I would like to jump on my soapbox for a moment and say that for every “washed up” old rocker trying to extend the 15 minutes of fame (Bow Wow Wow) there are honest-to-God talented musicians who need to be heard again and fans who’ve missed them. Because the reunion isn’t a train wreck, they get little or no attention from the press and that’s a crime in my opinion. Thankfully a few oldies bands are still makin’ music I want to listen to (The Beach Boys, DB’s) and maybe we can find a few more. Okay, rant over.
Pilot was one of the best power pop bands in the 70′s era, lead by the #1 single “Magic.” Written and sung by David Paton, it’s an enduring classic and I’m happy to say Paton still has the goods when it comes to catchy singles. Under The Sun is a return to form, although Paton’s done great work with the Japanese power pop band Beagle Hat. Here it’s more adult oriented contemporary pop, and it starts out with the low key “Under The Sun” which sounds like Paul McCartney’s answer to Nilsson’s “Coconut.” The minimal jazz of “I’m No Liar” and slick pop of “I Wanna Be With You” are okay, but feel formulaic. The real gems are “Don’t Touch Me” and the gorgeous melody of “All For You.” Like Sir Paul, David pours out his experiences with compelling melodies, like the world weary “Go Find Yourself.” The bonus tracks of Pilot’s “Magic” and “Just A Smile” are newly recorded and still sound fresh today. Overall a worthy addition to Paton (and Pilot’s) discography.
I was lucky enough to get a chance to interview Kevin Martin, lead singer/songwriter of Candlebox whose album I reviewed last week. Unfortunately I had audio problems with this one, so I transcribed it on the interview page. Check it out, as Kevin really opens up about his experiences on tour and in the studio.
Gary B & The Notions “How Do We Explode”
A new release from the boisterous Gary B and The Notions is out and its got everything a power pop fan would like; classic pop melodies, angular guitar riffs and defiant vocals. Fans of Superdrag and Weezer will really graviate to this album, especially the raw sweetness of “The Surfin’ Song.”
However my favorite here is the Elvis Costello meets Big Star hooks in “How to Eat A Brick Sandwich.” The blaring fast riffs on “Lyndsy Fonseca” make it an indulgence similar to Lenny Kravitz, but not as memorable. Lots of near-misses (“Back Pain Lozenge”) for every inventive narrative here, like “Too Busy For An Ambulance Ride.” And of course no slower or mid tempo tunes doesn’t help it either, but for only $5 its definitely worth a listen.
Elijah Cross “Flawed Designs” EP
Elijah Cross was born in California, and attended the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, he caught the attention of Fernando Perdomo (Dreaming In Stereo) who took the lad under his wing. The result is this EP, and it’s a great debut — just listen to the sweet pysche-pop melody of “Let’s” and the Bacharachian beauty of “Disclaimer.” But what is unique here is that you can earn half of Elijah’s album profits!
The EP is only $4, and for every $200 of this music sold – Elijah will give $100 to a random fan (just send in your Bandcamp receipt to enter the drawing). And you can win multiple times! So it’s like buying an EP and a lottery ticket in the same shot! But honestly, the music is worth it all on its own. I would encourage you to support this budding talent!
My first impression of Josh is a distinct one. If someone did this to John Mayer or Darius Rucker, and told him to grow a pair, I expect he’d sound more like Josh Flagg. The charging chords and bar room shout “Seeing Red” sets the stage for this energetic guitar pop album. Flagg adds the right amount of snarl to “Bring Me Back To Life” and the dueling guitar leads make it an effective single about a love-lorn zombie.
The album pulls no punches and sounds more like Dave Grohl on the title track, with its fast tempo and layered guitars. The clever hooks in the arena ready “256″ draw the listener in and can make even a non-power-pop fan take notice, with its rock riffs building to an echoing chorus. Lots to like here without filler and even the slower tunes like “Don’t Wake Me” recall Paul Westerberg’s lonely guitar ballads. And if you’d like some extra power in your pop – it’s there in “Whatever Turns You On.” Josh lists The Posies and Superdrag as main influences here and I can say fans of those bands would be pretty pleased with this album. Multiple listens are also recommended to really appreciate the subtleties on each track. It’s a great debut for your weekend.
