Pugwash Collection

The Skinny :

Using the money from a compensation award following a childhood accident, Irish born Thomas Walsh set up a recording facility in a shed in his parents' garden. In the early 1990s, Walsh adopted Pugwash as a stage name and began recording some 150 demos to 4 track and, in 1995, one of those was named Demo of the Year by Irish zine Hot Press. In 1997 he signed a record deal with the now defunct V矇lo Records and in 1999 released debut album Almond Tea. Within four weeks of its release it had been placed at No 23 in a list of the top albums of the millennium in Hot Press. In 2002, Pugwash released second album Almanac featuring contributions from collaborator Jason Falkner. Almanac was another collection of similarly melodic and retro-styled songs which invited comparisons to classic 1960s and 1970s pop. The record caught the ear of Andy Partridge, who would go on to name the single "Apples" as the most exciting track he had heard that year. In 2003, they returned to the studio to record a follow-up to Almanac and was involved with the setting up of 1969 Records with Daragh Bohan. The label would go on to release the next two Pugwash albums.
The recording of Pugwash's third album Jollity began after Walsh contacted Dave Gregory of XTC through a friend to ask Gregory to write some string arrangements. Impressed with the demos, Gregory readily agreed. After recording at Abbey Road Studios, Gregory introduced Walsh to Andy Partridge, following which Partridge went on to co-write the song "Anchor" with Walsh. Jollity was released on 1969 Records in Ireland on September 23, 2005 and was met with numerous glowing reviews.
Walsh announced he had started recording the follow-up to Jollity in May 2007. Later that month he revealed the working title of the record was 11 Modern Antiquities. The record was released on March 23 featuring contributions from Jason Falkner, Dave Gregory, Brian Wilson collaborator Nelson Bragg, Michael Penn and Andy Partridge. Partridge also co-wrote two of the tracks, "My Genius" and "At the Sea". Eleven Modern Antiquities was once again met with acclaim by critics. In January 2009, it was announced that Pugwash had signed a five-year deal with Partridge's Ape House label. The band's first release on Ape House was the compilation album Giddy, a collection of songs from Pugwash's four studio albums as selected by Partridge.

The new record, The Olympus Sound was released in August, 2011.

For what it's worth, Thomas Walsh is the real deal. If you can find their records, buy them. All of them.

RIYL : latter day XTC, Zombies, Beach Boys, harmonies a-gogo, melodies, superb songwriting and all the craft one would want in three minutes.

01. The Season of Flowers & Leaves
02. Apples
03. It's Nice to Be Nice
04. My Genius
05. Answers On a Postcard
06. Monorail
07. Fall Down
08. Cluster Bomb
09. Sunrise Sunset
10. Take Me Away
11. At The Sea
12. I Don't Like It But I Gotta Do It
13. Anyone Who Asks
14. Finer Things In Like  
15. Two Wrongs
16. Following Down
17. Song For You
18. Everything We Need
19. Keep Movin On
20. Anchor
 
The Olympus Sound (2011)   5-7-12
Eleven Modern Antiquities (2008)   4-8-10-11-17
Jollity (2005)   3-20
Almanac (2002)  1-2-6-9-13-16-18-19
Almond Tea (1999)  14-15
 
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Boston Spaceships Collection

With the new Boston Spaceships record, Let it Beard set to drop on August 1st, I've taken it upon my self to create an opener, an appetizer if you will of the Boston Spaceships back catalogue. It's pure rock n roll. Play it again & again & again.

Everything I've read about the new record is summed up perfectly here :

"Let's begin with a bold and yet entirely defensible premise: The new Boston Spaceships double album, Let It Beard, is the most ambitious, varied, sprawling — and yet entirely coherent— record that Robert Pollard has made in his entire career".

