Kitten Forever - Pressure

Name: Kitten Forever
Album: Pressure
Year: 2013
Style: Punk, Riot Grrl, Post-Punk
Similar Bands: Bikini Kill, Gauche, French Vanilla, Miss Pussycat, Mika Miko
"One-Word" Review: empowering schoolyard punk
Based Out Of: Minneapolis, MN
Label: Guilt Ridden Pop

Cover & Back

Lyrics, Liner Notes, CD

Pressure (2013)

1. Get Loud 0:43
2. Cry Baby 1:44
3. Little Beasts 1:27
4. Rat Queen 1:50
5. Mission Statement 2:06
6. Blood Song 1:50
7. Famous Friends 1:31 (single)
8. Double Disco 1:28
9. Black Ice 2:20
10. Dirt Nap 2:08
11. Diamond Ring 1:20
12. Prey On 2:16
13. Pressure 2:00

Album Rating (1-10): 8.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Liz Elton - Bass, Vox
• Corrie Harrigan - Drum, Bass, Vox
• Laura Larson - Drum, Bass, Vox (Scrunchies, Baby Guts, Fetus Farm, Daisy's Compact Mice, Cadette, Regal Treats)
• Ali Jaafar - Recording, Mixing, Mastering

Unknown-ness: I've never heard of this band, but there are a lot of things going for it. There is a nice chaotic juxtaposition of the name Kitten Forever, with monster hand on the cover, holding a bouquet of flowers over a pink backdrop...seems like this will be some sunny pop-punk with a hard, biting edge. And with track lengths averaging 1:40, i fully expect some driving, harmonized cutesy punk.

Album Review: The tracks are pretty in your face, while embracing reverse sexist stereotypes to render them powerless. Lots of heavy bass and driving melodies with playful sing song chants, a little like Miss Pussycat. it is a short album, but even on repeat, it doesn't grow old or repetitive. Simple drum and bass instrumentation make the minimal punk songs sound thick.

Everything about this band should make them an easy 10 in my honestly flawed rating system. Three women playing feminist punk, knowledgeable about and consciously honoring the past that has opened the doors for them, while writing and playing short punk songs with a messages and view point that shouldn't be, but are still so important to share. The three leads take turns playing the bass drums and vocals, as their live shows report them to often trade during their sets. They've performed a full set of Beyoncé covers in their instrument trading punk style for a night of tributes to inspirational women . They even employ the use of a telephone as a microphone- one of the things that makes Mika Miko (the inspiration for their use) one of my all time favorite bands. I love the fuzzed feedback vocals and raw sound they play, so why can't i give it a 10? I guess the melodies are somewhat same-y so nothing jumps out as uniquely memorable. And I'd love to hear a sax added to their compositions. I do hope I get to see them some day when shows return, as i believe they are still together, and have read their live shows are very empowering and fun. 

Stand Out Track: Dirt Nap

Links:
Wiki

Discogs

bandcamp
facebook
first ave
Soundcloud
Imperfect Fifth
Rebellious Mag
Legacy NPR

Nylon

Reviler

Kit Kats (the) - It's Just A Matter of Time

Name: The Kit Kats
Album: It's Just A Matter of Time
Year: 1967
Style: Male Vocal Group, Baroque Rock
Similar Bands: Association, We Five, Turtles, Bachelors, Kingston Trio, Beach Boys, Herman's Hermits, Four Seasons, Zombies, Vogues
"One-Word" Review: Old Time Barbershop Vocalists with a wild side
Based Out Of: Philadelphia, Pa
Label: Jamie Records

Cover, Record

Record, Back

It's Just A Matter of Time (1967)

1. Let's Get Lost on a Country Road 2:25 (single)
2. Breezy 2:30 (single b-side)
3. Cotton Fields 2:33 (cover)
4. Liza-Jane 2:34
5. These Are a Few of My Favorite Things 2:20 (cover)
6. The Nut Rocker 2:00 (B Bumble & the Stingers cover) /
7. Funny How Love Can Be 2:05 (Carter-Lewis cover)
8. That's The Way 2:10 (single)
9. Sea of Love 3:05 (Phil Phillips cover, single)
10. Won't Find Better Than Me 2:45 (single)
11. You Got to Know 2:40 (single)
12. Cold Walls 2:20 (single)

Album Rating (1-10): 6.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Bob Finiz - Producer, Engineer
• C(K)arl Hausman - Rhythm & Vocal Arrangements, Vox, Keys (Chancellors, Roscoe & the Green Men)
• Richard Rome - Strings & Horn Arrangements (African Suite)
• Kit (Carson Wesley) Stewart - Vox, Drums
• John Bradley - Vox, Guitar (Chancellors)
• Ronnie Cichonski (Shane) - Bass
• Dom Romeo - Engineer
• Phil Macey - Engineer
• Max Bodden - Photos
• Tom Kennedy - Cover Design

Unknown-ness: Never heard of The Kit Kats. But they look like a generic Hermans Hermits, Monkees or Beatles band of the mid to late 60's. I can't imagine it being anything else than musicians for hire playing record label suit composed music, even if the bio on the back gives them credit as musicians playing the south-eastern chunk of PA and seashore resorts.

Album Review: Sometimes getting close to the harmonies of the Beach Boys, this packaged band that looks like it might be mod like the Beatles or Kinks has more in common with the Weavers, Bachelors and Kingston Trio, with barbershop harmony vocals and light, whispy songs. They even make "Favorite Things" sound like a monk's religious chant. At least that's on the A side of the record, or the "parent's side"...on B, they let their hair grow a little longer, and have punchier and more dance-able melodies (save "Cold Wall"). It is a much more mod song, with You Got to Know getting a little crazy, like a sugar filled toddler crashing.

They were local to the Philly area, especially at their start, but they played from Harrisburg to the shore (The Riptide in Wildwood). With local success making them enough money- more than they may have found had they broken out nationally, they stayed local, only chancing national success with "Country Road" reaching #119 on the billboard charts. They lasted 12 years however, 1962 - 1974, and had a name change to New Hope in 1969 (and at times, went by Pablo Ponce Four or the Tak Tiks). They were different and a cut above their competition, if only because they blended a lot of popular styles and played their own instruments. They reunited a handful of times in the tri-state area, and still will (as of 2015), but Kit Stewart passed away in 2001.

