Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

After I heard The Wigs earlier this year, I thought we’d never see another lost treasure from the early years of 1970’s power pop. Long Island, NY native Gary Feldman formed Radio City in 1977, taking a love of The Raspberries, Todd Rundgren and The Byrds with him in the studio. In fact, the band’s big sin was being “too pop” in a fashionably punked-out New York music scene at the time. It’s another case of a group breaking up before it’s full studio release, but Gary revived and remastered the album, and it finally sees the light of day. Opening with true gems like “Don’t Mistake Love” and “Little Runaway” this is a perfect example of the period. Both these singles would have been big hits if they were released back then. Starting with “She’s A Heartbreaker” you can hear a bit of early punk influences poking through. The playing is exceptional, and energy on tracks like “Tomorrow” and “Play It Like A Man” compares well with Elvis Costello or The Rubinoos, full of Rickenbacker riffs and strong drumming. The last 4 tracks have alternate takes and some live performances. For fans of Buddy Love,  The Wigs, Doug Derek & The Hoax and The Toms it’s a no-brainer. This is another band that deserves credit for helping bridge the link from Badfinger and The Raspberries to  The La’s and The Smithereens.

My Space | Not Lame | Kool Kat Musik

Cush is actually Jim Cushinery, originally from pop cult icons The Wigs, but he’s also been an important session man for Ringo Starr, Sarah McLachlan, Sinead O’Connor, and Bon Jovi. He is also known to kids as the composer and singer for Power Rangers TV show theme. So Cush has been around the block many years, and he hits a musical gusher on Happy Accidents. The funky “Little Black Dress” mixes a little McCartney with Stonesy overtones and a damn catchy chorus that makes for a strong single. Versatility best describes Cushinery, as each song is a finely crafted pop morsel, a good example here is “Won’t Let It Rain,” full of multi-tracked guitar riffs and Beatlesque vocal touches.  “Sweet Doomed Angel” begins in earnest, like a ballad for Robin Zander, and it ends with full epic rock harmonies and a guitar solo so good that it will peel the paint off your walls. And then Cush throws us a curve ball, like “Dreaming (Black) In White” which echos DeBussey’s “Claire De Lune” as a gothic pop ballad. This kind of contrast reminds me of what The Brigadier does musically to his classic styled Anglo-pop compositions. Back to rock with the biting break-up song “Sorry I Ruined Your Life” that goes way over the edge, and it’s f-ing brilliant. The rough edges on most of these songs keep it interesting and the production is crisp and clean. The memorable melody of “Ordinary Vices” is another confessional with a great chorus along the lines of Elton John’s “Someone Saved My Life Tonight”. You have no big missteps, although the acoustic mid-tempo ballad “All You Get” gets a bit cliche. After a few listens, I kept hitting repeat, those melodies just don’t leave your head – this is an ideal tortured pop artist album. Enjoy it!

My Space | CD Baby

I never thought in a million years I’d be reviewing an album like this. Mandy Moore has grown up musically with the help of Mike Viola. His melodies and fingerprints are all over this production. The opening track, “Merrimack River” is just gorgeous as she sings with Viola in a duet. As usual his songwriting is top shelf and Moore’s vocal skills match up to the tunes well. Each song tells a clear story and with this style of adult pop she has left her teen trappings behind (something Britney, Jessica and a few others could learn from). Mandy gives a quick nod to dance pop with “I Could Break Your Heart Any Day of the Week,” but it’s the only fleeting reminder of her past. It’s restrained just enough with catchy hooks aplenty and almost puts Moore into a category similar to those 1970s female singer-songwriters, like a folky mix of Olivia Newton John and Joni Mitchell. The mid tempo “Pocket Philosopher” boasts a jaunty tack-piano and a playful vocal delivery. In a confessional way she mentions “there’s no regrets” about her life in  “Songs About Home.” Another gem here is “Love to Love Me Back” with an easy sing along melody. Viola’s brilliant instrumentation (a variety of keyboards) accents the tunes and puts these tracks over the edge. The dominant clavinet in “Nothing Everything” is a good example here, with Cowsills/Partridge pop orchestrations exploding forth. So if you never gave this pop tart a chance before, Moore has succeeded in transforming into a real melodic pop ingenue.

My Space | Itunes

I recently unearthed this “lost” gem of an album from a few years ago, “Transit of Venus”, the debut album from The Cherry Bluestorms, is a modern pop album with a well placed nod to the classic rock genre (also named one of David Bash’s top 100 pop albums of 2007). Starting with a stellar cover of The Beatles’ “Baby, You’re a Rich Man,” the duo of Deborah Gee and Glen Laughlin (The Dickies) add a nice psyche-pop touch to a full arena rock sound. They collaborate the style well on “Daisy Chain” and fans of The Grip Weeds will really flip for this group. The rich production work and composition of “Here” bring to mind both Chrissie Hynde and Annie Lennox. The music leans less on the sixties influences by the albums’ mid point and the great guitar work and Gee’s smooth vocal approach continues on the gems “Violent Heart” and “While You Were Away.” The male-female duet of Gee and Laughlin return with the excellent “Fear of Gravity.” The songwriting overall is strong throughout the entire album, so no real filler either. Overall, if you missed this one — it’s both fresh and accessible, so give it a chance. Fans of Heart and Jefferson Airplane will also enjoy it thoroughly.

MySpace | CD Baby | Kool Kat Musik

Wow! a new Skoober EP and it’s for FREE if you tell your friends about it through NoiseTrade. This EP continues the brilliance of the debut album, and it doesn’t let up with some wonderful power pop. Notably “Sucks To Be You” is one of the best new singles I’ve heard in a while. Tawni Bates just gets better with each listen and Andy Weaver’s guitar work sparkles on each track, especially “Don’t be The One to Leave.” Just stop reading and get this one quick!

THIS JUST IN: Charlotte Pop Fest is slated for September 24-27.
This looks to be bigger and better than last year with a simply amazing line-up including The Posies, The Spongetones, Myracle Brah, The Singles, Cliff Hillis and many more. I have to give James Deem credit for putting together this awesome festival which will give IPO a run for it’s money this fall. Learn more at www.charlottepopfest.com