Rich McCulley

McMatzo

McCulley, a veteran of a couple of pretty decent Fresno bands (East Side Indians, Sparklejet), makes his solo bow as a singer-songwriter with this eight-song CD. Yes, Fresno: A few years ago, our friends to the south had a fairly nifty pop scene going, with bands like the Miss Alans even getting recognition outside the big valley. And this record firmly resides in that camp; it’s loaded with tuneful, guitar-driven power-pop tunes in the post-Chilton and Westerberg mold. McCulley certainly has a way with writing a hook, too. He kinda reminds me of ’80s Washington, D.C., pop singer Tommy Keene—slightly raspy vocals, cathedral walls of chiming guitars, walloping drums and soaring harmonies on the choruses. Some prime cuts here, too: “Free World,” “The Last Laugh,” “All I Can Do,” “Change the Key,” even a cover of a vintage Stones tune, “Connection”—places that are gone, indeed. A winner? Totally.