Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Jim Bianco and Beady Eye

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Jim Bianco “Loudmouth”
With St. Patrick’s Day almost here, I’ve got a brilliant drinking song for you. If “Sinners” doesn’t get the bar singing along, nothing will. Bianco has that great Tom Waits meets Peter Gabriel whiskey soaked croon. On “Talented” it’s almost a gospel number with it’s slow majestic chords and honest biting lyric. The stripped down Stones like blues of “But I Still Want You” charms quickly. The anthemic “OK, I Suppose” shows a deep understanding of human pathos on a gut level. It’s not all slow tempo stuff either, as “Take You Home” is a bouncy pop gem. Bianco’s wry approach will appeal to fans of both Bob Seger and Randy Newman.  Amazingly, this release was funded by his rabid fans. Some advance copies are under $3 on Amazon, this is the best value a music fan can ask for. Otherwise wait til official release on April 5th.

 

Beady Eye “Different Gear, Still Speeding”
And life after Oasis moves on, in the form of Liam Gallager’s new band Beady Eye. Liam’s signature vocal and sliky smooth riffs permeate every track, notably the Lennon-like “The Roller” and obvious tribute “Beatles and Stones” which is a rant about how he’ll play the way he wants, damn the trend. Well if classic rock and blues is what he serves up, then I’m all in here. Excellent tunes include the Creedence-like guitar riffs on “Wind Up Dream” and mod rhythm of “Millionaire.”

This nothing less than a rebirth and clearly Liam has found his mojo as most songs here hit the mark perfectly. Even psychedelic ballads like “The Morning Son” shows a new maturity and the amount of gems here land it in my top ten list. And if this is what it takes to bring Brit pop to a new generation of listeners, so be it.

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Mimi Betinis and The Test Dream

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Mimi Betinis “All That Glitters”
As the driving force behind Chicago’s pioneering power-pop group, Pezband in the 70’s – Mimi Betinis offers up his first solo album. “All That Glitters” features classic guitar heavy gems like the opener “Love Is Just A Thin Veneer.” Betinis sounds great and his rhythms and structures are more eclectic and fine tuned than ever.

“Come On Down To My House” is a funky rock treat that almost flirts with hip hop.The production is very dense and layered with multiple guitar lines and beats. Stylistically it goes everywhere as “Blue Sky” has a catchy melody complemented by Chuck Soumar and Dave Stalhberg’s horn bursts. Another winner is the Beatlesque “Romance Me” with Rickenbacker licks and poetic lyrics. It gets a bit difficult to keep the pace past the album’s second half, although the Lennon-like “What’s Your Name” is welcoming diversion. Fans of classic rock and Pezband will want this one for sure.

The Test Dream “Shades Of Love”
I reviewed the debut of this Long Island band not so long ago.  Lead vocalist Ryan Colt Levy is a bit more understated here on “My Reflection.” The song has the same compelling mix of hooks and slick production that made the debut impressive. “Comeundone” has some nice harmonies here, but the melody is fleeting. The band shifts gears on the overly commercial “Open Wide” and it almost turns into easy listening, but lucky for us things improve with “Oil & Wine” and “Father Time” where the layered melodies work better with the instrumental parts. You’ll hear influences from Maroon 5 to Jellyfish in spots, and most power pop fans will appreciate the nice guitar break on “Game Over.” The album is consistently good but nothing blew me away. Overall its a mature effort by a talented band that continues to grow.

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The Genuine Fakes "The Striped Album"

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All you need to know about the Geniune Fakes is this quote: “The Genuine Fakes are proof of Sweden’s seemingly inexhaustible font of pop genius. Hitting all the right marks, they walk you thru the major required classes in the school of pop – Ken Stringfellow (The Posies)“ Johan Bergqvist formed the band in Södermalm (part of Stockholm) with like-minded musicians. They start the album with their own theme song! It reminded me of the much loved band, The Merrymakers with it’s optimistic “Have you heard, there’s a brand new band in town!”

The bright shiny tone continues on “The Promise” and fans of Swedish pop will be thrilled by the loud melodic chords and big harmonies. “Something New” and “When Reality Hits You” have classic power pop structures and incredibly catchy choruses. The production is very Jellyfish-like, polished and worth many repeat listens. Although the compositions suffer from a lack of variety in the albums middle, they still manage to belt it out with plenty of thematic energy. Johan even managed to redo the Beyoncé ballad, “Irreplaceable” and make it a power pop song as well. However, the album could have used a ballad as the bombast here might wear down the average listener. That mentioned this is a superior power pop album, that easily gets a Top Ten nomination for 2011. Kool Kat is offering an additional 5-track bonus disc when you order here.

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Ian Moore and The Lossy Coils "El Sonido Nuevo"

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Seattle-based rocker Ian Moore is already a studio veteran as he constructs an excellent album with The Lossy Coils, assisted by bassist Matt Harris (Oranger, Posies) and drummer Kyle Schneider. Blasting out the first song “Secondhand Store” is about the Austin SXSW festival where every hipster is trying to find a payoff. Another gem here “Birds Of Prey” is a perfect roots pop song that fans of Old 97s will appreciate. “The album is a retrenching in the face of a diffuse pop culture landscape,” says Moore, as his jaded take on pop culture is enhanced by some excellent blues riffs added to this song.

A bit more traditional is “Belle, My Butterfly” and on “Newfound Station” the shuffling rhythm and solid musicianship recall Wilco’s best moments. But power pop fans will flip over “Silver Station” which brings to mind the best Jason Falkner tune he never wrote. The entire album is full of top shelf melodies and Ian’s guitar work is exceptional. This is by far the best alt. country pop album I’ve heard this year.

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Andrew Belle and Watts

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Andrew Belle “The Ladder”
Andrew Belle is a new pop artist who splits time between Chicago and Nashville, he is currently touring to promote his debut, The Ladder. Shades of Chis Martin and Conor Oberst are evident right away on these tracks, as Andrew’s smooth vocals are front and center on the title track. Another standout “Static Waves” is a superb duet with Katie Herzig, a hook filled melody with subtle strings at the song’s bridge.  The nuanced piano, sophisticated strings, and contemplative lyric come together on “Don’t Blame Yourself”. The album is an excellent example of modern baroque pop, and it’s earned many kudos from indie critics. It runs out of stream toward the albums end, but if you’re sipping a latte, I can think of no better soundtrack.

Watts “On The Dial”
This Boston foursome combines influences to create a timeless rock-n-roll sound. The band may be named after the Rolling Stones drummer, but vocalist/guitarist Dan Kopko’s throaty wail has more in common with Ryan “Shmedly” Maynes than Mick Jagger. After a solid sophomore album, the band draws on such varied influences as Cheap Trick, Sweet and The Replacements. High energy tracks start us with “On The Dial,” “Chaperone” and the AC/DC cloned “Afterburn.” And of course the Stones influence is still here on “Dancehall Days & Nights” and “Fight Song.” A more straight up power pop approach is on the John Blout lead “She Wants To Rock.” This is great party music, and if you’re looking for a ballad – go elsewhere. Play this one loud, kids – it’s what power pop is all about.

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