Tag Archives: Nick Frater

Pretty pretty poprock: Nick Frater and Ken Sharp

22 Thursday Sep 2022

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Some artists are meticulous. Their albums often sound free and easy but that belies the hard work that has gone into them. Today’s featured acts are those kind of inspired craftmen, carving pretty pretty tunes out of the basic raw material of the popular song.

Nick Frater is serious about old stuff. His music is replete with references to musical styles from the 1970s, lovingly taped on vintage recording equipment from the era. But his recent long-player Aerodrome Motel doesn’t so much harken back to yesteryear as remodel those familiar sounds for a new age. I mean, sure, I could say that “The Pleasure is Mine” flows like a Squeeze Cool for Cats era character sketch. But it doesn’t just conjure the glory of Deptford’s favourite sons. These songs stand on their own. Take “Love Heist,” a killer bit of buoyant pop songwriting that I would suggest is merely elevated by some Supertramp-worthy keyboards fills. Or I could say I hear a bit of Jellyfish in “Stuck in My Ways” or 10cc in “Aerodrome Motel” or Fountains of Wayne in “American Expressways.” But that’s just a rough way of saying ‘if you like those acts, you’ll love this’.  Lining up the should-be hit singles, I’d vote for “Rough and Tumble” with its great horns and programmed keyboard runs. Or there’s the Beatlesy (with just a touch of ELO) “Dear Modern Times.” What a gorgeous tune! The spacious piano opener and striking vocal arc that kick off the song are utterly captivating. I also like the darling “Dancing with Gertrude” and the stand out yet simple guitar lead line defining “No Hard Feelings.” By the time we get to “White Courtesy Phone” we’re ready for this last-dance, shuffle-the-patrons-out-the-door song. Frater’s put together a game changer here. While some prior albums have sounded like lovingly crafted period pieces, Aerodrome Motel is more a timeless distillation of the past with songs that sound good whether it’s yesterday, today or tomorrow.

With I’ll Remember the Laughter singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music scribe to the stars Ken Sharp offers us a record of delicious indulgence, a collection of 50 songs! The package is like a chocolate box with no bottom. As a clever curator of 1970s-era styles Sharp basically brings your favourite acts from that decade back to life to record one more should-be classic. The range of pop genres here is incredible: beach tunes, Philly soul, glam rock, baroque pop, and more. Album opener “Maybe Next Summer” sets the scene, crossing the transom from the sixties to early seventies with a strong Beach Boys vibe. From there it is a very rapid ride over a wide variety of stylistic riffs. You may note elements of late-period Lennon-esque Beatles on “Nobody Told Me the World Was Round,” some Philly pop soul on “Philly Get Back,” a Paul Simon session with Big Star on “She Will Be” and a McCartney “Let Me Roll It” grind to the guitar on “Shut Out the Lights.” The record also has a few inspired covers, like the two recovered Rick Springfield gems “Comic Book Heroes” and “I’m Your Superman.” There’s too much here for me to cover every song – let me single out some of my faves. As much as I too recall fondly all the 70s song motifs on this album I’m more drawn to the jangly, almost new wave cuts. Like the sharp glam feel of “It Pays to be a Rock and Roll Star” or the hooky guitar lead line heavy “Somewhere South of San Diego.” I love how the rhythm guitar rings out on “Maybe You’re Right.” “No More Silver Lining” has an almost Blue Oyster Cult or Moody Blues hint of menace in the melody as well as some tasty guitar work. “Between the Lines” is just perfect poprock circa 1979 with winning guitar runs plus soaring, melodic vocals. This is the hit for me. Then there’s the lighter, more acoustic “Down in Monterey.” Lovely, hypnotic, pop folk. What we have here is really a ‘make your own album’ affair, one where listeners could selectively assemble their own seventies mini-album. Or they could just hit play and party for days.

Hit play on these albums and it’s easy to believe to world is a more pretty place than it may appear. Sometimes hearing is believing.

Photo courtesy of The Vinyl Factory.