Stand Out Track: That's The Way

Links:
Wiki
Discogs
Allmusic
Spectropop
Cape May County Herald
Media Five Entertainment Archive
All But Forgotten Oldies

Kill-A-Watts - Circuit Breaker Love

Name: Kill-A-Watts
Album: Circuit Breaker Love
Year: 2005
Style: Punk
Similar Bands: Dark Thoughts, Tact, Butt Trumpet, Ramones
"One-Word" Review: Speedy Feedback
Based Out Of: Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Label: Rip Off Records

Cover

Back

Circuit Breaker Love (2005)

1. Pissin My Life 1:43
2. Circuit Breaker Love 2:11
3. Had Enough 1:31
4. Hangout Kids 1:33
5. Zipper Patience 0:59
6. Oh Cheesburger 2:08
7. Don't Like Me 2:30
8. Paranoid Baby 2:48 (Black Sabbath Cover)
9. Can't Stand the Midwest 1:16 (Dow Jones and the Industrials cover)
10. Guitar Shake 1:23
11. Messed Up 1:26
12. Transform-her 1:33

Album Rating (1-10): 9.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Tony Funk - Engineer, Mixing
• Poison Bambee - Artwork
• Pale Reject - Back Cover Art
• Mechadrum (Chad Matzen) - Drums (Monitors)
• Melissa Valdes - Vox, Bass 
• Ryan King - Guitar, Vox (Monitors, Plexi 3, Ramma Lamma, Sagger)

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band, but i'm 99.9% positive it is gonna be juvenile punk.

Album Review: Its fast, its furious, but there are no cars. Its just over 20 min long, as punk tends to be. Lots of feedback over three chords, and angry male and female vocals trade off for different songs, but they rarely overlap. This is their second of two LPS, which is a title taken with a grain of salt, because the first record is even shorter. It is pleasant, DIY, fuzzy & angsty punk-pop. My copy remains sealed, so since Bandcamp has the full album up & streaming, i did not see any reason to break the seal.

Stand Out Track: Had Enough

Links:
bandcamp
Discogs
spotify
allmusic
Rate Your Music
Razorcake
gullbuy

Steve Khan - Arrows

Name: Steve Khan
Album: Arrows
Year: 1979
Style: Jazz Fusion
Similar Bands: Brand X, Brecker Brothers Band
"One-Word" Review: Elevator Waiting Room 'Zac
Based Out Of: LA, CA
Label: Columbia, CBS,

Cover, Record

Back, Record

Arrows (1979)

1. City Suite 11:42
1. City Monster Pt 1 5:32
2. Dream City Pt 2 6:10
2. Candles 6:52 /
3. Daily Village 6:37
4. Some Arrows 5:45
5. Calling 6:23

Album Rating (1-10): 5.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Steve Khan - Composer, Electric Guitar, Producer, Mixing (Chantays, Friends of Distinction, Larry Coryell, Brecker Brothers, Ashford & Simpson, Rupert Holmes, Billy Joel, Steely Dan, Eyewtiness, Joe Zawinul's Weather Update, Caribbean Jazz Project, Atmospheres, Blood Sweat and Tears, Elements, Farberius, Flying Monkey Orchestra, Man Doki Soulmates, People, Steps Ahead, Mendoza/Mardin Project, NY All Stars, Players Association More)
• Michael Brecker - Sax (Black Light Orch, Bob Mintzer, Buddy Love, Don Grolnick, Dreams, Flying Monkey Orch, Hal Galper, Harris Simons, Harvie S & Eye Contact, Herbie Hancock, Man Doki Soulmates, Mke Mainieri, Mike Nock, People, Rainbow, Sax Summit, Stardrive, Steps Ahead, Brecker Brothers, NY All Stars, Players Assoc., SNL Band, White Elephant, Wolfgang Schalk Bandett, Ringo Starr, Roger Voudouris, Mongo Santamaria much more)
• Steve Gadd - Drums (Bill Watrous, Blicher Hemmer Gadd, Chuck Mangione, Clinque, David Matthews, Lalo Schifrin, Manhattan Jazz Quintet, Mike Mainieri, Rainbow, Return to Forever, Stardrive, Steps, Stuff, Superfriends, Boys from Rochester, Chick Corea, Clams, Family of Mann, Gadd Gang, Gaddabouts, NY All Stars, NY-LA Dream band, White Elephant much more)
• Don Grolnick - Organ, Keys (Dreams, Steps, Steps Ahead, Bob Mintzer, James Taylor, Brecker Bros., 10 Wheel Drive, Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, Harry Chapin, Barry Manilow, BJ Thomas, Cleo Laine, Melissa Manchester, more)
• David Sanborn - Alto Sax (Bob Mintzer, Gil Evans, Chaos Choir, Domenic Troiano, NY All Stars, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Players Association, SNL Band, Worlds's Most Dangerous Band, Paul Schaffer, Stevie Wonder, BB King, Todd Rundgrend more)
• Elliot Scheiner - Producer, Engineer, Mixing 
• Christine Martin - Production Coordinator
• Doug Epstein - Engineer
• Errol "Crusher" Bennett - Percussion (Michel Legrand & Co. Salsoul Orch, Melba Moore, Betty Davis, Bill Withers, Peaches & Herb more)
• Randy Brecker - Trumpet (Andy LaVerne, Art Blakey, Black Light Orch, Blood Sweat & Tears, Bob Mintzer, Child is Father to the Men, Chroma, CTI All Stars, Dalia Faitelson, Das Pferd, Dizzy Gillespie, Don Groinick, Duke Pearson, Farberius, GRP All Stars, Hal Galper, Harlem River Drive, Jaco Pastorius, Kerry Strayer, Loren Schoenberg, Man Doki Soulmates, Marc Copland, Mike Mainieri, Milky Way, Mingus Big Band, Mingus Dynasty, NY All Stars, Pond Life, Renolds Jazz Orch, Roif Kuhn, Ron McClure, Brecker BrosDavid Liebman, Domenic Troiano, Eleventh House, Fisher Fidelity Standard Rock Band, George Gruntz, Horace Silver,  Jack Wilkins, Jamie Baum, Jazz Composers Orch, White Elephant, Woody Witt so much more)
• Will Lee - Bass (Band Of Other Brothers, BFD, Bob Mintzer, Child is Father to the Men, Eric Doney, Flying Monkey Orch, Gary Burton. Hiram Billock, John Blackwell, Metro, Paul Shaffer, The 24th St Band, Gary Schreiner, Worlds Most Dangerous Band more)
• Rick Marotta - Drums (Brethren, Noght, Ronin, Yesca, James Taylor, Al Kooper, Warren Zevon, Yoko Ono, Don McLean, Hall & Oates  more)
• Jeff Mironov - Guitar (Flying Monkey Orch, Writers, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Rush, Gloria Gaynor, Richie Havens, Jimi Hendrix, Frankie Valli, Peter Nero, Gary Glitter, Ben E King more)
• Rob Mounsey - Synth (Flying Monkey Orch, Love Childs Afro Cuban Blues Band, Spyro Gyra, Carly Simon, Michael Franks, Donny Osmond, Aaron Neville, Roberta Flack  more)
• Jean-Michel Folon - Art

Unknown-ness: Never heard of Steve Khan. I like the artwork, reminds me of native american art with a lot of energy thanks to the arrows. My guess is this is overthought, conceptual new wave, but an act that had a good sound at the same time.

Album Review: So this is jazz fusion, akin to Brand X or many dentist office soundtracks or elevators, even. Maybe some 80's tv shows that never made it out of pilot status. Khan is recognized for his groundbreaking expertise in Latin Jazz Guitar work and received two Grammy nominations. He called this album the last attempt to keep the sound of fellow contributors, the Breker Brothers' band going.

