Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Mocha, Maxin' & Reclamation: Round-Up #1 [Expanded from http://instagram.com/jeremynobody postings]




13 June 2014

[Soundtrack 1]
Black Oak Arkansas Black Oak Arkansas (Atco, 1971)


(More in-depth review forthcoming)

Dialing back to when the slight psychedelic hangover is in effect from their days as Stax artists The Knowbody Else.









15 June 2014

[Soundtrack 2]
Artful Dodger Honor Among Thieves (Columbia, 1976)


(More in-depth review forthcoming)

Ace sophomore album from VA's '70s power pop wonders, Artful Dodger, which paired the muscle and raunch of the Faces with a Raspberries-like dedication to songcraft. 






15 June 2014

[Soundtrack v3]
Eddie Bond Sings the Legend of Buford Pusser (Enterprise/Stax, 1973)

(More in-depth review forthcoming)

Stax subsidiary set o' pickin' and a'singin' country tunes tellin' the tales of Eddie's old palthe legendary big, bad lawman, Buford Pusser (whose story was turnt into 1973s cult classic Walking Tall)  
[Eddie Bond previously cut some hot rockabilly sides for Ekko, Decca, Tab, etc; and toured with Jerry Lee, Carl, Roy, Warren Smith and the like in the '50s.]





(This may be the earlier single version)


17 June 2014

[Soundtrack 4]
Gary's Gang Keep on Dancin' (CBS, 1978)


The rhythm-led (drummer Gary Turnier marched at the front of this gang) kinda disco that formed the bedrock for early hip-hop and coulda been chopped up for the breakers by Bambaataa, Herc, and the like—with the occasional salsa rhythm, and break-downs galore. These sorta boogie vibes have a '80s growin' days soft spot for me even beyond a personal hip-hop connection/come-up. I copped this'un from a dollar-bin years back thinking it may be power pop or decent new wave from the cover, and have never been disappointed so smashingly. It's a solid set, but my fave-rave is "Party Tonight!" with it's near glam rock chorus/chant. [The title track was also comped by Kenny Dope on his Disco Heat set.]


19 June 2014

[Soundtrack 5]
UP Killer Up 10" (The Legendary White Panthers Garage Band from Detroit) [Total Energy, 1995]


While they may not pack quite the revelatory whallop of their Grande Ballroom comrades in the MC5 and Stoogescome on, who does??the Up whipped up a mighty worthy proto-punk / proto-metal furor of their own, and having been a local live attraction from '67 to '73 were no bandwagon opportunists hitching on the wave of post-psychedelic / 'High Energy' Detroit sounds. The fact is, they never got their day to run in the sun, and left behind precious little recorded evidence in their wake (1 1/2 singles, with the fourth side occupied by ol' Al Ginsberg on harmonium and recitation on the proposed emancipation of John Sinclair). 

The UP served as support on the very night Jac Holzman snatched up their comrades (MC5/Stooges) for proposed Elektra fame and fortune, but were passed overthough, it wasn't for lack of skill: Franklin "Frank" Bach had character to spare and also served as Grande MC/announcer, the hammer-handed Scott Bailey showed the skins no mercy, and Rasmussen brothers Bob & Gary peeled off frenzied fuzz riffs and supplied buoyant basslines, respectively. And after the Five moved on to their own vibes UP became Sinclair's prime proselytizers, epitomizing the dope, guns, and fukcing in the streets ethos perhaps more than any other. This 10" captures a combo drifting in the same sh*t-hot proto- waters as their Panther compadres, and the more charging moments of Cheer, collecting the bulk of the recorded output. From the anthemic brush country dreams of "Just Like an Aborigine" to an incendiary take on Bobby 'Do You Wanna Dance?' Freeman's "C'mon & Swim" it all rushes by in a flash of excitement etched in wax. Plain git it!

(Gary Rasmussen later found further infamy in Detroit supergroup Sonic's Rendezvous Band along with members of the MC5, Stooges, and Rationals.)
[To get the full scoop, there's also a companion CD on Total Energy from 1995 containing a few additional studio sides and a batch of live tracks. UK label Easy Action also issued much the same material in 2010 as Rising on a CD/DVD set, adding some rare video footage.]