The republic of Mersey

31 Thursday Mar 2022

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The Beatles are such a touchstone for the melodic rock and roll genre that it’s not surprising that artists keep going back to the source again and again. At the same time, covering the Beatles is pretty much an impossible task. I mean, how do you improve on anything JPGR did? In one sense, you don’t – they’ll always be the definitive version. The trick is to reinvent their material in an unexpected but still recognizable direction. Today we visit acts taking the Beatles’ material to all sorts of new places while still remaining within the borders of the republic of Mersey.

Staten Island’s Goin’ Places is a pop punk group in the Ramones/Green Day mode, so not exactly the boys we’d expect to find hanging out at Lime Street Station. Yet it actually makes them the perfect outfit to punkify the Beatles’ catalogue. The lion’s share of the 18 cuts featured on their Fingerboard Road draw from the early to mid-period Fabs records. Some of what they put together is genius – all of it is fun. Fun like those Me First and Gimme Gimme’s albums of sixties covers! “I Saw Her Standing There” so works with a wall of punky guitars, the song being halfway there to begin with. Other songs that easily lend themselves to punking up include “She Loves You,” “Eight Days a Week,” and “Ticket to Ride,” the latter really only requiring hitting the lead guitar distortion pedal. Other tunes go punk simply because they were ballads that are now being played a triple speed: e.g. “Yesterday,” Something,” and “Hey Jude.” They sound jarring but remain melodically cool. “Norwegian Wood” and “I Will” get extra marks for inventiveness as the band add new musical interludes to spice things up. “A Day in the Life” is particularly special with its very Green Day treatment. But at other times punk gives way to just a rocking good time. Both “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “Help” are simply exuberant rocking love letters to the originals. The Clash may have hated phony Beatlemania but Goin’ Places deliver the real ‘pop-meets-punk’ thing.

Stephen Krilanovich and Donny Newenhouse are the Wind-Up Beatles Chronicles, which they describe on their bandcamp page as a ‘pandemic music project.’ Whatever the impetus, man do these two nail the Beatles’ mid period sound (think Beatles for Sale to Revolver, with a few outliers). Sometimes they sail pretty close to the originals, which makes noting the small differences all that more interesting for Beatlemaniacs. For instance, “She Said She Said” is pretty Beatles note perfect. In other instances, they lean into various elements a bit more than the Fabs. “Wait” has a got an interesting and different guitar sound even while the timing is spot on and so familiar. “What You’re Doing” has got a bit more sparkle on the jangly guitar. “Rain” is probably the most different treatment here: less psychedelic and droney, more Brydsian. At other times the basic difference is simply that these two guys have got different voices than JPGR and no matter how clever the musical backing the overall effect is gonna be unavoidably different. “Paperback Writer” illustrates this well. The music sounds so much like the original single but the voices are pretty different (though pleasantly so). Probably my fave cut here is “I’m Looking Through You.” It’s delivered in a Rubber Soul approved light breeziness and sounds like an alternate take to the original. It’s fair to say that a splendid time is virtually guaranteed for all with this record.  It’s definitely for Beatles fans who ever thought ‘hey, I like to hear those songs done differently but not too differently done.’

In 2013 Canada’s Bullseye Records decided to put out a three volume tribute to the Beatles entitled It Was 50 Years Ago Today: A Tribute to The Beatles. So many great tracks but two particularly stood out for me, The Lolas’ rendition of “Good Morning, Good Morning” and Eytan Mirsky’s take on Harrison’s first song-write “Don’t Bother Me.” The Lolas balance some guitar grind with a lighter take on the vocals than in Lennon’s original. They also straighten out the tempo, less off kilter that what we’re used to. The song gets a bit lost amid the chaos of Sgt. Pepper but here it gets a chance to stand out on its own. As for “Don’t Bother Me,” I’ve always had a soft spot for a tune routinely dismissed by Beatles experts as lightweight and rudimentary in terms of Harrison’s eventual song-writing prowess. Yet I always thought it had an original melodic twist. Eytan Mirsky works the song over, adding distinctive lead guitar tones and some nice call and response vocals. At times he sounds like The Zombies’ lead singer in full-on, white boy blues whine (and that’s a good thing). Sisters Gwendolyn and Lucy Giles of Dog Party offer up a double A sided single of Beatles tunes. Nothing ground shaking in these reworkings of early Beatles’ hits but their harmonies do manage to add to the magic allure of “I Feel Fine,” bending the melody here and there in new and exciting directions, while their vocal take on “All I’ve Got To Do” adds mystery and a bit of mischief to the proceedings.

