Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Música en España: Shennon and Lotton, Lukah Boo, Julio Cable

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2016 was a very busy year “across the pond” in Spain – which is a very strong market for power pop artists (Am I right, Kurt Baker?) and continues to produce great music in English and Spanish. A big thanks goes out to Rock Indiana label in Madrid. Here are some of my favorites…

Shennon

Shennon and Lotton “PM Songs”

Guitarist, vocalist and composer Pepe Murgadas and his band (Roque Esteban, Xavier Belda, Pepe Esteban and Ximo Espinosa) are from Valencia, here to fill the world with Beatlesque melodies. His sound is very smooth and romantic with ballads like “Again” and “More Than Life Itself” shine with perfect musicianship. The upbeat mid-tempo songs like “I Saw That Photograph” effortless bring out those catchy hooks and each song here is a winner, without a wasted note. In fact next to my other favorite Beatles-styled bands of 2016, The Weeklings and Radio Days the music is less nostalgic and more modern sounding. The album is all in English and Super Highly Recommended.

Amazon


Lukah Boo

Lukah Boo “La Sombra de Ayer”

The title means “The Shadow of Yesterday” and Lukah Boo (Toni Sáenz) is the lead singer of Madrid-based band The Happy Losers. This is his second solo effort and he still pulls at the heartstrings with his opening guitar ballad “Ocho Y Diez” but most of the album is uptempo power pop like “Huyendo De Ti” and “Hamburgo.” The music has glossy production that recalls mid 80’s pop like on “La Lluvia No Descansa” and “Si No Estas Tu.” The hooks are evident even if you don’t know the words, so check it out. Highly Recommended.

Amazon


Julio Cable

Julio Cable “Centramina, Beatles y Mazinger Z”

More Beatles huh? Well yeah but this artist has a bit more Pete Townshend, than Fab Four in his blood. Julio Cable is a guitarist from Cádiz and formed the band Los Fundo Los Mundos in the late 80’s. The powerful riffs crash through on the opener “Farmacia de guardia” and the solid follow up “Sin Hablar.” The combo of guitar lines on “Para volver a ti” and “ooh ooh” backing chorus is the closest the band gets to The Beatles, but he has more in common with “The King of Power Pop” Paul Collins. Highly Recommended.

Bandcamp only

A shout out and Diamond Hands

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The amount of music I missed this year is staggering, and its been sensory overload with lists from my fellow bloggers. A big thank you goes out to my fellow active music critics in the power pop community who made year-end lists; Absolute Powerpop, Pop That Goes Crunch, Pop Fair, Power Pop Station, Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio and of course, IPO’s David Bash. Note the albums that appear in all of our lists, these are the gems you should get first. My goal is to check out and review some of the higher ranked LPs that I missed or just didn’t review in 2016, until the 2017 releases pour in.

 

 

The Unswept

Diamond  Hands “Diamond Hands”

By far it seems one of the biggest releases I missed was this debut album from the band “Diamond Hands.” This L.A. band is the duo of Jon Flynn and Joel Wall and they have an uncanny knack for melody and retro-influenced instrumentation all under 3 minutes. “Not The Same” brings the jangle and hook to the front and the follow up “Maybe Tomorrow” is even better with its Beatlesque chorus and tight harmonies. They break out the cowbell for the Raspberries-like “See You Again,” even though lyrically its very basic. So many highlights here, “Just Another Day” brings back the Rickenbacker and the rolling piano on “Come Home” is like RAM-era McCartney. No filler – all killer here. It would’ve been wedged into my top ten and its a FREE download, so no excuses – get it now!

Amazon | Bandcamp

NRBQ and The Flywheels

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NRBQ

NRBQ “High Noon: A 50-Year Retrospective”

NRBQ is one of those bands that anyone can latch onto, often called “the world’s greatest bar band,” it never sticks to a single genre; Americana, Rock, Jazz, R&B, Rockabilly and Power Pop are all over the course of its 40 year plus career. Formed in 1967 by pianist Terry Adams and guitarist Steve Ferguson it set itself apart with its a easy going, and heartfelt style. Another amazing thing is that Adams musical vision for NRBQ has stayed consistent over the years despite numerous line-up changes.

This four disc set encompasses all the best of the band, and its multiple styles. This is an instant record collection over the course of 106 songs spread out across the five CDs. From their progressions, melodies, lyrics, production, and overall musicianship, NRBQ is truly an American original. Not every song here will be your favorite, but I guarantee you’ll hear somthing to make you smile as this music grows on you faster than a chia pet on steroids. My pick for favorite box set of 2016.

Amazon


The Flywheels “I’m For The Flowers”

Responding to a fan online, I checked out this San Francisco band. A good find, as they have John Moremen on lead guitar, and the jangly, melodic tunes of the Flywheels echo the essence of such hallowed power-pop combos as Big Star, Badfinger and the Flamin’ Groovies. Originally funded through Kickstarter, this album boasts a dense psych-pop sound, and lots of famous guests contributed (Scott McCaughey, Peter Buck, Dennis Diken, Allen Clapp, etc.)

