Known to fans as lead guitarist and vocalist for Nashville pop/rock outfit Joe, Marc's Brother, one half of Watercolor, and a part-time Guster collaborator, Joe Pisapia released his stellar solo debut, Daydreams, in 2002. Instead of the Beach Boys-inspired harmonies and sugary electric guitars of Around the Year With Joe, Marc's Brother, Daydreams finds Pisapia exploring his introspective side. Exhibiting a more gentle sound which incorporates touches of jazz and folk, Daydreams is a quiet collection of tracks that are equal parts Hoagy Carmichael and Elliott Smith. The result is a quiet, personal offering that captures a timeless quality by using an eclectic blend of instrumentation and simple, poetic lyricism. The tracks are laden with Pisapia's consistently impressive acoustic guitar work, which enhances the songs without overwhelming them. Pisapia also proves himself to be an adept banjo player, and indeed the banjo is prominently featured throughout the record, notably on the playfully endearing "River Song." Strings and organ add to the mix, in addition to the percussion (handled by bandmate and sibling Marc Pisapia). Joe Pisapia has made his solo debut for all the right reasons; not to prove he can do it on his own, or to release an experimental work that may be rejected by fans of his band, but because he found himself with a bunch of great material that didn't fit within the framework of Joe, Marc's Brother. Fortunately, while another equally busy artist may have let the songs languish in a notebook or as home demos without ever being made available to the public, Pisapia was industrious enough to record and release them.

Newell will never be spoken of in analytical Sunday paper pieces that examine how and if veteran rock musicians are growing into middle age gracefully, simply because he's not famous enough to merit mention in such media essays. Yet, for those paying attention, the fact is that he is reflecting the sentiments of a middle-aged musician clinging to his ideals better than almost anyone. These themes are a little more pronounced than usual in Radio Autumn Attic, simply because about half the songs deal with, directly or indirectly, the rigors and regrets of someone who's been on the music scene for decades. There's the Bohemian girl who's now a conventional mother in "The Duchess of Leylandia"; the incurable love of rock hangouts in "Beat Street" (which, not coincidentally, is the number musically closest to the feel of vintage British power pop); the weary conflation of low-paying guitar playing and the declining standards of loose women in "A Woman and Some Whisky"; and a general sense of guys traveling in the same rock & roll world both because they're comfortable in it, and because they're too tired to do something new. This stands out from other albums exploring similar areas, though, in that the music's upbeat, witty, and slightly self-deprecating, rather than sounding like complacent acceptance of maturity with a touch of nostalgia. Musically Newell offers what he usually does: bouncy, engaging British melodies, and well-crafted, varied production from a guitar-keyboard pop base, perhaps with more (though subtle) use of synthesizer and piano balladry here than is customary. The linking of tracks with some effects, foreign language speech, and mock radio jingles is nothing brilliant, but adds some sense of fun, as does the odd mock-Mediterranean café closer, "Prende Mi." And for more in a somewhat less heavy-hearted mood than many of the songs, as a bonus, this includes several tracks (all bunched at the end of the CD) of Newell reading excerpts from his book This Little Ziggy, an amusing memoir of his time as a young '70s glam rocker.

Consonant - Consonant


Edit: Forgot about Neon Golden too.

Ones that haven't been mentioned.

Ron House (along with contemporaries/musical pals such as Mike Rep, Tommy Jay, Jim Shepard, Mark + Matt Wyatt, and Don Howland), is arguably one of the most important factors for the generally positive state of indie music in the fair town of Columbus, Ohio from the late 1970s until today. Not only did he write songs for and lead important bands such as Twisted Shouts, Moses Carryout, Great Plains, and Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, but he's also helped shape/bend many a young musical mind from behind the counters of the legendary record stores Mole's, Magnolia Thunderpussy, and Used Kids. Old 3C is happy to make available two records of "solo" material -- one a collection of late '70s/early '80s material, and the second a criminally-overlooked song-cycle from 2002. If you haven't heard these songs, then your life is that much poorer, and we truly pity you.

Debut album that can claim to be one of p. rock's great debut albums or "one of the few great new American rock records" (Byron Coley/Thurston Moore)...a deft mix of early Wire, The Fall, Australia's X, fused with garage punk scuzz...easily one of the best records of the '00s..

That Consonant, was that one of the Kadane brothers from Bedhead, sounds familiar? I'll check it out.