Music City-Welcome to Music City

While I was familiar with Ireland’s The #1s, I first heard Conor Lumsden, drummer for The #1s, playing under his Music City moniker when he appeared live on WFMU's Todd-o-phonic Todd show way back on October 27, 2018. It was exciting to hear somebody creating and playing ‘70s power-pop at such an ambitious and authentic level.

From time to time, I would check in for any Music City activity, but suspected that Conor made an Irish exit like so many other promising acts from the post-recession, pre-Covid era (2010-2019). The surfacing of this album here in early 2026 is a true surprise, but comes with the albatross of sky high expectations based on the promise of the “Pretty Feelings” single. The influence of American power-pop drives everything, while also creating the album’s momentum as it heads off into some different directions.

The debut covers ground from powerful pop rockers (“When the Day Comes By,” “Do I” “You Remember”) and brittle Big Star laments (“Little Flavour,” "A Matter of Time") through that late ‘70s/early ‘80s sound when heartland rock, new wave and AOR were clashing and converging together on radio and soundtracks (“Pretty Feelings") to some soaring ballads (“Autumn Song,” “Something on Your Mind”) that bring the album to a smooth landing.

Besides the natural comparisons to cosmic Chris Bell and the grounded Tulsa/L.A. Shelter/American Recording Co. sounds of Dwight Twilley & Phil Seymour, Music City is one of the few modern acts that could appeal to listeners of the Greg Kihn Band. 38 Special and maybe even Scandal on rock songs like “Common Sense” and “The Conversation.” Upon initial listens I thought the album leaned a little too heavy into dense AOR during the middle stretch, however Lumsden is not afraid to reach for the brass ring. It would be cool to see him paired up with rising star Billy Tibbals for a West Coast jaunt and hear these songs in a live setting.  

Music City is at its best with the straight-ahead power-pop that gets the album off to a captivating start. “When the Day Comes By” is propelled by Plimsouls-esque rhythmic guitar work throughout before exiting off to an exquisite Rickenbacker 330 solo. Further, its persisting melody and wrap-around chorus recalls the best of the Beat and solo Paul Collins. The two last ballads are standouts and close the album on an extremely strong note. “Autumn Song” casts a hallowed and hushed Big Star atmosphere. Meanwhile, “Something on your Mind” is evocative of the sophisti-pop of Joe Jackson, Ted Leo, and Eric Carmen replete with piano elegance and quotes of “When You Walk into the Room” from Fiachra Mac Oireachtai-all under a spectacular sunset of  Beach Boys backing harmonies.

The graphic designer and musician from Dublin has ambitiously crafted and patiently developed aspects of workaday life into his grand statement. Music City has now delivered the album that many were doubtful would ever happen. On a similar level of surprise, The #1s came back with a single in 2025. If this pattern continues to hold, maybe we will even hear from the Pacifics once again.

The Fantastic Plastic Machine Soundtrack-Harry Betts

West Coast Jazz trombonist and composer Harry Betts  was  born in New York and raised in Fresno. The accomplished and versatile Betts got his start in Stan Kenton’s orchestra and later joined the Bob Keene Orchestra before leading his own. His trombone playing can be heard on The Beach Boys' Christmas Album, Glen Campbell’s remarkable “Guess, I’m Dumb” single and The Mason Williams Ear Show album. He also did extensive soundtrack work including scoring A Swingin' Summer and Winter A-Go-Go. Composing and arranging a soundtrack for a surf documentary was not that far of a stretch as Betts also played trombone on the cinematic “The Lonely Surfer” album by Jack Nitzsche. This soundtrack was recorded at Columbia Recording Studios in Hollywood, engineered by Pete Romano, produced for Jackie Mills for Wednesday's Child Productions and released on Epic Records. The top-tier session players still remain a mystery at this point.

The film (on YouTube at the time of this writing)  follows La Jolla’s Windansea Surf Club (still in existence) and their long boards from the waves and craggy rocks of Malibu to their 1967 adventures in the Fiji Islands, New Zealand and Australia. Narrated by Jay North (aka Dennis the Menace), the film documents a crucial transition point in surf history on the cusp of the short board revolution (introduced by the Australians). It also has the distinction of featuring footage of pioneering Japanese-American woman surfer Joey Hamasaki, who was a member of the Windansea Surf Club.

The all-instrumental soundtrack, thankfully more '67 than '69 in sound and spirit, matches and enhances the mood of the documentary that was filmed in 1967, but not released until 1969. The wide-ranging recording can be listened to on the foreground and in the background as it features a variety of ‘60s sounds that blend well together within songs and across the album. Leading off is the tone-setting “Theme From The Fantastic Plastic Machine.” This opening number immediately delivers some fuzzed up riffs and dashing bongos before heading into a tube of double picking and sweeping strings. Somewhat surprisingly, the 45 version of the theme became big in the Northern Soul scene during the ‘70s.

“Endless Bummer” combs the shore with a trickle of soft harpsichord notes before becoming submerged in a sea of strings, but the waves are not happening in the Fiji Islands nor New Zealand. Its overall mood is akin to a theme to a ‘60s medical drama. The horn intro of “Night Flight” seems to quote “Ain't No Mountain High Enough,” if not every late ‘60s game show intro before coils of sparkling guitar and go-go drumming drive the song forward. “Green-O” sounds perhaps inspired by the “Hawaii Five-O Theme” as the Ventures' version of the TV theme song was a huge hit in 1968.

“Straight Ahead” brings the soft focused sunburst pop, while the jaunty and effervescent “Rock Slide” takes the tijuana taxi into frivolous fun as the horns and xylophone fills out the cascading sound. Meanwhile, urgent horns and racing bongos of “McTavish” are evocative of Mark Eric’s “Night of the Lions.” Lush and lovely strings return on “Nat's Theme” and cast an atmospheric spell similar to Bill Pursell's "Our Winter Love" or even the “Airport Love Theme.” “Outta Sight” buoyantly perks up the ears like lapping waves and prefigures the sound of the High Llamas at their most whimsical. With “Green Grotto,” Betts delivers his most adventurous, ambitious and churning number that ranks up with David Axelrod and epitomes what Domenic Priore has termed Psychedelic Surf Pastiche Washout.

There is no incidental music on this soundtrack as Betts’ compositions and arrangements bring forth a spacious sound that is deep, wide and constantly moving. The Fantastic Plastic Machine is one of the last shifting swells of ‘60s soundtrack surf and recommended for listeners of Bacharach, Stu Phillips, Howard Roberts, the Sandals as well as Shibuya-kei.