Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Blitzen Trapper and Dave Caruso

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Blitzen Trapper

Blitzen Trapper “Wild and Reckless”

Not content to stick to a genre, Blitzen Trapper has landed somewhere between alt. country and roots rock on its latest LP. Lead singer Eric Earley is part Dylan, part Neil Young with a touch of Springsteen and Tom Petty. Opening with “Rebel” it sets up a story of roadside Americana about a young couple, running from the law and other things. The title track sets the grand theme with a terrific guitar riff in the chorus and it has richly layered instrumentation.

With “Forever Pt. 1” it sets up an epic with lush piano,  strings, and beautiful harmonies – but it then settles into the dusty folk narrative “Joanna” and the bouncy “No Man’s Land.” It always seems to tease us into another genre only to tread similar ground. The music is here fairly predictable if you know the band, but you get occasional brilliance on the energetic “Dance With Me,” and the anthemic finale “Wind Don’t Always Blow.”

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Dave Caruso

Dave Caruso “Buddha Pesto Manifesto”

On the opener, “Listen to This,” it actually describes his music “getting stuck in your head.” Caruso then teases you on “Go Ahead (Don’t Listen)” an Elvis Costello-like rocker, and it then draws you into his world with his soft and inviting vocal. What follows is the brilliant pop narrative “Boomer, Jenna & Lennie” a nostalgic story that recalls Andrew Gold mixed with Brian Wilson styled vocals. The easy-going gems “The Girl Who Checks All The Boxes” and “Hanging With You” have enough Beatle-isms to keep it compelling along with its bright catchy melodies.

Each track is a wonderful surprise from the hymn-like harpsichord pop of  “God’s Green Acre” to the 80’s style power pop of “Getting Involved” and “Allendale.” There is plenty of humorous wordplay with the “Punctuating Shatner,” and the heartbreaking “I Get To Make Her Laugh” will make you think about all those class clowns who are crying on the inside. Not a wasted note here and Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik | CD Baby

The Galileo 7 and Mitch Friedman

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The Galileo 7

The Galileo 7 “Tear Your Minds Wide Open!”

This band has always had a solid sixties retro streak, and here they go all in. The opener “Cold Hearted Stowaway” is the brilliant example of Who-inspired mod pop with a catchy chorus that would be a huge national hit if we had a time machine. The driving “Mystery Train” and “Too Much Choice” are fast-paced psyche-pop tunes, mixing Farfisa organ and fuzz guitar. The drummer, only credited as “Mole” effectively channels Keith Moon throughout.

The slower, spiralling tune “The Mask” allows a more deliberative psychedelic experience that builds to a crescendo. In fact, there is not a single dud in the bunch. Hooks are also all over “Tear My Mind Open” and the band’s output is very consistent from the quick R&B influenced “The Habit Machine” to the multi-melodic “Your Face Tomorrow” which flirts with Prog Rock. There are great retro gems all over this album, fans of similar “Rainbow Quartz” styled bands like The Above or The Grip Weeds will love this. Highly Recommended. Note: This is a recommended as an mp3 purchase. The vinyl LP/CD combo only in terms of the physical product was essentially sold out, but its expected to re-press in January.

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Mitch Friedman

Mitch Friedman “Breaking Muse”

Mitch Friedman kind of positions himself as a geeky pop singer/songwriter, like a combination of They Might Be Giants and Allan Sherman. And I’ve enjoyed his Game Show Teeth which showcased some good songwriting and wonderful guest instrumentalists (John Dunbar, Joe McGinty, Dave Gregory, Andy Partridge.) On his latest LP Breaking Muse, Mitch is purely solo.

Musically it’s sparse, the lyrics comment on transgender celebrities (“Center of Attention”), baldness (“It Won’t Be Long Now”) and diets (“What’s On Your Plate”). It plays a lot like a kids album for sad grown-ups. And while some tunes here have catchy appeal like “The Popcorn Tree” and “You Get By,” on the whole, it falls short. However, the dystopian “Results” is an appealing composition that does hit the mark when it comes to pure cynicism. Mitch’s muse might be broken but hopefully, he can get a little crazy glue and fix things next time.

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The Perms and Mo Troper

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The Perms

The Perms “Miracle”

On their 7th studio release, The Perms have hit their stride, concentrating on hook-filled rock and roll. “Julie” opens things up with a catchy chorus, and the bands punk roots show through on the anthemic “Be Alright,” with a positive attitude that flows through the song. But the big hit here is a grand mid-tempo love song “Lose Yourself” with a combination of fuzz guitar and bright synth rhythms. The songs are all short and sweet, with plenty stylistic variety. The band gradually delivers a harder rock sound on “Think Less,” “Wanted You To Know” and “Busy Izzy.” Fans of Cheap Trick will appreciate much of this.

The immediacy of the music is evident, and on “Now November” lead singer Shane Smith intones “I know it’s tough, I know we suffered, but life is short. What do we have to lose?” And this album embraces carpe diem throughout its nine tracks. And not a wasted note here, with even the jazzy acoustic ender “Gone.” This is a rare instance where I felt they could have added a few more songs. But quality is more important than quantity and musically this is damn good. Highly Recommended.

CD Baby | Amazon

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Mo Troper

Mo Troper “Exposure & Response”

Portland songwriter Mo Troper is a skilled power pop musician with a real gift for catchy melody and biting emotive lyrics. Fans of both Superdrag and Wyatt Funderburk will find a lot here to love. Here the hooks are flying fast and stick in your head quickly. The album is a bundle of demoralizing frustrations and cynical solutions, starting with the choral harmonies of “Rock and Roll Will Change The World,” it’s hope is dashed by the next song “Your Brand.” A rich mantra, where marketing your tragedy is all part of being a musician.

