Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Matt Bodman and the Valentine Grind "Burn"

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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.

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Two Hours Traffic and Pat Walsh

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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.

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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

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Phoenix and Visqueen

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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.

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Plasticsoul "Peacock Swagger"

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Ugh, Always late to the party. This one just got by me because I did my top ten list early this year, and but it gets special consideration — and I’d like to amend my list for it. Plasticsoul hails from L.A. and this album just blew me off my chair when I popped it in. Then Absolute Powerpop put this as his #1 album of the year. It’s hard to argue against this… it’s simply a work of genius. Opening with “Sentimental F**ks/ Life On Other Planets” is rich with Beatlesque guitar riffs, music hall piano and a drum break that Ringo would envy. The loud “Cock Rock 101” is exactly what you think it sounds like. The following tune “Champion Tragic Boy” channels a bit of Jellyfish, with it’s catchy mid tempo harpsichord melody. A sweet pastoral “Fishwife” full of sitar and bongos follows this, and then the tragic ballad “Cancer” which double tracks lead vocalist Steven Wilson and adds backwards guitar for further effect. The aching chorus of “Cut it out/ Please cut it out. Cancer is breaking me down.” is unforgettable. The album settles into a more laid back groove, with acoustics opening the next six songs, including “Shame” and the very Michael Penn like “New Town Different Day.” The orchestral sweep of “San Francisco” is another easy listening winner here. A duet with Wendy Wang on the countrified “You’re Not Free” has plenty of soul. The album’s mood shifts perfectly into psychedelic pop on “My Three Friends” which follows a rhythm similar to “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and then continues with the groovy “Rainy Season.” This is the most sophisticated power pop album I’ve heard this year. Don’t miss it.

My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame

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Paul Starling and Friendly Foes EP

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Paul Starling “Aimed Arrows”

A few years ago Paul Starling gave us the sweet “Ghost Waltz” which was re-released as “Doors and Windows.” The aching vocals are still there with Beach Boys overtones and wall of sound production on the opener “Lay Down Your Weary Arms.” The banjo and lazy day rhythm of “The Mission” is another winner here. A rich contrast of orchestral flourishes and acoustic guitar are part of “Tired Of The Casual Goddess” makes for an echoing dreamscape. Things get a bit too echoey on “Yes I Know What Day It Is,” but the song is a well structured pop blues tune, and this is well worth the meager four bucks on Paul’s site. His blog also contains some free bonus music downloads, so you can get a few samples before you break the bank.


Friendly Foes “So Obscene”

The Detroit trio known as Friendly Foes are back and after last years “Born Radical” it’s great to get this holiday gift. With a bounce and the same raw guitars courtesy of Ryan Allen on “How It Works” with a relentless guitar attack. Then we get the excellent single “Keep Breathing” which gives you a power pop punk groove full of energy and enthusiasm. Lead singer Liz Wittman hits here stride here and does an amazing job. Both “Paint It Gold” and “Line Up” have plenty of enthusiasm and the crashing cymbals of drummer Sean Sommer. Fans of Cheap Trick, Sloan, and Garbage will flip for these hooks that come fast and hard. The acoustic ballad “A Million Scenes” doesn’t quite live up to the other songs, but after these first four shredding head banging tunes you’ll be playing air guitar in no time at all.

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