Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

The Luxury are a Boston based band that is lead by the songs of frontman/guitarist Jason Dunn. The Luxury’s sound ranges from epic guitar Britpop (“Getaway Car”) to brass driven pop (“Straitjacket”). The sound is big and slick, like Oasis with a hint of The Police in Dunn’s vocal style. The soaring guitars on “Take It Back” is a whirl of lush pop with some progressive synth stylings. The synths that lead on tracks like “‘Til Your Last Year” are pretty overpowering in spots. The band does have everything here to go to mainstream success, as tracks like “The Mirror Fogs” and “Next In Line” are full of harmonies and driving rhythms not unlike REM. The most Oasis-laden track here is the brilliant “Nothing Comes To Mind” with multi layered guitars and lush chord changes with Dunn’s rich vocals. It’s hard to pin down a weak point on the album, as the band goes all out on the Kinks meets Flaming Lips track “012009.” The mid-tempo track “Sing For The Last Train” does go into familiar Radiohead territory, and although most of this music isn’t strictly power pop it will appeal to fans of high quality alternative rock. The superior production work here is so good, you won’t find yourself skipping many tracks, and like the last Luxury album I reviewed, it could easily become a fan favorite. This is a band just gets better with each release and I would not be surprised if it becomes a sleeper success this year.

Barnett Gurley “Evidence”
Barnett-Gurley are Mike Barnett and Dennis Gurley. These are your basic mid-western Beatles fetishists, with a ton of great songwriting smarts and gentle harmonies. They reminded me a lot of an updated Buffalo Springfield for the new century. Opening up with “Elusive Smile” and “Need A Little Sunshine” the duo is at it’s most Beatlesque. The vocals are eerily reminiscent of Rick Nelson, if he played on The Byrds “Sweetheart Of The Radio.” They actually repeat “She’s a Mystery” with each player doing his own version. “Jingle Jangle” is exactly what you think it is, full of big “ole hooks and harmonica to a Wilbury-like melody. There are hints of Dylan here on “The One Thing” and “A Little At A Time,” sometimes the vocals don’t quite match the quality of the guitar work, but with songs this good it’s easy to forgive. Fans of The Jayhawks, Wilburys and Graham Parsons will love this album and especially if you miss the sound of George Harrison’s slide guitar.

Eureka Machines “Do Or Die”
Based in Leeds, England the band Eureka Machines are a force to be reckoned with. This is power pop with an accent on the power – a sonic assault that is as hard as barbed wire and sticky as glue. Opening with “Scream Eureka” it bathes us in a Queen-like harmony-filled intro and then knock your socks off faster than Supergrass. If someone decided that Queens of The Stone Age needed to sound more like the Beatles, well you got your wish on “Being Good Is Okay, But Being Bad Is Better.” The combo of buzz saw guitars and melodies are the best I’ve heard since Extreme. The piano intro and cascading chorus on “Red Wine Smile” effortlessly splices rock and pop into a memorable epic track. The bombast of “Everyone Loves You” gets a little cliche, but “Going Down” is the most Supergrass-like, hook filled and sweet here. Lead singer Chris Catalyst used to run Sisters of Mercy, so the operatic metal atmosphere and his somber vocals are best remembered on “She Sings To Me.” By the albums end we are treated to a stunning theatrical finale in “The Light At The End of The Tunnel.” This is a head bangers pop album that you can play with the windows down. Get a FREE mp3 track of this videos song here.

Kevin McAdams (drums/percussion for Elefant, Watchmakers, Maricopa, etc.) writes and sings a series of bouncy modern pop tunes. Elements of Coldplay, ELO and Magnetic Fields are present though most of the albums first half. “Start Over Again” kicks off with a catchy beat and hummable hook in the chorus. The follow up “US vs. World” is a multi-layered pop song that has ELO overtones and a compelling lyric. The piano ballad “Hourglass” is a faux blues tune with waltz-like chorus and a gentle harmony throughout. Another excellent song is “A Different Kind of Love Song” it has proggy roots with a gentle vocal across a sea of “la-la-la” over a steady beat. This song and “The Hustler” both have a little bit of Alan Parsons Project meets Beck feeling. It doesn’t stick to a single formula, or style for long, by “Leave Us Alone” it flirts with electronic dance music a la Sparks. It ends with a really strong piano pounding “My Time” and building to a chorus of “It’s my time… to loose my mind.” Heavy guitar enters on the energetic “Turn The Lights Off,” another good song that bring to mind what Puddle of Mudd would sound like if they knew anything about melody. This is an album that isn’t immediate, but definitely will grow on you after repeated listening.