Findings: Bishops, Averkiou, Levitation Room, Ballard, In Her Eye, Lindberg Hotel

Here are a few recent finds we're loving and you might.

We also especially like #s 2 & 3 on this comp from Twin Cousins Records. More The Rozwell Kid here and The Warm Fuzzies here.

We don't have the foggiest how the Gainesville band pronounces their name, but #5 also plunks our twanger.

We've been rooming with them for a couple of months now and float blissfully. We also very much like #s 15 & 16 on this comp from The Psychedelic Underground Foundation.

It's always good to hear from Britbud "Ballard," aka "Darren." Song #1 was the main one we wanted to post, but Bandcamp took over and put #3 first. #5 is quite naughty. More excelentes here.

We've been on this Ride for a long, long time, now, and this tribute comp from The Blog That Celebrates Itself is well-deserved. Our other favorites are #s 1 & 11. Do we rue the lack of all-time fave "Twisterella?" Not necessarily.

We're pretty sure whose Fanclub these hoteliers are in.

Never Too Much Monkey Business From Ballard

Ballard of Bolton returns with yet another EP of excellent indiepowerpop. We've raved before and hope we'll have opportunities in future to rave on and on. 

Long-time Ballard fans will notice less lo- and more hi- on this fi-ne effort. It would also appear that frontman Darren Riley has moved out of the bedroom while simultaneously enlisting sidekicks for tub-thumping and knob-twiddling duties. Songs 1 & 3 are our particular faves.

A little poking around revealed we missed the following excellent EP in August, so, like, apos and such. Kudos especially for songs 1, 2, & 3.

Ballard's Back!

Yes, he's done it again and done it up right. Back the first of the year we totally grooved to the pop treats of Mr. Darren Riley of Bolton, a one-man bander recording under the moniker, Ballard. We were therefore darned excited just now to receive word that Ballard's back with a second LP called Bucky.

We've listened to every song, acquired each, and suggest you consider doing the same. We've posted below the smoove version of "A Fire In New York City," lead-off number on the new album. It's available for Name Your Price download on the Working Boys single, along with two other songs, one of which is on the new LP. And btw, the songs Darren let us post for free download are still so available at that previous post.



Here are two of our favorites from Bucky.

Ballard: Bloody Catchy Indeed

British multi-instrumentalist Darren Riley has been playing for 25 years now and has finally put out his first EP and LP as Ballard (clicky clicky). We're awfully glad he has done, for his music should highly please devotees of The Beatles, The Kinks, The Who, The Move, Small Faces, and perhaps other of y/our favorites.

Darren writes the songs, sings same, plays all the instruments, produces, and records in what he describes as "your usual one-man bedroom pop group with an ego problem." We're not sure if those last two words mean "big" or "little" because in our back and forthing so far he has been quite a courteous, even self-effacing bloke. He needn't be the latter, for this is primo lo-fi powerpop.

If the tunes we're posting for free download induce similar feelings in you, visit the Ballard Bandcamp pages to hear and purchase more. BTW, Darren kindly gave us permish to host 'n post the Kinksy "Office Warrior," our personal fave on the Little Rockets LP, for which we thank him again. We'll use the widget for now but change modes if necessary.