Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Mike Viola “Electro De Perfecto”

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There are only a handful of musicians who when they release a new album, I buy prior to hearing it. And Mike Viola is one of them, as he’s earned my trust over the years. This is a highly personal album, and like Matthew Sweet he lays it all out there – the questions of middle age, regret and more. In interviews, Mike mentions comparisons to the TV show Breaking Bad, where normal life drama comes from raw emotional moments.

It starts of with “Columbus Day” showing a shift from NYC to LA that took “all my energy” in the building chorus and with cultural touch points dotting the melody. The tone is sunny and catchy on most of the songs like “Get You Back” and even a “bad day for the whipping boy” on “El Mundo De Perfecto” finds the optimistic side of things. “Soundtrack of My Summer” is another Viola gem of an earworm, you won’t be able to shake off.  “Me and My Drinking” has a wonderful bass line and delicate narrative about screwing things up. Lyrically it does get very dark, especially on “Closet Cutter” where you blame “The Beatles and The Rolling Stones” for a lack of success and “Here’s The Rub” where a breakup leads to addiction. Aside the fact that this is all great ear candy, each song is a thoughtful and detailed scenario that requires repeated listens to really appreciate. Ever since Hang On Mike, he’s performed at such a high level, and Electro De Perfecto continues this tradition, don’t miss it.

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El Mundo De Perfecto by Mike Viola

American Underdog and Matthew Sweet

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American Underdog “Always on The Run”
Michigan musician Andy Reed (aka American Underdog) puts together a wonderful follow up to his debut. Each one of these tracks has a short musical formula and it makes for compelling listening, for example “Your Reign is Over” is a solid single that sounds like a Belle & Sebastian doing Jellyfish. The production is clean and the solid guitar strum sets the tempo on the impressive “Portland.” The Jellyfish tendencies continue on other tracks like “Always On The Run” with a super catchy hook in the chorus, although here the vocal seems lightweight. Reed sounds best when he overdubs his chorus, like on “The Day The World Was Lost” with a nice violin assist by Andy Rogers.

Most of the tracks are so drenched in sweetness, you are sure get a sugar overload – and that’s a good thing for power pop fanatics. The fuzz guitar comes out on “Nothing I Can Do” where Andy does his best Robert Schneider (Apples In Stereo) imitation. The gorgeous harmonies on the ballad “Put Out The Fire” recall the best of Pet Sounds, and its a real gem. The sparse roots ballad “Train” doesn’t seem to fit with the other tracks but, not a single note is wasted here. Overall, sure to satisfy fans of McCartney, Roger Manning Jr. and Elliot Smith. Highly recommended for sure and Kool Kat Musik will give a bonus disc with 5 unreleased tracks.

CD Baby | Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

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Matthew Sweet “Modern Art”
“I guess my evil ways turned out to be kind…” is the opening to Matthew Sweet’s latest album and its a fitting combination of power pop, progressive rock and sonic experiments.”Oh, Oldendaze” sets the album’s theme about the passing of time and dwelling on what you have left — as he intones “Memories never stand the test of time.” The guitar work is some of the best Sweet has done in years – and he dons his best Hendrix/Byrds hat on the psychedelic rock of “Ivory Tower.”

The Sweet we all know and love comes back on “She Walks The Night” with a Brydsian pop jangle, and some nice breaks midway through the song. Experiments are compelling too, like the heavy “Ladyfingers” and bongo jam on “My Ass is Grass.” And Sweet pays tribute to the genre’s fans on “Late Nights With The Power Pop,” although it feels strangely artificial.  The emotional “December Dark” and “Sleeping” are more powerful tracks for me, like John Lennon or Big Star’s Chris Bell – he explores deep personal issues. So you get a lot of soul searching from Sweet, so I wouldn’t call it “Modern,” but I would definitely call it “Art.”

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Pugwash “The Olympus Sound”

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The amazing Thomas Walsh and company return after a solid “greatest hits” collection, and create The Olympus Sound with an assist from Ben Folds, Andy Partridge and David Gregory (XTC). With such a stellar line-up and mixed at Abbey Road studios I expect nothing less than power pop bliss. And that’s what you get for the most part, as Walsh continues to pick up where XTC left off ten years ago. “Answers On A Postcard” is a snappy single with carnival-like atmosphere filled with kazoos and kettle drums. The mesmerizing “There You Are” builds with a smooth easy synth and a fuzz riff that resembles The Beatles”Rain.”

Gregory scores the strings on the wistful ballad “The Warmth Of You” and “Fall Down” chugs along with its hummable melody and tambourine claps. Folds quietly does the piano on “Dear Belinda” written for a friend of the band – actress Belinda Stewart-Wilson. The guest stars here may help but its Walsh’s vocal that leads everything, including the Patridge written “Here We Go ‘Round Again” and the semi-western mantra “I Don’t Like It But I Gotta Do It.” At this point every track shines bright and then the last few tracks get more pastoral and slower in tempo. “Four Days” is so laid back with it’s Beach Boys harmonies and lazy piano it could have you daydreaming of summer vacation… Needless to say this will stay on my ipod for a while. A “don’t miss it album” and top ten nominee for 2011.

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Noel Gallagher “Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds”

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Since Noel left Oasis, he let his brother Liam offer up the excellent Beady Eye to much acclaim, and although Noel’s album has arrived later, it’s much more main course than a musical appetizer.  The work is epic in every way Oasis was, with the added maturity in songwriting and emotional depth not heard since his early days. “Everybody’s On The Run” has the same dramatic sweep of Tears for Fears latter works, and is a great example of symphonic rock. “Dream On” is the type of song that captivates with it’s catchy chorus and background harmonies. The ghost of Ray Davies is oozing all over “The Death Of You And Me” with it’s layered banjos and New Orleans brass section.

Noel doesn’t have Liam’s vocal skills, but he still can impress us with grand compositions. “(I Wanna Live In A Dream In My) Record Machine” is another sweeping anthem with it’s choral flourishes and wall of sound production, comparable to “Champagne Supernova” in scope. The highlights just keep coming from the retro-pop of “Soldier Boys And Jesus Freaks” to the marching bass lead “(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach.” One of the best releases all year – so don’t mourn Oasis… as I see it between the two Gallagher boys you have Oasis x2.

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The Perms “Sofia Nights”

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The Perms are a Winnipeg trio fronted by Shane Smith (bass, vocals) and assisted by Chad Smith (guitar, vocals) and John Huver (drums). It was clear that for the 5th album the band wanted a wilder atmosphere in the studio while keeping those power pop hooks intact. Starting with the anthemic “High School,” it plays a bit like Weezer, Blink 182 or Bowling For Soup on a nostalgic trip, singing “It’s alright if we party every night, cause tonight will last forever and we’re never gonna die.”  On “Make It Through” Chad’s vocal in the chorus screams out over the slow steady beat almost like Kurt Cobain. The more melodic “You I’m Thinking Of” is another big standout single, similar to The Smithereens – it sticks in your brain quiet nicely.

Another gem “Said And Done” is a great rock/pop composition, then “Slipping Away” goes back to the heavier Nirvana inspired rock. The remaining tracks don’t stick as well, but are plenty of fun – the Kiss inspired sing-along “Mannheim” and crunchy riffs on “Over and Over” are meant to be played loud. The fun factor in each of these songs lifts this album above the average. And that’s exactly why you should give it a listen.

CD Baby | Amazon