Saturday, October 31, 2015

"The Crying Scene" by Aztec Camera

Aztec Camera's name now refers to two items of antiquity:  the Aztecs and cameras. This indie pop band from Scotland thrived on the college rock scene during the 80s, delivering their moody but melodic offerings. One of their more eclectic albums, "Stray", nearly made them a household name in the US.
"Stray" was released in 1990 but failed to chart on the Billboard Top 200.
The musical styles on "Stray" run the gamut from lounge, jazz, soft rock, to straight up rock. My favorite was the lead off single, "The Crying Scene", which not only contains sound advice for living, it is a super catchy rock song.


As lead singer Roddy Frame declares in the song, "You only get one hit"...in the US at least, this was the one for Aztec Camera, shooting to #3 on the US Modern Rock chart.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

"I Know You're Waiting" by Autopilot Off

Autopilot Off is a melodic punk band that formed back in the mid-1990s and released their one and only major label record nearly 10 years later in 2004.


"Make A Sound" dropped in 2004 and climbed to #119 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.
Some of the songs caught traction, most notably "What I Want", which was co-written by Tim Armstrong of the landmark punk band Rancid. You can clearly hear a Rancid vibe in this song. The track that I keep going back for is "I Know You're Waiting".



In 2005 the band went on hiatus, but they've been releasing a handful of new tracks lately through their web site.



Wednesday, October 28, 2015

"Beautiful" by Avion

There is a rather confusing history behind the pop rock band called Avion. Avion emerged from the ashes of a band called The Tories, and the common thread here is the talented singer and songwriter Steve Bertrand. Some of the songs from The Tories also appear on this lone release from Avion.


The self-titled record from Avion was released in 2004. 
This is a brilliant, nearly flawless record from start to finish - I don't know how in the world it got overlooked. Filled with catchy, hard-edged pop songs and gorgeous ballads, Avion should have taken the country by storm. My favorite track is "Beautiful" - check it out.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

"Flat Tire" by Athenaeum

The North Carolina band Athenaeum arrived on the alternative rock scene in the late 90s with their indie release known as the "Green Album". After selling 10,000 copies or so, the band got signed to a major label and released "Radiance", which spawned the hit "What I Didn't Know". "What I Didn't Know" made it to #58 on the Billboard chart, but subsequent singles from this outstanding record failed to chart. 

"Flat Tire" was released as a follow-up and, in a perfect world, would have catapulted the band to the heights of counterparts like Gin Blossoms or Better Than Ezra. "Flat Tire" is a wonderful song, building to a soaring chorus with superb harmonies. 




Athenaeum released a couple more records but further success eluded the band. Lead singer and songwriter Mark Kano has released some excellent solo work; co-founder Nic Brown became a writer and English professor at Clemson University. 
Released in 1998, Athenaeum's major label debut boasts several should have been hits, including "Flat Tire", "On My Mind", "No One", and "Unnoticed"

Saturday, October 17, 2015

"Time For Livin'" by The Association

The Association was one of the biggest bands of the late-60s, boasting a string of classic hits like the number one smashes "Windy" and "Cherish", the #2 smash "Never My Love", and other top 10 hits like "Along Comes Mary" and "Everything That Touches You".

A lesser known single by the group is "Time For Livin'", which just barely broke the top 40 by reaching #39 in 1968. The track comes from the band's "Birthday" album, which climbed to #23 on the Billboard Top 200 that same year. Some days, all you need is a sunny song like "Time For Livin'" to put life back in perspective.


Like "Never My Love", "Time For Livin'" was written by The Addrisi Brothers, who got a nod from Off The Charts here. "Time For Livin'" would prove to be the band's last song to hit the top 40.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

"An Extraordinary Life" by Asia

The 1980s was the decade for AOR, especially bands who liked to name themselves after continents. Asia had a good run back in the day, scoring a handful of hits including two that broke the top 10: "Heat of the Moment" (#4 in 1982) and "Don't Cry" (#10 in 1983). 

The band faded from the airways by 1990 and it might surprise some of you that they are still releasing records. Much to the delight of their fanbase, Asia has always stayed true to their prog rock roots, writing like it is still 1982.
In 2008, Asia released their 11th album,"Phoenix". The record is aptly named as it features the four original members who made the quadruple platinum debut record in 1982.
How badly were fans eager to hear the original line up of Asia? The record debuted at an impressive #73 on the Billboard Top 200. The band's last appearance on that chart was back in 1990 when their hybrid greatest hits/new songs release, "Then and Now", went to #114.

I'm not a huge fan of progressive music, but I love a nice slab of catchy melodic rock. The closing track on "Phoenix" fits the bill: "An Extraordinary Life" is an extraordinary song.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

"Me Myself I" by Joan Armatrading

Joan Armatrading has earned a great deal of critical acclaim through the decades and found commercial success around much of the world; however, in the US, she's often considered a one-hit wonder since "Drop The Pilot" is her only chart appearance (hitting a modest #78 in 1983).

