THE HALF - CUBES: Pop Treasures
POP TREASURES, the new album by THE HALF-CUBES, out September 13 on CD and all Digital platforms. A sequel to last year's hit classic covers collection Pop Masters from Power Pop Hall Of Famers The Flashcubes, POP TREASURES is literally half the 'Cubes delivering twice the pop, packed with 24 new versions of hooks-and-harmony-fueled gems from the dawn of the rock era to the 21st Century and a bounty of guest shots from the original artists.
THE HALF-CUBES – vocalist-bassist GARY FRENAY and drummer-producer TOMMY ALLEN – had made their bow and their vow to carry on the “covering the classics” mission of their long-time main project The Flashcubes while that band's Pop Masters album was still winning critical accolades and international airplay last year. Enlisting the permanent assistance of guitarist RANDY KLAWON (The Choir, Cyrus Erie), the duo signaled their ambitions to dive even deeper into the ocean of guitar pop cult classics with the hit indie single “Weakest Shade Of Blue”, a Pernice Brothers tune (featuring Bob Pernice) of a far more recent vintage than the Pop Masters songbook. The surprises continued on singles paying tribute to '70s hitmakers The Hudson Brothers (with brother Mark Hudson on board), '80s college rock darlings The Pursuit Of Happiness (featuring TPOH frontman Moe Berg) and fellow Power Pop Hall Of Famers The Rubinoos, whose own Jon Rubin and Tommy Dunbar joined in as well. Fans were also treated to 'Cubes-only renditions of beloved-but-obscure cuts by The Motors (by way of The Searchers), Cheap Trick, Phil Seymour and 20/20... tracks celebrating seven artists across five decades and demonstrating that The Half-Cubes were doubling down to the delight of pop fans worldwide.
Those fans have been asking Big Stir Records if an album is in the works, and the announcement of POP TREASURES not only provides the answer but reveals a wider scope than even the most optimistic pop enthusiasts could have imagined. The title, and the cover illustration of a treasure chest of 45s, couldn't be more accurate: with a double-LP runtime and and packed with 24 tracks, it's twice the trove that Pop Masters was. Anyone who's heard the advance singles knows the band is every bit a match for the original 'Cubes, with Tommy Allen's production hitting the sweet spot between pop sheen and rock grit just as it had on Pop Masters. All that remains, then is to dive in to The Half-Cubes' own record collection to see (and hear) which tunes they've chosen to tackle, and who they've invited to the party this time.
The guests list is illustrious indeed. They may not be household names, but cult legends like Van Duren (adding vocals and keys to his own “Jane”), Magnus Börjeson of '90s Swedish popsters Beagle, '70s heartthrobs The Allessi Brothers, 21st century Dutch singer-songwriter Bertolf, and the full lineup of '90s power pop contenders The Sighs will all bring smiles to their own contingents of pop aficionados with their contributions to the 'Cubes' recreations of their originals. They're all here alongside the stars already heard on the singles, and we're also treated to guest shots from LA pop mainstays and Brian Wilson flamekeepers Rob Bonfiglio, Darian Sahanaja, Matt Jardine & Jim Laspesa. The list goes on, and even when the original artists couldn't participate, they've frequently endorsed the new versions, and the band can take bittersweet comfort in the praise of two genre titans no longer with us: Eric Carmen and Dwight Twilley.
When The Half-Cubes go it alone, some of the album's most delightful surprises arise. It's safe to say that nobody saw the covers of OMD's “Souvenir”, 10cc's “The Dean & I” or Flo & Eddie's “Let Me Make Love To You” coming, but they all fit right in. Other tracks will serve as sweet reminders that'll send listeners to their shelves to dust off LPs and 45s left unspun for too long – we're talking lost classics by Del Amitri, Trashcan Sinatras, Jason Falkner and more. On the pop history timeline, the originals celebrated on POP TREASURES span the years from the mid-'60s to 2009, with nary a decade between left untouched. And yet all of it sounds completely fresh: this treasure shines like the gold records all of its tracks should have earned the first time around.
The album is a dizzying spin through Gary and Tommy's self-stocked jukebox, and as much as it stands as a giddy listening experience on its own, THE HALF-CUBES view it as giving back to the music that's sustained them throughout their own nearly-five-decade-long careers in rock and pop. “This album is our own personal 'pop mix tape' of songs we have always loved,” they say. “But the twist is rather than just sharing them on a cassette or a CD burn, we are recording our own versions with help from many musical friends including - in many cases - some of the artists who made the records in the first place. Feel free to share the magic with others.” We at Big Stir Records are happy to be sharing POP TREASURES with you, and we can't wait for you to hear the whole story of THE HALF-CUBES.
