Kurt Baker Combo - "Can't Go Back"

What a great run of new music we've had this fall! That continues with the latest single from the Kurt Baker Combo. The new record is called "Can't Go Back", and it's out now on Wicked Cool Records. These tracks come from the same sessions that resulted in the Combo's outstanding summer 2019 single "(I Can't Help) Failing In Love". This single was produced by Mike Mariconda and post-produced by Wyatt Funderburk under the watchful eye of executive producer Steven Van Zandt. What I love about Baker's records with the Combo is that you never know what you're gonna get. Garage rock? Power pop? British Invasion? Pub rock? You can expect any of that and more. Baker co-wrote "Can't Go Back" with Andrew Rice, his former band-mate in The Leftovers. I sometimes think of The Combo as a modern-day version of The Attractions, so the vintage Elvis Costello flavor of this track just seems fitting. And with a guest appearance on 12-string guitar by the supremely talented Johnathan Pushkar, there's a more than palpable Beatles influence as well. What a great little pop song! On the flip, "No One's Home" is a song Baker co-wrote with Mark O'Flaherty, his band-mate in The Gold. This one's straight-up old school rockabilly and ought to have you reaching for your dancing shoes. I like how this track really lets The Combo turn loose its chops: Jorge Colldan tearing it up on lead guitar while Juancho Lopez & Sam Malakian steer the beat like the pros that they are. If this song doesn't get your toes tapping, nothing will!

Baker and the Combo enlisted a whole slew of talented friends to make "Can't Go Back" a cool record. Additional "guest stars" include Dani Niño on baritone saxophone, Maika Maikovski on backing vocals, Kris Rodgers on keyboards, and Manuel Machín contributing hand-claps. These two songs were definitely tailor made to be paired on a 45, and I imagine a lot of you will be playing the heck out of this thing! This is my tenth time reviewing a Kurt Baker record (or 21st if you include other releases he's played on). How long will it take until I've reviewed ten more? I'll start taking your bets now...



-L.R.

https://kurtbakerwcr.bandcamp.com/album/cant-go-back 
https://www.facebook.com/KurtBakerMusic 
https://wickedcoolrecords.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/WickedCoolRecords 

Midnite Snaxxx - "Music Inside"

Yes, you read that right! We get a brand new song today from the mighty Midnite Snaxxx, which I'm "leaking" with the blessing of the band and its record label Slovenly Recordings. "Music Inside" is the opening track from the album of the same name, which will be releasing December 6th on Slovenly. I don't want to spoil too much for you. So I'll just say Music Inside is a very different record for Midnite Snaxxx - in an entirely good way. "Music Inside" is essentially a mission statement/tone setter for the whole album, and I've been going nuts for the song for the past month without being able to tell anyone about it. Well now the world can hear what I'm so excited about! I think fans will be surprised, but above all else, really delighted by this track. It's a killer tune, and the band sounds absolutely amazing. I will have much more to say about the full album in a couple weeks. But for now, enjoy "Music Inside"!



-L.R.

https://slovenly.bandcamp.com/album/midnite-snaxxx-music-inside-lp 
https://midnitesnaxxx.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/Midnite-Snaxxx-105627569476640/ 
https://www.slovenly.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/slovenlyrec/ 

New Rochelles - Animal Boy

I have officially come full circle on Ramones cover albums. I went from thinking they were the coolest thing in the world to finding them utterly pointless. I had gone a decade plus without having the slightest urge to listen to any of them. But the New Rochelles covering Animal Boy in its entirety has pulled me back in. This, to me, is where it starts to get truly worthwhile to revisit the Ramones catalog. Animal Boy was released in 1986 - essentially the mid-point of the Ramones' existence. Is it a great Ramones album? Well that depends on who you ask. A good portion of the fan base will still defend a lot of the songs. But can anyone really defend the production? Certainly the Ramones struggled for most of the '80s to find a producer that "got" them. But Animal Boy seems the most blatant example of a failed attempt to commercialize the greatest band to ever walk the earth. It's certainly the most "'80s" sounding release in the band's catalog - and not in a good way. With the New Rochelles being true believers in all things Ramones, they were more than worthy candidates to re-make Animal Boy and perhaps demonstrate what the album could have been. This is the debut release on Hey Pizza! Records - a new pop-punk label with a whole lot of hot stuff in the works!

