The Legal Matters The Legal Matters Review by Gary Hill
If you like good pop rock with both retro and modern elements, this is for you. It’s got quite a selection of catchy tunes. They even turn it a bit meatier at times.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2015 Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Rite of Spring
The Beatles, The Beach Boys and power pop all seem to merge on this energized pop tune. It’s a lot of fun.
Stubborn This is very much like The Beatles, but with a bit of a modern edge. It’s another effective pop song.
Have You Changed Your Mind? A mellower number, this is just another good pop rock song. It’s not as strong as the two openers, though.
The Legend of Walter Wright Although this does have some punky, psychedelic rock guitar sounds, it’s another melodic pop rock tune. It’s quite power pop in nature, really.
Mary Anne This mellow balladic piece is based on a piano melody. It’s got a lot of that 1960s vibe going on really.
It's Not What I Say Seeming more tied to the present than to the past, this is a more serious, but no less effective cut. It’s less pop and more mellow rock. It’s also very strong. This might be my favorite song here.
Before We Get It Right This seems to land somewhere between that more serious rock angle and the pop side of the spectrum. It’s another highlight of the set.
So Long Sunny Days A slower, mellower cut, this is another that feels like it would have been at home in the 1960s.
Outer Space This has kind of a more modern pop rock sound. It’s catchy and jangly and fun.
We Were Enemies With a lot of space rock type sounds, this is a powerful psychedelic power pop piece.