20 June 2014

[Soundtrack 6]
Dino Valente Dino Valente (Tomkins Square, 2013)


1968’s sole offering from Quicksilver Messenger Service founder member, Chester “Chet” William Powers, Jr—aka Dino Valenti, or Jesse Oris Farrow—cut/produced by Bob Johnston directly after Dino’s 'Big House' bid on marijuana charges, illustrates why he was an able acolyte of Fred Neil, Dylan, Karen Dalton and the like in NY’s East Village folk boom of the mid-‘60s. Valente rejoined QMS after his solo career didn’t quite catch fire as he hoped it would, though, this set bears no mark of failure—and illustrates similar mellow-mystical moments he offered to QMS’ Just for Love album. Dino Valente provides a more intimate setting, as well as giving an eye into the formation of his later contributions to the shifting sound of QMS in their ’69-’72 period.

The album displays a cultural grab-bag of styles, while maintaining a fluid coherency, including baroque, jangling harpsichord in opener “Time,” the stark, jazzy, loner vibes of “Something New,” and light orchestration wed to driving Motown’esque basslines (falling somewhere between solo Roy Wood and Rodriguez’s 2nd LP) in “Tomorrow.” Elsewhere we’re offered Eastern motifs (“My Friend”), blue notes, some experimental flair (“Test”), and distant, echoing vocals. By tapping into the more austere collective consciousness of the era, his words resonate on down the decades without some of the bad-wear some have fared. A classic to my ears, and sure to appeal to acid folk heads, those who follow the trails of early singer-songwriters, and overall lovers of ‘60s SF sounds. Dino’s S/T album is now for the first time commercially available in glorious mono, with vibrant original liners by original mover Ralph Gleason, and stands among my favorite reissues of the last 365.
 



22 June 2014

[Soundtrack v7]
Rudy Romero To the World (Tumbleweed Records, 1972)


Ex-Hardtimes member Rudy Romero (they of San Diego, CA, with a clutch of folk-rock 45s & '68 LP on World Pacific) laid down this rootsy and varied slab with detours into funky pale face soul, heavier radio rock, blues and somber ballads all filtered through an AM Pop prism, with assistance by past bandmates (Hardtimes vocalist Lee Keifer produces here), his heavy friends in Clear Light (keyboardist Ralph Schuckett), Things to Come (bassist Bryan Garofalo), the Undertakers (drummer Warren Pemerton—not to be confused with the UK-based Jackie Lomax-led combo), and some ace sessioners (lead guitarist John Usserymore on him in future daysand backup vocalists Clydie King & Venetta Fields, both of the Blackberries). Two favorites are the mellow majesty with light orchestration of "Love Comes (When It Wants to Anyway)," and the epic title track that ends the set with sweeping orchestration, and a call for earthly preservation bursting forth with resounding piano, organ swells and pained, swirling geet licks that morph into bouncy, island-flavored pop, down-stroking to only come back in force with pulsing rhythm and spiky horn charts. Blissful.

Typical construction for the Gulf-Western-funded label, this one was lavish with a die-cut / peek-through sleeve and white vinyl (pretty heavy emphasis for a minor release in 1972). For the Beatle-heads out there there's also fair evidence (from the mouth of label shaker Robb Kunkelmore on him in future days too) that George Harrison contributed to four tracks. 
[I dedicate this entry to our dearly departed colleague and friend Patrick Lundborg, who was a big fan and cheerleader for the Tumbleweed stable, you can check some of his musings here  http://www.lysergia.com/LamaWorkshop/Tumbleweed/lamaTumbleweed.htm 

23 June 2014

[Soundtrack v9]
Medusa First Step Beyond (Numero Group, 2013)


Housed in one of the most dynamite packaging jobs I’ve seen to date (and definitely the best of the last 365), this gatefold of faux-velvet with shining gold and blood red debossing includes an illustrated version of the mythical one Medusa herself, demonic claws and ye olde sabbatic goat on the cover, while the gate is pentagram-enhanced with various vintage group visages intermingled into the blank space inside and surrounding it. But it’s not all surface joys, First Step Beyond is a space-prog opus that nips at the heels of outsiders like Hawkwind and the more heavy, moody, groove-oriented practitioners of progressive, such as Keith Relf’s post-Yardbirds outfit Armageddon.

