Powerpop for post-Bush era hysterical and paranoid America.

12 MP3 Songs in this album (44:52) !
Related styles: ROCK: Mod, POP: 60's Pop

People who are interested in The Byrds The Church The Who should consider this download.


Details:
Hereâs another great release from Unsmashable Records, another excellent Johnny Sangster production and another contender for SPBâs album of the year.

Unsmashable Records describes itself as âNorthwest powerpop rock music from the seasoned over-30 crowdâ and while the kids might enjoy it too, Mosque Alarm Clock is clearly an album for people whoâve lived a little: wry, poetic observations from someone whoâs been around the block a few times.

The Doll Test is veteran singer/songwriter/guitarist Scott Five (Sutherland) and fellow ex-Model Rockets Boyd Remillard on bass and Graham Black on drums and Riffbrokers frontman Nick Millward on guitar and organ. Theyâre a formidable band and with Mosque Alarm Clock theyâve delivered an exceptional record. Five calls it âa concept recordâ¦about what happens between when the alarm goes off and when the wine runs out.â

I hear the classic â60s powerpop influences: The Beatles, The Byrds and The Who, but The Doll Testâs music never sounds derivative or retro, itâs timeless and relevant with plenty of great melodies, hooks and harmonies, skillfully arranged and played.

Lyrics touch on politics both personal ("The Last Rung") and national ("The Decider"), strategies - including denial and self-medication - for dealing with the pain and monotony of life ("Everythingâs Fine"), bittersweet relationships ("Fall Away," "Every Night You Break My Heart") and life-affirming love ("The Bell, The Map, The Stars").

With its chiming guitars, gorgeous melody and succinct yet killer Roger McGuinn does John Coltrane guitar solo, âThe Bell, The Map, The Starsâ is possibly my favorite song on the album, but with a dozen songs of such high caliber itâs nearly impossible to choose one standout track.

âMy Future Selfâ is one of those great originals that sounds like a cover - a song that you heard on the radio once when you were young, immediately fell in love with but never heard again. I canât put my finger on who it reminds me of exactly, The Byrds singing Dylan maybe (a coworker suggested Tom Petty). Itâs got ringing Rickenbackers, wheezy organ, half-spoken, half-sung repeated-line verses, a swelling, soaring chorus and lyrics âI saw my future self handicapping an Emerald Downs racing formâ that might have made Charles Bukowski proud.

âBallad of Your Blue-Eyed Boyâ sounds like it could be a great, lost Beatles track from the Let It Be sessions â Phil Spector-like production, a Harrison-esque slide guitar solo, a terrific, expressive Lennon-esque vocal by Five and smart, sad, funny lyrics: âThey handed you a suitcase and they shot the starting gun/now whatâs the matter cupcake ainât you havinâ any fun?â

I hear echoes of Buffalo Springfield in the jingle-jangle, harmony-drenched âShoot the Tambourine Manâ while âAmphetamineâ reminds me of prime Neil Young & Crazy Horse with its drug related lyrics and cathartic guitar maelstrom via Five and guest guitarist Ryan Maxwell of Unsmashable label-mates Young Sportsmen.

The stacked harmonies, layered acoustic and electric guitars, woodblock and background oohs and ahhs in âOne Lie Too Manyâ are reminiscent of The Who circa â68. This song starts with the great line, âFirst a thorn, then another/till the rosebush that grows from your side has made you fall.â Itâs a powerful, vivid image, like something from a Frida Kahlo painting.

Scott Five has really come into his own as a songwriter and the excellent playing by the band and Johnny Sangsterâs skillful, sympathetic production provide the perfect showcase for the twelve perfectly sequenced gems that make up this outstanding album.
- Andy Miracle, Seattle Powerpop Blog, July 2008

Seattle's The Doll Test formed in 2005, reuniting three of four original Model Rockets. Singer songwriter guitarist Scott Five recruited fellow ex-Rockets Boyd Remillard (bass) and Graham Black (drums) to fuel the new powerpop vehicle. Riffbroker Nick Millward joined in late 2006 to partner in guitar duty.Sutherland's songs are informed by '60's pop of The Byrds, Who and Badfinger and all records psychedelic and jangly since, like Sloan, The Church, and Cheap Trick.The new LP Mosque Alarm Clock on Unsmashable Records features catchy songs poking a finger at the post 9-11 hysterical America (Decider, The Last Rung). Amid the sunbreaks are scattered showers of moody introspection (Fall Away, Every Night You Break My Heart, One Lie Too Many).
Word on the Streetâdriving and energetic without being overly macho or posturing. It's melodic and harmony-heavy without being strictly about the vocals.â Seattle Powerpop Blog