Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Dolour and Teenage Fanclub

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Dolour

Dolour “Televangelist”

Shane Tutmarc, multi-talented singer-songwriter of Seattle band Dolour has been busy during the pandemic and last year’s highly recommended Royal We album. The lockdown provided him plenty of time to develop this power-pop gem.

The opening title track is a catchy synth melody with influences from the late ‘70s ELO and Supertramp with its layered guitar rhythm, bells, and handclaps. Next, “It Would Be A Delight” directs energy to get away “instead of giving in to the doom and gloom.” Shanes smart vocal phrasing is brilliantly cheerful, and even the bouncy horns of “Summer Rain” speak to the open and easy-going time. The choral harmonies are clean and subtle, and “A Sight For Sore Eyes” is a great mid-tempo ballad, but it’s the positivity running through the album that draws you in. “Pick Up The Phone” is another highlight, with its strong hooks and as things gradually slow down, you get a full instrumental version of the entire LP. After a few listens, you realize how tightly composed, well-written and detailed each tune is. Highly Recommended and earns a nod for my best of 2021 list.

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Teenage Fanclub

Teenage Fanclub “Endless Arcade”

Endless Arcade follows Teenage Fanclub’s 2016 album Here, an album that shows just how much the band has mellowed over the past 30 years. Bassist Gerard Love left the group in 2018, leaving Norman Blake (vocals) and Raymond McGinley (guitar) to hold up the fort. The infectious but relaxed sounds of “Home” call back to an earlier time, when an extended guitar jam was a common occurrence in a song (Steely Dan anyone?) but in 2020 it feels like a distinct statement. It’s a lot less “teenage” and more “old age” for this Fanclub.

The theme of bittersweetness is laid bare in the title track and the keyboards of Euro Childs add a nice twist to the traditional composition. “Warm Embrace” echoes the Mod-era sound of The Who, with great harmonies and strong drum support. The insecurity of “Everything Is Falling Apart” features a compelling rhythm, and the wistful “The Sun Won’t Shine On Me” is a recognition of age that’s beautifully done. Unfortunately, they don’t hit those high marks again. The repetitive themes of time on “Back In The Day” and “The Future” make these dudes sound older than The Moody Blues. Fans and completists will definitely embrace this, but it would be nice to have the band sustain enough energy for an entire album.

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Cheap Trick and Chris Church

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Cheap Trick

Cheap Trick “In Another World”

What else can I say about the longest-living power pop band? These guys have nothing to prove on their 20th album, so I will gloss over the fact that the album cover’s generic checkerboard style didn’t thrill me (even though it’s a Nielsen trademark). And at first, it seems the band is just going through the motions. But as we’ve mentioned before, Rick, Robin, Tom, and Daxx haven’t lost a step and they sound like they are really having fun here.

 “The Summer Looks Good On You” hits you between the eyes as a big hook-filled theme designed to be played loud. This is followed by the bouncy keys of “Quit Waking Me Up,” a cheery song clearly meant to lift the spirits of the COVID weary. “Another World” has those majestic qualities that make a Cheap Trick power ballad unique, and then comes the 80’s styled hard rock throwback “Boys & Girls & Rock N Roll.” Rick Nielsen proves resourceful with the catchy riffs on “The Party” and “Light Up The Fire.” Added highlights include “Here’s Looking at You,” and a cover of John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth.” Highly Recommended (what else?)

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Chris Church

Chris Church “Game Dirt”

North Carolina’s Chris Church follows up his rocking Backwards Compatible with a more personal album. His Big Stir label debut features songs that are short and sweet, but like a 12-year old’s stream of consciousness, it zig-zags all over the place. A great example of this is on “Falderal” where the melody shifts with each key change, and then it’s over. “Fall” sets the stage with an oppressive minor key as Chris sings about setting unrealistic expectations. The one-word song titles are clever, showing a subtle emotional progression.

There are some real gems are here, the blues-oriented “Lost,” catchy lead riff on “Hang,” and the majestic piano-guitar combo on “Sunrise.” Some of it gets lost in the mix as the percussion dominates some tunes too much (“Trying”) and the sound is akin to Matthew Sweet mixed with The Gin Blossoms at times. Still, a mighty fine album that deserves to be heard.

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Jon Flynn and The Sails

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Ex Norwegian and Friends

Jon Flynn “Citrus”

Jon Flynn goes solo as his band Diamond Hands preps for a new LP. While the overt-retro influences are toned down, Jon proves a fine singer-songwriter in the tradition of Marc Bolan, Liam Gallagher, or Gaz Coombes. Starting with “Somewhere to Run,” it features a laid-back Brit pop rhythm and a sneering lead. And the hooks are in abundance with a modern flair with “Go On” and the catchy breakup song “Back To You,” as Flynn finds his melodic sweet spot.

