Mike Daly & The Planets / This Is My Life
https://dalyplanets.bandcamp.com
Having aged into my 50’s, I can tell you from experience that it can be a melancholy time. You’ve undoubtedly seen too many friends and family members pass away, and you’ve seen just how ugly something like cancer can be, how it literally drains the life out of a human soul. Maybe you’ve become a caregiver to one or both of your parents, and seen how that solemn duty inevitably affects every aspect of your own life, usually for the worse.
Mike Daly and The Planets‘ This Is My Life, takes that melancholy one step further, singing from the point of view of someone afflicted with cancer, hoping that they can hang on to their life for as long as possible. It’s a dark subject to be sure, but flows with an undercurrent of hopefulness; hope for another day of life tomorrow, hope that there will be another sunrise to feel the warmth of, hope that our loved ones will also be there with us. Very well done.
The Shivers / Jimi Jimi
https://theshivers2.bandcamp.com/album/power-pop
Jimi Jimi is a nice piece of new-wavish pop, from The Shivers’ latest, Unreleased Tracks from 1988-1991. Their combination of Smithereens’-style guitar grind peppered with Wendy Morrison’s pleading vocals, is all kinds of awesome. We’re looking forward to digging deeper into this release and the rest of the band’s catalog.
Tom Curless & The 46% / House On Fire
https://tomcurless.bandcamp.com/album/almost-ready-for-the-future-2
The latest from Tom Curless is a tasty nugget that sounds both fresh and vintage. It has an early-MTV vibe to our ears, sticking somewhere between Greg Khin’s Break-up Song and Martin Briley’s Salt In My Tears. We’re enjoying the rest of the Lp, titled Almost Ready For The Future, but if you’re unfamiliar with Curless, this is a fantastic place to start.
D.P.