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Paper Jam- This and That (self-released)

Wait....what the heck...where did this band come from?! Glasgow, Scotland? Oxford, UK? London?! Nope...right here in the states in Texas. 

Not finding a website on them (I think they have an Instagram page), but this 10-song/20-minute album checks all the right boxes for me. 

They've got a few Talulah Gosh/Tiger Trap-ish cuts in the great opener "Polka Dot Girl" and "Skyscraper," while the more mid-tempo cuts like "Lovely Girl" and "In Your Town" are more akin to something like early Darling Buds, The Flatmates, or The Primitives. The shuffling beat of "Tattle Tale" is in a league all its own. 

Seriously, if the C86 or Anorak scene loomed large in your life, then give Paper Jam a listen or 10. 

Check Instagram, You Tube or Apple Music

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Autos - S/T EP (Dandy Boy)

I'd heard (and maybe even reviewed?) a previous single by this Santa Cruz band. Here's a full EP with 6 songs, and I really dig what these folks are up to. 

On a few of these cuts, if you told me that this was some obscure late 70s power pop band that was produced by Dwight Twilley, I'd have no reason not to believe you. 

Elsewhere, on the foggier "Into the Grey," I was reminded a little of The Dream Syndicate (see what I did there), while "Spark in the Dark" just jams on the gas pedal the whole time (ace cut!). 

The other songs make the grade as well and hey, it's good to see a band from Santa Cruz on occasion (at one time the serial killer capital of the world IIRC). Autos rocks, and you darn well better believe it. 

www.dandyboyrecords.bandcamp.com

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Moving Targets- "On the Run" single (Boss Tunage Records/Dead Broke Rekerds/Waterslide Records)

Another new, fab single by Kenny Chambers and his rhythm section of Emilien Catalano and Yves Thibault. The 'targets have been fierce since they returned in 2018 and have released three albums since their return (the most recent being 2023's In the Dust). 

The forthcoming album, Red Eyes, will be out in late July. "On the Run" is the 2nd single from said record, and it's a scorcher. With a driving rhythm and Chambers' searing guitar, the song moves from lane to lane, zigzagging in and out of traffic on the way to their destination (with the soaring chorus "Is this the last goodbye?). 

Chambers adds a white hot lead near the end, and before you know it, the song is over and you cue it up once again. 

Really looking forward to Red Eyes!

www.deadbrokerekerds.bandcamp.com 

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Salem 66- Salt (Don Giovanni Records)

Hallelujah! This terrific band from Boston, led by guitarist Judy Grunwald and bassist Beth Kaplan, is finally being reissued and rediscovered by a whole new generation of fans (and it's about time!). 

The band, which began in the early 80s, released four albums and several singles for the Homestead label before calling it a day in 1990. 

Now, nearly four decades later (and with a song on the terrific Strum and Thrum comp that Captured Tracks released a few years ago) the Don Giovanni label has released a 10-song compilation of the band's work, with songs picked by Grunwald and Kaplan.

It's a lovely piece of work giving me a touch of special feeling as I was a big fan of the band at the time and caught them live a coupla times.  

SALT includes the loping "Red Barn" (from their first EP), to the moody "Across the Sea" (the first single), onto heavier stuff like "Playground" (which I didn't realize how much it reminded me of Beat Happening). Elsewhere, "Isabella," an old favorite, is conjured up here, as is the pre-grunge of "Thaw." 

I'm hoping more reissues may be down the road, but for now, SALT is more than welcome in this home. Finally .....finally, welcome back!

www.dongiovannirecords.bandcamp.com

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Brian Wilson- 6/20/42- 6/11/25

If you want a truly beautifully written article on the passing of Brian Wilson, then check out Rob Sheffield's piece in Rolling Stone ("God only knows what we'd be without Brian Wilson"). Mine will be much shorter, but no less full of love, as Wilson was one of my all-time favorite songwriters, if not my all-time favorite.

