Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

The Sorrows“Bad Times Good Times”
During the IPO festival my friend Dave “The Boogieman” raved about The Sorrows and but I didn’t really get around to listening to it until recently. To put it mildly, I was blown away by what is the definition of a “lost” power pop classic. Frontman Arthur Alexander brings elements of The Beatles, The Who and The Kinks to this sonic delight. Almost every one of the albums songs are pure pop perfection, lead by the guitar assault of the title track. Rather than name my favorite songs, I’ll just say this stands alongside The Beat, The Poppees and The Plimsouls as best of breed early 80’s NYC power pop. The songs are taken from The Sorrows long out-of-print albums, and thanks to BOMP records they sound better than ever. So much interest was generated by this album that Alexander is putting together a new album. Finding this shiny pop treasure will make your day.

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Shalini “Magnetic North” EP
Singer/guitarist, Shalini Chatterjee is a songstress with a sound shaped by an aural diet of early rock, Motown, and ’80s art-rock. Whether as part of a band, such as ’90s San Francisco college radio darlings, Vinyl Devotion, or as a solo artist, Shalini’s main focus is making energetic, inspired, and fun rock songs. Read the review at The Rock and Roll Report.

UPDATE: I got a few facts wrong in the Shalini review: Mitch Easter and Don Dixon suggested Shalini from her FIRST name (not last) and she played bass in a band called KIssyfish (87-90) not Vinyl Devotion. Sorry for the mixup.

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Blank Pages “Absolute Uncertainty”
South Jersey’s power pop veterans Blank Pages have teamed up with Kool Kat Musik to release their fourth collection of irresistible hooks and shining harmonies. Once again lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Greg Potter helms this workman like effort as “Let It All Out” is a strong opening that describes his songwriting compulsion.

Jangling riffs dominate “Help Me” and “Can You Feel” is another highlight with an early 80’s influence. The casual strum and minor chords make “I’ve Said All I Can Say” another delight. The Pages are hitting their stride here and I’m sure it’ll be widely enjoyed by power pop fans the world over. Kool Kat is also including a bonus disc with tracks from the band’s “Early Years” that were unreleased till now.  

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Macrodots “The Other Side”
After relocating to San Francisco to play Janis Joplin in the Off Broadway biopic Love Janis, Cathy Richardson teamed up with guitarist Zach Smith (of the 80’s band Scandal) to form Macrodots. There is a hint of similarity here with Scandal as Richardson has a strong female vocal with Cheap Trick riffs that gain your attention on the title track. The next track is the soft guitar of “Beautiful Girl” which builds into a great power ballad.

The arrangements are crisp and the hooks are plentiful on “Everything” and the Cars-meets-Heart  styled epic “Not Too Late.” It flirts with heavy bombast on “Piece O Me” to the point that even Brody Dalle would be jealous. Not a bad track here, although “If I Could” has so much drama, it reminds me of what Melissa Etheridge would sound like if she sang Meatloaf. This album really rocks, so buckle up.

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The Lowbots “s/t”
Since the early 80’s Tony Low (The Cheepskates) has been writing and recording melodic rock that stands the test of time. After a few solo albums these past 10 years, Tony returns to lead his new band The Lowbots. Helping out is Peter Tyler (bass) and Mike Glock (drums) on this solid return to form. Like the jangle filled power pop of Mitch Easter and Jamie Hoover, the Lowbots are a classic sounding power pop group and the opening track “Beware” is a great start, with a driving chords and catchy chorus.

“Like A Dream” is another brilliant song with straight forward delivery and a Monkees-styled Rickenbacker intro. Next a gorgeous remake of “Puffin”, which was originally a Cheepskates tune done with 12 string guitar intro and solid electric solos. “Virtual-Made Man” is a pretty funny take on the life of a DIY musician in the Internet age, and it’s a snappy melody as well. You’ll hear a variety of influences and instruments, like on the baroque “The Other Side” with that sweet harpsichord sound. Fans of those Holsapple-Stamey compositions will just love the ballad “Damaged Goods.” I can’t find a weak track here, so get yourself a “Lowbotomy” and get this album quick! 

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Fun With Atoms “Smart”
Straight from Packer Country (Green Bay, Wisconsin) comes a band that combines Beatles-styled harmonies and Husker Du styled loudness. This atomic trio is made of the elements; Rick Smith (vocals/ guitar), Dan Collins (bass) and Curt Lefevre (drums). From the opening guitar salvo on “Walking The Razor’s Edge,” it has that distinctive Mid Western rock and roll vibe with a bar room feel that The Lemonheads used to do so well. The “ohh wah” howls on “Really Happy” will have you singing along, and songs like “Feels Like Rain” brings that awesome guitar riff right in your face. It may be a little too consistent here, as a few tracks at the albums middle sound too similar. But things end stronger on the Beatlesque “Mystery” and the powerful fuzz guitar solos on “Ringing In My Ears.” This is one album that’s no science experiment – – it’s solid entertainment.

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Ice Cutters “s/t”
The Ice Cutters are the alter ego of musician Guy Latham from Abergele, North Wales. Guy writes a series of compelling songs on the self-titled album and although he claims many influences, the gentle vocals and mid-tempo guitar strums recall The Zombies and Gilbert O’Sullivan primarily. The baroque compositions are impressive on the memorable “Carry The Dream Away” and breezy ballad “Coming Home.” Heavier guitars come in on “ZX81” and the rant “This Is A Job” prove this isn’t a lightweight performer. Piano leads the melody on a few songs (“Taking Over”) but these aren’t as strong as the albums impressive start. Another great standout is The Left Banke like charms of “Mary Morphine.” Overall most of these tracks are pretty good, and I look forward to more from Ice Cutters.

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Courtney Murphy “Big”
After making one of the final three on Australian Idol in 2004, Courtney continued to hone his show biz chops and prepare this album. Comparable to Dan Fogelberg and Go West in style, the opening single “Salvation Jane” is a radio ready hit. Murphy’s got a great melodic streak in his songwriting and his soulful vocal impresses on “Thinking About You Naked.” With big horns and harpsichord, it’s got an ELO like flair and surprises. The “Second Best” is a modern pop standard blessed with great key shifts, and really awesome lyrics. The remaining album has a more traditional pop approach, with inspirational ballads (“Warning To You”) and soulful contemporary (“Margarita”). So how many former “idols” can sing great AND write a kick ass song by themselves? No matter, Courtney’s already done it and I’m impressed.

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