Author: powerpopaholic

Moonlight Towers “Day Is The New Night”
Austin Texas band plays meaty rock and roll here, the opener “Heat Lightning” was a favorite of Little Steven Van Zandt, with its twin guitar riffs and horns in the chorus. Lead singer, songwriter and guitarist James Stevens has a knack for tunes that have more hooks than a baitshop. Highlights include “Can’t Shake This Feelin'” and the mid-tempo “Distant Wheels” which boasts fine soulful harmonies similar to Three Dog Night.

The bands’ harder rock tendencies are kept in check until the right moments in “Black River” and “Not A Kid Anymore”which recalls the most melodic moments of Guns N’ Roses. A solid beat is an energizing presence in all the songs, and no filler here either. Overall, most refreshing and if you wanted to hear soaring rock with both power and melody this is most recommended.

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The American Secrets “The Fight”and “The Flight” EPs
Here is a first – a band with 2 EPs that count as a full album together. The American Secrets are most famous as the winner of freecreditscore.com band search – having been picked by that company to do the TV commercials. With that initial burst of fame, the band have played SXSW and pumped out these dual EPs. Recorded live at a local studio with only vocals being overdubbed, they sound similar to Rooney or Death Cab For Cutie.

The solid musicianship and catchy melodies are easy to spot on “The Layman’s Heart,” and “Riding On A Falcon” has a bit of Bryan Scary showmanship, but the hooks kick in with the excellent “Mr. Cloud.” Another standout is the slow burn of “Fashion Pleasure.” The Flight EP adds the solid “Neon Train” and the Brian May-like guitars of “Flight Of The Vikings.” Taken together you hear the great potential here – but there is some inconsistency too. They clearly love that retro-70’s rock guitar aesthetic but stylistically they haven’t quite found themselves. However they are well on their way to being the next big power pop band.

Credit goes to a Power Popaholic reader for turning me on to this Swedish band with a super eclectic pop style. Dynamo Bliss was formed in 2005 in Umeå, Sweden by Mikael Sandström (vocals, guitars), Stefan Olofsson (vocals, bass) and Peter Olofsson (drums, percussion). They perform a blend of progressive pop that draws heavily from classic rock, jazz, folk and psychedelia.

Opening with a classical grand piano and synth altered harmonies on “Junk/Fear of Clouds” it sounds like a lost 10cc track for the first 2 minutes, and then transforms into a Dire Straits styled rocker. The wondrous “No Sense In It” has a compelling series of chords with a Zombies/Beach Boys styled harmony in the chorus. The bands’ gift of melody is no accident, as both Stefan and Peter had been in a Beatles cover band prior to Dynamo Bliss. “Closer To The Heart” adds a bit of Pink Floyd atmospherics, before we get to the gorgeous vocal harmonies, theremin and strumming guitar. The ballad “Thin Air” brings us a Dark Side of The Moon styled guitar solo sure to impress.

“Bird of Passage” recalls Alan Parsons and Genesis in spots, and an awesome electronic clavichord meeting a Spanish guitar is featured in “White Cherry Hill.” Being a pop-prog album it does have a tendency to meander in long elaborate passages well over 4 minutes on several songs. But that’s okay, 21st Century Junk is one great headphones album that deserves attention. Don’t miss it.

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I don’t know how I missed this one last year, but I heard the gorgeous harmonies on the Japanese Relief Compliation and knew they deserved a review. This Swansea UK based band is a trio of vocalists: Christian Phillips, Ryan Aston and Tim Hamill. Opening with the slick “Someday Maybe” it recalls the heyday of the boy band era (which is still very popular in Japan).

What makes these “boys” stand out is a concentration on catchy melody with superior a cappella skills. On the terrific single “You’ll Never Be Happy,” it sounds like the second coming of The Wondermints. “Make Do” is another gem with a vintage lounge feel, and you’ll hear techniques of The Beach Boys harmonics in the backing vocals. The piano ballad “For You” slows things down to a crawl, but “Somewhere Else” builds to a gorgeous chorus that would make Roger Manning, Jr. proud. “The Only One” and “For All That I Know” don’t quite make it to that level of memorability, but does make it comparable to the power pop band, Taxiride. There are far too few of these masterful harmonic bands out there, so this is a welcome addition.

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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.