This November round-up of new local and regional releases covers the retro-rock of The Concussions and The JetBeats, plus fresh music from Diff & Dudley, Plain Jane Glory and Four Lincolns.
Celebrating a CD-Release on Saturday: Four Lincolns also rev up Local Spins on WYCE at 11 a.m. Friday morning.
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Four Lincolns
“Four Lincolns”
A 14-year hiatus from recording their last CD hasn’t hurt Four Lincolns one iota. In fact, the Grand Rapids rock band has re-emerged with fresh fury and pent-up songwriting that’s produced the catchiest, most urgent music of the group’s 20-year career. With singer Sarah Keen’s exhilarating, desperate-sounding vocals leading the way, Four Lincolns roar out of the gates with renewed energy and powerful, more mature songs that already have earned the band a critic’s choice award in this year’s ArtPrize song contest (for the lead-off track, “80 Years”). For rock fans, this five-track EP recorded on a single day in one fell swoop marks a welcome return to West Michigan’s music scene. – John Sinkevics
Website: https://www.facebook.com/fourlincolns/
Upcoming show: 8 p.m. Saturday in Grand Rapids with Benjamin Riley and The Odds Elite. Get more information and venue address online here.
(Also, listen to Local Spins on WYCE 88.1 FM at 11 a.m. Friday when Four Lincolns will be the in-studio guests.)
Listen: “80 Years”
The Concussions
“Newaygo Sound Machine”
From the tongue-in-cheek album title, “Newaygo Sound Machine” (if there was a “sound machine” would you expect to find it in Newaygo, of all places?) to the absolutely delicious and groovy retro tracks that lie within, this could be The Concussions’ crowning glory – as straightforward and sonically pleasing as anything Dick Chiclet and his entertaining masked comrades have produced. More than anything, the 12 short tracks here serve as a true tribute to pop-fueled, early 1960s instrumental rock ‘n’ roll and guitar revelry – from a perfectly executed homage to Mersey sound (“Have Mersey”) to a seriously twangy and tangy surf masterpiece (“Flicksville”) to scorching guitar raucousness (“Whack Job”) to the galloping spaghetti Western romp (“Doc Rockblock”). It’s almost enough to make Newaygo the new rock ‘n’ roll capital of the world – or at least, the rock ‘n’ roll capital of West Michigan. – John Sinkevics
Website: http://www.theconcussions.com/
Listen: “Pump City”
Diff & Dudley
“Here’s Diff & Dudley”
Don’t let the strangely psychedelic cover fool you: This is alt-styled vintage country music written and played the way it should be, from the Texas-flavored opener, “Fall In Love Again,” rife with pedal-steel twang, honky-tonk hullabaloo and retro charm to tracks brimming with classic, hook-filled country and hillbilly humor to strikingly poignant ballads with heavenly harmonies (“Travelin’ Kind”). Veteran West Michigan musicians Jack Leaver and Mitch Wood, aka Diff & Dudley, have a longstanding love affair with country music fueled by the likes of Johnny Cash and Buck Owens, and it shows on their long-awaited debut album, recorded at the all-analog Goon Lagoon studios in Grand Rapids. It helps that the duo called on an all-star cast of Michigan musicians to help out – Dave Stanton, Chris Corey, Drew Howard, Mike Lynch, Mark Petz, Dee Sutton, Justin Wierenga and producer Tommy Schichtel. But the strength of this 12-song collection really comes in songwriting that resonates with authenticity, and it will leave many country fans hankering for more. – John Sinkevics
Website: https://www.facebook.com/DiffnDudley/
Listen: “Fall in Love Again”
Plain Jane Glory
“Grace of Hours”
The bluegrass underpinnings of Plain Jane Glory provide the framework for this Muskegon duo’s ultra-fetching, folk-styled harmonies and upbeat messagery. On this 16-track sophomore album “Grace of Hours,” Michael and Laura Boxer demonstrate that definitively and dynamically on tracks such as “Disbeliever” and “Petoskey,” with catchy melodies and pretty vocals honed from countless hours of performing together. That a few of the lengthiest tracks could be trimmed to create a more radio-friendly approach doesn’t detract from the over-arching beauty of this Americana project. This is a duo of musicians who deserve more attention in Michigan and beyond. – John Sinkevics
Website: plainjaneglory.com
Upcoming shows: Nov. 19 at Trail Point Brewing in Allendale, Nov. 25 at Grand Armory Brewing in Grand Haven, Dec. 3 at Pigeon Hill Brewing Co. in Muskegon
Listen/Watch: Plain Jane Glory, “Disbeliever”
The JetBeats
“Mach ’64”
From the opening guitar chords and harmony vocals of “Need a Little Luck,” which launches this six-song EP by The JetBeats, it’s clear that this Grand Rapids band is committed to re-creating the energy and delicious pop-flavored rock of the early ’60s more than ever before. Comparisons to early-era Beatles are obvious, but really, frontman Morgan May Moellemian and his crew in the studio (drummer Justin Rutkauskas, bassist Dave Jimenez and guitarist Pete Dunning) have drawn inspiration from a broad catalog of pre-1966 rockers and built on the classic milieu of their 2014 debut album, “Sonic Boom Boom.” Recorded at Rockford’s Planet Sunday Studios by co-producer Joel Ferguson, the album also shows off Moellemian’s striking ability to write ditties with an authentically vintage vibe – from sugary love songs (“Let Me In”) to biting break-up rockers (“Backstabber”’). – John Sinkevics
Website: thejetbeats.com
Upcoming shows: 9 p.m. Friday (Nov. 11) at Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (CD-release show with The Sailor Kicks)
Listen: “Top of the Line” (Local Spins Live)
Check out the batch of August 2016 album reviews here: https://localspins.com/michigan-album-reviews-for-august-2016/
Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC
