Aging Teen Idol - Brent Newbold

 Hey guys, I've got something special for you tonight, and it's not my grandmother's cheesecake recipe. Don't be too disappointed; she makes the worst cheesecake in the world. No, tonight I have for you the newest offering Aging Teen Idol from indie lone wolf Brent Newbold. Let's get into it.

My immediate first impression upon dropping the needle on the first track was "holy hell this is thick." When I call a song thick like that, I mean that there is a, incredibly full sound and many layers to peel back. At any given point throughout the songs, every instrument or element involved are very busy. It's honestly like a bottomless Olive Garden music salad. There are many ingredients involved, and just when you think you're full the waiter brings you another gigantic bowlful. What is intriguing about Newbold's music salad, however, is that while in most cases the riff or melody is the main component that the rest of the song is based around, (like the lettuce or baby spinach, or arugula if you nasty), in Newbold's case, the instrumentation seems to take a back burner to the vocals.

The way that each song is mixed, especially on tracks like "Torn Down," and "Today Becomes Tomorrow," the vocals are much louder and more up front than the other elements of the song. You have to really focus in to dissect the deeper elements, the percussion, keys, guitar riffs, synths, etc. (The fixin's of the salad - carrots, tomatoes, red onion, croutons, etc.) ...have I lost you completely with this salad metaphor yet? What I'm trying to say is, there's a lot of sound going on here, and much of the complexity of the song's instrumentation is almost buried underneath all of the heavy vocals. Normally, this would bother me. Okay, maybe it still does a little here. But it's obvious to see that this isn't poor mixing, it's a style choice. Because those prominent vocals I keep mentioning? They're nearly all harmonies and overdubs. With himself. I'm not sure that I have ever heard an entire record done this way, and it certainly gives Newbold a unique and memorable sound.

If you really dive into it, you'd find yourself an almost folky, punky, indie rock sound. It's refreshing, really. This is made especially clear on tracks such as "Lost Cause" and the instrumental intermission "Try Five." What throws a monkey into the wrench for me, is the seemingly out of place "Shu's Triumphant March Across the Rainbow Bridge." I won't say anything about this track, as I encourage you to spin the album yourself and discover what I might be talking about here.

At the end of the day, I think my biggest gripe with the record is actually found within the overdubs/harmonies I mentioned earlier. I love them as an element, and making them the front runner of each song is a very unique style choice. My drawback with them is that each layer of the harmony is singing in a very similar register to the others. To keep a harmony interesting, you need a few different voices coming together as one. Maybe throw in a lower note in there, and a couple higher ones. Give those harmonies some extra flavor. Kinda like what's going on during "Hope on the Horizon."

Aging Teen Idol - Brent Newbold

6 - 1 - 2020

1. Torn Down

2. Flashback

3. On the Bright Side

4. Today Becomes Tomorrow

5. Open Air

6. Try Five

7. Lost Cause

8. Shu's Triumphant March Across the Rainbow Bridge

9. Hope on the Horizon

10. Wonderful Obsession

11. Free Music on Matson

12. Trying to Live

Favorite Track: Open Air

Least Favorite Track: Today Becomes Tomorrow

Synic Selects Vol. XI - Girls, Girls, Girls

 This is a fun one I had written down for quite some time now. Let's be real, everyone who has ever heard a song has sat with friends and listed all the songs they could think of whose titles contained a woman's name. Whole Lotta Rosie, Come On Eileen, etc. etc. But have you ever sat down with a pad and pen, and listed all your favorite songs whose titles are ONLY the girl's name? If you haven't, good news! I did it for you. If you have, bad news! You're a loser with too much time on your hands just like your old pal Synic. At least you don't refer to yourself as "your old pal Synic." At least, I hope you don't... Referring to yourself in the third person is weird enough, let alone referring to yourself in the third person while also using my name instead of yours... Has this compilation intro gotten weird enough for you? Or should I derail it even further with a couple rhetorical questions?

Anywho, this month's Selects took form pretty quickly at first, I had probably half of them written down almost immediately. Getting enough to fill an album's worth took a little longer, I had to dig into the depths of my music knowledge to pull out 6-7 more songs that were just a girl's name... So without further ado, and no more word vomit, here it is: Synic Selects Vol. XI - Girls, Girls, Girls

1. Jane - Jefferson Airplane

This song takes the spot as album opener because it was the very first one I had written down. In fact, this is the song that inspired the theme for this month's Selects. The truth is, I don't love Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, or Starship. But I do really love this song.

2. Amanda - Boston

This was the second one I came up with. Boston is one of my first loves. Back in my youth when I only listened to classic rock, my favorite bands were Styx and Boston. Now that I've mentioned Styx, it just occurred to me that I don't have "Lorelei" included on this list... Oops.

