Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic
Emperor Penguin and Nick Frater
Emperor Penguin “Gentlemen Thieves”
Emperor Penguin has successfully channeled a very anglophilic psychedelic pop style in Gentlemen Thieves. Following the template set in Sunday Carvery, they start out the door with the catchy “What’s the Worst That Could Happen?” It’s loaded with echo, reverb, dense melody, and lots of fuzzy energy. Lisa Mychols adds a whole new dimension to the band with her duet on the XTC-like “I Wouldn’t Put It Like That.”
Each song is a carefully constructed gem; “Silver Apples” is another dazzling example of this band’s talent, while “Driving Blind” brings the rocking riffs up front. “Sonnez Les Matines” opens with a few notes that recall Pink Floyd but quickly becomes a Middle Eastern dance track. The nursery rhyme-like “Pipistrelle” with its toy piano also sticks fast. One of the best songs here is “You Are My Atmosphere,” and Mychols adds her stamp to this one too. Almost everything here is great. My only issue is the album’s overly compressed mix. The melodies are so good, but sometimes they seem buried in white noise. I wish they gave it the Giles Martin treatment, but despite this, it’s highly recommended.
Nick Frater “Nick Frater presents The Rebutles 1967-1970”
A collection of original songs by Nick Frater, written in tribute to the pre-Fab Four, The Rutles. So it’s music written in the Beatlesque style, with just a touch of sarcastic wit. While Frater doesn’t quite measure up to Neil Innes when it comes to humor, musically, he’s spot on. “The Devil You Know” showcases duality, with John Lennon’s gloomy tendencies and a sunny McCartney-like bridge stuck in the middle because he had to “get back from the grave in 1966,” a reference to the “Paul is Dead” Beatle rumor. Fans of The Rutles and The Beatles will find Easter eggs like this scattered in the lyrics.
Some of these are genuinely fun, like “You’re A Good Egg,” a Magical Mystery breakfast without a hint of symbolism, and “One Lump or Two,” a bit of tea time for Lady Madonna. Unfortunately, they didn’t all stick with me, and once you can identify the song’s origins and intent, there isn’t much else to draw you back to listen again. Nonetheless, this comes highly recommended for Beatles fans, and you should definitely give the music a listen.
Bandcamp only
Top 20 EPs of 2023 and some January gifts
- Gizmo “Buddy System”
- Half Catholic “Art In Heaven”
- The Shang Hi Los “Aces Eights & Heartbreaks”
- Råttanson “Trebled Region”
- Girl with a Hawk “Keep ‘er Lit”
- The Blakes “New Tattoo Outtakes”
- House of Jed “House of Jed”
- Dazy “Otherbody”
- Strange Neighbors “Party of None”
- Kid Gulliver “Kiss & Tell”
- Einstein’s Sister “Exit Strategies”
- Clone “Knock Out Drops Vol. 2”
- The Photocopiers – Million Sellers
- Jamie Hoover “Top Banana”
- Dave Birk “Fool Around”
- Julez and The Rollerz “Is There Where The Party Is?”
- Andy Bopp “Space Camp”
- Ken Kase “Ken Kase”
- Peter Hall “About Last Night”
- Grand Drifter “Paradise Window”
As a bonus I have some new freebies! Mostly from 2023 All these albums are “name-your-price” but these are all high quality. I know music fans appreciate this pricing model, and I hope you donate to them so they can continue making great music.
The Weeklings and Carmen Toth
The Weeklings “Raspberry Park”
With a medley of cover songs and some fantastic original compositions, the album Raspberry Park is a delightful journey. The fact that the band deviates from Beatlesque songs without drastically altering their sound is something I appreciate. Excellent tracks abound on this album, beginning with the passionate “Like We Used To Do,” with its catchy chorus. While sharing a bassline with “The Beat Goes On,” the infectious “Brian Jones” finds its melodic voice. Perhaps “All the Cash in the World” might serve as their theme song, expressing their lifelong passion for performing. Glen Burtnik (aka Lefty Weekling) and Bob Burger (Zeek Weekling) are in top songwriting form here; additional highlights include the poignant “Fall Down A Flight of Stairs” and the note-perfect rocker “None of Your Business.”
The unconventional arrangements of these cover versions make them stand out from the usual tributes: “She’s Leaving Home” and “I’ve Just Seen a Face.” The mashup “Mr. Soul Satisfaction” is catchy and fun; it combines The Monkees, Neil Young, and The Rolling Stones seamlessly. The transitional songs here sound like filler, but that could just be my ears being picky. The 20-second interlude of the Sgt. Pepper-ish “Raspberry Park” was too short; I would have preferred a longer rendition. This being said, the excellent music more than compensates. Highly Recommended.
Carmen Toth “Fix the World”
Carmen Toth is a singer-songwriter from Toronto, and her musical influences are Stevie Nicks, Cyndi Lauper, Kate Bush, and I hear a little Susanna Hoffs, too. She has been making independent music since 2003, but Fix the World is my first experience, and she makes a great impression with the catchy opener “Pretty Dresses.” Toth does a good job with the next few songs, as standard indie pop tunes go.
Her unique, Nicks-like cadence works well on the angular riffs of “Struggling,” and there are some nice harmonies in the chorus. Her title track, “Fix the World,” shifts from an acoustic ballad in the verse and bounces into a pop chorus about material girls being too distracted to solve issues. Some good power pop tracks here include “Time Bomb Heart” and “My Ears Are Still Ringing.” The last song, “Looking Forward,” has a hopeful, optimistic chorus that’s sure to put a smile on your face. Overall, this is a good album that deserves to be heard.
No Tears and The James Clark Institute
Okay, these are the last of my 2023 releases for review. Even David Bash has his list out now. 2024 new releases have been ready for review, and next week we begin that.
No Tears “Heart Shaped Eyes”
Swedish musician Christoffer Karlsson is a one-man wrecking crew with his band No Tears. It’s note-perfect punk pop with “Dreaming,” akin to Kurt Baker with a densely melodic, frantic tempo, handclaps, and screams midway through. Christoffer looks a bit like a 21st-century version of Elvis Costello on the cover, and his skills are evident with the catchy “I Wanna Be With You (Tonight)” and “Electric Eyes.”
The punkier aspects sometimes threaten the melodic structure of some songs (“Same Old Story”), but there are too many great singles here to ignore; check out “Echo in My Head,” “Broken Mirror,” and “On 45.” Fans of the “Boston Mafia” (Geoff Palmer, Brad Marino, Kurt Baker, etc.) and late 70s revivalists like The Uni Boys will love this release, and it would have made my top 25 for sure if I heard it earlier. Highly Recommended.
The James Clark Institute “Under The Lampshade”
Produced by Moe Berg (The Pursuit of Happiness), the James Clark Institute has returned with James Clark on guitar, percussion, and vocals. The band also features electric lead guitarist Tom Gibson, bassist Tim Gall, pianist Greg Condie, and drummer Dean Carl Glover. The opener “Hit Hollywood” sets the tone and theme for the album with its playful melody, and another highlight is the shimmering “Phantom Girl” with its harmonized chorus.
Things tone down with the ballad “Tornado,” but the next song, “Whatever O’Clock In The Morning,” has plenty of optimism as it bounces along. Clark’s lyrics are often thought-provoking, as the angry protagonist exclaims, “Against my better judgment, I’m still waiting for a compliment…” in the song “Remarkably Like You.” The music is consistently good from beginning to end; even if there is no obvious single, “Waiting On The Waitress” is a really good example (with some added Hollywood references). The song hooks are subtle, and this is an album that needs a few plays to appreciate the theme. Highly Recommended.