Most of you will recognize John Strohm from bands like Blake Babies, Antenna, The Lemonheads, and the short-lived Velo-Deluxe (a favorite of mine). Even though this Bloomington, IN born and (currently) Birmingham, Alabama-based musician’s day job is that of an entertainment lawyer, he still writes and records and has got a great new album called Everyday Life that was just released on Superphonic Records. It is full of gentle and melodic rootsy pop-rock just that just lingers in the summer breeze and reminds me of places much slower and relaxed than my suburban Chicago setting. It is not a complicated album by any means. The songs are straightforward and the lyrics and rhyme-schemes are almost (at times) too predictable, but somehow that doesn’t matter at all. When listening to Everyday Life time just sorta fades away. Highlights include “Sha-la” and “Driving On 95” as well as the rest of the record.
MP3 | John P. Strohm – Sha La Everyday Life
MP3 | John P. Strohm – Driving On 95 Everyday Life
I have really loved this guy since I heard the Blake Babies for the first time. I like where he is right now – very at home, it seems, with melody and mood. Thanks for the post!
If every album were complicated and challenging, wouldn’t that be a pain in the ass though? With all due respect to Beefheart, Can and Einsturzende Neubauten, yes it would!