Three albums. Hooveriii, Liar Thief Bandit, Starry Skies

Three albums that were released either during my vacation or deserve a spot any way. You will find three very different albums but all three have a song in mind before all else. That they sound totally different is the preference of the band. Enjoy.

 A Round Of Applause. Hooveriii

Released right in my vacation, the album slipped my mind completely after everything got back on track and the new releases started coming in by the dozens. Luckily for Hooveriii the album did get my attention as it deserves it. It came with the non-biased comment "one of the best releases this year". Usually to be taken with a grain of salt, but in this case there's quite some truth in the comment.

Hooverii released its previous album in 2021 and caught my attention with it. 'Water For The Frogs' was nice alright but with A Round Of Applause Hooveriii goes next level. The band adds some prog elements to its music and classic rock. This may have to do with the fact that the band is progressing as a band and moving further and further from its one man project's beginning.

The music is a rich as the latest ... And They Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead record, without clobbering it all in. Hooveriii allows for some of its songs to have more air and lets in a pop feel. Listen to 'Twisted and Vile' to hear what I mean. A glorious alternative vocal pop melody over a shredding guitar and burning it up band. And some surprises following it all. Hooveriii is on a roll here.

Influences come from all over the place. From bands like Deep Purple and Uriah Heep to British folk style singing over a rock song and some earlier 70s Bowie. For a L.A. band that are mostly U.K. influences, yes. There's much more but what it shows for me is how Hooveriii has incorporated all these influences to make its own great album. A Round Of Applause is called for indeed.

Diamonds. Liar Thief Bandit

On its mini 7 song album Sweden's Liar Thief Bandit does not make things more complicated than necessary. The band rocks and no little at that. Riffs and melodies fly into my ears constantly, reminding me of bands that have been with me for decades and then some. 1970s and 80s rock is abundant on Diamonds. The band is supertight and its guitarist knows every rock trick in the book. With singer Mikael Jacobson the band lays a bridge to the post-grunge bands Creed and Staind, so adds another decade to its background. Despite having a power trio line up, the guitars are everywhere. This will lead to having to make some tough choices in a live situation. All the double leads will have to go. They sound great though and every fan of a band like Cheap Trick and from there onwards into 80s rock will love these lead guitar melodies. Without Niklas Dahre on bass and William Grube on drums behind him, Jacobsen could never do what he does. The two lay down a great foundation to play off from and he does. With six originals and one cover, Graveyard's 'Ain't Fit To Live Here', Liar Thief Bandit delivers. Seven songs long.

Small Wonders. Starry Skies

Starry Skies is a band from Glasgow with members from many other places, including Australia. The band formed in 2014 around songwriter and singer Warren McIntyre. Based on my first hearing the band, I had expected the album to be all soft and listening intense. Opener 'Smile Right Through The Dark' is the song setting this expectation. The second song 'Spitfire Susie' totally upsets my expectations in a pleasant way. The song rocks, period. The eight songs that follow all fit in somewhere between these two extremes.

Listen to Small Wonders, the band's fourth album, and you will recognise a lot. I can say a lot about Small Wonders, not that it is original. For that everyone from Roger McGuinn, The Waterboys and even Bob Dylan ('Isis') comes by. Not to forget fellow Glaswegians Belle and Sebastian. What I can say is that Small Wonders is fun to spend time with. The songs all work and McIntyre's voice is extremely pleasant to listen to. With the women singing with him, Starry Skies is unbeatable. The warm sounds filling in the extra's like a violin or organ, give some of the songs an extra lift.

If you expect folk songs with a lot of spice in it, you're at the wrong address. If you like to listen to songs that are well-worked out, with a keen ear for details and nice harmonies you are at the right one. And, let yourself be surprised by the odd ones out. Small musical wonders indeed.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order the albums here:

https://hooveriii.bandcamp.com/album/a-round-of-applause

https://liarthiefbandit.bandcamp.com/album/diamonds

https://starryskies2.bandcamp.com/album/small-wonders