Odds and Ends

Each week I use this space to post some mini-reviews, cool tracks, random thoughts, neat news, or whatever else I damn well please.

MiniReview


Paul Starling “All of My Heart” (single) – At the moment, there is only a single that has been released by Paul Starling (SideBMusic), but it is a very promising indication of things to come on his new collection entitled “Shipwrecked Commotion”. His dazzling single, “All Of My Heart” is a perfect beach tune…upbeat, radiant, sunny. Following in the tradition of power pop luminaries like Brian Wilson, Starling crafts a sugary melodic around warm and fuzzy lyrics. You just can’t help feeling a little lighter while listening to “All of My Heart” – check it out below.

All Of My Heart - Paul Starling by SideBMusic

Paul Starling writes and records original songs in the Ventura County area of California. He plays guitar, bass, drums, piano, banjo, ukulele and other instruments. Known for a 60s vibe with a modern twist, Paul Starling creates what he calls ‘nautical pop’. Music to sail to. Float to. Skip rocks over the Pacific to. To keep up with the latest from Paul Starling, find him on Facebook.

Surprise of the week
Remember Ugly Kid Joe (of “I Hate Everything About You” fame)? They’ve got a comeback album in the works, their first since 1995’s “Motel California”. Read all about it here.

News
Finally some new Shinedown is on the horizon. Details here.

Carolina Liar is back with a new single called “Drown” from their forthcoming new album “Wild Blessed Freedom” Details here.

The “Is rock dead?” debate continues. Queensrÿche frontman Geoff Tate sees a pretty gloomy future for rock bands, unless they can adapt to new ways of doing things. Read his interesting ideas on how rock can keep moving here.

Last week we announced the return of Bush (the band, thankfully). This week you can hear their comeback single, “The Sound Of Winter”. Perfect tune to release in the middle of a heat wave, right? The song doesn’t do much for me, but maybe you’ll dig it. Check it out here.

Random iPOD song of the week
A terrific lesser-known tune from Olivia Newton-John – “A Little More Love” from 1978.

Odds and Ends

Each week I use this space to post some mini-reviews, cool tracks, random thoughts, neat news, or whatever else I damn well please.

MiniReview
Afterlife Parade “Death” [EP] – A bit of a throwback to the post-Radiohead bands, gentle pop rockers Afterlife Parade are focused on writing reflective lyrics set to atmospheric sonic textures. As one can surmise from the title, the theme of their debut EP centers on endings – the ending of an era, a life, an idea, and even the world. To counterbalance this happy topic, a follow-up EP will be entitled “Rebirth”. Afterlife Parade is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Quinn Erwin, who has a Thom Yorke quality in his voice, with hints of Mike Peters (The Alarm). The title track, “Death”, is not a harsh or even haunting tune, but quite light and radiant with an expertly picked acoustic guitar riff carrying the verses forward to a rewarding chorus. “Nothing But Love Can Stay” sounds like a Springsteen penned tune performed by Coldplay – quite beautiful, but not the most melodic ballad. “Arrows Fly” may be the strongest cut lyrically, but failed to engage me at a musical level. My favorite track on the EP is the closer named after the project itself, “Afterlife Parade”. This song actually gets past 50 beats per minute and the upbeat pace is refreshing, as are the wonderful harmonies in the chorus. Considered with “Death”, the song “Afterlife Parade” gives me hope that Erwin can better surround his terrific lyrical ideas with catchier melodies. Recommended for fans of Palo Alto, Arcade Fire, and Travis. More on the band can be found here.

Surprise of the week
Lady Gaga is not the only one to give Weird Al Yankovic a hard time about doing a parody of their songs. Paul McCartney actually refused Weird Al’s request to parody “Live and Let Die” as “Chicken Pot Pie”. Sounds like it would have been pretty funny to me, but Paul didn’t want to promote the eating of animals. More on the story here.

News
Finally some new Soul Asylum on the way to follow-up the excellent “Silver Lining” release from 2006. New record is tentatively entitled “Rough Air” and features guests from Prince and Replacements alumni. Check out the story here.

Noel Gallagher (Oasis) is ready to release his solo album, and according to him it is brilliant. Read about it here.

You call this a reunion? Bush is said to be back together to release a new album, “The Sea of Memories” in September – their first since 2001. The “reunion” only consists of Gavin Rossdale and drummer Robin Goodridge. More on the story here.

Iconic rock n roll magazine “CREEM” is coming back! Check it out.

Random iPOD song of the week
“Him” was the follow-up to Rupert Holmes’ smash hit “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)”. I think I like “Him” better.

News: The return of Bush

No, thankfully not George W. I'm talking about the 90s alt-rockers led by Gavin Rossdale. Preview their new song, "Afterlife" right here.

Pretty decent chorus, but Everything Zen? I don't think so. I'd be biting my nails too if I were you, Gavin. Let's hope the rest of the record due in October is better.