Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Lamar Holley and David Brookings

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Lamar Holley “The Color of Day”
Lamar Holley has been busy making childrens pop music since we heard his Confessions as a College Student. And he certainly starts off with the goofy kiddy theme “Planet Puzz,” but he examines the growth and death of teenage romance with the remainder of the album. “Roller Coaster” is a peppy pop tune, that gradually grows from kiddie theme to full fledged teen crush on the catchy “One and One.” This song is the album highlight, most similar to Confessions layered pop style.

Holley’s next song is the subtle moving ballad keyboard focused, “Beside You.” Next, “Acting in Love” is the true story of a New York City actor who met his future wife at an audition. With “Are You Really Mine?” he begins to question whether his girl really loves him in a show-tune styled monologue. “Feeling Famous” is a burst of optimism with its Beatlesque rhythm guitar. Things start to slow down after that, as the tone of the songs gradually trace the break up. The song cycle ends with the dramatic “Who Am I?” and the renewal of spirit in “Joe.” While it doesn’t surpass his debut, Holley’s vision holds as a very satisfying follow-up.

Bandcamp


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David Brookings “the maze”
Seattle singer/songwriter David Bookings is back with his 6th album. As a songwriter Brookings growth since 2009 is subtle but equally visible, since his move to the West Coast. Brookings guitar centric style is a hybrid of Kenny Howes and Jeremy, and he gets right to it on “If I Don’t Make It Back” with up-beat, hand clapping rhythms and solid solo breaks. The songs are sort of semi-autobiographical, “Cora” is a standout with rich instrumentation and fuzz guitar chorus; a great character study tune.

I’m sure most indie musicians appreciate “The Greatest Songwriter No One Ever Heard,” who “used to be an outcast, used to be a nerd” channeling his soul into music. Another highlight is the crunchy “Heroin Donna” and the title track with its Lennonesque echoing melody. “I’ll Wait Up For You” is another easy-going slice of life, with a tight composition and a terrific middle eight. Brookings is a young artist with a melodic gift and we should encourage him to continue his journey. Highly Recommended.

CD Baby

Goodfellows “The Name of These Girls”

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Normally I would not recommend an album that isn’t available in the US, but for the power pop fanatic this one is worth seeking out. From Madrid, Spain the Goodfellows have a history of inventive packaging, and excellent songs. The latest LP, The Name of These Girls disc is lovingly packed in an actual denim jean pocket.

Musically, the band follows a traditional power pop template, very similar to Teenage Fanclub and The Gin Blossoms. Starting with “Virginia,” it isn’t revolutionary, but a steady jangle pop opening. The band ups it’s game with “Rocket Girl” by getting an assist from the legendary Paul Collins adding his vocals/guitar in the second verse. Lead vocalist Gabriel Palmer doesn’t have the strongest pipes, but the song composition and instrumentation go a long way on the Beatlesque “I’m Coming Back to You” and the guitar crunchiness of “Marianne.” The highlight of the album for me is “Just A Minute,” with a perfect chorus worthy of The Wonders. Lots of references to musical nostalgia are themes to songs like “Happy Days,” “Good Old Days” and even the lone short ballad “Times Are Never Changing.” Keep up the great work amigos!
power pop review score 9

Goodfellows.es | Rock Indiana

This is footage from a recent concert in Madrid, to listen to the album visit Rock Indiana.

Loveland Duren and The Breakup Society

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Loveland Duren “Bloody Cupid”
This is the eclectic combination of musicians Vicki Loveland and Van Duren. Starting with “Crash Landing” it features a cool bass line, Loveland’s soaring vocal (similar to Heart’s Ann Wilson) and guitarist Jim Duckworth shredding solo. Next track is more melodic, “Lines in The Sand” has both Van and Vicki in a duet with a memorable chorus and snappy pop hook. “Now Will Do” has more folk elements, with violin and mandolin featured as a country tune.

You really can’t pigeon hole this LP in one genre, but I’m gonna focus on the more pop oriented tunes, so I recommend “Birthmarks,” the romantic “There Goes The Floor” and the sobering “Losing My Mean Streak.” The soulful rock of “Sins Of The Father” is a highlight of Loveland’s moving vocal, and the soft-shoe “Kiss Me Slowly” is another jazz tune with Van Duren’s easy going lead. Like a fine wine, you’ll want to sip in this albums variety and charm.