Now for a project that is more than a bit out there: Fabs songs converted into Avengers exposition. Insane Ian is a comedian that sidelines as a modern day Weird Al, though needle dropping through his voluminous catalogue his ouvre is more about the immediate gag rather than something you might listen to more than once. But his Meet the Avengers album is a musical superhero riff of a different colour. The musicianship is pretty impressive, hitting the Beatles marks where they need to. And the writing is pretty funny too. So “Nowhere Man” becomes “Iron Man,” “Help” transforms into “Hulk,” “Lady Madonna” becomes “Lady Natasha,” and so on. Sometimes the new lyrical detail overwhelms the old tune, as when “Thor’s Big Silver Hammer” leaves “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” in a bit of disarray. By contrast “Hawkeye” nails the cadence and lyrical spacing of “Blackbird.” Personal fave: the rocking reworking of “Day Tripper” as “Steve Rogers.” The chorus even shifts melody slightly. As a rule, comedy projects don’t have a long shelf life but Insane Ian’s clever writing, surprisingly good musical performances, and creative artwork give this effort legs. Meet the Avengers might be funny but it’s no joke.

Lover of all things 1970s Nick Frater takes us in a decidedly different direction with his Mersey-influenced outing, focusing on The Rutles rather than the Fabs directly. The point of his Nick Frater Presents The Rebutles: Ron, Dirk, Stig and Barry The Solo Years, Vol​.​1 effort was to imagine what The Rutles might have sounded like if they’d broken up like the Beatles and then gone on to release (send-up) solo singles. The whole thing is pretty meta but, as with all things Frater, ultimately pretty clever, highly accomplished, and very listenable. The songs go from a late Beatles rooftop motif (“Struck in a Rut”) to early solo sort-of Fabs (“Baby I’m Amazing”) to mock Bond (“You Only Live Once”) to later solo Fabs recycled nostalgia (“When We Were Eighteen”) to morbid pastiche reunions (“The Last Laugh”). You’ve got to be pretty far down the Beatles/Rutles rabbit hole to get all the jokes and references but the beauty of Frater’s work is you can just enjoy the songs for what they are: pretty decent songs, well played. The fact that Frater can toss projects like this in as a free insert with his more serious album releases is a testament to his prodigious talent.

The republic of Mersey is a groovy place, surely the ultimate green and pleasant land. You don’t need a passport to go there. All you need is love, an open mind, and a thirst for the evolving musical influence of the Beatles.

Welcome back: David Brookings, Mo Troper, Lolas, and Nick Frater

25 Monday Oct 2021

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Today’s featured artists have done the rounds on this blog many times. At some point I stumbled across them and I’ve kept stumbling over each new release since then. They’re just that reliable. So get ready to take a fall with me, all over again.

David Brookings is a nice guy’s nice guy. And he makes smoking good records, with or without his Average Lookings band. On Mania at the Talent Show Brookings strikes a minor key on many of the songs, exploring a more 1970s melodic soft rock vibe than previous, more rocking releases. The album kicks off with the acoustic guitar up front in the mix on the first three tracks, interposed between an eerie synth and timely pandemic-reflecting lyrics on “Hard Times,” buoying up the beat during “Keep It Real,” and casting a bright counterpoint to the otherwise somber feel of “Driving to Ojai.” The end of the 1970s witnessed the singer/songwriter folk thing shapeshift into a more hooky soft rock direction – think Al Stewart or Gerry Rafferty – and tracks like “One of Us Is Crazy (the Other One is Me)” and “Mystery of Time” take me there. Brookings throws a few surprises into the mix as well. There’s a great neo-1950s influence vamped up on “Women of L.A.” or more subtly felt in “Words Come Back to Haunt You.” Or there’s the more Hall and Oates feel lurking in the background to “Killshot.” He certainly nails the cover of Tom Petty’s “Magnolia” and does so without giving in to just doing a Petty impersonation (which is hard to avoid – the song is sooo Petty). But the undeniable show stopper for me here is the manic bubblegum fun that is “Mania at the Talent Show.” Perhaps a bit of Brookings autobiography? As the story unfolds it is hard not to see a miniature DB as the star of song’s show. And check out those blistering rock and roll solos!

