20/20: Back To California

Power poppers 20/20 released a few critically acclaimed in the late 70s and early 80s. Since then core members Steve Allen and Ron Flynt put the band back together a couple of times when they needed to scratch the itch, but it now it seems that things are getting really serious again with a new album, Back To California.

With the aid of Ray Flynt on drums, the pair rekindled their seamless shared vocals as the focal point for a bunch of jangling melancholic songs about love that dig a little deeper than per usual. Sure, there is plenty of longing for days gone by with tracks like Laurel Canyon and The End Of The Summer, but as wisdom comes with age, they avoided cliché rhymes or superficial self-pity. The guitar solo in Long Distance Call wrapped ina wash of keyboards should get them plenty of airplay on rock radio stations who don't rely on the same old same old when putting together a playlist.

Words about music (769): Johnny Thunders

Rock and roll is all about attitude and energy. It's about being true to yourself.

Johnny Thunders

Black Sabbath / Britney Spears: Sabbath Toxic Sabbath

Bill McClintock made a mashup of Black Sabbath and Britney Spears: abbath Bloody Sabbath + Toxic = Sabbath Toxic Sabbath. Plus a bit from Mötley Crüe's Girls, Girls, Girls for the middle eight. Want more? His YouTube channel has lots of them.

The Waterboys: Hopper's On Top (Genius)

American actor and photographer Dennis Hopper was one of those rare bigger-than-life characters, so it makes sense that Mike Scott went a bit over the top, albeit in a good way, when he wrote Hopper's On Top(Genius), the lead single for Life, Death And Dennis Hopper, the new concept album by The Waterboys.

The word "genius" is far too often used gratuitously for people who are not that special, but it in Hopper's case it is well deserved. Scott's knack for wall-to-wall keyboards driven rock anthems hasn't let him down for a couple decades and he will likely be rocking out for many more years to come.

Deleyaman: "Another Evening" video

French-American dark wave band Deleyaman have made a video for Another Evening, a track from their The Sudbury Inn album: "By cherry-picking from the classic texts Deleyaman has given them as new lease on life. If only a small percentage of the listeners will hit the bookshops after hearing the album, it is mission accomplished for a band that is not afraid to offer a challenge as a means of showing the beauty of literature by means of carefully crafted music".