Ray Wilson & Stiltskin "Unfulfillment"

Does the name ring a bell with you, too?  It did with me but why?  I wasn't sure, but I gave it a sample listen and it rocked enough for the purchase.  As the first spin progressed, I kept scratching my head in search of the clapper that was hitting that damn bell in there, but to no avail.  I gave up and went to the computer, and yes, there it was.  Wilson was the poor schlub who was picked to replace Phil Collins' voice in Genesis in the mid-nineties.  Some of you may remember "Calling All Stations", but I doubt any would say it was an impressive release.  Maybe Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks thought he sounded like Peter Gabriel, but I didn't get it.  What it did for me, however, was make me go back to Wilson's band Stiltskin's first album, which we had some success selling in our Music 4 Less location.  There was an ad campaign in Britain that featured a track which became a hit, so when the UK tourists on holiday in Orlando kept asking, I kept ordering.  The record wasn't bad, either, though it sounded too much like Smashing Pimpkins (intentional...never liked them) for me.  Best thing about it was Wilson's voice, a gravelly, husky, brooding style. 

Wilson kept pluggin' along after the Genesis debacle (that's harsh...it actually sold fairly well), mostly as a solo act before reforming Stiltskin a few years ago.  This current album, too, is only available here as an import, but it's pretty darn good.  Here is the first video...

This is mainstream, power-pop, arena rock a la

Bon Jovi/Goo Goo Dolls/Nickleback/Train/Daughtry/Collective Soul/ 3 Doors Down/et al.

Somewhere in the second half of the album, I heard him sound like Iva Davies and latter-day Icehouse recordings.  The video below is an unofficial production of what is one of the best songs on the record, the last track, actually...

That should give you an idea of the strength of "Unfulfillment."  The hooks get under your skin (hey, a pun) quickly, and you'll find yourself singing along with the choruses.  My only suggestion is to listen to just half of it at a sitting.  A full sixty-minute session breeds a sameness that doesn't deserve to detract from this fine recording.

Bombay Bicycle Club "A Different Kind Of Fix"

This is the third of the trilogy of new bands I decided to buy in my effort to locate the "next big thing." The first two, Veronica Falls and The War On Drugs, were satisfying on different levels, but neither were "it."  Bombay Bicycle Club aren't "it" either, but certainly much closer.  To be honest, I chose Veronica Falls and BBC because they received the stamp of approval from fellow WPRK DJ of days-gone-by-that-happened-at-a-previous-time-historically-speaking-of-course, Gene Pembleton, who does "two hours of pure unadulterated UK musique called 'The British Breakfast' on WRIR 97.3FM--Richmond, VA Independent Radio."  For ye like me, a lover of British tunes, there is a podcast schedule available here. 

I was a little confused on my first listen, but it became clearer  on the second.  It's another addition to the many that seem to be based in 80's New Wave.  I kept finding myself elevating the volume on subsequent spins, hoping to capture the one band that was buried in my brain under three decades of music that kept trying to peek out.  My first recommendation would be to fans of The Editors, as BBC has a similar musical structure, but a more danceable, happy tone.  Still couldn't get that Eighties band to surface...is it Spandau Ballet?  Nah, that's not it.  Thompson Twins?  Yeah, that's in there a few spots, but still not the little nagging sound in my cobwebbed mind.  Ooh, one of my favorite tracks held a Hunters & Collectors ring to it, and that's always a good omen for me.  I still, however, couldn't peel back the layers to reveal the mystery band that was haunting me.  Here, try this one and tell me what you hear...



A-ha!  No, that's not the band I was thinking of, it was OMD.  Their pop heyday sound is an underlying influence through much of "...Fix", but it's not overt. 

I've since found out that BBC is a very young group, barely in their 20's, from the London area and "...Fix" is already their third full-length release.  Apparently, the second went Top 10 in the UK and now "...Fix" has eclipsed that chart position and landed on several other European charts as well.  Why the hell haven't I heard of them before?  And there you have the beauty of discovery, even for my age demographic.  For you younger whipper-snappers, I've seen BBC recommended to fans of Vampire Weekend.

Can't call it "indie" in my book since they are on a major label, but "alternative" will suffice.  "...Fix" is worth the $8, and I will keep an ear out for BBC in the future.

Blitzen Trapper "American Goldwing"

Investigated this band a couple of years ago when I kept seeing their name pop up on several "2008 Best Of" lists for their album "Furr."  I liked the playful, alt-country vibe and chalked it up as a nice find worthy of future consideration.  When 2010's "Destroyer Of The Void" dropped, I immediately acquired it and was blown away by the opening track, a journey into prog-rock that was nowhere to be found on "Furr."  "Destroyer..." was more complex and rockin', with only a few hints of the Americana sound from earlier.  I loved it, but alas, the band's fan base was less than enamored with the stylistic shift, and it showed when the band came to Orlando in support.  Sales reflected it as well, as the record never cracked the Top 200. 

Saw this album on the huge September release list but didn't acquire it until late November.  I don't know how or why this post ended up being the last of the lot, but it has.  What the delay gave me was time to read up on it before listening.  Probably one of the main reasons I pushed this aside for a while was "southern rock" was a common descriptor through many of the reviews.  It was difficult for me, a Tennessee boy who grew up with Barefoot Jerry and the CDB in the 70's, to fathom a "southern rock" record in 2011 from a band from Portland, OR!  And once I started spin #1, I knew I was right.  Figured most of the reviewers were from the Northwest and weren't even born in the 70's!  No way "American Goldwing" is a southern rock album, not even close.  Just because there is more countrified instrumentation coupled with lyrics similar to "drinkin' whisky through his teeth"?   That does not make it "southern."  What it does do is bring the album's sound back to what their fans demanded, albeit a hair more country (not southern), and they have responded by making it their biggest seller yet.  

I like it...it's a keeper...but I'm not as thrilled with it as the previous two...