Highlight Bomb--- Acing Their Finals!

(Originally written in 2012, the year the album Finals was released.  Which doesn't make it less viable.  The album, in fact, is one of those which stands the test of time very well.  This reprint courtesy of a brand new release by the band--- Slobberknockers, which I will review as soon as I take care of this...)

Ladies and Gentlemen, from Seattle--- Highlight Bomb!

I mean well. I started meaning well on the Net by bookmarking things. There was never enough time, I thought, so I would bookmark pages in the hopes of getting back to them later. Soon, I had hundreds of bookmarks (and still do). My sister, when checking her email on my computer one day, asked me why. At that time, I could not think of one good reason. In the back of my mind, I always hoped to get to some of them.

Last week, I clicked on a page for a band calling themselves Highlight Bomb. I have no idea where I found the link, whether it was passed along by a friend or just popped up one day on one of my many searches and I, always interested in things Seattle, saved it. After listening to a few of the songs, I regretted not getting to them right after bookmarking. These guys are not only good, but diversified, musically. They crank and boogie and metal out extremely well indeed, with the occasional pop tune thrown in for good measure. To make up for losing them in the mountainous pile of projects I wish I could get to but somehow seem to not, here are a couple of videos and thumbnail reviews of songs left behind but now getting ample listening time. I’m impressed.

Okay, they’re really from Tacoma, but seriously, would any of you looked had I said Tacoma? Fewer, I will bet. Maybe a lot fewer. Such is the power of a music scene. While Seattle and Tacoma have always shared a scene, mention Tacoma and you get a blank stare. Except from Sonics and Wailers fans. The thing is, these guys are good! And the sense of humor doesn’t hurt. Allow me to give you a blow-by-blow description in case you’re strapped for time (or are just an idiot who whines about music being a thing of the past but who won’t take a couple of minutes to click and listen to something new and good):

No Empire— Is this grunge? Truth be told, I stopped listening as soon as people started calling it grunge. All of those bands you loved to listen to like Mudhoney and Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam and Nirvana were just rockers to me. Maybe a little more angst-ridden, but just rock. This is a guitar-driven song reminding me a bit of a toned down Ticktockman or a King’s X. A little more basic with more standard hooks. I dig it.

Fall Classic— leans more toward the power pop side of the street. Fountains of Wayne with less production. Great track. Good hook.

I Don’t Mind— Wait! Acoustic? Yep. These guys do it all. Outstanding acoustic pop, in fact. Normally, I would complain because I am not a huge fan of acoustic— it has been overdone a bit—- but I dig all music when it is done well and these guys do it well. I like this a lot. Even with the strings (or is it only cello).

Devolver— Now we’re talking! A step into Freedom Hawk territory. Crankin’ hard rock. In fact, this song sounds a lot like the Hawk, a band I’ve been following for some time now. Crunching rhythm guitar, heavy beat. Just to compare:

Wow Culture Lovers— This starts off like a speed metal prelude, but settles down to a solid hard rocker. Whoever writes their lyrics has a nice touch. It comes through on all the songs, but I especially like the lyrics on this one.

Chalk It Up As a Good Memory— Chunky rhythm guitar and power pop. Great combination if you ask me. This one is upbeat and powerful. As with all of HB‘s songs, they are recorded loud to be played loud, as the old LP stickers used to say. And I love me a little guitar feedback now and then.

The Storm— These guys love their hard rock. This one, Toto, is right now my favorite. Heavy rhythm guitar with seventies hair band vocals and a slower beat. Had Cinderella played this at the one concert I saw them play, I wouldn’t have blinked an eye. But I like these guys more than I ever liked them.

Coal Rush— What the hell? Speed Americana? It’s like speed metal with a banjo or something. Dig the chorus, but think it will take a bit of time to adjust. Interesting, to say the least. And is that a female voice I hear? Damn! This is really good!

https://highlightbomb.bandcamp.com/track/coal-rush

Bury You— Of all the song titles on this page, I would have thought this the hardest of them all with the exception of The Storm. This is mainstream rock and nothing like the other tracks there. I’m impressed! I think I’m ready for that ode to pretentious bands of the late seventies now. Except this isn’t pretentious at all. I would take this over most of the inane bands I’ve heard over the years anytime. Good track, but a surprise!

1-800-FIGHTUS— I knew they would get there. Screaming punk. I can see the saliva dribbling down the singer’s chin now. Very cool.

Seriously, if you have an adventurous bone in your body and like power pop/metal, these guys could be the sleeper of your collection. The more I hear them, the more I’m liking them. Bombs, and whoever sent me the link to this page, my apologies for not paying attention. You have earned your slot in my rockin’ hall of fame (small letters intentional— can’t be getting sued by those wankers in Cleveland now, can I? Now with my bank account).

These songs are not on the Finals album but they will give you a good idea of who Highlight Bomb are:

Frank O. Gutch Jr.

These Are Videos (and Music) You Don't Want To Miss.....