01 The Comedian
02 How Wrong You Are
03 Heavy Crown
04 Come On Baby Grace
05 Question Girl All Right
06 Canned Food Demons
07 Let It Rest For A Little While
08 Radical Amazement
09 Queen Of Stormy Weather
10 Meddle
11 Exploding Anthills
12 Winston's Atomic Bird
13 Go For The Exit
14 Freedom Rings
15 A Good Circuitry Soldier

File removed by request

#1-2-5-7-8-10-11-15 - Zero To 99
#3-6-9 - Planets Are Blasted
#4-14 - Our Cubehouse Rocks
#12-13 - Brown Submarine

Richard Buckner Collection

After a five year wait, the new record from Richard Buckner, Our Blood is set to drop on August 2nd via Merge Records. As a result, I thought it high time to post a collection from a highly regarded songwriter and certainly one of the finest lyricists to ever grace a groove. Enjoy!

Goner With A Souvenir
Lil Wallet Picture
The Ocean Cliff Clearing
Faithful Shooter
Ariel Ramirez
4am
Jewelbomb
When Love Is Gone
Julia Miller
Fater
Town
Blue & Wonder
Born Into Giving It Up
A Chance Counsel
Firsts
A Goodbye Rye
Do You Want To Go Somewhere
Coursed
Put On What You Wanna
...& The Clouds've Lied
Emily Sparks
Boys, The Night Will Bury You
The Tether and The Tie
Song of 27
The Last Ride
Once

+++

#1,3,4,5,7,18,22,26 - Since (1998)
#2,6,10,16,24 - Devotion & Doubt (1997)
#9,21 - The Hill (2000)
#11,23 - Meadow (2006)
#13,19,20 - Impasse (2002)
#12,25 - Bloomed (1995)
#14,15 - Dents & Shells (2004)
#17 - Sir Dark Invader vs. The Fanglord (2005)
#8 - Real (Tom T Hall Tribute) (1998)

Peter Bruntnell : Black Mountain UFO

ALL THE NEWS THAT'S FIT TO POST

Recorded in his home studio in Devon, "Black Mountain UFO" sees Peter finally making the great pop album he has always threatened to produce. It mixes West Coast harmonies with the requisite dab of psychedelia, all delivered in a characteristically British fashion (song titles name-check Reggie Perrin and Penelope Keith). The startling sleeve depicts the story which has emerged as the title track. A psych masterpiece, it sits comfortably on the album alongside other new Bruntnell classics like "St Christopher" and "Bruise On The Sky". The most interesting thing about Peter Bruntnell's music, and the reason for his devoted following, is the indefinable knack the songs have of locking into the listener's emotions, but no one quite understands how or why. There's no one else like him around, and now he's made the perfect pop record.

Courtesy of PeterBruntnell.net

Joe Henry Collection

Revered among songwriters and pundits for both his music and producer skills, Joe has been making records for twenty-five years. From his early alt-country leanings (backed by The Jayhawks),to his more recent jazz excursions, Joe Henry oeuvre spans several genres while retaining class, integrity and a sense of adventurous spirit.

01 Richard Pryor Addresses A Tearful Nation
02 Stop
03 Rough And Tumble
04 Fat
05 Mean Flower
06 Curt Flood
07 Monkey
08 Skin And Teeth
09 This Afternoon
10 Civilians
11 Fuse
12 Trampoline
13 Angels
14 Ohio Air Show Plane Crash
15 Fireman's Wedding
16 Parade

+++

#1,2,3,5 - Scar
#4,6,7,8,11,13 - Fuse
#10 - Civilians
#12,14,16 - Trampoline
#9 - Tiny Voices
#15 - Kindness of The World

Yep

01. Make It Always Be Too Late (J.Currie)
02. Crestfallen (J. Pernice)
03. Rocket Man (E. John, B. Taupin)
04. Just Getting By (J. Currie)
05. The Rain Song (M. Caputo)
06. Hesitating Beauty (W. Guthrie, J. Tweedy)
07. Sleeping With The Lights On (M. Bronleewe, T. Lassen)
08. Waterloo Sunset (R. Davies)
09. Noise And Confusion (A. Wauters)
10. So Sad (D. Everly)
11. Once (R. Buckner)

Yep

The game plan for the debut album by Yep seems straightforward enough. Al Chan (of The Rubinoos) and Mark Caputo (of Belleville) teamed up and cherry-picked some of their favorite songs from all over the pop continuum. They demonstrated great taste and impressive record collections in the process, creating a songwriters’ universe in which Don Everly, Ray Davies, Woody Guthrie, and Elton John stand shoulder to shoulder with Joe Pernice, Justin Currie, Teitur Lassen, Richard Buckner and Alan Wauters. The songs (ten covers and one Caputo original) are presented in rich, uncluttered arrangements. Around them guitars twang and jangle, occasionally kick up some distortion but never enough to kill the mellow buzz. Producer John Cuniberti finds the exact right balance between technologically pristine and organically natural.