Recorded in their hometown of Chicago by the group in 1975 and laying unreleased till now, the album is a truly singular work with no regional reference points I can muster from the time period, displaying the facility to stretch without moving into meandering monotony. There’s a pervading doom over the platter, with detours into some staying-just-long-enough musicianly breakdowns, jazz-flecked guitar leads mingling in the matter without turning to self-indulgent sub-genre exercise, and shifting moods suitable to a well-sequenced set. Standouts include the nine minutes of instrumental pulsing space metal groove “Transient Amplitude”, the internal rumblings of a cold heart warming in the ballad “Temptress”, and personal fave “Black Wizard” pushing a dark occult agenda without lapsing into theatric parody. Sure to find fans in early heavy progressive fiends, doom metal heads, the outer-lying grounds of the ‘70s American underground and those open to adventures in sound.
[Exhumed/curated by pal & collector Daniel Schlosser.]



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note energy (\ˈnōt\ \ˈe-nər-jē\ )
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Mornin' Java and Archive Thumbin' : Round-Up #1 [Expanded from http://instagram.com/jeremynobody postings]



12 June 2014

[Soundtrack v1]
Noel Harrison Collage (Reprise, 1967)


(Review forthcoming)










13 June 2014

[Soundtrack v2]
Tito Rivera and His Cuban Orchestra Cha Cha Cha (Golden Tone, 196?)



(More in-depth review forthcoming)

Thought this was gonna be pure square-bear dumpster fodder, but turned out to be mellow groove Afro-Cuban Cha Cha vibes.



14 June 2014

[Soundtrack v3]
Charlie Blackwell Here's Charlie (Chafay, 1975)


Seattle born'n'bred mixed bag private touching on loungey swamp-funk/rock, country balladry, classic R&B & R'n'R, gospel, blues, and moreand remarkably 3/4's original material. The man oddly played in Stan Kenton and Dave Brubeck's bands as a drummer as well. Worth the price of admission for "Voodo Man" [sic] alone.

Some of the worst / off-base dealer-hype I've read: Northern soul???
[Mine was a thrift score, I didn't buy this hoopla.]



16 June 2014

[Soundtrack v4]
"Miss America" Vonda Van Dyke Teenage Diary (Word, 1965)


Cash-in LP reflecting on the ruminations of true love and how that all boils in an age of racing hormones, pre-marital sexphysical gratification is selfish desire... the only GENUINE love is God's love, baby!and expensive dresses/cheap morals (starring the voice talents of Miss America 1965 Vonda Van Dyke). There's also a drunken pops who pops the protagonist's suitor when thinkin' he'd touched too much shows the grown ain't got it all figured. Sad, sad stuff... Voice-overs and dialogue are shot-through with groovy instrumental interludes (prom celebrations at a Tiki bar), and distant, ethereal singing. Any "higher choice" ya wanna indulge in gets my vote if that makes you wanna be a better hoo-man, but this kinda heavy-handedness is always a major source of amusement for me.
['Twas originally a 1960 scare film that can be procured from Something Weird Video in a combo pack along with early HG Lewis treat The Alley Tramp]

More info here — http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/09/365-days-265.html ; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480469/

[Soundtrack v5]
Richard Kimble ...IN ACTION (Vista International Productions, 197?)


Paper doll-style cut-out action shots on front slick represent the lively Canuck performer described by a Variety Mag critic as, "A bright, brisk, sexy bundle of energy, who communicates with his audience like a magnet!" on this covetable private lounge treat. I'm partial to the B-side where the groovy smaltz and Twilight Zone Holiday Inn vibes kick into high-gear, with my brand o'kicks dialing into the "Charlie Rich Medley" ('specially "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" take!), and "Memories (The Way We Were)" [which I later found my pal Mike Ascherman comped on The Worst Lounge Extravaganza Ever—click title for download] , but the whole side's a kick in the gut for those searching ace lounge vibesand the set ends with "The Impossible Dream" NATCH'LY!

More here  http://themotellounge.blogspot.com/2011/03/richard-kimble-in-action.html?m=1


17 June 2014

[Soundtrack v6]
Berringer Takin' A Chance (Gambler Prods, 1982)

IL Lounge / AOR / SSW Soft Rock at its best when the synths get stuck on overload, the guitar kicks in, and there's a frantic, ramshackle disco-like rhythm pulsing in the backgroundthe heat is in the upbeatotherwise it's 3/4 melodramatic balladry (which has bursts of promise, but is pretty ho-hum). Worth the price of admission for "Love Is A Lonely Way to Feel," and the two-part title track also holds attentions (there's even a brief drum solo/break in the 2nd part!). "Magic in the Eyes of Love" and "Dreamer" also serve some hooky joys. Only to be entered by the open and adventurous.



