 ANDREW
LIPKE – Motherpearl And Dynamite (Mad
Dragon)
South African-born, Philadelphia-bred singer/songwriter
Andrew Lipke returns with his second full-length
CD, showcasing exquisite taste utilizing acoustic
instrumentation and a hearty alto voice that
effortlessly glides into falsetto, drawing glowing
comparisons to artists from John Mayer to Jeff
Buckley. While Lipke’s romantic songwriting
displays admirable precision, what really shines
here are the arrangements, which incorporate
tasteful flourishes of twangy pedal steel or
sonorous cello that enhance every track. Lipke
even manages to resurrect Neil Young’s
Utopian hippie anthem “After The Goldrush”
through sheer conviction and rapturous singing
(so what if the lyrics about silver spaceships
make no sense?) Like his Mad Dragon Records
compatriot Matt Duke, Lipke’s a sterling
representation of Philly’s strong singer/songwriter
scene. I bet there are some mad open mics in
Fishtown these days.
Peachcake – What Year Will You Have The
World? (Subtractive/Planet Awesome)
A giddy concoction of cheesy Casio synths,
seductive dance beats, deceptively subversive
lyrics, and Uber-catchy melodies makes this
debut full-length by the Arizona duo Peachcake
(Stefan Pruett aka Space Panda, and John O’Keefe,
aka DJ JohnO) one of the most delightful surprises
of the year. A bit less precious and twee (and
yet just as infectious) as Wales’ Los
Campesinos!, Peachcake fuses propulsive rhythms,
hooky riffs, doubled vocals, and nonsensical
song titles to keep the party jumping. Indeed,
you may find yourself bouncing around the room
like a 5-year old on a sugar-high, and yet the
yummy ear candy here also tackles some big topics.
“Souls Have No Drum Machines” sports
one of the biggest hooks of the album, but underneath
the treacle there’s a message about the
politics of power that bears a closer listen:
“People in office have the power to off
us,” Peachcake’s pop duo warns,
all the while painting the room in bright day-glo
colors (like the enchantingly psychedelic Peter
Max-like cover art of the CD.) Peachcake are
by turns fun, silly, serious, and damn near
impossible to resist. – Jim Testa
Deena – Somewhere In Blue (myspace.com/deenashoskes)
Deena – as longtime Jersey Beat readers
will no doubt know – is Deena Shoskes,
vocalist and guitarist of the Cucumbers, whose
gently soulful, beguilingly catchy pop has been
winning over audiences since the earliest days
of the Hoboken pop scene. Collaborations with
Tennessee-based songwriter David Graham set
Deena off on a more country-ish course, and
while the supple harmony vocals and guitar of
her fellow Cucumber and husband Jon Fried can
he heard here, this disc is Deena’s time
to revel in the spotlight. The songs sashay
from playful country swing and rockabilly to
sassy dance-pop, all of course highlighted by
Deena’s winsome, winning vocals. This
is an album you could play on a first date,
or in the nursery to rock your newborn to sleep,
with echoes of bittersweet regret and longing
seeping through the mostly upbeat melodies and
rhythms. Sweet without ever becoming cloying,
Somewhere In Blue will brighten your day and
reaffirm your belief in the power of rock ‘n’
roll to stay with us throughout our adult lives.
 Jizzmoes
/ Body Of Castle – “Endless Hummer/Endless
Hunger” Split-EP (myspace.com/ johnwilkesboothrecordssouth)
Here are two Long Islands sharing a demo CDR:
The Jizzmoes feature Jersey Beat’s Noah
WK on vocals and bass, and both bands share Project
27 drummer Joey Mac on drums and vocals. The Jizzmoes
favor a pop-punk approach heavy on big rock riffs
and catchy choruses, while BoC favors staccato
bursts of hardcore spazz on their (mostly) short
tracks. Jizzmoes tracks like “Don’t
Tread (On Me)” and “Park Bench”
provide a decent shot of classic Weaselcore, with
a big meaty guitar sound. Body of Castle started
out singing about the menu at White Castle - “Double
Fish No Tartar” being their classic fast-food
anthem - so it’s fitting that the band’s
most complete and ambitious song here is called
“Triple Chowdown,” which is also about
eating stuff that’s really bad for you.
The biggest surprise on this disc comes from the
Jizzmoes’ delightful acoustic cover of “The
Monster Mash,” with handclaps replacing
the drums.
 Gordon
Gano’s Army – s/t (Art Of The Underground)
If you were to mix the chugging 4/4 rhythms
of Lemuria with the gang vocals of The Copyrights,
throw in a bit of the Jam, and add a fierce
Limey accent, you’d have a fair approximation
of the catchy singalong pop-punk of England’s
GGA. The terrible name actually made me ignore
this band on several split 7 inches; it wasn’t
until they toured the U.S. with Lemuria and
I got to see them live that I was won over.
Thanks to Art of the Underground, this full-length
is now available stateside. Not only are all
the songs eminently hummable, but the lyrics
have a decidedly British flavor, from the anti-hipster
anthem “Talk” to the garagey riffing
of “Motoreels” and “Stuck
In Salisbury.” In a more perfect world
(and with a little cleaner production,) Gordon
Gano’s Army would be bigger than NME darlings
Los Campesinos! Once they do something about
that name, of course.
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