DAVE HUMPHRIES “Hocus Pocus On Joker Lane” (Blindspot Records)
It’s no surprise Dave Humphries was born and bred in England, as his songs smack of all those great ingredients that made the sounds of the British Invasion in the sixties so fresh, charming and downright catchy. Moving to San Diego, California in the nineties, Dave quickly became a staple of the city’s thriving music scene. Here on his latest album, “Hocus Pocus On Joker Lane,” he continues to massage the listener’s ears with his own special brand of radio ready pop rock. Sparked by a row of sweeping piano passages, “Years Away Yesterday” gets the disc off to a mighty good start, with its radiant repertoire of firm melodies, clingy arrangements and rhythmic freedom. Set to a super chipper pace, “Rollin’ Up To Heaven” surges forth with soulful, gospel informed harmonies, while the hard edged “Why?” bristles with John Lennon like mannerisms. A nice mix of electric and acoustic guitars wire “Hocus Pocus On Joker’s Lane,” and fit Dave’s pleasant voice well, which prospers with impeccable timing and phrasing. Aside from the usual Merseybeat influences, most notably the early Beatles, The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Iveys, touches of twangy country and jaunty folk rock ala The Lovin’ Spoonful further grease the wheels. To be sure, “Hocus Pocus On Joker Lane” is the kind of disc you can play over and over again and never tire of. www.davehumphriesmusic.com
ROCK & ROLL MONKEY & THE ROBOTS “Do What The Bee Does” (Rock & Roll Monkey Records)
Be prepared to encounter a series of unpredictable twists and turns on this New York band’s most recent album, “Do What The Bee Does.” Standard three chord garage punk may be the blueprint, but lurking below the surface and trimming the edges of such scruffy, primal activity, funky grooves and quasi- psychedelic curiosities occasionally rise to the fore. Not restricting themselves to the basic guitar, bass and drums format, Rock & Roll Monkey & The Robots add whistling flutes and honking saxophones to the pot, complemented by the bubbly burr of a pumping organ. “Get Off Your Ass And Dance” should be the band’s theme song, as their music is indeed ideal to wiggle your body to. The title cut of the disc, which cruises along at a heady, hypnotic clip, the frisky “I Like To Go Man Go” and “High School Hemingway” plug in as other winners here. Then there’s “The Man On The Phone,” which slings humorous abuse at the music business. Every single tune on “Do What The Bee Does” slinks and slides with jagged breaks and twitchy contagious hooks. Comparisons to The Fleshtones and The Feelies are not too far off the mark, so if you dig those bands, then you’re guaranteed to love the quirky party atmosphere of Rock & Roll Monkey & The Robots. www.rocknrollmonkey.com
BRUCE JOYNER AND THE RECONSTRUCTION “Elements” (Haunted Lake Records)
For more than thirty years now, Bruce Joyner has been a permanent fixture in the alternative pop rock world. Groups such as The Stroke Band and The Unknowns placed him squarely on the map, and his latest outfit is following suit. Coming together in 2003, Bruce Joyner and The Reconstruction features Bruce on vocals, Tom Byars on guitar, Will Byars on bass and Ryan Butler on drums. Sounding like a majestic cross between Roy Orbison and Daniel Ash of Bauhaus, Bruce’s booming pipes guide the band through one explosive song after another here on their new album, “Elements,“ such as “Invisible Smile,” “Hot Georgia Nights,” Knife In My Heart” and “Swamp Fox Foxy” that forge onward and upward with buzzing guitars, throbbing bass lines and commanding drum fills. Razor sharp pop sensibilities, fostered by strong melodies and seizing arrangements flood their toxic tunes as well. Bursting with power, drive and energy to spare, “Elements” serves as a first rate collection of mean, lean hard rocking pop songs. Thereconstruction@yahoo.com
CRACKED LATIN “The World Is Cracked Latin” (Transparency Records)
Conceived by Lane Steinberg and Luis Accorsi, the appropriately christened Cracked Latin is a barrel of fun. Reshaping sexy Latin flavored beats and rhythms over, under, sideways, down, these art-damaged geniuses have crafted an album that defies description. Nonetheless, a consistently excellent quality permeates the songs, which are ridiculously infectious. Swinging to and fro with herky-jerky tempos, “Your Miami,” the dopey, lysergic luster of “My Hallucination” and the needling nuances of “In Memory Of A Departed Therapist” are just a few of the stand out tracks on the disc. Resonating with animation, the vocals are clearly tongue-in cheek, but they’re effective and certainly get the message across. Tooting horns and tribal drumming cement the sessions, giving the material a real floor shaking feel. Imagine a loose as a goose jam session between Ricky Ricardo, Os Mutantes, XTC, a lounge lizard exotica band and T. Swift and The Electric Bag, and that sort of sums up what to expect from “The World Is Cracked Latin.” Playful, inventive and wickedly warped, here’s an album that takes Latin music to an entirely new and different level. www.crackedlatin.com
Beverly Paterson
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