Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Originally from Minnesota, Gagner began his career as a drummer for several bands in San Francisco. He started his solo career with the acclaimed Cartographer EP and now here is the full length follow up. The bouncy riffs jump out to a rich chorus on “I Hate To Say” and the perfect jangle compliment “Speak & Spell” recall Elvis Costello at his early melodic best.

“Laura No. 1” is a rich mid-tempo gem with hand claps, and minor chords you’ll feel compelled to sing along to. The subtle guitar arpeggios in the ballad “Right Before My Eyes” change the albums tone and it shifts into alt country mode with the Wilcoesque “Love You More.” Flawless musicianship and melody grace us with the gentle “Houdini.” The album’s tone picks up energy on “Take Two” and “Ride” and towards the album’s end veers into psychedelic ambiance on “The Golden Mean.” This is a great album with plenty of variety as Gagner spreads his wings creatively. Keep your eye on Scott — his potential is limitless. A top ten album nod and the best debut so far this year.

Artist’s site | CD Baby | Amazon

Lick And A Promise “Come Together In The Morning”
Here is a classic styled rock band that plays both loose acoustic-style pop and R&B influenced rock. Lead vocalist Jochen W. Thoma has a terrific sound, a great mix of Robert Plant and Roger Daltry.

Opening with the laid back “Dance With Me,” you get the simple strum and a sly lyric. “Hey Hey Hello” seems to channel Extreme’s best harmonies into the chorus. The Stones-like rock impresses with “The Highway” and “Come Together.” And the album is far from predicable, as “Throw It Away” has a country beat to go with the pop song structure. Clearly no filler here, and guitarist Manuel Eisesser has riffs that remind me of Stevie Ray Vaughn. Fans of Led Zepplin, Neil Young and The Black Crowes will find lots to love here. Highly recommended.

Dreaming In Stereo “Dreaming In Stereo 2”
Fernando Perdomo returns after a wonderful debut, and there is no sophomore slump here. Fernando balances his guitar virtuosity with equally strong melodies. A variety of instruments and even guest vocalists (Marisol Garcia) support Fernando’s mix of Todd Rundgren, Pink Floyd and Jason Falkner. “Fill My Sky” features his exceptional guitar work and solid hook. The gorgeous pyche-pop of “Enough’s Enough” is filled with his swirling melody, dreamlike background vocals and strings. Marisol’s vocal leads the ballad “Saturday Song” and the Gilmour-esque guitar reverb brings us to the goose bump inducing chorus.

“The Traveler” is a little ear worm that simply won’t leave your head with it’s “Woah, oh oh” refrain. Every song here leaves an impression, and although some tunes seem a bit derivative, they never get boring. “Standing Still” is a Ringo-ready melody that opens up to rich orchestration. “Open The Door” is a haunting Brian Wilsonesque chant that is both creepy and compelling. Another gem here is “Music All Around Me (Dudley Moore’s Last Words)” with a Harrison slide riff and ELO styled arrangement. As long as Perdomo can take those classic power pop influences and wrap them in an intoxicating original package, he’ll get my attention. The band definitely deserves a top ten of 2011 mention.

After making the #1 spot on David Bash’s extensive top ten list last year for Lies and Fairy Tales, Ryan “Shmedly” Maynes and crew bang out another top notch power pop album. The opening single “Generation Ship” is a majestic ELO styled gem that conjures images of a Jules Verne inspired zeppelin floating across the clouds. Crunchy guitar riffs and Shmed’s growl on “Tarantula” is a loving tribute to your arachnophobia. The title track has some great instrumentation and the lyrics are literally pulled from a horticulture textbook.

The band stretches a bit on western themed “The Desert” and “It Should Have Been Me.” The tracks at the album’s middle are good, but don’t reach the earlier highs. There are still great standouts here like the sublime “Crocodile” and hand clapping goodness of “In The Way.” Shmed goes back to the Lynne playbook ending things with “Blue Thing,” but overall this music is way better than the piles of other bands, and just the amount of gems here demand it makes my top ten list for 2011 (So far each year Shemd has made my list).