Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic Archives - Page 272 of 353

The Grip Weeds "Strange Change Machine"

June 29, 2010July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

Those musical brothers Kurt and Rick Reil are at it again, after revisiting and remastering the debut album and the last studio release “Giant On The Beach,” the band produced this massive double CD set stocked with great power pop and pysche pop gems. Joined once again by Kristin Pinell (guitar) and Michael Kelly (bass) the band devoted one disc to Kurt’s songwriting and the other to Rick’s compositions.

The band’s opening tunes are a culmination of influences, and they are no longer pinned down by one type of sound any longer. “Speed Of Life” is a joyous sonic celebration of rock and things are more akin to classic Yes than The Byrds (although that 12 string sound is still there). The heavier meaty rock of “Don’t You Believe It” is right along with the Who or Golden Earing playbook. The bands smooth harmonies on “Be Here Now” never sounded better and Kurt’s acoustic skills shine on “Sun Shower.” The Beatlesque “Twister” is a another catchy gem you shouldn’t miss.

It’s tough to sustain a listeners interest through one disc, but the band succeeds in doing this with disc 2. Rick’s opener “Coming and Going” is more mid-tempo and his songs have more of a psychedelic flavor. A great cover of Todd Rundgren’s “Hello It’s Me” is followed by the energetic “Truth Is (Hard To Take).” Another perfect psyche pop melody is on “Used To Play” with it’s multilayered harmonies in the chorus. The instrumental fills are very short and support each disc nicely, without any throw away songs. Throughout the entire album you will hear bits of Fleetwood Mac, Love, Cream and Todd in spots. In short, they have evolved and this album should be savored like a fine wine. Yes, five years is a long wait — but boy was it worth it. My last interview with the band was while they were building this work of art. It gets a top ten album nomination for 2010, easily. Best of all you can get eight songs from this great album FREE right here.

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Oranjuly "s/t"

June 24, 2010August 17, 2024 powerpopaholic 2 Comments

As a music junkie, you gotta love stumbling across a great unsigned band that deserves attention, and here is one for sure. Oranjuly is the creative brainchild of singer/songwriter Brian E. King who worked over three years on these tracks. Orangjuly is also the combination of Brian’s birth-month and his favorite color. He added a few friends like Jordan Weaver (guitar), Greg Souza (keys), Chris Erickson (bass) and Lou Paniccia (drums) to round things out.

The album recalls plenty of classic pop influences without leaning too heavily on them and making hook filled magic. Starting with “Her Camera” its perfect blend of Wilson-esque harmonies, melodies and Weezer-like guitar riffs. The bouncy piano lead of “Mrs. G” is a Ben Folds styled compact symphony with a dense chorus and wicked guitar outro. The romantic “I Could Break Your Heart” compares well with Lamar Holley, full of hand claps and clever shifts in key. Like a box of chocolates, each track is a new sweet flavor, from the indie-guitar pop of “The Coldest Summer” to the delicate harpsichord and horn arrangement on “Hiroshige’s Japan.” The retro chords of “207 Days” is another joy that combines a Rundgren-like mid-tempo sound with a chorus of “ooh la las” that is just amazing. What else here can I rave about? Every track just shines with no filler to be found makes it a slam dunk to be the best power pop debut of the year. Currently the band is on tour with The Luxury and Spirit Kid — see them now before the crowds get too big.

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Jackdaw4 "The Eternal Struggle For Justice"

June 21, 2010July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic 2 Comments