And then those voices enter the picture, and suddenly nothing seems straightforward anymore. The vocals of Chan and Caputo wind around each other in such stunning harmony that they invoke a sense of utter timelessness. It’s like the Everly Brothers smashcut into a new millennium. And that’s not to suggest an old-fashioned approach. There’s no rose-tinted grasp at the past here, just as there’s no auto-tuned plasticity begging for mainstream approval; this is a simple, unadorned flexing of talent that should intimidate other singers and delight everyone else.

Some music just seems to stand outside of time, completely impervious to passing trends and fleeting style. It makes its own rules, defines its own sense of cool. A pantheon of greats already inhabits such rarefied air. Is it possible that Chan and Caputo have joined them? Yep. Yep. A thousand times Yep.

Andrew McEvoy

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The Best Records of 2010

#20 volebeats | volebeats

Matthew Smith, Jeff Oakes & gang fuse their usual blend of psych-rock & country pop with sometimes mixed results.




#19  marah | life is a problem
 
I consider myself a big fan of the band, devouring each new record, hoping anyone who'd listen would know how great they are. Life Is a Problem, their first without guitarist brother Serge, is an exalted, ramshackle, mess of a record that has grown on me over the year. I didn't like it much at first and found it rather disappointing, but the ensuing months revealed a few truths. It has a lot in common with The Basement Tapes, brother Serge needs to get his ass back in the band, and Within The Spirit Sagging is one of the best tracks of the year.   




#18   smoke fairies - through the light and trees
 
Debut record from British female duo Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies. Haunting,  downbeat, sparse, folk/vocal harmonies that weave through filtered folk traditions and blues riffery. 
RIYL : Sandy Denny, PJ Harvey & Espers.   




#17  the len price 3 | pictures
 
Complaining that this is 60's derivative guitar based pop is impertinent. The LP3 are writing catchy, cockney, upbeat songs that every beat combo has done since the days of The Kinks & The Beatles. What’s not to like?




#16  teenage fanclub | shadows

Shadows, the Fannies eighth proper release in twenty years is a worthy addition to the legacy of a group that deserves a spot in the RnR hall of endurance. The dependable quality with which they have created music the last twenty years is astonishing. Yes, the days of loud guitars (Songs From Northern Britain) and sing-alongs (Sparky's Dream) are gone, only to be replaced by a more comfy landing-place, one still tied to their classicist pop leanings.




#15  the national | high violet
 
Given the fact that I had issues with their other records, I consider this my first "real" exposure to the band.  Bloodbuzz Ohio was the track that hooked me, and I still think of it as one of the best songs of the year. As for the rest of the record, cunning, cohesive, punchy and unwavering. Makes we wonder what they'd sound like without their drummer, cos he IS the straw that stirs the drink.. Vocalist, Matt Berninger seems comfortable staying within a particular vocal scale delivering his baritone melodies, and combined with his abstract lyrics, it seems to work.




#14   pernice brothers | goodbye, killer
 
At first, this short and very stripped down record felt like a lost Scud Mountain Boys record and a bit half baked when compared to older and lusher sounding affairs. The thing is, Joe writes brilliant songs with biting lyrics and after an initial ho-hum response I found myself playing the thing constantly. It might not be my favorite PB record, but it is yet another gem of a pop record by a guy that has yet to let me down.