3. Jenny - Tommy Tutone

This is probably an obvious one, no? It's the first song people come up with when they think of one-hit-wonders. People may give me a hard time because it's technically called "Jenny (867-5309)" but if we wrote it shorthand and dropped the parenthesis, it's just "Jenny." So, on a technicality, I'm counting it.

4. Melanie - "Weird Al" Yankovic

If you've read my blog before and you're still surprised to see "Weird Al" on here, get your brain examined. He played this at the first concert I've ever been to, and it's been one of my favorite deep-cuts of his ever since.

5. Suzie Q - Creedence Clearwater Revival

Fogerty should go down as one of the all-time greats. Maybe this is not his best work, but it is a hit nevertheless. At the end of the day, even the not-so-great Fogerty songs are still Fogerty songs, and therefore they are still great. Also, if your name is Suzie, then you have probably heard this song.

6. Tulane - Chuck Berry (Honorable Mention - Joan Jett)

Full disclosure, I heard the Joan Jett cover before I heard the original version of this. But the same is true for many of Joan's songs... But more on that later. Even further disclosure, I think I must've heard this song about 15 times before I realized Tulane was a girl's name.

7. Lucille - Little Richard

Having Berry without Richard just seems wrong. Together they re-invented rock n roll, and Lucille is one of Richard's many masterpieces.

8. Carrie - Europe

I had to get some of my hair metal on here, didn't I? Okay, maybe Europe is on the pop end of the hair metal spectrum, but they're there aren't they? And truth be told, I really like this song.

9. Gloria - Laura Branigan

Did you forget this woman existed? Did you ever know she existed? As a kid I thought this was her only song, turns out she has multiple albums. Who knew? I didn't. But this woman can SING, dude. And this track is a slapping family favorite that deserves a place on this list.

10. Helena - My Chemical Romance

Truth be told, I'm a little embarrassed to include this one. They are the kings of emo, and I was never into emo. At all. But they do have a handful of good songs, and this happens to be one of them.

11. Grace - Supergrass

To lighten things up after the brief dive into emo, who better than my favorite brit-pop-rock band Supergrass? To think I almost got to see them last summer... *tear* Anyway, this song is among my favorites of theirs, so it belongs here.

12. Rosanna - Toto

This is a fun little jam from back in the day, that you'll likely hear if you play a classic rock station for a while. "Rosanna" is 50% of the lasting hits that Toto came out with, and admittedly I had to look up the other hit because I always get these guys confused with Asia (the "Africa" people.)

13. Minnie The Moocher - Cab Calloway

Another one that you might argue with me on, as "The Moocher" isn't part of the girl's name. But if people refer to her as Minnie The Moocher, then that is her title, or another name for her, so I'm counting it. And I would be embarrassed if I had a music blog any longer without mentioning the late great Cab Calloway.

BONUS: Lorelei - Styx

...Oops.

So, there you have it. My list of all my favorite Girl's-name-titled-songs. Feel free to add more if there are any that I missed that deserve a spot. That's the beauty of playlists, isn't it? They're for everyone, and they're never truly finished.

Synic Selects Vol. XI - Girls, Girls, Girls

1. Jane - Jefferson Airplane

2. Amanda - Boston

3. Jenny - Tommy Tutone

4. Melanie - "Weird Al" Yankovic

5. Suzie Q - Creedence Clearwater Revival

6. Tulane - Chuck Berry / Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

7. Lucille - Little Richard

8. Carrie - Europe

9. Gloria - Laura Branigan

10. Helena - My Chemical Romance

11. Grace - Supergrass

12. Rosanna - Toto

13. Minnie The Moocher - Cab Calloway

Bonus: Lorelei - Styx

At Mercy's Edge - Joseph Parsons

 Hey guys, hard to believe it's been a full week since my last post. Time has really been flying past me lately; since starting a new job, and celebrating a birthday this past weekend, I haven't really been able to stop and think about much else. But I think it's high time I return to my first love: music.

How's that for a cliche opening? Anyway, today I have the joy of sinking my teeth into the newest offering At Mercy's Edge from Joseph Parsons. Parsons is no stranger to the music business, and that much is made perfectly clear immediately upon diving into this new record. The LP opens with "Greed On Fire," a folky rock track that reminds me of a cross between Springsteen and Hootie and The Blowfish. The music and mixing is very Bruce to me, while I find something in the sound of his voice, especially when he holds a note, even more specifically on a vowel, that reminds me very much of Darius Rucker. Is it working? Why yes, yes I believe it is.

