THE POSIES
Frosting On The Beater
[DGC - 1993]
5
THE music and pop-culture e-newsletter-turned-blog, baby
4/27/2024
ANNIVERSARIES: Frosting On The Beater
4/17/2024
ST. SAMMY?
Here’s something I just realized that is very hard for me to acknowledge: Sammy Hagar saved Van Halen. Yup, he did.
How so? Even though Van Halen were never a hairband they were hairband adjacent, having been the inspiration for many of them, whether they realized it or not. So, I’m assuming the distinct possibility that the classic Van Halen sound would not translate to the Alt-rock ‘90s, when Seattle was the promised land and Lollapalpoza gathered the tribes.
With the Red Rocker on board, they became a poppier, more commercially palatable version of the band—Van Jovi, as I have taken to derisively refer to that phase—which enabled them to survive. (Not coincidentally, Bon Jovi themselves did the same thing in order to avoid the hairband graveyard of the ‘90s.)
Now, fans of the Diamond Dave years will question whether it was ever worth it for the band to survive without him. They would likely reason that the brothers Van Halen could’ve taken a break after they broke off with DLR and not recorded anything until their swan song, A Different Kind of Truth [Interscope-2012] and no one would be worse for the wear.
Of course, that was impractical not to mention an incredibly selfish point of view, especially to those who enjoyed Hagar’s stint with the band and they are in the millions. (So were the bank statements of those closely involved in this rock and roll merger.) And, as the esteemed Chuck Klosterman once wrote, after Roth's departure they were too young to retire and too successful to quit, so...
But you can’t overlook how this led to the band’s not entirely positive mainstreaming, as well as their very uncool participation in the Crystal Pepsi soft drink fiasco and its ad campaign, which featured the VH song “Right Now”. Alternative Nation was not gonna be down with any of that.
So the question becomes, was it worth it to save Van Halen in order for them to make the records they did without the Diamond One?
I have an answer, of course, but the only one whose answer matters is you.
UNDOUBTEDLY AMAZED
PAUL McCARTNEY
McCartney
[Capitol - 1970]
3/01/2024
THEY WANT TO BE ADORED
LIAM GALLAGHER / JOHN SQUIRE
self-titled
[WEA - 2024]
While there’s no Oasis or Stone Roses here, a strong reverence for music of the past is quite present: a bit of Merseybeat; a touch of psychedelic Beatles; some Hendrix and Page-influenced guitar licks, on what in essence is a 21st century classic rock record. Interestingly, its warm production comes from Greg Kurstin, the Grammy Award-winning producer and multi-instrumentalist best known for working with the likes of Adele, All Saints, Pink, Sia and Jessica Simpson.
But at the end of the day, the songwriting is what has to carry the heavy load. And in this regard, the album is a decent but somewhat tentative affair. It ably showcases the talents of both these gentlemen, but feels like a nice opening salvo for a collaboration which might bear sweeter fruit down the road.
Released March 1, 2024.
6/04/2023
New Way Home
FOO FIGHTERS
But Here We Are
[Roswell/RCA - 2023]
5/05/2023
Bittersweet Symphonies
THE LEMON TWIGS
Everything Harmony
[Captured Tracks-2023]
Despite having begun their careers as child Broadway actors, these 20-something, Long Island, NY multi-instrumentalist siblings have been formally doing the music thing since high school. And over an EP and three albums—one of them a wild rock opera—Brian and Michael D’Addario have shown themselves to be keen songwriters and arrangers who owe a debt of influence to another quirky set of siblings: the Mael brothers of Sparks.
But they’ve toned down that playful vibe and it’s other influences they channel on album number four: “Any Time of Day” evokes the Todd Rundgren of the early ‘70s; “What You Were Doing” could be a long lost Big Star song; and “I Don’t Belong to Me” is reminiscent of the Beach Boys’ less commercially successful but musically satisfying immediate post-Pet Sounds output, just to name a few.
To be honest, that a couple of musicians who weren’t even alive when Jellyfish disbanded in the early ‘90s—a band with whom they share some musical DNA, as well a bit of a sartorial kinship—this kind of well-crafted, bell-bottom melodicism that chronologically resides somewhere between 1966-1976, is a head-scratching (albeit quite welcome) surprise. Simply stunning. More, please.
