Reviews roundup – Sugarman vs. Biv & The Mnemonics vs. King King

Reviews roundup – Sugarman vs. Biv & The Mnemonics vs. King King

SUGARMAN
After The Blackout
Diversity Records

It’s album number two from Americana music artist Noah Sugarman, whose “After The Blackout” is the follow-up to the 2009 album “Art Of Starting A Fire”.

And if that middle ground where Counting Crows meets The Wallflowers meets Hootie & The Blowfish is your thing, then you’re going to find this a very comfortable ride. You can tell that he’s served time in both country and folk groups as there are hints of both dotted hither and thither in all the songs, but he’s aiming for the centre of the highway with this collection of songs. He’s one of those annoying fellows who can play just about everything, and as he says “for the most part it was me and an engineer bunkered up in a small studio for 5 months.”

He has got some good songs in his arsenal with the likes of ‘Ladders’ and ‘Hero’s and Heroines’ well capable of some crossover college radio play. With his road band at the ready, he’ll be hitting a town somewhere near you soon, but in the meantime, check out the video for ‘Ladders’ doon below.

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BIV & THE MNEMONICS
The Pace
Moo Moo Recordings

San Francisco band Biv and the Mnemonics are putting out their second full-length album, “The Pace”, on April 16th, 2013. That’s put out as in released, not like as in put out the cat. The snappily named band used to be known as Roy G Biv & The Mnemonic Devices, but have went for a shortended version that will still put off people asking for them in a record shop. Maybe they’re assuming all their sales will be internet based, a world where the ability to pronounce (or spell ) words is largely irrelevant. Either way, this is an enjoyable album of modern day folk-rock.

Which means that there isn’t much in the way of folk here, because indie folk rockers don’t really like folk. No, they’re really more shambling lo-fiers who could only afford acousitc guitars when they started out. The band – Dan Paggi, Ben Lang, Evan Wardell, Jessie Alsop and Landon Moblad can certainly hold a tune / play the right notes, which is always a good thing, even if no longer compulsory. They’ve a fine way with a harmony and a melody

Sometimes they come up with tune you will remember – ‘Ain’t On Our Way’, ‘The Winding Rivers Of Northern California’ – and they generally coincide with the moments when they remember they’re a folk band. Best of all is when they break out of their mould and do something a bit drastic, as is the case on ‘Rolling Deep Into The Backwoods!’, which is a song good you need to put it on repeat. Hopefully, they’ve got a few more like that tucked away.

KING KING
Standing In The Shadows
Cadiz Music

This may only be the second album from King King, but mainman Alan Nimmo is scarcely a new kid on the block. He’s been chucking out albums with The Blackwater Blues Band and then the Nimmo Brothers since the nineties. But away from brother Stevie, his new band King King are certainly making a name for themselves.

Their debut album “Take My Hand” was drooled over wherever a blues fan put pen to paper (or keyboard to computer). Proper people like Paul Jones raved about it. Now it was good, but not that good. And this is better. Largely because the new songs are so much better, and among the best that Alan Nimmo has ever been involved in. ‘More Than I Can Take’, ‘What Am I Supposed To Do’ and ‘Coming Home’ are just pure dead brilliant, and quite the best things he’s ever done.

Add in a couple of well chosen covers – Frankie Miller’s ‘Jealousy’ from his “Standing On The Edge” album and the Free gem ‘Heavy Love’, and you’ve got a blues rocking delight of a record. Weirdly enough, that Frankie Miller album was largely co-written with Andy Fraser, so feel free to insert a spooky noise here. “Standing In The Shadows” also sees Nimmo really evolving as a vocalist, something I’ve been waiting for, and it’s by far his best singing on record. This is likely to be up there when the best ofs are listed at the end of the year, and that seems like a right and proper place for an excellent record.

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Don’t forget to tune into Mr H every Thursday at 8pm, Her Majestys Great British time, when you will find him Rockin’ The Blues on that there internet radio.