Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Scott Warren and Sara Melson

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Scott Warren “Dyed In The Wool”
Formerly of Signal Hill Transmission, Warren gives us his 2nd solo effort. The bouncy opener “Divisible/Indivisible” leads with Beatles styled brass and handclaps. “No One’s Home Anymore” is a solemn mix of “Elenor Rigby” till you get to the fast paced chorus. My favorite here is “When She Comes Around” a gentle love song with a great bass line and catchy jangle chorus.

The stripped down, sparse approach concentrates on Scott’s lyrics and composition, this works well on “Guess I Should Tell You.” And it also works magic on simple pop treats like the “Dime Novel” and the Shins styled “Sinking Feeling.” Even the slightly psyche-pop closer “Tongue-tied” is a marvel of melody with natural sound effects. After several spins this album grew on me like a well worn pair of jeans, and would make a excellent headphones album on a quiet night.

CD Baby | Amazon | Bandcamp

Sara Melson “The Beachwood Canyon Sessions”
Sara Melson is one of those artists, who have such a lovely voice you wonder “How come I never heard her before?”  – especially since her debut Dirty Mind from 2008 was considered a folk pop success and she’s been a TV actress. Since that time Sara left her label, sold songs to TV and like Jeff Lynne of ELO, has decided to re-record and reinterpret some of those songs in a stripped down manner for The Beachwood Canyon Sessions.

Coming at these tunes fresh, Sara breathes real life into them, the songs have spiritual quality with “Birthday Prayer” where she looks back and forward at once. The optimism of “Never Been Hurt” is tempered with caution after the chorus where “…my fear has got no chance of winning.” Each track charms and let’s Melson’s personality shine through. Fans of Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Sarah MacLachlan will savor this.

The Condors and Electrolic

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The Condors “Three Item Combo”
It’s been a while since I heard The Condors, this latest gem shows a band that has improved with time. Gone is the rough garage ethos, songwriter and frontman Pat “Pooch” DiPuccio gives us slicker rock melodies with tighter instrumentation. Influences range from The Kinks, Plimsouls, Raspberries and the Smithereens. Starting with “Here I Go,” it crackles with energy and magical riffs, a song that is definitely a great addition to the music playlist that you should listen to.

“My Slice Of Life” takes us on a great autobiographical study with handclaps and flamenco touches. “Queer Fascination” has great bounce and memorable riff that compares well with The Romantics. No duds here, overall a satisfying “take-out” that appeals to classic rock and roll tastes.

Jam Recordings | Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Electrolic “Live On Land”
Scott Gagner‘s new project, a collaboration with long-time friend Steve Enstad is a mix of electronic-synth pop. The catchy “Hello Hello” is a neat introduction, but “Benefit Of The Doubt” is a meandering combination of Depeche Mode and John Mayer.  “Refreshing” is a little psyche-pop treat bathed in synths, and the Cars’ “Drive” is a compelling cover version that displays Scott’s soft vocal. “After The Fall” was another gem buried here with the best combination of synth, guitar and melody. But some of this didn’t work for me, “Flash” tries too hard to be like Radiohead, although it was an interesting listen. If your tastes run more eclectic, you may like this one.

CD Baby | Amazon

Power Popaholic Fest Original Soundtrack

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After Power Popaholic Fest, I wanted to keep the energy going and some of the performing artists (along with some others) contributed a song to a “soundtrack” album for fans. It also seemed a good method to raise money for charity. With the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy last week, it seemed the the perfect opportunity to help. All profits from the purchase of Power Popaholic Fest Original Soundtrack will go directly to The American Red Cross.  I personally know people who have lost their power, their cars and even their homes. I can think of no better way to help them and get some great tunes at the same time.

Bands on the album: Lannie Flowers, Sitcom Neighbor, Cliff Hillis, The Wellingtons, The Honeymoon Stallions, Rick Hromadka (Maple Mars), King Washington, Eytan Mirsky, John Laprade, The Heartless Devils, Joe Giddings (Star Collector), The Hillary Step, Dave Rave, Vinnie Zummo, The Turnback, The Toms and Klaatu. Over 17 songs for your listening pleasure! It’s a great way to discover new sounds at a great price and help those in need.

Get the compilation exclusively on Bandcamp 

The Doughboys and Michael Andrews

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The Doughboys “Shakin’ Our Souls”
Local New Jersey garage rock legends release their third studio album, reminiscent of The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds and The Kinks. At this point the band is a well oiled machine, and playing classic rock and roll sure to please, starting with the opening track “Land.”

The band doesn’t just recycle the old Stones R&B riffs either, with improved songwriting on “One More Time” and “Tuggin’ Me Back.” Lead singer Myke Scavone sounds great and the production is mixed with the help of Kurt Reil (The Grip Weeds). It leans more power pop on songs like “Trail Left Behind” and the Tom Petty-like “Keep Your Dog Off Me.” Another great addition to your rock and roll playlist.

CD Baby | Amazon

Michael Andrews “Spilling a Rainbow”
If you’re looking for some psychedelic folk pop with a baroque tilt, then perhaps Mr. Andrews will float your boat.  Opening with “The Dentist” our journey begins with cascading harps as the singer goes numb in a dentist chair. It leads to the splendid “Here Are We” with acoustic flair similar to The Zombies or Paul Simon.

Andrews has a light warm vocal that recall Alan Parsons Project’s Eric Woolfson on “My Warming World.” Next we get another gem in “Bubbles In Space,” a mix of McCartney and 10cc filled with trippy wonderfulness. The next several tracks help complete the mood, with some progressive melodies akin to Wind & Wuthering era Genesis, like on  “Breathing His Last” and “Low On Memory.”Overall, highly recommended.

Three Minute Tease and The Sensibles

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Three Minute Tease “Three Minute Tease”
Three Minute Tease is the collaboration of California psychedelic cult hero Anton Barbeau with Andy Metcalfe and Morris Windsor (Soft Boys, Robyn Hitchcock). Barbeau organized and wrote songs for the band as early as 2010, and they recorded with Kimberley Rew (Katrina and The Waves) at her studio in Cambridgeshire,UK.

Barbeau has that XTC meets Robyn Hitchcock quality, angular melodies with beautiful obtuse lyrics. If you ever wondered who is the modern day equivalent to Syd Barrett — Barbeau fits it perfectly. “Love Is Onion” is a great opener with its paisley 60’s bass line and great guitar solo.  “Milko II” is a  reminded me of Julian Lennon with its slower delicate rhythm. The bouncy “Thanks For Lifting My Leg” is a highlight with its trippy lyric and driving chorus. While not immediately catchy,  it is accessible. From the jaunty “Dig My Bones” with the pastoral “Queen of Apples” its clear mood and texture are equally as important as melody to Anton. Dive right in and savor it.

Artists Website | Amazon

 

The Sensibles “7 inch” EP
Hard charging Italian punk pop not unlike The Dahlmanns or Vibeke, The Sensibles roar to the forefront on “Open Book” with strong guitars and Stella’s wailing vocal. The accent is really noticeable on “John Bambi” but it doesn’t detract from this hard charging guitar pop. Each tune here is solid, I really liked the proto power pop “Denny” which reminded me a little of Shonen Knife with its overdubbed chorus of “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” At only four songs you can’t go wrong here, they have an even more straight punk sound on another EP.

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