Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

The Nobility and The Small Square

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The Nobility “Ashford Castle”

The Nobility has created a modern pop treat. The opening title track about an Irish Castle boasts gorgeous choral harmonies in the Beach Boys tradition. The bands bouncing modern pop of “Wonderful Night” uses those harmonies effectively in the chorus, with a strong beat evoking the band Sunday Sun here as melody soars. “Heart Is Strange” has echoing vocals and layered guitar/synth combos that give it a new wave touch.

From here it takes the danceable pop route with “Rollin’ in The Aisle” and the energetic “On The Sky,” both perfectly fun. Unfortunately “I Can’t Tell You Why” does wear out its welcome, but the band redeems itself with happy sing-along songs like “Alone,””Mrs. Judy May,” and “Sharks” which are like adult nursery rhymes. Highly Recommended.

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The Small Square

The Small Square “The Small Square”

Debut release from a veteran power pop duo with roots in Champaign, Illinois plus Wisconsin & Japan.  Paul Chastain (Velvet Crush, Matthew Sweet) and John L. Richardson (Tommy Keene, Gin Blossoms, Joey Molland/Badfinger) create pure, bittersweet pop with some folk rock mixed in. Joey Molland (Badfinger) is one of several guest players here.

[su_spacer size=”10″]”So Low” is an understated opener, but “Dream Faker (Open Your Heart)” starts up as a solid indie rocker that displays Chastain’s ability to weave guitar lines and layer the songs rhythms on top of each other. “SML” is a gentle alt. country plea to “Save My Life” equal parts Wilco and Big Star. “After The Tears” is a beautiful love song with its sweet harmonies, and a rising chorus. “Otherwhile” boasts the ringing chords and catchy chorus that was a Velvet Crush hallmark. Additionally, fans of  Teenage Fan Club, Nada Surf, and Sloan will definitely want to pick this one up. Highly Recommended.

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S.L.D. and Fallon Cush

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S.L.D. “Indigo Gray”

I’m extremely happy to hear that this project finally comes to fruition. A musical collaboration via email between two long lost cousins, Paul Costanza and Tom Parisi from Brooklyn, NY that started as a small EP several years ago. Not only are the “Sounds Like Digging” EP tracks re-worked to sound even better, a treasure trove of new music is packaged into this remarkable debut album.

Paul’s crisp vocals are supported perfectly by Tom’s guitars on the catchy opener “Do Or Say.” The Beatles influence is strong on “Kindergarten Sky,” and the easy going vibe of “Can You Feel It” adds a modern psychedelic touch. Fans of Klaatu and Electric Light Orchestra will also hear influences on “Long Long Gone” and “Free At Last.” Tom shines on the solo between the chorus on “So Glad,” and the pair of piano pop melodies dedicated to girls (“Jenna” and “Stephanie Told Me”) burst with optimism and brilliance. Each song here is a keeper with strong melodies and rich production, so no filler here – in fact its like a collection of hit singles. Highly Recommended and makes my top ten best album list for 2016.

CD Baby | Amazon | Bandcamp


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Fallon Cush

Fallon Cush “Bee In Your Bonnet”

Fallon Cush is the vehicle for songwriter Steve Smith, a veteran Sydney musician that has dabbled in power pop, but really has great success with melodic rock Americana style. Influences heard are mainly Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, The Band and The Byrds. This new LP has Steve, Glen Hannah (guitars), Scott Aplin (keyboards) and Josh Schuberth (bass, drums) along with backing vocalists Suzy Goodwin and Stephanie Grace to round things out.

It starts out with the slow build of “There’s A Dark Side To That Moon,” but you notice the rich sound and production once the chorus kicks in. The piano and jangling guitars lead “Less You’re Near,” and even though the style is Dylanesque, it clearly sounds like original Fallon Cush. Some brilliant music follows; “Kings Ransom” is a mid-tempo charmer and slow ballad “For Too Long” is a wistful memory that sticks with you. And the album is even stronger after the mid-point with the melodic “The Honeycomb” and excellent title track. One thing I’ve noticed about Smith’s music over the years is that he gets better with each album. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

Whatever happened to The Rosenbergs? David Fagin Tells His Story.

