Tag Archives: The Gnomes

Extended play sampler tray

12 Tuesday May 2026

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With a backlog of EP releases just sitting on the pass-through we thought we’d offer up just a few tasty samples from wide variety of recent releases. So much goodness in such short bursts. What’s not to like? More filling than a single but not quite a full long-playing meal.

Chicago’s The Embryos continue their musical evolution with Full Disclosure, a new EP that extends their stylistic reach. All four members contributed a song to this endeavor and I like them all. But if I had to choose I’m really digging the guitar-riffing sparkle that defines “Dopamine Scroll.” Strong guitar work is all over the latest release from The Brett Tobias Set on the five song set that is Tuneless Blues. I’ve already written about how fabulous “It Begins With a Lean” is. Now you need to spin “Happiness Writes White” with its special guitar contributions from The Church’s Marty Wilson-Piper. The Unswept were putting out some great covers a while back but on Bittersweet on Repeat we get their original tunes. “Downtown Bridge” open with jangle and just gets better and better. The Dreambots initially wowed us with their single “Tightrope.” Now they add four more tunes to the mix for their self-titled EP, all exhibiting their signature sonic sophistication. Here I’m taken with the lush strut of “Up Where the Sky Ends.” Gorgeous in a Moody Blues in-no-hurry sort of way.

Chris Alvy breaks out the cover tunes on his recent five song Blah EP, nailing a killer version of The Smithereens “Only a Memory.” Hard to top the original here but Alvy loosens up the attack, giving the song a bit more room to breathe and it works. The set also includes a pretty groovy version of the Barrett Strong classic “Money.” Shade55’s EP Spark! is guitar fabulous from the start to the last whisper of the inner groove. This has a Fountains of Wayne vibe but without all the suburban disdain. “Face of Tomorrow” is pretty special but “Red Handed” is the sure-fire radio-ready single. There’s something very Pacific Northwest about the sound of Research Vessel on their Part of the Charm release. The EP presser calls it ‘luscious lilting jangle pop’ and it certainly is on “Wish I Knew” and “Never Tell.” Murfreesboro, Tennesee’s Piglet has DIY in his DNA, his recordings are so rough and ready and charming. On Cow Tools he covers themes as diverse as clouds, not having sex, and being nice. But the tune you have to hear is “The Great Gonzo.” The mixture of abrupt organ, plinky guitar, 1950s space sounds, and earnest vocals is majestically lofi.

Vancouver’s The Nightflower Orchestra are a cabaret throwback. The vocalist is your emcee while the band can apparently cook up a range of styles to suit any crowd’s shifting mood. Pre-Cancelled For Your Convenience is cheeky, genre-bending fun, from the over-the-top “She Looked Like Elvis” to the Madness-like intensity of “King of Bad Notes.” Dip into any track here for a bit of fun but “Punk Rock Nursing Home” hits home. Melbourne, Australia’s The Gnomes rocketed out of their homeland last year with an amazingly fresh garage-rock meets beat-group sound. Their new EP More is aptly named. This is more of that same good groove. “Thinking of Me” opens the session with a blistering guitar rocking assault. But then “Don’t Worry” and “Magic Man” hit the Beatles and Monkees notes so perfectly, with just a extra dollop of distortion. We wrap this EP sampling with a real palate cleanser. Toronto’s Jonathan Davies offers up short excerpts of miniature grandeur on Under Such a Moon. The whole EP breeze by in just eight minutes but what drollery ensues. Each song is a mini journey to somewhere delightful. For instance, the instrumental “Springtime in Moscow, Ontario” idles by with a peppy, cheery demeanor. I’m just going to put the whole thing down here and you can decide what to sample.

We’re done but the kitchen’s not really closed. You can order up what you like by hitting the artist hyperlinks above. After all, the Bandcamp deli offers you tunes a la carte 24 hours a day.

Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.

Last orders: Atticus Roness, The Gnomes, Jody and the Germs, and Billy Joel Jr.

30 Tuesday Dec 2025

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It’s near closing time for 2025 and I’ve still got a huge backlog of material remaining on the review pile. Glass half full, it’s a problem that suggests the melodic rock and roll scene is surviving, maybe even thriving. Glass half empty, the bartender’s call for last orders on the year means there’s really only time for a scant few LPs to get some attention. Here’s the last in the door.