18 June 2014

(First, can we forgive Dave Edmunds' role in foisting the Stray Cats upon us? Now enjoy...)

[Soundtrack v7]
Dave Edmunds Get It (Swan Song, 1977)


Even if you don't dig throwback vibes, ya gotta admit Edmunds did it better than many, was adept in various modes, and was an ace at connecting the faint threads of good pop music that transcend genreand his collaborations with Nick Lowe are (yessir!) undeniable. Stabs at teener balladry ("Where or When"), Bakersfield jones' ("Worn Out Suits, Brand New Pockets"), gentle nods to godhead Sahm ("Juju Man"--penned by under-legend Jim Ford, and cut at an earlier session in '75), and classic Lowe-assisted numbers ("I Knew the Bride," "Here Comes the Weekend," "What Did I Do Last Night?," and "Little Darlin'") make it hard to pinpoint the '50s-early '60s gems from the pastiche. (The Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup by way of Elvis gem "My Baby Left Me" even dates back to '69 with superb, scorching backing from Love Sculpture). Even with slight tweaks all tunes carry the waft of Edmunds, combining his love for '50s Sun slapback rockabilly and pre-Brit Invasion pop, and filtering other kicks through that prism (plus, if you watch the songwriting credits close it could be debated Edmunds knew his way around a hook just as well as Saint NickLowe, natch). Like his first two sets the majority of instruments are executed by the name on the cover, though here he finds gentle assistance from a few pals as well (members of Brinsley Schwarz, Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers, the Rumour, Man, Love Sculpture)and a handful of tracks see the embryonic pieces of Rockpile begin to fall outta the womb.

I bend my ear close to the Lowe-assists, but that's just where one man's interests lay. I take umbrage to a take on Hank's "Hey Good Lookin'" (ya can't mess with perfection, after all), 'tis solid throughout otherwise, though.




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Sunday, June 22, 2014

Zolar X 'Timeless' (1982 / 2004) LP [Unedited Version of Review Published in 'The Shindig! Guide to Spacerock: Interstellar Overdrive']



Zolar X Timeless (Pyramid Records, 1982; RE - Alternative Tentacles, 2004)

     Sonic outliers of the '70s Hollywood glam / Rodney's English Disco Scene (where they played regularly), Zolar X, as Rodney Bingenheimer himself said were, "...of course, one step ahead of everybody," beaming down to earth in 1973.

     Zolar X took a "method" approach to performance and donned their outrageous garb influenced by early B-grade sci-fi/comics (where they also borrowed lyrical ideas), identical shags with center-pointing bangs resembling a helmet when taken as a whole, and spoke in an invented dialect on and off stage. Their self-described "Space/Punk Rocket Roll" was an amalgam of high-wired hard rock'n'roll buyoed by Bowie (Ziggy-era, natch), snatches of Sabb'esque sounds, manic, laser-driven keyboard fire, and some raw power blenderized into a space-driven proto-punk/proto-metal stew.

     Co-led by Zory Zenith (Billy McCartney - lead vox*) and Ygarr Ygarrist (Stephen Della Bosca - lazor lead gtr) from '73-'81 before dematerializing, this 1982 posthumous release in non-descript packaging collects tracks from three recording sessions—the bulk of which were, oddly, produced and engineered by Memphis titans James Dickinson and Terry Manning, respectively. The set begins with "Recitation", some lost language incanting, bringing you into their created/imagined world, before surging into an ode to eternal life for all in the anthemic "Timeless," and hits on several space-floating concepts along the way ("Test Tube Baby"—that's how we're made now, dig?; "Space Age Love," a tale of love in space environs), but what separates them from others is less poetic remove, replacing metaphors with words concerning everyday occurrence. Though, the crux of all they stood for in sound and vision resides in the four-part "The Horizon Suite: Overture on Air / Tomorrow's Sunrise / Inside the Outside / Sound Barrier," where they reach their heaviest heights and most dramatic, adrift in space dust mellow, with rumbling Iommi-worthy doomy riff charge and some James Williamson'esque leads. They went all the way, and for forty entrancing minutes you too can get lost in space with Zolar X.
*Also original drummer for LA street glam outfit Shady Lady.