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One of the hottest bands of 2001 were The Rosenbergs. They personified power pop at the turn of the new millennium, with a hard rock catchy sound that compared well to Cheap Trick. To say they had an intransigent relationship toward the music business is an understatement. They refused to give in to draconian terms record labels offered and paved the way for artist independence and integrity. This was when major labels still had all the power and it was rare to see any up and coming musician reject and defy them. The bands discography is short, but essential: Ameripop (before they were signed in 1999), Mission You (2001) and Department Store Girl (2004)

Read the bands history and what happened to them here in this Powerpopaholic exclusive interview with lead guitarist and vocalist David Fagin.

 

Cliff Hillis and Dropkick

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Cliff Hillis “Love Not War” EP

Cliff is back! Another EP loaded with excellent songs. The catchy title track is finely crafted gem that works on several levels in the pristine production. The follow up “The Buddha’s Belly” has a little honky-tonk styling that just encourages spontaneous dancing. From there the styles shift from folk pop (“Don’t Drown The Wind”) to mid tempo power pop (“Mayor Of Midnight,”) each song a worthy gem that deserves repeat listens. Of course highly recommended, so pick it up!

Itunes

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Dropkick

Dropkick “Balance The Light”

The prolific Scottish band formed by brothers Andrew and Alastair Taylor and friend Ian Grier continues to develop some of the best pop on its latest album. The bands influences include The Jayhawks, The Byrds, and Wilco with a West Coast easy going sensibility.  “Save Myself” is a slow mellow confessional that beautifully opens up mid-way through the song to an instrumental cacophony. The tempo stays the same on the excellent ballads “I’m Over It” and “I Wish I Knew.”

The album theme is a meditation on sadness after a breakup, “Where Do You Think I Went Wrong?” continues the relationship post-mortem. “Out Of Love Again” is a highlight with its jangling guitars and sharp harmonies. Another gem is “Homeward,” with its Neil Young-like melody, and the most upbeat song here “Slow Down” compares well with Teenage Fanclub. Despite it being a somber listen, the compositions are well written. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

The Labradors and Wild Feathers

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Brett Harris

Labradors “The Great Maybe”

Three-piece powerpop/rock band from Milano, Italy have their second full length album out and it’s an impressive production. The quiet acoustic guitar ballad “I Won’t Let Anyone Hurt You” is a gentle poem to a “delicate creature” with dramatic swelling strings. The title track then swirls with guitars and drums similar in feel to Sloan or Weezer with harmonies in the chorus. “Jasmine” is even a touch harder, with lead Fabrizio Fusi sounding like Evan Dando here, and a nice bass guitar lead.

It quiets down considerably after this, but “Terrible Friend” is a heart-felt rocker about a mate who can’t get sober, and “All I Have Is My Heart” does the quiet verse-loud chorus thing quite nicely and both are winners.  The cat lovers theme “Paws” is another gem that will put a smile on your face for sure. Overall, the songs here are solid power pop and most of them are very good. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

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The Wild Feathers

The Wild Feathers “The Wild Feathers”

Austin band The Wild Feathers is something both old and new. Ricky Young, Joel King, Taylor Burns, Preston Wimberly, and Ben Dumas grew up steeped in music – playing solo gigs, touring with local bands and working at venues. The guys came together in Austin in 2010 through coincidence, mutual friends, and a shared love of classic alt-country and southern rock. The young band spent the following year writing and reshaping their sound before heading into the studio to record with producer Jay Joyce (Cage the Elephant, Emmylou Harris).Their debut has a great mix of power pop and modern country music in parts with its dense, layered production.

To read more – check out the full review on BlogCritics.org

Amazon

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