I don’t know how an album entitled Power Pop World Domination somehow slipped by me. But I’m not the only one. Despite an April release date the record appears to have gotten little coverage. How is that possible? Atticus Roness has not misnamed his debut LP. This record should be well on its way to at least a Lemon Twigs kind of indie stardom. From the get-go you know thrills are here as opening cut “I” lashes out with just a hint of “Helter Skelter” weaved into the tune. Then “Teens” offer up a recognizable slab of 1970s era melodic rock and roll. Next up is arguably the LPs marquis track, “Ludwig Van.” It was the early pre-release single, a song that sounds classic in so many senses of the word. What is over-arching style going on here? “Last Year’s Words” reminds me of a particular slice of new wave, circa 1979 AM radio. Jangle figures strongly in April Wine-like ballads like “I’m in Love” or The Lemon Twigs-ish “Closer.” “Sad Girls” is very Big Star. Underwriting all this is a strong appreciation of Messrs. Lennon and McCartney of course. Closing track “Not the One (I’m Looking For)” sounds so Beatles in a Cheap Trick guise. This album is a slick piece of superbly crafted power pop, a must-hear, must-add selection from this past year.

Melbourne’s The Gnomes appear to have blown up a fully formed gift from the raunchy side of the 1960s, seemingly out of nowhere. Their self-titled debut runs the gamut of rough and ready garage styles to a more pristine Beatlesque melodiousness. The germ of this LP can be found in a variety of bedroom recordings from band leader Jay Millar but recalibrated for a full band effect. The results are one hell of a good time. “Better With You” kicks open the proceedings with that sixties pre-punk swagger. This is a band you know would blow you away live. “You Won’t Fool Me” and “Play With You” are stripped down 1965 strut rockers while “Open Your Eyes” rides a tension between sweet melodic vocals and a rougher musical demeanor. “I Like It” is just a straight-up punk take on the Kinks. “Won’t Quit You” adds a psychedelic guitar fuzz to the band’s sonic palate. But melody figures strongly in here too. “I’ll Be There,” “Time Will Tell” and  “I’ll Wait” all pull to the Beatles side of the sixties rock street. It will be interesting to hear where the band may go next, with songs like “I’m Not the One” perhaps gesturing toward a more 1980s-style sixties throwback. Right now, just enjoy this top rank party platter.

Sometimes an album amounts to more than just a collection of songs. The new Jody and the Germs LP Love Descends is just such an experience, offering variety in song styles but giving each a coherent group stamp. Opening cut “Hooch and Happiness” sounds like the Go Go’s, grown a bit older and mellower. The spectre of Kirsty MacColl hangs over this release, evident in songs as different as “Some Day,” “Seen It All Before,” and “Unravelling.” The latter is a real standout track with its striking blast of horns and a hooky chorus. For stylistic range, you have songs like “Divine,” a culture jam of 1980s sonic motifs, or the moody, melancholic vibe suffusing “Lights.” In terms of hook-laden singles, “Liberation” fits the bill, though “Unravelling” is another strong choice. Rounding out the record are a number of songs that underline the band’s chameleon-like identity, with “Given Up Trying,” “Severance” and “Winter Heart” all incorporating folkie-ish elements without going full-on folk. I’ve been hitting repeat on this LP for weeks now. Love Descends is full-listen immersion into heart-felt melodic delight.


Let’s be honest, sometimes is it the name the grabs you. When I saw coverage of a band called Billy Joel Jr. my first thought was ‘how did they get away with that?’ Turns out, the band’s been waiting for a legal cease-and-desist letter from Joel Sr. ever since they got started. They even circulated a fake version of their own, just to get attention (it worked!). But hey, what about the music, you may ask? In a word, they rock. Track #1 “Bad Heart” is a rocking bruiser. Not Joel-esque in the least. “New to Love” has a got discordant melody that works its way into your head. Then “She’s Always On the Mind” ups the shoegaze quotient, at least until the vocal comes in clear as bell. Title track “Ur a Star” is something else again, a nicely arranged shift of sonic moods ready for radio playlisting. It’s the a-few-drinks-in singalong number for sure. Taking in the album as whole, it’s hard for me to put my finger on just what this style is. Sludge rock on “Girlfriend/Twin Bed”? The remaining tracks divide between the rocking dissonance of “Isn’t It Funny” or “About Dying (Hannah)” and the more breezy guitar pop of “About Me”? Perhaps a lack of certainty is actually a good thing as it leaves the listener attentive, trying to work it out. There’s little doubt about “Blue.” It’s the big closing number, the touching ballad that’ll see you to the exits.

If any old acquaintance from this blog be forgot just hit the search function above to track down whatever tune you’ve misplaced. That’s it for this year!

Photo “Barkeep” courtesy Thomas Hawk Flikr collection.