What's noticeable about the New Rochelles' interpretation of Animal Boy is that it has great reverence for the original - warts and all. You can tell they love this record and wanted to pay proper tribute to it. The band chose to retain the use of keyboards, and I was struck by how similar the vocals on "Somebody Put Something In My Drink" sound to Joey's on the original version. Even when you're dealing with a somewhat polarizing Ramones album, you probably don't want to reinvent the wheel. But while all these versions are largely faithful to the originals, I am pleased to report that the dated '80s production has been updated to sound more like a modern pop-punk record (Yeah, I know some of you wise guys will say that that's even worse!). In particular, "She Belongs To Me" and "Something To Believe In" have been made over in such a way that ought to appeal to fans of post Lookout! Records pop-punk. I'm definitely having a "Hey, are these songs better than I thought?" moment with those two tracks. 

Beyond the collectable/novelty factor, I think the whole point of covering an entire Ramones album is the attention it brings to the original version. It had been a while since I'd sat down and listened to Animal Boy. Of course "Bonzo Goes To Bitburg" is great. But upon revisiting the album, I was reminded of several other tracks I absolutely love (the title track, "Love Kills", "Crummy Stuff"). In much the same way that Boris the Sprinkler's version of End of the Century caused me to re-think my entire stance on that particular Ramones album, the New Rochelles have led me to see Animal Boy in a more favorable light. I can't imagine a fan of the New Rochelles not already owning all of the Ramones albums. But if this is your introduction to Animal Boy, it ought to make you want to hear the original. And if this is your first time hearing the New Rochelles, you may be impressed enough to seek out their excellent full-length It's New Too! Anything in this world that encourages more Ramones worship is a worthy endeavor in my book. So I'm giving a big thumbs-up to all parties involved in this project. Now who will dare to take on Halfway To Sanity?



-L.R.

https://heypizzarecords.bandcamp.com/album/new-rochelles-animal-boy
https://thenewrochelles1.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/thenewrochelles 
https://www.heypizzarecords.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/HeyPizzaRecords/ 

The Speedways - Just Another Regular Summer (Deluxe CD Edition)

Back in the summer of 2018, I reviewed an absolutely tremendous record by The Speedways that to my mind has never received its due acclaim. At the time, it was intended as a one-off solo project by Matt Julian. But you know how things sometimes work out, and before long The Speedways became a proper and permanent band. Julian and his band-mates are now hard at work on a second Speedways album likely coming out next year. In the meantime, Rum Bar Records has given that stunning debut Just Another Regular Summer new life in the U.S. with a shiny new CD reissue. This deluxe edition includes all 12 songs from the original album plus both tracks from the band's "Seen Better Days" single and three acoustic demos. In my humble opinion, this is one of the best power pop albums of recent years. It absolutely merits some renewed attention. When it comes to writing songs about heartbreak and lost love, there's nothing more authentic than writing about actual heartbreak and lost love. Just Another Regular Summer is a concept album Julian wrote about his real-life summer of 2014. He really wore his heart on his sleeve penning these tracks, which take inspiration from '70s new wave and power pop and the timeless sounds of '60s pop. Hearing this album for the first time, I felt as if I'd encountered not just a talented songwriter, but also a kindred spirit. I am super stoked that Malibu Lou shared my affection for this record so deeply that he was willing to release it in America. Bonus material includes the band's warmly received cover of the Kirsty MacColl classic "They Don't Know". If you love power pop, you need some Speedways in your life!



-L.R.

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/just-another-regular-summer-deluxe-edition 
https://thespeedways.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/JustAnotherRegularSummer/ 
https://www.facebook.com/RumBarRecords 

Wyldlife - "Neon Nightmare"

Oh boy, a new Wyldlife single! Out now on Wicked Cool Records, "Neon Nightmare" is the New York City foursome's third 7". As usual, the band serves up a welcome reminder of a time when they still played rock and roll on the radio. Well, actually they do still play rock and roll on the radio - just not on commercial radio! But man, it sure would be super cool to hear a song like "Neon Nightmare" while I was shopping for produce or getting my teeth cleaned. This thing is a HIT! As always, Wyldlife finds that perfect blend of hook-laden power pop, old style punk, and arena-sized rock and roll. Dave delivers his usual charismatic performance on vocals, and Sam launches into guitar heroics worthy of a Thin Lizzy record. This is how you do it, man: write a great pop song and rock the hell out of it! On the B-side, the band digs up a real oldie-but-goodie. "I'm Just Losing That Girl" was originally recorded in 1983 by the French band Dogs. The original is a power pop classic, and Wyldlife definitely adds that unique Wyldlife touch.

