The Dream Syndicate: The Dream Syndicate EP (Blue Rose Records/2013)

Los Angeles, California's The Dream Syndicate were one of the leading lights from the early 1980's Paisley Underground scene. The poetic songs of guitarist/vocalist Steve Wynn seemed to successfully update the psychedelic garage rock of The Velvet Underground. The band existed from the early 80's till the late 80's and released five albums and one EP in that time. My personal favorites being their The Days Of Wine And Roses album and The Dream Syndicate EP.

The band had been together for less than one month when they recorded this. It was recorded in an afternoon, ostensibly as a four-song demo to get booked to play shows in the LA-area. "Sure Thing" has distinct Lou Reed feel to the vocals. While "That's What You Always Say" has a really nice late 60's fuzztone guitar part. "Some Kinda Itch" recalls Television. The recordings have a nice, homemade quality to them with controlled feedback and purposeful distortion outlining much of the proceedings.

The Dream Syndicate EP was first released in 1982 on Wynn's own Down There label and was reissued in a limited pressing of 1,000 copies for Record Store Day 2013 on the German label Blue Rose Records. It's a really nice pressing and the artwork is nicely restored and it features liner notes from Steve Wynn himself.

I love the record and would recommend it to anyone interested in the LA scene of the early 1980's.

Here's the video review:

Supergrass: Life On Other Planets (Parlophone/2002)

Supergrass emerged in the mid 1990's as one of the leading lights of the Britpop movement. They had top-ten UK hits with “Alright” (which was also on the Clueless soundtrack), “Lenny” and “Going Out”. Unfortunately, in the time they existed, they never really broke the US market. However, all of the bands albums were critically acclaimed, including their debut I Should Coco and their fourth album Life On Other Planets.

2002's Life On Other Planets is almost an amalgamation of what made the band so wonderful. Guitar-based pop that acknowledges the past while making contemporary, modern statements. Their are traces of the Buzzcocks, T.Rex and The Small Faces throughout the material. I personally think this the band's most cohesive release as the sequencing of the tracks gives the illusion that material came together somewhat organically.

The three commercially released singles “Seen The Light”, “Grace” and “Rush Hour Soul” are only some of the best songs on the record. “Run”, “Za”, “La Song” and “Evening Of The Day” are my personal favorites on the record of all the album tracks. This is the first album where keyboardist Rob Coombes is an official member of the band.

For my money, easily one of the best records of the 2000's. Highly recommended.  

Here's The Video Review:

Zorro Zero & The Warlocks: A Very Special Krizmas Gift For You (Fanatical Army Records/2014)

Now this Holiday offering comes from an eccentric New York art-collective known as Zorro Zero & The Warlocks. They started out in the late 90's in a more punky vein (i.e. thirty-second guitar-based outbursts about Pathmark, V-8 and Weebles). Zorro Zero is the cult leader/lead singer. And the Warlocks are Denver Gillette and Groove Champion, who both handle the production/music end of things.

This release is a would-be traditional Christmas album, except it's creepy, tripped-out and the vocals border on satire. "Sleigh Ride" features left-field outbursts from "cult leader" Zorro Zero like "let's bang a pigeon", "All I Want For Christmas Is You", sung but Denver Gillette, sounds like Axl Rose in a karaoke bar, and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" is sung a tad too excitedly by Groove Champion.  There are deep shades of homo-eroticism to spare in "Christmas Wrapping" (the Waitresses cover) and "Baby It's Cold Outside". There are three tracks of banter from the band members to coax the listener even further into Holiday cheer. Kudos for the sped-up bridge in "Marshmallow World" and the crazy Nintendo-esque music in "Let It Snow".

If you can find this unusual Christmas album, by all means, pick it up.

The Soft Boys: Nextdoorland (Matador Records/2002)

The reunion of The Soft Boys in 2001 was something of a pleasant if albeit unexpected surprise. Band leader, guitarist and vocalist Robyn Hitchcock had worked with all of the ex-Soft Boys in some faculty (either on his solo albums or as his backing band in The Egyptians) since the bands' demise in 1981. This line-up is the same one that had recorded the band's magnum opus Underwater Moonlight. It's fairly safe to say that there is virtually no difference in Robyn's lyrical persona or from what he had been doing just previous to this. And there's little to no effort to imitate the busy arrangements that band had been mining at their outset. If anything these make the songs themselves and the album as a whole far more enjoyable.

Released in 2002 on Matador Records, shortly after the tour and reissue of the Underwater Moonlight

(in celebration of that albums 21^st birthday), Nextdoorland is one of Robyn's better releases from the 2000's. He definitely seems to be rejuvenated to be playing with lead guitarist Kimberly Rew, bassist Matthew Seligman and drummer Morris Windsor once again. The sweet backing vocals or Rew & Windsor are certainly nice to hear alongside Robyn's Syd Barretesque crooning. And it's nice to hear Robyn and Kimberly playing together in a modern context as well. The songs themselves work as a unified whole. “I Love Lucy”, “Japanese Captain”, “Pulse Of My Heart” and “Unprotected Love” being among the stand-out tracks. Outtakes from this album were issued later that year as the EP
Side Three.

The vinyl release was pressed on 150 gram vinyl and came packaged with a 7” single of live versions of “Underwater Moonlight” and “Only The Stones Remain”that were both recorded at the Hollywood Bowl.

This was rated as one of the best albums of the year when it was released and I'll stand by it.

Here's The Video Review:

Special Thanks: Doug Mashkow of New Music Scene.