It’s not just the baby, it’s the bathwater.

Good day loyal readers! Check out this explosion of review-o-matic madness! And then read  my reviews. BOOM! Insane!

Alexz Johnson
Skipping Stone

A great release by this singer, who became famous with some TV roles, and music related to them. This EP shows a progression from that more poppy side, to emotional but catchy songs that pull you in and feel like they come from a real place.

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Phil Keaggy
Cover of Love

A half covers, half originals record by Phil, the covers reflect some of his influences, and are adapted to his voice and style nicely. The other songs are all co-writes, and very much fit in with Phil’s more recent releases.

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Various Artists
IPO 15

I always love hearing these compilations, just showing there are people out there carrying the flag for pop music. It is great to hear so many songs, but a bit overwhelming to find any major highlights.

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Antony and the Johnsons
Cut The World

A live album by the great Antony and the Johnsons, good versions of some old songs, and one new song. The one thing I didn’t love was the inclusion of him talking for about 5 minutes about his philosophy on feminism, while it was interesting I don’t think it belongs on a record.

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Shoes
Ignition

Finally, they return with a fantastic album. The lead off track is the obvious winner, combining that classic sound with a bit more modern production technique, it is great, the rest of the album glides along behind it just fine.

Time For More

Welp, another couple weeks, another blog. This week, we have a fun, international lineup of cool bands, top names, and indie wunderkinds. Take this opportunity to take in these musical mavens as they show you how to make music right! Oh yeah!

Sarah Blasko – As Day Follows Night – ***1/2 –

International Pop Overthrow Volume 11

It’s that’s time of year again… Summer!  So, you know what that means? The kids are out of school, people are hitting the beaches, and David Bash has brought the International Pop Overthrow (IPO) festival back to Los Angeles for the 11th year in a row.

 

I’ve been attending the festival for quite a few years now, at least 6 or 7 in a row.  IPO usually runs for about two weeks.  Some years I’ve attended the majority of the shows, and other years just a few.  This year however, I’ve been busy, so I made my one and only IPO concert stop at Fitzgerald’s in Huntington Beach on Saturday night.  The show was a CD release party for Phillip Vandermost, who turned in a great performance, as did O.C. favorites Scarlet Crush and Sparkle*Jets U.K. (who played a few new tunes at the show).