Felson "Breaking up with Loneliness"

Independent, 2012

Like a super ace soup

• Straight into my top 10 for the year. From the wierdy Flash Gordon style opening, what’s not to like? Strong vocals, washy whirly organ, tremolo guitar, pipe organ al la strawberry fields, and some digital space age freak out sounds; it’s all here, all present and correct.

• Like a super ace soup; a slice of Petty, pinch of Kravitz, dash of Lemonheads, sprinkle some Weezer, add some grated Fountains of Wayne, simmer, and serve rocked up! I love it. Daft sleeve with rabbit costumed man and all. The honey coated slide and whirly organ of the album’s title slow the pace, but who can’t say they haven’t “dreamed about dying last night” and the break down with churchy organ is class. Jeff Lynne if your reading this, get this album, you should have made the Wilbury’s sound like this. “Take Me Back” almost makes you cringe with the neediness of the vocal; she should by the way if you write songs as good as this about love, “like a drug I once took” your “still coursing through my veins” and “after all this time I still don’t know why?” – Who’s not thought like that in their teenage years? But the winner is the use of the word “gurny” on 'Honolulu'.

  The track order is a bit of a shame; breathy “Honolulu” should be buried as a fans secret track way off the end or come earlier in the piece.   Only because “Don’t turn your back on me today” is such a ripper, and would leave you wanting more, a true arse kicker of a song. In fact the songs that Michael Urbano (Smashmouth, Sheryl Crow, Cracker) feature on have a bit more crunch.  “BFF OMG” (nice electronic hand claps) and the aforementioned track would be great to see live. The middle of the album is filled with an opus, a 2 part treat, the first section “Oscar Grant” twangs through, organ singing like a cricket – the 2nd movement steps up, sets guitars to rock, switches overdrive on, channels the feedback - wig out! I love The Odds, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Gin Blossoms etc. now I can add Oakland’s Felsen to that list. Like Stacey’s Mom these guys have got it going on.