I first discovered the Beach Boys as a 10-year-old through the superb Endless Summer compilation(recommended to me by an older neighborhood kid), but it changed the world for me. Of course as a young boy, I didn't understand all of the lyrics and themes, but I did love the harmonies and melodies, and about 20 of their songs instantly became my favorites (back then, my two real faves were "I Get Around" and "Don't Worry Baby"). 

It was later in my 20s that I discovered Pet Sounds and then on to their 70s albums (Surf's Up, Sunflower, etc). While I always appreciated their 70s output (and some of their 80s output, though the good songs there were few and far between), I always favored their 60s material. Songs about girls, cars, and the beach were right up my alley.

If you know the story, then you know of Brian's, at times, awful childhood, leading him to mental illness. He had more than a few comebacks throughout the years. Once the Smile album got redone and (re)issued, there was a whole new generation of fans able to love and appreciate the music by this true genius. 

The Beach Boys' music (most written by Brian) is embedded into American culture and has been for decades. I can't ever see it going away, though one day it may, but regardless, we'll all still believe in you, Brian. 

Thank you for the music, Mr. Wilson. It made people's lives better, definitely mine. 

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The Big Takeover (zine, issue #96,  160 pages)

Wait...is it June already? It must be as there's a new issue of Jack Rabid’s Big Takeover zine and as I said in my last review of it, you can set your calendar by it. This is the 45th anniversary issue (Congrats, Jack!). 

In this issue, there are interviews with cover star Bob Mould as well as chats with Nada Surf (part 2), Alan Sparhawk (from Low), Doves, Swans, and others. 

In addition to that, there’s editorials like Jeff Kelson's 50 favorite records of the 70s and there's also short takes (including ones on Laughing Chimes, Todd Trainer, Jeff Shelton (Well Wishers, etc), The Tisburys, and plenty more; and pages of reviews by Jack and his staff of all the current stuff that you need to hear (Jack does his top 40 every issue).

I love the collage of all of the covers of all previous 95 issues!

www.bigtakeover.com

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W. Cullen Hart and Andrew Rieger- Leap Through Poisoned Air EP (Orange Twin)

Thank God for Orange Twin keeping the elephant 6 collective going. If you're an e6 fan like me, you'll be happy hear this. Sadly, W. Cullen Hart passed away in last November, but we've this music to carry on. Recorded between 1999 and 2000, W. Cullen Hart wrote and recorded the music; while Andrew Rieger added the lyrics, vocal melodies, and recorded the vocals. The EP kicks off with "Treasures in the Magic Hole," a psychedelic mish mash of synth bleeps, bashing drums, and distorted guitars. And you can't forget to mention the eerie, robotic vocals. Next up, the title track, and the shortest song on the EP, "Through Poisoned Air," is a slowed down number with the guitars pushed up. Imagine Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary" on mushrooms. Well, apparently it's a short trip. Track 3, "Three Seeds," really cranks the guitars up this time around. More eerie vocals and heartbeat bass riffs push the psychedleia even further. The EP closes with "The Breathing Universe." It's a beautiful song with intricate guitar work, bass, and vocals. The EP is just under six minutes, but I will take it. Olivia Tremor Control and Elf Power together? What more could you ask for? ERIC EGGLESON

(Photo credit: Jenny Campbell)

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Throwback Thursday #87!- The Frenchmen- Sorry We Ruined Your Party (2004- Claire Records)

A few times a year I have to post a Frenchmen song just to remind folks of how great this short-lived Sacramento band really were. 

Again....sadly they were short-lived. It seems like they existed maybe a year or two and I never found out the deal on what happened. I know Leon had been in Bug Bite and some other bands like Baby Grand for a time, while the others: Niki Ortiz,  Amy Paris, and Charles Albright, had all done time in various Sac indie bands as well. 

