I finally was able to get in touch with one of my favorite artists, XTC’s Andy Partridge and get to him some questions that I have been itching to ask for a while now. We talk about his own label Ape House and was there another Dukes of The Stratosphere album in the works? Click on our artist interviews section to find out or view the Andy Partridge interview here.
Author: powerpopaholic
The Hillary Step and Ward White
The Hillary Step “Note 2 Self”
The Hillary Step (Rob Schiffmann and Jon Rothstein) continue to work melodic magic on ‘Note 2 Self’. The wonderful opener “Tell Me You Love Me” works its masterful chorus into your head effortlessly with smart key changes at just the right moment. The guitar compositions on “All I’ve Got” and especially “Answers” are reminiscent of The Rembrandts in spots.
It shifts gears with a piano ballad in “For The Moment,” with its captivating acoustic solo at the break. And the ballads really resonate, like the son’s plea to his father on “What Are We Waiting For” and “Quietness Of Love” – both full of emotion and honest lyrics. The compositions vary in style, but it’s impossible to dismiss the quality of these songs. Fans of Andrew Gold and Dan Fogelberg will also enjoy this immensely.
CD Baby | Amazon | The Hillary Step Site
Ward White “Done With The Talking Cure”
White is a Brooklyn, NY based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. The title track is part Bowie and part Byrds wrapped in a soulful operatic tenor. Next, the sarcastic “Change Your Clothes” is where White’s style most reminds me of Stephen Trask. “Radio Silence” has an effective Beatles guitar riff and catchy chorus.
Frequent collaborator Joe McGinty does some keyboards here, and if you liked the duos album, this seems like a natural addition. The Scott Walker – Burt Bacharach influence is over most of the latter tracks, with light string arrangements on each track. The nicely baroque “1964” has neat hand claps and harpsichord melody. White is a gifted vocalist with a distinct voice and musical stories that beg to be heard.
wardwhite.net | CD Baby
Kip Boardman and Alan Bernhoft
Kip Boardman “The Long Weight”
Raised in the northeast on a healthy diet of Jimmy Webb and Rolling Stones, Kip Boardman is a longtime guitar player with style similar to Harry Nillson or Paul Simon. Starting with “All Fall Down” it’s all a low key affair, with sparse guitar arrangements.
The horns and female choral accents on “Runnin’ Right” is like discovering a lost Stevie Wonder-Steely Dan collaboration. “How Could We Guess” is another standout here, along with piano ballads like “Wonderin'” and “This Too Shall Pass.” The songs have a fine Randy Newman styled narrative, but it’s all a bit too laid back for me. Like a gentle summers day, it may be perfectly relaxing or put you to sleep. Definitely worth exploring though.
KipBoardman.com | CD Baby | Amazon | Itunes
Alan Bernhoft “Beatlesque Three”
As a Beatles tribute band, Alan Bernhoft has become quite a cottage industry amongst the fans of the Liverpool legends. After the first two volumes concentrate on the Beatles career before 1966, we move on in time with ‘Beatlesque 3’.
It gingerly starts with “Sunny Sky,” a Rubber Soul styled number and the choruses here are a bit more challenging. This works better on “Everybody Smiles” where Alan does his best Ringo vocal imitation. “Civilization” has a Lennon styled vocal that mimics “Mind Games” and we then move into the Mystery Tour era with a string of verbs that describe how “Bored” our singer is. Alan hits his stride here, and other standouts include “Miss Vonnie” and the Pepperish “Colliding Circles.”
Facebook | CD Baby
Ari Shine "Ghost Town Directory"
Ari Shine has racked up plenty of miles on the road, opening for artists like Rhett Miller, John Doe, Hugh Cornwell of the Stranglers, Redd Kross, Silversun Pickups, the Donnas, Liam Finn and many others. Ari’s new album is a product of this experience. “All I’ve Got Is Love” is polished single that incorporates a a strong melody line with power chords aplenty. “Against The Night” and “It’s A Go” are also well produced and slick, but don’t resonate as well as the opener. It gets better with the slow building “Here With Me” as he clearly states “…Everything I need is here with me.” Another standout here is the thrilling “One Silver Morning” with it’s energetic beat akin to Golden Earring’s “Radar Love.” But here it’s updated with Shine’s earthy vocals and swirling guitar riffs.
Little touches on “Better Any day” and “Refuge In You” pull it above standard material here, however the remaining songs fail to approach the intensity of “One Silver Morning.” Overall a good album, but you get the sense that Ari maybe tries too hard on some of the more commercial sounding tracks. Where he shines is on openly melodic stuff like the bonus track “Ship In A Bottle.”
Cirrone "Uplands Park Road"
From Sicily, Italy with power pop love, we meet three brothers: Alessandro (vocal, guitar), Bruno (vocal, bass) and Mirko Cirrone (vocal, guitar) joined by Ferdinando Piccoli (drums) to form the band Cirrone. Formerly The Apple Scruffs, the band has successfully blended the retro influences to today’s rock sound. Full of tight harmonies and strong guitar riffs, it’s one of the best albums I’ve heard this year.
The band’s Beatlesque sound is leveraged with strong composition on the opener “Here Is My Song.” The next tune is the glorious title track, and echos of both Badfinger and The Hudson Brothers will give chills down your spine for sure. “I Still Remember” is a power ballad with a slow build to a riff heavy ending and “Let The Wind Blow” chugs along with it’s Big Star/Wings slide guitar solo and delicate chorus. Every track here is a winner with no obvious weak spots, as we hit the albums second side “Brand New Life” is a majestic uplifting ballad that ends with a solid guitar outro. “How Does It Feel” adds some horn flourishes to this sunshine-filled tune. I could keep going, but odds are if you read this blog, you’ll love this album. Easy spot near the top ten of 2011 for best album of the year.
P.S. I also got the opportunity to interview Mirko Cirronefor the occasion.