Armatrading is known for incorporating a variety of different genres into her eclectic songs. But at the start of the 80s, her record "Me Myself I" marked a transition to more radio-friendly pop. 
Armatrading's 1980 album, "Me Myself I", was produced by Richard Gottehrer, who also worked with Blondie.
While it didn't churn out any charting singles, "Me Myself I" turned out to be Armatrading's highest charting album in the US, reaching #28 in 1980. The title track is one of my favorite songs by this underrated artist.


Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Brian Vander Ark - Resurrection

Brian Vander Ark is the man behind the huge 90s hit, "The Freshman", which his band, The Verve Pipe, took all the way to #5 on the Billboard Chart in 1996. The single helped propel their album, "Villains", to #24 and platinum sales, but despite this success a follow-up hit eluded the band.



Brian Vander Ark released his first solo record, "Resurrection", in 2004. The contemplative lyrics remain a strong suit in his solo work and the music is markedly more "coffeehouse" than alt rock. The formula works well for Vander Ark's storytelling vocals.

He's released a number of additional solo albums since then, as well as albums with a reunited Verve Pipe, but "Resurrection" is the one I always find myself going back to...here are the main reasons why:








Monday, October 12, 2015

"People Are Only Sorry When They're Caught" by Graham Alexander

Who says nobody makes good music these days? New Jersey singer/songwriter Graham Alexander released a new record late last year entitled, "Repeat Deceiver", which should be making this rising star a household name. It isn't easy to pigeon-hole his style into a single genre, and maybe that's what makes this record so much fun to listen to over and over again.

My favorite track is below - check him out today.


Friday, October 9, 2015

Tasmin Archer – “Great Expectations”

Arriving on the scene in 1993, Tasmin Archer provided an alternative to the alternative rock and grunge saturating the music scene. Her keen songwriting skills and amazing voice should have propelled her debut record, “Great Expectations” to extraordinary heights. Despite reaching #1 in the UK and Ireland, the leadoff single, “Sleeping Satellite”, only rose to #32 in the US.  

Tasmin Archer’s debut record, “Great Expectations”, went to #115 on the US Billboard Top 200. It deserved to go much higher.
“Great Expectations” is one of those records I can play in its entirety and never have the urge to hit the "skip" button. Archer’s voice can be delicately soulful or anguished and raspy. She writes poignant and thoughtful lyrics and sings them with equal passion. “In Your Care” is one of the most striking songs I’ve ever heard about abuse.

Some of my favorite tracks from the record are below – the music has held up well with age and you won’t regret adding this one to your collection.




Thursday, October 8, 2015

“Hush” by Billy Joe Royal (RIP)

In honor of Billy Joe Royal, who passed away Tuesday, I’d like to highlight one of his underrated songs from 1967. While most people are probably familiar with this classic, it only reached #52 on the Billboard chart.


Deep Purple made "Hush" a household song in 1968, landing at an impressive #4 on the charts. 

Billy Joe Royal stormed onto the pop scene in 1965 with his smash hit, “Down In The Boondocks”, which went to #9. He never topped this hit, but came close with singles like “I Knew You When” and “Cherry Hill Park”. He transitioned to country in the 80s and found additional success, scoring 15 hits on the country charts.


Read more here:  SingerBilly Joe Royal dies

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

“I’ll Bring The Whole World To Your Door” by Angel

One night when he was taking a break from entertaining groupies with his freakishly long tongue, Gene Simmons was hanging out at a nightclub and got turned on by the sound of a glam band called Angel. He was so enamored with them that he convinced Casablanca, the record label that signed Kiss, to bring Angel onboard. Known for their all-white attire, they looked like the opposite of Kiss, whose members were always dressed in black. But musically, these two bands had quite a bit in common.

Through the late 70s, Angel’s songs evolved from long prog rock pieces to shorter pop rock nuggets. Angel deserved more, but only had two charting singles – “That Magic Touch” went to #77 in 1977 and “I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore” went to #44 in 1978.


But the song I’d like to highlight here is from the band’s 1979 record, “Sinful” – arguably their most radio-friendly. “I’ll Bring The Whole World To Your Door” is a melodic rock masterpiece that captures the essence of 70s rock radio.


Angel’s lead singer Frank DiMino went on to sing “Seduce Me Tonight” for the Flashdance soundtrack and actually put out a new solo album this year. Keyboardist Gregg Giuffria scored some modest hits in the 80s with his new band, Giuffria, and later with House Of Lords. 

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Cover songs – Anberlin

Modern rock band Anberlin masterfully blends musical genres and it seems they have a fondness for 80s music. You’ll hear hints of synth pop and industrial music in many of their original songs, but they’ve also covered a number of 80s hits.

Here they are performing “Enjoy The Silence”, which was Depeche Mode’s biggest hit ever, landing at #8 on the Billboard chart in early 1990.


They also covered “The Promise”, from the one-hit wonders, When In Rome, who took the song to #11 in 1988.



Anberlin has also covered the classic 1986 Smiths song, “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”.


Anberlin has covered other tunes beyond the 80s…including Radiohead’s “Creep” and this classic from Bob Dylan.



All of the above cover songs can be found on Anberlin’s 2007 release, “Lost Songs”.