[Also available as an Alternative Tentacles CD w/ bonus tracks. And, languishing in post-production is Zolar X: Starmen on Sunset, a documentary on the band.]


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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Traversing the Technicolour Underground, Vol. 2 (unpublished column for Shindig!)



        The loose groupings of proto-punk and power pop that can describe crazed, out-of-time contenders of many heavy stripes and those dedicated to the glory of P-O-P, respectively, carries several one-offs in its ranks. Over the last few years the well-spring has sprung with 45 excavations eulogizing frenzied footnotes with no end in sight.  My aim is to spotlight the previously shaded here, so feast on the choice offerings, kiddies…



        The new HOZAC ARCHIVAL label—offshoot of HoZac Records, known for damaged modern sounds—hits many modes with digs into the back catalog of Sonny Vincent (of early NYC scene band The Testors) and his previously unheard 1972 trio Fury with “Flying” b/w “100% Proof”; a few mid-late ‘70s vintage unreleased gems from power pop gawds Dwight Twilley Band (the ‘Band’ when co-singer Phil Seymour was still on-board) with “Shark” b/w “Burning Sand”; NY glam titans The Brats (formed by early NY Dolls member Rick Rivets) with more raw and powerful takes of their two-sided classic “Be a Man” b/w “Quaalude Queen” from 1974; and members of Midwestern lo-fi ‘70s proto-punks Mike Rep & the Quotas with the Accept It! EP under the True Believers name from 1980. Fury beats a mean combo of proto-heavy punk’ish frenzy and Sonic’s Rendezvous Band-style rock’n’roll on their two-fer, while the Twilley Band harnesses harmonies rivaling the Everlys with a foot in ‘70s rockin’ AM Gold, The Brats broadcast the grit and grime of the gender-bending ‘70s NY Street Glam scene, and the True Believers rally in a ramshackle yet together trio of skewed folk jawns and rockers residing on the precipice of total destruction to your mind, with the title track my fave-rave. All essential slabs.
        [Cut as a Titan Records single by Gary Charlson, this marks the first time the Twilley original of “Shark” sees wax rotation.]


        SUPERIOR VIADUCT continues pushing a stream of treasures from the international post-punk underground, and recently reissued a master-sourced version of the Seventh World EP from 1978 by The Sleepers. The group with headcase Ricky Williams as vocalist (a wheel in the early workings of both CRIME and Flipper) and guitarist Michael Belfer (pre-Tuxedomoon) recorded this 5-song EP—the title track the standout among standouts—of dark-toned psychedelically descendent punk prior to their transition into the moodier post-punkian vibes of their LP, and the EP stands as a tight example of the early S.F./West Coast scene.  The Seventh World EP is a release that has been long-deserving of reissue and a necessary purchase for anyone following the psychedelic trails down the decades.

        Also from Superior Viaduct: The Urinals, the loose, garage-psych-tinged punk progenitors see official reissue of their three 45 releases for their own Happy Squid label released from 1978-1980  (S/T EP, Another EP, and the “Sex” b/w “Go Away, Girl” 45). Trafficking in minimalist musings like “I’m a Bug,” and “Black Hole” from their second EP, and the Brit DIY’esque jangly strum of “Dead Flowers,” from their first—where the whole instrumental and vocal onslaught was driven through one amp—they committed some of the most damaged and uncompromising music of the era, inspiring the short-fast-rules-art-punk of groups like the Minutemen and many others. Having initially started as a learning-on-the-fly parody of the punk scene, while maintaining their rawness they charged forward as a refined machine, bringing to the fore their ‘60s avant & garage-pop roots transmitted through a distorted lens, eventually morphing into 100 Flowers, whose first LP has also been reissued by the label.


         Lastly, CHEAP REWARDS, whose primary focus is power pop and punk nuggets from TX, steps outside that state to the sunshine where The Rockers (pre-The Finders—who has seen recent LP treatment on Cheap Rewards as well) resided, by issuing their sole single released in 1980. The group's members had played together in combos since the late '60s, and all that coalesced into this perfect distillation of early '70s primo pop—not quite Badfinger/Blue Ash heights or moves, but markedly different than the punkier stance of The Rockers' contemporaries—a four-song holy grail of pure perfection from the Bay Area. The mind reels at what could've gone down had the pop-faithful Rockers issued the A-side ballad of Mersey-bred jangly gold, "Understanding," to a wider audience. Go on and get it!