Stand Out Track: Some Arrows

Links:
website
wikipedia
discogs
allmusic
all about jazz
the last miles: interview
vintage guitar
spotify album

Billy Karloff & The Extremes - Let Your Fingers Do the Talking

Name: Billy Karloff & The Extremes
Album: Let Your Fingers Do the Talking
Year: 1981
Style: Punk, New Wave
Similar Bands: Buzzcocks, Elton Motello, Andy McCarrol Band, Clash, Sex Pistols, Members
"One-Word" Review: Lip Sneering, Snotty  British Punk
Based Out Of: London UK
Label: Warner Bros

 Cover, Sleeve, Record

Back, Lyrics, Record

Let Your Fingers Do the Talking (1981)

1. Let Your Fingers Do the Talking 3:06
2. Encore 3:58
3. Moanin' - 4:06
4. Sloppy Song 3:23
5. Don't Keep Me Down 2:52
6. Here 3:41 /
7. Headbangers 2:54
8. Picture of You 4:42
9. It's Too Hot 3:56
10. Readers' Wives 4:52
11. I'll Be There 3:10

Album Rating (1-10): 9.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Billy Karloff - Vox (The Damned)
• Paul Jelliman - Lead Guitars
• Neil Hay - Rhythm, Acoustic Guitars, Vox
• Glen Buglass - Bass
• Dolphin Taylor - Drums, Vox (Go West, Sper of Destiny, Stiff Little Fingers, Tom Robinson Band)
• Johnny Sandlin - Producer, Engineer
• Steve Tillisch - Engineer
• David Pinkson - Engineer
• George Marino - Mastering
• Hipgnosis - Cover & Photography
• Chuck Leavell - Piano (Sea Level, Sundown, Allman Brothers Band, Rockets, Rolling Stones)
• Steve Nathan - Synth (Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Dobie Gray, 
• Rick Kurts - Acoustic Guitar

Unknown-ness: Never heard of  this band. But from the small ties on the back, and the pattenred clothing on the cover, I assume this will be some straight up New Wave, like Squeeze or maybe Cheap Trick.

Album Review: Billy Karloff (John Osborn) is a fresh breath of snotty punk, with a full, thick British accent and accompanying lip sneer. The lead guitars are lively power-pop, catchy-as-hell, and full of a very angsty, youthful energy. Don't Keep Me Down is like an updated Buddy Holly track, with as much oldie and rockabilly qualities to it as punk. Karloff died of throat cancer in 2003, but to much my surprise there is no Wikipedia page about him.

Stand Out Track: Let Your Fingers Do the Talking

Links:
Youtube
Discogs
facebook
Karloff & the Goats
Punky Gibbon
Memorial Gig
Bandcamp
allmusic
Rate Your Music

Kisses and Hugs - Positive Youth 1994!!!

Name: Kisses and Hugs

Album: Positive Youth 1994!!! (or) Nothing Has Changed

Year: 1994, 2002

Style: Scream-o, Hardcore, Death Metal

Similar Bands: Die Kreuzen, Bleed

"One-Word" Review: Attention Deficit Screaming Death.

Based Out Of: Allentown area, PA

Label: Raw Sugar, N=K Record Conglomerate

 Positive Youth 1994!!! - Cover & Record

 Positive Youth 1994!!! - Back & Record

Positive Youth 1994!!! (2002)

1. CIV Lied 0:34
2. Genital Ban 0:29
3. Bad Blood Is Not What It's Cracked Up To Be 0:42
4. Under the Rug 2:33
5. Holy Shit 0:19
6. Old Hag 0:29 /
7. Fuck You Speclogics 1:25
8. Misplaced Suicide Notes 1:35
9. Giveaway 2:54
10. Upper Half Skin Pride 3:01
11. Kiss Me, Kill Me 1:26
12. Why Do You Insist I Need College to Validate My Life, Fucker? 0:16

Album Rating (1-10): 4.5

Members & Other Bands:

Bob - Bass,Vox, Kazoo 

Dug Polgardy - Guitar, Vox, Mandolin, Sax (Burning Ambitions)

Chris Strunk- Drums (Burning Ambitions, Fate of Icarus, Crucial Unit, Heathen Shame)

Gina - Engineer

Matthew Berland - Cover Help

Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of this band. At least, I don’t remember hearing of this band, although I might have heard or even seen them at some point in my high school years. But probably not. It turns out that at least two of the members, were senior to my freshman in high school, and would have recorded this material a short time after their graduation. Funny thing is, I did not pick this record up at our local Q-Mart or other (non-existent) record store; I had to travel all the way down to New Orleans on vacation to find this in a dollar bin. It makes sense, because a quick read of the liner notes on the back explains how this was put out by a NOLA based label. Also explained on the label is that this is scream-o style music before that style was ever created to differentiate types of hardcore. So, sorry if you are reading this school mates, but I don’t predict that I’ll like it much, nor do I have a strong musical basis to compare and review this. So consider this a shoddy, naïve review to the genre and album at best.

Album Review: Let me just start out that this entire albums clocks in at right around 16 minutes. With many of the songs just screaming the lyrics you see written as the title, there is not much room to embellish this live listening review. I will cover most of the review here by saying it is loud, fuzzed out guitar and bass played under fast, sometimes unintelligible somewhat high pitched screaming. Anything different will be noted.

“CIV Lied” machine gun drums.
“Genital Ban” lyrics screamed in short burst segments.
“Bad Blood Is Not What It's Cracked Up To Be” two sets of vocals, second is deeper. This song is darker than straight scream-core.
“Under the Rug” has time breaks where, for 3 second pauses there is just bass playing a slow plodding melody. The pauses are longer toward the end, and a marching drum beat accompanies them. This is followed by a scream solo, and ends chaotically.
“Holy Shit” starts off with a nice build, and stops before it can even get started.
“Old Hag”

“Fuck You Speclogics” actually has the lyrics screamed in repetition in actual intelligibility. This is more death metal than scream-core.
“Misplaced Suicide Notes” has a slowed down stomping mid-section that is still full of energy, but is not as speedy as the start and end. This might have the most diversity per song length on the album.
“Giveaway” starts with a nice build and is a blend of screaming and growling. Intermixed with the screams are spoken word lyrics that punctuate the music with feedback pauses.
“Upper Half Skin Pride” is the longest track on the record, right around 3 minutes. The song is disjointed, made of sections and different time signatures, and it showcases more heavy hard core playing than the screaming vocals. Toward the end, there are electric waves of feedback that sound like light sabers.
“Kiss Me, Kill Me” is just relentless speed for about a minute and a half, with vocals that seem to tire themselves out. Then suddenly it breaks into a short mandolin section before throttling head first back into the speed.
“Why Do You Insist I Need College to Validate My Life, Fucker?” is a short, heavy stomp of just the title. The music does not even last as long as the lyrics.

Stand Out Track: Misplaced Suicide Notes
Why Do You Insist I Need College to Validate My Life, Fucker?

