The Darts, Mike Watt, Papa M, On Being An Angel
The Darts - Boomerang
Hit the beach with the Darts! The foursome begin their latest party platter with a fun bit of surf rock, "Hang Around." The song features an irresistible dance groove and a hooky chorus but it actually has nothing to do with the seashore; it's a putdown of someone who carries on a relationship all the while complaining about it. If the song was set at the beach it would kick sand in your face; here though it's Meliza Jackson's guitar riffing that stings, just like getting an eyeful of sediment would. The Darts --- singer and keys player Nicole Laurenne, bassist Christina Nunez, drummer Mary Rose Gonzales and Jackson are at their garage-rocking best on Boomerang where they rip through 13 short, punchy and extremely catchy tunes, all of which would be right at home on one of the beloved Nuggets various artists compilations. Laurenne's Farfisa playing is a big part of the Darts sound (and their live show where she often dramatically wrestles the small keyboard to the stage floor) and she duels with Jackson's guitar on "Pour Another" where her deadpan vocals hover over a melody that at times sounds very Halloween-ish, or like a theme from a television show like "The Munsters." The self-explanatory "Liar" is a buoyant accusation that also has a quick "spooky" moment when Laurenne references a few notes of "In the Hall of the Mountain King," the song written by 19th century composer Edvard Grieg that has been interpreted by lots of rock bands including the Electric Light Orchestra. Side A wraps up with the slow and seductive "Slither" where the mood is derived from Laurenne's vocal delivery more so than the music. The punky rocker "Photograph" kicks off Side B and showcases Gonzales bashing out the rhythm; Nunez gets her spotlight on "Hell Yeah" where she contributes a seriously fuzzed-out bass part on the anthemic cut. The keyboards at the beginning of "Dreaming Crazy" recall Deep Purple but the song about infatuation with a lover quickly evolves into garage rocking girl group nirvana; somewhat amusingly the cut is immediately followed by another put down song, "You Disappoint Me." The band has their own reason for titling this effort Boomerang but as far as we're concerned it's called that because these well-crafted songs will boomerang back to your turntable time and time again. Available in several varieties of colored vinyl including blood orange swirl.
Mike Watt "Long May You Burn" b/w Papa M "Fireman Hurley" (7" 45 RPM split)
No, we didn't get that backwards; this intriguing split release from Mike Watt and Papa M (David Pajo) finds the two acts covering one of each other's songs. Watt takes on Papa M's "Long May You Burn," a relationship song presented as if it were about the life of a firefly. Papa M's version plays like a wistful Neil Young tune, complete with a psychedelic guitar break mid-song; Watt changes the guitar sound on his version here to a jazzy interlude provided by Nels Cline. Watt, who plays bass on the cut, adds a little venom to the song that is not present on the original as he gruffly accentuates the word "burn" in the "long may you burn" chorus. Lisa Cameron on drums and Heather Lockie on viola round out the players. On his side of the split Papa M handles all the music as well as the vocals on "Fireman Hurley" which features a quirky, fun chorus that's slightly challenging to sing along to. The original version by Watt is Latin-flavored tropicalia/pop; Papa M's version is more like folk/pop and is just as entertaining as the original. Packaged in a sturdy picture sleeve and pressed on sea glass green colored vinyl.
On Being an Angel - "Playin it Cool" b/w "Hard Luck Woman" (7" 45-RPM single)
On Being an Angel is the Austin-based four-piece consisting of singer and guitarist Paige Applin, guitarist Nick Flitton, bassist Nolan Nevels and drummer Carson Wilcox. Here they present the original "Playin it Cool," a jaunty fuzz guitar-laden slice of modern alt rock perfectly crafted for college radio stations or other broadcasters that aren't afraid to spin cool new music. Applin's vocals offer a nice contrast to the song's fuzzy base and she does an admirable job with the band's take on the nearly 50-year-old KISS cut "Hard Luck Woman," a song that was uncharacteristically mellow for KISS and that works nicely interpreted here. Packaged in a sturdy picture sleeve and with insert with lyrics and credits.
