, finds Jones taking great delight in turning loose his poison pen.

So, really, what is this debut album from SUZES? New wave? Rock? Power pop? Modern rock? Well, it's all of those things, and to me this is the strongest and most cohesive collection of songs Lee Jones has delivered yet. His lyrics have never been smarter or more beautifully bitter, and he has quickly found great chemistry with his new rhythm section. This is one of those albums where I can go up and down the track listing and find a keeper wherever I land. It seems the "best new band of 2017?" question has been fully settled!



-L.R.

https://suzes.bandcamp.com/album/fragile-development 
https://www.facebook.com/suzesHQ/ 
http://tadtheapp.com/ 

The Solicitors on 45!

In recent years, I have fully embraced digital music as a format. I possess a rather extensive iTunes library, and I stream new music on a daily basis. I don't hold on to any snobbish notions about the "inferiority" of the format. That said, I do have a strong personal attachment to vinyl. Maybe it's just my generation (growing up in the '70s and '80s), but I just like records! I like having a tangible product that I can hold in my hands. I love the packaging and artwork of vinyl records. And of course I get a rush from dropping the needle onto a record that I'm playing for the very first time. It seems that there are a lot of people who feel the same way, and that explains why vinyl is still going strong in our little corner of the musical universe. For example, I think it's incredibly cool that Germany's All Star Manufacturing Records came back from the dead after an 11-year hiatus for the sole purpose of giving The Solicitors' "If You Let Me Hold You" single a vinyl release. Tomo from All Star Manufacturing, like me, is a big fan of this Melbourne-based power pop band. And so this release is a true labor of love.

In what has been a great year for power pop, "If You Let Me Hold You" has stood out as one of the year's best songs. And now you can hear it on vinyl, backed by another previous digital single, "Quicksand". I have such a soft spot for The Solicitors because they remind me so much of all those new wave pop bands I grew up with (The Knack, Squeeze, Vapors). But more importantly, I think Lee Jones is one of the most talented songwriters to come on the scene in recent memory. He has this way of articulating things that almost all of us have felt but perhaps never found the words to fully express. "If You Let Me Hold You" really nails what it's like when you know you're in a relationship that's over - yet you still desperately cling to anything that that special someone is still willing to give you. And if you've ever had a give-and-take friendship with someone who did all the taking, "Quicksand" will definitely hit home. Both tracks are in The Solicitors' signature style of high energy power pop with sweet melodies chasing bitter lyrics. If you're still unfamiliar with this band, this single is the perfect gateway to the melodious wonders of The Solicitors. And if you're already a fan, here's your chance to experience two of the band's finest songs on your turntable! Pressing is limited to 300 copies (100 on white, 200 on black), so move fast if you want in on the action!



-L.R.

https://allstarmanufacturingrecords.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/TheSolicitors 
https://www.facebook.com/allstarmanufacturingrecords 

The Solicitors make an album!

Is it just me, or has this been the best year for power pop music in a long time?! The icing on the cake is the arrival of the long-awaited debut album from Melbourne's Solicitors - a band I've been following with considerable interest since their debut EP Made To Measure came out in early 2013. I heard that record and immediately knew that the next great power pop band had arrived. And I was especially impressed by singer/guitarist Lee Jones' biting wit and expert touch with a hook. Jones, an Englishmen, strikes me as a modern heir to the Elvis Costello/Nick Lowe/Difford & Tillbrook songwriting lineage. A few years back, he met an American guitarist named Laf Zuccarello - and the two went out and recruited "the most handsome rhythm section" in Melbourne. The Solicitors, following the release of Made To Measure, have continued to release excellent material one song at a time. I was a big fan of that approach - since power pop is pretty much the ultimate singles genre. I think when you're listening to just one song as opposed to a collection of 12, you tend to savor every morsel. That said, it's nice to finally have a proper album from this very fine band! 