Links:

Interpunk

The Tartan

Zoom Info - Chris

Ride the Snake Records

Discogs

Melodig

Lehigh Valley Bands

Youtube: First 5 tracks

Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future

Name: Klaxons
Album: Myths of the Near Future
Year: 2007
Style: Indie Rock, New Rave, Brit-Pop
Similar Bands: Robbie Williams, Franz Ferdinand on Coke, Under the Influence of Giants, Blur, Jez Osborn (from Peep Show)
"One-Word" Review: Sound An Alarm Dance Pop

Based Out Of: London, England
Label: Geffen, Universal, EMI, Rinse

Myths of the Near Future - Cover, Back & Case Back

Myths of the Near Future - Liner Notes & CD Tray

Myths of the Near Future - Liner Notes / Lyrics & Insert

Myths of the Near Future - Liner Notes / Lyrics & Insert

Myths of the Near Future - Liner Notes / Lyrics

Myths of the Near Future - Liner Notes / Lyrics & CD

Myths of the Near Future - Liner Notes / Lyrics
Myths of the Near Future - Liner Notes / Lyrics

Myths of the Near Future(2007)

1. Two Receivers 4:20
2. Atlantis To Interzone 3:18
3. Golden Skans 2:47
4. Totem on the Timeline 2:43
5. As Above, So Below 3:57
6. Isle of Her 3:56
7. Gravity's Rainbow 2:39
8. Forgotten Works 3:27
9. Magick 3:32
10. It's Not Over Yet 3:37
11. Four Horsemen of 2012 2:18

Album Rating (1-10): 8.0

Members & Other Bands:

James Ford - Producer, Mixing, Drums

Jimmy Robertson - Engineering, Mixing

Nick Terry - Mixing
Ed Shackleton -Recording

Jamie Reynolds - Bass, Vox, Lyrics, Artwork

James Righton - Keys, Vox

Simon Taylor - Guitar, Vox, Lyrics, Artwork

Steffan Halperin - Drums

Tony Beard - Managment

Jazz Summers - Management

Unknown-ness: I had never heard of this band, but fromt he cover artwork, I get the image of The Liars. But with their futurestic name and album title, I foresee a more electronic direction for the album. I used to love the game Klax, and there is actuall an image in their collage artwork that reminds me of the tile stacking game, so perhaps there is more to the future electronic style than just their name & album.

Album Review: “Two Receivers” begins with an epic drum rhythm that phases into song. There is an anxious repetitive keyboard echoing like an alarm in the background of this otherwise average indie song with an upbeat, dancy tempo. The song does have many layers of simple sounds which create a mass of depth in the music as well as vocal layers. It is almost too much chaos.
“Atlantis To Interzone” begins with an obvious rave style. Even the words DJ are used. An alarm rings out on repeat along with a female soulful voice repeating Oh-Oh-Oh’s. This is the chorus. The song is a bit like Peep Show's genre mocking song by Jez "This is Outrageous." The verse is just fast indie pop played at dance beat speed. Like a sped up Franz Ferdinand. This would have been a fun song to dance to at a show. The verse is a catchy little section, and is fast, yet is still the break in the driving, anxious tempo. They even employ surf-guitars in the instrumental break.
“Golden Skans” takes us back to a Robbie Williams like introduction and basic pop song. The speed is still speedy and driving, but it is less neurotic as the previous songs.
“Totem on the Timeline” starts with a simple driving drum beat. Then an angular bass line is added and the vocals fall somewhere between Blurs bouncy fun and Franz Ferdinand’s cool guy lounge-singing. This could be the band’s equivalent to a footballer’s chant-along number.
“As Above, So Below” features a reverberating guitar in the beginning giving a jittery feeling to the song. The song is bold and has a loud distorted blast as its bridge between verse and chorus. Then the song clears free and marches on with the verse. The template repeats, making a very catchy song until the end. All the templates overlap creating the chaotic musical thickness.
“Isle of Her” has the feeling of two melodies sung in the round with minimal music in the background, just driving the song along. It is organic but it feels like the song never quite gets to the place it is driving toward.

“Gravity's Rainbow” starts out with a dark driving bass line. Then angular drums and guitars are added, and the vocals are a higher pitch harmonized chorus, akin to the Bee Gees. The melody is a fun little rollercoaster, easy and fun to follow. There are some electronic pulses and effects that make me think of Braniac, but it is nothing that chaotic and calculated. The song builds all the way to the end playing grand finale with layering the vocals on top of one another.
“Forgotten Works” feels like a disco song at the get go. It is informal disco, updated as many angular dance bands have done in the recent past. The chorus is a very sing-songy chant rolling down the musical scale repeatedly.
“Magick” continues the Rave-music feeling with a loud horn honking in beat and electronic hooks repeating to drive you crazy. Then dance-band drums and vocals begin and there is a bit of evil carnival in the sound coming off the keyboard. There is a stop start breakdown which functions as the chorus before the dancy verse comes back in unrelenting force. It’s like a shorter hook than “Sandstorm,” and not quite as catchy, but similar: All that with angular vocals included. The song builds at the end with guitars shredding, the vocals get more intense and the beat loudens until it just cuts off all together.
“It's Not Over Yet” begins with an annoying alarm sounding keyboard hook. That disappears as the vocals begin, but return to form the bridge between verse and chorus. This song has high pitch vocals like the band Under the Influence Of Giants uses. But the verse is light and somewhat wispy as it easily glides by. As the end winds down, it evolves into something that reminds me of the mystic music when The Goonies find the treasure.
“Four Horsemen of 2012” is a heavy spoken/megaphone shouted song that still has an alarm sounding rhythm but is absent of much musical accomplishment and is more like the band letting off steam or just burning calories. It is definitely a fireball of energy all used up at the end of the run.

Stand Out Track: "Totem on the Timeline"

Links:

Website
Wikipedia

Myspace
Last FM
Twitter
Allmusic
MTV2
Modular People

(the) Kingbees - s/t~ & The Big Rock*

Name: (the) Kingbees

Albums: s/t~, The Big Rock*
Years: 1980~, 1981*
Style: Rockabilly, Oldies, Roots Rock
Similar Bands: The Blasters, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stray Cats, Buddy Holly, Beatles, Elvis Presley & Chuck Berry, etc. The Wonders, Squeeze*

"One-Word" Review: upright bass pompadour

Based Out Of: Southern California
Label: RSO, Polygram

s/t~ - cover & record

s/t~ - back & record

The Big Rock* - Cover & Record

The Big Rock* - Back & Record

S/T (1980)~

1. Sweet, Sweet Girl to Me 2:21
2. My Mistake 2:49
3. Man Made for Love 3:52
4. No Respect 3:35
5. Fast Girls 1:58/
6. Shake-Bop 2:31
7. Once is Not Enough 2:27
8. Ting-A-Ling 2:28
9. Follow Your Heart 2:15
10. Everybody's Gone 5:13

