TRACY SHEDD Cigarettes and Smoke Machines (Teenbeat)

I must confess that there was a time when the only female singers I listened to were Chrissie Hynde and Annie Lennox (and maybe Pixies-era Kim Deal). Thankfully, I am making up for lost time cos there’s always something different going on when you’re dealing with female singer-songwriters.

Tracy Shedd’s new album – Cigarettes and Smoke Machines – is a landmark album of sorts. It’s hard to pin point exactly why but I guess there’s a mature sense of rich pop history that Shedd’s music evokes. While her debt to classic pop (tinges of country sirens like Emmylou Harris linger) is clear, it is the sweet influence of 80s Brit indie that intrigues.

These references illuminate superior material like the edgy Whatever It Takes, the twangy New Order vibe of Won Past Two, the torchy Remember the Time We Set the Highway On Fire, the rampaging sexy Go On and the careening dark So Sick. 

With the depth displayed here, Cigarettes and Smoke Machines is an album that demands repeated listening in order to savour even after the time immediacy often fades. Watch out for Tracy Shedd, I certainly intend to!

LOLAS Like the Sun (Jam)

I daresay that Tim Boykin (aka Lolas) has learnt a thing or two from label boss Jeremy Morris. 

Firstly, prolific songwriting as there are twenty (count ’em) tracks on this brand new album. Secondly, a propensity to play all the instruments himself. Whilst these qualities are certainly the main strengths of Like the Sun, ironically, they are also the glaring flaws. 

Too much music can be a problem, especially if the majority of the songs sound about the same. Also, the fact that Boykin plays everything tends only to highlight the same-ness of the material. All well and good if you live and breathe power pop cos Lolas definitely revel in the melodic crunch of the genre. 

I mean, it would have been nice to get a little change of pace and style now and then but I guess Boykin has settled on a modus operandi and basically stuck to it. That said, whenever Boykin stepped out of his comfort zone like the prog-sounding Ramon Ghetto Chef 2, it gets that much more interesting.

So, if power pop is your thing then, then Like the Sun is a must-buy, if not then you may want to check out the samples at the Jam website before making up your mind. Me, I’m sitting firmly on the fence… for now.

THE EXPLORERS CLUB Freedom Wind (Dead Oceans)

Like Fleet Foxes, The Explorers Club draw deeply from the harmonic well of the Beach Boys. And whilst the Fleet Foxes tend to focus more on the Smile/Smiley Smile epoch and reveal other influences as well, the Explorers Club present pure, undiluted Beach Boys references throughout this astonishing debut.

So the Explorers Club not only covers the classic 60s Beach Boys sound but also the 70s where the influence of Dennis and Carl Wilson was stronger than brother Brian. No mere copycat work here, the band uses the distinctive Beach Boys sound as a template, a starting point to build their own unique, original music. 

And the melodies – heavenly – surrounded by inventive use of familiar instrumentation e.g. banjo, glockenspiel, sleigh bells. Hard to pick favorites from such a powerful set of songs but I certainly love the effervescent Forever, the fragile Don’t Forget the Sun, the bouncing Lost My Head, the simply gorgeous If You Go (one of my favorite songs of the year!), the touching Safe Distance and the robust title track.

It’s amazing how the band is able to evoke those beautiful harmonies, not a note out of place and oh so spine-tingling. A superb tribute to the greatest vocal group of all time and to the foremost pop genius of our times, Brian Wilson. 

Along with the Fleet Foxes debut, every rock and pop fan must have this album in their collection.

SMOKING POPES Stay Down (Curb Appeal)

I won’t beat around the bush – this is bloody good comeback album! Stay Down is the Smoking Popes’ first album in a decade and it is an astonishing display of crunching power chords and soaring tunes. Forget all that emo shit that tries to pass itself off as power pop, this is real deal! 

Welcome to Janesville declares the Popes intent with its vibrant amped up twang rock. If You Don’t Care is a hard hitting evocation of The Cars (without the synths). Stefanie is a drop dead righteous sweet metal fix. Sweet Pea is a relentless mix of pulsating overdrive and candy-coated mellifluence. 

I think you get the idea.

The rest finds the Popes slowing the pace (slightly) for the heartfelt Little Jane-Marie, reflective The Corner and the tender and marvelously retro Stay Down. The remainder of this pleasing features more of the same power pop sensibilities. 

With all the hand-wringing over Weezer’s latest album, the Smoking Pope’s wonderful achievement puts things in perspective. This is a power pop classic in the making.

