Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

King Washington and Cleopatra Club

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King Washington “No One”
Last years album Gears made my year end list, this time L.A. based King Washington moves decidedly away from the anthem rich rock for something a bit more contemplative. The title track proves the band still has the rock chops and solid harmonies, clear influences from Queen and Extreme are heard. The next few tracks are gentle ballads that favor skilled guitar pop, both “Land Without  Age” and the delicate “Nowhere’s Journey” falls somewhere between America and Led Zeppelin. “Terrible Affection” is a great love song with a solid melody and surging chorus, one of the best tunes here.

The albums middle sags slightly. The rock guitars even return on “Don’t Expect My Love,” but that and a song about a feline (“You’re A Cat”) feel like filler. Thankfully the acoustic “Legend of Red Mahogany” resonates, and the finale “The Cinemas” has a grand epic hymnal feel, and the band hits its sweet spot here. It sounds like a lost hit record from The Eagles or Hollies, and this album is sure a grower – so pick it up.

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The Cleopatra Club “self-titled” EP
The Cleopatra Club is a pop band out of Northern New Jersey, that leads with a funky beat and Jess Kenny’s playful vocals. The new single “Gypsy” is a catchy danceable pop hit. “Runaway Train” is another soul influenced pop song that recalls the early Jackson Five with its “ahh ohh” chorus. “Fortune Teller” is a gem lead more by guitarist Matt Morgantini’s smoking riffs and “If Only For The Night” has more overt disco tendencies. Anyone who liked The Orion Experience I reviewed last week is sure to enjoy this one.

Free Music Monday Holiday Edition: Marvelous Beauhunks and Skoober

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Ho! Ho! Ho! Love this Rock Against B.S. Its all D.I.Y and doing it on your own terms, and this edition gives us some great Christmas music for FREE! Like them on Facebook and let the musicians know you care.

The Marvelous Beauhunks. These guys know how to rock – they have a raw garage sound with lots of spit and polish. Terrific!

Skoober. It’s been a long time since I heard Skoober, but they are back! The band has a more contemporary rock sound, like the Goo Goo Dolls or Matchbox 20 with a female lead. “Worst Case Scenario” is my favorite track. Enjoy!

DVD/Blu-ray Review: “Good Ol’ Freda”

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Good Ol Freda

Over the years nearly everyone remotely connected with the Beatles has offered up an opinion or experience about them and their music. The number of Beatle books listed on Amazon numbers more than 7,700. So it is very special that one of the few living connections to those early days of Beatlmania still has a story to tell that hasn’t been told. Freda Kelly, who became president of the Beatles’ official fan club as a teenager, and was soon after hired as manager Brian Epstein’s secretary, is the main subject of the documentary Good Ol’ Freda. Now a modest 60-ish grandmother, Freda has kept quiet all these years as part of the Beatles family, but here she details her story…
Read the entire review at Blog Critics
 

Amazon

Robert Gay and The Real Impossibles

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Robert Gay “When I Was Young”
I don’t know much about Nashville musician Robert Gay, but with the help of his band (The Alarms) he’s put together When I Was Young. Gathering memories of his youth, it looks back searching for meaning in life, thematically like The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. Opening with the slow wistful title track, but then jumping into the summery melody “For You” full of horns and hope. This slow-fast alternating tempo of songs continues throughout.

“Sunday Afternoon” is a beautifully orchestrated song with woodwinds and harmonies. “Katie” is back to the fast-paced approach, “Floating Away” has a delicate acoustic melody, about the very beginnings of loss and this segues into the dramatic “Trouble.” Next comes the bright Squeeze-like single “Everyone I Know,” with darkness lurking just between each chorus, and a little Ska influence peeks through too. The writing is top notch, especially on the gem “Want To Want Again,” with a perfect hook, catchy beat and a tuned guitar distortion – one of the best songs I’ve heard this year. The album ends off with some orchestral pop, “Open Roads” similar to a Neil Diamond epic. Highly Recommended.
power pop review score 9

Bandcamp

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The Real Impossibles “It’s About Time 1983-1988”
The Real Impossibles were an L.A. band started by Marc Platt in 1983, he hooked up Probyn Gregory (Wondermints, Brian Wilson band) and some friends helped him put out a EP. After some positive reviews, Platt then put together a live band that worked the same club circuit with The Bangles, The Three O’Clock, and The Plimsouls. In fact after the Plimsouls broke up, lead singer Peter Case joined The Impossibles in the studio on a few tracks. But the band never made that leap to national fame. This is a 23 song retrospective from this hard-to-find “lost” power pop band.

Some songs still hold up nicely the opener “Burned” being one of them. An energetic cover of Neil Diamond’s “Cherry Cherry” follows, with highlights being the jangle-filled “Here and Now” and “Turn My World.” Some tunes have a bit of punk attitude, reminding me a little of The Godfathers or The Romantics. Other tracks are very solid 80’s guitar pop, and its hard to see how the mainstream overlooked the band. The production quality varies from song to song, based on the condition of the masters. For fans of the ’80s era, this should be an essential part of your music collection.
power pop review score 9

Zero Hour Records

The Grip Weeds and Andy Reed + Brandon Schott

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The Grip Weeds “Inner Grooves”
So you already know and love The Grip Weeds, and they are working on a new album as you read this. But Kurt Reil isn’t about to let your stockings empty this season, so he’s compiled a group of “Rare and Under-released Tracks” for you in Inner Grooves. As one of the best classic Byrdsian rock bands ever, its impossible to find even “throw-away” tracks, so that makes this an essential listen. Starting with the power pop perfection of “Rainy Day #1&2” it moves to the Merseyside flavored “Nothing Lasts,” an outtake from Strange Change Machine.

“She Don’t Care About Time” is a faithful Gene Clark cover (frankly, they could cover his entire discography perfectly.) “Sight Unseen” boasts some nice clean harmonies and fuzzy guitar solos. And if you wanted the long version of “Sun Ra Ga,” here is all 11+ minutes of that sprawling psychedelic jam. Thoughtfully mastered, it doesn’t feel like a collection of odd singles, but a cohesive album that was rescued from the cutting room floor.


Amazon
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American Underdog & Brandon Schott “The AB EP”
Brandon Schott and Andy Reed (An American Underdog) team up to release 2 songs each off of their respective forthcoming records. This tandem throws us 4 excellent singles and it’s a brilliant idea.

As competitive musicians they bring their “A” game starting with Schott’s “Henry” its a similar style to his last album 13 Satellites. Then Reed’s American Underdog “The Show Goes On” has a yearning romantic quality. This also helps both musicians promote themselves and helps build anticipation for those new albums. Yes, this is a big tease… but a good one that fans will appreciate.

Bandcamp