Mania at the Talent Show

If Mo Troper’s 2020 Natural Beauty was a perfectionist’s carefully-crafted poprock record then his new long-player Dilettante is a return to a rougher DIY/punky sensibility. But with Troper’s instincts for melody and hooks still intact. And at 28 tracks the record is a sprawling double album of White Album breadth, depth and eccentricity. First, the could-be hits. As the production style here is akin to a rehearsal-level Nick Lowe ‘basher’ approach (i.e. turn on tape, make beautiful noise) the finished product is not really AM radio friendly. But there are songs here that could top any playlist if 1977 punk had only triumphed over disco. “The Expendables Ride Again” is classic hooky Mo Troper. “Better Than Nothing” is all driving guitars floating under a divine Matthew Sweet melody. Another slow burn hooky winner is “My Master’s Voice,” aided by some lovely jangly guitar. Or there’s “Armpit” exuding a FOW sense of desperation and euphoria over a supremely catchy tune. Some of the tracks here seem little more than idea sketches but they still manage to flash serious brilliance, from the psych Beatles instrumental album opener “Total Eurphoria” to a Rubber Soul rehearsal session-like feel on “New King” and “Blake and Lanny.” Clocking in at less than a minute, both “Skyscraper Sized Bong” and “A Girl Like Andy” sound incomplete but I still love’em. Beyond the obvious hooks, Dilettante also features songs brimming with complexity.  Give “American Dad,” “Velvet Scholars Line” and “Winged Commander” more than a cursory spin to uncover some rather unusual twists of melody. Personally, I think “Tears on my Dockers” is the star of this album, with a sound and structure of any bona fide classic of the 1960s-derived power pop genre. There’s also examples of Troper’s penchant for a McCartney-esque sweet simplicity on “Caleb” and “I Would Dance With You.” The album also includes Troper’s previously-released, aptly-named “The Perfect Song.” One listen to Dilettante and you’ll know the LP was misnamed – Virtuoso would have been closer to the mark.

Another Lolas album, another slice of poprock perfection. On All Rise, bandleader and songwriter Tim Boykin delivers the goods with 13 glorious gems that run both hot and cold, sometimes amping up the power pop, sometimes soothing us with delicate acoustic guitar flourishes. Album opener “Never To Be Mine” is a perfect distillation of the classic Lolas vibe with its out-of-the-gate rhythm guitar attack and seductively sweet vocal melody. Then “Storm the Heavens” tweaks the formula by adding a way cool instrumental break that features some distinctive sounding lead guitar and keyboards. I love the guitar hook opening “My Thoughts Have Been Replaced” and how it melds perfectly with Boykin’s Lennon in psychedelia mode vocals. The album shifts gears on “I Can Hear Your Beard Through the Phone” and “You and Me Will Always Be” by putting an acoustic guitar at the front of the mix and slowing the tempo. Clearly, Boykin’s not just a chord basher. Another shift can be found with the jaunty “Louise Michel” and easygoing pop of “General Assembly,” the latter feeling very Wings circa Venus and Mars. But I’ll save my poprock hero worship for “Pain in My Heart.” Everything about this should-be hit single works, from the catchy guitar work to the eminently hummable melody. It reminds me a bit of Screen Test’s superior single “Notes From Trevor” and a lot of great work from The Smithereens. Do yourself a favour, Lolas All Rise is a full album treat you really owe yourself. Now.