Archie Powell & The Exports “Great Ideas In Action”
Without missing a beat Archie Powell moves to the next level in the story arc from Skip Work, in the bouncy opener “Metronome” where he opines “Life is A bitch, for me all the folks you know…” Powell has a bit more acid in his lyric and distortion in his riffs this time. “Crazy Pills” and “Shooting Spree” take aim at the lost generation of 20 somethings with rotten job prospects. Fans of early Elvis Costello and Green Day with its roaring, kicking, defiant indie rock will love this.
The album keeps hammering along with loud precision on “I Need Supervision” but by the albums mid-point it starts to get a bit tiresome, although “Job Fair” is a spot on rocker about the frustration of careerism, with fuzz organ and guitars across a driving beat. Without a slower tune to be heard, its best to take this album in small doses, as the punk-pop approach wears thin, otherwise it’s the perfect soundtrack for todays slacker-in-training.
The Gilligans “As Seen On TV”
Once again the fuzz guitar power pop of the Gilligans greet us on As Seen On TV. The collective of guitarists Todd Borsch and Dan Mckenzieis give us alternating tracks of straight guitar pop (“She’s My Thing”) and 60′s influenced psyche-pop (“On TV”).
Plenty of great tracks here, generally harder sounding than the last album, for example “The Girl Has Got You Now” riffs just dominate the melody. Plenty of catchy tunes here, like the Merseybeat “Hold You Tight” and the brilliant mid-tempo “You’re Everything” reminds me of The Hudson Brothers. Many more gems like “Too Many Pills” and the swirling epic “Shadow of Myself” showcase a band at its peak and make this a Gilligans album you can’t miss.
Candlebox “Love Stories & Other Musings”
Candlebox is a perfect example of popular rock band that doesn’t want to be hemmed into a single rock category. With a platinum-selling debut in 1993, they rode the Seattle grunge bandwagon but the wheels fell off in 2000 with numerous personnel changes. They reformed in 2008 and the band now sounds totally ready for a comeback. Opening with “Youth In Revolt” it’s got a loose feel, and like the Foo Fighters, blasts us with guitars and a heavy hook. My favorite here is next, “Sweet Summertime,” its a great power pop track about the difficulty of touring and being away from your family while on the road.
There are many great songs here from the hard melodic “Lifelike Song” to the sweet power ballad “Baby Love.” Lead singer Kevin Martin still has those trademark howls that work best with Peter Klett’s gritty riffs. They are no longer beholden to grunge, although a faithful re-recording of five past hits are included (in case you forgot them). After listening to the entire album those “hits” are the weakest songs here. If we evaluated the new tracks alone it would stand as the best Candlebox album ever. A great re-introduction to a band that plays genuine melodic rock n’ roll.
Lightships “Electric Cables”
Gerard Love’s (Teenage Fanclub) new solo outing is a shimmering poppy confection, opening with the lighter-than-air ”Two Lines” and the summery warmth of “Muddy Rivers,” it has more in common with Belle & Sebastian than his former band. Backed by Bob Kildea from Belle & Sebastian (surprise!), Tom Crossley from The Pastels, Dave McGowan and Brendan O’Hare from Teenage Fanclub, Love gets to indulge in sweet melodies and lush arrangements that echo and envelope the listener. There is no better example than “Sweetness In Her Spark” with its quivering rhythms and ethereal vocal. The precious centerpiece is “Silver And Gold” – and it’s got some groovy guitar fuzz to go with harmonies worthy of The Association.
While lovely, the thick atmosphere and flute of “The Warmth of The Sun” could also put you to sleep. But there are enough wonderful harmonies like on “Stretching Out” that prevent things from being a total snoozefest and fans of gentle chamber pop and psychedelic daydreaming will find this a perfect album. Others may consider it the musical equivalent of Prozac.
Smash Palace “Do It Again” Brothers Stephen and Brian Butler continue to weave melodic magic with this excellent release. The super catchy jangle of “Living It Lonely” starts us off, then we get the muscular riffs of the Tom Petty-like “It’s Easy.” Another favorite here is “Do It Again,” as Butler recalls the compulsion to rock from his past influences (The Beatles, Stones, CBGB’s) “before the music was all for free.” It’s a desperate plea to bring back what made rock and roll matter to so many lives. His vocal reminds me of Ray Davies – both “21st Century Boy” and “Tell Her Now” sounds like a long lost Kinks tunes.
Talk about infectious – both “She’s Never Coming Back” and “Dreamer” will stick in your head and stay there for good. The chord progressions and organ of “Sympathy Runs Deep” are classic as well. Not a mediocre note here as this album makes my top ten for 2012 list easily. After last year’s “7″ made my 2011 list I didn’t think the band could get better — I was wrong. Super duper highly recommended as essential power pop.