The Big Rock (1981)*

1. The Big Rock 3:33
2. She Ain't My Baby 2:16
3. She Can't "Make-Up" Her Mind 2:39
4. How Can I Love You 3:27
5. Let Myself Go 2:13
6. Stick It Out! 2:30 /
7. Right Behind You Baby 2:22
8. Wishing 1:54
9. Boppin' The Blues 2:43
10. Burnin' The Town Tonight 2:11
11. The Ugly Truth 2:50
12. Rockin' My Life Away 3:52

Album Rating (1-10): 7.0~*

Members & Other Bands:
Mark Ettle - Engineer~*

Rich Fitzgerald - Producer~*

David J Holman - Engineer & Producer~*

Rex Roberts - Drums, Vox~*

Michael Rummans - Bass, Vox~*

Jamie James - Vox, Guitar~* (Bob Seger, DQ & The Sharks, Steppenwolf,

Bernie Grundman - Mastering~*
Glenn Ross - Art Direction & Design~*
Peter Martin - Cover Photo~*
Craig Dietz - Back Photo~
Ron Slenzak - Back Photos*
Tim Owens - Art Direction*

Unknown-ness: I've never heard of them. But from the big bold titles and black and white new wave / pop cover phots, I'd assume they were a garage revival of sorts, reminding me of the MC5 or even the A's. It is a blatent style of a band that carries with it a minimal but experienced image of not just playing the music, but being the music too, and knowing all about how to put on a show. The photos on the back of both albums only further support this image and idea.

Album Review: So this singer has also played with Steppenwolf as well as two actor/band projects with first Harry Dean Stanton and later, Dennis Quaid. The band The Kingbees were in the Dick Clark movie "The Idolmaker."

“Sweet, Sweet Girl to Me” begins exactly like any Wesley Willis song with the country-style bass. But the style over all is Buddy Holly / Roy Orbison country rock. Basically, rockabilly with a Beatles back beat drum section.

“My Mistake” begins with a bass line that reminds me of the B-52’s first album (as well as Midnight Oil “Beds are Burning” which also sounds just like Weezer’s “hashpipe” song). The singing has a simple songwriter vibe, but it is funneled through Chuck Berry guitar style.
“Man Made for Love” has an introduction section that is slow and building, like the foreword of a novel. Then the song launches into a basic honky tonk pub rock song with a fast bass line and dramatic breaks in the music to emphasize and punctuate each verse. This song for some reason reminded me of Soul Asylum, but I can’t really figure out why. It ends with a nice slowed down version of the main hook.
“No Respect” has the first few bass notes that make me think that the song “On Broadway” is going to start next. Then the rockabilly guitar is added and it is definitely not the same song, although the bass line never wavers, and the guitar even mimics the familiar hook. The vocals are given a little more leniency and waver more nervously than before, which is a nice touch. The end of the song is a repetition of the title that reminds me of Elvis Costello, specifically “Accidents Will Happen’s” ending.
“Fast Girls” borders on punk with its speed and nervousness of lyrics. But the instrumentation and tone of the vocals is decidedly rockabilly. And there is more vocal play in the repetitive uttering of the title, similar to “No Respect”, but done much better.

“Shake-Bop” feels like an early Beatles song done in a country western style thanks to its the guitar and bass production. It is a solid song with time changes, two or three sections tied together seamlessly. But it makes the weakest of the hooks the most repetitive. This was a popular style where a nonsense word phrase becomes a title only meaningful in the energy it generates.
“Once is Not Enough” is another simple song that feels like it is composed of two sections from songs we’ve already visited on this album. The one difference is that the main guitar is tuned to a Beach Boys style, even if the vocals are more nervous and jittery, something akin to rockabilly.
“Ting-A-Ling” is a slow Elvis Presley style song (mixed with Buddy Holly, who is the song's author) with wavering vocals and the theme of how love affects the heart. For the most part this is a slow country rock song
“Follow Your Heart” starts with a near perfect parody of early Beatles, then the song simplifies itself and the song becomes much more like a Chuck Berry song, thinking “Maybellene” or “Sweet Little 16.” That is not trying ignore the similarities in the two mentioned artists.
“Everybody's Gone” ends the album nicely with one final dance/jumping number, which is also themed with an empty party. This has a real good “My Aim Is True” - Elvis Costello feel to it, but lacks the refine nature Elvis has with his singing style and meaningful, emotional lyrics. There is a long drum instrumental section in the song around the 2 min marker, which extends into a jam section with each instrument taking a turn. It comes back in about 2 minutes later with vocals declaring that he wants to rock & roll. Now this is something I never quite grew attached to: songs that reference the style of music they are trying to portray. It just seems too obvious.

“The Big Rock” starts off the second album with a surf rock bass line. It is more of the same Rockabilly and Roots rock mixed with a little surf and all oldies rock and roll influenced. Again, the singer is asking for a little rock and roll, which still seems like he’s out of ideas of what to sing about. But maybe it is OK here, because this whole song is about big rock songs.
“She Ain't My Baby” picks up more of a surf rock feel at the outset. And in this song, he says about rocking away blues. More music genre dropping. I like the chorus of this song. It breaks the mold that the verse sets, and quiets it down a little while bringing a nervous attention.
“She Can't "Make-Up" Her Mind” is a quick sung skiffle song that has the momentum and rhythm of a train. It is minimal, and a little quiet, but it prepares the listener that it might explode at any moment. The musical break is highlighted with the rockabilly guitar that quiets down for the lyrics to return.
“How Can I Love You” reminds me of a slow Squeeze song. In fact, the songwriting here reminds me a lot of Glenn Tillbrook. This is generally a slower song, not a dance number, but definitely not a slow dance either.
"Let Myself Go” feels like a second Squeeze song, but this one is much more fun and rooted more in the classic rock and roll. The rockabilly guitar is discarded for a much more mainstream pop rock guitar. And the end of the song features a chorus of echoing voices in the background and hand claps.
“Stick It Out!” begins with a rolling drum and a surf bass beat, with a return to the rockabilly style. This song has too short of a repetitive hook for my taste, and I am not a fan of the way he plays with the vocals when he gets room to let loose. It sounds tired and a little forced

“Right Behind You Baby” is straight up oldies rock with a lot of accented breaks in the verse, and a rolling melodic bridge right into the chorus. The production gives it a little more oomph than the original style, but the genre is represented very authentically here.
“Wishing” continues with the authentic oldies style of a love ballad (written by Buddy Holly). This song reminds me of the Beatles “Michelle”, especially with the way they say “wishing,” it almost mimics “Michelle” exactly.
“Boppin' The Blues” could only be defined as pub rockabilly. It is a straight up bar song, talking about the music genre and how people dance to it. The end of the song sings “rhythm and blues,” kinda ironically, to the exact rhytm and blues style it sings about.
“Burnin' The Town Tonight” follows up very well carrying authentic pub rockabilly through on this album. It features an all over the place, rollercoaster bass line and the specific style of rockabilly electric guitar both of which drive the song on.
“The Ugly Truth” strays away from pub rock with harmonized vocals in the chorus and a less grimy and more poppy beat. The way he sings the title in the chorus reminds me of Matthew Sweet’s song of the same name. It is a song that has three distinct sections that could repeat interlocking ad infinitum.
“Rockin' My Life Away” is the perfect ending song, summarizing what the band is about. It is not too much in any one genre, but it displays characteristics of each. Its not a pub rock song, but it could be. It is not a rockabilly song, but it could be. It is not a surf song, but…etc. It is a straightforward, driving pop song with a variety of influences and production elements to cover all the bases.