One can imagine Croydon’s Nick Frater rolling his trolly down the aisles of an imaginary 1970s rock supermarket looking for ideas after just one listen to his fabulous new record, Earworms. The ten tracks here are like a love letter to that oft-maligned decade of music. Because beyond the flash of disco, the fug of prog rock, and the full-on aural assault of punk, the 1970s were really much more about pop music. Think of the superstar chart dominance and stratospheric sales of the acts like the Carpenters or ABBA. Yet, at the same time, hooky melodies were also central to the success of more rock and roll outfits like ELO, 10cc and Queen. Opening cut “It’s All Rumours” gives the game away with its distorted glam guitar and Leo Sayer falsetto vocals in the chorus. Frater’s thrown down the gauntlet, he’s going seventies and doesn’t care who knows it. “Buggin’ Out” initially sounds kinda Abbey Road, particularly the guitar work, but then shifts into that 1970s neo-fifties aura that everybody was doing then, with a flash of Buddy Holly’s “Raining in my Heart” buried deep in the song. “What’s With Your Heavy Heart” is one of my faves on this LP with its gently rollicking Wings-ian feel. From there the album goes very English, vibing 1970s UK pop acts like 10cc on “Not Born Again,” Gilbert O’ Sullivan on “Lucky Strike” and even Queen on “How to Survive Somebody.”  Things veer near yacht rock with a dab of Carpenters on “Star Crossed” while I could hear ABBA easily covering “The Unbroken.” Aside from the faithful rendering of the 1970s sonic palette, Frater also manages to capture the histrionic over-the-top lyrics of the time, for instance, on “Who Says I Need a Plan At All.” If you’ve been longing for simpler musical times sans the sticky polyester, get Earworms. Your ears will thank you.

Nothing says welcome like a wad of cash. Slip on over to the web locations of these artists and get friendly with their latest releases.

Banner photo: Fred Herzog

The splendiferous Nick Frater

04 Friday Dec 2020

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Nick Frater certainly keeps himself busy. In the summer he launched an ambitious video and audio project 59 Vignettes, an endeavor that reminded me of John Dos Passos’ USA Trilogy in its effort to recalibrate fiction along emerging cinematic lines. Few of the contributions here exceed one minute and the accompany videos highlight the fragmentary, impressionistic feel of the pieces. There are a few more fully formedl song sketches on the record, tracks like “Number Name Unknown” and “In Another Song.” Some vibe McCartney on “Pay You Next Time” or even the Rolling Stones on “Fading Stones.” Other efforts are more experimental, like “Chiff Intermission” and “The Pelican Song (Wow and Flutter version).” Then there’s some fairly straightforward poprock numbers, like “Under Hogarth Skies.” But, given what came later, 59 Vignettes was clearly just a bit of fun, a diversion before Frater dropped his 2020 album proper.

On his more conventional record release for 2020 Fast & Loose, Frater lets his 1970s pop sensibility fly in grand style. The opening title track is practically a love letter to those 1970s TV themes. Then he kicks in with “Let’s Hear it for Love,” an anthem for our times that draws from a decidedly early 1980s ABBA vibe. Shifting gears, I love how the organ shots on “Luna” propels that song along. From there Frater showcases his talent for 1970s motifs with a bit of McCartney on “Cocaine Girls, some ELO on “So Now We’re Here” (with that great organ solo), and a spot-on 1970s pop feel to “California Waits.” But there are a few surprises, like the older ballroom sound on songs like “Endless Summertime Blues” and “That Ship Has Sailed.”

It’s always a splendid outing with Nick Frater. From the design, to the production, to the solid songwriting the results are routinely both eye and ear-catching, stylish and substantive. Mosey over the Frater-ville and you won’t miss a thing.

Breaking news: Webbed Wing, Brett, Martha, The Skullers, Nick Frater, Golden Seals, and Project Ghost Outfit

01 Friday Nov 2019

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Screen Shot 2019-10-31 at 11.45.26 PMOk, today’s breaking news is overloaded like a Toyota pickup taking too much concrete from Home Depot. The problem is, there is just too much damn fine music out there that needs your attention. Here at Poprock Record we travel the highways and byways to find only the finest, fresh poprock and today’s crew is certainly some of the fine-i-est and fresh-i-est!

