Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Tim Myer’s single “The Good Life” was featured on a previous post. Now that I have his full EP with the addition of 4 more songs, I can declare that this California native is no flash in the pan. Both his commercial singles “The Good Life” and “A Beautiful World” have been popping up on TV and more material keeps flowing out (see the video below). The remaining tracks on the EP include the Coldplay via Beatles tune “On Your Side” with a great hook and the slightly trippy Mex-pop of “Magic” with some nice horn work. The folk ballad “Remember When” includes a sweet duet with Schuyler Fisk. I wanted to hear more so I listened to some tracks from his earlier EP “Revolution” which takes on a more Lennonesque quality. On “West Virginia” the piano resonates and Tim seems to channel both Chris Martin and John Mayer here. Other ballads are nearly that good, but missing any of the optimism I heard in “The Good Life.” Both are good EPs showing the sunny/dark contrasts of Myers moods. No doubt he has the talent and material to put together a great full length album — it’s something I will be looking forward to.

Tim Myers Site | My Space | CD Baby-“Revolution” |Itunes

Black Jesus by Tim Myers Directed by Jason Myers

Lannie Flowers groomed his pop sensibilities as front man and leader of the Dallas-Ft. Worth based band The Pengwins from the late 70’s through the 80’s. Since the bands demise, Lannie has established a strong reputation in the Dallas area as a talented songwriter and producer. Here he spreads his wings on “Same Old Story” with a massive rock medley which consists of 36 tracks, each one under two minutes (except the last track). You need to hear the entire album continuously for the full effect, you’ll hear references to great power pop- an example “Another Weekend/Tired Of Being Alone” you’ll hear echos of The Raspberries or 20/20. “Give Me A Chance” has a CheapTrick/Boston vibe. But because each song is so short the music doesn’t stay with each influence for long. I haven’t heard this good a long continuous musical concept since Jethro Tull’s unabridged “Thick as A Brick” or Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”- and that’s a really long time ago. Overall, this is a stunning album made for lovers of musical melody with ADD. The story of these songs follow a relationship from beginning to end and my only nitpick here is that some sections are so good, I would want to hear full three minute songs of them (“Turn Off The Night”) instead of 30 seconds. The musicianship is gorgeous, from the handsome guitar riffs to the many vocal styles Flowers uses to convey the story. Be the first on your block to show this album off to your friends — it’s an instant power pop singles collection!

CD Baby | Not Lame | Kool Kat Musik

Sydney’s Bryan Estepa released the classic “All the Bells and Whistles” last year. Although his newest isn’t as chock full of high energy pop goodies, it’s a more mature and even release. Bryan moves beyond his love of AM radio pop on “Sunday Best.” On the opener “Aches and Shakes” you get a good mix of harmonious choruses and melody that fans of Crowded House will appreciate. This is light breezy pop with an adult slant on issues, and a slice of Americana flavor, the next song “Different With You” would not sound out of place on a Jayhawks album. What I like about the geek love of “Carl Wilson” is that it doesn’t try to emulate his hero’s vocal style, it just takes a catchy narrative to piano, mentioning in the lyric “your voice it makes me quiver/ I wish I could have met the younger Wilson”. The song “I’m Going” is my favorite here – it’s got the dramatic phrasing and guitar chorus that makes it a pop classic. “Myself” has that high energy that recalls his last band The Hazey Janes (move over John Faye and IKE). Then it takes it down a few notches with the ballads and mid-tempo alt country at the end of the album (“Skipping Days” and “Worry Me None”) another standout is the title track (“Sunday Best”) with a wonderful combination of guitar and banjo after the chorus. This sophomore release showcases Bryan’s songwriting as well as his melodic pop talents. The most worthy music I’ve listened to this Sunday for sure.

MySpace | CD Baby | Not Lame

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Lovers of swinging sixties pop will not want to miss The Marmalade Army’s “Johnny Cake and Moonpies” as it’s a loving tribute to the late psychedelic pop era. Sounding a lot like 10cc’s Graham Gouldman singing XTC or Andrew Gold’s Fraternal Order of The All, it’s a really impressive collection of songs. The band member names are a mystery too, some credited as “Lumpy Peppermint” or “Paisley Nash” (A lot like The Dukes of the Stratosphere aka XTC). After a few isolated instrumentals that set the groovy mood, we get the first song “Flower Girl,” a sweet baroque ode with nods to Brian Wilson. The next proper song “She’s My Dream” work late era Beatles (especially the Harrison-styled guitar) to excellent effect. “Garden Of My Mind” takes the strum of “Tequila” and turns it into a 10cc styled romp. The Beach Boys era tribute cira 1977-era “2BW” (yes, it’s really “To Brian Wilson”) is a song that would’ve fit nicely on the BB’s “Love You” album. “Welcome to the Love Machine” is one of those crazy instrumentals that mirror the “I Dream of Jeannie” TV theme song. And yes Andy Partridge fans, “I Nearly Walked Into Traffic” is a perfect “Mummer” track with pastoral guitars and melody. Some of the tunes are so light and psyche-sweet, like “Marigold” it would fit fine on The Pillbugs latest album. The title track brings to mind a Pet Sounds session then morphs to a full swirling sunny pop track with Reggae beats and harmonies. A few tracks do feel too underdeveloped though. “It’s Raining Again” builds to a wonderful melody and then it ends (I would have loved it go on a bit longer). The end result is a fantastic album, that fans of the bands mentioned above will treasure.

My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame | Kool Kat Musik

Another group often compared to Sloan, Even has been one of my favorite power pop bands from Australia. Even brings the most consistent Ziggy Stardust meets Badfinger vibe ever on their fifth self-titled album. You gotta love the harmonic chorus and multi-tracked guitar on “I am the Light” which marches with drummer Matthew Cotter’s steady beat. Over two years in the making, the manic guitar of Ashley Naylor struts like mix of T.Rex and Ian Hunter on the excellent “I Walk On.” The sparkling blues guitar follows on “Superstition Blues” and reminds one of a Stevie Ray Vaughn or Bo Diddley tune. The albums themes are of personal resilience and determination in the face of long odds. A bit of Jimi Hendrix-styled funk shows up on the sweet sounding “Which Way To Run” – and these guys could school Lenny Kravitz on how to get back to his roots. “The Fool Who Made You Sad” is a “woe-is-me” country drinking ballad that has effective steel pedal guitar and lazy shuffling beat. A few tracks endulge in long extended solo breaks (“Tangled Up” and “The Pinnacle”) that can get tiresome if you’re not into the melody. More so than fellow Aussie’s “You Am I” Even is unashamedly emulating the lates 60’s and early 70’s hard rock era, but it’s not all wild riffs and jams. The excellent Stones meets Allman Brothers of “Tangled Up” is a example of what makes Even great- Naylor makes sure the song structures all have great hooks and engaging lyrics. In “Keep on Burning” he states the bands motto, “I am a small, small fire but I keep on burning.” As long as we hear music like this, power pop will never die. If you’ve never heard Even before, this is a good place to start.

The Even site | My Space | Itunes

Listen to the first single “I am The Light”