Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Garfields Birthday “More Sense Than Money”
Brothers Shane and Simon Felton have returned since 2008’s “Let Them Eat Cake.” The Weymouth UK band has quietly been doing it’s thing on the small Pink Hedgehog label. This album is chockfull of smart tunes with combinations of crunchy guitars and soft harmonies.  “Cool Your Jets” is a great opening single and “I See Shadows” is a dreamy smooth pop song with Simon’s vocal floating above the melody. “Cambridge” is another soft pop gem that stands alongside Chad and Jeremy’s classics. These ballads are where the brothers shine, but the lyrical story and melody works perfect on the excellent mid-tempo “Carry On Karaoke.” This is so much stronger than anything they’ve done before, and the harmonies go into overdrive on “Future Song.” Like a softer version of Teenage Fanclub, this is one album sure to warm your heart over the holidays.

MySpace | Amazon  | Kool Kat Musik

Michael Carpenter & The Cuban Heels “The Incomplete Cuban Heels”
This album gathers tracks from “Give The Dog A Bone” and “New Dog Old Tricks” (both are sold out EPs) and represents a “greatest hits” of Carpenter’s alt-country styled bar band. The Cuban Heels consist of Casey Atkins on guitar (Perry Keyes, James Cooper), Russell Crawford on drums (solo artist), Charlie Lee on bass (Too Many Guitars) & Jadey O’Regan on piano (Big Radio). Carpenter and the band had many sessions during 2008-2010 period, and if you like The Black Crows, Dylan, Wilco, or Tom Petty this collection is for you.

MySpace | Amazon | Bandcamp | Kool Kat Musik

As a bonus here is Michael Carpenter’s Free Christmas Single “Sunny Day for Xmas!”

Chris Murphy “Look At This/Remember That”
Chris Murphy comes to us through Michael Carpenter’s Big Radio Records label. I hear a few musical similarities, but Murphy is a musician with his own style. He’s made his name on Australian Idol and has toured as one of Perth’s best known vocalists. Fans of Crowded House will appreciate Murphy’s earnest croon on the opener “Here She Comes.” The follow up “Walking Around In The Dark” has a bouncy tempo and solid melodic chorus that make it a treat.

Then Chris takes it up a notch on “Run and Don’t Look Back” with classic rock riffs and the soulful mid tempo “The Bigger They Are.” Many artists put the “hard” songs alongside the “soft” ballads, but are rarely successful with both styles in equal measure. This is what makes Murphy so special. Blues rocker “Come And Get Me” and the tender duet “Don’t Doubt It” come from opposite sides of the musical spectrum, but are both wonderfully written and performed. Occasionally the album does get formulaic in it’s pop approach (“Your Pretty Little Head”) but it’s better than most bands out there. It ends off with a nice little Beatles cover, “Blackbird” with flute and violin flourishes that enhance the song’s appeal. An impressive debut that pop fans will appreciate.  

ChrisMurphy.net.au | Amazon 

Bastards of Melody “Hurry Up and Wait”
New Jersey’s Bastards of Melody have followed a mantra of catchy guitar riffs and memorable melodies. The latest album’s vibe is based on the Cheap Trick – Replacements variety of power pop. “Around You” follows this formula perfectly. The Rickenbacker jangle and harmonies are part of “All I Want To Know” and you’ll want to crank up the volume here. “Dream Jeannine” has little psychedelic touches and a Byrds-like chorus. After a few mid tempo songs the band breaks out those high energy riffs again for “Cut and Paste.” Fans of The Spongetones and Smash Palace will appreciate the dreamlike pop texture of “Gateway Center.” My only peeve is that lead singer Paul Crane’s vocals shouldn’t be buried under all those multi-layered riffs (like on the pop punk gem “Unproductive”). With that mentioned the compositions are strong, without a hint of filler. An exemplary album of the genre that shouldn’t be missed.

MySpace | CD Baby | Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Mick Terry “The Grown Ups”
Mick Terry, a buddy of Philadelphia power pop fave Jim Boggia, has a solid background that gathers influences from Beatles and Beach Boys with a dash of Lovin’ Spoonful. The album theme is a look back at childhood dreams, and it opens with the “Hoxton Song” a catchy tune with a nice hook and early seventies vibe. “Northern Exposure” is diary set to a piano melody, with great harmonies during the break – it’s one of the best songs on the album, full of hope and optimism. “Comets” is a Paul Simon-like shuffle tune and the vocal arrangements really stand out here. Other gems here include “T.E.D.” and  the simple ballad “Tinseltown.” Lyrically Terry displays a wisdom suited to a mature singer/songwriter and fans of both Simon and James Taylor will find these stories compelling. There are only nine tracks here, but each one carries the narrative forward – no filler here. Take a trip down memory lane with Mick, you’ll be glad you did.