Screen Shot 2019-10-31 at 11.49.08 PMLet’s begin with Webbed Wing. Emerging from the ashes of the more grungy Superheaven, their new album Bike Ride to the Moon has a grinding guitar sound overladen with hooks that get stuck in your head. Like the uptempo opening cut “Bad For Me,” or the catchy harmonica-drenched “All Went Wrong,” or the more mellow, grooving “Tunnel Vision.” There’s a bit of Sugar Ray cranked to 11 here, with a touch of Weezer at times. But sometimes the record just cuts loose, alternating between punky abandon and industrial lo fi. But the poprock payoff comes with “Door Creaks Open,” a delightful more easy-going acoustic treat. A bit heavier than our usual fare at times but worth the detour!

Screen Shot 2019-10-31 at 11.49.58 PMSome describe Brett as a kind of dream pop but on their recent EP Perfect Patterns there’s more meat to the tunes and performance than that label might suggest. Sure “Nonchalant” and the title track (with its spot-on 1980s keyboards) are a tad dreamy but opening cut “Tenebaum” comes on in a rush like a great lost New Order track. And then “Bad Luck” kicks out some pretty sweet new wave rhythm guitar with totally up front vocals – definitely not dreamy. More Darwin Deez than Cocteau Twins. Or how about that should-be double A-sided single set of tracks, “Wisdom Tooth” and “Hard Feelings.” Ear worm much? I just kept hitting repeat. ‘Brett’ no longer just refers to some 1980s hockey player for me now. Brett is value-added poprock.

Screen Shot 2019-10-31 at 11.50.44 PMCounty Durham’s Martha have so many facets to their musical personality. Sometimes folky, sometimes punky, sometimes AM radio hit machine. Their third album is Love Keeps Kicking and it has so many gems it should be guarded by some guy in a ill-fitting suit. Opening track “Heart is Healing” is an onslaught of pop goodness with a vocal that makes it sound like indie version of Supertramp  but one still cranking out hits. The acoustic rhythm guitar here is unstoppable! I could review every song here and tell you how great each one is (truly, there is not a single one I’d give up) but I’ll just focus on a few of the more outstanding compositions/performances. Like “Mini was a Preteen Arsonist”: the song is a perfect of melding of political sentiment with solid melodic hooks. Kinda like Spook School meets Chumbawumba. “Love Keeps Kicking” sounds like a winning hit single. Or is the melodic rock of “The Void” the hit? It certainly has that stadium fist pumping jump up and down quality. Ultimately Martha is big bag of talent, spilling over with vocal talent, tight musicianship and clever catchy material. And I haven’t even really dug into the back catalogue yet!

Screen Shot 2019-10-31 at 11.52.01 PMI’ve long had a weak spot for The Skullers ever since they released that hypnotic single “Can We Do That Again” with its killer bass line and seductive vocals. 2018’s “I’m Your Man” was another winner, peppy, happy and swinging. Now they’ve returned with an EP Freight Trains & Party Games and it’s chock full of catchy tunes. Opener “Brooklyn Girls” has a lovely midtempo feel, lulling you like train ride through a rainy day. “Convenient” kicks things into a higher gear, rocking the poprock a bit more. The single is “She Denies the Things She Loves” and it has a nice Oasis vibe to my ears. A few listens confirms it’s ear worm infectious. The EP ends with probably my fave track, the more low key “Still Life” but I love the vocal and shuffle hooky beat. One day The Skullers will give us a whole album.

Screen Shot 2019-10-31 at 11.52.58 PMCroydon’s Nick Frater is back with a new long-player, Full Fathom Freight Train, and it’s right on time. Check out the fantastic artwork! And hey, the music’s pretty good too. This time out Nick embraces a full-on Paul McCartney and Wings beat group sound on tracks like “Oh Now Girl” and “Your Latest Break Up Song” Then there’s songs like “The Getaway” that exude an early 1980s poprock vibe or “What Does Good Look Like Baby” that is reminiscent of 10CC to me. Did I mention the cool train on the cover? This is one slick package that’s easy on the ears. And the 28IF on the album cover locomotive clearly harkens back to the Abbey Road cover.

