Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Valentiger “Oh, to Know!”
This Michigan band is on the cusp of something big. A very smooth blend of alt. country and folk pop with a casual attitude. Opening with the Wilco-ish “Oh, To Know!” features the commanding guitar strums and harmonies in the chorus. The building bass line and quiet-loud composition from lead guitarist-vocalist Brent Shirey also won me over. The slower beat on the melodic “All I” shuffles along and the Beck-like fuzz on “Another Cool Move” recall a lost Replacements tune. On the slower side of things, “Love to Forgive” is a sweet pastoral folk tune along with the wistful ballad “Why I’m Not Great.” Things roar back to life with the 90’s grunge of “Frozen Dozing.”  The poppiest song here is saved for last with anthemic “Good Day, goodnight” complete with handclaps and happy harmonies. No filler to be found here as everything here is nicely done. Fans of Uncle Tupelo, Wilco and Old 97’s will really love this one.

Dan Miraldi “Rock N Roll Band” EP
Ohio native Dan Miraldi was the keyboard player for The Silver Liners, and this is his newest EP. Miraldi has plenty of classic rock and roll influences, his sound is like a hybrid of Mick Jagger and Ricky Nelson. It opens with the hard rock “We Both Know” and the chord structure is very Nirvana, but Dan’s clear croon didn’t quite fit for me. “You’ve Got To Hurry” sounds better, with a familiar melody and workman-like performance. The single “Mystical Queen” is Dan at his most retro, here it’s almost an Everly Brothers song. The straight shooting “Rock N Roll Band” is another standout, with his own bio and sales pitch in the lyrics (“I was working on guitar, but I’m a much better singer…”). While this isn’t bad by any stretch – it doesn’t have the energy and swagger of his earlier album  Thirsty (listen to the single “Premonition“). But if you’re into oldies styled rock with a modern twist, it will appeal to you.

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Theo Meyer and his band comfortably crank out infectious power pop full of crunchy riffs, handclaps and shaking tambourines. From the opening introduction to the blistering “Permission To Rock You” takes its cues from Cheap Trick, Splitsville and The Posies. It also helps that the debut was recorded and mixed by Kurt Reil of the Grip Weeds. The vintage chords flow freely on “Get To You” and it effortlessly segues into a quiet break, then builds back up. The tracks have a relentless energy, and “Immaculate Mansions” has a touch of the Grip Weeds sixties-centricity in its DNA, with a terrific rhythm and guitar solo.

A good description of the bands method is in the opening lines of “Tour of Japan” where Meyer intones “We’ve been down in the basement for over a year/writing teenage symphonies that no one will hear…” The rock and roll dreams are so honestly portrayed, its hard not to join in with air guitar yourself. Meyers nasal vocal fits the driving energy of songs pretty well, but unfortunately the two part harmonies on the well written “Indecision & Inertia” aren’t quite up to par. Aside from that, this is a wonderful debut that sure to win over fans. It’s already won over IPO‘s David Bash who called them “a great power pop band…” I totally agree and highly recommend this album.

Don Lee “Fool to Even Care”
Don Lee is singer/songwriter who deserves a big following among power pop enthusiasts. He’s got a vocal style uncannily like Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze) and driving guitar chords to go with the sophisticated pop songcraft. Opening with “How Do You Play?” it’s a fast paced and catchy single. Several gems follow, “Getting Together” is a sweet double tracked vocal against a easy guitar strum, and a swaggering chorus. Alina Zimmerman adds her teasing vocal in the his/her duet “Pay Your Love In Full” with Don’s short but blistering guitar solo. “Never That Far” is another angular gem, with shifting tones in the melody. The ballads are good too, “Leave Me The Light On” adds a little bongo and flamenco flavoring to a superb pop song. The album never stays in a single mood, but it slowly runs out of steam until “The Lawn” and “Get Out Of My Way” revive things with its chord play and vocal enthusiasm. Melodic rock fans will also definitely want to explore his back catalog. It’s no wonder Don was voted Best Rock/Pop/Blues Act at the Jersey Acoustic Music (JAM) Awards this year.

Grand Atlantic “Constellations”
This New Zealand band gave us a taste of the heavier Britpop sound when they released the single “Poison To The Vine” earlier this year. Like a combo of The Doves and Oasis, Grand Atlantic has slowly moved away from their power pop roots, to a heavier rock and shoegazer style. The band still has a knack for pop melody on “Carved From Stone” as it’s a strong opener. “Searchlights” is another confident tune that struts it’s blistering guitars with gleeful abandon. Lead honcho Phil Usher adds a touch of spacey pysche-pop with the title track, and on the droning ballad “Mountains Too Steep” he finds his inner Bono. “Little Traps” is my favorite track here, with it’s layered guitar work and epic vocals. Kinda makes the old Oasis look like wussies, huh? However after the driving “Fresh Ideas In Home Security” it drifts off into less memorable stuff toward the albums end. But it still is a great album in my book, and this band also sounds ready to hit the big time with this album. It ups the ante for both fans and critics of How We Survive. Get this one and feel the rush!

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