THE KEN KASE GROUP Shiner (Self-released)

Has it been 8 years since the last Ken Kase Group recording? Based on this new 3-track single, the wait was definitely worth it! I have been acquainted with Ken’s sterling work both with KKG and as a part of powerpop masters The Sun Sawed in 1/2, and I must say that the new tracks are up there with Ken’s best music. 

Lead track, Shiner is gorgeous power pop – the real deal – not the diluted emo-punk knockoffs that passes for power pop at Myspace (puh-lease!!!) – with a hint of the 80s new wave. Shiner does recall Marshall Crenshaw at his peak, a good reference point and I love the 60s-inflected guitar solo to bits!

File Under This is a toe-tapping pub-rock gem channeling vintage Elvis Costello/Nick Lowe (with an American accent, of course) – filled with hooks that will sink deep. The synth solo is too cool for words, I must add.

Whilst Chocolatown is more your serviceable rock ‘n’ roll ditty that the likes of John Cougar and Bryan Adams might have churned out in their heyday. It has a nifty Chuck Berry vibe too but a bit generic after being spoiled by the inventive melodicism of the first two tracks.

Glad to hear KKG still on top of their game, it’s been a while since true-blue power pop has made an impression so I guess you could say that this release is timely. Go check it out…

Just in, the music video for Shiner.

Gorgeous.

That’s probably not a word you might associate with a movie about a monster who hunts other monsters but that’s a word that’s going to pass through your lips as you watch this Hellboy sequel. Whilst the first Hellboy movie was a darker affair and focused (you will remember that word when you watch Hellboy 2 – heh!) on the Lovecraftian horror aspects of the Mike Mignola created comics; with this sequel, director Guillermo Del Toro transports filmgoers to a fairytale land of wonder. 

Hellboy 2 comes across very much like an audition for Del Toro’s upcoming direction of the Hobbit with its fantastical creatures (created by Del Toro) and slight Tolkeinesque plot (there’s a little quest. Sort of). It’s modern myth in the making – from the opening puppetry-fuelled narrative to the troll market to the location of the Golden Army at the film’s denouement – Del Toro’s artistic vision shines through. In fact, compared to the 1st movie there’s less of the Migola look and more of Del Toro’s design sensibility in Hellboy 2. Make no mistake, this movie is a visual treat as Del Toro truly lets his imagination run wild. 

One of the main themes of Hellboy is how the titular character wants to be treated like a human being and how in love he is with popular culture and certainly, Hellboy 2 is a celebration of various aspects of our beloved pop culture. From the opening sequence with the young Hellboy (looking very much like Alfred E Neuman of MAD magazine), the albino Prince Nuada (based on Michael Moorcock’s Elric), the troll market (reminiscent of Mos Eisley in Star Wars), the monster-designs (tributes to Ray Harryhausen), Hellboy and Abe drunkenly singing Can’t Smile Without You (the Barry Manilow version of all things!) and so on.

The main plot is deceptively simple (Prince Nuada seeks to destroy mankind with the Golden Army and Hellboy and co have to stop him) so Del Toro develops the Hellboy-Liz relationship and characterisation of Abe Sapien as supporting sub-plots. Though I thought Jeffrey Tambor’s Manning was shallow (compared to the 1st movie) and new BRPD member Johann Krauss’ motivations was hard to fathom. That said, I liked Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) and Princess Nuala (Anna Walton) – the hint of incest and the linked fates made them interesting. Also, I enjoyed the fact that Prince Nuada was not a conventional villain in that he was fighting for his people (Elves?) to reclaim the Earth as mankind had forfeited their rights by their greed and mishandling of the planet.

With Del Toro working on the Hobbit and follow up film for the next 5 years, one wonders about Hellboy 3 as the ending of the movie certainly sets up for a third film. In the meantime, it’s enough to enjoy Hellboy 2 on its own for now and to remark how gorgeous it all is…

As expected, the Will Smith super hero vehicle Hancock is receiving a mixed critical reception. But I am glad to report that I thoroughly enjoyed this Peter-Berg helmed film, much more than Wanted, I must say, despite all the attendant hype surrounding the latter.

By now, you should know the basic plotline – Hancock (Will Smith) is a alcoholic super hero who saves lives and fights crime but in the process causes a lot of property damage. Worse still, he has an obnoxious personality and so people hate him. Along the way, he saves the life of PR guy Ray (Jason Bateman) who offers to help Hancock on improving his public image. As a result, Hancock becomes a part of Ray’s life, much to the chagrin of his wife Mary (Charlize Theron), who seems to have some kind of unspoken connection to Hancock.