Mickterry.co.uk | CD Baby | Amazon

T.E.D. by Mick Terry

Baby Scream “Baby Scream”
Juan Mazzola returns with his third musical nugget, and unlike the last album this time he’s letting his classic rock freak flag fly. Juan told me he got a little help from Eric Dover (Jellyfish, Sextus) here, and it’s done some good. As with the aptly titled “Powerpop Crush” the heavy riffs and multi-tracking resemble a classic Teenage Fanclub song. “Exile” is another winner, a Badfinger styled anthemic rocker. The solid song structure on “Jekyll & Hyde” has a building synth and fading chorus that would fit nicely on Pink Floyd’s Final Cut.  “Mental Case” has a driving rhythm and nice guitar work, although Juan’s vocal gets a little overshadowed here. His approach is a nasal mix of John Lennon and Roger Waters. “Watching The End Of The World” is a good example of this, with some good orchestration amongst the chorus. Other tunes, like “Lazy” have a decent hook, and “What About You” showcases some nice guitar flourishes. Overall a good album with lots of musical depth to explore. Keep up the good work Juan!

MySpace  | Amazon | Itunes (Mexico)

Rachel McGoye “Ghetto Gloss” EP
Slick and melodic, the talented Rachel McGoye has a great voice for modern pop with a touch of country soul. Produced by Alex Band (The Calling) this is a nice showcase for Rachel, the sweet strum of guitar and shuffle of “Love Me Good” reminds me of Shania Twain a bit. So it makes sense she’s been touring with Idol runner up and country star Kellie Pickler. Both “Love Seed” and “Oh My My” are good songs and seem destined to make it on a TV soundtrack. The talent is definitely there, but nothing sticks out hook-wise to leave a lasting impression. We’ll need to hear more from Ms. McGoye to make a solid judgement.

Official Site | MySpace | CD Baby

Matt Ryd “Looking For Home”
Compared rightly to Jason Mraz meets The Rembrandts, Matt Ryd is a Chicago artist who serves up sweet pop with clear harmonies and memorable melodies. On the opening track “Impression” he leads with Joan Hoedeman supplying backing vocals. “Healed” has already been featured on TV’s Scrubs soundtrack. This fast tempo track is followed by “For So Long,” which recalls The Barenaked Ladies with it’s sunny tone. Things slow down at the album’s middle, but on “Wondrin'” Matt’s vocal adds real emotion to the ballad. A few missteps (like the annoying “Lie To Me” and dark “When I Fall”) don’t ruin things, as the sparse arrangements and heavy percussive “Over You” and the tender “Shadows Of Your Life” redeems things. Nothing approaches the first half’s “single” oriented tunes, but Matt’s a singer/songwriter worth looking into.

MySpace | Amazon

Tim Kasher “The Game of Monogamy”
Debut solo album from Kasher which features musical assistance from members of his band Cursive and Minus the Bear. Kasher gives us a brilliant concept album about commitment. Starting his opening argument “A Grown Man”is about responsibility in a pop punk rant that gives way to the blaring horns of “I’m Afraid I’m Gonna Die Here.” This is an awesome single that recalls those early Joe Jackson or David Byrne songs about the fatal attitude of our protagonist. Another stroke of pop genius is “Cold Love” with dissonant guitar chords and synth rhythms. The bouncy pop reveals that when it comes to marriage “I’m just inadequate, or maybe this is stupid, we’re just chumps.” Another gem is the wonderful “No Fireworks” which goes to great stylistic lengths to express the loss of love. There is a theatrical flourish to the album with orchestral arrangements that make it feel like you’ve heard a soundtrack to a movie or stage play. A truly impressive debut – Get the single “Cold Love” for free here.

MySpace | Amazon

Dave Stephens “Time Will Tell”
I’ve been a longtime advocate for Dave Stephens past work, this year his newest effort Time Will Tell starts with a rich orchestral effort on the title track that seems tame, but transitions to “Mr. Wonderful” a heavy riff induced burst. This pattern of dramatic Coldplay-like compositions to louder guitar based riff rock is followed throughout the album. Stephens skills as a songwriter are secure with the excellent “Tragedy” and moving ballads like “Peace Of Mind.” The rocking “Josephine” is another highlight, and Dave’s earlier influences (Billy Joel, Elton John) are very subtle this time around. Overall, the album has a lot of songs about soul searching like “More Than Me” and “Dealing With The Past.” Toward the albums end, it gets even more serious with the haunting piano dirge “It’s Not My Dream.” It ends off with the six minute opus “Falling Away” and I am reminded of those melancholy gems from Gordon Lightfoot. A strong solid effort, but I hope Stephens next album can cheer me up a bit more.

MySpace | Dave’s website | Amazon

Jesse Brewster “Wrecking Ball At The Concert Hall”
San Francisco native Jesse Brewster is a skillful roots rock musician. His sound to me is combination of Tom Petty, John Mayer and Chris Robinson (Black Crowes). The slow bluesy Americana track “All She Deserves” is a brilliant showcase for his strong songwriting ability and soulful vocal. And the Skynrd-like riffs on “God Fearin’ Man” is near perfect country rock with a wicked solo midway towards songs end. Much of the faster tracks, like “I’m Not Broken” have an anthemic quality, full of smart choruses and harmonies. The albums middle seems a bit light, and a some of these tracks are forgettable (“My Great Escape”). A few of these tracks can be found on his self titled EP from 2008. However the ballads are heart wrenchingly performed, my favorite here being “Sorry Ain’t Enough” where it slowly builds to a guitar crescendo between each verse. Having spent much of his career as a sideman, it’s nice to see Jesse get the spotlight here.

MySpace | CD Baby | Amazon