MICHAEL BEACH - 2022 EP 12" (colour vinyl)

Limited edition silver colour vinyl.

Highly recommended.

"There’s no shortage of loudmouths in the world of underground rock – it’s pretty much the perfect place for such personalities – so I gotta hand it to Michael Beach, who strikes me as the exact opposite type of guy. The benefit of being a quiet and considered person is that when you actually do bother to speak, people listen, which is what I’ve been doing with this great new EP of his. Understated to the core, Beach’s vibe exists solely on the strength of his songs, a risky move if you want to be famous but a solid move if you’ve legitimately got the goods. Hell, the cover art here looks like basically nothing at all, but those clued in to Michael Beach will surely savor EP like I am. Beach has always been kind of the king of basement-rock balladry, and it’s directly apparent here, pairing brash rockers like “Out In A Burning Alley” with the low-lit swirl of “Have You Ever”. I’m reminded a bit of fellow kindhearted Michael-named rocker Mike Polizze, though Polizze’s warm and appealing style is more Dinosaur Jr.-minded whereas Beach dips far deeper into the influence of Neil Young. Beach even wraps the EP with sit-down piano ballad “Only A Memory”, a gorgeously sad closer that reminds me of what it was like to listen to Red House Painters alone on a rainy day before we all knew what a disgusting POS Mark Kozelek is. I’d say that I hope Michael Beach stays good, but I have complete faith that he will." Yellow Green Red