The centerpiece here,“The Poet Laureate of Neverland” adds horns and strings to the mid-tempo guitar chorus that states the conceit that artists can’t grow up and “never have to reminisce if you never move on.” Some of these tunes are just too quick (under 2 minutes) but they still stick; “Tow Truck” is a quick gem, “Wedding” is a Beach Boys parody, “Jumbotron” sounds like a lost Teenage Fanclub demo and the self-critical “Clear Frames” is another fantastic ear-worm. Troper stated in an interview, “I want my songs to get stuck in people’s heads.” Mission Accomplished. Makes my top ten list this year.

CD Baby | Amazon

International Pop Overthrow Vol.20

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IPO Vol.20

When I started reviewing IPO compilations, it was always a special time of year to listen to the new talent that IPO’s David Bash found throughout the globe. And over the past 20 years, IPO has grown to encompass 14 festivals all over the world. From New York to Tel Aviv it has become an institution in the power pop milieu, and a rite-of-passage for many artists seeking a dedicated fan base.

Disc 1:
The Top Boost starts us off with the impressive “What If She Loves You,” but many more good songs are here, my early favorites include Lannie Flowers “Kiss A Memory,” Diamond Hands “Just Another Day” and the Beatlesque “I Don’t Know You Now” by Slyboots. Some interesting debuts too; The Harriets “The Hangers On,” the jangling Lunchbox “Everybody Knows” and  The Shamus Twins “You’ll Never Take Her Heart.” If you enjoy 10cc, you’ll love “My Soft Rock Girlfriend” by Blake Jones & The Trike Shop.

Disc 2:
The jangle-tastic Jimmy Haber’s “Chelsea” injects some fresh energy here, but the rookies are what stand out a bit more. Steve Rosenbaum gives us the rare love song for married folk “Kiss My Wife,” the new band Nine Violets “I Will Let You Down” is a catchy gem, and The Tearaways do a damn fine turn on “That’s Rock!” Many bands have those classic ’60s influences, like The Vinylos, Shplang, and New Mystery Girl. Others lean more towards modern folk-pop like Sue Hedges “Two Nearly Touching Hearts,” or Swiss rockers Jengi get more garage-style on “Rod Stewart.”

Disc 3:
The variety is more apparent as the discs are pretty equal in quality, even though by the time we get to the third disc the names are less familiar. Starting with the great harmonies of Crickle’s psyche-pop “Penelope Please” and then Caper Clown’s bouncy “Pockets,” both sound very fresh. More standouts include Leslie Pereira and The Lazy Heroes “Fly Like A Bird,” the very cool sound of The JetBeats “Top Of The Line,” and the glammy Viewers Of “Who’ll Be The One.” Some selections do push the boundaries of the genre, where you really can’t say they represent power pop at all. But the musical quality is what makes this collection an improvement over last year. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

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Chris Lund, Rich McCulley and The Spinto Band

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Chris Lund

Chris Lund “Great Event Syndrome”

Chris Lund is best known for his work with Lund Bros, who have an impressive discography of excellent guitar-oriented rock, so it’s no surprise that Great Event Syndrome boasts all the right influences. Although a DIY record was done in his home studio, it sounds amazing due to Lund’s attention to detail.”Tell Me” is a very Cheap Trick-styled opener with its thick guitar hooks and overlapping solos. “The Path” is loaded with musical ideas and almost prog styled, anchored by the acoustic strum and “Glimpse” is a solid Badfinger styled rocker with a jangling chorus and sizzling solo. But the golden nugget here is “700 Miles,” a perfect amalgam of Beatles/Big Star sound, and one of the best songs of the year IMHO.

Chris packs a lot into each song, so repeat listens are required to fully appreciate the juxtaposition of chords, solos, and harmonies. The next several tracks all have great moments, especially “Remember The Daze” with its reminiscing chorus and terrific solo break. Other standouts include “What’s Her Name,” the Led Zeppelin-like folk song “The Juice” and dense pop closer “Fare Well.” Overall, a great power pop album that is highly recommended.

CD Baby | Kool Kat Musik

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Rich McCulley

Rich McCulley “Out Along The Edges”

Roots rocker Rich McCulley is still finding new inspiration as he writes of both love and loss, good and not so good, hard and better times. With his distinctive gravelly voice, he opens with the emotional “Hey Trouble” about the “broken ties that bind” and the fine guitar melody of “Eventually” really grows on you.

The strong “Burn A Hole In The Sky” recalls Tom Petty with its defiant attitude. McCulley leaves his Americana style and tries blues-pop on “Pilot,” jangle pop on “Sinking Sun” and the brilliant look back at NYC “Midtown” and wondering where all the record stores are. Another satisfying album that deserves to be heard. 

CD Baby | Amazon

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The Spinto Band

Re-issue Spotlight:
 The Spinto Band “Nice and Nicely Done”

Wilmington, Delaware’s The Spinto Band is possibly planning a comeback, but in the meanwhile it has re-issued 2006’s Nice and Nicely Done, chock full of B-sides and rare tracks. Their geeky pop sound has been influenced by The Talking Heads, and fans of Field Music, They Might Be Giants and Neural Milk Hotel will enjoy the quirky energy.

Vocalist Nick Krill does have a David Byrne-like vocal he uses to great effect on the mandolin heavy “Oh Mandy.” A lot of highlights, including “Crack the Whip,” “Direct to Helmet” and Pavement-like “Trust Vs. Mistrust.” If you missed it back then, I would revisit it now as it has aged very well. Highly Recommended.

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