May 2021 REVIEWS

by Mike Baron

CHRIS CHURCH: Game Dirt (Big Stir)

Chris Church’s Backwards Compatible landed last year like a thermonuclear bomb, melding power pop hooks to hard rock to create ear-bending fusion. Church wisely does not go down the same path with Game Dirt, which finds him dipping more into rockabilly, Americana and roots rock, as in the opener, “Learn.” Church shuns ordinary chord structure, pulling chords out of the air, creating fresh juxtapositions, as on the Yes-like “Down,” or the shit-kickin’ “Smile,” which is more Lubbock than Nashville.

“Trying” has great harmonies. It resembles nothing else, with its herky-jerk rhythm in the bridge that defies dancing. Personal, idiosyncratic, always melodic, Game Dirt, which has a baseball motif, is like a box of chocolates. Kudos to Big Stir for outstanding packaging. Game Dirt looks like an artifact from the forties.

THE FORTY NINETEENS: New Roaring Twenties (Big Stir)

New Roaring Sixties, is more like it, with the Elvis/Carl Perkins-like “We’re Going to Las Vegas,” followed by the pure Jan & Dean of “Go Little GTO.” Just when you think it’s a party album, the songs evolve into something deeper, more complicated, Like “I’m Always Questioning Days,” which sounds like Creedence meets Scott Miller. Scott Miller of the Commonwealth, not the other Scott Miller. “It’s the Worst I Could Do,” might have been written for Nato Coles, with its heartland sweep. The album ends with the emotional riot of “We Can’t Change.” AND another stunning package from Big Stir.

BRAD MARINO: Looking For Trouble (Rum/Bar)

Marino continues his run of infectious, upbeat rock and roll that straddles the line between roadhouse and rockabilly, beginning with the kinetic “Even the Score,” with its high wire guitar solo. Traces of Dwight Twilley and Buddy Holly are everywhere. The pace never slacks. “Local Show” is the most power poppy of them all with Kurt Baker adding asides, and a feel similar to Wanderlust’s “We Need A Drummer.” “False Alarm” and “Take Your Time” mines Barry & the Remains, but it’s likely Marino doesn’t know that, as he was born after the Remains disbanded. There must be something in the Boston water. “At Night” begins with a psychedelic organ riff before erupting into a rave-up paean to insomnia. With punk energy and superb song craft, Marino maintains a high standard.

WATTS: Shady Rock & Rollers (Rum/Bar). “Glass,” which veers immediately into its own territory. Def Leppard ought to cover “The Night the Lights Went Down,” which fits neatly into their groove. “When the Party Ends” is the most power poppy track, but none of these grooves lack power, and the hilarious “All Done With Rock & Roll” is the opposite of an epitaph, with its Move-like melody and Beach Boy backing vocals.