powerpopaholic, Author at Powerpopholic

Fallon Cush "s/t"

May 2, 2011July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

A group of accomplished studio vets from Australia recorded this debut album and had it mastered at Abbey Road Studios. Fallon Cush is fronted by Steve Smith, and joined by Scott Aplin (keyboards,) Matt Galvin (lead guitar,) Bill Gibson (bass) and drummers Josh Schuberth and Bert Thomson. Smith has a cadence similar to Tom Petty and/or Mike Viola and the album displays an easy-going pop jangle on most songs.

“Tiny Town” starts things out as a mid-tempo rocker and I hear a little Dylan meets McCartney on the brilliant “Over Me” with a solid guitar solo in the break. Another gem is the majestic ballad “The Trouble with a Moonlit Night” that Sir Paul would approve of. The production is full and clean, and stylistically matches well except the faux-Elvis Costello like “Where You Been.” The strong guitar strums of “Dog Day Afternoon” leads you down a wonderful melodic path and its my favorite track on the album. It ends with “Disintegrate,” a dramatic guitar and organ jam that fades off in the final minutes. Influences from The Beatles and Byrds are most prominent, and that’s a real good thing for lovers of classic rock. A very rewarding and mesmerizing listen.

My Space | CD Baby

“The Trouble With A Moonlit Night” by Fallon Cush

Supraluxe and Alan Hampton

April 29, 2011July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic

Supraluxe “The Super Sounds of Supraluxe”
After a few albums finding their sound, this Minnesota band has found its sweet spot. The lush melodies and classical influences are on unabashed display from its simple acoustic and xylophone opener “Every Little Piece.” The pastoral chord structures on “Lester Bangs” are just infectious. The soft baroque vocal and arpeggio on “When You’re Down” recall The Left Banke at its most winsome. Fans of the 70’s California sound will really enjoy “Go Nowhere,” it’s a real gem of steady rhythm and twanging guitar.

The band goes retro most of the LPs second half. On “New York City’s Not Alright,” its a tune that recalls both The Animals and The Doors. Every song has an angle, and a solid catchy hook as well. A really great epic tune is “Nail Biter,” with its combination of organ, synths, guitars that lead to a gorgeous instrumental outro. My only critique here is that the vocals seemed pushed too much to the background. But the emotions and lyrics for each song shine through and make this release a huge success.

CDBaby | Amazon | Bandcamp | Emusic

Alan Hampton “The Moving Sidewalk”
Fans of David Mead should really get a closer look at Mr. Hampton. The lush melodies and a simple acoustic guitar is basically all he needs. “Staring At The Sun” has some light strings to support his sweet voice and sunny rhythm. A certain single is “Change Your Mind” with its halting strum and cascading chorus. “Loud and Clear” introduces some rock riffs into the chorus, and some nice vocal harmonies too. “Where Did You Go?” has a slow Spectorish hand clapped beat with some nice guitar distortions in the main hook.

A few songs don’t quite make it, but are easy to skip. There are plenty of gems here like “Oh My God” which may be the best Paul Simon song he never wrote. This is sophisticated pop with a slightly jazzy feel that makes it easy to recommend.

alanhampton.com | Amazon

DIY Projects: Stratocruiser and The Smith Brothers

April 28, 2011July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic

Recently I noticed after I posted Robert Harrison’s effort to get funding for a re-release on Cotton Mather’s “Kontiki,” other bands are using Kickstarter to fund upcoming albums. With the sad state of the music business, this is like an oasis in the desert for bands looking for funding. Currently Stratocruiser and The Smith Brothers are starting funding projects. I will display the videos on our DIY Projects page along with other visual and audio goodies. Take a look and donate if you can!

The Power Popaholic Interview: Richard X. Heyman

April 28, 2011December 4, 2024 powerpopaholic

It’s been over 4 years since I last interviewed Richard X. Heyman, so I felt with his new release “Tiers and Other Stories,” it would be helpful to dig into his story here. This was an informative and relaxed conversation about Richard’s experiences on making the album and his brief experience as drummer for The Left Banke (during the 1980’s at an aborted attempt at a reunion).

Devlin Murphy "Chuck Bird"

April 26, 2011July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic

In 2007 the talented Devlin Murphy had a pretty impressive debut and since that time he’s been collecting songs for this new release. A funky “Till The Sun” is a good commercial pop tune, as with the multi-tracked background vocals on the follow up “Hey Love.” Then a perfect spring tune shows up in “Sunshine.” It bounces along with uplifting chords that carry the melody along. It reminds me of Roger Manning, Jr. until the reggae rhythm starts on “It’s Love Love.”

The stylistic changes show Devlins’ development (or boredom) here, but the pay off is the excellent piano ballad “Back To You” with its awesome hook in the chorus. Another big standout here is “Ask ‘n’ Ask” with a great mix of modern pop balladry and soul. My big issue is that although all the songs are well written, the production is inconsistent. Frequently he abuses AutoTune (“Not A Hero”) and a few tunes sound overproduced (“When Its Over”). But fans of Jellyfish styled pop may forgive this, as there are plenty of gems here. With a little tweaking I feel Devlin can be a major star.

devlinmurphy.com | CD Baby