Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

The prolific Jeremy Morris returns to the sublime and familiar here. The Michigan based guitarist/songwriter/producer has been a mainstay in the power pop and progressive genres for years. On Journey…, we get fresh pop where last years Pop Explosion left off. “Home” opens with a chugging guitar riffs, catchy drum beats and the Cheap Trick inspired “Where There’s A Will There’s A Way.” The guitar magic continues on the Byrds-like “Vanity Fare” with a perfect jangle-filled guitars building to the chiming chorus here. The title track “Journey To The Center Of The Heart” throws in a little Beatles inspired psychedelics and it’s another winner, my favorite on this disc. With the calming “Church of Byrds” it revels in the heavenly vocal chorals and 12 string textures that build to a wall-of-sound that envelops the listener. But it also gets into fast-paced Merseybeat with “No More Lies” that is a sister track to the Fab’s “Dizzy Miss Lizzy.” The only indulgence here is the seven minute opus “Sailing Homeward” which has elements of ELO and Lennon sonically, but tends to drag a bit. I’ll give Jeremy that one, as everything else here just shines.

In case you missed this last year, it’s another jam packed power pop disc. Unlike the newer Journey… the Beatlesque and Kinks tendencies are more pronounced here. The Davies-styled rhythm and multi-tracked vocals of “Come Clean” comes across like another lost nugget from the Merseybeat era. “Superstar” perfectly mirrors The Strawberry Alarm Clock “Incense and Peppermints” with Byrdsian flourishes throughout. The big beat and guitar chords of “You’re Gonna Get It” effortlessly channel “All Day and All of The Night.” It’s not all 60’s retro, and few tracks have a more modern 80’s sound like “I’m Still Waiting” and “My Heart Beats For You.” Unfortunately, these tunes tend to blend together for me. However the piano ballad “The Perfect Love” is a gentle Lennon-styled winner and easy to appreciate. With all this it’s easy to be spoiled by the quality and quantity of tracks. On top of all this you get a bonus disc of 24 covers that run from Big Star to the Monkees. Just on value you get a ton of bang for your music buck, and if you are fan of those classic rock sounds, this is a full course.

Dreaming in Stereo’s leader, Fernando Perdomo cites Todd Rundgren as the primary influence for his band, and they’ve opened for Todd and fellow Utopia bandmate Kasim Sulton recently. And like classic mid 70’s Todd this is an exercise in progressive rock and power pop. Perdomo is a multi-talented singer/songwriter and a highly in-demand session musician, the Dreaming In Stereo project is a way he can let his “freak flag” fly. Just listen to “Steal this Song” for Fernando’s enthusiastic “free-love” attitude towards music piracy. “Misery Loves Company” is another melodic and spacey composition that also reminds me a bit of early Zappa. The multi-tracked instrumentals and drum rolls on the repeating chorus of “Not Gonna Move To L.A.” is both a mantra and an neo-hippy anthem. The slower ballad, “Smile” gets a bit maudlin, but the much better “The Will to Love” will stun you with it’s ethereal beauty. If you long for something different in a good way, let Perdomo take you on this magical trip.

Golden Bloom is multi-instrumentalist and frontman, Shawn Fogel, who brings his bright energetic melodies to us with Fan The Flames. The album begins with the keyboard heavy pop song “E.H.M.” and Fogel wants the listener to soak it all in. The follow up “Doomsday Devices” is a sure fire hit single about using your last resort in a situation. Then the gorgeous strumming and descending chorus “Fan The Flames” will be appreciated by many Wilco fans for sure. The album explores Fogel’s frustrated optimism, or maybe optimistic frustration. The ballads here are strong as well, “She Leaves Me Poetry” and “The Fight At The End Of The Tunnel” have a bit of George Harrison-like melancholy and heartache. “Dead Petals” has a good catchy hook, and a cheerful rant against those ignorant to our planet’s peril. Fogel played all the instruments on Fan the Flames — piano, bass guitar, tenor sax, keyboards, harmonica, and drums — with his usual precision and passion. “Theme For An Adventure At Sea” is another well written and thought provoking song. Even the short political rant “Untitled” is fun. Enjoy this adventure in thinking man’s power pop.

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Listen to “E.H.M.”