...but their talents really came together on Sorry We Ruined Your Party. Think of a perfect love child of the Aislers Set and Shop Assistants with a dash of Heavenly and a touch of Beat Happening, and you'll be in the ballpark. 

Despite knowing their influences, The Frenchmen did have their own sound. The songs come quickly, and there's honestly not a bad one in the pack. Seriously, give a listen to choice cuts like "Change of Season," "Black and White, "Chemistry Lessons," and "Crimes of Fashion" (to name but a few) and the hooks in these songs won't leave your noggin anytime soon. 

This is crash pop at its finest and a record that I consider a lost classic of the genre.  If you like any or all of the above-mentioned bands, then this needs to be in your collection. 

www.tonevendor.com

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Heavenly- "Portland Town" single (Skep Wax)

Heavenly- "Portland Town" single (Skep Wax)

First there were the reissues and then some shows, and now....a new song by Heavenly! This is great news because, if my timeline is correct, it's the first new song from them in nearly 30 years. 

Yup, 30 years. 

So yeah, this classic, olde UK indie pop band of Amelia, Peter, Cathy, Rob, and Ian deliver a wonderful song here named "Portland Town."

I mean, it sounds like classic Heavenly of the '90s just updated with a chunky, stuttering guitar lick, a snappy/rubbery rhythm section, and Amelia's folksy vocals (and lyrics about finding your tribe, so to speak- "I just wanna be where no one stares at me..."). I've had it on repeat lately.

The vinyl comes out on 7/18/25 via Skep Wax.

www.skepwax.bandcamp.com

www.heavenlyindie.bandcamp.com

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Nervous Monks- As You Like It (self-released)

I was told that I needed to go to see this band a week or so ago so I did and really glad I did. The South Florida band has been banging around the scene for nearly a decade and have released a handful of digital EPs, but this is the band's first vinyl release, and it's a superb (vinyl) debut. 

The band, vocalist/guitarist Brady Newbill, bassist/vocalist Tim Hicks, lead guitarist Vitek Benton, and drummer Adam Camarena, seem to gave gelled nicely and it's obvious that these four have a serious chemistry. 

Distant guitars ring out on the cool opener "Late Bell" with Benton adding in some terrific guitar work (reminding me a little of the old UK band The Chameleons) while some righteous distortion opens up the next cut, "Hideaway," which charges from start to finish.

The title track veers off into dream pop territory (with dashes of space rock) while the great "River Of Trash," one of my favorites on here, reminded me a little of defunct So Cal indie band The Soft Pack. Also, the band wasn't afraid to take chances as on the final cut, the trippier, drifting "Where Shopping Is A Pleasure." 

This kind of stuff is right up my alley, and to find the band right here in South Florida was an even bigger (pleasant) surprise. Do give these guys your ears and money, they've worked hard for it.

www.nervousmonks.bandcamp.com

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Modern Nature- "Pharaoh" single (Bella Union)

This is the work of Jack Cooper, who was in the fantastic Ultimate Painting (among other stuff). The last Modern Nature album came out in 2023, and there'll be a new one at the end of August, but for now, we have this new single to keep us occupied. 

This new song, "Pharaoh," is an interesting meditation on repetition and imagery. The wiry/wired guitar is doing its thing, while the rhythm section keeps it firmly in its place and Cooper's vocals complete the package. It's a fantastic song that will weave its way into your subconscious through the entirety of its 5 minutes. 

Put the pills and drink away and dream of Modern Nature instead!

www.modernature.bandcamp.com

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Optdemics- The Atom Complex (Braxeling)

It's always a pleasant surprise to discover a new band from my old stomping grounds of Portland, Oregon (lived there from 2002-2012), and even better when it's an old friend's band. Optdemics is the new trio led by vocalist/guitarist Andy Giegerich, who is joined by drummer Luke Strahota and bassist Julie Madsen, and these three (and the cast of helpers, including former Beulah guy Steve LaFollette) are truly on to something. 

