Take a listen with me as I interview John Taylor from the band Ocean Grove. Not only does he lead a pretty solid group of guys with the new EP Another Place To Stay, but he’s also been the Music Director for The Jonas Brothers. After many years as the backup band for these legendary teens, John has taken those lessons learned and created the Ocean Grove – and yes a full length album is in the works.
Author: powerpopaholic
Somerdale “Brighter Than Before”
Right away you get the feeling Somerdale spent a lot of time with old school power pop and rock records. The trio consists of Chuck Penza (bass), James Caputo (guitar) and JJ Fennimore (drums) and the opening track “That’s Over Now” sounds like it fell off a classic Raspberries album. The band has the ability to channel its influences with stunning accuracy. “Bent On Napalm” has a bluesy riff similar to the Stones “Street Fighting Man” as Caputo belts away. The bands approach is similar to 70’s influenced retro outfit Vinyl Candy, but with much less glam and a stronger songwriting approach. And it boasts two good singers, as Penza and Caputo share the lead duties.
You gotta love the beautiful opening chords and harmonies on “Sugar Valley, CA” as the chorus recalls The Bryds and Sloan. The guitar gets even heavier with the handclaps and cymbal on “We Are All Together.” It brings to mind KISS minus the makeup and with an even catchier chorus. The nicely timed ballad “Like A Rainbow” is Penza’s best moment as it recalls classic Frampton. It has a few misses (“If I Knew The Words” and “Oklahoma”) but includes a good cover of The Left Banke’s hit “Walk Away Renee” and a very Bay City Rollers-ish “Best I Can.” Overall, there is more than enough here to recommend to melodic rock enthusiasts.
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Hotel Lights and Sondre Lerche
Hotel Lights “Girl Graffiti”
Hotel Lights lead by Darren Jessee (Former Ben Folds drummer), has produced a nuanced indie sound that adds colorful layers of shoegazing-pop to the mix of alt. country guitar rhythms. The hushed vocals blend into the chords on the opener “Falling Down” but the chorus sticks with you, filled to the brim with orchestrated guitars and bells. The title track lumbers along, but the band really impresses with the catchy “Dave Sharkey to the Dance Floor,” similar to the talk-narrative of Squeeze’s “Up the Junction” – the chorus lingers on in your head, and its my favorite track on the album.
“Super 8MM,” with its tinkling keys and swelling violins, recalls Ben Folds doing a Roger Waters song. The next few songs sap the energy level previously build up, till the smartly written ”Through the Crowd” and “My Pretty Quirk,” brings back a Wilco-like groove. This reaches a fuzzy high with “All My Asshole Friends,” a perfect rip on all those band hangers on in the early days he “can’t remember” who talk about “irrelevant things.” Fans of both Ben Folds and Wilco will love this, although Jesses too-soft vocals could put you to sleep on a few tracks here.
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Sondre Lerche “Sondre Lerche”
After what I like to call a few years where he’s done some experimenting, Sondre is back as the pop songwriter extraordinaire – like a 21st century Paul Simon. The sparse opener “Ricochet” builds to a subtle harmonic choir. Then it kicks in with the anthemic “Private Caller” with its punchy chorus and energetic guitar strums. “Go Right Ahead” is a wonderful tune that rides a bass line until it shifts keys and tone on a dime, it’s a great headphones song that you’ll want to listen to over and over again.
The inner Nilsson shows its head with the sweet strings of “Coliseum Town.” The quirkiness of “Never Mind The Typos” is an endearing mid-tempo ballad that strums with Sondre’s off-key bits and dissonant sounds that eventually take over the song a la “Day In The Life.” Then the sweeping “Domino” is like a coffee house version of Coldplay, with its soft-to-loud chorus and crashing end. Fans of Big Star will hear a bit of Chris Bell in “Tied Up To The Tide” and with that not a single boring track. So consider that mission accomplished. Fans of David Mead, Josh Rouse and other pop troubadours will surely embrace this album.
SondreLerche.com | Amazon | Itunes
Richard X Heyman 9-11 tribute
When Richard X Heyman was putting together Tiers And Other Stories – an album about life in New York City – he would have to confront the memory of September 11, 2001. Three songs eventually were included – the first deals with the day itself (“Gravity”), the second contemplates the initial disbelief and then coming to terms with the reality and aftermath (“Day Before Tomorrow”) and the third addresses the sense of loss (“Beyond The Setting Sun”). These three songs are posted on his website, www.richardxheyman.com, in their entirety this week.
Tommy Keene “Behind The Parade”
I can think of only a few people from the 80’s with the talent and longevity who have remained stellar examples of power pop. Chris Stamey, Peter Holsapple, Paul Collins, Richard X. Heyman and would add Tommy Keene to that list as well. After over 30 years in the music business, Tommy Keene is still going strong. Created in his home studio, Tommy can still play that melodic guitar-based rock to perfection. It starts off with the buzz filled “Deep Six Saturday” and the jangle-fueled rocker “Already Made Up Your Mind” is another classic mid-tempo tune.
The denser composition shows that Keene picked up a few things from his last collaboration with GBV frontman Bob Pollard. The insightful storytelling on the title track and “Nowhere Drag” are both world weary rock epics with plenty of authenticity. It then takes a small detour with the moody instrumental “La Castana” before continuing with his pop goodness. His vocal stylings still remind me of Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs) slightly, but with more emotional depth. It’s hard to believe, but unlike many music veterans, he just gets better with each passing album. Beginners here are encouraged to start with last years career spanning retrospective Tommy Keene You Hear Me. Otherwise, this is an album you don’t want to miss (and a top ten candidate too)!
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This video is from the 1996 album Ten Years After.