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
Simon Felton “Surrender, Dorothy!” – This is the second solo record from Garfield’s Birthday’s Simon Felton. His last solo CD, “Failing In Biology”, was a notable nugget of smart Brit pop (read review here). Felton marches along the same track on “Surrender, Dorothy!”, constructing careful melodies augmented with airy harmonies and psychedelic overtones. The hooks take longer to sink in than last time and the abundance of slower tracks is going to make some people yawn. On the other hand, there is some more sizzling guitar work to be found – check out the solo on “Peepshow” for example. The main attraction is the pop perfection in “Marbles”, and “Novelty” is another highlight I’d encourage you to check out. Recommended for fans of The Smiths, XTC, and The Divine Comedy.
Simon Felton – Official site.

Surprise of the week
Footloose is being remade. But the surprise comes from looking at the soundtrack artists…dissing Kenny Loggins and recruiting the likes of Cee-Lo Green amongst a bunch of country stars and…Smashing Pumpkins?! What sort of musical schizophrenic is going to want this? Here are the gory details.

And if that isn’t bad enough, they are remaking Dirty Dancing too.

News
Swallow this: Poison frontman Bret Michaels believes the band will make another album when the time is right. Here’s to hoping they can recapture the magic of their heyday. Read the story here.

Whose gonna buy your wild reissues? Get a load of all you get with the 20th Anniversary edition of U2’s landmark record “Achtung Baby” – check it out here.

Another hodgepodge of “new” stuff is coming from Foreigner in September. A 3CD collection – one acoustic disk, one full of re-recordings of hits (why?), and one of a live concert. Read all about it here.

New Butch Walker called “The Spade” arrives August 30. In the meantime, grab a FREE DOWNLOAD of the first single, “Summer of ‘89”. Details here.

Michael Sweet has left the band Boston for his old band, Stryper. Good news, bad news, who cares? Story here.

Random iPOD song of the week
Pop perfection. Squeeze’s “Hourglass” – one of their finest moments.

Review: Simon Felton "Failing In Biology"

Simon Felton is a member (vocals/bass) of the UK indie pop band Garfields Birthday (reviewed on BMF here). "Failing In Biology" marks his first solo release, which in many ways is another candle on the cake of Garfields Birthday.

That statement is meant as a compliment, as parallels drawn to Garfields Birthday are a good thing in my book! There continues to be a strong Connells vibe here with a perfect blend of guitar driven pop and more reflective, mellow pop. For instance, Felton kicks things off the peppy "Mister Magic Eyes", which features some boisterous guitar and rollicking drums. Quick to follow is the bouncy "In The Attic", a snappy number that should have your toes tapping along to the beat. "It's Not Rocket Science", one of the contenders for my favorite track, is a pleasant midtempo number with a hook that quickly gets under your skin. In contrast, the closing track "Neptune's Fountain" is a breezy acoustic affair that has a certain charm that makes me want to play it again.

Overall, a very solid release from Mr. Felton that should not only please fans of Garfields Birthday, but also anyone who enjoys classic Connells, The Judybats, or what Morrissey has been doing lately. Watch for "Failing In Biology" to drop on May 18, 2009 on Pink Hedgehog.

As an aside, Felton's debut CD gets my vote for coolest album title of the year so far!

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 4, 7, 10

Simon Felton on MySpace. Official site.