In 2009 this L.A. based band with a very English sound made it’s debut to much acclaim and support among music’s hoi pollio. With comfortable nods to 80s and 90s power pop, lead singer and songwriter Justin Kennedy impressed many with excellent songwriting and ear pleasing melodies. Now comes the sophomore album, and with so few well-known bands flying the power pop banner, its great to hear that Kennedy and the band are continuing to bring a new generation of fans to the genre.
Musician Ben Mason decided to re-record the entire Odessey and Oracle album by the Zombies. Listen to it streaming here (or on Bandcamp). He does a faithful job here, too bad there is no way to buy or download. Oh well at least I can get his other music – a lovely free album Acapulco, and his discography is super cheap ($2.00 an EP).
Alex Keith is real find here. This alt. country gem starts with hand clapping swagger in the opener “Into Love and Out of Luck” and the simple strum of “It’s Good Enough.” As a free download, you don’t always get quality like this everyday with Alexs soothing croon, accompanied by Rachel Hebert backing vocals. Yeah, not power pop but I love this stuff anyway.
Brian Hoffer “Into The Boulevard”
Brian is a singer/songwriter from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who takes the DIY route to power pop similar to The Breetles or Jonny Polonsky. The early standout here is “Psychoanalysis” a catchy melodic gem that recalls They Might Be Giants or Lamar Holley. Hoffer’s vocal isn’t quite ready for the ambitious high notes on “Gently Down” but the opening piano tinkle of “Superman Somehow”is a clearly a winner with excellent lyrics and solid composition. “Cats & Birds” is a good meandering melodic loop with an impressive cello and piano duet. The narrative of rejection on “Ancient Explorers” is both endearing and easy to identify with. A few misses, but overall this is a really enjoyable debut from a talented newcomer. I hope to hear more from Brian in the near future.
Simon Felton “Surrender Dorothy!”
Pink Hedgehog head honcho, Simon Felton (Garfield’s Birthday) follows up his solo debut with the help of label mates Alan Strawbridge (Schnauser) and cult hero Anton Barbeau. Strawbridge’s psychedelic influence really paints the pop of “Marbles” and other tracks with his distinct reverse guitar and organ touches. Felton’s quintessential casual British vocal keeps things moving along on the groovy “Surprise,”it sounds very much like the pysch-pop of The Pillbugs. A sad croon is present on the mellow “Finally” and fans of sixties “toytown” era pop (The Idle Race, The Mindbenders) will love the ironically titled “Novelty.” The ballads here have never been better, and the brilliant “Slowing Down” is one of the best written songs here. The album devolves into Pink Floyd/Moody Blues styled naval gazing on the last several tracks, but fans of psychedelia will be in nirvana.
Fountains of Wayne have returned and its powerhouse songwriting duo of Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger are in fine form this summer. I cannot name a band that does a better job at mixing descriptive character studies with irresistible melodies. They run out of the gate with “The Summer Place” a delicious theme punctuated by a western-style riff after the chorus. Next comes the hilarious “Richie and Ruben,” a true FOW classic that begs to be sung along to.
The band seems more energized here, they don’t seem to be following any musical trend and are very comfortable in their hook-filled skins. Every song sticks, but exceptional songs included here are “Someone’s Gonna Break Your Heart” and “A Dip In The Ocean” full of fast paced rhythms and the ever shimmering tambourine. It’s hard to argue that this isn’t the best FOW album since the classic Welcome Interstate Managers. It shift gears slightly towards the albums middle with the country shuffle of “A Road Song” and “Workingman’s Hands.” And ends with the slow dances of “Firelight Waltz” and the solemn “Cemetery Guns.” Honestly, did you expect anything less? Neither did I.
Here is the latest interview with musician Freddy Monday from earlier this month. We talk about his video single “I wanna be your Davy Jones” and his latest album Everything Anyhow. We go through his favorite artists and his previous band Sorethumb. Read the full album review here.
