powerpopaholic, Author at Powerpopholic

Eureka Machines and Barnett Gurley

October 9, 2009April 4, 2018 powerpopaholic

Barnett Gurley “Evidence”
Barnett-Gurley are Mike Barnett and Dennis Gurley. These are your basic mid-western Beatles fetishists, with a ton of great songwriting smarts and gentle harmonies. They reminded me a lot of an updated Buffalo Springfield for the new century. Opening up with “Elusive Smile” and “Need A Little Sunshine” the duo is at it’s most Beatlesque. The vocals are eerily reminiscent of Rick Nelson, if he played on The Byrds “Sweetheart Of The Radio.” They actually repeat “She’s a Mystery” with each player doing his own version. “Jingle Jangle” is exactly what you think it is, full of big “ole hooks and harmonica to a Wilbury-like melody. There are hints of Dylan here on “The One Thing” and “A Little At A Time,” sometimes the vocals don’t quite match the quality of the guitar work, but with songs this good it’s easy to forgive. Fans of The Jayhawks, Wilburys and Graham Parsons will love this album and especially if you miss the sound of George Harrison’s slide guitar.

MySpace | CD Baby | Kool Kat Musik

Eureka Machines “Do Or Die”
Based in Leeds, England the band Eureka Machines are a force to be reckoned with. This is power pop with an accent on the power – a sonic assault that is as hard as barbed wire and sticky as glue. Opening with “Scream Eureka” it bathes us in a Queen-like harmony-filled intro and then knock your socks off faster than Supergrass. If someone decided that Queens of The Stone Age needed to sound more like the Beatles, well you got your wish on “Being Good Is Okay, But Being Bad Is Better.” The combo of buzz saw guitars and melodies are the best I’ve heard since Extreme. The piano intro and cascading chorus on “Red Wine Smile” effortlessly splices rock and pop into a memorable epic track. The bombast of “Everyone Loves You” gets a little cliche, but “Going Down” is the most Supergrass-like, hook filled and sweet here. Lead singer Chris Catalyst used to run Sisters of Mercy, so the operatic metal atmosphere and his somber vocals are best remembered on “She Sings To Me.” By the albums end we are treated to a stunning theatrical finale in “The Light At The End of The Tunnel.” This is a head bangers pop album that you can play with the windows down. Get a FREE mp3 track of this videos song here.

MySpace | Eureka Machines Site | Amazon | Lala

Jeff Larson "Heart Of The Valley"

October 8, 2009April 4, 2018 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

It’s the welcome return of Jeff Larson. This time rather than just having America’s Gerry Beckley do a few songs, the album is more of a mutual collaboration. The combination of Beckley’s songwriting and Larson’s sweet guitar/vocals are just magic together. The memorable adult contemporary songs are lead by the stellar “Heart of the Valley” – with a catchy hook and lovely Jeff Foskett outro. The collaboration of the Larson/Beckley vocal combo is best shared on the next track “Sudden Soldier” with a rich story and musical experience here. The albums theme is the myriad of stories wrapped around travel, beginning with the “Airport Smiles” mini-intro. My favorite on this album is the guitar rich jangle of “Minus Marci” which starts typically, and then bounces into a chorus that’s as catchy as a TV sitcom theme. “Calling” and “Southern Girl” are laid back pop gems in the style of America, and “One Way Ticket” will appeal to fans of Christopher Cross or Dan Fogelberg. The soulful “One Lit Window” is just “classic” Larson. Simply put, every track is a winner here. I knew Jeff was getting close to his musical sweet spot with each successive album, and I think he’s found it here. It makes my top ten this year… nice job, Jeff.

MySpace | CD Baby | Amazon | Not Lame

The Fate Lions and Kram

October 6, 2009April 4, 2018 powerpopaholic

The Fate Lions “Good Enough For You”
The Fate Lions are a musical quartet lead by singer/songwriter Jason Manriquez. The band has a low key indie pop sound that recalls early REM and The Lemonheads, as well as that sleepy Beta Band vibe. Opening up with a fade-in on “Seen It All” is a good start with a catchy rhythm guitar riff that builds to a multi-tracked chorus. The rumbling “Astronaut” is a solid tune that reminds me of Cracker’s “Teen Angst” quite a bit. The 80 and 90’s styled shine is all over the album and there is no denying the bands melodic storytelling ability on “Calendar Girls.” It would help a little if Jason’s vocal was a bit more forceful, but another highlight is the bouncy “Starsign.” The albums theme is a bit melancholy, but the beat never slows to a crawl. Even when a song loses it’s way, like on “The Queen Himself” – the instrumental solos are so good, it keeps things compelling. The lush arrangements keep you hooked all the way through the album, as there isn’t any filler here. The North Texas sound permeates the songs pretty strongly on the albums second half, especially on “Ride The Artifact”. So is it “Good Enough For You?” — if you’re not too demanding here, it definitely is.

MySpace | CD Baby | Lala

Kram “Mix Tape”
Mark Maher of the Australian band Spiderbait, has gone solo under the name of Kram. I heard the impressive single “Silk Suits” and thought this was the second coming of Jet or Rob Zombie. Unfortunately, it was a perfect case for bait and switch in pop music. It turns out “Mix Tape” is a mix of different songs, using different genres of music. So there is a fast rock song, a slow soul tune, a blues jam, etc. Kram’s vocals are perfect for a balls-out rockers like “Good Love” and “Silk Suits.” The other genres don’t fair as well, but few other tracks like “She’s My Girl” and “Long Cold Night” are merely good. The songwriting style on the rest of the album is painfully mediocre, so naturally here I would cherry pick the above mentioned tracks if it gets over to iTunes at some future point. That said – “Good Love” and “Silk Suits” are awesome riff heavy ear candy!

MySpace | Amazon

Josh Fix interviewed on Power Popaholic

October 5, 2009July 9, 2017 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

Recently I got to talk with the talented Josh Fix. With his stunning debut last year, he’s caught the notice of many pop fans. And this year is no different, with an awesome EP follow up “This Town Is Starting To Make Me Angry” – Josh is hard at work on a new album. Click here to read the interview. Or you could click on the “Artist Interviews” button on the right. I’ve once again migrated the interviews section to a new server, so I could properly update photos and other things.

Kevin McAdams "It’s My Time to Lose My Mind"

October 2, 2009April 4, 2018 powerpopaholic

Kevin McAdams (drums/percussion for Elefant, Watchmakers, Maricopa, etc.) writes and sings a series of bouncy modern pop tunes. Elements of Coldplay, ELO and Magnetic Fields are present though most of the albums first half. “Start Over Again” kicks off with a catchy beat and hummable hook in the chorus. The follow up “US vs. World” is a multi-layered pop song that has ELO overtones and a compelling lyric. The piano ballad “Hourglass” is a faux blues tune with waltz-like chorus and a gentle harmony throughout. Another excellent song is “A Different Kind of Love Song” it has proggy roots with a gentle vocal across a sea of “la-la-la” over a steady beat. This song and “The Hustler” both have a little bit of Alan Parsons Project meets Beck feeling. It doesn’t stick to a single formula, or style for long, by “Leave Us Alone” it flirts with electronic dance music a la Sparks. It ends with a really strong piano pounding “My Time” and building to a chorus of “It’s my time… to loose my mind.” Heavy guitar enters on the energetic “Turn The Lights Off,” another good song that bring to mind what Puddle of Mudd would sound like if they knew anything about melody. This is an album that isn’t immediate, but definitely will grow on you after repeated listening.

CD Baby | Lala | Amazon