Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Wes Hollywood “Fantasy Arcade”

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Rock veteran Wes Hollywood has always had roots in late 70’s and 80’s power pop style. Mr. Hollywood has been a staple in independent music for more than a decade, first with The Wes Hollywood Show and later with solo efforts. His latest album  Fantasy Arcade is an unapologetic triumph of hook infused melodic rock. The bouncy beat of “It’s Good to See You” is a great opener with its shiny, happy guitar riffs.  You’ll hear touches of The Kinks, Elvis Costello, Cheap Trick and The Records in the stunner “Alfie” with a series fantastic chord changes.

The very Davies-like break-up song “Baby We’re Through” is another winner, and the chiming riffs of “City Streets” explain the lost hangouts of childhood, paved over by new developments as Wes croons “goodbye to the corner shop, the record stores and vacant lot.” Its one of my favorite songs here. Each track is meticulously crafted, like the mid-tempo ballad, “Coming Along,” a personal account of his thoughts and the title track has shades of Oasis in its echoing rhythm and blistering chords. No filler and easily one of the best power pop albums this year. It comfortably gets a top ten nomination for my 2012 list.

CD Baby | Amazon

The Willie Wisely Trio “True”

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After an 18 year hiatus the original members of the Willie Wisely Trio reunite for the enjoyable True. I would call the Trio an amalgam of pop, folk and blues with a twist. Wisely fans will love the catchy opener “Kiss Her And Make It Right” and it’s the peppiest song here. The sweet banjo progressions and trombone start “Dr. Jack” but it slowly fades into Wisely-land after the chorus, with dense violin effects. The excellent “Everybody Fears The Lord” does the same, it’s also got a killer hook and rapturous guitar.

The album also doesn’t take itself too seriously with “National Council Of Jewish Women’s Thrift Store.” Wisely writes about all the junk at the thrift store he sees from Farrah Fawcett to “I’m with Stupid” t-shirts. The acoustic folk tunes like “True” and “Low” are shining examples of great roots pop, like Glen Campbell or James Taylor. Also notable is the 26 minute final track “Surreal,” a long jam that reminds me of Simon & Garfunkel’s “A Simple Desultory Philippic.”  Wisely and his trio let’s it all hang out and I simply loved this album.

Band Website | Amazon

The Mike Benign Compulsion and The Campbell Apartment

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The Mike Benign Compulsion “Martha”
It wasn’t long ago we heard from Midweswtern musician Mike Benign. This new full-length album is a big leap forward for the Compulsion, mixed by the dB’s Chris Stamey. The driving harmonies on “Chemicals To Candy” is full of classic power pop chord shifts, and a great opener. “My Michelle” has a bit more jangle, almost like The Raspberries. A few real standouts are the bouncing beat and harmony filled chorus of “Valentines and Honeybees” and the Beatlesque “Sing It.” No filler here and plenty of other great tunes, like the Kinks inspired “American Dreaming and Drunk” and the Stamey influence is clear on the album’s latter half with “By The Way” and “I Won’t Let You Down.” The ballads are good too, so overall it’s a highly recommended LP and a great addition to your playlist.

CD Baby | Amazon

 

The Campbell Apartment “In”
After the melodic indie-pop sounds of 2008’s Insomiac’s Almanac, the Campbell Apartment take a turn towards a harder rock sound courtesy of leader Ari Vais. Joined by Jody Porter (Fountains of Wayne) it resembles the late great Alex Chilton on the blistering opener “I Don’t Believe in Love (Anymore).” The cynical genius of “The See You Laters” explores the death of rock star dreams, as Ari’s vocal has a Lou Reed meets TMBG-styled cadence.

The album’s wall of guitar riffs recall the Replacements feel-good hooks on “Autumn,” and the more distortion fueled melody “Season In The Sun.” A few songs recall the early 80’s new wave, like the list of girls on “My Many Mini Obsessions” and the dissonance of “Plug-in Freak.” A few notable tracks, like “Gia Knows” recalls Weezer and “That’s All There Is” could fit comfortably on a Red Hot Chili Peppers LP. Some of the rhythm guitar acrobatics are colorful and the slow ballad “There Goes the Sun,” has some sweet horn arrangements. It’s a grower for sure, as Ari’s vocal takes a bit getting used to. Get “I Don’t Believe in Love (Anymore)” for free download to start you off!

