Lisa Mychols & Super 8 - "Santa Please"

I have promised to be sparing in my coverage of Christmas music this season. But being sparing also means being selective, and I can confidently say I've chosen well with this review of a new Christmas classic by Lisa Mychols & Super 8 released on JEM Records. First of all, this transcontinental duo (Lisa Mychols is based in sunny California; Super 8 aka Paul Ryan aka Trip is based in Scotland) is one of the most extraordinary bands in present-day pop music. These two could release a song about any holiday or any other conceivable topic, and I'd be on board. You simply won't hear another band that's more masterful at crafting silky smooth harmonies and gorgeous melodies. If you've heard the band's rendition of "Don't Worry Baby" on JEM's tribute to Brian Wilson, you know what I'm talking about. 

"Santa Please" is immediately worthy of consideration as a new Christmas standard. No doubt, the duo channels some of Phil Spector's fabled Christmas productions on this lovely little number. Perhaps that is why I've taken to this song so quickly. 99% of my favorite Christmas songs were recorded pre-1970, and "Santa Please" has the feel of a song that could have come from that time. The concept is the stuff of a seasonal classic. What if it were Christmas Eve, and your sweetheart was out there playing the part of (or actually was) Santa? You'd know he had a job to do, but you'd still be longing for his return. Who wants to be alone on Christmas Eve? A song like this requires a vocal that's simultaneously wistful and hopeful, and the queen of power pop is more than up to the task. Ryan, who wrote, arranged, and recorded the track while singing backing vocals and playing all the instruments except drums, just might be a modern-day Phil Spector (minus all the personal shortcomings). My god, this song is exquisite. Listen to those harmonies! Listen to that chorus! Even if you're ordinarily Grinchy about Christmas music, your heart would melt if you heard "Santa Please" come on while you were out and about this holiday season. Hit this link right here to play or purchase this gem of a Christmas song (pun fully intended).

-L.R.

"Santa Please" on music services
https://www.facebook.com/LisaMycholsandSUPER8/
https://lisamychols.bandcamp.com/
https://trip8.bandcamp.com/
https://www.jemrecordings.com/
https://www.facebook.com/people/Jem-Records/100063542772461/

https://www.facebook.com/Lisamychols

Real Tears - Whipped Dreams

Look who's back! Real Tears have been longtime favorites of this blog. On their third album Whipped Dreams, these Swedes stick to a winning recipe with 12 songs of upbeat, catchy power pop punk in just under 23 minutes. If you're into fast-paced poppy punk and this band is not already on your radar, Whipped Dreams will be a real treat for your ears. Songs like "You're Mine" and "Satisfy You" could not be any catchier without requiring a government warning. Tunes such as "Sloppy Sleeper" and "Fat Thighs and High Sighs" continue Real Tears' tradition of writing better Dickies songs than The Dickies have written in decades. But there are also signs that the band is broadening its influences just enough to keep us all happy. I dig the rockin' edge of "Cleaning Up the City," while "Ballentine" and the title track are pretty much pure power pop. And what kind of lousy human wouldn't love a song called "Grillin' with Grandpa"? The power pop/punk style has long been a go-to genre for me, and Real Tears continue to execute it to perfection. Whipped Dreams is available now from Spain's Family Spree Recordings!

-L.R.

https://familyspreerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/fsr127-real-tears-whipped-dreams-lp
https://www.facebook.com/familyspreerecordings
https://realtearsua.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/realtearsua/

The Shang Hi Los - "Takes One To Know One"

When we last checked in on The Shang Hi Los, they had just released "Billy," the second teaser for their highly anticipated forthcoming debut album. Originally projected for a 2022 release, Aces Eights & Heartbreaks now has a release date of January 20th — making it the first of many albums I'm excited to hear in 2023. Pre-orders are now live on Rum Bar Records' Bandcamp, and a third single has been released for the occasion. "Takes One To Know One" will actually be the album's leadoff track, and it's another surefire smash from this Boston-based all-star rock and roll band. With Jen D'Angora and Dan Kopko writing and singing songs together, you can certainly expect a debut album inspired by a myriad of musical styles. So far, we've heard elements of everything from glam rock to new wave to garage rock to punk to indie rock to power pop to classic rock and much more running through the songs of The Shang Hi Los. And yet the band's true signature is the way its two songwriters combine their contrasting styles in perfect chemistry with drummer Chuck Ferreira and bassist Lee Harrington. I'm not quite sure how to describe "Takes One To Know One" other than it's awesome and sounds like The Shang Hi Los. It's fun, catchy, and will totally rock your socks off  — exactly the way you want to kick off an album! Joan Hathaway directed a wild and absolutely brilliant music video for the song which you can check out below. Aces Eights & Heartbreaks is going to be a blockbuster. Finally I have a reason to be excited about January!

