BRYAN ESTEPA PUTS ON HIS SUNDAY BEST

Bryan Estepa’s second album, Sunday Best (Popboomerang Records), could be Howzat!’s favourite pop album of 2008. These songs sound like old friends. It’s instant Americana, reminding of Fountains Of Wayne, Wilco and The Beach Boys. There’s even a song called Carl Wilson, celebrating Brian’s little brother: “I never paid much attention to the bearded man on the side,” Bryan sings, “’cause I was distracted by another who writes songs that can make me cry … I wish I could have met the youngest Wilson.” Sunday Best follows the Sydney singer-songwriter’s debut, 2006’s All The Bells And Whistles. Bryan comes to town this week, to play at Friday’s Popboomerang showcase at the Tote. He’s also playing at Pure Pop in St Kilda at 3pm on Saturday.

What would you have said to Carl Wilson if you’d met him?
“Thanks for keeping The Beach Boys in check when Brian tripped out!”
What’s your favourite Beach Boys song?
“Right now, it’s Don’t Worry Baby. This song captures everything great about The Beach Boys, from the beautiful falsetto melody lines to the lush instrumentation. It’s almost the prefect pop song.”
The search for the perfect pop song made Brian Wilson go a little bananas. Does it ever do your head in?
“I’m not really a busy songwriter, so I haven’t had any mental moments just yet. But I do at times need to step away from music and dig my head into something else. You never know when inspiration might hit or come from.”
What’s the greatest pop song of all time?
“This is a tough one, so I gotta list a few. Off the top of my head right now, it’s probably between: You Am I’s Mr Milk, The Beach Boys’ Don't Worry Baby, The Beatles’ Something, Elton John’s Tiny Dancer, The Jayhawks’ All The Right Reasons, and Neil Young’s Only Love Can Break Your Heart.”
Have you had a comparison that’s surprised you?
“Yeah, someone compared my melodies to Matchbox Twenty!”
Who’s your favourite Popboomerang act?
“Right now, it’s between Adrian Whitehead and Danna & The Changes. It’s great to find kindred spirits, be on the same label and get blown away by their amazing albums.”
Your five favourite Australian songwriters?
“Tim Rogers, Jason Walker, Josh Pyke, Perry Keyes and Youth Group’s Toby Martin.”
Jeff Jenkins – Inpress (20/08/08) & Howzat

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SINGER/SONGWRITER BRYAN ESTEPA INVITES US INTO HIS WORLD WITH SUNDAY BEST. AND FRANKLY, EVERYONE COULD DO WITH A FEW MORE SUNDAYS, SAYS BROOKE SALISBURY.

Bryan Estepa is a different man when he touches down overseas. Last year he blazed a trail through Europe and America; setting stages alight in Madrid, winning hearts in Barcelona and wowing sell out crowds in New York. Armed with his intimate brand of indie pop, warm and inviting, he immersed himself in the endless opportunities of the international music circuit. And he loved it. “Words can’t explain the chances that are out there for Aussie music. I didn’t realise I had a fan base, or that I had a market beyond Australia. More than that, I didn’t realise people all over the world could appreciate my music. Last year’s tour was a pleasure for all of us,” he says.

Estepa’s musical history extends to the early ’90s and includes bands Hazey Jane and Swivel as well as his previous solo pursuit Adeline. “I’ve been making music forever, but I feel like everything I’ve done in the past is finally coming together. Working with bands means you always give up a little bit of what you want, but having my own project has made me grow so much.”

Debut album All The Bells & Whistles was heralded for its breezy, country feel and earned acclaim internationally for Estepa and co. “When we travelled through Spain I did live radio and in-store appearances and signings which was a strange feeling because in Sydney I keep a fairly low profile. We picked up band members and lost members and every show was different and equally amazing. Playing the album to a different audience was surreal- it wasn’t even in their language and they still loved it.”

When he began writing for the follow up, Estepa knew exactly where to take his music. Sunday Best evokes a series of moods and ideas Estepa sought to carry on from All The Bells & Whistles. At the same time, the album goes places previously uncharted within his music and lyrics. “All of a sudden I knew I wanted more instrumentals. I wanted string instruments, more organs and a more laid back, organic feel to the songs. My music will always be about the melodies and guitar but I fee like the new album fine tunes that idea.”

