Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Sunchymes and Howl Griff

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The Sunchymes “Let Your Free Flag Fly”
After a good debut LP, Aaron Hemmington has fulfilled his promise of making The Sunchymes album that marries the Wondermints/Curt Boettcher like arrangements to hook filled melodies. The intricate techniques of 60’s sunshine pop are on full display with “Revelations In Her Mind” and the solid hook in “Aquarius Summer” make it sweet ear candy. Most of the album fits stylistically within the genre of British psyche pop and 60’s California sound.

The west coast sounds on “Enchanted Girl” are kissed with harmonies along the lines of Cowsills or the Zombies. Then “Astronomical Clock” mixes Brian Wilson Pet Sounds with a swirling psychedelic mellotron.  This playful ambience is also a big part of “Uncle Alfred’s Slide Show.” Fans of Magical Mystery Tour era Beatles will love “Your Disguise” and Beach Boys fans will enjoy “On A Summer Ride.” Most every track here impresses, and my next suggestion would be to expand his harmonious range, but this is pretty incredible and one of the year’s best retro flavored albums.

CD Baby | Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

 

Howl Griff  “Fragile Diamond”
It’s tough to neatly fit Howl Griff in one genre. The music is a combination of new wave guitar, psychedelic mellotron and classic rock rhythms – with multi-part harmony in English or Welsh. Similar to Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci they have a sound that catches up to you after a few listens. The casual strums and vocals of “Fragile Diamond” is a wonderful sing along and the wicked bassline of “Sharkfins in The Sky” make it another winner.

On occasion a song will overstay its welcome (“You Don’t Have To Leave On Your Own”) but you also have flashes of absolute brilliance, like the epic pop story of “Puppet Operation Time” and the spacey “‘FÜßßBÜKKËR.” You’ll hear the echos of The Kinks on “Runaround” and “She Walks On By The Flame,” and this band is more than the sum of its influences. It’s got what few bands have, a genuine competence in a variety of styles. Bravo.

Band Website | Amazon

Stay and Dot Dash

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Stay “The Fourth Dimension”
Another band from Barcelona, Stay caught my ear, a groovy retro-rock similar to Liam Gallagher’s Beady Eye (so it’s no surprise that Stay opened for them on tour). “The Change Is Coming” has those familiar rhythms and a carefree melody. Continuing with “Yellow Rainbows” it’s got harmonies similar to The Small Faces or Supergrass, depending on your reference.

The blues ballad “Everything” and sun kissed anthem of “You Got Me Going” are very clean and well performed. To get the ambiance right, the album was recorded in Liverpool by the producer Fran Ashcroft (Damon Albarn). No missteps here, but nothing distinctive steps out here to blow me away either. Fits in very neatly with all my Rainbow Quartz artists and a welcome addition to my hippy rock mixes.

Dot Dash “Winter Garden Light”
The industrious D.C. band is hard at work after their debut, Dot Dash leaves behind some of its rough edges, and packs hooks into its 2nd album. Highlighted by “Countdown” its got a little Joy Division, The Vapors and early REM in its DNA. The jangle break on “Two Octobers” is a fine new wave progressive tune, “La-La Land” continues the flowing goodness with “oooh” backing vocals to a blistering guitar solo. The tempo increases on the latter album tracks, “Shouting in The Rain” is another standout to be savored. It’s nice to hear a band find its “voice” and Dot Dash does it here.

CD Baby | Amazon

Any Version of Me and True Hearts

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Any Version Of Me “A Matter Of Time” 
The French artist known as Any Version Of Me has returned with a new release, and those familiar with late sixties pop will find another treat here. Moving away from the Brian Wilson sound of past albums, it drifts more towards The Beatles, Donavan and the Aerovons. Especially good is the title track, with its simple strum and double tracked vocal.

