Starbelly and Sarakula

Starbelly-Four. It's not quite the crossover team-up of Avengers: Infinity War, but fans of melodic pop have their own summer blockbuster as Cliff Hillis and Dennis Schocket have reunited as Starbelly for the first time in approximately 15 years. Hillis, of course, has been a staple of these pages from the beginning, but Schocket hasn't been heard from since his brilliant late-2008 album The Cinderblock Mansion. The reunion doesn't disappoint as it features both singer/songwriters at the top of their respective games. Schocket's wonderful McCartney-esque ballad "The Boy Who Learned How to Cry" (about the passing of a father) opens the album, followed by Hillis's "Lay Low", the kind of effortlessly-sounding melodic gem that it almost seems he can write in his sleep, and it's great to hear them both harmonize on "Sleep", which recalls Bread at its creative peak. It's not all softer pop - "The Stars of Constantine" has the guitars front and center with a classic power pop sound, "Yes I Love Her Again" finds Schocket jangling and "Strange Constellations" is a fine rollicking Hillis number. Other standouts include the lovely "Emily Says" and the five-and-half-minute sorta-rock-opera of "Danny Opus" about a has-been rock'n'roller. Just an all-around instant classic, and halfway through the year we have 2018's best.

iTunes | Kool Kat




Joel Sarakula-Love Club. London-by-way-of-Australia's Joel Sarakula is a top-notch synthesist, taking pop styles from the 60s through the present day and mixing them up to create a tour de force that should appeal to anyone with a ear for melody and song structure. This time around Sarakula targets the 1970s, with shades of that decade's R&B and disco sounds influencing his sound and readily apparent on the opener "Understanding" with its sleek groove and the horn-backed "In Trouble". Meanwhile, "Baltic Jam" is less of a jam and more a 70s-ish singer/songwriter piece while "Dead Heat" and "Coldharbour Man" have a light disco feel. It's all very catchy, pop without the power but with real craft.

iTunes

Midweek Roundup.

Joel Sarakula-The Golden Age. London-by-way-of-Australia's Joel Sarakula is a top-notch synthesist, taking pop styles from the 60s through the present day and mixing them up to create a tour de force that should appeal to anyone with a ear for melody and song structure. Sarakula first caught my attention in 2009 with City Heart, which found him primarily a piano popper. But as good as that album was, it didn't prepare me for the leap forward he takes here. The lean, spare piano sound of "I Will Deliver" starts things off in auspicious fashion, reminiscent of Spoon's "I Turn My Camera On" by way of Blur, while "Old Yellow Photographs" is a jaunty 60s, Merseyside-style pop romp. The Elvis Costello-influenced "The Lows" is a minor-key marvel, and "Only One Still Dancing" finds Sarakula singing in a Mika/Scissor Sisters-like falsetto that also reflect those artists' 70s influences. Elsewhere, "Matchstick Girl" is Teenage Fanclub-style guitar pop, "Good Books" is joyous, no-frills piano pop, and the lovely closer "Who's Gonna Love You Now" bears a Burt Bacarach influence. Another top 10 candidate for 2013.

Bandcamp | iTunes



Mozley-EP. The mysterious Mozley strikes again. In an age where with a computer and an internet connection you can find out almost anything about anybody, this Arkansas rocker (I only know he's from Arkansas because it says so on the CD Baby page) remains an enigma with no website, Bandcamp page, YouTube channel or Twitter feed. In fact, I'm not even sure Edward Snowden could find him. So be thankful I regularly check out the CD Baby new release pages, because I can't think of another way to find out if he has a new release. Anyway, after a strong debut album in 2011 and a fine followup last year, he's back with a new 4-song EP that continues the Replacements/Big Star-themed sound of the two full-lengths. Moody rocker "Took it Easy on You" opens things and sounds as if it came from All Shook Down, and the (for him, ironically-titled) "Remember My Name" boasts a memorable keyboard hook while "Closer to It" has a Pixies/Nirvana feel. While it may not be the year's top EP, I'm including it here since there's probably no other way fans of the first two albums are going to find out about it otherwise.

CD Baby