Joel Streeter-Matador. San Francisco singer-songwriter Joel Streeter might be one of pop's best-kept secrets. He debuted in 2005 with the excellent Hear Me Out (which predated this site by a year) and now is back five years later with Matador. Drawing on a variety of pop styles, Matdaor has something for just about everyone. The opening title track recalls Neil Finn and Crowded House; "Drive Away" is reminiscent of pre-Spain Josh Rouse, "Baby Your Time's Here Too" has a hint of Noel Gallagher, and "Man of the Hour" is punchy power pop a la Jim Boggia. With one pop gem after another, this Matador is no bull. Olé!CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes | eMusic
Miracord-In Water. Fans of psych-pop and 60s-influenced Brit Pop will definitely want to check out Oklahoma City's Miracord and their debut disc In Water. Drawing from influences ranging from Syd Barrett to The Beatles, those who loved the Pale Hollow disc from a couple of years ago will want in here. "New Religion" opens the disc in fine fashion, catchy yet trippy, and other standouts include the rocking "Borrowed Memories", and the gentle acoustic ballad "Industrial Love". A must for classic rockers, and apparently it's available as a free download at CD Baby (link below) where it's listed at a price of $0.00. CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes | eMusic
The Del Toros - I streamed this and had it playing in the background for the first five tracks. I was struck by the musical composition--these guys know hot to construct a song. I then had a chance to sit and listen to the remainder of the album. I was suddenly hit by the lyrics--"Oh...this is a Christian band." Needless to say, it was the source for an interesting conflict. I am not religious, and I had a hard time relating to a lot of the imagery and allusions present throughout. Anyway, if you have any friends who like Christian inspired music, this is good. I am not going to buy it though.
ReplyDeleteI made a mistake on my Del Toros comment, and should have posted to the post proceeding this one.
ReplyDeleteSorry...