Stand Out Tracks: "Fast Girls" ~

"Let Myself Go"*

Links:

Allmusic

Wikipedia for Jamie James

JJ's website
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Albert King - I Wanna Get Funky

Name: Albert King
Album: I Wanna Get Funky
Year: 1974
Style: Funky Blues
Similar Artists: B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix,
"One Word" Review: Sexy-Smokey-Smooth
Based Out Of: Forrest City, AR
Label: Stax

I Wanna Get Funky - Cover & Record

I Wanna Get Funky - Back & Record

I Wanna Get Funky (1974)

1. I Wanna Get Funky 4:08
2. Playing On Me 3:25
3. Walk the Back Streets and Crying 6:28
4. 'Til My Back Ain't got No Bone 7:32 /
5. Flat Tire 4:43
6. I Can't Hear Nothing but The Blues 4:16
7. Travelin' Man 2:52
8. Crosscut Saw 7:45
9. That's What the Blues Is All About 3:56

Album Rating (1-10): 6.0

Members & Other Bands:
Albert King- Vox, Guitar

The Bar-Kays - Rhythm

The Movement - Rhythm

Amy Donald Kenzie - Rhythm, Guitar

Memphis Horns - Horns

Memphis Symphony Orchestra - Strings

Hot Buttered Soul - Backing Vox

Henry Bush - Backing Vox, Producer, Arranger, Engineer

Allen Jones - Producer, Arranger, Engineer

Lester Snell - Arranger

Dale Warren - Arranger

William Brown - Engineer

Robert Jackson - Engineer

Daryl Williams - Engineer

Davis Fried Krieger, INC - Art Direction

Larry Shaw - Creative Direction

Ron Gordon - Creative Direction

Maldwin Hamlin - Photography

Unknown-ness: I had never heard of him before. from the cover and obvious assumtion thanks to the title, I'm assuming this is gonna be something funky, akin to Isaac Hays. The smokey photo also give me the impression of something authentic, something that is relaxed and professional. Even if the back looks like a Barry White cover, I imagine it to be a little more complex.

Album Review: “I Wanna Get Funky” begins with an organ I associate with Tom Waits. And a sad electric guitar and a horn section are added to the front & background. Vocals begin that sound a bit like Hendrix, smooth, melodic and they carry a heavy burden of blues. Even as the song proclaims the desire to be funky, the style and sentiment in the song is a struggle that the singer is comfortable with. This is a nice, dark alley song to start off a blues-funk record.
“Playing on Me” is a bit more upbeat, with the same electric guitar that sings with distinct notes rather than playing a melody. The jazzy horns and funky bass bring a pleasant danceable groove.
“Walk the Back Streets and Crying” is another sorrowful head down, slack arms dragging, sad blues story-number. It is slow and calculated.
“Til My Back Ain't got No Bone” has a slow and quiet start, the only really audible thing is the steady 3rd count kick drum. Everything else: the vocals, bass and guitar, are hushed. The vocals are spoken when audible, and they sound to be one side of a phone conversation. Then about 3:45 singing commences, and the funky bass is paired up with a piano, and the pub style song really begins. The horns push along the melody, and become the main driving force along side the electric guitar.

“Flat Tire” features vocals that are somewhere between Barry White and Isaac Hayes. The song features wakka-wakka guitars, and a chorus of female vocals in the background. This is more soulful funky than anything else on the album, and the horns are treated like a disco hook. Again, half of the lyrics are spoken over the song rather than sung.
“I Can't Hear Nothing but The Blues” is really a positive outlook on misery. Where you’d think a title like this one’s would demand a sad, sorrowful song, this is brightly proud and bold. Its not fast or over enthusiastic, but it has a confidence, like in “I Wanna Get Funky” where the singer is content with his situation.
“Travelin' Man” has a fast flourish in the beginning before settling into a slinky groove full of upbeat horns and yes, funky bass and organ. This short number is a great dictionary definition of a bar room blues number.
“Crosscut Saw” is fun and upbeat. It takes time out from the blues verse to suspend vocals to let the guitar sing out the chorus. The bass groove is a continuous hook that could repeat forever. There is a break in the song to allow the singer to break verse and speak to the “audience” before transitioning back into the guitar and song, as if it were a live experience. The jamming continues on, bass never faltering, electric guitar never stopping, and the marching drum beat pounds on until fade out.
“That's What the Blues Is All About” starts with the horns, making the song feel like it will be a Motown classic. And this too is a very un-blues-like blues song with very funky and upbeat (but I guess that should be expected, via to the title). At the songs middle, the short instrumental section is highlighted with the electric guitar pumped up to a piercing volume in comparison to the rest of the instruments.

Stand Out Track: Playing on Me

Links:
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Wiki
Cascade Blues Assoc.
Stax
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Greg Kihn - Greg Kihn Again

Artist: Greg Kihn
Album: Greg Kihn Again
Year: 1977
Style: Power Pop
Similar Bands: Buddy Holly, Kinks, Big Star, Steve Forbert, Dave Edmunds,
"One Word" Review: Earnest-Songwriter-Pop
Based Out Of: Baltimore, MD
Label: Beserkley, CBS

Greg Kihn Again - Cover & Record

Greg Kihn Again - Back & Record

Greg Kihn Again (1977)

1. Love's Made A Fool of You 2:44
2. Island 2:38
3. Last Of Me 4:48
4. Real Big Man 5:02
5. Politics 4:20 /
6. Hurt So Bad 4:45
7. For You 3:57
8. If You Be My Love 2:50
9. Madison Avenue 4:49
10. Untie My Hands 3:16

Album Rating (1-10): 7.5

Members & Other Bands:

Greg Kihn - Guitar, Vox
Dave Carpenter - Guitar, Vox
Larry Lynch - Drums, Vox
Stephen Wright - Bass, Vox (Fiat Lux)
Matthew King Kaufman - Producer
Glen Kolotkin - Producer, Knobs, Dials, Switches
Gary Phillips - Producer
Tom Lubin - Engineer
P. Brown - Mastering
Flashing Neon - LP Concept
PIGment Fate - Mask
J. Seabury - Assistant Mask
John Jensen - Cover Photo
Moshe Brakha - Back Photo
J. Blodgett - LP Coordination
J. Ingber - Stylist
K. Turtle - Stylist

Unknown-ness: I've never heard of this band. The cover looks silly, the back band photo looks like they are having lots of fun, so I figured this would be a nonsense, easy going pop song album full of singer songwriter fun. But I sense there might be some pretentiousness since the main guy uses his name as part of the album title. You have to be pretty stuck on yourself to use your name as both the act and the title.

