Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

The Tummies and The Rockyts

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The Tummies “9:30 Girl”

This Nashville, Tennessee group has a great dynamic with the dual vocals of Judd Fuller and Dana Radford, and a Beatlesque streak a mile wide. Fans of The Rooks and Grip Weeds will adore this band. The original songs all wear the influence on their sleeves but don’t sound like a slavish imitation at all.

The jangling Rickenbackers and harmonies of “Sweet Little Mistreater” will carry you away to Merseybeat heaven and it sticks fast. The catchy “Little Blue Heart” and “Puppet” continue the party, and the title track is a slow ballad daydreaming about a girl you see on your commute. It effectively shifts moods on the acoustic “Collector” but it’s the groovy dance tunes like “Stuff Like That” is what these Tummies do best. Overall, the songwriting and musicianship are perfect without a note of filler. Highly Recommended.

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The Rockyts “Come On And Dance”

The Rockyts are a young Ottawa band who are modernizing the ’60s British Invasion sound for a new generation. Their high energy performances include original tunes that have a Merseybeat formula and several classic covers. 

The opener “All of the Time” certainly has the goods, with some similarities to the Fab Four’s “Anytime At All,” it’s pure catchy fun. The originals recall several other bands, notably The Dave Clark Five, The Animals, and Manfred Mann. Most of the songs are fast tempo and around 2 minutes in length. “Run, Run, Run” and “Have Love Will Travel” have more of a garage rock style. The Knickerbockers “Lies” and  The Easybeats “She’s So Fine” are also a perfect fit for this trio.  They stray from the formula a little with the instrumental “Espresso,” and it’s a good showcase for each band member. While this is a terrific debut, I would love to hear more originals songs. But these guys are young and hopefully, we’ll hear more very soon.

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Happy Birthday to John Lennon!

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John Lennon’s 80th Birthday would have been on October 9th, 2020. To celebrate, a number of artists have released tributes in his honor.

John Lennon Tribute

Various Artists “Jem Records Celebrates John Lennon”

Each band is given a pair of tunes, and this first-class tribute starts with the premiere Beatlesque band The Weeklings. They add a Bo Diddley styled rhythm to this unique arrangement of The Beatles “The Word” and flesh out the bare-bones Lennon demo “What’s The New Mary Jane?” NYC-based The Midnight Callers deliver some sweet harmonies on the acoustic “Child of Nature” and bluesy lead guitar on “Jealous Guy.”

The Grip Weeds are faithful to the spirit of “You Can’t Do That” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” and the depth of sound and crisp production are impressive.  The Anderson Council’s Peter Horvath channels Lennon well on “I Found Out” with its swirling psychedelic reverb. Johnathan Pushkar and The Gold Needles also deliver the goods. Richard Barone’s speeds up the tempo in the lone mashup of  “Revolution” and “Power To The People.” It all works and is Highly Recommended.

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Timmy Sean puts a modern spin on several classics with his new EP – It’s a FREE download. Enjoy!

Reno Bo has done Beatles tributes before, but this one is new! It’s a FREE download. Enjoy!

John Lennon

John Lennon “Gimme Some Truth”

This latest ‘greatest hits’ collection is likely the best sounding mix you’ve ever heard and really does do justice to John’s compositions. Remixed by Paul Hicks (who did Imagine – The Ultimate Collection), all 36 tracks were selected by Yoko and son Sean to tell John’s post-Beatles story and illustrate his many moods. All gift-wrapped in numerous deluxe packages (the big one has a commemorative book, stickers, postcards, and extensive liner notes.)

Lennon’s searing indictment of self-serving politicians and “narrow-minded hypocritics” is even more relevant today than it was over forty years ago. The selection of songs includes his most popular work giving them new life for generations to come. Highly Recommended.

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Jared Lekites and Ryan Hamilton & the Harlequin Ghosts

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Jared Lekites

Jared Lekites “Looking For Diamonds X”

Jared Lekites is a singer/songwriter based in Oklahoma City with a style that’s part Paul McCartney and part James Taylor. This was Jared’s 2010 debut, but with plenty of time during the COVID-19 lockdown, he reworks and re-recorded many tracks here plus a bunch more. “Love That Lasts” opens with gentle harmonies comparable to Brian Wilson’s balladry and the title track boasts a great opening riff and a catchy verse that carries you along with a “bop-bop” backing rhythm in the chorus.

The variety of musical textures and instrumentation is impressive on “Electric Car Ballet” and “Let Your Hair Down (Once In A While).” In addition, the full-length version of the album includes the singles Jared recently finished gem “Freebird” and some great covers; McCartney’s “Temporary Secretary” and The Beach Boys underrated “I’d Love Just Once To See You.” Highly Recommended.

