I’ll be the first to admit that I was worried when I heard that The Morning Benders were taking on a new name and a whole new sound.  Having fallen in love with Big Echo, one of the first records that really resonated with my life, an intersection of time and place. Furthermore, I had never identified with the 90’s R&B that the band loved. Yet, I have to give credit to Chris Chu and the band as their first single “Keep It For Your Own” from their upcoming self-titled POP ETC features that  tender songwriting intact, with clever hooks and the catchy recording experimentation that made Big Echo such a fun album to listen to. It’s produced by Dangermouse and you can grab the track on iTunes

Preorder the album from Rough Trade.

My introduction to one of the most influential and steadfast bassists of all time was through the original Blues Brothers movie. Little did I know at the time that Dunn, (who smoked a pipe and at the time of filming had quite a large  afro ) along with Steve Cropper had been part of the famous Booker T. & the MG’s the backing band for Stax Records and  behind every Otis Redding song you’ve ever heard, along with many others like Wilson Pickett, Eddie Floyd, Johnnie Taylor, Sam & Dave, pretty much all Southern Soul worth listening to in the mid to late 1960s.  Here he is on “She Caught The Katy” from the original Blues Brothers soundtrack and “Hold On, I’m Comin’ ” by Sam & Dave playing that inimitable fluid blues bass groove. RIP

She Caught The Katy- Blues Brothers 

Hold On, I’m Comin’- Sam & Dave 

In a time of retromania, Nick Waterhouse has the scene on lockdown, both updating the rocker with glasses look of Buddy Holly and the dapper sartorial style of Mad Men, Waterhouse’s debut LP Time’s All Gone echoes the early 60’s music scene not only with it’s classic album cover style, but with the gritty blown-out R&B concoction that made parents worry about the sexual willies of rock & roll.  Waterhouse doesn’t care if you decide to film from the waist-up though, he’s a man’s man, the one who steers away from clear liquors and revels in dark bars and whiskey shots straight up. For every part that Mayer Hawthorne is evoking he clean cut soul of Smokey Robinson, Waterhouse focuses on the dirty fuzz of R&B that the Rolling Stones called home, and at the ripe young age of 25, he’s only just getting started. “Indian Love Call” has that old school swagger straight from the start, the uplifting guitar, the cooing background vocals, the sabulous sax and a dark live sound. Be sure to check out his album opener, “Say I Wanna Know” as well.

 Indian Love Call- Nick Waterhouse

Say I Wanna Know- Nick Waterhouse

Time’s All Gone was released on Innovative Leisure Records on May 1st, 2012. You can buy the physical copy (both CD and Vinyl) here and find the digital version on iTunes here

You can find Nick Waterhouse on Facebook here and follow him on Twitter @nickwaterhouse

Maybe you’ve heard the Fruit Bats before, but in case you haven’t, try this game on for size. Step 1) Find a friend who likes The Shins, but isn’t obsessed, Step 2) Play this record, Step 3) Enjoy while friend tries to find these songs on iTunes from the Shins and instead finds the disappointing Port of Morrow album. Fun right?  Nevertheless, Fruit Bats have been a band that constantly flies under the radar with a similar sound to The Shins. Eric Johnson also majored in 18th century literature, so there’s that. Surprisingly enough for an English major with that small niche, Fruit Bats aren’t afraid of pop culture in writing, like the off the cuff mention of “Raspberry Beret” during this beautiful song “The Earthquake of ‘73”. Johnson is a man who loves the 70’s songwriting style but has the melodic sensibility of more modern music. It’s a sneaky little love song, but perhaps I shouldn’t say more. I’m also putting in “Lives of Crime” the album opener on Spelled In Bones.

The Earthquake of ’73- Fruit Bats 

Lives of Crime- Fruit Bats

Listen If You Like: The Shins, Michael Cera movies, Acoustic Guitars, 70’s Singer Songwriters, Lennon-esque vocals, People who have degrees in Literature, Pop Culture References