Four new studio recordings by Robert Plant with his band Saving Grace and singer and multi-instrumentalist Suzi Dian will be released for Record Store Day (April 18). 3500 copies of Saving Grace: All That Glitters… with Suzi Dian are pressed for a worldwide release.
When English power-pop band Phenomenal Cat released their sprawling and frankly pretty damn great double album Pop Wasteland in 2017 they soon found out that they sort of had painted themselves into a career. Where to go next after such a well-executed concept album? There were some plans to have a single out in 2021 and then the pandemic put a stop to pretty much anything. Fast forward to 2026 and they are back with Dreamland (Supermarket is a Warhol Painting), again a set of connected songs, albeit a very concise one this time.
Featuring an eclectic cast of characters, who are accompanied by an equally diverse backing as their stories are told with a mix of understanding and wit. Once again the influence of the greatest English band from the 60s, The Kinks, when they entered their imperial period with The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, the sextet makes a case for Joe Average. The most obvious reference to Ray Davies' witticism is 21st Century Englishman, an update and follow-up for "20th Century Man from Muswell Hillbillies Steve's Things (with the riff of Gloria thrown in), is about a guy who likes to fill his house with all kinds of tools he will probably never use.
The in-your-face industrial noise rock made by Sugar Horse refuses to be contained. Sure enough, there are plenty of quiet passages om their new album Not A Sound In Heaven , most notably during History's Biggest T-Shirts and You Can't Say Dallas Doesn’t Love You, but their anger about the unfair distribution of wealth comes howling from the speakers pretty much all of time.
The Brighton based quartet is not about just making a racket with a message. Upon closer inspection the music is far more complex. Casual listeners are clearly missing out, while the clientele of independent record stores will have a field day labeling every nook and cranny, collecting all the easter eggs. Not A Sound In Heaven is a pamphlet, a one-fingered salute, by four guys who are playing up storm. Hold tight for a bumpy and captivating ride.
Bill McClintock made a mashup of Donna Summer and The Police: She Works Hard for the Money + Roxanne = Roxanne Works Hard for the Money. O, and bits of L.A. Guns' Never Enough and Ratt's Round and Round thrown in for good measure. Want more? His YouTube channel has lots of them.
Chicago based power pop band The Second Summer have come up with a song about self-doubt and regret, I Should, and the grippling deadlock of contemplating various possibilities for making amends that might prevent people from getting something done about it, since they have been putting off for God knows how long. It is aimed at offering encouragement and ensuring that things will work out eventually.
