Mod-A-Day: The Saints

One of the great original punk bands, The Saints were Australia's answer to The Ramones and The Damned. Over the past four decades they've continually turned out great punk styled garage rock, and have finally evolved into a down and dirty rock and roll band with a heavy 60s blues sound.

The Saints -- Stranded

Mod-A-Day: The Low Miffs and Malcolm Ross

Sparks? No. Talking Heads? No. Queen? No. Bowie? Killers? Martha & the Muffins? Franz Ferdinand? Television? No. No. No. No. No. The Low Miffs and Malcolm Ross? Of course! Aztec Camera, well only a bit. That bit being the addition of Malcolm Ross, formerly of the Aztecs (as well as Orange Juice, a band I'd desperately like to forget but keep running into) to The Low Miffs for a brand new release. The Low Miffs are a Glasgow band in the same vein as Franz Ferdinand (who happen to be some of the Miffs' biggest fans), pop tunesters with a keen ear for unique hooks to blend with familiar sounds and styles. All of that gives you a band that sounds fresh and new, while at the same time sounding for all the world like Sparks, as they do on "Cressida" or bringing to mind Queen like on "Dear Josephine". Meanwhile, this new video showcases the big, bold voice of Leo Condie, all the while echoing The Killers in sound and style.

The Low Miffs and Malcolm Ross -- Cressida

Mod-A-Day: The Madd

The Madd are a garage rock, power pop band from Rotterdam. Their debut release Beat Incurable in 2007 was a tour de force of garage rock, a straight forward sixties beat album. The group attacked those songs with a raw intensity and unbridled energy. Their latest release, Are Pretty Quick, has the same levely of energy, but there's a polish and maturity that the first album lacked. Interestingly they also have collaborated with hip-hop rapper Dio, producing a unique blend of rap and beat music.

The Madd -- You, Can Be My Baby

The Madd -- Going All The Way

Dio feat. The Madd -- Baby

Mod-A-Day: Irene

Every once in a while, more often if your lucky, you stumble across a band that just does it for you. You know what I mean, every song they sing, every hook, every jingle, every jangle, every single vocal drop, just works. You like it. That's how it is for me with Irene. Here's a nice pop band, dare I say it, a twee sounding pop band, with a crooner for a singer. No, really. The band pumps out this perfectly beautiful pop music, and there's this bold, loungified vocal over the top of it all. It's gorgeous in both it's surprise and likability.

Irene is a Swedish pop band, with loads of sixties influences, a clear love of soul and power pop both. And over the top of it all is this sort of lounge thing, thanks to big, bold, deep and booming voice of "Bobby" on vocals. The music isn't lounge music at all, but the voice is one that cold martinis and manhattans are served behind all the time (at least in the cool cocktail universe where stuff like that really happens). The music is an ifectious concoction of northern soul horns, power pop guitars, and a firm grasp of what make a good pop song. The band has released a slew of singles, a record's release to be sure, with even a Christmas holiday offering in the mix. From 2005 through 2008 they have turned out some really great recordings, the standouts being "Stardust", one of their earliest, it's short and sweet, and has a great soul vibe under the pop guitars. Also good is their cult "hit" "Baby, I Love Your Way" which could have dropped off any Style Council album in their early days. It's a straight forward bit of pop with soulful horns and catchy hooks and melodies.

It seems that the band members have gone their separate ways with different projects for the time being. But one can hope they all decide to collaborate for one or more new songs.

Irene -- Baby, I Love Your Way

Irene -- Stardust


Irene -- By Your Side

Mod-A-Day: The Fleshtones

They've been dubbed America's garage band. They were one of the original bands that made CBGB's cool in the 70s. They're the subject of their own documentary, and a great biography called "Sweat". They took their own first single from 1979 and turned it into the theme music to Tom Hank's Bachelor Party in 1984. Amazingly, they've never charted higher than 174 on the Billboard charts, and yet are a favorite band of artists both mainstream and indie. They're The Fleshtones. here they are some 30+ years into their existence and they just produced their 19th full length release. Part of the New York punk/new wave scene of the 70s, their sound has always been less punk, more pop, with a sort of frat rock vibe, which seems to have suited garage rock fans just fine. It's a great mix of 50s rock, 60s R&B, and 70s power pop, which the band has the uncanny ability to make sound fresh and new. Here is "Soul Struttin" from their 1982 release Blast Off, and "Late September Moon" off of what might be the band's best release ever, 2005's Beachhead.

The Fleshtones -- Soul Struttin'

The Fleshtones -- Late September Moon

Pardon Us for Living, But the Graveyard is Full [Trailer]

Mod-A-Day: Powder

You can be forgiven if you think Powder was a part of the British invasion, as there's no doubt they wished they'd been. Instead, they were a four-piece band from San Mateo, California that managed to pound out a freakbeat sound echoing The Who and The Creation. The band covered a lot of Who tracks, and their originals were definitely mod. The sound was pure sixties power pop with some folk and country overtones spread through some of the tracks, similar to some of the things Mike Nesmith and The Monkees were doing at the same time. Here is their take on one of the most covered of Who songs, "So Sad About Us" which Powder does justice, and the best of their own tracks, "Gladly".

Powder(The Art Collection) -- So Sad About Us

Powder -- Gladly

From the Vaults Modcast #48: Back to the Mod

Once more into the vault my friends, once more into the vault. Step back in time, to a time when the modcast was young and fresh. Take a giant step outside your current listening constraints and journey with me all the way back to the spring of 2007. I've opened up the vaults and dusted off a classic modcast that I think you'll enjoy. Again.

---

Welcome to Mr. Suave's Mod Mod World. I've got a nice mix of power pop. garage rock and brit pop. And, I've got one of my favorite garage bands, The Funseekers. In 1989 they came out and played the American Mayday 89 show I sponsored in LA and I while they slept on my kitchen floor I got a chance to know the guys and have to say they were probably the most authentic bunch of garage rockers I've ever met.

• The Jags -- Evening Standards
  
• Gore Gore Girls -- Hard Enough
  
• The Movements -- Cry For You
  
• Groovie Ghoulies -- Criswell Predicts
  
• Dodgy -- Waiting for the Day
  
• The Rewinds -- Ghostriders
  
• Elastica -- Annie
  
• The Penthouse 5 -- Today is Just Tomorrow's Yesterday
  
• The Sorrows -- So You've Got What I want
  
• The Move -- So You Wanna Be a Rock-N-Roll Star
  
• The Funseekers -- Welcome to My Love

Bonus Video
The Groovie Ghoulies -- Island of Pogo Pogo

Mod-A-Day: The Anydays

British band The Anydays are a guitar driven power pop band with a heavy sixties mod influence. The band has quite a range moving easily from the sixties flavored "Backyard", to the garage power pop sound of "Here She Comes" to an almost bubblegum pop sound of "Monday Morning" complete with la-la-las. Not as aggressive as The Len Price 3 with whom they share a certain affinity, they still bring an intensity to some well written, tightly played songs.

The Anydays -- On My Way

The Anydays -- Rollercoaster


The Anydays -- I Feel Free