After I heard
Oh Zoooty!, the debut from
The Thinkers, a couple times, I e-mailed the band, of which I knew very little, and said, "I hope you won't take this wrong way, but who the hell are you guys?"
Because what they've created is one of those utterly imaginative works that ten minutes in, you'll either have turned it off or -- more likely -- be totally smitten. So who they are is this: Bo (Bo Moore) and Moy (Matt Saporito), or as they replied in my e-mail, "two best buddies in our mid 20s from Boston & New York." They've actually been working on their album for more than a year now, but are only recently unleashing it upon the world. Listen to the album, I implore you,
here. My favorites -- for the moment -- include "Chocolate Milk & Ice Cream Cake," "Froggy Hop," and "Mushy Berry Pie." It's a pretty unique sound, sometimes sea chanty, sometimes British Invasion, but if you miss the sounds of The Quiet Two or the Telephone Company (OK, they're still around), you won't want to miss this.
They'll also be making their way across the country this summer, starting in Boston in about a couple weeks, making their way to Sacramento by the beginning of August. Check out their
tour schedule and if you see some gaps near where you live (like I have in Arizona in mid-July), I think you know what to do...
It's a little odd to be discussing the Portland duo Johnny and Jason in my "Newborn" series when I've reviewed not one but two albums from half of the duo. But this new band from Johnny Keener (creator of the aforementioned albums) and Jason Greene feels sufficiently new to give it the "Newborn" treatment.
They've just released their first album Go, Go... Go, Go, Go, and it's definitely a contender for one of the year's best debuts. The roots rock sound is somewhat familiar to listeners of Keener's work, but the hooks are hookier and the sound slightly fuller. "I Can Fly" kicks the album off with some country-fried punk, "What's Your Pet's Name" is a dreamy song with a kids' chorus, and "Corn Cob Man" or "Ride Wagon Ride" jangle just enough. And the album closer "Tomatoes and Toast" is a simple but beautiful homage to gardening.
The best part for you is that not only can you stream the album below but, for a limited time, you can download the whole thing. For free.
Portland's reached the tipping point where they're now a serious kids music town. Johnny and Jason are just one symbol of that creative explosion.
I've heard the Florida band 
