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Matt Pryor, Pansy Division, Rob Clarke and the Wooltones, Ryan Allen and his Extra Arms, Summer Magic
What awaits us in 2019? Well, if 2018 is anything to go by it’s gonna be a year full jangly guitars, blissed out harmony vocals, rocking rhythm sections, and hooks, hooks, hooks. Fads change but these essential elements combined together will always have an audience – thank goodness! On to the business at hand: I love timely themes so today is all about new year’s – in song, of course.
Matt Pryor gets us into the right frame of mind with “Totally New Year” from his 2008 album Confidence Man. Basic message? Take up the new in the new year and move on from the ‘bones the closet may hold.’ That’s not far off Ryann Allen’s sentiment on “New Year’s Day” where everybody deserves the chance at renewal that ‘new’ promises. ‘Don’t let another year slip away …’ indeed. Taking up the tempo a bit Summer Magic offer us a shimmering “New Year’s Day Surprise” via their unique brand of mellow psychedelic pop. Shifting into full on wistful, Rob Clarke and the Wooltones channel the Beach Boys from their fab holiday EP Bring Me the Wooltones This Year! with “New Year New Day.” Stepping on the queercore pedal to wrap this up, a great tune from the super Pansy Division comeback album, Quite Contrary, “Kiss Me at Midnight (New Year’s Eve).”
Matt Pryor – A Totally New YearSummer Magic – New Year’s Day Surprise
I hope one of your new year’s resolutions is to increase your support for all this great music. Hop on over to Matt Pryor, Ryan Allen and his Extra Arms, Summer Magic, Rob Clarke and the Wooltones, and Pansy Division with your e-wallet and get this year started right!
When the Extra Arms promo people sent me a heads up bout their new album, Headacher, I thought, ya, I like that Ryan Allen dude. But when they sent me a follow up not long after I thought whoa, pushy much? But they were right to push me. Headacher is a fabulous record from beginning to end. Joining the ranks other great muscular pop rock albums released this year from the likes of Ruler, Tiny Little Houses and Odd Robot, the band behind the music is both more and less than its previous incarnation. Formerly Ryan Allen and his Extra Arms, obviously the front man’s name has been lopped off. But more than previously, Extra Arms is more than just Allen’s backing band, with each of the four members now contributing more creatively. The result is kinda like a more rowdy version of Fountains of Wayne, or perhaps Squeeze after a few too many rounds ‘down the pub’. Here the guitars may be a bit more cranked but that unerring melodic sensibility permeates everything.
It’s all there with the opening title track, “Headacher”: surging crunchy guitars, great hooks, and killer FOW vocal technique. This winning formula infuses most of the rest of the material, with particular force on stand out tracks like “Done to Death,” “Why I Run,” “Old Heads” and “You Make the Life You Want.” There is some variety here with less crunchy, more mellow tracks like “Under Surveillance” and “Honey Brown.” And then the album’s closing number, “The Last One,” offers a real departure, a winsome acoustic number.