Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic Archives - Page 268 of 353

The Candles and Little Beirut

August 17, 2010July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

The Candles “Between Sounds”
Multi-instrumentalist Josh Lattanzi has worked with many great pop acts (Ben Kweller, Tinted Windows, The Lemonheads) but here he’s in charge of The Candles. This a very warm album with easy going affectionate pop that doesn’t break any new ground, but it’s solid in approach and execution. The playful progressions in “Waiting For The Truth” are compelling roots styled pop with a touch of synth. The best melody comes from the easy going “Here and Gone” with it’s descending guitar rhythms and hand claps in the sing-along chorus.

The musicianship is top notch, with even James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins) helping out with the twang on “Anywhere Tonight.” The slight country flavored pop works best on the well written “Who We Are.” This is one of those albums that isn’t that immediate, but really sticks with repeat listens. Fans of Ryan Adams, Jackson Browne and The Gin Blossoms will enjoy this release immensely. Get the FREE sample track “Here and Gone” here.

My Space | Amazon

Little Beirut “Fear Of Heaven”
This Portland Oregon band sounds like the model of a contemporary pop band, as the opener “Last Light” has that Coldplay meets Guster approach with a decent hook in the chorus. Lead singer Hamilton Sims keeps things moving along on “Cosmic Waitress” with chiming guitars chords and hand claps. The composition gets a bit sparse on “Apology To My Heart” but it holds together thanks to Sims vocal and a good melody. The standouts here follow — “Bow and Quiver” is a solid melodic rocker with a rhythm guitar riff that will stick in your brain for days, and epic rock ballad “Lifeboat” almost approaches greatness, but doesn’t quite make it there. There are other good tracks here (“Cigarette Girl” and “Crooked Crown”) but it feels like the band is just dipping their toe in the power pop waters. The compositions are solid, but a bit too safe to be that memorable. After repeat listens the songs “hidden” details in the melodies may keep you coming back, but this band needs to drop the subtlety if it wants to gain a bigger following.

MySpace | CDBaby

Edward O’Connell "Our Little Secret"

August 13, 2010July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic 2 Comments

Washington D.C. musician Edward O’Connell has produced a polished gem of a debut on “Our Little Secret.” O’Connell is very much a power popper in the Richard X. Heyman mold. His sound builds on influences from Nick Lowe, Tom Petty, and Elvis Costello. Starting with “Ace Of Diamonds,” it’s got that vibrant strum to warm the soul and a Wilbury-like hook in the chorus, it’s a real winner of a single. “I Heard It Go” is a wry observational song that follows with similar rhythm and creative guitar lead during the break.

The rooty jangle opens on completely awesome “Partially Awesome” and “Happy Black” is a slow shuffle with Edward’s vocals at it’s most Costello-esque. The charging “With This Ring” is layered with great guitar solos and a driving beat that brings to mind Dave Edmunds. “Pretty Wasted” is a great example of brilliant songwriting and Jill Read’s backing vocals in the chorus just emphasize the love story. The tempo slows down and the subject matter gets a bit heavier on the album’s second half, as “I Need All The Friends That I Can Get” is an ambitious ballad and the slow country flavored “We Will Bury You” is a moving observation at a funeral. The quality and craftsmanship of this album is impeccable and with no filler to be found. It makes the top ten list for sure so don’t miss it!

Edward O’Connell’s site | CD Baby | Amazon

Julius C and Manatee

August 11, 2010July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic

Julius C “Don’t Want Anybody” EP
A couple of kids from NYU met up in 2003 and kept playing until they formed this tight unit. Fast-paced and fun, the opening title track is as catchy as hell and demands repeat spins. “My Broken Heart” is a funky throwback that is shadowed by a fuzzy bass line and a solid disco orchestral touches. Plenty of energy on “OK, OK” and the marching piano jam of “You & Me.” Overall these are bright, shiny pop songs with hooks-a-plenty. One of the hottest EPs this year, so when is that full release guys? Check out the video here!