Moving forward, the record only gets more sonically interesting from here. The second track is a little groovier than the first, and reminds me of a more danceable Dire Straits, rather than Springsteen & Rucker. "I fuckin' love that." Track 3 returns to the Springsteen/Rucker sound, but it is much slower and bluesier than the album opener. The lyrics are the shining star on this track, they remind me of some of the great American songwriters such as Cash and Petty, and being delivered in a bluesy folk style helps put Parsons' range on full display. He certainly is no one-trick-pony.

Later tracks illustrate this point even further, as the song "Last One In" can only be described as what should be the end credits song from a Tarantino western. Unusual point to make in a review, I know, but listen to it and I think you'll see what I mean.

My biggest drawback from this album, though, is the rise and fall of it. The first 5 tracks are each unique, interesting, danceable and just engaging. The last 5 are a total 180 from this. Tracks 6, 7, and 8 are ballads, Track 9 is more upbeat with an almost interesting groove, but it is seemingly filler and is lost among the ballads. Track 10 is the title track, but it is another ballad. My reader's know that I am not the biggest fan of ballads, but I do believe they have their place on an album. But I'm not sure how I feel about piling them all in together one after another. People often say a great album should rise and fall, but I'm not sure I agree. I would have it rise, dip a little, and rise up again. Were this an entry in my record collection, I certainly would play it, but I'm not sure I would flip it over and play Side B.

Don't let me be misunderstood, the man can write, he can play, and he can sing. He's proved that fact time and time again. But I would've considered restructuring the record's tracklist, and kicking up the tempo a bit.

At Mercy's Edge - Joseph Parsons

10 - 30 - 2020

1. Greed on Fire

2. Changes Everything

3. Nerve

4. Madness

5. Trouble Zone

6. Last One In

7. One More

8. Living with the Top Down

9. Mule Train

10. Mercy's Edge

Favorite Track: Changes Everything

Least Favorite Track: One More

Strong At The Broken Places - CeCe X

 For those of you who thought my post a while back about Lady GaGa was gonna be a one and done thing, well I was sort of thinking that too. But we thought wrong. Because tonight we're gonna dive into the fun world of electropop. When I started this blog last year, I never imagined I would write those words. But here we are!

Truth be told, guys, I'm not exactly sure I can relate this EP to any widely known artist, because electropop is so far from what I normally listen to, that I'm just not well versed enough to make a comparison. As far as I'm concerned, there is no artist out there who sounds quite like this. The composition of this record is really spectacular. The mixing is perfect, the music is synthesized, of course, as is the nature of the beast with electropop, hence the "electro" part, but it is not synthesized in such a heavy manner where it is distracting and nauseating. She doesn't rely on the catchy tune to create listenable music like the artists in today's top 40. In fact, it is her voice that is the shining star of the record.

CeCe X clearly knows her vocal strengths, as she is able to flaunt her range and the varying tempos that she can keep up with. Simply put, the artist knows her craft, and she has nearly perfected it. What kept me interested in this EP was the variety. While most of the tracks are true-to-form electropop, with the trebley vocals and heavy synth sounds, each one has a unique rhythm and other elements of sound that keep a track unique from the others. The standout track here, for me, is "Full Stop" where the synthesized sounds and keys seem to take a back burner, and as a result the song becomes more percussion driven, which works beautifully with her voice. The tempo is interesting, almost to the point of hypnosis. Maybe the ending could have used a little more spit and polish, but this is an otherwise gorgeous song. It needs to be in a car chase scene, or training montage in a movie someday. 

One small note that I would consider tweaking, and this might just be commentary on the entire genre of electropop, as I say again I do not typically delve into, is that there seems to be a shortage of bass elements in the tracks on this EP. There's percussion, and plenty of treble, but there just isn't enough bass tones to counter balance the high pitches of the treble and the vocals. Granted, if it were up to me, I would put CeCe X in front of a hard rock band and throw them on tour with September Mourning and Stitched Up Heart. But not everything's up to me, is it?

In summary, CeCe X is a tremendous vocalist. And try as I might, I am just not a big fan of electropop. But I am a fan of this EP. My only wish is that there was some more bass thrown into the mix.

Strong At The Broken Places - CeCe X

12 - 14 - 2020

1. Same Air

2. Full Stop

3. Daughter

4. Flames

5. Run

6. Siren

Favorite Track: Full Stop

Least Favorite Track: Siren

Infinidy - The Acute

 Ladies and gents, tonight I have a fun little treat for you; the latest EP from NYC duo The Acute. Infinidy dropped just last year, and it does my heart good to know that so many artists out there have managed to create and inspire in what will go down as the worst year in human history. Some good does come out of the bad sometimes, doesn't it?

Right off the bat, I love what this album does. It lifts me up, and drops me right in the middle of 80's London. The guitars, the synth sounds, the techno harmonies, the percussion, and the powerful, booming vocals create such a vivid and nostalgic tapestry that I find myself wanting a red leather jacket, and for my girlfriend to be wearing neon leg warmers and excessive amounts of hairspray. Every track on this EP paints the same picture, though the second track strays from this a bit. Imagine if you will, that English alt-pop and The Clash had a baby that, somehow, ended up speaking French. There you have the second track, "La Souris Politique."