WHO Bryan Estepa
WHAT Sunday Best (Pop Boomerang)
WHEN & WHERE Friday 4 July, The Hopetoun, Surry Hills
DRUM MEDIA - 2/7/08

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POPBOOMERANG SHOWCASE

To many punters, pop music is synonymous with the bland, stage managed musical shite found all through the play-lists of the very average commercial radio stations. But as an English documentary some years ago illustrated, pop music is a genre of music that can be traced back through the ages, its success and popularity predicated on the appeal of the music to the general population (under this musicology, folk music is arguably the original pop music form). The emergence of radio broadcasting ensured that pop music could reach the masses, and the modern pop form was born. In the hands of a talented songwriter, pop music is a beautiful thing to behold.

Popboomerang Records continues to maintain faith in the humble pop genre. Run by unashamed pop obsessive Scott Thurling, Popboomerang has kept up a busy schedule in recent times, releasing records by Danna and the Changes (formed from the ashes of local pop band The Suits), Tamas Wells and Skipping Girl Vinegar. On Friday 22 August at the Tote Hotel, Popboomerang presents its annual label showcase, featuring Danna and the Changes, Bryan Estepa, Adrian Whitehead and Brilliant Fanzine. On the night Estepa (Sunday Best) and Whitehead (One Small Stepping Man) will be launching their respective new albums, both released on Popboomerang.

The attraction of pop music to Thurling is obvious. “Pop music gets me out of bed in the morning”, Thurling says. “It’s one of the few thing I am very obsessive about. It’s my kind of religion!” Bryan Estepa says his “love affair” with pop music began as a child, listening to The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkle, The Eagles, ABBA and The Carpenters. These days, Estepa says “pop music means pure bliss for that two or three minutes that the song is on for and hopefully a big sing along too”.
Estepa began playing music when he was about 11 years old, and claims to have wound up on the Popboomerang label after “sending Scott a love letter with my CD as a punchline – and he fell for it!”. Whitehead pays tribute to Thurling’s support, and describes Popboomerang as “one of the best labels in the business”.

The crux of a good pop song is said to be the melody or lick that lies at the heart (and soul) of the song. Estepa nominates “the sheer genius” of the first line and chorus of Don’t Worry Baby by the Beach Boys as his favourite pop melody. Whitehead is also a Beach Boys fan. “Definitely the French horn hook on God Only Knows”, he says. “Not the one at the beginning, though – the one that’s hidden in the track at 1 minute, 31 seconds. It’s a brilliant piece of arranging.”

Beyond the melody, there are the lyrics. A friend of mine once mused that the best pop songs are those that describe sad situations – the contrast between light and dark being central to the quality of the song. Estepa is inclined to agree. “I think a sad story has that extra emotional tug on the heart strings that just gets a lot more people – Air Supply were masters at it”, Estepa says. Thurling says he’s “a sucker for a love lost over love found song! I think we can all relate to a heart-breaker, but we have to be in love to relate to a happy joyous love song!”

So given all of that, and with apologies to Greil Marcus, what are the five pop records you’d want to have if you were stranded on a desert island? Estepa’s choices are a mixture of the old and new – The Beatles’ Revolver, Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, Neil Young’s After the Gold Rush, Hourly Daily by You Am I and World Won't End from the Pernice Brothers – Whitehead agrees on Pet Sounds and Revolver, and adds Lapolco by Brendan Benson, Tapestry by Carol King and Whatever and Ever Amen from Ben Folds Five.

On more irrelevant matters, I’m keen to obtain answers to pop music’s most important questions – who is the most talented member of The Beatles, and what would John Lennon be doing now if he was still alive (for the record, my own input is Ringo Starr, and that Lennon would have mutated into the Germaine Greer of 60s pop music). Estepa refuses to identify the most talented member, but says George Harrison was the most underrated, and that Lennon would “be in the same politically driven song-writing molds like Neil Young, Billy Bragg etc – but his optimism leading up to the 80's would sadly have diminished quite rapidly as the decades rolled on to the present”. Thurling offers Lennon as the most talented (but admits a soft spot for Paul’s catchy pop), and muses that Lennon’s contemporary music may have been “political & angry and missing perhaps missing catchy melodies!”