Screen Shot 2019-10-31 at 11.53.44 PMHow am I the last guy to this party? Ottawa, Ontario’s Golden Seals have announced their fifth and final album will be Something Isn’t Happening and I only just discovered them! Well this new record is quite an introduction. Opening track “Independence Day” gives you a sense of what they are about – a low level XTC vibe layered over some pretty creative songwriting. “Ball and Tether” is AM radio enjoyable bouncy pop. Meanwhile “Something Isn’t Happening” and “The Opposite End of the Country” both wade pretty deep into Wings territory. Look I could make comparisons all day long but some of what appears here is just some pretty original stuff. “Idiot Kid” has an unique approach and will hook you in the best poprock sort of way. And then there’s the Billy Joel cover. Ok, “Vienna” is guilty fave of mine and GS gives us lovely stripped down electric piano version. This David James Merritt guy is some kind of talented mess.

Screen Shot 2019-10-31 at 11.54.33 PMProject: Ghost Outfit is an indie super group bringing together experienced country sideman Adam Schoenfeld, poprock godfather Bill Lloyd, Cheap Trick bassist Tom Petersson, and graphic designer-cum-drummer Keith Brogdon. We love Bill Lloyd here at Poprock Record so anything he’s involved with is bound to be pretty good. Their self-titled EP/LP contains seven poppy, ear wormy Beatlesque tracks that really deliver on melody and hooks. Obviously “Somebody’s Heart” and “Hang On” have first call on potential singles. Though, personally, I love the understated approach of “Mess My Mind” where low key verses cut to choruses loaded with harmony vocals. Or there’s “Never Remember” that vibes “Things We Said Today” for me. I’m also keen on “Buying Time” which features some killer organ and great vocal interplay.

Hang OnMess My MindNever Remember

Time to rush to Webbed Wing, Brett, Martha, The Skullers, Nick Frater, Golden Seals and Project: Ghost Outfit for further comment on these breaking news stories. Luckily they are just a link away!

Sun-breaking electric tower thingy photo courtesy Larry Gordon.

Goodbye Kayfabe, Hello Nick Frater!

28 Wednesday Mar 2018

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Nick Frater GKMove over ‘Selsdon Man,’ Croydon’s got a new cultural pace-setter to offer the world and he’s music to my ears: Nick Frater. Oh Frater’s not new, he’s been around. He’s played in countless bands and produced an impressive body of solo work, much of it mining a late-Beatles era kind of chamber pop. But on recent releases Frater has muscled up the sound with impressive effect. Goodbye Kayfabe showcases a range of influences from melodic and power pop to more crunchy poprock and smooth 1970s hooks. And the guy’s got a sense of humour (check out his cheeky album title/cover take-offs!). This video for his stand-alone single “Sara” captures a bit of the madness that is Nick Frater.

 

NICKThe album races out of the gate with the incredible, obvious hit single, “Built to Last.” I hear Cheap Trick blasting through this song. Great guitars and background vocals keep the musical tension fraught right through to the end. But then “Paperchase” sounds like a radio hit too, with its strong rhythm guitar backing, elegant 1970s lead guitar lines, and strong vocal performance. “Fruit Punches” opens with some nice Shadows riffs before shifting to a 1970s-style, smooth vocal delivered over a spare Beatles-in-acoustic mode sound. Then – bang – a great surprise change-up in the chorus. All in all, a pleasant, delightful deep cut. “More Than This” reminds me of mid-period ELO, if Jeff Lynne had any element of restraint. Frater even manages to slip some Selsdon-meets-Brexit politics into the mix with the boppy “Remoaner.”

You won’t have to wrestle with your choices on this album, the whole thing is great. Download it here and keep up on Nick’s antics at his web and Facebook pages.