Jonathan Rundman “Jonathan Rundman”
I last listened to Minneapolis-based Jonathan Rundman back in 2008, and he’s one of the most down-to-earth musicians I’ve heard. This is an overview of his career from the past 10 years, so it’s a “greatest hits” package of sorts. It’s also a great introduction if you’re not familiar with Jonathan’s work. Rundman has a great knack for melody and hooks as evidenced by excellent rockers “Smart Girls” and “Carol Of The Bells.”
His simple harmonies and straight forward pop arrangements are an easy fit with anyone who enjoys early REM jangle, and Old 97′s styled Alt. Country with the smartly written “Librarian” and “Ashes.” His music does have a Christian point of view, but it’s not the type to put off any secularist. It’s all about the music – and Rundman easily weaves between indie rock (“Surgical Precision”), low key country (“581″) and fast paced honky tonk (“747″) with adept precision. No filler here as the long track list bounces along from start to finish.
Since we focused on Japan a few weeks ago, I wanted to concentrate on some European countries who do power pop right… and all the music is sung in English too. Spain is the main focus of this post. Notable labels Rock Indiana and Jam Recordings have provided me with these featured bands:
Wolrus “Wooden Tapes”
From A Coruña, Wolrus wear their influences on their sleeves from Buffalo Springfield, The Hollies, and The Jayhawks. The band has some serious guitar jangle and banjo chops plus lots of harmonies too. Opening with the impressive “Summer of 10′s” it’s got a catchy foot stompin’ rhythm. “Stone & Roses Blues” is pure late era Beatles, (“Two Of Us”) and the summery pop of “Clearer Than Me” is Beau Brummels-styled country. Facebook | Jam Recordings | Rock Indiana
The Phantom Keys “Real Sounds of The Phantom Keys”
Old school mod-garage basically. This band does its best to emulate the looks and sounds of those ‘no hit wonders’ who made it onto all the obscure 60′s punk compilations, such as ‘Nuggets’ and ‘Pebbles.’ Fans of The Pretty Things, The Sonics, Downliners Sect and any Mod Surf band will enjoy this. So get your go-go boots on and do the hippy shake shake.
The Goodfellows are a Spanish band whose musical inspiration is undeniably American power pop bands (like The Shoes and The Spongetones) they’ve made appearances on IPO compilations but here is their debut LP, inventively designed like a prescription drug (“10 Power Pop Revitalising Pills: Not a Fix but a Relief. A Boost of Good Vibes”) and overall this musical ‘medicine’ is sure to cure your blues with some excellent tracks like “Susanne” and “You Know The Secret We Hide.” Occasionally the vocals get buried by the jangle and the accent can get distracting, but ultimately I’d refill this prescription.
Lead singer-songwriter Kevin Fish gives us a subtly crafted pop album, that sounds both old and new, the melodies slowly-burn into your brain here. Fish opens up the low key “Paranoid Trails” with a gentle hook and layered melody. The real goods come on the Byrdsian “Slap or Pinch” with its sweet jangle, and fans of the Autumn Defense will love it. The choral harmonies of “Stach-Lab” bring us to a 70′s moog “Easy-Thing” and it revels in the trippy bass lines and slow grooves. Fish mines the instrumentation of the past with considerable skill.
The soft and sensitive “Do You Still?” is a achingly lovely ballad about memories of a lost love. In direct contrast is the goofy “You Don’t Like What I Do” full of multiple harmonies and “oompah” brass and on “When I See Her” we add a Ray Davies styled ballad. And that’s as wild as we get, as most of this album is reflective – fans of Brian Wilson, Todd Rundgren and Field Music should give this a spin on the ipod. A real grower for you that needs multiple plays to sink in.
The Paparazzi is the musical pseudonym of songwriter and rocker Erik Paparazzi, who has spent the better part of the past decade as a sideman with Cat Power’s Dirty Delta Blues. Made this album back in 2004 it was shelved until 2010 and didn’t get the attention it deserves. His new record Rococo showcases a love for the soulful rock sounds of the 1960’s (“Hi”) with a discernible Beatles and Nilsson influences and a drowsy indie rock sensibility (“My O My”). This lush and quirky daydream pop is fresh from the dryer – soft and warm and it’s a highly recommended free download. Thank you, Erik!
