Tag Archives: Spartan Records

Release Alert! Six Going On Seven – “Jack Jones” from the upcoming album Human Tears

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Single black and white images of three men. The two on the left are looking at the camera while the third man, in the middle, stares off to the left while drinking from a coffee cup.

Well, twenty-four years between albums is admittedly a long time but I was pretty interested when I received the press release from Earshot Media.  I was not aware of this band back in the late 90’s and early 00’s when they were actively putting out three albums in five years.  Instead I had run across them during one of those Apple Music rabbit holes where you start clicking on “Similar Artists” (I think back then it was “you might also like…” or “other artists like…”?) and eventually cross paths with some interesting bands.  I believe that particular chase had started with Samian but however it started, I ended up on Self-Made Mess (1997) from Six Going on Seven.  The music on that album was unique in its sparse lyrics and the arrangements woven around those words.  “Flu Season” and “Getaway Car” are two stand-out tracks on that release.   They had a couple more after that with Heartbreak’s Got Backbeat and American’t (Or Won’t) before they dropped off the scene.  Josh English (vocals, bass) released some solo work after that (“Great like Ghosts” is a favorite of mine) and I am unfortunately not aware of what James Bransford (guitar) and Will Bartlett (drums) have been up to in the interim.  

The new album is set to come out January 9, 2026 via Spartan Records and this single is the first one available to check out their current sound.  It opens up soft and slow and sets a kind of wistful tone that is joined by a little piano before filling out to a more full sound a little after the one minute mark.  The song from that point on is defined by a fairly linear drum track which sets an excellent framework for the music. It is enhanced by bass guitar that adds sonic texture and guitar that jumps through at some moments like a lonely scream. The vocals are clear and assertive, delivering lyrics that have a definite story to tell. This track, which shows the band is back and already going strong, is a good listen and hopefully a sign of a lot of good things to come on that album.  

You can check out the video for this one here on YouTube:  

You can pre-save the album (and yes, this does help:) here: 

https://orcd.co/humantears

And get a pre-order in for the vinyl here: 

Six Going On Seven

Let me know what you think!

Song Review- 84 Tigers – “Two Rivers” (featuring Rocky Votolato) from the upcoming album Nothing Ends

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Three men in dark clothing, standing in front of a backlit window and brick wall, looking at the camera

Back in the days when Small Brown Bike was a fairly active band (late 90’s to mid 10’s…and maybe a little longer as I did lose track of them around that time) I had a conflicted relationship with their music.  They had insightful lyrics, bare bones and very real much of the time, that could really get you thinking.  For me songs like “Just Bones” (off the album Fell & Found) and “A Declaration of Sorts” (The River Bed) are powerful music.  At times though they had some distracting arrangements that left me a little puzzled (…which could well have been my own issue but still…those was my thoughts at the time).  Anyway, I still liked the band and listened.  On a side note there is a pretty cool release called Recollected (on the Old Point Light Bandcamp page) that has a lot of their music on it including demos, B-sides, some covers, etc.

84 Tigers features two of the members of Small Brown Bike (Mike & Ben Reed) along with Jono Diener from the Swellers.  A good starting point for music from that Michigan band is their 2012 album Running Out of Places to Go.  

84 Tigers had a release back in 2022 called Time in the Lighthouse that I totally failed to pick up on apparently so this “Two Rivers” track was my entry point for their music.  It is also a tribute to Travis Dopp (Small Brown Bike) who passed away in 2023.  Mike Reed commented on this track in a recent press release from Earshot Media:

“‘Two Rivers’ is a tribute to Travis Dopp (Small Brown Bike). Some of his lyrics are quoted in the song. When Rocky and I realized that we had both written songs with the word ‘River’ in the title separately, it was cosmic fate that brought him into the song. I had no idea what it would become, but he took it to new heights and I still get choked up when I hear it.”

The song begins on a cycling drum and guitar riff and keeps a quick beat accompanied by a strung out lyric line before slowing way down for a reflective moment.   It keeps that tandem sound throughout, kind of a rushing feeling toward the brief spaces of quiet.  A nice combination with sincere lyrics that are a fitting tribute to Dopp.

You can get a listen to this track on YouTube here:

You can pre-save the album (scheduled to drop October 17th on Spartan Records) here:

https://orcd.co/tworivers

Or pre-order at the Spartan Records website: 

84 Tigers

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