Man, I've been so busy trying to keep up, I got further behind.  Musicians are cranking out excellent stuff so fast that computers can't even keep up.  (Remember when we thought that would never happen?)  Well, I can't catch you up, but I can sure as hell give you a leg up on the good stuff.  And there's plenty, trust me!  So let's stop this palaver and get on with it, starting with.....

VINNIE ZUMMO/Ringo..... 

I know that few of you have heard of Vinnie, but what if I told you he was a former guitarist with the Joe Jackson Band, would that help?  What?  You don't know who Joe Jackson is?  What are you, twelve?  Anyway, Vinnie was knocking around on his own the whole time he played with Jackson and has put together some very adventurous albums (and songs).   Vinnie himself just turned me on to what I thought was a brand spankin' new video of a track titled Ringo, except it wasn't new at all.  It has been languishing on YouTube for three years!  Doesn't make a nevermind, though, because it is one killer track reminiscent of, say, that foursome from yesteryear?  Think white--- very white.  And set yourself.  Don't get confused.  Those guys all over the screen are, in fact, Vinnie, cloned especially for this tribute to... Ringo!

And we've only just begun!  Here's someone else you need to meet.....

FREEDOM HAWK!

You gotta love a band which slogan is "Rawk with the Hawk!" and I do.  They are hard rockin' Sons of Virginia and get my vote for one of the best hard rockin' bands out there.  Right up there with Era For a Moment.  A couple of years ago, they put together this video, a both dark and light look at night life and the dangers which lurk.  The first couple of times I saw it, it weirded me out a little.  It was the girl's eyes, I think.  They are so big and beautiful.  And.....  but I won't give it away.  You have to watch it to see what I mean.  Just know that whatever you think when the song starts, it all works out in the end.  Ladies and gentlemen, let's Rawk with the Hawk!

Shade/The Llynn and Jane Show.....

Shade is one of the best of the unknowns.  Jane Gowan a year or two ago headed to Toronto from Vancouver BC but kept the base of her band together--- herself and Tim Vesely, formerly with Rheostatics and a recent find of mine, The Violet Archers.  After completing their second album, One Last Show of Hearts, Gowan and Vesely put together this little masterpiece reminiscent of what Neil Young did on his first solo album.  A light instrumental which is better than it really should be.  I love these guys!

Terri Tarantula.....

I can't think of a bigger Walkabouts fan than Gary Heffern, so when he tuned me in to the new album, Travels in the Dustland, I listened.  I liked the band back in the old days, when they were trying like hell to separate themselves from the bottle-necked Seattle scene.  They are even better now.  More mature, more mystical...  just more.  Gary also plugged me in to Terri Tarantula, maybe better known as Terri Moeller, of whom I had no concept at the time.  Well, I do now.  Moeller is drummer with The Walkabouts, but she is all Tarantula on her own.  She released an album back in  2009 (self-titled) and is readying a new one as I type.  Here is a video I had to share with you because while I dig what The Walkabouts have done, I am really intrigued by the direction of the Tarantula.  In fact, if I was fifteen years younger and she was fifteen years older, I'd stalk her.  For the music, of course.....

Carrousel.....

Not to be confused with the (I assume) French band of the same name.   These guys are from Florida and the creation, basically, of one Joel Piedt, who assembled a very good lineup of musicians and singers to help him put together what they label "dream-pop/folk", which is a fancy way of saying spacey and melodic, I guess.  Well, they are Pop, that's for sure, and they have that spacey edge, but where they excel, at least on this track, is in the creation of a composition the center of which is... for lack of a better word...  a composition.  Piedt obviously has an aurision (the aural side of vision) and is intent on bringing it to life and does so very well here.  Here's the deal on the video. though.  The video is split-vision, one side run forward and the other run backward.  I haven't quite figured out what they're doing, but I am now obsessed with doing so.  If you find the magic combination, please let me know.  And check these guys out!   (Listen to more here)

Rheostatics.....

Remember a few videos ago where I pointed out Rheostatics and The Violet Archers?  Well, Tim Vesely was the core of those bands and here is one of many videos I have found of the best known one--- Rheostatics.  These guys were major label good and actually got their shot.  Was Claire a hit?  In Canada, I would assume, but I have no idea if they made any dents in the US.  They should have.  This is smooth Pop from a guy (and band) I am gaining more respect for every day.  From 1994, for Chrissakes.  Like I said, I'm getting further behind.....

Ticktockman.....

When I heard these guys, I was floored!  The seventies- and prog-leaning sound knocked me to the curb.  Very powerful band driven by a drummer possessed.  Whenever I hear bands like this, I immediately point to musicians, for they are the ones who appreciate musicianship.  These guys have it in spades.  Don't let what I've said stop you from hearing what I think is one of the best bands to come out of the Pac Northwest since The Sonics and The Wailers.

Kink Ador.....

