Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Ben Wilkins “Ben Wilkins”
Ontario-born Ben Wilkins was already a well-rounded musician, having studied classical music at Montreal’s McGill University and spent his post grad studies in Shanghai, China, when he began working with musical producers Pascal Shefteshy and Pierre Marchand (Sarah McLachlan, Rufus Wainwright) to put together his debut album. The warm classical pop sound permeates most of this album, but the disjointed “Opening” has a mix of indie jazz percussive effects, piano and classical strings contrasting Ben’s clean vocals. It sounds like he has thrown everything but the kitchen sink into the mix to let us know he’s avant garde.

But what comes next is nothing short of a revelation. “Soup for One” is a perfect amalgam of Ben Folds and George Michael, with a simple piano chord that grows into a lushly orchestrated melody. The arrangement and vocals here are pitch perfect and draw you into his world. “Through to You” leans more to the sound of Ben Folds or Adrian Whitehead, with slick harmonies and clean horns. Read my full review at The Rock and Roll Report. But trust me on this, several songs have found a permanent home on my ipod – a stunning debut!

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Annie Dressner “Strangers Who Knew Each Other’s Names”
Angelic youth is the first impression of Annie Dressner from her vocals on the opening track “Fly,” an wistful song about the fear of failure and the need to “grow some wings and fly.” Fans of Zooey Deschanel (She and Him) and Nataly Dawn (Pomplamoose) will find a kindred spirit in Ms.Dressner. The excellent mid-tempo “Cigarette” has a hint of tambourine and the descriptive lyric ” I smoke a cigarette so I can taste you on my breath.” Guitarist Anthony Rizzo provides a suitable low profile to twanging songs like “Come Back” and the title track. The songs are mostly somber and introspective, although the tempo speeds up with “Hardy Boys” and “Find Me,” with the latter track leaning into alt. rock territory with jangling riffs following the chorus. Overall a solid debut, with each melody a showcase for Annie’s authentic emotions.

HiFi Superstar “One Hit Wonder”
The band formerly known as Brown Line Fiasco has returned with a new name and with a more distinct power pop focus. We start with “Closer” and the Raspberries influence is clear here. But the familiar hit of synth and guitars on “Down Low” bring to mind heavier rock acts like Butch Walker, Rooney and Cheap Trick, but thankfully the band doesn’t take itself too seriously. “Gimme A Try” is a wonderfully hilarious story of an old rocker trying to keep up with today’s musical crowd (“Did I just say “jiggy”? You’ll have to excuse me.”) The band has plenty of polish after a few years on the road, and the songwriting here has definitely improved.

The band does a nice job with the power ballad “Love is Enough.” The title track is certainly catchy, as is the centerpiece “Sunday Afternoon” – but there are a few clunkers here (“CYD” is one glaring example). That’s not to say it doesn’t have it’s moments of greatness,”Knock On Wood” is another keeper that brings to mind The Hudson Brothers, and the last track “It’s Up To You” oozes cool sophistication. There certainly is more than enough here to recommend, it’s tough to give it a just a “7” — it’s more a “7.5” so give it a try. Past albums can be found on CD Baby.

The Sick Rose “No Need For Speed” 
The Sick Rose is a band from Italy that hasn’t gotten nearly enough attention. No Need for Speed is rich in classic power pop structures, irrepressible enthusiasm, and it’s also produced by Dom Mariani (DM3, Stems). The band has been playing garage syled pop for a while, but here they roar out of the gate with “Putting Me Down,” and singer Diego Mese has a clear vocal that compares well with Curt Smith (Tears for Fears).

The guitar riffs and jangle melodies are awesome on “Magic Teacher” and “Pathetic Girl.” If you’re looking for that garage feel with harmonies “Before You Go Away” is another winner. The band is pretty consistent here, and for the most part we get mainly fast paced tunes with a few mid-tempo ones (like “Drop By And Stay”). The Beatles-style Rickenbacker arpeggio dominates “Take It All Back,” and it’s another keeper here. So while you chow down on some Thanksgiving grub, feed your need for power pop with The Sick Rose.

Dot Dash “Spark>Flame>Ember>Ash”
Dot Dash are a Washington DC band with a both feet firmly planted in the post-punk indie pop genre that recalls The Joy Division and The Cure. Opening with the C-86 styled “The Color And The Sound” it sure brings back memories of my college days when raw minimalist jangle rock was everywhere thanks to REM’s Murmur.

Singer/Guitarist, Terry Banks and bassist Hunter Bennett (Julie Ocean) are joined by guitarist Bill Crandal (Modest Proposal) and drummer Danny Ingram (Swervedriver). An early standout is the melodic “Learn How To Fly.” Unfortunately, Banks lead vocal gets buried on many tracks, and it hinders great tunes like “Dissolve” and “Alright, Alright.” You have many near misses here too, “A Straight Line” and “Gripped” suffer from Banks atonal “punk” approach. You basically hear a band still finding itself in spots, but both “Seconds In A Day” and “Hurrah” you get a good melody to match the solid guitar playing. Overall this is a band worth exploring, so check it out.

Trolley “Things That Shine and Glow”
Fans of Rainbow Quartz bands and all neo-psychedelic rock rejoice! The Trolley connects the sound of nugget-era 60’s with the energy of today. The quartet has also been spotted at SXSW and IPO this year. From the opening bars of “I Woke Up” you’ll hear a chord reworking of The Seeds “Pushin’ Too Hard” and the sneering croon of Paul Wall. But the band is more than just a retro retread, as the next tune “My Obsession” shows, its got a solid hook filled melody and masterful composition. “The Calico Cat” continues this atmosphere, and the jangle filled “In The End” add bits of The Kinks, The Zombies and The Beau Brummels with each musical phrase.

The harmonies are notable on several tracks. Not everything here sticks, but the album has 14 tracks and most of them are highly recommended. Stand outs include “Out Of Love,” “Til I’m Gone” and “That Made Me Wanting You.” So light up the patchouli incense and tune into Trolley.

The Outfield “Replay”
We’ve had a revival of sorts with several mid 80’s acts coming back to life this past summer (The Cars, Journey, Weird Al Yankovic) but I was really brought back to the era with the new album by The Outfield. It’s amazing that after all this time Tony Lewis’ voice can still hit those high notes (only Yes vocalist Jon Anderson is comparable) and it’s like we never left 1983. The band is true to it’s sound and some strong compositions are here with the anthemic “Aladdin’s Cave” and “California Sun” washes over you with it’s melodies, steady drumming, and solid harmonies.

In addition, these eighties icons grew up in the sixties and nostalgia is in full bloom with a tribute to Cream on the song “Disraeli Years.” On the other hand, if you never liked the Outfield or AOR arena rock to begin with, there is nothing here that will win you over. When it comes to reunions however I would say that this succeeds where The Cars revival feels artificial and forced. This fits rather nicely in the bands discography.