But for all the wonderful guitar pop music being made – some of which does manage to appear on commercial radio and television – there’s still the boring old farts (who may be still in their 20s, mind you) who proclaim that there’s no good music being made anymore. Thurling counters such errant statements by saying he’d “probably argue with them for a while and show lots of good new music down their throat, and then I’d steer them towards the correct places to unearth good news music!”. Estepa’s reaction is similar, though maybe not as obsessive. “I’d make them a mix CD”, he says. That should do the trick!”

Patrick Emery - The Beat (20/08/08)

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INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK

Despite the hefty credits list on the inside of the gatefold CD, despite the multiple layers of instruments working alongside each other like synchronized swimming team, the cover if Sunday Best gives it all away: this is Bryan Estepa’s album. From sunkissed pop reveries to country-inflicted alt-folk, it’s all about Estepa. Piano lines prance around like California girls, guitars are gritty and an invisible choir of Estepa clones “bah-ba” and “la-la” in the background. He loves Neil Young as much as he does Neil Finn, and he mixes his colourful musical palette into his varied and hugely enjoyable second solo record, Sunday Best.

What Estepa knows best is melody. Sometimes the song structures aren’t as developed as they could have been and there’s sections of a handful of tunes that tend to wonder aimlessly in the sunshine, but it’s a forgivable gaffe in the light of strong numbers like ‘Aches and Shakes’, with its golden vocal harmonies, and ‘Skipping Days’, a tune that harks back to the alt-country of Whiskeytown, complete with the necessary Hammond organ. Even when you think you’ve got Estepa pegged, he pulls out ‘Myself’, which slams together Crazy Horse and Mott the Hoople.
It’s a credit to Bryan Estepa that he has the moxy to attempt full-blown rock songs, alt-country tunes and California pop on the one disc. What’s even more amazing is that he pulls it all off.

Dom Alessio – The Brag

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These are pop songs that sound like old friends. The second album from Sydney’s Bryan Estepa is warm, wistful and wonderful. The influences are Americana – Beach Boys meets Fountains of Wayne with some Wilco thrown in. There’s even a song called Carl Wilson, celebrating Beach Boy Brian’s late little brother: ‘I never paid much attention to the bearded man on the side, ‘cause I was distracted by another who writes songs that can make me cry..I wish I could have met the youngest Wilson’.

One of the year’s best pop records. Any day of the week.

Jeff Jenkins – 4/5 Stars; Music Australia Guide

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Bryan Estepa hones the art of jovial pop on his second full-length Sunday Best with all the bells and whistles we’ve come to expect from him. The aptly titles album is a cheeky play on acoustics with lush instrumentals, delicate riffs and the youthful voice of Estepa framed centrally. The twang of country guitar is met by slightly Spanish riffs and a hybrid of Americana and Australian Pop.

Orchestration is flawless, with lavish piano, gentle strings and a chameleon guitar detailing the record. While Estepa is vocally strong, the mix occasionally lets him down, with a few rough edges that of smoothed off could have bettered the project. The jaunty guitar of Different With You makes way for country electrics and the big bang of Estepa’s crystal voice. Like all good pop it never loses pace, with keys and guitar overlapping joyously in a flurry of mixed harmonies and gentle arrangements. The album continues to surprise with the dirty rock and roll of myself. Again, the slight fault of vocal pitch dampens what could have been a stellar effort. Regardless, he continues on with a seemingly perpetual energy and ramshackle country charm. The creaky coastal hum of worry me none is graced world old world violin; as a balladeer Estepa shows rewarding vocal restraint. He could bear to lean more on full instrumentals, though the title track delivers the perfect pop equation with swirling guitar, rising vocals and homely harmonies.

A local Gem.

Brooke Salisbury – Drum Media (19/08/08)

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You can’t fault the pop formula – a catchy melody, some cute lyrics and a three minute window of subjective enjoyment. Well that’s not entirely correct – there are multiple opportunities to criticise the bland and turgid interpretations of the pop formula, but the constituent elements, and the regular quest of artists to marry those elements into a cogent, invigorating whole, is commendable.

