Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

The Dashing Suns and Billy Goodrum

powerpopaholic

The Dashing Suns “Really Like You”
The summer wouldn’t be complete without a band full of swaggering garage pop that makes the best use of indie lo-fi esthetic and power pop catchiness.  Oakland based Dashing Suns take inspirations from many places, but the sound is a nice combination of The Buzzocks, Weezer and Apples In Stereo. The single “Sally Moore” will get your attention, full of lead jangle, blasting bass line and fast paced rhythm. But this is just the opener and the Kinksian “What I Want” is another great song, where the lead croons about a crush on the local slut, who treats him like crap. My favorite composition has to be “Future Thunder” which combines T.Rex and the Elephant Six with a massive guitar attack in the chorus between light campfire acoustic strums. “Shot Down” is a great piece of punk pop and “My Best Friend” is a perfect theme music for a”bromance.” The remaining tracks stay true to the indie pop energy that was on their debut EP. This album is a leap forward in growth without losing their soul, and making everything here even more infectious. This album is almost a guaranteed party starter.

Billy Goodrum “Weightless”
This album is a culmination of songs written by musician Billy Goodrum over an extended period, where he has primarily written for the feature films of the Farrelly Brothers. Goodrum’s originals are blessed with excellent compostion and stellar production. Starting with “I’ll Stay With You” the guitar melody shimmers and the album’s theme of love and romance rings true. “Hold On” is another sweet pop melody with a sticky chorus. Much of the lyrics aren’t that revelatory and pretty straightforward, like on the Elenor Rigby-like “Finished” where he states “a single man is incomplete, but a married man is finished.”  Like Seth Swirsky, this is a gentle pop that is a very pleasant addition to your easy listening collection. Other standouts are “Everlasting” and “Nerve Up” which is the most punchy pop track on the album. Both “We Should Always Be Together” from Kingpin and “The Way” from Something About Mary are included as bonus tracks. Overall, very enjoyable.

MySpace | CD Baby | Amazon

power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

This Blue Heaven "Quicksandglass"

powerpopaholic

This Blue Heaven is female-fronted power pop band and similar in spirit to Kelly Jones and Aimee Mann. The Boston based band has a vibrant bounce on it’s opener “Bliss,” where front woman MacKenzie Outlund intones “You better enjoy this.” The next song, “But As Hard as You Try” is a more adult oriented pop rich in it’s production and MacKenzie’s vocal soars here. Guitarist Stu Dietz puts his signature guitar sound on each tune, especially on the riff heavy “Any Other Way.” Aaron Rosenthal adds swirling synth and piano to the mix, with help from Mark Desrosiers (bass) and Brandon Erdos (drums). Stylistically melodic pop like “Future World” delivers hooks as strong as Aimee Mann’s best work, and this one is my favorite track. The distinctive synths and driving beat of “My Disgrace” is another winner. MacKenzie and Stu have a strong enough vocal chemistry to try a few sweet duet diversions like “That Summer” and “Insomnia.” But it’s the shimmering pop tracks like “As Ever As Always” that will win you over.  The group’s latest project Spinning and Shining, a five-song EP produced by Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Pixies), has released just recently (free single below) and is highly recommended.

power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

The Sunshine Ponies "Mixtapes & Soundtracks"

powerpopaholic

Pop Boomerang Records owner Scott Thurling and partner Sarah Halligan compiled this group of tracks based on their own poetry. Many of the impressive roster on Pop Boomerang contributes to this album, so it’s the cream of the Australian pop crop.  The songs themes are universal, so if you’ve ever loved, lost, lusted or laughed you’ll identify with these tunes.

Opening with the sweet “Sarah Sunshine” is typical Carpenter on a summer’s day, with a perfect sing-along chorus. Adrian Whitehead shines on the moving “Ballad Of The Blue Butterfly” and Tim Reid’s acoustic “18 Floors” recalls the Finn Brothers best ballads. Bryan Estepa adds his charm to the jangling “The Good Egg” and pop favorite Kelly’s Heels delivers “The Bigger Picture.” Another standout is Brilliant Fanzine’s Matthew O’neill on “Love Bus” and “If Our Days Are Numbered” by D.Rogers and Emma Heeney. Even though there are ton of tracks here, most of them work on a deep emotional level making this compilation the best one I’ve heard since the last IPO.

My Space  | Bandcamp | Pop Boomerang

Sarah Sunshine by The Sunshine Ponies

power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

Duncan Maitland "Lullabies For The 21st Century"

powerpopaholic 2 Comments

Dublin native Duncan Maitland is joined by an all-star guest line-up on his smashing debut Lullabies for The 21st Century. Colin Moulding from XTC plays bass on the opening track, and also helping out are Fran King, Barry O’Brien, Keith Farrell and Tosh Flood (Pugwash). Recorded at his in-home studio, the album draws influences from many favorites. Starting with the richly melodic “Your Century” it has glowing background harmonies and driving bass line.  Followed by the flowing narrative of “Terry The Toad” it adds a great hook in the chorus, and “Crash Position” is a perfect example of modern Beach Boys pop, similar to Rick Gallego (Cloud Eleven).  These songs are not simple ear candy, but complex pop symphonies that don’t rely on a straight formulaic approach. Every song on the album is a meticulous study in pop smarts from the Beatlesque touches of “Alien At Home” and “Horror Stories” to the wistful atmosphere of “Supermarket Dream.”

Not every chorus here sticks in your head, but each track is stuffed with details that demand repeat listens. Most tracks come close to the four minute mark or longer, and the last song “Insect Under The Stone” at 5:31 is a Nilsson-like epic that’s just fascinating. The legacy of XTC will always be safe as a Duncan joins the stellar group of bands that take the similar musical approach (Pugwash, Jackdaw4, Paul Steel). Overall a serious pop gem that can’t be ignored and deserves to be on the top ten list for this year.

My Space | CD Baby

power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

Bowman "Living to Dream" and "B-sides"

powerpopaholic

Bowman “Living To Dream” and “B-Sides”
Boston’s own Bill Bowman is a power pop artist that has turned heads for many years starting with his first solo “Believe” to 2004’s “Living To Dream.” News from Bill is that a new album is in the making, but this year “B-Sides” came out, continuing the great work from the last album. On “Living To Dream” we are treated to driving beats and a tight catchy melody on the opener “Save Me.” Much in the mold of Andy Bopp or Matthew Sweet – it’s guitar driven pop that takes no prisoners.  Vocally he comes closer to Justin Currie (Del Amitri) or Ed Roland (Collective Soul). Highlights here include the chill inducing “So Many Ways To Say Goodbye,” “Get Some” and rock anthem “What I Don’t Know.” His songwriting is crisp and musicianship is expert. Easy to say this traditional combination of emotional rocking and ballideering makes for a totally satisfying listening experience. On “B-Sides” you are treated to a heavier sound with “Right In Front of Me” and the blues beat of “Bye, Bye, Bye.” The soulful “Jump A Little Lighter” has a cool chord structure that’s unexpected on this type of song and is the biggest surprise here. Even though mere B-sides, these are still leaps and bounds better than most musicians work. If you never heard of Bowman, than stick with “Living To Dream” as essential – you should then move on to “B-Sides” for extra credit.

Bowman website | CD Baby | Itunes

BONUS

The Martial Arts “Empty Out There” FREE DOWNLOAD
It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from them, but here is a new free download by Glasgow indiepop/power pop band The Martial Arts. This is the first new material since their acclaimed debut album, ‘Your Sinclair’ This is a great track that tells you the band hasn’t lost it’s touch!
power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.