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Ryan Hamilton and the Harlequin Ghosts

Ryan Hamilton and the Harlequin Ghosts “Nowhere to Go but Everywhere”

Ryan Hamilton and the Harlequin Ghosts continue to write hook-filled melodies that made their Wicked Cool Records debut a top ten album last year. The gentle opener “Only A Dream” sets the bittersweet tone with crisp vocals that foreshadows the theme ahead. Ryan has a real love of music’s past and “Oh No” featuring Key Hanley demonstrates this by naming a bevy of his favorite album titles. Similarly “Jesus & John Lennon” name-checks some more, with a mild country-pop rhythm.

The album finally shows some bounce with “Out of My League,” a fun tune about getting that pretty girl, and the follow-up “Let’s Go Slow” is a mid-tempo tune about that first date. Next, “Can I Get an Amen” seems to recall Bon Jovi’s “Dead or Alive” in the melody. While there is no filler, the band feels like its playing safe here. After the upbeat “Newcastle Charm” it may lull you to sleep with the next few tunes. And while the last tracks “We Gave It Hell” and “Pick Yourself Up” complete the love-lost song cycle, the lyrics feel rote and predictable. Still, it’s a good collection of songs that deserves to be heard.

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October Surprises: Singles, EPs, Compilations and a Cartoon

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On a rare occasion, I hear some EMD that does it right. On “Tarantino,” Steve Aoki & Timmy Trumpet modernize the classic surf guitar riff of Dick Dake, later made famous via Pulp Fiction. Aoki’s mesmerizing electro beats combined with Trumpet’s eccentric horn licks are very entertaining. The cartoon is also a hoot!

Willie Dowling’s infamous Jackdaw 4 discography is now on 369music (with his Dowling Poole albums). If you missed it, this was a free download for a while. But this was a great XTC inspired band – check it out.

Wisconsin’s Disq does a decent cover of this Wilco song. They also have a collection of demos from their break-thru LP from March.

Einstein’s Sister, a legendary power-pop/indie rock band from the late ’80s is back! The old discography is on Bandcamp now, and these brand new singles sound fresh!

Zach Jones has a way of updating that old pop sound that is pure magic. I was very impressed with this sharp sounding “Must Be On My Way,” which resembles a lost Monkees single.

Melbourne’s four-piece Girlatones have a gentler approach towards pop. There is a sense of acceptance in the combination of guitar, vocals, and piano. Lead singer Jesse William’s vocal delivery is akin to the vocal stylings of Belle & Sebastian.

Crown Vic Royal is not a whiskey, but a band from Chicago that plays blues-infected rock and roll. Check out this new EP.

Garfield’s Birthday is a band from Weymouth, England and for 25 years Simon Felton (Head honcho of Pink Hedgehog Records) has done a smashing job. Now a long-awaited “best-of” compilation is finally available. Plenty of rarities and alternate mixes.

SLD and Rick Hromadka

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SLD

SLD “Lost”

SLD (aka Sounds Like Digging) is back – Tom Parisi and his cousin Paul Costanza return with a smooth rich sound on “He’s Got You Now,” a slick single with a grand chorus backed by psyche pop guitars. This is like a double album with 17 tracks.

“Fly Away” is a McCartney-like piano gem, that slowly picks up steam to its magical chorus, with an upbeat “ooh-la-la,” rhythmic harmonies, and a wicked guitar break that begs for repeat listens. “Don’t Want Get Over You” is a wonderful jangling pop gem full of great chord changes and Tom’s guitar riffs are supported by Paul’s bright vocal that defines the SLD sound. A few songs get bogged down where the rhythm, not the melody is the focus (“No Way,” “She”) but even these are decent.

There are many highlights here: “12 to 5” has brilliant harmonies across each verse, “Lost” is ultra-smooth pop, and “Last Night” is a polished, atmospheric song with an expansive melody. Using synths and an ’80s slow pop rhythm, “Circles” could’ve been a Tears For Fears hit, and “Midnight Eyes” boasts a hand-clapping beat with underlying phased guitar chords. Fans of ELO, Pilot, and The Nines will really enjoy this. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Rick Hromadka

Rick Hromadka “Better Days”

A solo new album from Rick Hromadka (Maple Mars, Ruby Free) is a tour de force plus it’s loaded with talented guest stars. Very polished compared to his last LP, starting with the title track it makes clear that’s he’s embracing the “dad rock” label with a variety of vintage rock influences – almost a combination of his previous bands.

“State Of Mind” boasts an addictive chorus and inventive lyrics throughout. Both “Searchlight” and “The Ever After” have terrific guitar work, reminiscent of Thunderclap Newman. As a break from the seriousness, the whimsical “I’m Here To Entertain” makes use of many musical circus tropes, as the video shows.  Additional gems include “Full Blown Freakout,” “Pinwheel,” and the epic harmonies are all over “The Last Volcano.” No real duds here, so it also makes my top ten for 2020 list. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik