Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

The Cynics and Ray Paul

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The Cynics “Spinning Wheel Motel”
Pittsburgh based power pop punkers The Cynics never disappoint in cooking up a tasty slab of garage rock and roll. This latest album starts off with an instant classic with the jangle fueled “I Need More.” Next, “All Good Women” is punk nod that gets your attention with its sarcastic and misogynistic lyrics. More beautiful harmonies and jangle greet us on the catchy “Gehenna.” And the retro-surf rock genius of “Zombie Walk” stand right alongside the Ramones-like rhythms that punctuate “Rock Club.”

Plenty of great tracks are here, and after ten albums (!) I have to say this is the most balanced between pop jangle goodness and raw punk energy.  Highly recommended for sure.

Ray Paul “The Charles Beat”
Boston native Ray Paul runs Permanent Press Recordings, but back in the late 70’s and early 80’s he was a local power pop sensation as Ray Paul & RPM. The Charles Beat collects the singles and album tracks that are as timeless today as they were back then. The album opens with “Some Sing Some Dance” an unreleased song recorded with the legendary Emitt Rhodes. “How Do You Know?” is a classic single that recalls both The Raspberries and Pezband in its guitar melody. Ray’s vocal is similar to McCartney and his chiming guitar licks are a perfect compliment on a song like “Lady Be Mine Tonight.”

Other highlights include “Won’t You Take A Ride” with it’s James Gang styled slide guitar and organ and “Hold It” in both album and single versions. It also has several demos and unreleased cuts of various quality. For fans of Badfinger, Artful Dodger, Grass Roots and that early power pop era, this is essential listening.

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Tally Hall "Good & Evil"

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The Michigan based Tally Hall produced a stunning debut album that garnered quite a cult following. With that initial success behind them, the band sets out to solidify their sound with this duality-themed album. The slow march tempo of “Never Meant To Know” leads to a quickly layered anthem that just grows on you. The next tune “&” is very much in the They Might Be Giants mold, lyrically stating opposites like “weak & strong, wet & dry, etc.” Then the album kicks into high gear with the ear worm “You & Me,” a catchy single you’ll sing long after the song ends.

The combination of catchy chorus and lyrical metaphor is Tally Halls’ greatest strength. Each song here is meticulously constructed, the strongest and most immediate being “Cannibal,” where the metaphorical beast is your girlfriend. The solid harmonies lead a hummable medieval quest called “Sacred Beast” quite nicely. The album takes a moody harmonic turn on “Hymn for A Scarecrow,” a tale that features a psychedelic chorus on the fadeout. The group’s harmonies are strong on each song, especially on “The Trap” and “Out In The Twilight.” The dramatic finale “Fate Of The Stars” is a bit like a rock version of Glee’s Dalton Academy Warblers if Roger Waters was their musical director. Overall, this album demands repeat listens to uncover the brilliant melodies and stories contained here. It makes my top ten list being the most cerebral melodic album this year.

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Shake Some Action and John Amadon

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Shake Some Action “White Lies and Bloodshot Eyes”
James Hall has put together a collection of B-sides, demos and tracks that never quite made it on previous albums. The quality work here proves that many of these really deserved release. “One Way Ticket” is a first class single with equal helpings of The Kinks and The Jam. Surprisingly these songs hold together as an album quite nicely. “Wherever You Are Tonight” and “Get It Together” are solid rockers with the latter track’s organ leading the way. “I Get Tongue Tied” is about shyness and the lovely harmonies here make it a gem. Some songs seem to have the elements of greatness (“Let Me In”) but don’t quite click. Included is a terrific cover of The Velvet’s “WhiteLight/White Heat.” Easy to recommend to your play list.

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John Amadon “Seven Stars”
Portland Oregon singer-songwriter John Amadon has a sweet folk acoustic rock sound, like Elliot Smith jamming with Neil Young. “Empty Fiction” opens with John’s earnest vocals and clean guitar strumming. Highlights here include the brilliant “All Patched Up” with its simple acoustic start and growing electric riff to a brilliantly layered chorus. The echoing keys on “Bitter Prayers” and steady rhythm make the soft vocals all the more poignant, and it’s really moving.

The album gets a little peppier the further in you go, with nice gems in “Tired Man Spinning” and “Palace of Ruin.” Then it settles in with the slow moving title track, and the slower ending on “Knocking Down Doors,” with a touch of alt. country along the lines of Buffalo Springfield. A really good album, and very much worthy of your attention.

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The Red Button "As Far As Yesterday Goes"

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The duo of Seth Swirsky and Mike Ruekberg return after their amazingly popular 2007 debut. The bands British Invasion style is intact, with the addition of Swirsky’s maturing themes he explored so well in his solo work from last year, Watercolor Day.

“Caught in the Middle” picks you up with a note perfect Beatlesque rocker full of Rickenbacker jangle. Mike’s “As Far as Yesterday Goes” is a wistful ballad, done in a lounge style with solid hook in the bridge. Seth’s “Picture” floats on by, light as cloud with gorgeous harmonies like sweet sunshine. “Girl, Dont” brings back the Merseybeat mid-tempo goodness. The shimmering keys open on “Easier” describes a long term relationship and is one of the best tracks on the album, with lots of 70’s stylistic touches… much like the late great Andrew Gold. And that’s where the Red Button goes, from the memorable “On A Summer Day” with solid horns playing off the piano theme during the chorus. “She Grows Where She’s Planted” mesmerizes with a break full of backwards guitars a la “Rain,” its a perfect example of using a Beatles technique without making the song sound like an homage. “Genevieve” is another example of this more mature song style without losing any of its melodicism.

Sonically this album flawless, without a loose note and does the near impossible of topping the debut. So far this is the album to beat this year, as it quickly  takes a top spot in my top ten albums of 2011.


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The Q "Sonically Sound"

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The Q from Gloucester, England, are a wonderful Mod revival band with power pop influences in the tradition of  The Who and The Jam. “Growing Up” is a heartfelt rocking tribute to your favorite 45 rpm records. The sixties styled beats on “Ego” and “Taste Of Honey” have an early Kinks sound, with guttural chords and on the latter track shouts of “yeah, yeah, yeah” punctuating the end of each chorus. “No Compromise” is another strong track, with a more psychedelic feel similar to The Cynics or The Action.

The big catchy standouts here are  “Good Enough” and “Being Totally Frank” which really seems to channel Roger Daltry at his ernest peak.  Another impressive fact is that the lyrics are all about personal anxiety and insecurity from a British perspective. “Penny Pinching” speaks to everyone living paycheck to paycheck. Every track is quality, without any filler here. Full of punk energy, buzzing riffs and bright harmonies it’s another “no-brainer” to add to your playlist.

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