So begins Ray’s plan to rehabilitate Hancock which seems to be working like a charm when the twist arrives. Yup, halfway through the film you get the mother of all twists, which you will either love or abhor. I liked it cos it gave the film a resonance that despite its flaky premise plunges a beating heart smack into the middle of proceedings. 

I am not going to reveal what the twist is but I will say that the key to enjoying it is to accept without dissecting too much – this is a super hero movie, remember? People don’t fly in real life, y’know. 

Director Peter Berg does a great job in managing the tone of the film, be it comedy or drama or action or even all three. The three leads deliver convincing performances especially Smith who never plays the hero straight up but goes from belligerent and unreasonable to lost and confused to mature and determined in the course of this 92 minute film. 

Once upon a time, super heroes only exclusively appeared in comic books. But with Hancock, Berg and Smith have proven that it is possible to create an intelligent and witty super hero flick without having the ideas test-driven in a comic book first, which I believe is a good thing. Rather than bemoan the surfeit of super heroes at the movies, I celebrate it as what used to be a guilty pastime is now firmly in the mainstream. 

That said, I am not sure if some of the more tenuous concepts can be stretched into a sequel. But if Hancock makes as much money as I believe it will, then it will probably be inevitable.

JEREMY Yesterday, Today and Forever (Jam)

Jeremy Morris is one amazing guy. He is a prolific recording artist, owns his own record label (Jam Recordings) and is a talented singer-songwriter-guitarist-pianist equally adept at progressive, classical and power pop styles! Like I said – amazing!

Yesterday, Today and Forever is a loving tribute to Jeremy’s biggest influence – the Beatles – and whilst one may be justified in questioning the rationale of these faithful re-creations, there’s no denying the passion and care taken in putting this album together.

Jeremy’s song choice is also interesting – non Beatles tracks like John’s Love and Ringo’s It Don’t Come Easy – are featured but what is most intriguing is an original song called Revolution #7 (clocking in past 11 mins), which not only highlights Jeremy’s compositional and technical skills but also his Christian faith. That alone should give Beatles fans a jolt or two! 

And I was taking liberties when I described the songs as “faithful re-creations” – fact is Jeremy applies his own spin on the Beatles classics but as a hypothetical exercise – what if the Beatles had gone in a different direction but still quintessentially Beatlesque?

Thus, McCartney staples like I Will and Blackbird come across like John Lennon-helmed tracks and Good Night is re-imagined as a folk rock ditty. Jeremy also manages to redeem a Lennon-McCartney throwaway (given over to a George Harrison vocal on the Hard Day’s Night album) somewhat and re-jigs Harrison’s It’s All Too Much as a psychedelic rocker.

Probably one of the better Beatles tribute albums out there as Jeremy manages to maintain a consistent artistic core throughout. I would love to see a sequel to this wonderful album. What do you say?

YOUNG AND SEXY The Arc (Mint)

Songs framed in simplicity will always stand up on their own strength. This maxim I hold true. Case in point, the new album from Canadian quintet Young and Sexy. I have been blessed to have reviewed the last three Y&S albums. I found the previous Panic When You Find It an accomplished work. Glad to report that even by those high standards, Y&S have surpassed their own precedents with The Arc.

The best part about The Arc is its eclecticism. Between the twin vocals of Paul Pittman and Lucy Brain, the band flitters from alt-country to shoegaze and from baroque pop to prog folk. All presented in deceptively minimalist fashion which belies the depth and complexity of each song.

In the modern rock context, sometimes Y&S sounds like Fleet Foxes, sometimes The Decemberists and even Bon Iver or Joanna Newsom. Such is the sonic diversity Y&S have achieved. My personal faves are the ones which shimmer and tingle.

Like the opening Saucerful of Fire (with its gorgeous wall of vocals), the peerless (sorry) Peer Through The Lock (with Lucy Brain’s ghostly vocal delivery), the wide-eyed Step Inside (with its epic church organ), the haunting The Fog (with its unique time signature) and the bare-boned The Echo (with Pittman’s sincere pining over the chorus mesmerizing).

Certainly, The Arc is up there with the best albums of 2008 so far, notwithstanding the willful tangents of the instrumental The Shadow and the incongruent Spill the Sky. Still, Up in the Rafters provides an atmospheric country-folk ballad that closes The Arc beautifully with – “Prayed for a way home/My love is nowhere to be seen/Have I misplaced this love?/Or thrown it all away?”

Highly recommended.