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Tag Archives: Timmy Sean

Breaking news: The Airport 77’s, Peaces, and Timmy Sean

28 Thursday Jan 2021

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Breaking News

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A Tale from the Other Side, Heathens of Love, Peaces, Rotation, The Airport 77's, Timmy Sean

Things may be looking up if these early 2021 album releases are anything to go by. The guitars are blistering, the harmonies are heavenly, and the hooks are earworm def con one. There’s something for a variety of tastes here, from jangle to 1970s CanCon to rock opera. Set these loose on the stereo, cranked.  

The power pop blogosphere is currently going bonkers over The Airport 77’s debut long player Rotation. Well, everything you’ve heard is true and then some. These guys have definitely got the movie beat with their relentless 1970s new wave vibe. Album opener “Christine’s Coming Over” blasts off into obvious The Knack and Cheap Trick territory. But not far into “(When You’re Kissing on Me Do You Think of) James McAvoy” I’m hearing some distinctly west coast Canadian late 1970s rock and roll like Chilliwack, Trooper, or Prism, particularly on the vocals. I love the bass and rhythm guitar interplay on “Shannon Speaks” – so reminiscent of early Costello. Even the remakes sparkle here, like the Springsteen-esque take on Bram Tchaikovsky’s “Girl of my Dreams.” There’s just not a bum track on this record so close your eyes and it’ll be 1979 all over again. But just the good stuff.

The opening of Peaces “Heathens of Love” is so alluring, magnetically pulling you in with its jangly Brydsian charm and indie Traveling Wilburys elan. But from there the song goes on in its own endearing way. As the title track to the band’s debut EP, it perfectly captures the group’s easygoing feel and ear for subtle melody. “40 Days and 40 Nights” sounds bit more Replacements to me while “Sorcerers Get All the Girls” is as hooky as it is fun. And then the marvelous “I Want You Back” caps things off, a stellar bit of pop songcraft enhanced with a deft application of reverb drenched guitar work. My only complaint here that the EP is just four songs. Unhappy reviewer face! Oh well, with this much talent a proper album can’t be far off.

I’ve always thought of Timmy Sean as a man out phase with his musical time. His songwriting is so Beatles-meets-the-Eagles while his production and performance is all 1980s big commercial bang. I say that with love because I’m a fan of that decade’s smooth AM-friendly hit sound (well, some of it anyway). That creative tension remains on Sean’s ambitious new album A Tale from the Other Side, a rock opera that is perhaps a bit more Dennis DeYoung than Pete Townshend. For an instant hook rush, dial in the rollicking early release single “In California.” Or check out the Oasis-y “The College Year.” I’d swear “My Jaded Love” is right off a 1983 playlist from somewhere, Sean so nails the sound and style of that year. The rest of the album is chock full of melody pleasers, like the Beatlesque “Over and Over Again” and swinging “Back to You.” Currently I’m hitting replay on the magisterial should-be hit single, “She’s a Monster” with its wonderful jaunty feel and ELO touches on the background vocals. And I’m also partial to the album’s near closer, the somber, touching, mostly acoustic “I’ve Returned.” As the bells toll and groove runs out on this record I can definitely say A Tale from the Other Side has been worth the ten year wait between Sean solo releases.

The Airport 77’s, Peaces, and Timmy Sean are three good reasons to buy some new music. Amble over to their internet real estate or check out the usual e-music shopping stops and make it so.

Prescribing for pop pandemics

22 Friday Jan 2021

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Poprock Themepark

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Bombadil, Caspar Babypants, Frankie Siragusa, Jake Mann and the Upper Hand, Mike Carpenter and the Album Show, Olin and the Moon, Richard Snow Hattersley, Robyn Gibson, The Beat-less, The Beatles, Timmy Sean

In all the fuss about our present pandemic it’s easy to forget the still lingering effects of past afflictions. For instance, there’s a untreatable malady that ravaged the world for a number of years in the early to mid-1960s that continues to gain new victims to this day. I’m talking about Beatlemania, of course. And while there is no cure, the condition can be managed with strong, regular doses of melodic rock and roll, preferably layered with dollops of jangly guitar and effervescent harmony vocals. Now my Ph.D. doesn’t normally allow me to prescribe in this area but – what the hell – I’m going to recommend the following artists and their music to help manage your condition.