-L.R.

https://theshanghilos.bandcamp.com/track/takes-one-to-know-one-3
https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/aces-eights-heartbreaks
https://www.facebook.com/ShangHiLos
https://www.facebook.com/RumBarRecords

The Whiffs - "Tired of Romance"

Yes, you read that right: we've got ourselves a new song from The Whiffs for the first time in three years! And it's so good! "Tired of Romance" is the first teaser from Scratch 'N' Sniff, the forthcoming third album from one of Earth's greatest power pop bands. I'm not going to get too deep into reviewing the song today. Suffice it to say that it's The Whiffs at their finest, and Scratch 'N' Sniff jumps to the top of my list of albums I can't wait to hear in 2023. The album will be out on DIG! Records in the USA and Bachelor Records in Europe. Pre-orders for the American edition are open now. Power pop fans, rejoice!

-L.R.

https://digthewhiffs.bandcamp.com/album/scratch-n-sniff
https://www.instagram.com/thewhiffs/
https://www.facebook.com/TheWhiffs

Vista Blue - We Practiced All Year Long

Writing about Vista Blue's annual Christmas releases has become a favorite tradition of mine. It has reached the point where it wouldn't feel like Christmas season without some new Vista Blue songs in the rotation. For Christmas 2022, the band offers us the three-song EP We Practiced All Year Long (paraphrasing a line from a particularly polarizing Christmas classic). Half the fun in hearing a VB Christmas release is discovering the choices the band made in terms of cover material or subject matter for new songs. It's not like these guys are just recording the typical standards year after year. On that note, We Practiced All Year Long is a most satisfying collection. 

Up first, "Santa, Teach Me To Dance" is a cover of what I consider to be one of the best-ever Christmas songs — a 1962 gem of a release from the otherwise unremarkable girl group Debbie and the Darnels. Vista Blue's arrangement is delightful, taking a doo wop influenced pop-punk approach that is right in the band's wheelhouse. Who doesn't love a keyboard solo? I think a lot of people who don't know the original version will be thankful to Vista Blue for pointing them in the direction of an overlooked classic. Your holiday playlist is not complete without "Santa, Teach Me To Dance"! Track 2, "Kmart Christmas 1979," is literally a cover of a Kmart Christmas commercial from 1979. Obviously, this gives me nostalgic goosebumps since I was a '70s kid (although we were more of a Hills family). But it's also a reminder of a time when advertising was so much simpler. A department store could literally run an entire commercial just listing all the cool products it had available for purchase. I was watching the original commercial and admiring the craftmanship and musical professionalism that went into that jingle. In a strange way, Vista Blue's rendition is quite faithful to the original! Who remembers being able to buy records at Kmart? To finish up, "Why Is The Carpet All Wet, Todd?" is an original track the band recorded for a new compilation of songs about Christmas movies. As the title suggests, it's an homage to the Griswolds' villainous yuppie neighbors in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Suffice it to say, if you've never seen the movie, you won't get the song at all. There's a certain genius in revisiting an iconic line from a film and repeating it over and over. That is the genius of Vista Blue. Every year as I watch Christmas Vacation, I find myself impressed how the Margo and Todd scenes derive such idiotic laughs out of scathing social commentary. And now this song is making me laugh idiotically. Well done, gentlemen. Well done! 

Fans of Vista Blue's Christmas music ought to be reminded that Blue Christmas, a limited edition bootleg CD compilation of some of the band's seasonal favorites, has been placed into circulation by the nefarious but goodhearted Tiranasaurus Recs. A parcel from Albania containing this disc recently arrived in my mailbox, and I was pleased to find that Merkush selected some real winners. I especially enjoyed revisiting the Jingle All the Way themed "Nobody Wants Booster," the Home Alone inspired "I Made My Family Disappear," and the band's version of Paul "Fat Daddy" Johnson's Baltimore Christmas classic "Fat Daddy." None of these songs are new, but it's kind of cool to have them on one disc. Since I'm not in the business of sanctioning criminal activity, I'll just say that if you know what you need to do to acquire a copy of Blue Christmas, it will be well worth your effort. "Nobody Wants Booster" has risen to the level of being one of my favorite Vista Blue songs, period. 

Out of consideration for those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, morally object to jollity, or spend your days tormenting your hapless employee Bob Cratchit, I promise to limit myself to exactly four Christmas related reviews this month. I believe I have chosen wisely in granting We Practiced All Year Long one of those limited slots. And you bargain shoppers will like the price!

-L.R.  

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/we-practiced-all-year-long
https://open.spotify.com/album/3mgeuPx6rCZRUpKoaeEV5I
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/
https://www.instagram.com/wearevistablue/

The Black Halos - How The Darkness Doubled

For all intents and purposes, How The Darkness Doubled is the true follow-up to The Black Halos' classic 2001 release The Violent Years. Technically there have been a couple albums in between. But How The Darkness Doubled (out now on Stomp Records) finally reunites lead singer Billy Hopeless with original members Rich Jones and Jay Millette — using the album title that was originally planned for a third Black Halos album a couple decades ago. And while it's a music reviewer cliché to talk about "returns to form," there's just no denying that this album is a 100% triumphant return to form. The OG Halos, joined by new members John Kerns (The Age Of Electric) and Danni Action (ACIIDZ), have picked up where they left off 20+ years ago. How The Darkness Doubled is vintage Black Halos in every sense — an ass-kicking set of glam punk rock and roll rippers with hooks for days. 

