THE LOVEMAKERS

Considering the fact that I'm albino-white, utterly assless, and possess all the groove, grind, and grace of Rush Limbaugh on an Oxycontin-and-crack cocktail, it seems more than passing strange that I enjoy dance-rock music as much (and as often) as I do. Call it overcompensation.

Oakland, CA's the Lovemakers make quite the raucous racket on their debut album, Times of Romance. They may remind some of an amped-up Human League (and some may already be familiar with their falsetto-and-bass bangin' "Shake That Ass" from earlier forays into the blogosphere). Singers Scott Blonde (Simon Le Bon remixed?) and Lisa Light (Shirley Manson goes to the disco?) are ex-lovers who trade off tunes and occasionally (see: "Shake That Ass") bring their talents together to serve the same song. (A third member of the outfit goes by the name "Jeesh le Guillotine," and how can you help doing a little Safety Dance to that?)

The Lovemakers will be playing the Sausalito Art Festival on September 2. Just as soon as Dick Dale finishes his set. (No joke.)

The Lovemakers on MySpace? That would [here].

Now... dance, my pretties!

[MP3] "Dance"

[MP3] "Hypnotised"

DAN WALLACE

Chicagoan Dan Wallace is the former singer/songwriter for the Pindrops - a group that released a self-titled album in 2004 that can be sampled and purchased at CDBaby [here].

Mr. Wallace is seemingly omnipresent on the Chicago musical scene, scoring film soundtracks, composing chamber pieces, and just generally working to support modern classical music in the city. He is also, however, very much the indie-pop rocker, as his solo LP, Neon and Gold [Torito Bravo Records], fully attests. Some reviewers compare Wallace to Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds, but methinks this might be a bit misleading and simplistic in this case. While the songs on Neon and Gold tend to be solidly melodic, they also feature adventurous instrumentation and just slightly off-kilter arrangements.

So... try to the two rather different-sounding songs below on for size. If you like what you hear, you can purchase Neon and Gold at CDBaby [here], at Amazon.com [here], at iTunes, or directly from his website [here].

(Dan Wallace's MySpace page is [here].)

[MP3] "Fell"

[MP3] "Vante Left Them Human"

THE LIGHTNING SEEDS

The Lightning Seeds may or may not be the latest entry in my "dead bands" series. For one thing, this was always a "band" that had the "one-man show" thing going on. That man would be Ian Broudie, who has made his name producing artists from Echo & the Bunnymen to the Zutons; the Coral to I Am Kloot. For a second thing, Broudie has had a habit of pulling the "band" out of mothballs every now and again, though the only recent release was a best-of collection back in June (only available in the U.S. as an import).

As a creative entity, the Lightning Seeds has never received a great deal of credit. Somehow, the sound was deemed too "clean"; "whispy"; "lite." All Music Guide writer Alex Ogg all-but-tore Mr. Broudie a new one when reviewing the album Dizzy Heights: "[the Lightning Seeds are still] obsess[ed] with the perfect '60s pop song, polite guitars, and saccharine vocals on an endless quest to rewrite 'Unchained Melody'." Now, for one thing, "Unchained Melody" is a pretty great song - one capable of overcoming the awful image of Patrick Swayze playing in clay. Beyond that, there's plenty of room in my life (and perhaps yours) for the occasional foray into "clean, whispy" pop.

From the LP Cloudcuckooland, 1989 >>>
[MP3] "Pure"

From the LP Jollification, 1994 >>>
[MP3] "Lucky You"

From the LP Dizzy Heights, 1996 >>>
[MP3] "You Showed Me"
[MP3] "Sugar Coated Iceberg"

From the LP Tilt, 1999 >>>
[MP3] "Sweetest Soul Sensations"

DIRTY ON PURPOSE

Not to be confused with Dirty Vegas, Dirty Three, Dirty Pretty Things, or Ol' Dirty Bastard, Dirty on Purpose is a Brooklyn four-piece who released their debut CD, Hallelujah Sirens, this past June.