Blank Check, out now on Pop Boomerang Records, will not disappoint anyone who's enjoyed quality Solicitors' singles such as "If You Let Me Hold You", "Help Me Forget", and "Quicksand". All three appear on the album - along with brand-new versions of Made To Measure favorites "Pretty Penny" and "I Love Your Love".  To have left any of the above songs off the album would have been criminal, and the dreamer in me hopes that a re-release of "Pretty Penny" will result in an honest-to-goodness international chart hit. It's that good of a song. Meanwhile, a full half of Blank Check is new material - and none of it is filler. Sticking mostly to their signature new wave pop style, The Solicitors continue to combine a spiky energy and pleasant melodies with intriguing character sketches and brilliantly bitter reflections on love gone bad. "I Need You More"- with its irresistible lead guitar hook and punchy, Knack-like chorus - would have been a standout single in its own right. And deep cuts like "For This Evenings Entertainment" and "My Secret Is Safe With Me" showcase Jones' ability to craft the kind of chorus that grabs you and refuses to let go. 

Blank Check is what every great power pop LP should be - strong all the way through, but anchored by a handful of exceptional singles. I spent many years of my life collecting skinny tie era power pop albums, and this one ranks up there with the best of those. If you've been downloading Solicitors' singles all this time, there's still more than enough excellent material here to make it worth buying the album. And if The Solicitors are a new band to you, Blank Check delivers all their essential songs and then some. Given that echoes of late '70s/early '80s new wave greats pervade this release, some might be tempted to dismiss it as some sort of "retro thing". But I don't think of The Solicitors as retro. Right down to their sharp-suited look, they're more about timeless style than period fashion. Throwback videos aside, this is a band that reminds us that the new wave endures not because of funny haircuts or quirky synths - but rather because of all those classic songs. And when it comes to crafting a few classic songs of their own, The Solicitors seem to be well on their way.



-L.R.


http://popboomerangrecords.bandcamp.com/album/pb-102-the-solicitors-blank-check
https://www.facebook.com/TheSolicitors

The Solicitors strike again!

Oooh yeah! The arrival of a new Solicitors single is always a celebrated event in my life, and this time the Melbourne based foursome is teasing its long-awaited debut album! If the last 33 years had never happened, surely this band would have already scored a handful of top ten singles. English-bred songwriter Lee Jones is one of the modern-day masters of the radio hook, and his penchant for crafting hit-worthy material just might be inexhaustible. Recent gems like "Quicksand" and "Help Me Forget" seemed like they'd be impossible to top. But now we get "If You Let Me Hold You", and I'm already wondering how The Solicitors will top this one! Again the frame of reference is the spiky new wave pop of the early '80s - replete with another music video in the old school style. The Solicitors' signature seems to be the catchy, sing-along chorus. And this chorus, I assure you, will definitely grab you and and compel you to sing long. You could catch a whale with that hook! With a Lee Jones song, there's always some kind of clever twist on the conventional ode to boy/girl relations. That's certainly the case here, with the sentiment of the song revolving "around emotional detachment in the face of unrequited love, but requited lust" and "the painful irony of getting what you want but not what you need". As usual, people are going to relate.

While undoubtedly influenced by the power pop and new wave greats of the late '70s and early '80s, The Solicitors continue to sound thoroughly modern and fully unique. They're riding quite the hot streak, and I am so stoked about their upcoming album, Blank Check! Look for it in October on Pop Boomerang Records! 



-L.R.

http://popboomerangrecords.bandcamp.com/track/the-solicitors-if-you-let-me-hold-you
https://www.facebook.com/TheSolicitors

The Solicitors are back!

As promised, The Solicitors have returned with the second half of their double A-side single from this past fall. And it goes without saying that it's another smash! While very much in the band's familiar new wave power pop style, "Help Me Forget" slows down the pace a tad and charms with gorgeous plaintive melodies. This time out, Lee's lyrics are a little less sardonic than usual - but as clever and relatable as always. So many of the great pop songs are first-person accounts of excruciating heartbreak, and this one's very much in that tradition. And I love how the song ambles along witsfully but then suddenly hits you with a knockout punch of a chorus. Talk about a hook! This Melbourne foursome continues to do power pop right. Even on this semi-ballad, the guitars pack plenty of punch. And if you enjoyed the Elvis Costello/Jags feel of the band's earlier hits, "Help Me Forget" will be totally to your liking as well! It releases today and is available as a free download over at the band's triple j Unearthed page. I have not been able to get this song out of my head all week - and for that I am grateful! Look for The Solicitors' debut album later this year!