While it’s a slow build, the song “Praying Man” is worth it as Flynn builds this blues pop burner to perfection with great harmonies. The best thing about Citrus is that it never loses steam and his compositions get better the more you listen to them. The moods shift from the strutting beat of “Wonderful” to the power-pop bounce of “Doin’ What You Do.” And while most of this music is subdued and dark, it shines a light on Flynn’s talent and range as an artist. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

The Sails

The Sails “Bang!: The Sails Best of 2006 to 2020”

Lots of great music “sails” under the radar and most readers of this site recognize this. One criminally underrated band is The Sails (multi-instrumentalist Michael Gagliano,) a UK retro artist who wears his 60’s influences on his sleeve. “BANG!” And “The Slow Down” showcases the Merseybeat and Pysch-pop skills, but the collection of songs gets better the further along we go.

“The Man Who Broke In Half” is like a lost James Bond movie theme, full of great thematic elements, and the jangling Beatlesque gems “In My Head” and “Peter Shilton” keep building excitement with each chorus. The retro greatness continues throughout each of these 15 tracks. There is enough of a modern sound update to “Chocolate” where both the classic composition and buzz guitars deliver power pop perfection. “I’m Only Bleeding” cribs The Beatles “Rain” but updates it in several ways. And it ranked #1 “Coolest Song of The Year” on Little Steven’s influential “Underground Garage” for 2010, and “Liar” ranking #2 in 2011. A great collection that should not be missed! Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Star Collector and Ken Sharp

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Star Collector

Star Collector “Game Day”

First of all, this is NOT the Joe Giddings band from the 1990s, but a new band out of Vancouver, BC with a sound that’s sure to warm the heart of most power pop fans. Opening with “Game Day” its got strong guitar riffs (and a Big Star progression) and an authentic wail from vocalist Vic Wayne and guitarist Steve Monteith. Fans of The Who and Sloan will love this.

“Rip It Off” comes next and the buzzing jangle sells it, as its namedrops some famous song titles. But this original song rips off no one–and it’s a compelling rocker. “The Silent Type” is another guitar-hero theme, with some well-done rock harmonies. Some of the tunes run a little long, but the crunchy goodness of songs like “Cayenne & Caramel,” and “Green Eyes” make it worth it. Definitely, highly recommended.

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Ken Sharp

Ken Sharp “Miniatures”

Ken Sharp has been on a sunshine pop kick with recent singles, so here he shares a collection of 32 short songs and snippets. It’s a good way for an artist to get out a lot of material, and for listeners with ADD it’s perfect. The tunes are mostly baroque melodies, featuring Ken’s distinct twee vocal. Highlighted melodies include “Day In, Night In” and the gentle “Lorelei.” Some personal anecdotes like “Stack O Records” and “Word of Wonder” would sound great with a little more development (and bass).

The musical treacle might wear out its welcome for some people. But I found lots of charm with “My Lullaby,” “Perfect Sun,” “Clara Baby,” “Somethings Happening,” and the Beatlesque “4am.” In many ways, the music also reminds me of obscure British toytown pop from the late ’60s. Overall, fascinating and worth exploring.

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Iain Hornal and Bhopal’s Flowers

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Iain Hornal

Iain Hornal “Fly Away Home”

Iain Hornal, best known as a touring member of 10cc and Jeff Lynne’s ELO impressed me with an excellent debut, and 4 years later (and a lack of a tour for 2020) we have a follow-up. I have to say, when you play for the best rock pop bands some of that greatness will rub off, and fans will love the opener “Wake Me Up, Drop Me Out.” It first brings to mind classic Graham Gouldman, but entirely original; a solid melody with soothing slide guitar accents.

The swaying follow-up “Fly Away Home” is an uplifting tune that seems a perfect theme for a long plane trip. The melancholy ballad “How Much It Means” is a deeply emotional look back to a loved one’s passing. “Try A Little Love” is another winner, similar to Andrew Gold, the chorus bursts out with layered harmonies and hooks you immediately. Iain’s adult pop smartly touches a variety of styles, so it never gets predictable. However best songs are loaded in the first half, and a few songs get overly sentimental (“I Can’t Tell You”), but melodically it’s always on point. Ends with the understated acoustic charm of “Drop This Song.” Overall, this is a highly recommended gem.

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Bhopal’s Flowers

Bhopal’s Flowers “ALSTROEMERIA: A Journey On Earth & Beyond”

Bhopal’s Flowers is a new psyche-pop band and Alstroemeria is a psychedelic & conceptual record, mapping a 24 hours cycle, in which each song is linked to a specific time of the day/night. If you loved the Beatles’ “Love You To” then this is the album’s starting point. It opens with the fantastic “Enjoy Your Life On Earth,” a collection of Sitar rhythms and layered melody lines. “Napoleon Candy Sweet” adds handclaps and a hook-filled riff, try to imagine Kula Shaker with more of a power-pop sound.

This exclusive release from Kool Kat Musik recalls the 1960s psychedelia but not overtly so, and the trippy hippy elements don’t bury the melodies. The sitars have a hypnotic quality and the band’s style shifts enough to keep you engaged, like “Tomorrow’s Heroes” adds plenty of hooks to all that jangling guitar. This is a long player with 16 tracks, and while the sunshine is one half, the darker themes come out on the second half. Plenty of standouts here too, with “What About You” and the slinky “A Night At The Devachan.” High-quality arrangements are everywhere, and it ends with a cover of Cream’s “I Feel Free.” A MAJOR trip and Highly Recommended.

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