My Space | CD Baby

Manatee “s/t”
This band marries the Velvets, The Band and a touch of Codeine to form a indie/slowcore hybrid. The guitars certainly prod along at a weary pace on “Distance To Mars” that seem better suited to Neil Young, and the harmonies feel dry and out of place. Ironically a highlight here is called “Scapegoat,” with it’s slow jam and vocals matching the solid composition, it’s the most compelling track. The pace picks up slightly on “The Unsuccessful Rapist” with some strong drum work by Russ Thompson. The guitars slow building riffs also work well on “Fluorescent Eyes” but the biggest issue here is that the vocals are indistinct and the entire tone of the album is a downer. I hope they cheer up enough for a sophomore release.

MySpace | CDBaby

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Soundtrack

August 10, 2010July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic

The soundtrack is such an important part of this flick’s overall critical success, it took nearly two years to finish. If you can deal with the movie-band Michael Cera’s Sex Bob-Omb and it’s amateur punk goodness with Beck’s songwriting help, the soundtrack offers several sweet treats. Plumtree puts forth the catchy theme “Scott Pilgrim” and Frank Black (The Pixies) gives us a masterful “I Heard Ramona Sing” which makes it worth getting alone, with it’s smart melodic progression and steady rhythm. The ethereal croon of “By Your Side” by Beachwood Sparks is another winner and “O Katrina!” by The Black Lips is deliciously decadent garage pop.

Scott Pilgrim’s “movie bands” Crash and The Boys (aka Broken Social Scene) and Sex Bob-Omb are brief humorous distractions, and every other track here works great. The T.Rex string heavy opus “Teenage Dream” fits here nicely as well as the Rolling Stones “Under My Thumb.” “It’s Getting Boring By The Sea” is a solid rocker by Blood Red Shoes with tons of energy and Metric’s “Black Sheep” follows it as another potential big hit. The solid ballad “Ramona” penned by Beck (in both acoustic and full orchestral versions) shows he hasn’t fallen off the earth he’s just channeled the band Air. In keeping with movie’s video game effects, it ends with “Threshold (8bit)” a fuzzy electronic game composition. If you’re into the hip and cool, you could do much worse than this. Listen to the whole album streaming.

The Movie Site | Itunes | Amazon

The Shamus Twins and Alejandra O’Leary

August 6, 2010July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic

The Shamus Twins “Garden Of Weeds”
The duo of Jerry Juden and Tim Morrow aka The Shamus Twins had a pretty good debut in 2004, so you have to wonder why this follow up took so long. It could be that both guys are still active in other bands (The Murder Bros., The Most, The Moondogs), so I’ll give ’em a bit of slack here. The sound is straight ahead garage-styled power pop that will appeal to fans of The Grip Weeds, The Beatles, Kinks and other guitar centric bands. “You Know My Name” is a tight catchy rocker, and “Garden Of Weeds,” a standout on the IPO Vol.10 compilation, remains a great track here. “Life Is Strange” has that great jangle and sha-la-la harmonies that you can sing along to. Like The Spongetones, the juxtaposition of strum, melody and a well timed hook in the chorus make most of the tracks here easy to enjoy. But I love it when they bring out uncommon rhythms and harmonic structures on “Did You Have To Change.” The song brings out the best in the band, and some of the other tracks just can’t touch it. A few tracks don’t quite have the hooks (“Beyond You,” “I Never Been Happy”) but overall the Twins are leaps and bounds better than most bands. Highly Recommended for sure.

My Space | CD Baby | Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Alejandra O’Leary “Nothing Out Loud”
Maine native Alejandra O’Leary creates a pop album that goes through the frustrations of a relationship from a personal perspective. The guitar sound is influenced by the British sixites, but the lyrical angst is closer to 50’s icons Lesley Gore and The Shangri Las. Her vocals tremble slightly as she croons “Ever After” the standout track here. It’s your girlfriend unloading her anger on you with a beautifully jangling guitar as accompaniment. “Love I Been In” is a slower lament on her sour date where “to kiss you is as far as I can go.” The song compositions are good, but occasionally it doesn’t work with O’Leary’s vocals (“Tremor”). The next best song here “Rally” is a retro-styled track, with catchy hand claps and a Phil Spector studio echo. From there most of the songs are ballads that don’t quite stick. The confessional “People Like Me” ends it on a positive note where collaborator guitarist Doug Kwartler is able to bring out the best in Alejandra, and it’s comparable to Liz Phair. I hope for future offerings closer to this style, because “Nothing Out Loud” seems to wander all over the place.

MySpace | CD Baby | Amazon