When my buddy Joe Lee (NinenOut) told me I would like Kink Ador back in what seems like the Stone Age, I figured I would like them.  Joe has never really steered me wrong.  What I didn't know as how much I would like them.  Since the first blast of Animal hit my ears, I have been tethered to them practically umbilically.  While they have a new "three-sided single" ready for you to download for free!!! (and it's a good one), I keep going back to this song.  Perhaps it is the semi-Marvin Gaye intro or maybe it's the cool video, but I absolutely love this!  After watching this, you are probably going to want to download the free single.  I heartily recommend that you so--- before buying the first two albums, of course.....

Poor Young Things.....

It seems like most of what I listen to these days is Canadian, don't ask me why.  Maybe it's because they have a soul unlike others or maybe it's just because they're nice people--- or so the generalities demand (makes for some good comedy, eh?).   Well, Poor Young Things fill the bill nicely.  This straight ahead acoustic rocker comes from what I have labeled "The Stairwell Sessions".  I have a feeling they will be affording major studio time soon.

Hannah Miller.....

I know.  I've posted this before.  But you have to understand that I live in my own world and she is prominent in that world.  Is she in the real world?  I have no idea.  Reality sucks!  In my world, Hannah is a star, as this video attests.

Susan James.....

Man, I learned a lot watching this video---  that Cops and boy scouts need an upgrade on their uniforms, that cars could fly (hmmm, wonder why they can't now?),  that I need girls in miniskirts and minidresses dancing the frug to really make me happy, that that bus is one really cool looking mobile, that I need to go to California (even for just a bit and to see my friends, of course) and that Susan James is a sweetheart in spite of the many restraining orders she's had delivered to me.  It also makes me wonder what we're doing to this country.  That is some beautiful footage, especially at the end.  From Susan's fine, fine album, Highways, Ghosts, Hearts & Home.  Watch this, then buy it.

Dave Gleason & The Superlatives.....

I have no idea what connection Gleason has to the band, but he would appreciate that I gave them credit in the header because he's that kind of guy.  He supports as much as plays, is always ready to lend a hand and will pick a guitar at the drop of a hat.  Dave is a West Coast boy transplanted to Nashville, probably because he likes to eat, which both sucks and doesn't.  It sucks because the West Coast is denied Gleason's twang except through his recordings or the occasional visits he can afford.  It doesn't suck because Nashville has the resources for Gleason to do what he loves doing--- playing live.  He is one hell of a picker and writes excellent tunes (Blue Side of the World is only one from an album worth of solid tunes, that album being Turn and Fade, his latest).  This is only one side of Gleason, who can rock with the billy and out-twang many of the better-knowns Nashville (and other places) has to offer. 

Tom Mank & Sera Smolen.....

With help from friends Kathy Zeigler and Amy Merrill (Tom would never forgive me if I didn't give credit).  I could tell you about Tom Mank.  I could tell you a whole lot.  I could tell you that Mank will be better known after he is gone, though he certainly has no intentions of going anywhere anytime soon.  That is a sad statement to make because he is just now coming into his own as a musician and, as far as I can tell, most people are too busy to slow down and hear what he has to say and play.  As a songwriter, he is world-class, and I have to give part of that credit to wife and world-class cellist Sera Smolen who gives Mank enough room to create the stunning songs he does.  This video comes via The Netherlands, one of the few places which appreciates the music and the man.  From Mank & Smolen's last album (and it is a killer), Paper Kisses.  And, sure, this is live and not a full-blown Hollywood (or Bollywood) production, but I offer no apologies.  Mank can't afford something like that.  Chances are, when we meet, I will have to pay for the beer.  Won't bother me a bit.

Laurie Biagini.....

There are few musicians out there who work as hard as Laurie Biagini.  She is always writing, constantly networking and recording and everything else you should do to promote yourself.  It has gained her a fairly large following and deservedly so.  She writes and sings straight out of the sixties, wrapping her songs around beach blanket surf and Beach Boys with a side of Annette.  Her music is up and her attitude the same.  I suggest, in fact, that you turn this up.  Might want to sprinkle a little sand in the kitchen for a little dancing as well.  From her latest album, A Go-Go Girl In the Modern World.  It's groovy.

Gary Heffern.....

I'm ending this little piece with a video I didn't want to include among others because it is, frankly, one of immense depth.  I know Gary Heffern and I know what some songs take out of him and I don't think there has been a song which has taken as much.  It is both dark and light, past and present.  It is beautiful and yet stark in a why-is-this-enlightened-world-so-unforgiving kind of way.  I think this is probably the best thing Heffern has ever done and may be, after we all are dead and gone, what he will be remembered for.  Set yourself.  And watch and listen closely.  This is something else.

You know what sucks about posting these things?  I feel like I'm always leaving something or someone out.  It's like hanging up the phone only to remember something you should have said or remembering that concert you just couldn't miss the day after the show.  No matter, though.  I will find those videos and post them later.  I hope.  Until then, enjoy these.  And keep the faith.