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The Breakup Society “So Much Unhappiness. So Little Time…”
This passed under my radar early this year, but I wanted to call it out as a great soundtrack for life’s disappointments. Opening with the title track, it sets the stage with the words of Ed Masley “it’s a struggle making lemonade, when life gives you limes.” The band skillfully navigates the Beatle influenced “Invitation to Quit” and Masley approaches it with his Midwestern heart on his sleeve. Each tune is an impressive blend of The Kinks and Paul Westerberg in his prime, with no filler.

The album follows the sad losers in Masley’s world, from the dude waiting for “The Next Reunion” to impress old classmates to the old groupie trying to meet the band in “Another Day in The Life.” Even the upbeat “Upward Spiral” where the narrator sees the path out of the pity party,  he “can’t seem to wrap his head around it.” The standout here is the rocking power pop gem “Here Comes Floyd.”  And Masley isn’t quite like the characters he sings about, on “Mary Shelly” where he “appears to be the fool he plays in each song” he’s really not, just like “Shelly wasn’t Frankenstein”. The dense guitar psychedelics close out “She Doesn’t Cross Against The Light” like an Oasis finale, and overall its excellent album. I hope Masley doesn’t take another five years for the next one.

Amazon

Kelly Jones and Little Anchor

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Kelly Jones “Alta Loma” After thrilling us with her collaborations with Mike Viola on SheBang! and Melon,– Kelly Jones bares her soul on the personal Alta Loma. Starting with “Right Hand Man” it evokes the sensitive spirit of Dan Fogelberg and Joni Mitchell with its acoustic guitar lead and subtle slide guitar accents. The album is full of intimate musical musings, a perfect example is “Limbo” with dreams “rolling out the window.” The melodies are subtle, and invite contemplation with rich lyrical imagery. “Idyllwild,” “Love Dynamo” and “Funny Old Way” are the thoughts of a mature woman’s point of view on romance. Other songs deal with the passage of time (“Old House”) and spiritual faith (“Unanswered Questions.”) So cuddle up with a hot cup of tea and listen to Kelly’s angelic voice. Highly Recommended.

CD Baby | Amazon

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Little Anchor “Floating Bridges” Miss the summer weather? I know I do, but Brooklyn-based foursome Little Anchor has a new album that will bring those summer memories back. Lead vocalist Alexa Cabellon has a clear smooth voice that brings each tune to life, starting with “Alive” it showcases the angular guitar progressions and sing along chorus. The songs gradually get more personal, with the ethereal ambiance of “Carolina Waits” and the slower duet of “Mailman.” The tempo is more playful on “If I Wanted To” as Alexa’s joyous voice “couldn’t hide it if I wanted to” chorus make it a catchy gem. “Over and Over” is a grand dramatic tune, with sweeping piano chords that tell me this is a band to keep your eye on.

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The Melismatics and Breaking Laces

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The Melismatics “Rising Tide”
Produced by Jon Auer (The Posies, Big Star) The Melismatics are a maturing alt. rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The opening track “Crawl, Baby, Crawl” is a combination of solid male-female vocals (husband/wife team of Ryan and Pony Smith,) guitar riffs and synth chords. It’s the catchy chorus that keeps things interesting, then on “Halo” the synths increase and dance beat reminds me of The Orion Experience.

In fact, the next few songs bring a new wave vibe to the melodic “Cocoon” and “Close 2 The Vest” that make a good impression. But some of the remaining tracks just aren’t that memorable, even though the guitar riffs are more prominent. The wonderful falsetto that opens “Rising” gets closer to what this band could be and the vocal harmonies are perfect here. Give it a chance to win you over.

CD Baby | Amazon

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Breaking Laces “Come Get Some”
It’s really frustrating to finally discover a great band only to find out they’ve just broken up. The Brooklyn-based trio of Willem Hartong (singer/guitarist), Rob Chojnacki (bass), and Seth Masarsky (drums) have somehow managed to play for over ten years under my radar (my bad.) The band’s style of melodic alt-rock falls somewhere between The Gin Blossoms, Soul Coughing and The Lemonheads.

The ringing guitars and epic hooks on “Better Than Me” easily qualifies as an A-side single that should’ve taken off. Then in a tonal shift “Be Hammer” uses Foo Fighters riffage in the sing along chorus, another shift as the church organ opens the reflective “When The Lightning Comes.”  The semi-serious rock ballad  “Before You Down” hooks you early and the Jellyfish-like “Extra Time” is another welcome gem. The band doesn’t take much that seriously on “Mr. Curry Is A Cop,” a funny tune – very much in the Fountains of Wayne mode. Lyrics are free flowing irony and full of attitude, especially the Beck-like rap “I used To Be A Boy Scout.” No real filler here, so now I highly recommend you get this and work your way backwards through the discography.

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