This is a monumental week for Toe Jams and Monsters Vs Me. This Wednesday is the 1 year anniversary of the now legendary Monsters Vs Me Invades Motown night at Club Absinthe (which you would be silly to miss), but this week also marks the first anniversary of the conception of Toe Jam Mondays. It was this week last year that I contacted Jay and told him that I had a passion for music would love to join the team. And here we are folks! the 61st post without missing a week. Just wanted to thank you all for reading and coming back every week – means a lot.

Ok, enough with the mushy stuff, lets get to some tunes!

This week I wanted to share 2 albums with you. One is a solo project and the other is one I have been waiting for. Albums with great summery tunes and a throw-back sound.
 

 

First, is the solo effort from Alex Ebert, the lead singer of Edward Sharpe and The Magentic Zeros which you may know from their most famous song “Home”. I’m sure everyone in the world has seen this video, but you don’t get much cuter than this kid and her dad.


 

Edward Sharpe’s album Up From Below was a favourite of mine when Bodden shared it with me a couple of years ago so I was excited to see what Alex would put out as a solo artist. I’ll say that if you like Edward Sharpe, you’ll like this album – it stays along the same vein of folk inspired hippy jams that make you want to live in a van and wear flowing scarves on your head while you smoke weed – or sit on a dock and crack cold one – whatever floats your boat.

His album, just called Alexander has some memorable tunes with a sound that varies but never strays too far from what works. An early favourite is “Bad Bad Love”, but “Truth” and “Million Years” are close behind.

Sometimes a song gives me a mental image and sometimes that image isn’t justified, but I go with it. When I heard “Bad Bad Love” I had a vision of an episode of a 2011 version of The Wonder Years. Maybe it’s Alex’s Bob Dylan sounding voice or the beat – whatever the reason I had a yearning for a modern day Kevin Arnold and Winnie Cooper.

Alex Ebert – Bad Bad Love
Alex Ebert – Bad Bad Love
 

 

The next album is from a duo called Cults and this is another album I’ve been waiting patiently for. Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin came into my radar in March 2010 when they released a 3 song EP on their bandcamp page, but there was no information to be found about the band. I googled and researched – but nothing. I must admit, this is a good way to get people talking about you. I was obsessed with their track “Go Outside” and wanted to hear more.

Cults – Go Outside
Cults – Go Outside

They remained mysterious for quite a while, but I was a little disappointed when no full-length hit the shelves. Come May 2011 and I finally heard that they were releasing their debut. I got my hands on their self-titled debut, and it was exactly what I was expecting. A very obvious 60s inspired sound, but that’s a sound I could listen to all day. Their inspiration is very clear on the track “Bumper”. Some may say a little too close to the Shangri-Las “Give Him a Great Big Kiss”, but I’ll take it as an homage.

Cults – Bumper
Cults – Bumper

The Shangri-Las – Give Him a Great Big Kiss
The Shangri-Las – Give him a great big kiss [stereo]

These are 2 albums that will make great summer soundtracks. Let me know what you think of them and don’t forget to get to the MvM party early this week, it sells out by 11pm and you don’t want to miss this one.

Happy Listening.

* If you are a member or manager of the above band and you would like your track removed, please contact us and we will swiftly oblige. Fans new or old please support these bands by using your coffee money to buy their records.