Jackdaw4 is considered one of the best modern power pop bands out there, with 2 stellar releases (Gramophone Logic, and Bipolar Diversions) I was prepared for another fantastic production. “Eternal Struggle for Justice” starts out with a lurching organ and dark tone more suited to Bryan Scary, than Jellyfish – although an angelic choral break at the songs middle is more like it. Then the blare of a Motown styled horn section greets us on “Everyone Becomes The Road They Take” and it’s clear the album has a more varied theatrical theme. It isn’t as immediate as it’s predecessors, but there are plenty of great songs here. One gem for sure is the brilliant power ballad “We Sold It All,” starting with a gentle McCartney-like melody that evolves into a rich rock guitar tapestry full of Queen-like touches, you almost expect it to be a finale… but these guys are just getting started. Fans of XTC will love the macabre melodies like “Waiting To Die” and “Wonderful” taking the listener on a compelling journey full of rich imagery. These songs intercut dramatic piano and heavy guitar with contrasting sweet melodic breaks in the chorus, especially in “Wonderful” where it feels like an entire album’s worth of themes are condensed into four minutes. The big melodic jewel in this album’s crown is “Pornography” with a boogie beat piano melody that recalls ELO and cascading harmonies that flourish each verse, all about “Pornography, sweetest of views for a boy like me.” Another gem is the strong anthem “The Great Unknown” full of horns and guitars. The ending song “Baby, I’m a Killer” has a gorgeous chorus in this Brian Wilson influenced gem. So yes, the band comes through in spectacular fashion, in fact it would be easy to picture this album as a hit musical soundtrack.

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Jared Lekites and Leo London

June 17, 2010July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic

Jared Lekites “Looking For Diamonds”
The impressive Beatlesque opener “Love That Lasts” lead by singer /guitarist Jared Lekites comes out and grabs you right away. The follow up is a folksy “Looking For A Diamond” which is made for a late night campfire, complete with handclaps and harmonica solo. Although his style is the familiar retro strums and harmonies, it’s all well written and constructed. “Electric Car Ballet” bounces along and ends with a gorgeous ascending harmonic, and you have your first “must own” track for the stereo in your new Nissan Leaf. It gets a bit Buffalo Spingfield-ish with the moody “Unrequited Love Song” and ending track “Let Your Hair Down Once In A While.” This EP fits in your playlist like a comfortable pair of jeans. Fans of The Beatles, Hollies, Beach Boys and James Taylor will surely love it. So Jared, give us more next time! Excellent debut, what else can I say?

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Leo London “s/t”
Is Oregon native Leo London the next big power pop wunderkind? Similar to Jason Falkner in deep multitracked delivery and melodic approach that evokes both Bryan Scary and Conor Oberst. The slam of piano keys greets you on the opener “I Don’t Know” with honest desperation and a vaudevillian melody. The shuffling rhythm of “Caroline” is just as strong, sung with casual spite about “unravelling” a relationship experience from his memory. The slower songs are also pretty good, the best of the which “Ashes and Wax” tell a strong story and a wonderful baroque harpsichord break occurs midway into the song. The philosophical “Little Girl” is like a David Mead acoustic guitar-based tune that’s rich in imagery and simplicity. “The Single” is a defiant rant that approaches manic proportions, a performance that Ziggy Stardust would approve.”Dial Tone” has the overly dramatic composition and sonic textures in parts can sometimes recall Robert Pollard’s experiments. This is great stuff, highly original and melodic that should earn many fans.

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The Deadbeat Poets "Circus Town"

June 10, 2010July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic

Frank Secich (Blue Ash, Stiv Bators) and Terry Hartman (Backdoor Men) are complimented by the outstanding musicianship of Pete Drivere and John Koury (both of Infidels fame) formed the Deadbeat Poets in 2007 with the debut album “Notes From The Underground.” Now the follow-up release is finally here. The sound is cleaner, the compositions are tighter, and harmonies more refined. They fly out of the gate with “Elvin Dabney Professional Thief” a intricate melodic composition with multiple hooks. And they rock pretty strong on The Kinks-like “People These Days” and “The Staircase Stomp” makes good use of the carnival organ to help set the atmosphere. Another winner is the epic guitar jangle of “Madras Man” and it’s the rare pop song where six minutes seems too short. Some fast paced pop like “At Least It Worked Out For You” will please fans of The Romantics and The Cars for sure. The band pulls out the steel pedal guitar on “So, This Is Indiana” a mid tempo theme that sounds like a pop travelogue of the state. The shifts in the albums tone on the second half are a bit jarring, like the rock opera styled “Murder in The Choir” to the country rock rhythm of “Sunglass City.” These songs are all highly polished rock gems that pack plenty of imagery in the lyric, and makes repeat listens necessary. Come visit the “Circus Town” and stay awhile.

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