Friday, September 30, 2022

The Melmacs - Good Advice


I've been teasing it for months, and now it's finally out! Good Advice, the knockout debut album from The Melmacs, releases today through a collaboration between Wanda, Barkraufarfita, and Tape Or Die Records. The punk/powerpop world has given us many excellent LPs this year, and Good Advice is without doubt one of the very best of the lot. The Melmacs have been releasing absolutely wonderful music since early 2019 — which means I failed you all for three long years by not alerting you of this awesome band's existence. The shame I carry is considerable. For penance, I will binge-watch ALF all weekend. This foursome based out of Leipzig and Dresden, Germany plays old school power pop punk rock and roll that will make you wanna jump up and down, sing along with the utmost enthusiasm, and forcefully launch positive vibes into the universe. As advertised, the band delivers the perfect mix of "jab jab guitars, jub jub keyboards, pow pow drums, and boom boom bass." This is the epitome of a fun band, and Good Advice is a fun record through and through. Yet at the same time, The Melmacs have a special talent for filling their upbeat, catchy tunes with true lyrical substance. Lead track "Good Advices" is about the wisdom people gain from learning from their mistakes. Elsewhere, the band tackles topics such as bigotry ("Watch Out"), fear ("Stage Fright"), crippling regret ("Retrospective Life"), and the power of persistence ("Carry On"). The Melmacs promised some good advice, and they have delivered. They know how to be really serious without ever taking themselves seriously, and that's the magic recipe for meaningful music.    

A royal treat for any punk/powerpop fan, Good Advice offers up a nice variety of musical selections. Songwriters Bimmi, Remo, and Max complement many energetic punk rock numbers with some pure power pop ("Retrospective Life", "Carry On"), lighters-up arena sing-alongs ("Saturday Night"), and a rousing finale that channels '60s girl groups ("Planet Melmac"). To celebrate the release of Good Advice, today the Melmacs have released the fifth single/music video from the album, "Low Life." Be warned that if you listen to this song, you will most likely need to listen to it dozens of times. It's that catchy. Before you know it, half your day will be gone. But what a way to spend half your day!  

Unfortunately the vinyl has been delayed, but Good Advice is available now from all the major streaming platforms. My good advice is to stop whatever else you're doing and go listen to this album now!

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