Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Mike Barnett and Wesley Wolfe

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Mike Barnett “Everybody Gets to Dream”
Mike Barnett returns with a much stronger display of melodic prowess and Dylanesque lyrical skill. With some help from Salim Nourallah, and team of guest players, Barnett crafts a sweet non-glossy LP that reminded me of a low-fi Traveling Wilburys at times. “Who Loves You Blue” sets the stage with his soft delivery and Harrison-like slide guitar.

“I Could Fall” is the secret to his longevity, with some wonderful guitar work in the break – Mike will just “keep keeping on till who knows when.” And he gets positively Beatle-y on “It Must Be Love” with its slow tempo sparse arrangement. He quickens the tempo on “Heidi Surprise” and one of the best tunes here is the inspirational “Everybody Gets To Dream.” Another gem here is the Jeff Lynne like “Push Me Away.” It would’ve been nice to slip in more harmonies, but despite that its a solid effort that encourages repeat listens.

CD Baby | Amazon

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Wesley Wolfe “Numbskull”
North Carolina’s Wesley Wolfe is an artist you want to keep your eye on. The self-styled musical auteur combines a dazzling array of influences, from GBV, Beach Boys, Peter Gabriel and Weezer. The opener “Lost In My Daydreams” utilizes a strong percussive effect as well as a catchy chorus. And it gets even more impressive on the quick tempo of “Fragment of A Dream.”

And its more than the layered textures here, Wolfe has a mastery of indie pop melody, and like Robert Pollard he tosses off gems with ease, like “Read My Mind” and even the slower title track stays on course. The albums theme is about dealing with life’s big worries and coming to terms with it. “Jesus Eyes” is delicate mid-tempo ballad to a girl “innocent and beautiful to me.” No filler here, as this is one of the better indie rock albums I’ve heard so I’ll be checking out his prior work. Highly Recommended!

Amazon | Bandcamp

The Legal Matters “The Legal Matters”

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The Legal Matters have a pretty impressive pedigree. Consisting of Chris Richards (of Chris Richards and the Subtractions), Andy Reed (An American Underdog) and Keith Klingensmith (The Phenomenal Cats), they have made an album that easily makes my top-ten year end list.

Starting with “Rites of Spring” it shimmers with perfect vocal harmonies and smooth melody similar to The Wondermints. It is the kind of song that guitars were invented for, and will be going around your head for hours after you hear it. There is a subtle soft rock undercurrent to many of the tunes that may put off rockers who prefer a harder edge, but it actually works great here. It doesn’t let up with “Stubborn,” another great song with perfect riffs, and touches all around. “Have You Changed Your Mind” is a softer, mid-tempo track, fans of The Eagles and The Agony Aunts will appreciate.

The hits keep coming, “The Legend Of Walter Wright” is a supremely hummable tune with a sweet balance of harmonies and guitar crunchiness. Even when the band gets stylistically mellow for “So Long Sunny Days” it plays like a lost Beach Boys/Poco track. And just in time for summer, it grabs you and doesn’t let go.

Bandcamp | Pre-Order Direct

Sunrise Highway and Rob Cantor

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Sunrise Highway “Windows”
The familiar guitar jangle and harmonies return from Sunrise Highway on the title track “Windows.” Very much like America or Jeff Larson on the opener, but the band then takes a harder turn after this. “Breathe” gets crunchier, and more psychedelic – a good comparison would be The Pillbugs. “Peter Pan” takes this further with heavy chords leading the way about never growing old, and the follow up “Foreverland” fits in perfectly with those Rickenbacker riffs “join me in Foreverland and leave your worries behind.” The dense shimmering guitars here also remind me of the Orange Peels, with its layered combination of melody and sound.

Lead singer Jerry Rio doesn’t shy away from controversial subjects either. The band describes the life of a musician in “Giving It All Away” from building a website for the band, promoting your music and figuring out “who’s gonna have to pay.” Note that some of these tracks a have been living as singles on YouTube for a while. There is a serious rant in “QE Forever,” a mid-tempo ballad about Federal Reserve monetary policy. Not everything here sticks, but this is a solid sophomore LP with a big 14 tracks. Highly recommended.

Kool Kat Musik exclusive

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Rob Cantor “Not A Trampoline”
Remember Tally Hall? The band has been inactive for a couple years, but vocalist Rob Cantor has returned to create a catchy album that shares some of that Tally Hall magic. While the lead track “Ghost” is low key dance pop, it leads to the wonderful “Old Bike” with a slow build to harmony drenched chorus. Then the catchy single “Garden of Eden” mixes a solid riff and synth rhythm. It kinda goes all over the map with modern pop, salsa, ballads and such, keeping things unpredictable.

The electronic pop of “The Rendezvous” includes a duet with Madi Diaz, and the quirky melody of “I’m Gonna Win” features monster guitar riffs. Hip hop beats contrast the subdued vocals on “Flamingo” and the delicate melody of “Perfect” with its building three-part harmonies push this into highly recommended territory.

Amazon

Album Previews: Skeleton Staff and The Dowling Pool

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It’s been a long wait, but we finally get a new track from Skeleton Staff. The main message is this: Stop worrying about imperfections we can’t change and just get on with enjoying life. Buy it on Bandcamp for a buck. Likely this is the first single to a new album on the way. I guess this can tide me over.

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I wondered what would become of Willie Dowling after the break-up of Jackdaw4, but I didn’t have to wait very long. The Dowling Poole is a new band formed by singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Willie Dowling (ex Honeycrack/Jackdaw4) and Jon Poole (ex Cardiacs). Influenced by pop masters such as XTC, Blur, 10CC, The Kinks, The Beatles and more, The Dowling Poole debut album Bleak Strategies will be released this summer. You can pre-order this one from Pledge Music.

Tommy Lorente and The Y Axes

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Tommy Lorente “Un cruel manque de tendresse”
It’s rare I hear a power pop musician from France, but Tommy Lorente is a genuine talent. Coming across like a French version of Kurt Baker, the album title translates to “A severe lack of tenderness,” and it bursts forth with a great opener “Ma Dose de Toi.” A little bit of Elvis Costello and Rockpile go a long way to making this a fun listen.

The caveat is that the entire album is sung in French, but even if you don’t comprendre les mots you’ll enjoy the hand clapping, toe tapping “Mirabelle” and sweet strums of “Quelque Part.”  Another highlight is “Katerine,” with its catchy main guitar riff and cowbell beat. No duds here and the production is clean with heavy percussion and horns underneath those riffs. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Itunes

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The Y Axes “Sunglasses and Solar Flairs”
San Francisco Y Axes fall along the lines of ’90s indie pop, so fans of The Primitives or The Sugarcubes will enjoy the bright vocals of lead singer Alexi Belchere on the opening track “Sunglasses.” The lush synth textures mixed with sharp rhythm guitar on “Nothing With You” make this a highlight. But my favorite track here is “Green To Gold” with its textured dance beats and layered chorus.

A little of the Y Axes goes a long way, so more generic tracks like “Loop Machine” and “Rivers” don’t stick despite the slick production work. “Chemicals” is an almost-hit, with its anthem-like chorus that rescues the song. “Artax” is another notable guitar/synth combo with Alexi’s chirping vocal. Give it a try for only $5 on Bandcamp.

Bandcamp