Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic Archives - Page 277 of 358

Mark Radcliffe and Moonjellies

July 7, 2010July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

Mark Radcliffe “The Sea Before Us”
Mark Radcliffe is an undeniable talent, a singer/songwriter in the mold of Duncan Shiek, David Grey or Kenny Loggins. Starting with the upbeat “In The Sun,” its compelling guitar chords hold your attention, and the hook in the chorus keeps you there. The strong, descriptive lyrics in “Other Side Of The Pillow” and “Tumbleweed” shares plenty in common with the Finn brothers or Bruce Hornsby. The emotional pull of these songs are strong, especially on “Tumbleweed” where the ache of the road is clear, when he sings “I don’t want to be another tumbleweed/ rolling down the road. Never knowing which way is home.” One of the catchiest songs here is “Miss Hard To Forget” a flirty, white-boy-soul pop tune that lightens the mood instantly. Every song has a strong composition, sparse rhythms and well crafted melodies, so even though the energy level tones down at the album’s mid point, it never gets predictable. The acoustic guitar is the primary focus and even on ballads like “No Time To Lose,” the songs resonate. A hidden gem for sure.

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Moonjellies “Inner Anger Feather”
French power pop artists Moonjellies hits the spot on a hot day with their gentle melodies and harmonies similar to late-era Beatles and solo John Lennon. The music isn’t so hard edged and favors subtlety in place of jangle theatrics. The Fab affection is truly sincere with the opener “The Meeting Place,” a melodic anthem punctuated by light horns and soft guitar riffs. “Come Across Your Shade” is a bit more White Album-like, with a mantra-like repeating rhythm and smooth backing harmonies. “No Better Side Of the Road” adds a folk element to the sound and “Man In A Crowd” is similar to Neil Young’s earliest material. The attempts at a retro folk sound are okay, but the Beatlesque sound is what will attract most listeners. Unfortunately the lack of energy becomes wearying over the course of the album, but the band seems to excel at creating a soothing vibe overall. A hypnotic guitar epic “Sunrise” sounds like an out-take from George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” and the wonderful ending track “Black Cloud” is beautiful a Lennon lullaby. A good album for those with Fab obsessions, others may find it tedious.

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The Dahlmanns and The Len Price 3

July 2, 2010July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

The Dahlmanns “s/t” EP
Made up of the husband/wife team of Andre and Line Cecile Dahlmann, from Oslo, Norway. Dahlmann is no stranger to the punk rock scene, as he’s spent plenty of time with The Yum Yums, Vibeke and The Trashcan Darlings (with Marky Ramone). Opening with the loving tribute “Dancing With Joey Ramone” it faithfully follows the Ramones signature punk pop riffs and beats. “I Want You Around” is an original based on this formula, and it’s quiet effective. After this is a cover of Lindsey Buckingham’s “Holiday Road” (we featured the original video a few days ago). The bouncy “Didn’t Tell The Man” has a wicked guitar solo at the break in between verses and that’s it. Overall a fun little EP to add to your collection, and I have heard a full length album is on it’s way by the end of the year.

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The Len Price 3 “Pictures”
Picture perfect garage power pop that wears it’s classic influences like a thick coat of paint. The Len Price 3 always produced great music, but here the spirited jamming takes on tightness and authenticity not heard in your average retro-power pop band. Signed by ‘Little’ Steven Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool label, “Pictures” is lead by big booming beats, Rickenbacker riffs and singer/guitarist Glenn Page’s solid compositions. “Keep Your Eyes On Me” is just one of many great songs here, with snappy hooks and soaring choruses all delivered with speed and earnest excitement. “I Don’t Believe You” and “The Girl Who Became A Machine” both have trappings of the mid 60’s favored by The Who, The Small Faces and The Kinks. The Davies-styled “Mr. Grey” is another classic working class drama full of cockney and trumpet flourishes (He likely lives next door to “Mr. Pleasant”). The punchy “You Tell Lies” are nearly a pop throwback to The Romantics and The Jam, with it’s relentless aggressive beat. Thankfully a slower paced song arrives at the albums end, as “Jack In The Greens” has that pastoral melancholy similar to Davies “Sunny Afternoon.” The album finishes at nearly 30 minutes with not a whiff of filler, it begs for repeat listens. Another top ten contender for 2010.

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The Britannicas and Pearl Aday

June 30, 2010July 7, 2024 powerpopaholic

The Britannicas “s/t”
The enviable talent of Herb Eimerman (Nerk Twins) returns and is joined by Swede Magnus Karlsson (Happydeadmen) on guitar and Aussie Joe Algeri (Jack & The Beanstalk) on drums to form a truly international pop band called The Britannicas (despite the fact that no one here is British). The irony here is that these musicians have a common love of merseybeat and classic British pop. The gentle jangle of “Those Good Vibrations” is supported by some bright harmonies in the songs second half. “Baby Say Yeah Yeah” has that classic pop beat, Herb’s vocals are very reminiscent of Chad & Jeremy, but with more of an edge. “Friday Night Alright (Come Out And Play)” is a guitar gem with an Eddie Cochran styled rhythm. Another favorite here is “Don’t Go Back,” chock full of Byrdsian jangle and a solid melody. The group harmonies work fine throughout – if anything, the band is a bit too tame in it’s choice of tempo and mood. Still, fans of The Byrds, Moody Blues, Gerry & The Pacemakers and British styled pop will enjoy this one immensely.

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Pearl Aday “Little Immaculate White Fox”
Pearl Aday first started singing in her father’s (Meat Loaf) band, and worked on five of his tours. She quickly became a crowd favorite with her wonderful backing vocals. She continued to make a name for herself as a backup vocalist for Motley Crue. Her impressive voice is similar to Alannah Myles or Melissa Etheridge and grabs you right away. As someone who grew up in the business and is named after Janis Joplin, she’s more than ready to release her first LP. The autobiographical “Rock Child” opens with guitar stabs and rolling drums that’s part Led Zepplin, part AC/DC, but all Pearl. She takes on the Tina Turner signature tune “Nutbush City Limits” and makes it all her own. The impressive “Broken White” has a very dark and disturbing tale, and Ted Nugent adds his sinister licks to “Check Out Charlie,” but the signature tune here is “Mama.” Like Grace Potter, Pearl has a ragged soulful approach to heavy rock that overflows with authenticity and conviction. The albums second half doesn’t quite live up to those opening tunes, but it still connects with the listener on a visceral level. An impressive debut for sure.

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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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