Reviews by Jason Barnard
A trio of vinyl releases from Sugarbush Records revolve on the Strange Brew record player this summer.
London based troubadour Trent Miller returns with his fourth LP ‘Time Between Us’, a lushly produced release of songcraft. This album has shades of Tom Petty, Mike Scott and Gene Clark typified by side 1’s ‘How Soon Is Never’ and ‘Moonlight Cafe’ whose lyrics pervade melancholia and hope.
Flipping over the platter, the melodies of ‘Days In Winter’ and ‘After The Great Betrayal’ display a pop sensibility that lodge in the heart. With washes of Americana throughout alied to heartbreak, Trent shows how the album can be one piece of art rather than a collection of individual songs.
Setting the controls for the heart of planet Powerpop are Norway’s Caddy. At the helm of ‘Ten Times Four’ is the multitalented Tomas Dah who wrote, recorded and produced this long player. Ear popping tracks include the clarion call of ‘Something Beautiful’, the aptly titled ‘Contagious’ and hook-laden ‘Not The One’.
Although echoes of Teenage Fanclub abound, Caddy stand apart of their peers with this expertly crafted LP.
https://soundcloud.com/caddymusic/04-contagious-1
Now to something old, Help Yourself‘s lost album ‘5’ which sees a remastered vinyl release. Abandoned in 1973 ‘5’ was assembled using eight additional recordings from the original Chipping Norton tapes plus three recordings made three decades later.
Towards the end of the Helps tenure, their Americana influence was to its fore. On side one alone, Martin Ace’s ‘Cowboy Song’, Malcolm Morley’s gorgeous ballad ‘Grace’ followed by Sean Tyler’s ‘Martha’ are worth the purchase price alone. Finishing the album is the country-psych of ‘Duneburgers’ making it clear that the group closed this chapter of their musical journeys on a high.
All albums are available from: http://www.sugarbushrecords.com/
