Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Rubek “Tender Hooks”
Rubek is the not so secret identity of singer songwriter Matt Burke. The debut album is a set of tight melodic tunes along the lines of Jon Brion, Josh Rouse or David Mead. The album title is certainly apparent from the opener “Losing Sleep” and those melodic hooks just draw you into the song. The simple country pop of the follow up “Work It Out” is another excellent tune with strong arrangement and light airy vocals. This slow deliberate approach is what follows on the next few songs (“Hard Land” and “My Best Plans”), and on “The Brightest Star” you figure Burke’s listened to plenty of Gram Parsons and The Jayhawks, with it’s multi-layered rhythms. By mid-album “Reasonable Man” is a rare break with a pure pop approach that works well, and a few tunes are more interested in sonic textures (“Butterfly”) at this point.  The finale “God Help Me Out Here” is a dramatic Big Star-styled orchestral epic. Overall, the album has a big sound but the production is understated enough to let the melodies come through and shine.

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Reno Bo “Happenings and Other Things”
Much thanks to Malin from our Facebook Page for turning me on to this album from last year that slipped by. Reno Bo is a songwriter and musician who spent the better part of the last three years on the road, as a touring bass player for Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. and NYC garage rockers The Mooney Suzuki. Reno steps out on his own to make this soulful blend of Beatles with shades of Tom Petty, Led Zeppelin and Neil Young. “There’s A Light” is a great big arena anthem full of loud guitars and strong melody. Fans of Oasis will flip for “Off Your Back” with it’s pounding piano and echoing chorus. The guitar work overall is superior with “Sugar Suite Blues” rocking a la Jimmy Page and “Shake Me Up” is produced by Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne, Tinted Windows.) Nothing groundbreaking here, but it doesn’t have to be. Overall a great album with no filler that appeals to the classic rock geek in all of us. Soak it in and enjoy.

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The Crawpuppies are not from some cajun side dish, but a band that hails from Indiana. When the album leads off with a Big Star riff in the title track you know you’re in for some fun. The band lead by Chad Clifford (vocals/guitar) has a fine approach with basic power pop, I am reminded a bit of Del Amitri with it’s bar styled strum and shifting chords on “She Comes Lovely.” The ballad “We” is a wonderful mid tempo song about growing a relationship and the melody with full harmonies on the Squeeze-like “Owe It All To You” and “Mental Demons” are just perfect. The adult folk ballad “My Wife” is an effective and intimate portrait of a marriage that will lift your soul. The tone shifts a bit by mid-album to a more blues based rock sound with “I Wanna Know” and “3 Little Things.” I felt Chad’s vocals strain here, as he sounds more in his element with the soft bossa nova of “Here We Go Again.” The album runs out of creative juice towards the end with the echoey funk of “Masquerade,” but it never gets boring and the best of those melodies are sure to stick in your head.

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UK melodic alternative popsters Field Music have returned with a double album here called Measure. Since the brilliant Tones of Town in 2007 we are treated to twenty absorbing tracks.  I wasn’t impressed with the opener “In The Mirror” which has a dissonant piano chord banging away. Those looking for a quick pop fix will need to be patient although the juicy guitar and handclaps of “Them That Do Nothing” is a classic track that proves these Brewis brothers still have the goods. The bluesy pop prog mix of “Each Time is A New Time” is a flawless mix of both Led Zepplin and XTC. This is a masterful composition of riffs and rythyms that lead us into the next track “Measure” easily. The title track has a Rundgrenesque beat with chorus and classical violin “riff” that weaves together tightly. The angular vocals and overlapping guitar rhythms and beats of “Clear Water” recall the Talking Heads mixed with early Yes. The art pop label is apparent as we run into experimentation and prog minimalism the deeper we delve into the album. There is a lot here to like, but several songs coalesce into each other and the melodies seem less important than the instrumentation (“Lights Up”, “All You’d Need To Say”). By the album’s mid-point some tracks feel like filler amongst the real gems, like the nervous piano and harmonies on “The Rest is Noise” and the awesome guitars on”The Wheels Are in Place.” Again something here in the proceedings reminds me of Todd Rundgren, maybe it’s the sonic indulgences of “Something Familiar.” Overall the soundscapes are compelling enough, but it’s definitely not light listening and headphones are recommended here to appreciate the craftsmanship.

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The Patrick & Eugene sound is comprised of banjos, ukuleles and sunshine pop vocals combined with whistles, bells and bongos to produce unique but accessible music for post-modern vaudevillians. Already several tracks are featured in commercials (Laughing Cow Cheese), TV shows (Grey’s Anatomy) and film (Burn After Reading). Patrick Dawes (Groove Armada) & Eugene Bezodis combine stellar musical ability, English whimsy and uncanny catchy melodies. The leading track “The Birds and The Bees” is a musical party that combines the ever present banjo and tuba with ease. Like the Beatles and Muppet Show combined, it’s impossible to listen to without letting your inner child grin. “Llama” is the highlight here comparable with the best of Harry Nilsson. “Don’t Stop” and “Altogether Now” are party tracks that chug along it’s merry way. The songs don’t always work – I found “I Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” a bit grating, and by the time we get to “A Dog’s Tale” the tuba rhythms get repetitive. But overall it’s the pure quirky fun of They Might Be Giants combined with Pugwash’s stage humor. Enjoy it, mate!

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