Lexington, Kentucky’s pop superheroes Big Fresh have been hard at work in the laboratory since Yes, Nice, Please, Thanks (2001, Aquapop Records) electrified the regional college radio airwaves. Their U.S. tour last year opening for The Apples in stereo broadcast their pop manifesto to head-bopping masses, disseminating a 150-copy limited pressing of their newly completed album.
The Apples In Stereo / The Golden Flower
I know you shouldn’t talk about songs by a band you’re in, but this song was recorded way before I joined up. It perfectly captures the feeling of melancholy that comes with a bittersweet teenage romance. The chords and melody haunt me in a good way.
Chet Baker / There’s a Lull in my Life
I just started to listen to Chet now that I’m in my thirties and require chill out music to decompress. He’s so smooth. Such a pure unaffected tone, both in his voice and in his trumpet playing. It melts me.
ELO / Twilight
I told my bandmates that there wasn’t anywhere I could go musically because Jeff Lynne has already accomplished everything I’ve ever wanted to say as a musician. This song sums up all the elements of popular music that I enjoy, in less than four minutes.
Jason Falkner / Hurricane
I’m always shocked that this guy isn’t better known. He has talent oozing out of his pores. This song represents all the things I love about him: great keyboard sounds, great drum sounds, interesting chord changes, cool ass guitars. I don’t even know if this album has been released in the States yet. But his previous two solo records that are available are masterpieces.
Pilot / Never Give Up
The band that gave us ‘oh oh oh, it’s magic’ also produced some of the best pop music in the mid seventies. They were doing McCartney better than McCartney was doing McCartney. I think at one point, they were the backing band for the Alan Parsons Project. I love how the dude sings really high.
R. Stevie Moore / I Hope That You Remember
R. Stevie Moore, along with being my dad’s best friend, is a musical inspiration to me. He writes, records and releases his songs without the help of fancy technology or record industry support. He has self-released over 400 albums since the mid-seventies and recorded a majority of them in his living room. He’s a constant reminder to all musicians that you don’t need anyone else to release your music. You can do it your damn self.
Talk Talk / The Rainbow
I can’t even believe this album exists. It might be one of the most over-thought, pretentious albums ever made. And they pull it off! It’s ultra serious, and seriously good. Its pacing, arrangements and beautiful melodies still seem like magic to me. Compositionally, I have no idea how they did it. It just sounds like beauty and mystery to me.
Eggstone / Still All Stands Still
Eggstone is one of those bands I make all my friends listen to. Not only because they are criminally obscure, but because the pop music they make sounds like it was crafted in the heavens. This track in particular makes me want to stand on top of a mountain, pump my fist in the air, and believe in the majesty of life itself.
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