Album Review: “Love's Made A Fool of You” is a Buddy Holly styled song, with deeper vocals and an electric guitar. And it has the start/stop rhythm of the song “I Want Candy.” (funny thing is, it is a Buddy Holly cover)
“Island” as a ska adaptation that feels like it could be an Elvis Costello song, but it is even more faithful to the reggae/ska style. It is smooth and feels like it belongs right there at an island themed chain restaurant.
“Last Of Me” begins slow, and feels like it could continue with an island theme with its choice of keyboards sound. But this is just a slow-dance ballad. I’m getting the image of an Eric Clapton number or perhaps nicer put, the Kinks.
“Real Big Man” is a smooth AOR, power pop number: similar to Big Star, but not quite as unique. As the song progresses, it leaves the gentle smooth style, and starts to become more mid-western pop rock, like Mellencamp or even a little like the A’s.
“Politics” has a driving, marching beat that reminds me of James K. Polk by TMBG. The melody is nice, in a sweet, earnest way. I keep feeling like the song is going to break into Van Morrison’s “Wild Night”

“Hurt So Bad” begins with a whiny heart broken electric guitar. Then the song becomes more than a ballad, and evolves into a Kinks-like pop song. After a chorus of sing a long repetition of hurt so bad, the song revisits the intro weepy guitar. But it quickly returns back to the catchy pop number
“For You” reminds me of Bob Dylan, as it is a story song where the lyrics don’t necessarily match up with the music (at least in the beginning). He dips his vocals from nasally balladeer and dips them, when necessary, deeper down in range, giving a broad nice and unpredictable delivery. The song knows its strongest hook in the chorus, and in two sections, strips the repeating chorus with down to the simplified hook during last minute of the song.
“If You Be My Love” is a thoughtful ballad, where it is not just a slow dance, it is of slow but melodic pace with a few slightly faster sections. It again falls in the category of near southern style AOR rock.
“Madison Avenue” follows up with a songwriter’s pop song that reminds me of Tom Petty. The only exception is the harmonized mass-vocal chorus. It is nearly magical in its sound, perhaps a little psychedelic.
“Untie My Hands” continues with the new age psychedelic vibe thanks to its prevalent bass and electric guitar mash up and progressive melody. This instrumental track is defiantly very structured, in an unexpected way. I would have thought that an instrumental track would have been a jam, but this calculated track has a definite Prog vibe.

Stand Out Track: Love's Made A Fool Of You

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Kaveret - Poogy Tales

Name: Kaveret
Album: Poogy Tales
Year: 1973
Style: Israeli-Prog
Similar Bands: Traditional Klezmer, The Who, Bee Gees, Yes, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Charlie Daniels Band, Ween
"One-Word" Review: Klezmer-Prog
Based Out Of: Tel Aviv, Israel
Label: Hed-Arzi,

Poogy Tales: Cover & Record
Poogy Tales: Back & Record

Poogy Tales (1973)

1. Poogy Tales 0.51
2. The Grocery Store 3:43
3. The Cold Shoulder 3:09
4. Self Service 2:43
5. Things Could Be Better 3:10
6. In Spite of Everything 7:00 /
7. The Crux of the Matter 2:45
8. The People in the Closet 2:00
9. We Didn't Know What to Do 2:18
10. Joseph What's Happening 2:54
11. Abulterous Boots 4:15
12. It's Been Nice 4:44
13. Yo Ya 3:56

Album Rating (1-10): 9.0

Members & Other Bands:Danny Sanderson - Lead Vox, Guitar (Gazoz, Doda)
Gidi Gov - Lead Vox, Guitar, Flute, Percussion (Gazoz, Doda)
Yitzhak "Churchill" Klepter - Vox, Guitar
Alon Olearczyk - Vox, Bass
Efraim Shamir - Vox, Guitar, Harmonica, Keys
Meir "Poogy" Fenigstein -Vox, Drums, Percussion
Yoni Rechter - Vox, Keys

Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of these guys. But I saw the record in a thrift store pile, and usual thrift store records that are written in Hebrew end up being a traditional/generic Israeli folk music compilation. , But the artwork and band pictures here made it look more like a real band from Israel. This I was eager to see and hear, since most of my favorite music has Eastern European influence.

Album Review: They are called the Israeli Beatles, as per their popularity in Israel. They are on record for playing to a huge crowd consisting of 1/6th of the entire Israeli population.
“Poogy Tales” starts the album with an upbeat sing along in Hebrew for 50 seconds, it encompasses their style folk-prog with a great example of their keyboard sound.
“The Grocery Store” has a continuous loop of a keyboard played that sounds like what would become new wave. The repetitive choruses are very traditional in their flow and melody. There is a softer sweeping bee-gee’s ish transition into the instrumental section of mainly keys. Right after the spoken Hebrew section of the song leads into a repetitive chant, the background here sounds like the Doors.
“The Cold Shoulder” begins with a slide guitar and leads into a style of a very light AOR ballad. It is very smooth and AM radio friendly. I could see Ween covering this, at least in their La Cucaracha direction.
“Self Service” is a very catchy pop song with a slight undertone of the prog feel, mainly in the guitar accents and the production of the vocals. It features an off beat rhythm and some great hooks. It is a non-stop song that features very little non-vocal downtime.
“Things Could Be Better” begins with a chorus of Bee-Gee’s like Oooo’s and is very new-agey and spiritual in its sweeping production.
“In Spite of Everything” starts with electric guitar played in a harmonic and traditional sound. But at the same time it is very progressive in its fast play, rolling melody, and time changes. After about a minute and a half, the vocals begin, continuing the prog style and lifting it up to an anthemic level akin to Kiss’s “God Gave Rock N’ Roll to You” but in a folky style. That powerful vocal melody continues over top of the intricate guitar playing. At one point, the chorus is sung in the round. The song features long instrumental sections, like it were a jam-band song.

“The Crux of the Matter” right away with the high voice and the style of bouncy keyboard remind me of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci (GZM). The melody is similar too. Different voices take turns singing lines, and the chorus is all the vocals harmonizing together. It is another very catchy melody.
“The People in the Closet” is spoken in Hebrew, in which the reciter tells a tale live as the audience listens and laughs along.
“We Didn't Know What To Do” reminds me again of a very folky, almost psychedelic GZM song without as much eccentricity in the vocals. It is a very pretty flowing ballad, very Beatles-like too.
“Joseph What's Happening” is an instrumental begins with a marching/driving cymbal and tambourine beat. Then prog guitars are added to it, sounding almost Celtic. Then an almost boogie-woogie piano comes in for a stretch, replaced by a slide guitar. All the while maintaining a “Devil Went Down To Georgia” sound.
“Abulterous Boots” is perhaps the most traditional of the songs. It has an oompa klezmer bass beat, which is couples with the piano, and some fun time changes and dramatic pauses. This is supposedly their first big “hit” within Israel. And it is supposedly very comedic as well, if only I knew Hebrew.
“It’s Been Nice” begins with an island sounding guitar, and it strolls along very slowly, a lilting ballad pushed on with a dramatic piano melody. It too has the bold, powerful, anthemic effect that “In Spite Of Everything” has. All the vocals blend together in one harmonic voice. And a rocking Harrison/Clapton electric guitar carries the song out to the end.
“Yo Ya” brings the rocking electric guitar back right at the get go. It then becomes a rushed frantic new wave song. Perhaps it is a bit of a combination of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” (with more classic rock guitar and less percussive beat) and Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.” The end of the song features a percussive and instrumental breakdown before it comes back in for repetition of the original electric guitar hook. It is a fun way to end an otherwise exciting and solid album.