The opener “Hello Cruel World” and the piano jangle gem “Counting to Eleven” recalls The Bangles or The Corner Laughers. You hear Allen Clapp (Orange Peels) clearly on “Needle of Sunshine” and the huge guitar jam of “Red Tail Lights” is another highlight. Lead singer Kim Wonderley is the glue that holds everything together, her soothing vocal on “Let Me Take You Down (To The Sea)” is a great blend of production and melody. The tracks that don’t feature her vocals suffer in comparison. Still so much great music is here, from the riffs on the wild title track to the punkish “Astronaut Motel.” Highly Recommended.

CD Baby | Amazon

The Connection and Pseudonym

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The Connection

The Connection “Just For Fun”

A sweet holiday gift from The Connection – this new set of covers is Just For Fun, as the band paying homage to their musical heroes. Some of these tunes are right up the band’s alley, like using the Johnny B. Goode template for Bob Seger’s “Get Out Of Denver.” Some classics including “Teenage News” (Sylvain Sylvain), “No Expectations” (Rolling Stones), and “Southern Girls” (Cheap Trick) make for a great listen. Even oldies like “I Can Read Between The Lines” by Gary Lewis and The Playboys have a distinct Merseybeat feel, and because many songs aren’t automatically familiar, there’s little predictability. Like the title says, these guys are just having a good time and after listening to these tunes you will too.

Amazon


Pseudonym

Pseudonym “Pack Of Lies”

California Musician Paul Desjarlais with his friends (aka Pseudonym) deliver one of the better LPs this year with Pack of Lies.  Each track is a reminiscing on a painful breakup, guitarist Waylan Solo offers up an interesting story in the “liner notes” on the Bandcamp page related to it. He knows what we power poppers will gravitate to right away, but listen through the entire album to get a better understanding of the story. Its a slow build from the first isolated vocal track of “I’m Fine” to the jangling guitar on “All The Little Things.”

The combo of fuzz bass and harmonies work great on “I Don’t Care About Love,” plus the easy going melody on “Victimless Crime” is super catchy. Then a trio of slow tempo ballads starting with “Don’t Leave Me This Way” show the isolation of the songwriter, but things go back to rocking mode on “Lorraine” and “Round and Round.” On “Foreign Talk” the beat quickens even more, reminding me of The Cure. Overall an excellent album, and on top of all this its a FREE download until Jan. 1st (then buy it on Amazon). Highly Recommended.

Amazon

George Usher and Lions In The Street

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George Usher “The End And The Beginning: 1990-2009”

Described by the Village Voice as “one of New York’s best pop craftsmen,” singer-songwriter George Usher has a long, storied history that is expertly curated in this multi-disc retrospective The End And The Beginning. While it doesn’t have everything, its pretty thorough collecting tracks from across Usher’s career. The set starts with the bands House of Usher (1990) and George Usher’s Lazy Gentlemen (1991) where he develops a solid rep doing jangle pop with a baroque style.

When we hit the single “Not The Tremblin’ Kind” from Miracle School (1997), its melodic magic with a strong Beatle vibe that we’re used to. Great songs like “Begging For Rain” and “Days Of Plenty” make you question why Mr. Usher wasn’t a bigger star, but his talent as a songwriter and performer is beyond question. The ballads become more prominent later on, like the pastoral “Love By Any Other Name.” Since much of his earlier work is out-of-print and in some cases hard to find, this collection is essential for power pop fans. Get it directly from George on his website.

George Usher Direct

Lions In The Street

Lions in The Street “The Years”

Playing tough, swaggering ’70s-styled rock & roll influenced by the Small Faces, Eagles and the Rolling Stones, Vancouver’s Lions in the Street are a band that persevered in spite of years of record company interference. The album “The Years” (named after the band’s original moniker) was held up in lawsuits. Recorded for TVT Records(Lil’ Jon, Pitbull) in New York City with Grammy-nominated producer Dave Cobb (Jamey Johnson, Jason Isbell), a legal dispute with the label put the band in debt and stalled any career progress.

Fortunately, this is now finally released and is a pleasant surprise that still holds up. The gentle harmonies and muscular guitars start on “Someday” are almost like a mix of Badfinger and The Faces. The soulful vocals of Chris Kinnon on “Still The Same” and “Carolina” compare well with Mick Jagger. The country harmonies on “Can You Hear The Sea” strongly contrast with the heavy rock riffs of “In Cold Blood” and “I Know You Wanna” is almost AC/DC-like. Strong songwriting and performances sustain all 11 tracks. A lost gem that’s finally uncovered and highly recommended.

Amazon


Check out this FREE bonus track from the album.