#13  mary gauthier | the foundling

My first exposure to this was a couple of weeks ago, but in that time, it's left a big impression.
Drawing upon her life, this autobiographical concept record is at times, painful to listen to. Rooted in her abandonment as a child, Mary delivers a musical tour de force that's both affecting and convincing. I'm sure this would have placed higher with more spins. Wow. 




#12  bobby bare jr  |  a storm, a tree, a mother's head
 
How can you go wrong with My Morning Jacket as your backing band and your father co-writing a few of the tracks? This, Bobby's sixth release, finds him playful & profound, releasing his most personal to date, and, accordingly, one of his best, second only to the Young Criminals Starvation League.




#11  sunrise highway  | s/t 

Upbeat and lush, this 70's take on a classic pop format would have been right at home on AM radio sandwiched between The Beach Boys and The Raspberries. Great melodies, hooks and production.




#10  duncan maitland  |  lullabies for the 21st Century
 
On this, his debut, Lullabies for The 21st Century, Dublin native Duncan Maitland is joined by Colin Moulding (XTC) on the opening track and Barry O'Brien of Slumberjet/Pugwash on a few others. Intricate and complex, these arrangements are far more than ear candy, but a study in pop smarts. Every track is crammed with details that will have you going back for more. 
RIYL : Later day XTC, Beatles, Power Pop




#09   title tracks  |  it was easy

Power pop with all the typical influence, John Davis (Q and not U) has crafted an enthusiastic compact record full of friendly songs and good melodies that stays true to the album title




#08  the sadies | darker circles
 
Best absorbed and appraised as a whole. Darker Circles, the veteran roots rockers ninth official release is all about tone, atmosphere and vibe. If a Tele, B-bender, dread, sadness and something ominous is your bag, look no further.
RIYL: Clarence White era BYRDS.




#07  elvyn | the decline
 
Canadian pop never sounded so good. Imagine a slightly countrified Teenage Fanclub with stacked harmonies and songs.




#06  twin shadow | forget
 
I could not have imagined a record of this ilk charting this high, but these songs continue to surprise with every listen. I'm hearing a subtle nod to post-glitter Roxy Music, Power, Corruption & Lies era New Order and a big salty salute to Japanese icons, Yellow Magic Orchestra. While other similar music is "style" focused, George Lewis Jr. puts the spotlight on song structure. This is one of those records where the listener is rewarded with repeated listens. 




#05  free energy | stuck on nothing
 
Infectious, cocksure, irony free, derivative, enthusiastic, lighthearted, corny, 70's style, charming, commonplace, fun,fun,fun, stadium rock. Nuff said. As an aside, I can't think of a record cover that stays truer to the music.




#04  robert pollard | we all got out of the army
 
My love for the avuncular one from Dayton, OH, continues with this glam-pop, not too-rough around the edges, record. This was one of four released by Bob in 2010, and by far his most consistent. There is a part of me, actually a big part that wishes he would parse down all his releases to perhaps one or two a year. I guess part of the fun is weeding through all the muck to hit that Pollard sweet spot. Silk Rotor/I Can See = the best one/two punch to launch a record in Twentyten.
 



#03  mike stinson | the jukebox of my heart
 
Hands down, country rock, whatever you want to call it, record of the year.




#02  spoon | transference
 
I simply don't understand the hate levied against this record. The melodies are challenging, but rewarding. The instrumentation still shows off a sparse, strong versatility. While their experimental side is practically a no-show, the band regulates its rock vs rock-lite side with songs such as Got Nuffin and Goodnight Laura.  You might as well go ahead and add The Mystery Zone & Written in Reverse to those future best of Spoon Mixes, cos they're as good as anything they've ever done. Spoon continues their upward trajectory as a colossal band with considerable talent.




#01  the silver seas | chateau revenge
 
Harmony and Melody leads the way with this lavish, power pop, country rock, soft r&b; (gulp) recording. Each track gives you something a little different held together by the musings of the most underrated songwriter on the planet, Daniel Tashian. Thinking it must be a fluke, I picked up 2007's High Society only to find, yep, no fluke. After an email exchange, I learned keyboardist/producer Jason Lehning is a major factor in the group, arranging most of the material. An indispensable record.