Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Wesley Fuller and The Successful Failures

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Wesley Fuller

Wesley Fuller “Inner City Dream”

Wesley Fuller is an Australian singer/songwriter multi-instrumentalist and producer, who quickly received national attention with the release of his debut EP, Melvista. With a sound rooted in the late 70s and early 80s pop, this full-length debut is everything promised and more. Fuller reveals a growing maturity both technically and melodically, as you’ll hear influences from The Talking Heads, The Cars, The Bay City Rollers and Electric Light Orchestra.

The opening title track “Inner City Dream” is a glorious combo of T-Rex and Jeff Lynne. “Someone To Walk Around With” is another catchy gem lead by guitar riffs and tambourines, that reminds me of the hit that Jet scored with “Are You Gonna Be My Girl.” The 70’s cowbell and fuzz bass are joined by heavy synths in the equally amazing “Skyways,” but its honestly impossible to find any filler throughout the album. Another highlight is the infectious “#1 Song” about pop star dreams and “the chance of a lifetime.” Each song boasts a modern production sheen, with a finely crafted sense of pop songwriting – making the results pretty damn incredible. Overall the music varies in tone enough, with mid-tempo love songs reaching the album’s second half on “Wish You Would” and “Miranda Says” contrasting with the heavy anthemic and danceable first half. Makes my year-end top ten for 2017. Don’t miss it!

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The Successful Failures

The Successful Failures “Ichor of Nettle”

The Successful Failures’ sixth LP, “Ichor of Nettle,” adds more roots rock influence to its power pop core. Fans of Tom Petty, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gram Parsons, and Cheap Trick will appreciate the band’s sound. Opening with “The Ballad of Julio Cuellar,” a real-life tale of illegal immigration with a sympathetic Julio “left to die” by his smuggler.

The hard-charging riffs of “Misguiding Light” are more of what we expect from Mick Chorba’s band, and its a great tune. My favourite on this album is the folk hero story “Sam Houston,” who was a “…Southern Democrat who followed his own rules.” It’s a great combination of melody, grit and Americana. The bluegrass acoustic “Tennessee Boy” is a romantic gem with a standout mandolin solo and great blue-collar anthems “PA Fight Song” and “The Shit That Drags You Down” are also highlights. A few missteps, like the plodding “The Devil Took A Liking To Me” and “All Rise” but at best these songs just aren’t as compelling as the earlier songs on this album. Highly Recommended.

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Shake Some Action and Richard Turgeon

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Shake Some Action

Shake Some Action “Crash Through Or Crash”

Shake Some Action (aka James Hall) returned this past summer with his shimmering Byrdsian jangle guitar pop, and its the perfect antidote for the fall chill. We strum our way through 14 tracks, starting with “Waiting For The Sun,” a soothing and fast-paced single. “The Only Way is Up” and “Secrets and Lies” boast simple, put powerful lyrics with Jagger-like vocal swagger. The customary leading power pop riff is the basis for the melody in “Bang Bang” and the style of composition varies enough so we get both consistency and unpredictability.

Some tracks are just the typical Shake Some Action sound, like “Starting Again” and others have a more melodic wrinkle, like the excellent “Paraphernalia.” Slowing things down we get the psychedelic “Under the Sun and the Moon” and the Kinkisan rockers “I Don’t Think So” and “It Goes Like This.” Overall, a successful and memorable LP that is highly recommended.

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Richard Turgeon

Richard Turgeon “In Between the Spaces”

San Francisco musical Richard Turgeon released this surprisingly entertaining album earlier this year. The highlight is the first track; the rocking “Bigfoot’s An Alien” with a big fat hook in the chorus. Turgeon’s heavy fuzz guitar style is similar to Jeff Shelton (The Well Wishers) in approach with a touch of REM styled jangle.

The dense production on “Bad Seed” also highlights some nice harmonies and lyrics as he asks “What am I lacking to seduce you?” Another highlight here is “I’m 30” a confession of appreciation to parents from a prodigal son. A veiled political message is a part of “The Candidate” with the dangers of following a “Superman with no soul.” Not everything works, but enough does to make this album an enjoyable listen. Plus as a bonus, Richard has been busy delivering four FREE downloadable singles since the LP’s initial release.

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FREEBIES FROM RICHARD!

Liam Gallagher and The Brixton Riot

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Liam Gallagher

Liam Gallagher “As You Were”

Those in need of an Oasis fix certainly need look no further. Where Noel got high flying, Liam has stayed grounded and put the mantle of Oasis on his shoulders with all the John Lennon influences intact, albeit less retro than his previous work on Beady Eye. This is in fact the best post-Oasis work of either Gallagher. Ad: Great discounts and offers are now available from CouponsMonk.

“Wall of Glass” delivers the upbeat echo and solid beat, Liam’s vocal stands out on each song here. One of the early gems “Greedy Soul” is very catchy and is a great tune to work out to. Other highlights include “Paper Clown”, “For What It’s Worth”, “Universal Gleam,” “Chinatown” and “I’ve All I Need.” Overall there are no filler tunes, with a good balance of rockers and ballads and most every track had my full attention. As Liam states “sometimes we lose our way,” so I’m glad he’s back and free from Noel’s shadow. With so few “mainstream” power pop artists left in the public eye, it is nice to have that brief spotlight. Highly Recommended.

