Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Dead Heart Bloom "Strange Waves"

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Singer/songwriter Boris Skalsky (aka Dead Heart Bloom) weaves an imaginative tapestry of introspective pop on Strange Waves.  Along with drummer John Hadfield and bassist Nathan Goheen, Skalsky’s vocals definitely recall early Bowie and the bands sleepy beats and echoing guitar bring early Pink Floyd or The Cure to mind. It certainly starts with a memorable song in the thematic “Someday Will Not Come Again.” The multi-layered guitar riffs in the Brydsian “Sentimental Cures” is sure to make Wilco fans sit up and take notice. The deep melodic ballad “Meet Me” is another moving folk pop composition.

A sense of dread hangs over “Don’t Worry For Me” and “Some Will Rise” but each track reaches deep into your musical subconscious. “Another Mistake” has a Paul Simon-like quality with acoustic guitar and bass leading a story of youthful recollections. The title track has an exotic feel, with maracas, sax, and Spanish guitar strums that sounds like a combination of The Alan Parsons Project and Love & Rockets.  “Love Will Have Its Day” evokes the lonely spirit of Gordon Lightfoot. The strong compositions brimming with clear choruses and middle eights make this album a winner despite a somber tone for the most part. No filler either makes this a perfect rainy day album. 

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Rusty Anderson "Born On Earth"

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Rusty Anderson is a guitarist with Paul McCartney’s band (along with Brian Ray) who produced an awesome debut album and now it’s followed by his sophomore effort Born on Earth. Filled with lush orchestration and solid song structure it starts with a heavy guitar bridge on the opening title track. You can definitely hear Paul’s influence on “Timed Exposure,” it’s got a sneaky hook that bursts into crunchy guitar riffage in the chorus “You’ve got a story to tell, when it’s over, timed exposure…” A few tracks get quite artistic and emotional (“Private Moon Flower” and “Under A White Star”) but remain solid rockers.

The gorgeous melodies come out when Rusty works the easy going ballads “Julia Roberts” with it’s slow shuffle, harmonica and the sunny strumming of “Where Would We Go?” But he is just as impressive when it comes to full bore guitar pop of “These Are The Days.” Unlike his boss, Rusty favors louder riffs when it suits the song. Loads of quality tunes and fans of hard driving arena pop will love this album.

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Joel Streeter and Adrienne Pierce

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Joel Streeter “Matador”
Bay Area singer-songwriter Joel Streeter is a true pop talent that continues his growth on the sophomore album “Matador.” The sound is similar to Chris Stamey or Paul McCartney building classic pop compositions through a dense wall-of-sound approach. He is assisted by over a dozen players including producer Jerry Becker (Train) to make this a highly polished effort. The hooks are all over the title track and the use of horns to support “Drive Away” bring to mind Squeeze. The mid-tempo songs “Baby Your Time’s Here Too” and “A Better Day” both have great Beatlesque melody and hooks in the chorus that don’t quit. Another highlight here is the piano bounce on “Man Of The Hour” where the guitar rhythm mimics “It’s Getting Better” prior to the rich chorus and the orchestral break in the songs middle. The multi-layered vocal harmonies on “Like A Bird In A Gilded Cage” recall early Crowded House. Fans of Jim Boggia, Marshall Crenshaw and the other artists mentioned will really enjoy this album. Not a bad track in the bunch, and plenty of memorable gems make it easy to recommend.

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Adrienne Pierce “Oh Deer”
Canadian Adrienne Pierce has a very distinct vocal that gets your attention. It’s a mesmerizing combination of Edie Brickell and Blossom Dearie that draws you in. She’s written music for TV (Grey’s Anatomy, Veronica Mars) and this is her third full length album. It’s safe to classify her as folk pop, and the opening “Amargosa Hotel” has the guitar twang and dreamy quality often found on Sheryl Crow’s work. The same feeling on “Black Sand” carries through, with a catchy beat to contrast her multi-tracking here. The storylike ballads like “Monsters” and “Arc De Triomphe” are soulful and effective. My favorite track though is the bouncy “Guilty of Everything” with a sweet melody and seductive confessions in the lyric. However, other tracks here seem self-indulgent (“Telescope”) or are just too sparse (“Nightswimming”), so you may want to pick and choose the keepers here.

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The Gin Blossoms and The Dandy Warhols

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Here is a review of few major label bands that got my attention:

Gin Blossoms “No Chocolate Cake”
The Gin Blossoms were one of the few power pop bands of the 90’s that had mainstream success with mega-hits including “Hey Jealousy” and “Til I Hear It From You.” Now the band returns after their Major Lodge Victory album, to continue their brand of easy going power pop. The band (Robin Wilson, Jesse Valenzuela, Scott Johnson and Bill Leen) assisted by Danny Wilde (The Rembrandts) on keyboards starts out with the crunchy chords of “Don’t Change For Me.” The band does a fine job here but it sounds too innocuous to be that memorable until we get to the standout track “Miss Disarray” which will remind you of those classic hits. The next song “Wave Bye Bye” is also very good with Wilson’s gentle vocal and a hook in the chorus that keeps you listening.

Another gem is found on “Somewhere Tonight” with some great guitar melodies and Danny Wilde’s influence is very strong here. Unfortunately with the entire band getting song credit on “I’m Ready” it’s so generic and bland it begs you to hit the skip button. The band redeems itself on “Goin’ To California”  with a standout guitar solo and measured rhythms. Overall, No Chocolate Cake has some sweet moments that makes it worthwhile.

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The Dandy Warhols “The Capitol Years 1995-2007”
The Dandies were a band that put the “chic” in heroin chic with their druggy psychedelic pop debut. This retrospective collection of the band shows how a promising group can catch the zeitgeist of an era with the big hits, “Boys Better” and “Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth.” Lead singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor was a perfect mix of Bowie and Lou Reed early on with a sarcasm and trippy introspective approach that few could equal. Other songs like “Bohemian Like You” and “We Used To Be Friends” channel The Rolling Stones at their lounge lizard best. The band begins to spiral into a self indulgent mess toward the end on “Plan A” and “Holding Me Up.” I could go on for a page about the love-hate battle with The Brian Jonestown Massacre, but in the end it’s the music that remains. The Dandy Warhols legacy is secure and this is a decent introduction to newbies.

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