Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Best remembered as the bassist for the Californian pop band Sparks, Martin Gordon has built a stellar reputation for himself as a solo artist since 2003. “How Am I Doing So Far?” is a kind-of greatest hits record with tracks from Gordon’s first three solo releases and a good starting point for the noivce. There are Beatles, ELO, Todd Rundgren and ABBA influences here and there. My first thoughts were “Where has this guy been hiding? ” The production is highly polished and the guitars riff away on “Oh no, What shall we do?” remind me of “Baby’s in Black” by way of 10cc. The hooks and new wave-y keyboards in “Love Power” are so catchy, you almost are required to listen again to hear the wacky lyrics. You’ve got to give Martin credit for doing a glam version of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Captain of the Pinafore” – a tough song, done right (Todd would be proud). Even the quirkiness of his early Sparks records show up in “Land of Nod.” The attention to sonic details are very impressive here as well, “Plug and Play” resembles a Cars meets The Move mix. “Anyway Goodbye” lists a pile of health advice you should ignore. The Euro-centric humor and melodies will draw the listener in. With a track titled “Her Daddy was a Dalek, Her Mummy was a non-stick flying pan” how can you not? Also one notices that this is a massive 20-track collection. The Pysche-pop that surrounds songs like “Bad Light Stops Play” is top notch, and fans of The Pillbugs should pay attention too. The subject matter is also about rock star self-awareness (“Next Big Thing” and “Girls Fight Over Me”). There are few miscues here, and occasionally the production gloss is a bit too thick, but if you like good power pop this will encourage you to explore more of Gordon’s amazing work. Maybe my next review will be his current album “The World is Your Lobster.”

Martin Gordon’s website | My Space | I-tunes

P. Hux hunkered down in L.A. studios with drummer Gordon Townsend and bassist Dan Rothchild, the same lineup that brought you “Purgatory Falls” and put together this “Monster” of an album. “Perfect” is the classic jangle opener, complete with cathcy choruses in the REM vein. P. Hux vocal multi-tracking on “Yet To Say” is snappy and filled with great energy and use both acoustic and electric guitars. “Wear My Ring” has a slow meaty electric guitar strum with a laid back chorus which is exactly what I look for in a P.Hux album and it stands out as a great single. The next song “Bones” is a slower, melodic song with gentle horns and strings that reveal itself to be the best song on the album. It reminds me of McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” in it’s epic balladry. “My Friend Hates Me” has some nice crunchy guitar before we get to a very Jason Falkner-like pop tune, complete with musical break and blistering solo that inspires air guitar moments. The rest of the album has a harder time meeting the quality of the first half, as a pleasant cover of The Beatles’ “I’m Looking Through You” seems extraneous, but “Better Than Good” has a wonderful melody and great guitar riffs that makes it an instant classic. The closing track “Everything’s Different Now” is a sweet John Lennon-like ballad with some great lyrics that lament the life changes after a baby’s arrival. True to the promo materials, these tracks are all “ear-tingling” and may be the best P. Hux album ever.

P. Hux Store | My Space | Kool Kat Musik | Not Lame

Listen to “Perfect”

Listen to “Wear My Ring”

The Third Men are a tough and abrasive yet soft and cuddly band from Omaha, Nebraska. Fans of jangle-pop will feel warm fuzzies with “Boost.” Bassist Mike Tulis gathered the band together in 2004 and has produced a stellar effort this year. Lead singer Matt Rutledge has a distinct vocal cadence, similar to Bob Mould or Peter Holsapple. The album opens with the Pysch-rock “High” a song that has elements of Myracle Brah and bits of The Minus 5. The goofy humor in the lyrics of “Happy as Larry” along with rich keyboards and guitar rhythms is a real toe tapper here. The first half of the album has that mid 1980’s Chapel Hill, NC rich pop sound – “What A Day” even references the Miami Vice TV show in the lyric. Then the tone shifts to a perfect Who meets Jan & Dean in “G.A.S.” It’s a perfect mid 70’s era power rocker (more cowbell fellas). My favorite song here, “Come on Home” is a standout where the style and melodic hooks come together just right. It would be great to here more of this type of song. But instead, we venture into Van Halen meets Bob Mould of “Visigoths.” Still a good song though and it takes a turn toward the DB’s style of guitar playing. It gets really interesting with “Evelyn” a cool story song with a blistering guitar solo. The remaining songs mine this style and do a pretty good job with cool pop jangle throughout. “Pink Cheerleader” is another power pop song where the break allow more guitar virtuosity, and you gotta love the “Ooh, la, las” here. Fans of the above mentioned bands, Chris Stamey, Let’s Active, Mitch Easter will love this. So give it a listen.

The Third Men | My Space | Kool Kat Musik | Not Lame | I-tunes

My Brother Woody is the work of a one man band called Michael Cleare and his debut LP while long of title, has a pile of good Californian-styled songs full of clean harmony and understated brass. The opener “Another Wave of Harmony” is an equal mix of Pernice Brothers and Big Star. Teenage Fanclub, Ron Sexsmith and the Beach Boys also spring to mind when listening to “Wish I Was A DJ” with it’s warm soft melody, and sunny arrangements. Michael Cleare, a native of Ireland explains it well on “I only like songs with bops, oohs and aahs”. Well here at Powerpopaholic, we like that too. Cleare’s vocal delivery is similar to Elvis Costello, but with a hushed whisper instead of raspiness as evidenced by “Super Serotonin Girl” (my favorite tune on the album here). A richer production would bring some of these songs from mortal status to divine, and can best be compared with early efforts of pop faves The Davenports. The closest to greatness here is the ballad “Your New Found Taste” which has a bit of soul with your Pet Sounds-like horn section. The songs get better with repeat listenings, especially “I Got A Gurl” and “When Summer Comes Around.” The only misstep I hear is “Shelly” where the Brian Wilson-esque arrangements feel forced. As debut albums go, My Brother Woody is a pleasant diversion that Orchestral/Baroque pop fans will want to get for sure. Keep an eye on this artist, as I expect great things to come.

Michael Cleare Website | My Space | E-music | Kool Kat Musik