Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

With the help of The Spongetones alum Jamie Hoover, Frank Royster produces his most accessible and catchy album yet. Like a rogue Wilbury, the infectious opener “Mr. Wonderful” has everything a power pop fan could possibly want. Royster’s vocals are full of character, like a mix of John Popper and Randy Newman – and often double tracked to smooth out the rough spots. Unlike his first album, the classic pop influences are more pronounced here like the up tempo Beatlesque “She’s Not Alone” and the slight country bend of “Can’t Make Me Smile.” The songs all have smart harmonies and catchy hooks that stick like glue, a big highlight is the lyrically touching “Brena You,” with it’s Billy Joel styled pounding piano chords. Every song has that fab guitar jangle from “Oh Mary” to the cover of “Every Little Thing” and it just doesn’t get old. This is out on Kool Kat Musik’s label and comes with a bonus disc filled with demo and acoustic tracks. A real triumph that should be savored again and again.

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Texas designer David Tenczar chucked the grey corporate advertising world to form his dream band, The Greatcoats.  And what a dream it is, full of authentic melodies, double tracked harmonies and catchy hooks all over his debut release. David uses vintage instruments and uptempo beats, and his voice on the a cappella chorus of “Birdsong”is impressive. The guitar strum and vocals on “Come Up and See” are almost a dead ringer for Allan Clarke of The Hollies. The reverence for classic British pop is further evidenced by the inspiring “In England.” The soaring folk pop of “Slow Me Down” is another polished gem that comes closer to Wilco or Ben Kweller with a retro fetish. “Face” is another mid-tempo song that builds along to a strong chorus and is a favorite as well. A simple guitar jangle usually starts off the song, and on “My Dear” it harkens back to those mid-70s singer-songwriter classics. The party atmosphere and descriptive “Lady Lampshade” serves as a study of David’s mastery of melody and lyric. Not a single bad song here, as the atmosphere is mostly cheerful and laid back. He excels with the intimate pop songs, and is less successful with the more commercial sounding “Stop,” but that’s a minor speed bump here, he wraps it all up with the expansive sound of “The Scarce Few.” One of the more inspired debuts this year.

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Maple Mars “Galaxyland”
A welcome return from Maple Mars frontman Rick Hromadka greets us on Galaxyland. The spacey concept album starts with “The Excursion” filled with detailed rhythms, guitar melodies and expansive psyche pop touches that compare well with Lynne-era Move. Following this is “Starting Over (Again)” which has a gorgeous 70’s styled big rock guitar sound, fans of the band Boston will love this. Give credit to Rick and his band: Steve Berns (guitar), Ron Pak (drums) and Trevor Zimmerman (bass) for the fantastic production and memorable melodies. “Big Imagination” has a heavy gloss that combines Steely Dan with Klaatu, and it’s a real keeper. And the band brings on the prog pop heavy guns with Mark Radice’s “Prelude: New Day” and it continues with the acoustic “New Day.” It starts to get bit preachy with “Citizen Roger” like an early Yes and Pink Floyd hybrid. The lyrical message works better on “Borrowed Sunshine” an excellent song that speaks to today’s recent lack of faith in institutions, and the “struggle to see things through.”  It ends on a high note with the bouncy gem “Somewhere back there” full of layered harmonies. I feel Rick has taken Maple Mars to the next level here. Kool Kat is now offering the album with a bonus disc with five additional tracks. Highly recommended indeed!

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Brady Harris “Year Of The Pug”
Texas native Brady Harris plays a strong Beatles-styled roots pop with a detailed and nuanced approach. With a soft echo Harris puts together a wonderful album filled with laid back tunes that are easy on the ears. Starting with the light strum and minor chords of “Floating,” Brady even has a bit of John Lennon’s cadence similar to “Happiness is a Warm Gun.” Highlights for me are the fantastic “Little Miss Mouring” and the “Julia” styled guitar rhythm on “Stars Shine Bright.” The country side is a bit more pronounced with some nice pedal steel guitar touches on “Drunk In The House” and the defiant piano and guitar solo breaks on “Slipping By” make it another standout. “That’s All You Need” is a fine melodic showcase along the lines of “Hey Jude.” No filler here either, which makes it an extra strong album. Songs here are all very good and fans of both alt. country and Beatlesque styles will find plenty to enjoy.

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