Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Shake Some Action “White Lies and Bloodshot Eyes”
James Hall has put together a collection of B-sides, demos and tracks that never quite made it on previous albums. The quality work here proves that many of these really deserved release. “One Way Ticket” is a first class single with equal helpings of The Kinks and The Jam. Surprisingly these songs hold together as an album quite nicely. “Wherever You Are Tonight” and “Get It Together” are solid rockers with the latter track’s organ leading the way. “I Get Tongue Tied” is about shyness and the lovely harmonies here make it a gem. Some songs seem to have the elements of greatness (“Let Me In”) but don’t quite click. Included is a terrific cover of The Velvet’s “WhiteLight/White Heat.” Easy to recommend to your play list.

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John Amadon “Seven Stars”
Portland Oregon singer-songwriter John Amadon has a sweet folk acoustic rock sound, like Elliot Smith jamming with Neil Young. “Empty Fiction” opens with John’s earnest vocals and clean guitar strumming. Highlights here include the brilliant “All Patched Up” with its simple acoustic start and growing electric riff to a brilliantly layered chorus. The echoing keys on “Bitter Prayers” and steady rhythm make the soft vocals all the more poignant, and it’s really moving.

The album gets a little peppier the further in you go, with nice gems in “Tired Man Spinning” and “Palace of Ruin.” Then it settles in with the slow moving title track, and the slower ending on “Knocking Down Doors,” with a touch of alt. country along the lines of Buffalo Springfield. A really good album, and very much worthy of your attention.

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The Q from Gloucester, England, are a wonderful Mod revival band with power pop influences in the tradition of  The Who and The Jam. “Growing Up” is a heartfelt rocking tribute to your favorite 45 rpm records. The sixties styled beats on “Ego” and “Taste Of Honey” have an early Kinks sound, with guttural chords and on the latter track shouts of “yeah, yeah, yeah” punctuating the end of each chorus. “No Compromise” is another strong track, with a more psychedelic feel similar to The Cynics or The Action.

The big catchy standouts here are  “Good Enough” and “Being Totally Frank” which really seems to channel Roger Daltry at his ernest peak.  Another impressive fact is that the lyrics are all about personal anxiety and insecurity from a British perspective. “Penny Pinching” speaks to everyone living paycheck to paycheck. Every track is quality, without any filler here. Full of punk energy, buzzing riffs and bright harmonies it’s another “no-brainer” to add to your playlist.

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The Brigadier “Holiday Special” EP
Once again Matt Williams returns with his latest seasonal themed EP. “When The Sun Comes Out” is a sweet summer song with jangle filled melody, rock riffs and multi-tracked chorus. Once more Matt’s soft vocal plays to the narrative strengths in “Swansong” with a thick reverb guitar.  On the sparse, but brilliant “A Holiday Romance” it’s both corny and compelling, you picture a resort-romance montage.

“Ogmore-by-Sea” is an jaunty surf-styled guitar tune and “Time To Go Home” wraps up the theme in a neat bow. The subtle orchestral touches make the melody display the dichotomy of wanting to stay on holiday and being drawn home, it plays like a Moody Blues meets Aztec Camera epic. Overall, this Brigadier EP is reliable casual fun.

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Bryan Estepa “Vessels”
Sydney singer-songwriter Bryan Estepa grows up here, and has moved fully into solid adult pop bliss. The wonderful pop hooks and solid song craft are evidenced in the opener “Won’t Let You Down,” with the chorus bridging together complex multiple harmonic lines. The worldly theme and breezy charm here is similar to The Jayhawks and Michael Carpenter on “Hard Habits.” The best track is next, “Tongue Tied” is classic Estepa, full of memorable rhythms and wonderful harmonies.

“Purple Patch” is another standout here, Hammond organ, guitar and vocals combine like a vintage cabernet for the ears. “Alone” is similar to Tom Petty in tempo and feel. When things get serious like on “Pull Ourselves Together” and “Let It Go,” Estepa let’s his soul shine through each verse. The albums second half is decidedly sober with more of an alt-country bend to it.  No matter your mood, Bryan creates an essential music album for your playlist.

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The Nines are one of a very few reliable power pop artists who’ve produced consistently great music since 1998. Lead by Steve Eggers, over the course of 15 years and 4 full length albums, a few gems tend to slip through the cracks. Polarities gathers these unreleased tracks for public consumption.

The Nines clearly fall in the McCartney/XTC/Ben Folds realm, but the band has its own unique sound and a solid command of melodies and minor chord shifts. The opening track “Anything” is a catchy dance number lead by an ELO styled synth line. Another up-tempo tune is “You Can Get High” with its awesome cascading chord structure in the chorus, although the vocals are slightly buried. The winsome ballads “Goodbye Janine” and “Vanessa” were likely an outtakes from Gran Jukle’s Field. The rolling rhythms of “A Series of Shots” is very similar to Sugarplastic, and the slow guitar strum of “Orange of Summer” is another fantastic ballad. Because each track isn’t related to the others, you’ll find several favorites here. It’s a good thing, too – as this album is chock full of great music to choose from.

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