When it comes to winning formulas for 7-inch records, it's hard to beat an A-side smash and a cool cover on the flip. Wyldlife has really nailed this one. For sure, one of the best singles of the year! 



-L.R.

https://wyldlifewcr.bandcamp.com/album/neon-nightmare 
https://www.facebook.com/wyldlifeband/ 
https://www.facebook.com/WickedCoolRecords

David Quinton - Overlook Road

What comes to mind when you see the name David Quinton? You most likely know that he played on Stiv Bators's LP Disconnected and authored the classic track "Make Up Your Mind". You probably also know that he was the teenage drummer for The Mods - one of Canada's original punk groups. What you might not be aware of is that Quinton had a solid run as a solo artist in the early '80s. Shortly after his 20th birthday, he made a debut album that was released on the Canadian label Bomb Records. He demoed several more tracks in preparation for a second album that was ultimately never released. Having recently found the master tapes from several of his recording sessions from the early '80s, Quinton worked with Secret Mission Records to give them a proper release. And so now we have Overlook Road - a beautifully packaged 12-track LP!

The album title refers to Overlook Road in Silver Lake, Ohio - where Quinton once lived with his friend George Cabaniss (also a member of the Stiv Bators Band). Overlook Road is where Quinton wrote many of these songs on piano. One doesn't usually think of teenage punk rockers writing songs on piano, but that is the true origin of many of these tracks. A number of these songs were recorded from 1980-81 and are alternate versions of favorites from the original album (of course including Quinton's own recording of "Make Up Your Mind"). Several more were recorded for that ill-fated second album. Cumulatively, these songs document the work of a talented and often overlooked songwriter. The songs from the album are top-notch turn of the '80s power pop ("Make Up Your Mind" is every bit the equal of Bators's more well-known version). The tracks intended for Quinton's second album suggest that it would have been quite a different record. The likes of "That's All I Want", "Scene of the Crime", and "Afraid of the Light" (all recorded 1982) find Quinton's songwriting craft growing more sophisticated and contemporary. It's not hard to imagine "Scene of the Crime" as a radio hit in 1983.

It's somewhat miraculous that Overlook Road even exists. The master tapes unearthed for this release were in extremely poor condition and in serious need of repair. Anton Evans really did a bang-up job of repairing and refurbishing these recordings - which now sound as good as new! Quinton wrote the liner notes and provided photos from his personal collection for the full color insert. If you're a big fan of Quinton in particular or new wave era power pop in general, you ought to be very interested in this album. This was a true passion project for Secret Mission Records, and boy did the label ever go all-out to make it super cool! It's a deal and a steal for $15!



-L.R.

https://secretmissionrecords.bandcamp.com/album/david-quinton-overlook-road 
https://www.facebook.com/secretmissionrecords/ 

Nick Piunti - "All This Time"

Nick Piunti has been one power pop's shining stars in recent years. He has released four albums since 2013 - all of them absolutely brilliant. He's got another one in the works for 2020, which will be his first with his band The Complicated Men. Out now on Jem Records, new single "All This Time" is a little sneak preview of the forthcoming full-length. The Complicated Men are Jeff Hupp (bass), Ron Vensko (drums), Kevin Darnall (keyboards), and special guest Ryan Allen (guitar, harmony vocals). Given that Piunti is so well-known for the substance and smarts of his lyrics, it's appropriate that he and the band have released a lyric video for "All This Time". There are few things more powerful than songs lamenting lost love, and I gotta say this one really cuts deep. "You got a lot of nerve to say I'm overserved," sings Piunti. "It's not the drink that did me in, can't find no comfort in my skin." If I said those lines sounded Westerberg-ian, well I certainly wouldn't be the first person to make the comparison! This is just a devastating postmortem on a relationship, building up to the powerful refrain "All I wanna do is wake up without you on my mind". Musically this one is right in Piunti's "power pop for grownups" wheelhouse. And with a terrific band backing him, he sounds in top form. So give "All This Time" a listen (and a look!). The new album is slated for release early in the new year and will include ten songs. And if you need to get caught up on all the previous albums, now is a great time to do it!



-L.R.

https://nickpiuntimusic.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/Nick-Piunti-The-Complicated-Men-542524509124050/ 
https://www.nickpiunti.com/ 
http://www.jemrecordings.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/Jem-Records-607560186079388/