Sydney’s Bryan Estepa has a good handle on the tried and true pop equation – it’s not coincidental that Estepa uses his new album, Sunday Best, to lament the fact that he never encountered the opportunity to meet Carl Wilson from the Beach Boys (on, curiously enough, Carl Wilson). Estepa’s pop sensibility errs on the lite and breezy side – Aches and Shakes has a Mamas and Papas sunny Californian edge to it, on Different Like You, the West Coast spirit is closer to the perfectly buffed FM pop of the late 1970s than the drug drenched 60s, and Roses combines pre and post T Rex Mark Bolan in a homogenous whole. I’m Going and Skipping Days ease right back, the introspective aspect of the latter saved from exhaustion by some country rock that could have come from The Eagles, if only Glenn and the boys had stayed away from the Columbian marching powder.

And lest it be thought that Estepa has excised rock from his pop world, there’s the brutally rocking Myself, all flourishing three chord rock and hair shaking frenzy. Throw in the bouncing acoustic happiness of Second Guess and the reflective, piano driven Sunday Best and it’s apparent Estepa knows just how to use stylish pop to interpret his world.

Patrick Emery - The Beat (20/08/08)

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Here come the Aus Estepa, a lyrical gangster?

Actually he’s more like a lyrical librarian dressed in his Sunday best, for these are gentle tales backed by a subtle variant of power pop, full of small pleasures that soon add up to something worth listening to. Typical is ‘Aches and Shakes’ which begins ‘Is it OK if I see you tonight?’ - such a nice boy, politeness personified, the music swells like a heart experiencing love at first sight and it just about bursts when a female vocal adds a counterpoint. And it’s not finished yet: along comes a chorus that holds on as though it doesn’t want to let go of a cherished hand. ‘Carl Wilson’ gives away at least one of the influences and again is typical of the approach, doing the research and leaving aside the obvious.

There are quite a few books on his shelf. Acoustic Strumming - Advanced has a broken spine and gives rise to ‘Stars,’ his nose has been in Power Pop and the influence of Matthew Sweet as the guitars bristle on ‘Myself’ as he pushes dangerously close to noise - it’s a refreshing spring clean of a song. Estepa has quite a pedigree having spent time in both Swivel and Hazey Jane; this is his second solo record. He’s obviously learnt a lot in that time and this CD full of breezy summery pop is bound to gather some more admirers.

Dave Cowling – 7/10 Americana UK

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On his second solo album, Sydneysider Bryan Estepa proves he is capable proponent of classic singer-songwriter pop, with invocations of deceased Beach Boys and women who are slipping away scored with winsome melodies, snatches of pedal steel guitar and unobtrusive vintage keyboards. What the album could do with is an unexpected resolution or two: sometimes it’s too carefully mapped out.

Craig Mathieson – 3/5 Stars; Sydney Morning Herald (25/7/08)

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CD OF THE DAY – 9/7/08: BRYAN ESTEPA – SUNDAY BEST

I'm not sure what it is about Bryan Estepa's albums that leads me to initially underrate them. 2006's All The Bells & Whistles (which was released later in the year) came in at #28 in my top 100 that year, but as I've mentioned before, if I were doing the 2006 list from scratch today, it'd probably make the top ten. With that in mind, I eagerly anticipated his new one, Sunday Best, and figured I wouldn't underrate him this time. So I received it a little over a month ago, and immediately got distracted by another Popboomerang disc that came along with it, the Adrian Whitehead album. But now that a month has passed, I've gone from "yeah, that sounds nice" to "hey, that's really good" when I've hearing songs from the disc, so once again with the passage of time the quality of Bryan Estepa's work comes shining through.

As with the debut, Sunday Best finds Estepa with a sound that on one side recalls Michael Carpenter (who produced the debut) and Neil Finn, and the other leans into alt-country. Opener "Aches and Shakes" falls into the former category, with an easy-sounding, breezy melody that will bring a smile to your face. "Different With You" is more straight-ahead power pop, while "Stars" is straight-ahead folk/rock. Estepa has always counted the Beach Boys as an influence (i.e., the brilliant "Western Tale" from All The Bells & Whistles), and this time he pays an overt tribute in "Carl Wilson" that comes from the same place in the heart as, say, the Replacements' "Alex Chilton".