-L.R.

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/TheSolicitors
https://www.facebook.com/TheSolicitors

Another Solicitors smash!

The Solicitors are at it again! Just a few short months after delivering a remarkable debut EP, the Aussie power pop foursome has topped itself with the impossibly catchy single "Quicksand". Just when you thought there was no way the band could make a better song than "Pretty Penny", "Quicksand" comes along and totally raises the bar! In some alternate universe where perfect pop songs still get played on the radio, this would be a #1 smash hit (man, if only I had my own SiriusXM channel...). This is actually part one of what the band intends to be a "double A-side" digital single. The track will be officially launched tomorrow at The Grace Darling in Collingwood, Melbourne. Part two, "Help Me Forget", will release in December.

To celebrate the release of "Quicksand", the band has made a music video that you can view below. The clip brings to mind the early days of MTV, which may be part of why I get a Squeeze/Split Enz new wave pop feel from it. Brilliant songwriter Lee Jones continues to impress me with his ability to blend sweet melodies and upbeat pop sounds with bitter lyrics that pull no punches. Those cleverly scathing lyrics are a big factor in separating this band from the pack. You might feel a little guilty singing along to that irresistible hook, or maybe you'll fully relate and assume that the tongue lashing was totally warranted! This track probably makes Elvis Costello jealous!

As geeked up as I am about a potential Solicitors album, I really like what they're doing here releasing just one individual song at a time. This sort of music has always been about the magic of the three minute pop song. And "Quicksand" epitomizes that very thing. For a limited time, you can get it as a bonus track when you download the band's stellar EP Made To Measure off of Pop Boomerang's Bandcamp page. With this song arriving at the same time as The #1s' "Sharon Shouldn't", power pop fans have got to be in a state of bliss right now. I'm stuck on "Quicksand", and I love it!


-L.R.

http://popboomerangrecords.bandcamp.com/album/pb091-the-solicitors-made-to-measure-w-free-bonus-digital-single-quicksand
https://www.facebook.com/TheSolicitors
http://www.thesolicitors.org/

Say hello to The Solicitors!

What is it about Australia and power pop? There's got to be something in the water down there! Or is it the vegemite? The latest in a seemingly infinite line of excellent Aussie power pop groups, Melbourne's Solicitors are set to release their debut EP next month on Popboomerang Records (the "Stiff Records of Australia"). In the meantime, you can stream it for free over at the label's Bandcamp page.

The Solicitors specialize in the skinny tie variety of power pop - inspired by new wave era stalwarts like Elvis Costello, The Knack, and Nick Lowe. Hmmm, have these guys been raiding my record collection? They even cover "Back of My Hand" by The Jags! For sure, they have "the sound" down pat. But just as importantly, they've also delivered a very strong collection of songs on this five-track debut. Made To Measure abounds with energy and crunch - along with hooks that would have been made for the radio if it were still 1980. As the label puts it, this is "good old-fashioned rock 'n roll to dance and drink and make out to". And while the feel of the music is fun and upbeat, the influence of Costello (and probably Joe Jackson) is palpable in Lee Jones's fantastically sardonic lyrics. The hook line to "Pretty Penny" is so brilliantly scathing that I won't dare spoil it for you. And surely the toxic relationship woes of "I Love Your Love" will strike a chord with a whole lot of people.

While the style here recalls '79/'80 power pop with a touch of off-kilter new wave, there's nothing "dated" about these songs. The Solicitors do a bang-up job of updating the pop sounds of yesteryear. Their melodies are strong, the production is top-notch, and Jones is a songwriter of considerable potential. Stiff Records fans and power pop geeks in general, listen up!



-L.R.

https://www.facebook.com/TheSolicitors
http://popboomerangrecords.bandcamp.com/album/pb091-the-solicitors-made-to-measure-2