This is very low-key stuff, perfect for the gray, rainy Sunday that's been taking shape here in the Great Lakes area. Comparisons have been made between these guys and laid-back outfits like Yo La Tengo, and there may be some semblance of truth there. Gentle washes of guitar. Pretty, if soft-spoken, singing. Subtle, gotta-dig-a-bit-to-get-to-them melodies. Again, not recommended for all tastes and/or moods, but pretty terrific as the sonic wallpaper for a gloomy Sunday.

You can purchase Hallelujah Sirens from North Street Records [here]. And, if you visit Dirty on Purpose's MySpace page [here], you'll see that they'll be playing the South Street Seaport in New York City [with the Spinto Band] on September 1.

From the LP Hallelujah Sirens, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Always Looking"
[MP3] "Lake Effect"

From the EP Sleep Late for a Better Tomorrow, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Mind Blindness"

JOHAN

After sating ourselves in Sweden, we have been beckoned to the Netherlands to take a gander at the thoroughly Swedish-sounding band Johan. These guys released their first album in 1997. At the time, All Music Guide gushed that it "marr[ied] the jittery indie guitar strum of the Wedding Present to the cool, ironic retro-pop charms of the Cardigans and the manic hooks of the best Buzzcocks singles." Yikes! "Damning high praise" alert!

Granted, I haven't been able to lay ears on that first, self-titled album, but I have heard the two follow-ups - Pergola and THX JHN. Now, please understand, I obviously like the sound of these guys (thus, this post), but I can't help thinking that AMG is over-selling them just a bit with that rather breathless description. To me, they sound highly pleasant; a bit mellow; hardly revolutionary.

But here's the thing (and I may need a little assistance here): Lead singer Jacob de Greeuw sounds like a dead ringer for the singer of a band we're all familiar with, but, for the life of me, I can't think of the name of that singer or the name of that band. Please. Help. Me. Before. I. Go. Completely. Insane.

[Actually, is it Neil Finn? From Crowded House? Have I seen the light? Oh hell, I don't know....]

[Get to know Johan just a little bit better by visiting their MySpace page [here].]

From the LP THX JHN, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Walking Away"
[MP3] "Oceans"

From the LP Pergola, 2001 >>>
[MP3] "Day is Done"
[MP3] "Why CP"

PAUL BRILL

You know, even after multiple listens, I can't quite decide whether Paul Brill's "Paris is On" is going to be the next big Midlake/"Roscoe"-type, MP3-blog sensation, or if it's just the best song David Gray never got around to writing and recording. Possibly both? I'll leave the ultimate decision to you fine folks...

From his forthcoming LP Harpooner [11.21.06/Scarlet Shame Records] >>>
[MP3] Paul Brill/"Paris is On"

[Paul Brill's MySpace page is [here].]

THE CONCRETES

After Friday's post on the Knife, we're staying in Stockholm to suck down some pickled fish and to take an in-depth listen to the Concretes. (True, in-between, we had a brief stopover on Sunday in Montreal - birthplace of cool-cat crooner William Shatner. But surely Shatner is as huge in Sweden as Jerry Lewis is in France and David Hasselhoff is in Germany, yes?)

Until fairly recently, I was only familiar with the Concretes' 2006 release, In Colour. You may already be familiar with that album, or at least with a number of its tracks. You may NOT know that the band first formed way-the-hell-back in 1995 as a three-piece, then gradually added members thereafter. As far as U.S. releases go, the group has put out two proper albums, as well as a U.S.-only collection of b-sides and extras in 2005 (Layourbattleaxedown). They've also been a bit cursed when it comes to working with record labels - with their first two efforts ending in utter frustration.

Despite receiving wide acclaim for In Colour, the Concretes have experienced even more frustrations in 2006. First, while touring the U.S., they had the bulk of their instruments stolen. Then, they had to cancel a number of dates on that tour due to "illness." Finally, just about a month ago, the group announced that lead singer Victoria Bergsman had left the band to... you guessed it... "pursue a solo career."

The Concretes, however, are forging ahead - getting together this September to begin recording their next album. Life, as they say, goes on....

From the LP In Colour, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Chosen One"
[MP3] "Song for the Songs"

From the LP Layourbattleaxedown, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Oh Baby"

From their self-titled LP, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "Seems Fine"
[MP3] "Lonely As Can Be"