Elsewhere, Estepa rocks harder than ever on "Myself", channels Gram Parsons on "Skipping Days" and "Worry Me None", ventures into Elliott Smith territory on "Second Guess" and then closes it in perfect fashion with the slow-building title track that encapsulates all of his styles in the space of 5:01. A great talent and a great album.

Steve – Absolute Powerpop

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Sydney's Bryan Estepa released the classic "All the Bells and Whistles" last year. Although his newest isn't as chock full of high energy pop goodies, it's a more mature and even release. Bryan moves beyond his love of AM radio pop on "Sunday Best." On the opener "Aches and Shakes" you get a good mix of harmonious choruses and melody that fans of Crowded House will appreciate. This is light breezy pop with an adult slant on issues, and a slice of Americana flavor, the next song "Different With You" would not sound out of place on a Jayhawks album. What I like about the geek love of "Carl Wilson" is that it doesn't try to emulate his hero's vocal style, it just takes a catchy narrative to piano, mentioning in the lyric "your voice it makes me quiver/ I wish I could have met the younger Wilson". The song "I'm Going" is my favorite here - it's got the dramatic phrasing and guitar chorus that makes it a pop classic. "Myself" has that high energy that recalls his last band The Hazey Janes (move over John Faye and IKE). Then it takes it down a few notches with the ballads and mid-tempo alt country at the end of the album ("Skipping Days" and "Worry Me None") another standout is the title track ("Sunday Best") with a wonderful combination of guitar and banjo after the chorus. This sophomore release showcases Bryan's songwriting as well as his melodic pop talents. The most worthy music I've listened to this Sunday for sure.

Aaron - Powerpoaholic

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Sunshine pop, breezy acoustic guitars, high octane melodies and a sweet larynx set up Aussie singer-songwriter Bryan Estepa’s sophomore album quite nicely. Cool folk tunes abound e.g. Aches and Shakes, Different With You, Star and Worry Me None, which will certainly get you humming along. Not that it’s all sweetness and light, there’s enough twang in tracks like I’m Going, Myself, Skipping Days et al, which highlight Estepa’s debt to the alt-country crowd and swing the mood into definite melancholy country territory. But a key milestone is the Beach Boys tribute to the youngest Wilson brother, Carl, an unusual choice in itself as I’ve come across numerous tributes to Brian and even Dennis (Fleetwood Mac’s DW Suite) but kudos to Estepa for giving Carl his props. There are many parallels here with the new Gary Louris album and that can only be a good thing. A mature effort with a deep focus on song craft whilst never veering too far from the country-folk-pop format. What’s not to like?

Kevin Matthews – Power of Pop

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Bryan Estepa claims he has always been candid with his affinity for the lonely traveler – the beaten-down sod with only the road to serenade and a knapsack full of memories to lament. From his early demos, the young songwriter has flown the flag for this type of character, painting protagonists as the vulnerable, hopeless romantics through words that kept a sense of indifference.

With his second full length Sunday Best the Sydney local departs from the young-blooded country pop of his first effort All the Bells and Whistles, a record of dueling guitar solos and altitudinal quips that nodded firmly in the direction of Ryan Adams. This time he unashamedly embraces a more modern brand of heartbroken power-pop. Sunday Best buries any optimism found on All the Bells and Whistles and channels those blank faced, downward stress of 20 something awkwardness intro bright, resurgent guitar pop. It’s the kind of upbeat, slightly poetic riffage that induces a wry smile, even if at times it is a little cringe worthy. But Estepa doesn’t kid himself – what helps make this a solidly enjoyable record is the disregard for pretence. If you could sometimes accuse him of being derivative, Estepa is nothing if not wearing his heart on his sleeve.

There are a few moments of Ben Gibbard-esque whimpering that can be slightly frustrating, but of greater frequency arte the whimsical hooks and quality melodies carried by Estepa’s simple compositions and dedication to songwriting. He has an unabashed penchant for the classic pop sound, and its something he delivers with consistency across the eleven tracks of Sunday Best. ‘Carl Wilson’ is a charming, reserved track, whilst the driving joviality of opener ‘Aches and Shakes’ will be instantly committed to memory and subsequently whistles well after the record has ended.

Paul Donoughue – 3.5/5 Stars; Time Off Brisbane