Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

OK Go and EXPO

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OK Go “Upside Out” EP
Ever since their 2002 self titled debut, OK Go has been one of the most visible power pop bands in the mainstream. After the noise pop experimentation and funk on Of The Blue Colour Of the Sky, it’s great to have the band back to form with this new EP.

Damian Kulash and co. are back to making catchy pop with real punch and “Turn Up The Radio” is a great single with its mid tempo hook. But If you’re looking for the standouts its the hypnotic “The Writing’s On The Wall” and the unstoppable dance beat of “I Won’t Let You Down.” Both tracks recall their breakout LP Oh No and its sure to bring you back on the bandwagon. And it just wouldn’t be OK Go without a viral You Tube video.

Amazon

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m86ae_e_ptU[/youtube]
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EXPO “Hydrogen, Helium & Other Songs”
Baltimore alternative pysche-pop band EXPO is the brainchild of  Christian Lipski & John Lane. EXPO uses vocal rhythms, harmonies and textures similar to The Beach Boys but to create a totally new sound. The wordless “Up We Go” is a perfect example with its soaring melody lines, and “Like We Do” mixes organ and sparse instrumentation to allow the vocals to build up. “Best Part Of The Day” and “Sun Shower” are pure Wilsonesque magic similar to the textures created by The High Llamas or Matt Mahaffey (Self).

Occasionally the songs don’t stick (“Let’s Grow Something”) but the touching melodies of “Old Friends Don’t End” and “Stars In Our Eyes” proves its not only textures but lyrics that make the song work. I feel a bit more polish would really put EXPO on the map (especially the finale “Paper Trumpets”), but this is a fine intro to their work.The band has 2 other albums on Bandcamp worth exploring.

Bandcamp

The Bobbleheads and The Lost Boys

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The Bobbleheads “Make Yourself Happy”
After 2004’s excellent album, I haven’t heard from The San Francisco based trio called Bobbleheads till now. What a great come-out-of-nowhere power pop album. If you took the cheerful vocals of Steven Page (Barenaked Ladies) and married it to hard driving riffs of The Connection, it would sound a lot like “Prove Yourself,” a non-stop riff attack of Rickenbacker melody, and dense production. “Mean Girls” is just as good, and not a second of filler anywhere.

Highlights are numerous, although it is missing a quieter ballad to break things up. I dare you not to play air guitar to “Who’s Gonna Love You” or not sing along to “Turn The Radio On.” Fans of The Smithereens style of power pop will love this and I’m gonna shut up because you just need to hear it. It will stay locked into my daily playlist for a while and without a doubt, gets my nod to be considered for my top ten album list of 2014.

CD Baby | Amazon

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6idBOTVvic[/youtube]
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The Lost Boys “Answers on a Postcard” EP
Another “lost” band that passed me by until now is Southampton, England’s The Lost Boys. Last years EP Answers On A Postcard is the follow up to 2011′s debut Not Arf It’s…The Lost Boys. Lead by Daniel Ash (not the Bauhaus and Love And Rockets guy) its full of compelling melodies and polished production techniques.

Opening with the fast tempo of “I Fall For Everyone” it reminded me of Zumpano with its echoing surf guitar tones and cheery vocals. Another gem here is the “Moving Pictures” with its hook filled chorus, chock full of great key transitions. This style is a winning formula that’s repeated on “From Love To Hate,” and it connects each melodic clip in a way that recalls XTC. The slow ballad “Broken Story” follows Daniel’s echoing lead over a methodical acoustic melody. Overall its a winner, and between the two EPs you have a band deserves to be heard. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

The Click Beatles and The Crush

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The Click Beatles “Wake Up To Music”
The multi-talented Dan Pavelich is both a cartoonist and a musician. His first solo LP on Vandalay Music implies that this is another Fab Faux styled album, but no — its only has one Beatles tribute song. A labor of love for the past few years, it bares the stylistic fingerprints of Dan’s mentors: Jamie Hoover (The Spongetones) and Jeff Murphy (The Shoes).

“Shut The TV Down” is a great mantra for the couch potato in your life, and the rock energy on “Tell Me How You Feel” flows really well, both have an ’80s new wave-ish sound. The jangle melodies are turned up a notch for “Bubblegum,” and my favorite tune is the sweet “Try Girl,” with its hand claps and minor chords. Dan gets a bit darker on “Ever Since The World Began” and the horn-fueled “I Never Said Goodbye” was co-penned by Lisa Mychols.  A pretty cool release sure to please power pop fans everywhere.

