Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

A famous clown recently said “Why so serious?” Singer-Songwriter Mitch Friedman teams with XTC to come up with a quirky and fun musical journey guaranteed to make you smile. Mitch is a long time follower/fan of XTC and the music will definitely appeal to you if you enjoy Andy Partridge. Andy and Dave Gregory contribute to this album as well. The opener “This is A Song” is a literal formula for how to make a great pop song (kids should pay attention here). The next song is even catchier, as “My Dumb Luck” is a  brilliant track that will remind some of the “Oranges & Lemons” era with witty sing song wordplay. Mr. Partridge provides jazzy guitar licks to “Little Masterpiece,” and Gregory contributes several guitars and bass to the hyper actively folky “The Man That Talked Too Much.” Even thought Colin Moulding doesn’t play on this album, his spirit is channelled in “Make Yourself At Home.” It’s also pretty obvious that Mitch spent a lot of time doing kids records, as “Blackout” and “She’s Dynamite” uses all sorts of frantic effects and goofy arrangements. Even “In The Know” uses a whiny vocals and songstress Anne D. Bernstein for sweet backing vocals to go all over the place a la “I am the Walrus”. A sure fire single “I Have Never Lied” has more than a touch of fellow Brooklyn quirk-rockers They Might Be Giants influence here. Additional support is also here from power pop princess Andrea Perry, R. Stevie Moore and Joe McGinty (Losers Lounge). Like the kitchy CD cover, this CD is full of simple joys. Sing along and repeat.

My Space | CDBaby

This is the Chicago band Leave’s final album due the passing of lead singer and guitarist Mike Murphy. In a horrible act of fate, Murphy was killed by a hit and run driver. The band could’ve packed it in, but to their credit they soldiered on. On A Happy Note is a fitting tribute to his memory, with some excellent power pop that is styled like a combination of The Spongetones and The Riffbrokers. The opener “Hope It Doesn’t Come My Way” channels The Beatles with tight harmonies, driving rhythms and a delicious hook. The remaining tracks don’t drop in quality, and “Take The Easy Way Out” is another well crafted gem. The gentle ELO flavored ballad “Lovely Mess” is another mid-tempo beauty that will definitely get stuck in your head. “Again It’s Too Soon” could be considered a Cavern Club styled bit of rock heaven. Things settle down after that, with “Murph” exploring great lyrical depth on tacks like “On My Mind” trying to reassure his nervous girlfriend. His voice reminds me of a mellower version of Michael Stipe, and some tunes have a western pop flavor, like The Jayhawks or Rhett Miller. This comes through on “I’ll Get Mine” and the slow acoustic “Down The Line.” In fact the gorgeous title track is a bit eerie when he sings “- when time is at an end…” No duds or filler on this album, so it is highly recommended. May the legend of “Murph” continue in your ipod – get it today! 

My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame

Call this one, “slipped through the cracks” – as Powerpop Station blog found this one I missed. Any Version of Me is a mystery man from Paris, France. I am not fluent in French, but his music speaks volumes. “The Good Old Days” seems to me a seamless blend of Brian Wilson and Gilbert O’Sullivan with a touch of Colin Blunstone (Zombies). The touchstone here is Pet Sounds/Abbey Road production (using vintage instruments), with “More” it also recalls a gentle late 60’s songwriting style that touches pop greatness. The vocal on the lonely ballad “Tonight” has a soaring falsetto that makes it work similar to Eric Carmen doing Ziggy Stardust. The next several tracks wander into Herman’s Hermits territory, which isn’t a bad thing, but it fails to generate the excitement of the earlier tracks. “Something’s Gonna Happen” is a fun baroque sixties throwback a la The Parade, but the next track “Take Some Time” is a well written and original Beatlesque gem.  And the ending track, “All I Will Keep From You” even ends with a Beach Boys multi-part harmony fade out. Some fans may think this album too derivative (which is true) but it has enough original songwriting to carry it through to highly recommended status.  The entire album is streaming below and on the Any Version Of Me web site he is giving visitors a FREE single download “Don’t Fall My Friend.” Now that’s just smart marketing.

My Space |Emusic | Itunes