Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Donny Brown and Icecream Skyscraper

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Donny Brown

Donny Brown “Donny Brown” EP

Last year Donny’s talent floored me on his debut EP Hester Street, as his romantic ballads were great examples of songwriting. On his self-titled follow up, the asian strings of “14 Days” keep the pleasant melody from getting dull and “Now You Can Break My Heart” is another good mid-tempo sing along melody.

Then the standouts “Life of A Stranger” and “Just A Friend” take this EP above and beyond the average. The latter is a brilliant ballad about how a friendly kiss only lit sparks for the receiver and not the giver. Catch the slide guitar break midway through this instant classic. “Losing A Part of Your Soul” is another gem with its catchy chorus. “Reach Out” is a lightweight ending here, but this is still a very highly recommended EP.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik


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Icecream Skyscraper “Mercury In Lemonade”

Icecream Skyscraper is the unique collaboration between two power pop icons; guitarist Huw Gower (The Records) and vocalist Michael Mazzarella (The Rooks). The results are surprising, more progressive rock than pop on the opener “Problem.” One of the better songs here is the beautifully layered “Groove Back” with its piano/guitar interplay.

Mazzarella’s distinctive vocal vibrato turn the 7 minute psych-pop “Turmoil” into another treat. However most of the music settles into a mellow space as “Nineteen in 71” and “Mayday” seem like improvisational meanderings. Gower’s guitar will occasionally overpower the melodies, but sometimes it’s just perfect — like on “(Don’t Shoot) The Messenger.” Ending with a fun cover of Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman,” this is an album for the adventurous listener looking for a slow grower instead of immediate gratification.

CD Baby | Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

John Faye and Les Fradkin

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John Faye

John Faye “Meddling Kid”

With two decades in the music business under his belt, Philly rock veteran John Faye (Caufields, IKE) has truly gone solo where he plays every instrument on his newest LP. Fans of his past work will be glad to know that he’s just gotten better with age, “Mere Mortals” and “Back In The Day” are brilliant pop songs that touch on getting older without sounding old. The wonderful anthem “Keep On Hanging Around” almost dares the listener not to raise a fist in support of Faye. Like another late ’90s icon Adam Marsland, Faye has only mellowed slightly, he’s still got that fire on “Platonic” about ending up in “the friend zone.” Great stuff here that easily would’ve reached my top 25 if I heard it earlier!

CD Baby


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Les Fradkin

Les Fradkin “Rehearsals for Retirement”

Guitarist Les Fradkin was one of the original members of the hit Broadway show “Beatlemania” playing lead guitar and the part of “George Harrison” in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago from 1977-79. He’s in good company, with fellow former cast members Glenn Burtnik and Marshall Crenshaw. Since that time Les has been busy making lots of music (20 solo albums,) pioneered a Guitar Synthesizer, and played with many bands including The Ventures, The Left Banke and David Sanborn.

Rehearsals for Retirement is a 30 track retrospective of his career with selections from his many albums. If you like lots of jangle and heavy gloss production, this is for you. The opener “Jangleholic” and its exactly what you expect it to sound like, with 12 string McGuinn styled rhythm. Fradkin’s selections are mostly a mixed bag, some sure sound like long lost hits from the early ‘70s like “I Can Never Saw Goodbye” and  “God Bless California.” There are some CSNY and Bryds influences on “Get It Together” and “Why Smiling.” So if you’re into rock with a unique point-of-view, this may float your boat.

Amazon | CD Baby

 

Honeywagen and Hooten Tennis Club

powerpopaholic

Just one more week of reviews for 2015 – next week is our long-awaited year end “Best of” list!

Honeywagen

Honeywagen “Jamboree”

Kansas City jangle pop junkies, Mike Penner, Scott Christensen, Bill Ryan and Peter Cook are Honeywagen. I mentioned them in my review of IPO #18, but I wanted to hear the full album Jamboree. Reminds me a bit of  Midwestern roots band with Beatlesque flair, starting with “Angel” it has some barroom swing to go with those guitars. Plenty of Byrdsian jangle on “Another Hour,” although the vocals are a bit understated, there are lots of favorite influences here. “Five Point Oh” plays like an old Beach Boys car song and “Good Luck Tonight” is a little bit Big Star and Dwight Twilley combined. Recommended tracks include the high energy “Lose My Mind,” self loathing ballad “Loser,” and the Monkees-like “She Wants.” It was hard to find a bad song, which is a good sign of any highly recommended album. Check it out!

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

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The Expected

Hooton Tennis Club “Highest Point in Cliff Town”

An astute powerpopaholic reader alerted me to this gem. Hooten Tennis Club combines arty noise-pop and power pop into something like Pavement meets Teenage Fanclub. Band leader Ryan Murphy, guitarist James Madden, bassist Callum McFadden and drummer Harry Chalmers formed the band in 2013, recording a cover of The Rolling Stones “19th Nervous Breakdown,” (hmm, this sounds familiar) then signed with Heavenly Records.

The sound is full of bright pop hooks and dense guitars on “Up In The Air” and jaunty catchy chorus of “P.O.W.E.R.F.U.L .P.I.E.R.R.E.” proves this band is more than just a messy impressionist pop band. Early singles “Jasper” and “Kathleen Sat On The Arm of Her Favorite Chair” are solid slices of life set to fuzz riffs, recalling the best pop of the ’90s. Not a single wasted note here, even the long four minute plus “Always Coming Back 2 You” held my attention. Brilliant indie pop that is highly recommended.

Amazon

What’s coming in 2016…

powerpopaholic

Cotton Mather is back. Cotton Mather’s much revered album 1997 album Kontiki – originally issued in 1997, and then again as a deluxe edition in 2012 – was heavily influenced by Chinese philosophy, and the band’s mastermind, Robert Harrison is mining that subject matter again with his new ambitious project which represents the first all-new Cotton Mather music in more than a decade. Stay tuned!


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Paul Steel is making a sequel to his musical masterwork April & I. In 2007 that album got him on my radar as a musical force to be reckoned with. Paul’s personal output has been sparse in recent years because he’s been earning a living s a commercial pop writer and producer. But he’s got the bug again, so a sequel is in the works. Check out the pledge music page.

Jingle Jangle Pop, Shake Some Action, Dropkick

powerpopaholic

“Jingle Jangle Pop”

Holiday music from the guitar & pen of Andy Goldberg (the driving force behind The Honeymoon Stallions, The Goldbergs & The Sun Kings). This 5 song EP compiles holiday songs from each of the bands mentioned, all remixed by Paul Umbach. Some of these song have been “missing” for many years, so it’s great to have them back for the holiday season.

CD Baby


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Shake Some Action

Shake Some Action “Christmas in The Sun”

One of my favorites, Shake Some Action delivers a great holiday single for FREE download. But I would like you to pay for it. All proceeds from the sale of this single go to the Toys For Tots Foundation, a top rated charity that provides toys, books and other gifts to less fortunate children. Bandcamp only.

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Dropkick

Dropkick “25th December” EP

British band Dropkick certainly has been very active this year, and this goody is a small collection of holiday themed songs for FREE download. Love the jangling melody of “When Santa Comes Round” — you will too. Bandcamp only.