Itunes | Amazon

Japanese Power Pop Special! 日本のパワーポップ·ミュージック！

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Certain countries really embrace power pop as a viable genre; Sweden, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Australia and the UK are included. But Japan may have the most fanatical fans, as ex-members of the band Jellyfish (Jason Faulkner, Andy Sturmer) found growing adulation there. Even if its not English language, you’ll know power pop when you hear it – so I did a few quick reviews…

The Mayflowers “Bremen Rock ” and “Red Balloon”
We mentioned The Mayflowers last week, but after going through their past catalog, I had to showcase them again. They have a knack for borrowing great song parts and making it all sound highly original and enjoyable. After you get Plymouth Rock, come back and get the other LPs. Highly recommended, get the albums domestically at Jam Records.
My Space | Bremen Rock | Red Balloon | Thistime Records


Onepercentres “Daydreaming Horses”
This band actually played at IPO, they have a harder rock sound, very similar to Green Day, Gin Blossoms, and The Goo Goo Dolls. The put a ton of power into their performance and let those fuzzy riffs do the work. And they sing in English too!
OnePercentres website | Thistime Records


Scott Goes For “Scott Goes For”
Crisp tight melodic arrangements have made the band Scott Goes For very comparable to Skeleton Staff and The Wellingtons. The band members are all veteran musicians supporting pop indie bands Pains of Being Pure At Heart and The Wellingtons on tour in Japan last year. A local critic called their debut “… a masterpiece that should be engraved in the history of Japanese rock.”

Scott Goes For website | Thistime Records


Hello “First Full Album (munasawagi pocket)”
Well you can’t get more poppy than this! Jellyfish and ELO influences are really strong here, despite the lack of English (but some English comes out in a few verses). The chords and harmonies are impressive and undeniably joyous. The album title “munasawagi” translates to “premonition.” But you don’t need ESP to enjoy this superior example of J-pop.
Hello website | Thistime Records


We’ve come a long way from those days when all I knew was Puffy AmiYumi! Fun Fact: in 2008 in Osaka, Mike Viola and Bleu were surprise wedding guests, and played “That Thing You Do!” for the happy couple.

Bryan Scary “Daffy’s Elixir”

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I’ll be damned if Bryan Scary doesn’t have the stage musical already choreographed for Daffy’s Elixir. It’s a prog-pop concept album with huge scope that drops on April 18, but downloads are available now.

“The Wicked Frontier,” slowly fades into view, a grand introduction with long gorgeous harmonies across it’s Smile-kissed strings and “Happy Trails” rhythm. Then the train pulls into “Ziegfield Station” one of the album highlights, as it zips from player piano to organ to moog and back again. The melody’s hook is repeated with a perfectly chugging outro. Then it kicks in overdrive with “Cable through your Heart” a Scary version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” with multiple melody lines and dizzying tone changes. It’s basically the musical version of a tossed salad, and its the exhausting heart of the album.

Wrapped in Floydian Wall of distorted vocal “Silver Lake Mining Company” is a fuzzy musical treat with a dream-like melody at its chewy center. “Diamonds!” is pop in a lush configuration with harp and harpsichord woven together in the chorus. “Ballroom Kid” is another strutting standout that recalls Imperial Drag. But fatigue sets in with “You Might Be Caught In Tarantella,” and even though a few gems are found on the second half of the album (like “The Tale Of Opal Dawn” and “Day-Glo Waterfalls”) it wears out its welcome quickly. Out of the massive 15 tracks here, the mellow “Quicksilver Daisy Day” appears to be the best coda. The mediocre tunes turn a truly great album into merely a very good one. Scary seems to have been caught up in this melodramatic, grandiose mock-opera, making Daffy’s Elixir taste more like strong whisky instead of sweet wine. However after half a bottle, you’ll be pretty dizzy and satisfied.

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