This EP is such a fun blend of punk, rock, electronica and pop that really resonates with me quite well. I'm having a very hard time picking a least favorite track and favorite track. I might have to pick "La Souris.." as least favorite simply because I barely remember anything from the French classes I took in grade school.

Each track also features a noticeable female vocalist chiming in from time to time in the background, and my only note on this EP is that I wish she was featured more. The two of them together create a really interesting and layered dynamic that reminds me of X (The "Los Angeles" band) or maybe what the B-52s COULD HAVE been if they weren't so nauseating and terrible.

I actually feel kinda bad for how short this review is, but the truth is I have no notes. I listened to the EP 3 almost 4 times through while writing this. My biggest notes are, more balance between the two vocalists, and just keep making more music in general? For real, I ran out of music before I was ready. If you like UK first wave Alt-punk-rock radio, such as Morrissey, Blondie, The Clash, and maybe even some of the eclectic outliers like Captain Sensible and X, then you'll love this EP.

Infinidy - The Acute

12 - 1 - 2020

1. Newsical

2. La Souris Politique

3. Nyla

4. Camouflage

Favorite Track: Newsical

Least Favorite Track: La Souris Politique

Dragons - Clint Slate

 Hey gang, miss me? I appreciate all of your continued support, and your patience as I took some time away from the blog. There were some recent developments in my life that required my full attention, but now I'm back to continue giving you all the good word. And in my first post back in the blogosphere I have the honor and pleasure of digging into the now one-month-old album Dragons by Clint Slate.

The album was described to me as "created using the cut-up technique and merging rock, pop, folk, electro or hip-hop to generate a truly unique identity." Truth be told, I am no artist; I am merely a humble music fan and amateur critic. That said, the term "cut-up technique" is completely lost on me. I have no idea what it means. If anyone can tell me more about this technique, please feel free to drop a comment below, or email me, or leave me alone in my confusion and bewilderment. Of course, I could Google it, but what fun is that? Anyway, my immediate response to this description was fear and worry. Merging that many different sounds together would just create a really busy and confusing genre salad, wouldn't it? Well, apparently not.

Going through this album, the general sound actually works quite well. It's quite unlike anything that I have heard before. There is some beauty to the unique, almost strangeness that each song has. Each song on the album is wildly different from the next, but it is in their differences that the similarities come out. Or perhaps it is in the similarities that the differences come out. Confused? Good. Me too. What I mean to say is, I'm not sure I can pinpoint what genre this actually fits with. I can really dissect the songs and hear the elements of rock, folk, electro, pop, even hip-hop that the artist mentioned. Just in the first track alone, the song starts as some kind of electro-hip-hop sound, then seemingly out of nowhere transitions to a light rock song, just before the 1:00 mark. I even looked at Lady Synic and told her "I can't believe this is the same song." ....maybe that's the cut-up technique? And just to revisit the previous paragraph, where I talked about the confusing genre salad, some of the songs on this album remind me very much of UK first wave alternative, so I wanna toss some of that into the mix. Just think Depeche Mode, Tears For Fears, English Beat, etc. See "Dead Noise" and I think you'll get it.

What shines on this album, aside from its eccentricity and variety, is the mixing that the artist achieved. Each song is balanced damn near perfectly, I don't find myself ever wishing that something was turned down a hair, or the vocals were louder. The artist and engineer clearly spent a lot of time polishing this record, and it shows. What I think would be beneficial for the artist to work on, however, is exercising his vocals and practicing new techniques. His voice works with the sound of the album quite well, don't get me wrong, but there are times when his singing just seems to reset to default, and he falls into this single tone, single tempo style. Which certainly works from time to time, but with all the unique variance in the instrumentation here, I found myself looking for that variance to be paralleled in his voice. And in a couple of the tracks, like "The Sixth Trip Plan," he delivered. But I think the album deserves more.

My closing remark is just to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this album. There truly is a little bit of something for everyone on Dragons. If Clint wanted to sprinkle in some punk, metal, and blues on a future release, He would truly become a sonic Jack-of-all-trades. A Clint-of-all-genres, if you will.

Dragons - Clint Slate

1 - 4 - 2021

1. Sunset, Nova and Earth

2. Reconciliation TV (The Love Tides)

3. Ghost America

4. Dead Noise

5. Dark Is Wire

6. The Sixth Trip Plan

7. Obstacles

8. Systems and Batteries

9. Smash

Favorite Track: The Sixth Trip Plan

Least Favorite Track: Sunset, Nova and Earth