Stand Out Track: The Grocery Store(Shir Hamakolet)

Self Service (Sherut Atsmi)

Links:
Wiki

Unofficial Archive
Danny's Site (in Hebrew)

Gidi on IMDB

Meir's Israel Film Festival
Discography
Facebook Page
Haaretz Article

allmusic

Prog not Frog review

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Kara's Flowers - The Fourth World

Name: Kara's Flowers
Album: The Fourth World
Year: 1997
Style: Radio Pop
Similar Bands: Maroon 5, Weezer, Fountains of Wayne
"One-Word" Review: Many-Holds-Barred-Pop

Based Out Of: Los Angeles, CA
Label: Reprise, Time Warner, WEA International

The Fourth World - Cover, Liner Photos, CD, CD Inlay

The Fourth World - Back, Liner Photos & Notes

The Fourth World (1997)

1. Soap Disco 2:40
2. Future Kid 4:44
3. Myself 3:05
4. Oliver 2:38
5. The Never Saga 3:58
6. Loving the Small Time 3:32
7. To Her, With Love 2:52
8. Sleepy Windbreaker 3:05
9. Panty Queen 3:46
10. My Ocean Blue 3:11
11. Captain Splendid 5:59

Album Rating (1-10): 6.5

Members & Other Bands:

Rob Cavallo - Producer (Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls, Michelle Branch)

Jerry Finn - Mixing, Engineering Mickey Madden - Bass (Maroon 5)

Jesse Carmichael - Guitar, Vox (Maroon 5)

Ryan Dusick - Drums, Percussion (Maroon 5)

Adam Levine - Vox, Guitar (Maroon 5)

Ken Allardyce - Engineering

Steve Howard - Engineering

Mark Agostino - Second Engineer

Billy Bowers - Second Engineer

Tony Flores - Second Engineer

Barry Goldberg - Second Engineer

Brandon Harris - Second Engineer

Bill Kinsley - Second Engineer

Josh Srebalus - Second Engineer

Mike "Sack" Fasano - Drum Tech

Mike "Micro" Shaw - Guitar Tech

Adam Day - Guitar Tech

Bob Ludwig - Mastering

David Campbell- String & Horn Arrangement

Roger Manning Jr - Keys

Cheryl Jenets - A&R Coordination

Katherine Delaney - Layout

Noah Gershman - Photography

Unknown-ness: I don’t really remember if I had heard of these guys before I bought the album. I got it from a clearance bin at a local record shop back in 1998 which let you listen to the CDs. I got this via my usual chain of events of looking through the bins for CDs that looked interesting, listened to them, and then I bought the best ones (3 for $8). Of course I could have heard one of their songs and then saw the name in the bin too. All I know is that I don’t know why I bought it, and I could not tell you one bit about this album’s sound. The packaging and artwork makes me think of Fountains of Wayne: primary color head shots of the band in suits, and on the back, the band in shadow atop of what appears to be a stadium. Looks good enough, but I’m really basing this on the fact that I must have listened to it and liked it enough to buy it. We’ll see if my listening prowess from over 13 years ago still holds true.

Album Review: Little did I know that this band would become the easy-to-hate Maroon 5. But I must have liked it for some reason…perhaps it is because Roger Manning Jr. plays keys on this, the same Roger Manning from Jellyfish (who apparently frequently works with this album’s mixing & engineering guy Jerry Finn) who I have loved since 1991.
“Soap Disco” was their “single.” And right off the bat, it sounds like Weezer with the catchy harmonic melodies of Fountains of Wayne. The vocals are harmonies and layered in the chorus, and the rest of the song has fuzz, but it is at a very anticipated and controlled level.
“Future Kid” begins at a quieter pace, a slow and reserved ballad that explodes with a pop version of shoe gazing fuzz and drone. But they do not sacrifice the harmonies and melody. The song has a light fakeness to it, where the mood and tone set feels superficial or hollow.
“Myself” has an unusual start-stop melody for the verse, and the chorus builds with harmonized vocals supporting the lead with la-la’s Again, like Fountains of Wayne combined with some green album Weezer.
“Oliver” drives and builds from the get go. It is a very fun pop song. Like an oldie in style sped up a bit and filtered through pop-punk mentality. Then the music backs away for a short, harmonizing show-tuneish section repeating “Oliver.”
“The Never Saga” is built as a complex, layered pop song. On one hand you have crunching guitars and grungy production. But the harmonies and light vocals give the image of a wimpy boy band. And added in the background is an orchestra of strings. The song then transitions into mostly clean and smooth production. And the orchestra takes a bigger, bolder part in the song.
“Loving the Small Time” is a trendy pop song, complete with non threatening vocals and continuous driving beat that give it a false perception that they might be a pop-punk band. It sounds generic, and if I knew what band it sounds like, I could not pick it out from a crowd of radio pop bands.

“To Her, With Love” is a lonely acoustic ballad, sounding a little like a slowed down “More Than Words.” Strings are added in the background to enhance the romance, but the song stays true to its style all the way through.
“Sleepy Windbreaker” becomes a pop song after 30 seconds of quiet, near empty space. Then it is a straightforward driving pop song without any hint of pop/punk elements and lots of harmonies, which even seem to be in overkill usage here.
“Panty Queen” has a slow beginning, but there is a chance that the song could take off. And when it does, it is a cocky, over aggressive melody. And then as if the song knows this, it backs off a bit. The melody reminds me of the verse in the cranberries’ song “linger.” By now, the vocals have become annoying in their pathetic-ness.
“My Ocean Blue” breaks tradition and is more like a sublime song, at least in the beginning, in the verse. The vocals sound like they are slightly echoing, and the guitar has the care free Sublime bounce to it. There is no fake edginess here though; this band leaves its nonthreatening poppiness clear for all to see.
“Captain Splendid” picks up without a break using the buoyant sailboat theme music as its basis. It is quiet and drifting. It gradually transitions to the feeling of being on a carousel in slow motion. There is a little likeness to Blur in the verse melody. Around 4:10, heavy carnival theme guitars pick up the slack, not deterring from the melody, just increasing its power and potency. The energy burns itself out, and the acoustic guitar ends things with a slowed up melody that winds down.

Standout Track: Soap Disco

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