Released May 5, 2023.
7/03/2022
Lucky 13
GUIDED BY VOICES
Tremblers and Goggles by Rank
[GBV-2022]
In a continuous but seemingly furtive way, Bob Pollard and
his most recent of co-horts (Bobby Bare Jr, Doug Gillard, Kevin March and Marc
Shue) have made 13 albums in the 5 years since this lineup came together. Not
only is this the longest stretch of any lineup in the band’s history but the
music they’ve been putting out has been consistently solid if not as seminal as Bee Thousand [Scat-1994] or Alien Lanes [Matador-1995].
Their most recent platter denotes a desire to further expand their sonic palette with melodic and rhythmic shifts that reference prog rock if not necessarily embracing it full-on. But this is no surprise as Uncle Bob has made clear that prog is one of the “4 Ps”—pop, punk and psych being the other three—that inform his songwriting. (For what it’s worth, it’s also one of the more Who-centric records in their catalog.)
While I would recommend this one to both fans of the band and the uninitiated, I would suggest the latter group check out first single “Alex Bell” and then decide whether to delve further into the record. A tribute to Big Star’s founders Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, “Alex Bell” best encapsulates the feel and purpose of the album overall, as it weaves thru melodies and quick turns but in Uncle Bob’s own unmistakable way.
Released July 1, 2022.
4/16/2022
Sad But True: Music Is All About Falling In Love
3/18/2022
Welcome To The Machine
JOSTABERRY
Hello Turbine
[Tangy Citrus - 2022]
On Jostaberry’s 2020 debut album, Greener Grass, the band (essentially the musical playground of multi-instrumentalist Bruce Hamilton) delivered an intoxicating mix of accessible yet interesting art pop that both challenged and delighted the ears, weaving through different elements and permutations of avant garde, prog and straight up rock and roll.
Album number two further delves into its predecessor’s spiritual allegiance to A Wizard A True Star-era Todd Rundgren, bursting with engaging melodies and idiosyncratic left turns that just seem to make sense regardless of context. But interesting arrangements and sympathetic production can only amount to clever trickery if the underlying songs aren’t up to snuff. Hamilton, as he’s demonstrated before, is not one to fall into that trap. Everything here sounds like it has meaning and purpose, yet the beating heart at its core is far from silent. This is music made with a purpose but anchored with emotion. Those expecting a sophomore slump can move along—nothing to see here. But if you want more of the tasty Jostaberry experience, or have yet to be initiated, dig in.
Highlights: “Roots”, “Connecting”, “The New Savannah”, “Tree Line”, “Planet”, “6 or 7 Miles After”.
2/25/2022
After The Hurting
TEARS FOR FEARS
The Tipping Point
[Concord – 2022]
The question of relevance in popular music is a tricky one these days. And is surely a significant point when taking into account the standing of a band whose so-called glory days were decades ago. But despite the obstacles of chronology often sidelining artists of similar vintage, these gentlemen have managed to maintain an admittedly less prominent, but continued presence within the popular landscape, not only with the enduring popularity of their songs, but also the inclusion of these in beloved movies, as well as nods by current artists such as Drake, Lorde and The Weeknd. And so, almost 20 years after their last album—the critically acclaimed return to form ‘Everybody Loves A Happy Ending’ [Universal - 2004]—a new collection of songs by the Bath, England duo has returned them to the spotlight.
The rekindling of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith’s long-standing but often interrupted friendship coupled with the overwhelming grief from the former’s beloved wife of 25 years passing in 2017, led the two old friends to reconvene in Smith’s Los Angeles home armed with acoustic guitars and not only purposely write some songs, but attempt to capture some of that old magic. Mission accomplished.
While Orzabal’s ruminations on his late wife and his new life without her inform these songs, it’s not a dour experience in the least, but one in which the cathartic balm of letting it out reflects a sense of peace and hope that dovetails with the band’s most uplifting moments. And while their trademark sonic palette is slightly less panoramic this time, it’s still imbued with the feel good nature of their big choruses and engaging melodies.
Welcome back, gentlemen. You have been sorely missed.
Released February 25, 2022.