I hear elements of classic '60s pop like The Zombies and Left Banke mixed with the off-kilter twists of the Elephant 6 crew into one astoundingly fun record (no surprise as Giegerich is a huge fan of all of that stuff)!

Opener "Optical Game" sounds like a lost classic from that previous decade, while the horns come in on the totally great "No Good Deeds," and "Dear Florence" gets down and dirty, and I even hear a little Flying Nun weirdness on that one. That's the first three cuts, and the rest of the album follows suit quite nicely (I love the trippy "Adam Larry" and the soaring/shuffling "Long Suffering," too). 

You'll discover new cool/oddball bits as they will reveal themselves with each successive listen. Not only that, but the record is a straight-up hoot from start to finish! If you've read this far, then you know what to do...discover Optdemics!

www.optdemics.bandcamp.com

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Sea Dramas- Every Problem Created For Us EP (Royal Oakie Records)

Though this Bay Area band, basically the work of one Scott Pettersen, has been at it for over a decade, I jumped aboard in 2024 with the release of the Escape Scenes album.

Pettersen is back with this new EP (actually outtakes from that previous album), and it's five more songs of gorgeous, moody, intricate "fog pop" (someone else's words, but it does fit).

"Down at the Bottom" is a fantastic opener, "Brooding Teenagers" is even better (more upbeat with swelling keys), and "The Void" is a perfect way to end the record (the other two songs, with foreign titles, are worth your time, too). 

Heck, if this were 1994, these guys would form some kind of holy triumvirate with American Music Club and the Red House Painters, but right now they're on their own island, which is more than ok. Every Problem Created For Us demands your attention. 

www.seadramas.bandcamp.com

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Brideshead- You Are The Light (Shelflife Records)

It's been ten years since their last album, Germany’s Brideshead continues its 30 year career by releasing their fourth album. Current band members include: Martin Nelte – vocals, backing vocals; Zwen Keller - acoustic & electric guitars, backing vocals; Hanns-Christian Mahler - lead guitars, keys, percussion, backing vocals; and Paul Engling - bass guitar. This time around they are working with a new drummer, Daniel Conradi. Numerous labels (Marsh Marigold, their own label Apricot Records, and Shelflife Records) have released their jangle pop over the years. “Satellite” kicks off the album with a punch of jangle and buzzing bass, and still has a beautiful melody. Love the echoing vocals. It’s one to blast in the car all summer long. Here’s the video:  

Next up, “A Hit For You,” highlights the rockin’ drums. (Did I mention they have a new drummer?) Track 3. “This Charming Girl” is an acoustic beauty with a big beat and intricate bass work. If you thought to was a take on The Smiths, well, I think you're wrong. It's back to chiming guitars that literally sound like bells on “Worn Out Rhymes.” Takes me back to their sound from years ago. Track 5, “Hopeless Me,” fleshes out the synths big time here. The rhythm section is in fine form, too.  “Rainy Day” is a short, but upbeat jangle pop gem. The title track, “The Light I'm Running To,” is a bouncy toe tapper filled with intricate jangle guitar delight that will have you “bop, bop, bopping” along. Track 8, “Recorded Life,” pushes the keyboards way up in a Birdie sort of way. (And that’s okay with me.) “Love In Tune” gives off a frantic vibe with its twitching guitar riffs, but then settles in with a full throttle punch with the rest of the band, complete with "la las." Next up, Track 10, “Monday Morning,” slows things down ever so slightly with a bass riff that reminds me of Carly Simon's (and can't forget James Taylor) "Mockingbird." But it ends there with soaring vocals, chiming guitars, big beats, and shifting keyboards. “Hold On” kicks off with razor guitar, but then settles into jangle bliss. Another beauty to sing along to with its echoing back up vocals. The album closes with the longest song on the album. “Open The Door” is a jangle guitar pop delight added with a clean rhythm section pounding away. Well, there you have it, twelve new songs with Brideshead picking up right where they left off. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another ten years! ERIC EGGLESON