It was finding Frankie Siragusa recent concept album, Goodbye My Love – a reworking of songs Lennon-McCartney gave away but as if the Beatles had intended to include them on Rubber Soul or Revolver – that got me on this Beatlemania jag. What Siragusa accomplishes on the record is pretty impressive, with a little help from indie all-star friends (like members of The Posies, Jellyfish, and others). In the end, the results are not unlike what Apple Jam has done over the years. Stand out tracks for me include the exquisitely McCartney-esque “Goodbye” and the lovely spare “I’ll Be On My Way” but for some reason the more early period-sounding “I’m In Love” is what I gotta feature here. The band here nails the early 1965 feel. The record is the product of creative music company Reimagine Music who just happen to have two other Beatles-themed records, one recreating Rubber Soul (Looking Through You) and the other Revolver (Tomorrow Never Knows). From the former I love Bombadil’s folky deconstruction of “Drive My Car” and Olin and the Moon’s “Run For Your Life.” From the latter Jake Mann and the Upper Hand add a slow grind hypnotic element to “Taxman.”

Frankie Siragusa – I’m In Love
Bombadil – Drive My Car
Olin and the Moon – Run for Your Life
Jake Mann and the Upper Hand – Taxman

I used to think ‘why bother’ trying to cover the Beatles. It’s not like you’re going to improve on what the world’s greatest band could do. But I think that was shaped by growing up in the 1970s. Frankly, I just didn’t prefer what those cover artist were doing (MOR Beatles? Yuck!). But into the 1980s people starting taking Beatles covers in directions I could dig. Sometimes it’s just the subtle changes in harmonies that you can hear on Mike Carpenter and The Album Show’s take on “Baby’s in Black” or The Beat-less strongly Spanish-accented “From Me to You.” By contrast, Richard Snow Hattersley just pushes all the constituent elements of “Another Girl” just a little bit further, a bit more twang, a bit more rootsy feel. And then there’s the occasionally brilliant repositioning of a Beatles classic in a new register, like Caspar Babypants’ more upbeat “Mother Nature’s Son.” No more summer field acoustic guitar noodling for this happy go lucky boy. Similarly Timmy Sean adds a bit Beach Boys piano and vocal oomph to “You’re Going to Lose That Girl.” Or there’s Robyn Gibson’s Byrdsian folk rock version of “There’s a Place.” Once you hear it, it’s like ‘ya, that works!’

The Beat-less – From Me to You
Caspar Babypants – Mother Nature’s Son

The best dose for a spot of Beatlemania is, of course, something from the Fab Four themselves. Let’s assail your symptoms with the Beatles covering themselves, sort of, with this great Live at the BBC recording of “I’ll Be On My Way.” I was a sucker for this version when I first heard it on Beatles bootleg I picked up somewhere in the 1980s.

The Beatles – I’ll Be On My Way

In these troubled times it’s great to rely on some tried and true melodic remedies. Now initial reactions to this treatment might be fevered excitement but you can relax as that usually gives way to a measured contentment in short order.

The single file

13 Thursday Dec 2018

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Poprock Themepark

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Chris Richards and the Subtractions, David James Situation, Gentle Hen, Ken Sharp, Michael Simmons, PoP, Simon Love, The Boys with Perpetural Nervousness, Timmy Sean, Wiretree

Screen Shot 2018-12-13 at 11.04.48 PMTime it was that the choice of an album’s single was both a serious artistic and financial decision. Putting out a single meant committing considerable resources to pressing them up and distributing them to radio stations, reviewers, and nightclubs. Today every cut on an album could theoretically be the single, depending on listener downloads and streams. But artists and record companies do still sometimes make a fuss about ‘the single’ as a way of drawing attention to a soon-to-be-released album. Or just as a way of maintaining interest in the product after its initial drop. For me, the single should be an album’s most potent hook vehicle, the song that will have listeners searching out the record for more. And it’s a way for me to highlight some great songs on the blog that just don’t fit anywhere else!

