Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic Archives - Page 282 of 353

Sunrise Highway "s/t"

January 21, 2010July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic 7 Comments

On this site, we make a big deal about groups that follow the classic power pop influences, like The Beach Boys, Beatles, Todd Rundgren, The Byrds, etc. However it’s not enough to just have an influence, or be a sound-alike… it’s what you make of it. I am happy to say Marc Silvert has created a great album that honors these past greats with excellent songwriting and brilliant musicianship. He also gets support from a stellar band, including Gary Feldman of Radio City. Opening with “Life On Mars” it has a classic Rundgrenesque storyline and rich arrangement that carries the melodies along, it’s an instant classic. And it’s followed by one of the best Beach songs ever with “Endless Summer” full of soaring harmonies and jangling chords. Lead vocalist Greg Schlotthauer does an excellent job with Silvert, singing in tandem. The Beach Boys cadence continues on several songs here including “Baby Be Good” and “Roundabout.” The style varies enough on songs like “Big Brown Eyes” and “Magic” with it’s shimmering Rickenbacker chords to keep things from getting predictable. Almost every song has a great hook and pop structure similar to those 60’s/70’s adult radio favorites. If you have been looking for an album to lift your spirits with sunshine, then look no further. For fans of Jeff Larson, Jamie Hoover, Richard Snow and Nelson Bragg this truly is manna from heaven, and my first top ten recommendation for 2010.

CD Baby | Digstation | Not Lame | Kool Kat Musik

Listen to “Endless Summer”

Daniel Carson and Martin Gordon

January 14, 2010July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

Daniel Carson “Aviary Jackson”

Songwriter, singer, and guitarist Daniel Carlson grew up in Chicago and, following a three year Southern California detour, found himself in New York City in the early 90’s. Using sparse arrangements and soft vocals, Daniel’s sound draws from Brian Wilson’s Pet Sounds-era and compares well with The High Llamas. Both “The Innocents” and “Ending” have that haunted synth sound with beautiful horns and piano lending to the atmosphere. A solid piano progression on “Everyone Is You” leads one of the best songs here and yet another lovely dirge about rejection. The dreamlike vocals on “Landlocked” while beautiful, sound like a long intro movement. The center piece is the six minute “Velvet” which is has a subtle orchestration that grows more intricate until it rises into chaos a la “Day In The Life.” The lazy mood of “Monday” and “Another Week” both have enjoyable pastoral arrangements. Some of the songs lack a simple verse/chorus hook, which takes away from their repeatability. But most fans of baroque chamber pop however will love this beautifully made musical journey.

Ground Lift | Daniel Carlon’s site

Listen to “The Innocents”

Martin Gordon “Time Gentlemen Please”

Martin Gordon is ringmaster in the grotesque pop circus known as Time Gentlemen Please. After his last album, we pick up where we left off. The combination of guitars, brass, ukulele provide the raucous opening to the absurdist “Elephantasy.” Only a talent like Gordon can make a song about alcoholism with the lyric “It’s official, we’s a hero/but I’d be happier drinking a beer-o.” Gordon’s melodic talents and pessimistic viewpoint make him the perfect combination of XTC and Randy Newman. Fans of 10cc will also enjoy the catchy “On and On” layered with bright harmonies. Another standout is a dark prog ballad version of The Beatles “I Feel Fine.” The influence of Zappa is sprinkled throughout here and there. The deliciously un-PC “If Boys Could Talk and Girls Could Think” and “Talulah Does The Hula From Hawaii” are a lot of fun and will get you humming. With 16 tracks, some tunes work better than others and Gordon sparkles when he moves beyond novelty tunes. A great example of this is “Incognitio Ergo Sum,” a depraved celebration of celebrity culture. And I love the “Lady Madonna” bass line thrown into the catchy “Passionate About Your Elevator” too. If you prefer your rock/pop to have a sharp wit, look no further.

My Space | Amazon

Matt Bodman and the Valentine Grind "Burn"

January 13, 2010July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

Emerging local New Zealand musician Matt Bodman caught my attention and his album displays good songwriting and talented musicianship that deserves to be noticed. After performing in local punk bands, Matt and his buddies Nate Smith and Matt Beckett got together to form the Valentine Grind’s debut. The opener “Better Off” leads with horns and Bodman’s earnest vocals, a little like Ben Folds or Josh Fix. The chorus is a memorable ascending scale that grows on you like moss. “My Head Again” is an 80’s styled pop tune that cleverly describes the frustration of infatuation, with a great repeating outro. A true gem here is the ballad “Hamilton Gardens” with gentle piano chords and floating harmonies in the chorus. Influenced by Randy Newman are the sad ballads like “Clementine” and “When I Burn” focused on relationship misery. The tenor percussion of “I Shot A Man,” “I Love New York” and barber shop quartet harmonies of “Join The Line” recall the late band Fluid Ounces. Another standout here is the hopeful “Light” that starts slow and builds till we get to the richly melodic chorus. All the tracks here are good slice of life pop that will not disappoint.

