Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Hailing from St Augustine, Fla., The Junior League aka Joe Adragna once again has delivered some pop goodness to follow up his debut “Catchy”. The new album has plenty of sharp pop craft along the lines of REM jangle and The Beatles, with a touch of Toad The Wet Sprocket. Joe is more than a one man band here, as the opener “Everybody Loves Me (But You)” has much in common with Buffalo Springfield and Brian Wilson. The songs are cleanly produced and well written – “It’s The End” pumps up the volume in this traditional break up song with forceful guitar riffs. The melodic and mellow tunes do the best here, from “What I Am” to the sunny “Memories” remind me of Stealers Wheel in the baseline. The lower key songs “Sundress” and “What If I Am,” touches on adult contemporary pop. But it goes the other way as “Princess Stephanie” is true pop gem, with a soulful vocal and toe tapping chorus and “Hey, Pop Life” brings to mind The Ramones. Some deep lyrical work in “I Never Thought” refer to the struggle with letting go, as he sings “I never thought I’d be so tired..” Well, I don’t think I will grow tired of The Junior League anytime soon.

Move over Maroon Five, we got the Virgins in the house! The hook filled single “One Week Of Danger” is lightning captured in a bottle here. A hybrid of Franz Ferdinand and the Strokes… they’ve got an awesome danceable pop sound. “She’s Expensive” is another true pop gem that will ring in your head for days. The style then changes for the next few tracks, and “Rich Girls”and “Teen Lovers” has a 80’s funk that sports high angular rhythms and tinny beats, the songs continue to be very catchy in a retro-pop way.  The extreme here is the track, “Murder” that recalls Frankie Goes To Hollywood (Remember them?) It’s full of hooks, catchy melodies, and plenty of fun. The middle of the album sags a bit, but it ends strong with two more sticky gems — “Private Affair” hints at ELO and The Thompson Twins and “Radio Christiane” reminds me of The Motors. If you’re a fan of the 80’s, and Strokes, this is some awesome ear candy. The production is solid and clean and takes some of the grit out of the originals and bumps up the power of the dance grooves, so hit “repeat” and shake it, man. Mark my words, this band has hit the big time.

My Space | The Virgins | Amazon | Itunes

If you want a great rockin’ head boppin’ pop album, Winnipeg’s The Perms latest “Keep You Up When You’re Down” will fit the bill. In fact this album pushes The Perms as a major player in the power pop genre. The opening single “Give Me All Your Lovin” is a catchy high energy song that sounds a bit like KISS meets Sloan.  This is followed by the gem “As You Were” with a driving chorus and roaring guitars along the lines of the Posies or Velvet Crush.  Both “Running Away” and “World To Me” continues to kick things up with harmonious guitars and vocals. The band flirts with a bigger arena sound on “You Don’t Know” but stop short of Bon Jovi/Def Leppard territory. Another slew of gems follow with the great melodies in “Nightshift” and the gentle vocal harmonies on “Who are you Fooling” recalling Weezer. The album is pretty consistent, with a bunch of good mid-tempo rockers like “Big Mistake” and “It Won’t Hurt Us At All.” I do hear a 70s rock element here with Thin Lizzy styled guitar licks, and Chad Smith’s deep vocals do seem to be channeling Paul Stanley. Every track is good here, and it ends just as strong as it begins with the excellent “Salvation.” If the Perms were not on your radar before — now is the time to pay attention. 

My Space | CD Baby | Itunes

This is a studio update on The Perms sound.

Few artists are as timeless as former Smiths frontman Morrissey. On his ninth solo album, he’s as sharp as ever. Lyrically not too many people can get away with lines like “It’s not your birthday anymore, there’s no need to be kind to you.” There is not so much a single standout track (although “I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris” comes close), as this is a solid consistent album. Unlike earlier works, his optimism is on full display here. He even mentions “It’s a miracle I made it this far…” in the first track “Something Is Squeezing My Skull.”