The passing of time has only added more layers of grit to Billy Hopeless's signature vocal rasp. When that voice intersects with those melodic guitars and Jones' tuneful songs, it's an awesome thing to behold. The band sounds energized and inspired across these 12 tracks  — very few of which fail to get me thrusting my fist in the air and shouting along to the choruses. Few bands can pull off that "rock" side of '70s glam & punk like The Black Halos, and opening cut "A History of Violence" quickly affirms that these guys have still got it. That hook has been lodged in my skull for the past week! Whether you're craving big choruses ("Tenement Kids"), scorching rockers ("Uncommonwealth"), soaring anthems ("Better Days"), or pure punk rock adrenaline ("A Positive Note"), this album has got you covered. With lyrics grounded in life's harsh realities and bitter disappointments, these songs really benefit from the time that has passed since these guys last made a record together. "Better Days" offers solid life advice about never looking back. "All My Friends Are Like Drugs" is insightful and relatable. Originally released as a single two years ago, "Ain't No Good Time to Say Goodbye" is a powerful tribute to the late Chi Pig and one of the most profound songs about grief that you'll ever hear.  

Mixed by Dave Draper (The Wildhearts, The Professionals), How The Darkness Doubled sounds like a million bucks with its huge guitars and slick backing vocals. I'm not saying that I have lo-fi fatigue, but it's kind of nice to hear a punk rock band that's not afraid to rock. And with songs this good, who wouldn't want to sound massive? As the spiritual successor to The Violent Years, this album is everything you hoped for and then some. Longtime fans will not be disappointed. And even if you have never heard the band's first two albums, How The Darkness Doubled will make you want to. At a time when reboots and revivals almost always leave us wanting, The Black Halos are here to remind us that it doesn't have to be that way.

-L.R.

https://theblackhalos.bandcamp.com/album/how-the-darkness-doubled">
https://open.spotify.com/album/7cZROQgtUUPeqYaROhmL3u
https://www.instagram.com/theblackhalos/
https://www.facebook.com/TheBlackHalos
https://stomprecords.com/
https://www.instagram.com/stomprecords/
https://www.facebook.com/StompRecords/

Dany Laj & The Looks - "You Should Know"

Installments in the I-94 Recordings "Detroit covers B-sides" 7" series have been arriving regularly and impressively. Release #7 in the series comes from some great friends to this blog — Dany Laj & The Looks. I'm always excited about new music from Dany and Jeanette. "You Should Know" and "I'm So Glad" are their first new tracks in nearly a year and a half. Back when Ten Easy Pieces came out, I actually thought the Flyers had a Cup-contending team (take whatever time you need to cease laughing). Man, things can sure change in a hurry! But one thing that will never change is being able to rely on Dany Laj & The Looks to deliver the goods. Dany and Jeanette recorded this release with pals Anna and Mike Mernieks-Duffield. That makes this particular iteration of the band a collaboration of two couples, and you can feel that dynamic in the warmth of the title track. 

"You Should Know" is one of the most traditional rock and roll songs that Dany Laj & The Looks have ever done. It's a very simple song, yet it's executed wonderfully. Doo wop and girl group influences are front and center, and I'm also catching serious Buddy Holly vibes. Fine details such as the backing vocals and twangy guitar tone are immediately pleasing to the ear. But ultimately this song works because of its genuine sentiment and timeless melodies. What a catchy tune! It seems redundant to say that this is a terrific little pop song when this band is all about terrific pop songs. But I think you'll understand what I mean. Drop the needle on this track, and you'll be transported to the late '50s or early '60s. For the B-side, the Laj time machine stops off in 1967. The Detroit cover is essentially a cover of a cover. "I'm So Glad" was originally written and recorded by Delta bluesman Skip James in 1931. Detroit's The Scot Richard Case had a regional hit in '67 with a psychedelic rock version of the song. That recording was the inspiration for the B-side of this very record. Laj & The Looks definitely put their own twist on the song. But if I didn't know any better, I would think this track was actually recorded in the late '60s. It sounds that authentic to they heyday of psych rock. I'm usually very, very "meh" about the psych thing, but I can't deny that I'm impressed with this take on "I'm So Glad." It totally rocks, and the musicianship is out of this world. 

Most people have their story about the first fun thing they did when lockdown ended. Dany Laj and Jeanette Dowling hung out with a couple of dear friends and eventually had them come down to make a record in the middle of a May heatwave. And now we can all enjoy the fruits of those sessions! "You Should Know" is available now from the I-94 Recordings web site. As usual with this series, there are many different sleeve variations and vinyl colors to choose from. Quite a few are already sold out, so hop on over to the site and check out the tantalizing options that still remain. And look for Dany Laj & The Looks to be touring everywhere in 2023!

-L.R.

https://danylaj.bandcamp.com/album/you-should-know-im-so-glad
https://www.instagram.com/danylajandthelooks/
https://www.facebook.com/danylaj/
https://i-94recordings.com/collections/frontpage/products/dany-laj-the-looks-you-should-know-7-vinyl-single-i-94-019
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5P76mSOqbsmjpkw5GENs9J
https://www.facebook.com/I-94-Recordings-113204123938004