*To celebrate 30 years of Brideshead, all Bandcamp orders will receive a bonus mp3-only 'Best Of' compilation called "A Retrospective." It includes 10 tracks from previous Brideshead releases and a rare alt version of the song "Shampoo Bubble." (If you're unfamiliar with this band, this is a great compilation to start with!-EE)

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Robert Forster- Strawberries (Tapete')

Aussie legend Forster (who was one half of the brilliant Go-Betweens with Grant McLennan, who sadly passed in 2006) is still out there on the battlefield, releasing terrific records and, more importantly, still taking real chances in songwriting. 

After his previous record, 2023's The Candle and the Flame (which focused heavily on his wife Karin's illness), Forster is back and seems in a more playful mood. 

For Strawberries, he headed over to Sweden and recorded with Peter Moren of Peter, Bjorn and John, and these two seem to be a match made in heaven. With a loose pick-up Swedish band of guitar/bass/drum and occasionally keyboards and sax, Forster meanders through 8 classic cuts as only he can do. 

Like all Forster records, you'll get moods and imagination of every kind, from the playful tracks to swoony "Breakfast on the Train" (one of his best ever, IMO) to the lush piano balled "Such A Shame" to the knuckle-down rock/pop of "Good to Cry," he covers it all on here. 

They named a bridge in the Go-Betweens' hometown of Brisbane, but how about going a step further and naming a train after RF. Perhaps the Forster Express, as this guy is constantly on the move and always arrives on time. You'll love Strawberries, I sure do. 

www.robertforster.bandcamp.com

www.tapeterecords.de

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Smug Brothers- "Paper Jane" single (Anyway)

Ohio bunch with plenty of other material out on the always reliable Anyway Records label, and this is the third single from their forthcoming album.

Like a few other Ohio outfits (The Whiles, come to find), these guys toss aside the gnarlier, dirty guitars for something a whole lot prettier. 

"Paper Jane" has some seriously good guitar interplay while the rhythm section is easy like Sunday morning, and vocalist Kyle Melton lays his sterling pipes across the top of it all for a truly lovely cut. 

Did I say no dirty guitars? Check out the 1:18 flip, "Naked Gravity" for some righteous grime.

Their last album, In The Book Of Bad Ideas, from 2023 was a smart winner, and this new one, Stuck On Beta (out this Friday), looks to possibly top it!

www.smugbrothers.bandcamp.com

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Nervous Monks and The Elm Tops on 5/31/25 at Revelry in Pompano Beach, FL!

My first time at Revelry, a newish restaurant/music venue in Pompano Beach. I was told of the gig a few days before and that it was gonna be a good one. They were right.

I was bummed I missed opener Lindsey Mills,  also known as bassist for West Palm Beach indie heroes Surfer Blood (that band's leader, J.P. Pitts, was in attendance) but got there for the second band The Elm Tops. They're a new-to-me band, and they seemed like a real meat-and-potatoes indie rock band with strong songs that have a real bounce to them. I'll definitely check these guys out again. 

It was a record release show for headliner Nervous Monks vinyl debut, As You Like It. Apparently, guitarist/vocalist Brady Newbill has been at the indie rock game for a number of years. In this band, he has an outstanding cast with him with lead guitarist Vitek Benton, bassist/foil Tim Hicks and drummer Adam Camarena. There's really no secret weapon in this band as all four could be called a secret weapon as each one is able to deliver most righteously.

Cuts like "Hideaway," "River of Trash," "Late Bell" and the title track all sounded fantastic in the live setting, as did a few other songs. 

Congrats to the Nervous Monks on their terrific new album, and thank you to Revelry (and promoter Kelcie Mcquaid) for hosting the gig. I'll be back to this place and will be in attendance at the next Nervous Monks gig as well.