MySpace | CD Baby

Two Hours Traffic and Pat Walsh

January 8, 2010July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

Two Hours Traffic “Territory”

Canada’s Two Hours Traffic is a wonderful band, who’s albums get better and more sophisticated with each release.This album is a bit more dark and cerebral than the award winning “Little Jabs” but it is still a strong effort. The opening power pop single “Noisemaker” has that sunny bounce with a dose of hard reality. The measured “Wicked Side” sounds a little like fellow Canadian rockers Sloan or The Posies, with it’s handclaps and steady beat. At this point, leader Liam Corcoran can rock like this in his sleep and the fast paced songs like “Territory” and “Painted Halo” are smart catchy pop gems. It’s the slower numbers that dominate this album that make it all the more interesting. “Weightless One” is a solid mid-tempo story of an unfulfilling relationship. The themes of betrayal and disillusionment run through the songs, from the sparse sing along “Lost Boys” to the dark “Monster Closet” with it’s dissonant piano chords and refrain “Baby, beware…” It’s not a happy album but a very satisfying one. I guess this happens when you grow up.

MySpace | CD Baby | Amazon

Pat Walsh “Egghead”

For fans of The Beatles, XTC, and Martin Newell this album will hit your sweet spot. Walsh starts with the wonderfully pastoral “Supersonic Girl” which sounds a little like Tom Petty playing on XTC’s Mummer. The combination of wry metered lyrics and gentle acoustics on “The Rarest Rose” are melodic poetry set to music. My favorite song is “Up To You” with it’s easy going strum and sticky hook in the chorus. Walsh has a Lindsey Buckingham-like quality with all the layered and intricate guitar work, as “Don’t Go Come Back” is a shimmering gem that should be savored. The title track is another quirky Anglophilic melody and the wonderful imagery continues with “Her Devil’s Food.” These tracks have a Beatlesque arrangement in the best sense without sounding at all like Fabs. And although it’s not always so immediate, each track sinks in like quicksand into your brain after a few plays. This album is a winner that should not be missed by anyone.

Pat Walsh Music | CD Baby | Amazon

Phoenix and Visqueen

January 1, 2010January 5, 2025 powerpopaholic

Phoenix “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”

This is straight up alternative pop, but it was one of the better albums in it’s genre this year so I wanted to give it a quick review. French quartet Phoenix are like Air meets The Strokes with a touch of Field Music, so you get a good mix of alt. pop styles here, from New Wave, to Moody Ambiance, to brilliant Power Pop. Frontman Thomas Mars croons on the opener “Lisztomania” along a bouncy classical pop riff. The heavy synth lead on “1901” is a new wave love song that builds up to a rich soaring chorus of “Falling/Falling/Falling”. We get some subtle disco drone (“Fences”) and then a two part instrumental (“Love Like A Sunset”) but it is a mild distraction from the excellent pop that follows with “Lasso” full of catchy riffs and another rushing chorus. The album is on many top ten lists for pop this year, deservedly so.

MySpace | Amie Street | Amazon

Visqueen “Message To Garcia”

Lead by Rachel Floatard opens with the snappy “Hand Me Down” that is a full power pop anthem as good as any out there. Fans of Cheap Trick and The Replacements will appreciate the killer hooks here. It’s another Brooklyn band here with honest love of rock-and-roll and a real passion that comes through each note. Floatard carries much of these songs along, her vocals a sweet mix of both Heart and Joan Jett. “Fight For Love” is a perfect example of her delivery when the chorus “When you gonna fight for love?” hits she dares the listener to respond, and it leads into a wicked guitar solo. When the tone shifts for “So Long” a soaring tribute to Floatard’s father, who died of cancer last year – the dedication is clear. The band also benefits from a list of veteran collaborators, including vocal contributions from Neko Case and steel guitar from Jon Rauhouse. This is another one on many top ten lists, and is also one hell of a rocking pop album.

MySpace | Amazon