This single file kicks off with a bit of Dropkick-esque jangle from The Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness and their great single, “Nervous Man.” These guys clearly really know their Scottish strummy poprock. Then we step up the tempo with the driving poprock of “I Should Know” from the David James Situation, a band that sound like a slightly more new-waved Tom Petty to me. From there Chris Richards and the Subtractions lay on the pop sophistication with the hooky, Crowded House-ish “Just Another Season.” Then there’s the shiny uber-AM sheen of Timmy Sean’s “In California,” a brilliant slice of late 1970s-infused, poppy rock and roll. Finally we close out this half of our program with the cool Austin indie sound of Wiretree, showcasing their new single “Rainy Corner,” a song that rests firmly on a strong acoustic-guitar swing with just a touch of Sgt. Pepper mischief thrown in the middle and near the end.

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/07-I-Should-Know.m4aDavid James Situation – I Should Know

In the second half of the show, it’s melody, melody and more melody. On “She’s Got It Bad” Gentle Hen have a great new single, one that vibes a subtle western swing before delivering a song that effortlessly melds influences like Fountains of Wayne and Teenage Fanclub. By contrast, number one on the fun meter is Simon Love’s recent “The Ballad of Simon Love.” The song lurches along with a spot-on Velvet Underground groove while Love displays killer pastiche chops worthy of Beck. It’s a beautifully crafted piece of work with so many cool nuances and musical add-ons. Simon-effing-Love indeed! Musical-influence polymath Ken Sharp is back with a fab new album Beauty in the Backseat. “24 Hours a Day” is the winning single for me, a chirpy, swinging combination of hooks and clever musical twists and turns. Now if you want something that will beg you to hit replay, check out Michael Simmons’ “No More Girls.” This ear worm channels a subtle XTC influence, reimagining the band as a Top of Pops hit machine. Hook bliss! Let’s finish on a rock and roll recovery story. The band PoP almost took off years ago but like so many acts just couldn’t seal the success deal. Now they’re back with a new EP and new material that covers a wide range of influences. I think “The Weight of Something” captures a lot of what they doing: ringing guitars, moody vocals, and some great droney hooks.

https://poprockrecord.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/02-The-Ballad-of-Simon-Love.m4aSimon Love – The Ballad of Simon Love

The Boys with Perpetual Nervousness, David James Situation, Chris Richards and the Subtractions, Timmy Sean, Wiretree, Gentle Hen, Simon Love, Ken Sharp, Michael Simmons, and PoP can all be easily accessed for your music consuming pleasure. Just get clicking.

Spotlight single: Timmy Sean “Western Rodeo”

05 Thursday Jan 2017

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Spotlight Single

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Timmy Sean, Western Rodeo

timmy-sean-song-of-the-weekIt seemed like an interesting gimmick – 52 songs over 52 weeks.  That was Timmy Sean’s promise for 2015.  For just $20 (US), he would produce a song a week for a whole year.  I signed up on the strength of this song alone.  Sean is musically multi-dexterous, with material that pays homage to a broad array of poprockers ranging from Fountains of Wayne to Hall and Oates.  But “Western Rodeo” is a departure in more ways than one.  First, it’s country!  None of the other 51 tracks really go there.  Second, the song’s arrangement and performance are flawless.  I like a lot of the 52 songs Sean served up but for me this single is a cut above.  It has a lovely melancholy acoustic guitar foundation that builds slowly and solidly, adding pedal steel, lead guitar, and great backing vocals, delivering a sonic impact I usually associate with early Eagles or late Byrds material.  Sean is a major talent just waiting to break.

Keep up with Timmy Sean’s latest musical antics by checking his Facebook and website.

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  • Around the dial: Nuevos Hobbies, The Lodger, The Stan Laurels, and Mason Summit
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