Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Khalid Hanifi (from the Maypops) comes out with his debut album, “Pamplemousse Presse” and fans of the soft side of Jason Falkner or The Rip Off Artists will appreciate this sound. We start with a superb pair of singles in “Mr. Wonderful” and “When You Wake Up” with easy going melody and ringing guitars that falls between XTC and Eric Matthews without sounding like either. “Hard To Believe” is another standout with a wonderful duet with his sister Sophie pitching into the harmonies. “Only Human” has a smart hook laden chorus that resembles an Andrew Gold song, and I consider it one of the best songs on the album – full of heavy contrasts in style. Another point of comparison for this song would be The Honeydog’s Adam Levy. Fans of solo McCartney and Tin Finn will also find Hanifi’s music totally accessible. “Truck” is a catchy tune “about dicking around forever” and it has a lot of fun twangy guitar noodling that makes for fun listening. The strong piano Todd Rundgren-like melody of “July” leads into the smooth guitar tune “Idiot Box” which is another album highlight. The album never loses it’s way, but continues in a low energy mode till we get to “I Want You To Do Things That I Say” which has some impressive key changes. It’s an impressive debut that deserves a spot on your playlist.

Khalid’s Site | My Space | CD Baby

That juicy polished power pop that I first heard on the last IPO compilation was Brown Line Fiasco and the group returns with a very catchy album called “Superstar.” Few would argue that the opener “Lovely Day” hasn’t got a touch of Pearl Jam with power chords and a  dominant bass line. The title track has melody and beat that compare with Ok Go and The Posies and will drive you to start air guitar theatrics right away. The power chords meet smooth harmonies on the song “Over Our Heads” and recall The Raspberries and Gin Blossoms, with a perfectly delivered vocal over swirling riffs. The very-Brit flavoured “Without Love” is a sweet single that is more overtly pop that anything else on the disc and approaches Wondermints territory. The rest of the album seems to test the genre waters a bit, by flirting with Utopia rock and synth (“You’re Not Alone”) and then early Bon Jovi melodic rock (“Should have told her”). “Heart Won’t Lie” is a good mid-tempo ballad that falls between the Cars and Lindsey Buckingham. It ends with with “Look of Amazement” that adds a bit of funk to the mix. Overall an excellent album that doesn’t play safe and refuses to be overtly derivative, and that’s worthy of more than a few spins on the ole ipod playlist.

Brown Line Fiasco’s Site | My Space | CD Baby

If you remember we reviewed Richard Snows debut here. Now power pop fans can get excited again. Richard has the jangle of the Byrds, the harmonies of The Beach Boys and folk leanings of Paul Simon. Richard is best compared with Richard X. Heyman with his varied pop sound. Opening with the Beatlesque “Silent Girlfriend” it perfectly captures a moment in time. It’s a perfect single that would make even devout Spongetones fans take notice. “You’re My Number 1” continues the hit parade with a hook filled chorus. The Beach Boys styled arrangement on “You Said It” is packed with beautiful vocal harmonies and melodies. “Hard To Be Happy” is a sixties love note to Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark with echo and jangle. Another standout, “Lonesome Cowboy” opens as expected, as a guitar driven country rock track then it takes a funky reggae turn. It keeps the music from being predictable, and that’s what makes it a compelling track. “Expectations” is also does this by starting as heavy pysche-pop and ending up as a new age choral. The ballad “Days of Simplicity” talks about how each future generation will miss the simple music that shaped their lives as they grow older. The song is reminiscent of those classic Moody Blues ballads. A very satisfying experience and highly recommended.

Richard Snow’s Site | My Space | CD Baby | SideB Music

Reviewed by Mike Z.
On the opening track, “Lover Boy”, singer/guitarist Marc Olivier’s voice grabs your attention immediately, which is a strong way to kick off any record. His voice sounds like Adam Ant in pitch and played-up British accent and warbles effectively like that of Larry Kirwin from Black 47. The music is also strong enough that it can not be ignored, so a good mix of sounds is established off the bat, and that will (for the most part) continue throughout. This is a good mix of rock, pop, and lyrical braggadocio. With “Every Day” the band again succeeds in creating a musical mix of anger, angst, and a wry sense of humor complete with bouncing guitars and a synthesizer sound straight from 1983. 

“Mary B!” has one bad-ass riff which is wasted on a song which is fails to paint a compelling portrait of its title character. Add half a point to this rating if you are a Francophile, as that motif (that’s French, right?) is to be found at various points of this recording. A weakness is exposed here and continues to unravel somewhat in the next three songs. Even though these tracks are somewhat out of place, it doesn’t overly sully the rest of the work. “The Boy” is more of a rocker and maybe the best realization of this band’s sound. Everything is just right with the mix of guitars, driving 4/4 drums, chunky bass, and overdriven synths. “Fifteen Years” continues the sonic momentum and gives further hope that this band may have some real talent. The guitar resounds like nothing I’ve heard since Billy Duffy’s big, big guitar from The Cult’s Electric.  “Whispering” starts out slow and has bittersweet lyrics. It borrows from The Beatles and XTC initially and has some beautiful touches throughout. The lyrics are simple and do not try to overstate the sentiment that the music creates. I’d recommend this album to be played on your house or car stereo, so as to fill the room and let the big guitars and meat-head drum beats bounce off the walls. If you throw this in while doing chores, having some friends over for beers, or going for a drive, a great energy will be added to the environment and it will be really hard to not get swept up with the music. 

Plastic Heroes Site | My Space | Itunes

Listen to “The Boy”