So... Whatcha been listenin' to?...

Yep, been a year since I posted. Took a bit of a break. And, who knows, could be another year before I post again. But somehow I just keep buying more and more music, and still feel the obsessive need to pass along recommendations to friends and fellow travelers, and this is still the easiest way to get the word out on what's been in steady rotation on the ol' Pop Kulcher iPod lately. So I'm hoping to throw out a few posts, more or less haphazardly, on what I'm listening to these days.

First off...



The Sails, The Sails (self titled). 2006.


Don't know much about this band; I suppose I should check out their MySpace page or something. But, in any event, this is probably the best album I've picked up in some time. Oddly enough, I totally stumbled across it, following one of those sometimes useless, sometimes wonderful Amazon.com "People who bought this album also bought..." links. I don't even remember what I was buying at the time, but followed the link to this cd, liked the preview samples, and ordered it on a lark. Big win for me.

Retro-psychedelic power pop, but, however deliberately derivative it may be, it's got a freshness lacking from most self-consciously retro-poppers. At times it reminds me of 80s Paisley Underground bands like Rain Parade; at others, the more "modern" retro-pop of the Apples in Stereo. Shades of the Byrds, Small Faces, Beatles, etc. More melodious than most, and far more consistent than you'd expect. Check it out.