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The Brixton Riot

The Brixton Riot “Close Counts”

Veteran New Jersey power-pop band The Brixton Riot deliver “Close Counts,” their sophomore LP release, a bit older, wiser and definitely louder. The band’s influences are a diverse group from The Jam, The Replacements, Elvis Costello and Nirvana. The openers “Can’t Stop Now” and “Slow Evolution” boast driving percussion and steady guitar melodies. The more subtle “Hector Quasar” is a bit like The Lemonheads, and the fuzzy jangle of “The Ballad of Pete Best” is a fun tribute to the ex-Beatle drummer “who should’ve learned to play the guitar.”

The faster, grungier guitars of “Maybe Tomorrow” are contrasted by the optimistic vocals as there is no drop off in the quality of musicianship on the album’s second half.  “Little Spark” about the love of music on vinyl and boomboxes, and “Talk About Nothing” are resonant rockers about being “so bored.” But you will not be bored because this is damn good power pop. Overall, the lack of consistent hooks brings this album down a notch, but as the title states, close counts and this music definitely deserves to be heard.

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No Tricks, Lots of Treats (Singles and EPs)

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The Connection “(Its A) Monsters’ Holiday”
One of our favorite bands has a timely holiday single available, so give “The Monster Mash” a break and try this NEW classic.

The Zags are back! Portland artist David Ricardo delivers a monster single in “A World Away,” a really catchy gem! And it’s a FREE download!


Stay “Always Here”
Brilliant jangle psyche-pop from Minneapolis, Minnesota also delves in a few covers like The Bee Gees “Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You” and The Kinks “Where Have All The Good Times Gone.” Produced By Owen Morris and featuring guitarist Andy Bell on “You Know It’s Right.” Highly Recommended.


Walty “I’m in Love With Everything”
Philly band goes all over the place from New Wave, Disco, Hard Rock and everything in between. Variety is the spice of this EP.

Hidden in the vaults of Capricorn Records USA for over 50 years, we found lost ’60s band Stone Ridge only has a single available. Fortunately for us, we also have a tribute EP featuring Vinnie Zumo, Jose Estragos and Joe Ricardello (The Modulators) that really make that song shine. And no trick folks, it’s Power Popaholic’s treat; A FREE download for your goodie bag!

The Stanleys and The Sighs

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The Stanleys

The Stanleys “The Stanleys”

The Stanleys, a power pop band from Perth, Western Australia have a sound solidly rooted in the late ’70s and early ’80s. The band is Mark Di Renzo (Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar, Keyboards), Jamie Horsburgh (Guitars, Vocals), and Tomas Dahl (Drums, Guitars, Vocals). Fans of The Rubinoos, The Producers and The Modulators will simply love this. I reviewed the group’s debut EP years ago and now that has been incorporated into this full release. The opener “Amy” is a perfect example, with its fast tempo and hook-filled riffs that just beg for repeat plays. “Cigarette Glow” is another infectious gem, oozing style with its layered crunchy guitars.

Earlier songs fit right in, with standout “My World,” full of fuzz and jangle. It would pass for an oldie if not for all the lyrics that mentioning “clicking a mouse” and “Facebook.” Another notable track is the very timely “Hefner” coming recently after the Playboy mogul’s passing, which looks back in envy at his life, “the old guy’s got it made,” croons lead singer Di Renzo. Another song “Say You Will” has some nice harmonies and key changes. One pet peeve I had was the mixing, that tends to make the vocals blend into the rhythm a little too much but otherwise, it’s all killer, no filler. Highly Recommended.

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The Sighs

The Sighs “Wait On Another Day”

More than two decades after releasing their last album, The Sighs return with a new full-length album. We premiered the video last month, and the famed Massachusetts band consists of Tom Borawski (drums), Matt Cullen (lead guitar, vocals), Robert LaRoche (lead vocals, guitar) and Tommy Pluta (bass, vocals). The album starts with the foreboding opener “It’s Real” with layered atmospheric production and sharp guitar chords. Fans of late 90’s grunge rock will enjoy this and the follow up “Words Of Love” which has an arena rock feel to it, but it’s not until the title track “Wait On Another Day” that we really get true power pop, with the jangling Rickenbackers and hooky chorus. The strong effort includes the sitar intro and swirling psyche-pop of “Love From Lisa,” one of the strongest songs here with a heavy dose of Beatlesque musical cues. “Summertime Roses” also echoes those Fab roots with its keyboard rhythms and trumpet flourishes.

With all those retro stylings, it still never feels stuck in any one mode, and sounds modern enough to not classify as a nostalgia act. The heavy chords of “Socialite” and “Into The Light” indicate the darker side of pop is part of The Sighs DNA as an alternative rock band that plays great power pop. A live experience ends the album with “Think About Soul” combining both styles into a perfect example of what makes this band special. Check it out if you’re into original music with a twist.

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