International Power Pop Special: Quatre

Luciano Albo “A Ordem Natural das Coisas”
From Porto Alegre, Brazil comes a truly gifted musician that does brilliant power pop in his native Portugese! His album title means “The Natural Order of Things.” I couldn’t translate all the lyrics for you, but Luciano has a solid Beatles influence and 2 albums are available in his native country. His compositions have plenty of melodic hooks and harmonies and the whole thing was mixed by frequent Mike Viola partner Ducky Carlisle. His is still setting up a site to sell stuff in the USA, but you can listen to Lucino on Soundcloud. Enjoy!
Listen to everything on Soundcloud! | Facebook | Buy the album here!

 

BB Brunes “Long Courrier”
The French power pop band  I mentioned a while ago has a new album. The band seems to have moved away from rock & punk, and has embraced a slicker indie pop sound. The catchiness is still evident in “Coups Et Blessures,” with its cool guitar and synth rhythms. This album is sung entirely in French, and the sound has lots more in common with The Bravery or Scissor Sisters on the track “Stereo.” It relies on Adrien Gallo’s soft vocal and synth beats for most of the time.

Finally, the guitar riffs make a welcome return on “Lala Queen” and “RIP” which would make a nice soundtrack for a Victoria’s Secret commercial. Otherwise it seems a perfect example of a good rock band trying to make itself “more commercially” palatable to the masses. Sigh.