Each song has its own wry charm, but I really enjoyed “I Won’t Let You Down” with it’s harpsichord chords and catchy chorus. Like his past albums, AVOM doesn’t exactly sing anything at a quick tempo, as “Say You Don’t Mind” plods along like a John Lennon ballad. And too many songs use the same technique, on the other hand it’s well written and performed. Worth exploring and if you reward Beatlesque tendencies you’ll enjoy this even more.

Bandcamp

 

True Hearts “True Hearts”
Its been a while since I could say a power pop treasure has been uncovered from years of obscurity. The True Hearts were a Houston-based band that was born when Gary Littleton convinced Terry Carolan (Just Boys) to move to Texas where they performed in several local bands (The Pinups, The Flirt).

The band recorded a limited release EP under the name, True Hearts in 1977. Heavily influenced by The Raspberries, it found only a limited audience at the time. But listening now I wonder how the majors missed these guys. The Raspberries soundalike single “Not Tonight” has a strong hook in the chorus, and you can hear the bands confidence improve with each song. The impressive musicianship and songwriting on “Talkin’ Bout Girls” and “If I’m Late” will appeal to fans of Pezband, Off Broadway and The Rich Kids. The band is a great example of classic late 70’s power pop sound, and this collection compiles all the songs, so discover this lost album at last.

Kool Kat Musik | Amazon

 

Holmes “Complication Simplified”

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Roy Shakked aka Holmes’ 4th album release is here, and after shaking all the cobwebs out with Covers early this year, he’s ready to express his unique POV on life. The opener “Put A Hurt On Me” starts with a smooth groove and moves seamlessly into a memorable chorus. The introspective “Crawling” is a sweet shuffling melody that brings to mind Elliot Smith and McCartney.

The bluesy “Everything” and banjo strumming ditty “Mosquitos” are great set pieces that stick in your head and deserve repeat plays. The album’s chewy center is “Pressing My Luck,” full of handclaps and guitar arpeggios in the chorus. It’s a catchy high point, followed by the somber “Different Ground” and “Revolving Door” (a duet with Jesca Hoop). The interlude “I’ll do it tomorrow” is pretty funny and another big gem is the radio friendly “Stereo” which gives us the album’s title. A solid release that once again highlights Roy’s amazing talent and artistry, get it and you won’t be disappointed.

Amazon | Itunes

Tsar and The JAC

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Tsar “The Dark Stuff” EP
Without a doubt, 2012 is the year of the power pop re-union. The L.A. rock band Tsar formed in 1998 and soon won favorable reviews for their energetic gigs and anthemic songwriting, but vanished after 2005. The band now has re-formed, lead by Jeff Whalen (lead vocals/guitar,) with Daniel Kern (vocals/ guitar,) Jeff Soloman (bass) and Steve Coulter (drums).

They haven’t lost the knack for catchy tunes, as the opener “Punctual Alcoholic” has a neat bass rhythm and sharp guitar solo. The high gloss rock of “Police Station” is similar to early Tsar hits, and the brooding “Little Women” is like The Dandy Warhols meeting Weezer in a smokey room. “Something Bad Happened To Me” is little lighter, where they explain “Rock and roll is good for the soul…” Overall, a this is a solid workmanlike effort, with enough to please fans old and new.

The JAC “Faux Pas”
Okay, you gotta love Joe Algeri (Brittanicas, Jack & The Beanstalks) letting loose his inner psyche to the fans with a “I Play All The Instruments.” It makes a pretty good case for solo musicians “stuck at home, with too much time on your hands.” Joe tells us “I Just Want to be Weird” and to prove it he does offbeat pop like “I’m A Glass Of Orange Juice.” Joe isn’t as obtuse as Robert Pollard, and his rants on “Persistent Man” and “I Refuse” have punk styled DIY charm.

Several songs have a 60’s-fueled psyche pop flavor, but with a modern cynicism reminding me of The Small Faces “Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake” or Ray Davies on “Romano The Dog.” It includes an additional disc of 10 covers, so you can’t say The JAC doesn’t deliver.

Bandcamp | Amazon | Kool Kat Musik