Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Millencolin “Machine 15”
Millencolin is a Swedish punk rock band in the Green Day pop mold. This is hard hitting, power chord riffing heaven. This is brash boisterous punk with harmonies that take center stage. The big single “Detox” is a sure fire hit if it gets airplay. The other songs run from typical hard rock pop of “Done Is Done” to the punkier elegance of “Broken World” So if your tastes run across the spectrum of mainstream popular rock, like Goo Goo Dolls or Foo Fighters, you’ll enjoy this. Another great pop single is “Come On” with it’s anthemic chorus and Kinks-like guitar progression. Some tunes get closer to the harder, edgier with “Who’s laughing Now” – which is either a put down to artists who don’t “sell out” or almost a statement to fans, who may consider this album too mainstream. With 15 tracks there is something to please almost everyone, and fans of the groups earlier “Kingwood” album, will not be disappointed. It’s Recommended if you like any of the above mentioned bands. Listen to it streaming on the Epitaph label site.
MIllencolin SiteMy Space | Itunes

Stratocruiser “Egg Shells”
North Carolina power-pop group Stratocruiser’s new album “Egg Shells” is full of crunchy rock riffs and sweet pop melody. It’s following in the heavy power pop footsteps of Aerosmith, Badfinger and especially Cheap Trick. Lead singer Clay Howard’s vocals recall a mix of Ian Hunter and Bon Jovi. Mike Nicholson’s guitar rings with Brydsian clarity and coupled with Matt Brown on drums and Jack Getz on bass, Stratocruiser has a monster of an album here. Starting with the mid-tempo “Try” it sets the tone with heavy riffs and harmonies that almost could pass for a Kiss rocker. Next on “Egg Shells” the bass turns up the psych-pop bass line and gives us a sweet guitar solo in break. There are a few Beatlesque melodies here, like “I Think So” which is very close to Gene Clark in it’s style. Straight ahead rockers like “Rolling Green Fields” give way to the full blown psyche-melodies of “Make it Work.” The heavy rock of “Cherry Flavored” recalls BTO, Thin Lizzy or Grand Funk. This is a great album, that will sound even better in the car with the windows down, played loud. No duds here and it’s on emusic too! So get this now and enjoy!
The Stratocruiser web site | My Space | E Music

Singer/songwriter David Mirabella has been playing for years with people like Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Phil Aiken (Buffalo Tom), and Dan Cray (Beyond Id). When it was time to start his own band, David used Craigslist to find band members Brian Binkowski (drums), Matt Goldfield (keyboard), John Maloney (bass) and Kevin McMahon (guitar). Together they formed the Rationales. Sounding like Whiskeytown meets Tom Petty with a bit of The Rolling Stones thrown in. They just finished the debut EP “The Going and Ther Gone” with six tracks. The Americana roots based group stradles the line between pop and rock without really planting their feet firmly in each genre for long. “Guardrail” is a Wilco-like mid tempo number with an inventive bassline and backing organ that drives the melody to a lush chorus. Another great pop song here is “No Guarantees” – it has the power pop bounce and twang that Rhett Miller and Old 97s did at their poppiest. This continues into the awesome “Far Away” with a ghostly harmonomic in chorus and Mirabella’s vocals are very Jagger-like here. The catchy driving rhythms are also on the song “On the Vine” – it compares well with Wilco’s “Summerteeth”-era roots pop. I really look forward to a full album from The Rationales, as this is an excellent EP.

The Rationales web site | MySpace | CD Baby

Did people just forget about Supergrass? One of the best British bands of the mid 90’s has returned to form. The buzzing bass in the opener “Diamond Hoo Ha Man” reminds you why they can still school bands like Jet, The Strokes and The Hives. Lead vocalist Gaz Coombes hasn’t missed a step either, he still has that 70’s T-Rex swagger down pat. The Guitars and drum beat on “Bad Blood” bounce along to the chorus, and then rocks hard. One of the album’s highlights “Rebel in You” is a Bowie-like throw back to the days of “We’re in it for The Money” with blusey guitar distortion and loud harmonies that sticks in your head all day. The next track is the “When I Needed You” with it’s Beatle-influenced bass line and great melody. Then on “Rough Knuckles” you have a funky bass lead and echoy chorus that drips with cool aloofness. Then the group fires on all cylinders, with all kinds of instrumentation contributing to a song like “Whiskey and Green Tea,” it’s similar to Queen or Sparks in technique, but the hooks get lost here. Overall the album just doesn’t have consistency of earlier efforts, and a few ho hum tracks are filled in here (“Outside”) although the last song “Butterfly” is a edgy classic and the anthemic chorus here almost redeems the album. Supergrass fans will want this for sure. Others will enjoy it too, if you like your alt power pop loud and proud. 

Supergrass web site | My Space

Performing “Rough Knuckles” in the studio.

Scott’s Garage is a four-piece power pop band from Richmond, VA who’s debut came out just recently. A good mix of Beatlesque guitar and bass work open the song “She Mean’s Everything” from the self titled album. The laid back guitar solos a la George Harrison are a welcome sound on the follow up tune “Fading Away”. Bassist John Bollinger, vocalist and guitarist Gary Hankins, and multi-instrumentalist Greg Marrs joined drummer Scott Baird in his garage for jamming… and that’s how they got the name. These guys know their stuff too, the track “Girl” crackles with Southern style guitar energy, similar to bands like the dB’s and Don Dixon. “Some Day Some Way” sounds like a great lost Hudson Brothers single and my favorite here. Then the album veers a little more into country rock ballad mode with “Tell Me Why.” But the smooth choruses and rock guitar come back on “Simple Truth,” with a catchy riff and solo flourishes sure to please. “One Good Reason” even sounds a little like Badfinger, with Hankins vocal yearning desperation from a break-up. A very pleasant listen from beginning to end.

MySpace | CD Baby