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Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Beatleisms: How the Fab Four Cast a Shadow Over the 1970s (Shindig! #35 addendum)


      Shindig! #35 is soon to drop (Sept. 26), and I've contributed a few entries to the list of Beatles-influenced gems, but, naturally, a few of my fave-raves were already spoke for. Pick up the new issue soon-like, but in the meantime lemme tell you about a few choice selections whose virtues will be served by the pen of another, in my own words:


The Flame – S/T (Brother, 1970)


What combo better than sibling South Africans the Flame (Fataar Bros – Ricky, Steve and Edries; with Blondie Chaplin) could be the only non-Beach Boys group on their Brother Records imprint? Keepin’ it in the family, they were successful as the Flames in their native land before relocation to London where the keen ears of Carl Wilson—this LP’s producer—were pricked and ferried them back ‘cross the pond. Altering the name to avoid confusion with JB's boys stateside, they issued this consistent album of guitar-heavy, Revolver and forward harmonic delicacy with Harrison’esque licks and a bit of Stonesy swagger to little acclaim in 1970, beyond a singles chart blip from “See the Light” b/w “Got To Get Your Mind Made Up” (a one two-punch if there ever was one). Group members went on to play with the Boys proper, the Rutles, Byrds, Stones and the Band. The embers will keep smoldering till we see an official reissue and proper birth of their 2nd unreleased platter.






Rockin’ Horse – Yes It Is (Phillips, 1970)


The hydra-head strength of Jimmy Campbell (ex-Kirkbys, 23rd Turnoff & solo) and Billy Kinsley (ex-Merseybeats, Merseys; future Liverpool Express) was much more than that of proseful pretenders posing in the aftermath, having been weaned on the same fruits as the Beatles in their own time.  Dialing back after rural sojourns and stylistic diversions, they wanted to create something inspired by their initial turn-ons and penned one of the most potent, soul-wrenching power pop records extant. Probing the pop planet (being pioneered by Badfinger and others at the time), they hit with a double-shot opener of “Biggest Gossip in Town” and “Oh Carol, I’m So Sad”—the former their A-side single release, and both comped as the maiden 45 voyage on Greg Shaw’s Voxx empire. The only thing that should be “lost” about this platter is the feelings it imbues with pathos-drenched tunes like “Stayed Out Late Last Night” and “Don’t You Ever Think I Cry”. This top of the pop canon album should be owned by all. Not only one of my favorite moments of Beatle'esque outstretching, but one of my favorite albums, and a real class package was produced/reissued by Sing Sing Records just a few years back, which you can knab here.
 







     I've surely got more horses [NPI] in the race (may even have a few more additions forthcoming), but what are your faves?



Tuesday, September 3, 2013

The Resonars – Crummy Desert Sound (Burger) LP


      Matt Rendon and his one-man four-track recording project (though you wouldn’t know it by the fullness captured), the Resonars, have been creating Mod-pop/power pop bedrock sounds nonpareil since “their” first footlong in 1998—with roots and unsuccessful augmentations including additional heads stretching back to '91. An off-on concern since that time amidst membership in other bands, Rendon’s creations have been resuscitated and reissued in full (every release, natch) by the king-size cheerleaders at Burger Records over the last few years. His most recent album under the name, Crummy Desert Sound, could well serve as Matt's last new release as a “solo” offering though, as this increased visibility has allowed him to put into place an able stable to express the varied emanations of his pen.

     Sir Rendon has the inner-workings of timeless pop dialed, channeling the fragility, dexterity and power of Move-era Roy Wood (“Vanishing People”), prime-time ‘60s Townshend power chords with Mooney kit whallop, and note-perfect Hollies’esque harmonies (“Invisible Gold”) exuding so much charm he deftly evades contrivance. All radiating from one man’s mind in Tuscon, AZ, the Resonars serve as something akin to a less specifically psychedelic-oriented Dukes of Stratosphere, with tunes standing aside their sources, or perhaps a very minor step under. A solid spin for anyone with a passing interest in the age-less pop playbook or looking for the magic of mid-late '60s England in one platter. Anyone not already exposed has some work ahead them.

 

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note energy (\ˈnōt\ \ˈe-nər-jē\ )
:spiritual sustenance provided by the perfect combination of notes and words, bringing about the sensation of excitation