CD Baby | Jam Recordings

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1KZhr7xiGM[/youtube]

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The Crush “Future Blimps” EP
Loved the debut EP and this new EP continues the fun. “Never Gonna Stop” is a catchy as hell riff with lead singer Kira Wilson sounding a bit like Debbie Harry.  The dual tracking harmonies add more dimension to “Around, ” and the garage styled opening on “Better and Better” and “It’s Love” recall The Clash and Paul Collins in spots. This is no-frills rock and roll, done just right and at $3 on Bandcamp it’s a sweet bargain. Enjoy!

Bandcamp

The Dowling Poole and The Both

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The Dowling Poole “Bleak Strategies”
We told you about the duo of Willie Dowling and Jon Poole teaming up for the debut of the Dowling Poole. Honestly the track record of albums from PledgeMusic or Kickstarter has been spotty at best, and I’ve been burned a few times by artists promising the best thing ever, only to get “something else.” Thankfully Dowling Poole happily exceeds expectations here. The pastoral shimmering opening “The Sun Is Mine” could’ve fallen off XTC’s Skylarking – it’s that good.

Next the rhythmic “Kiss On The Ocean” is a quintessential English-styled love song, part Maddness and part Martin Newell with a sing along chorus supported by “ooh la la” vocal backdrop. “Hey Stranger” is a little darker but no less compelling and it wanders into Klaatu-land with an amazing harpsichord and trumpet ending. Nearly every track is a polished gem and even the mellow “Paper, Scissors, Stone” is has a delightful jazzy pastiche that echoes Colin Moulding. The rich instrumentation and details invites many repeat listens, especially on the albums second half where it morphs into progressive rock with multiple melody lines, a perfect example being the psychedelic “Getting A License.” The finale “Clean” is slow building juggernaut along the lines of “Hey Jude.” This is an essential “do-not-miss” album, that makes my top ten list for 2014. I’m sure it’ll move to major distribution soon, but get it at PledgeMusic now.

PledgeMusic
[youtube]n0ECtIprvLU[/youtube]
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The Both “The Both”
Like the musical equivalent of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, Aimee Mann and Ted Leo join forces to create The Both. It’s fairly rare for indie power pop auteurs to get mainstream attention (Reviewed in Spin, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork), but I’ll take it. Both artists leave their comfort zone a slightly and form an effective collaboration. Leo’s punk tendencies and Mann’s introspective melancholy are relatively restrained here, and that’s a good thing. It allows the duo to come up with some excellent songs “Milwaukee” being the highlight. Leo’s guitar is reminiscent of Thin Lizzy and Mann’s catchy chorus makes for good listening. This energy is missing from other songs like “The Gambler” and “No Sir” where the melody merely plods along.

Some nice touches are on the fuzz-bass led “Volunteers of America” with the comfortable harmonies of the duo and solid guitar riffs. In fact this is best vocals I’ve heard from Leo in a while. Both artists get to express ideas, Mann’s sparse “Hummingbird” and Leo’s guitar heavy “The Prisoner” both make personal statements. The Thin Lizzy cover of “Honesty Is No Excuse” is another highlight, along with the Beatlesque piano melody of “The Inevitable Shove” about “…blaming the ones you love.” A solid release that should please fans of both artists.

Amazon
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The Hazey Janes “Language of Faint Theory”

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Scottish power pop band The Hazey Janes have been slowly evolving to more diverse indie pop sound, this is starkly shown on the latest LP, Language of Faint Theory. Recorded in El Puerto De Santa Maria, the crisp production and sweeping melodies present  a sophistication previously unheard from them. “Iwan” opens the album with a slow drum beat and piano chords, and mature background harmonies. The last half of the song has a truly great guitar solo that floats in, guaranteed to produce goosebumps.

That takes you into the next track “The Fantom Line,” a more accessible and even grander melody line along the lines of classic Genesis. After the opening notes of “All Is Forgotten” I almost expected Phil Collins to sing “Entangled” next, but the song transitions to a showcase for lead singer Andrew Mitchell’s vibrato-soaked croon along a soothing pop melody. “In Shadows Under Trees”  is a Roy Orbison flavored country ballad that proves the band can branch out intro other genres.

But after a few diversions we get back to some great power pop starting with “The Genesis,” full of cascading keys, drum rolls and strong lead guitar. Gone are most of the Beatles/Byrds influences on this album, although they show up on my favorite tune of the summer so far, “(I’m) Telescoping” with its gorgeous vintage sound. The title track surprises with sweet vocals by guitarist Alice Marra, evoking the sunny Spanish coast with its richly layered chorus. While clearly transitional in style, the band hasn’t forgotten its fans, nor its need for artistic growth and that’s a creative triumph.

Amazon