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The Leftovers: Eager To Please

September 16, 2009 No Comments

Leftovers

The Leftovers: Eager To Please (Crappy Records, 2009)

I found The Leftovers this summer when I saw this album on Not lame’s front page. The sound clips sounded really good and noticing that it was produced by Linus Of Hollywood made it even more interesting. I ordered it the same day and I haven’t regretted that decision. Eager To Please is already the fourth The Leftovers album and it’s a whole lot of fun. It’s full of short, energic and catchy pop-punk and power pop songs with singalong choruses. Maybe they are occasionally getting dangerously close to becoming one of those lame punk-pop bands, but their melodic sense and 70’s power pop influences drive them back to more comfortable zones. 14 songs is a bit too big one time doze of this highly energic pop blast for me, because there isn’t much variation. However, it’s all very enjoyable and there’s not a bad song on the album. Maybe not that real killer song either, but Eager To Please is a very fine punky pop album.

The Leftovers at myspace
The Leftovers Website

Reviews

Paleface: The Show Is On The Road

September 15, 2009 No Comments

paleface

Paleface: The Show Is On The Road (Ramseur Records, 2009)

This is obviously not the finnish rap artists Paleface, it’s the american folk artist Paleface. Paleface has actually been around quite a while. He released albums for Polydor and Sire Records in the 90s, but unlike his former roommate and close friend Beck, he never got the big break. After being dropped by Sire in 1996, Paleface has continued touring and writing music and has released a lot of stuff independently. Now the excellent Ramseur Records has given him a new chance to turn his tour success and experience to a successful recording career.

I have rather mixed feelings about the album. Even though I’m a fan of simple music some of the up-tempo tracks (like the title track especially) seem to lack some depth and become way too boring way too fast. These probably hit the target on live situations, but not so well on a record. Thankfully there’s another side and beautiful folk ballads like Traveling From North Carolina are the reason to fall in love with Paleface. That is the key song of the album for me. A really wonderful song that reminds me a bit of Ben Weaver and I do love the moment Monica Samalot’s (drummer) soft humming enters the frame. The moments when they sing together are charming. Whether Monica is just backing Paleface by humming or there’s a real male-female vocal interplay going on, it always works beautifully. It’s probably best to catch Paleface’s live concert, but the record does have several great moments as well. Half of it is really good, but the other half is only okay.

Paleface Website
Paleface at myspace

Reviews

Mark Eric: A Midsummer’s Day Dream

September 15, 2009 No Comments

mark eric

Mark Eric: A Midsummer’s Day Dream (Expanded Edition) (Now Sounds, 2009)

Last year I got totally addicted to Bergen White. While searching for similar albums also Mark Eric’s name came up, but I didn’t bought his album until now. Good thing in a sense that there’s now a new expanded reissue out on Now Sounds with a lot of bonus tracks, bad thing in a sense that I lived a year without being able to listen to this beautiful album. A Midsummer’s Day Dream is a real soft pop masterpiece. A really stunning piece of work from a boy who was only 19-years old when it came out. Unfortunately the album didn’t become a success. Was it because the non-existant promotion by the label or did the people in California just classify him as another Brian Wilson copycat? I don’t know.. but I do know that it’s almost criminal that it didn’t hit the charts. It’s wonderfully arranged and beautifully orchestrated album full of highest quality soft pop music. Heck, The Beach Boys themselves didn’t make many (if any) better albums as a whole. Sure they did hit a lot higher peaks, but most of their albums have some songs that I don’t love while I absolute enjoy every second of A Midsummer’s Day Dream.

This expanded edition also contains 16 bonus tracks and there are some fantastic songs among them that never saw the light of the day back then. Especially Build Your Own Dreams, No Days, No Nights and Place For Summer stand out and could demand a place on any best of soft pop or sunshine pop compilation.

Mark Eric at myspace

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