Captain Soul

Who knew that Alan McGee, the man behind Creation Records, would succeed in starting a brand new record label and sign a roster of bands that nobody has heard of? Well, if you think about it, Poptones (his new label) can and possibly will be as successful as Creation. Maybe not as influential or groundbreaking, but the artists on the label have enough potential to give McGee his throne back. Two bands that definitely have that potential are Captain Soul and January. Captain Soul is as pop and rock'n'roll as you can get at the same time. Imagine a singer with the pop vocal styling of a Tim Burgess, over a searing attack of loud wailing guitars, pulsating bass and crashing drums, and you might get a sense of Captain Soul. At first they could be mistaken for the lush harmonies of Teenage Fanclub, on the opening track and single "T-Shirt 69," but if you listen deeper, there is more grit and determination to be something more serious than Fannie impostors. January, on the other hand, would lie in a more relaxed boundary, say between the soft, slide guitar of Mojave 3 and the psychedelic, organ-driven guitar rock that Ride were exploring at the time of their demise. The music is straight from the heart, mellow and at times, like on the nine-minute epic "Projections," breaks into a blissful, psychedelic free for all jam. Beautiful, quiet and at times loud, January makes music for those who cherish their rock'n'roll. Kudos to Alan McGee for not giving up on rock