Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

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.

Kool Kat Musik

Jay Gonzalez and The Krayolas

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Jay Gonzalez

Jay Gonzalez “Back to the Hive”

Jay Gonzalez (Drive-by Truckers) returns with a second full-length solo album designed to sink into your head with simple, mellow pop melodies that recall the early ’70s AM radio. The instrumental opener “Sunspot” gives us a clue to the time period, and the title track “Back To The Hive” follows through with an easy-going strum. The country-folk love song “(I Wanna) Hold You” features inventive lyrics like “I wanna fold you up like origami.” Jay effectively mines all the influences and still makes these songs hook-filled gems.

Jay enlists Athens, GA friends like Chris Grehan, drummer Joe Rowe (The Glands), and former Drive-by Truckers Matt Lane (drums) and John Neff (pedal steel guitar.) The album’s second half gets a little more varied, with the terrific power-pop of “Need You Round,” and its double-tracked guitar and synths. The James Taylor-like ballad “Never Felt Bad (About Feeling Good)” evokes the same moods, and “Cryin’ Through The Wall,” a dramatic tribute to Robin Gibb is another winner. Highly Recommended.

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The Krayolas

The Krayolas “Savage Young Krayolas”

We’ve been advocates for The Krayolas for a long time, and this newly re-mixed and re-mastered collection stands as proof that these Tex-Mex Beatles have the goods. These Chicano garage rockers from San Antonio rock right out of the box with the first three songs “Aw Tonight,” “You’re Not My Girl,” and “Roadrunner.” The energy and hooks are heavily influenced by the Dave Clark Five, Duane Eddy, and The Kinks (a cover of “You Really Got Me” is here too).

The band offers versatility with the Merseybeat “All I Do Is Try,” and the garage stomper “Gator Gator.” The harmony-filled “Sunny Day” compares favorably to The Beach Boys! The appealing melodies are so crisp, and if this is your first taste of The Krayolas you can look further into their catalog starting with ‘Best Riffs Only’.This is super highly recommended and stands as one of the best archival releases of 2020.

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EP and Singles Potpourri: Sandy McKnight, Beebe Gallini, Brad Marino, Vanilla, Jon Klages, Barton Hartshorn

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Sandy McKnight‘s follow-up to last year’s San Fernando Beat EP continues his string of “shoulda-been” hit songs with Fernando Perdomo. If you’re looking for DIY rock and roll, look no further than Beebe Gallini and Brad Marino. Beebe’s got a rough garage sound, but it’s chock full of hooks, and Brad’s sound is vintage gold, similar to The Rolling Stones.  Going back in time further, Vanilla ’66 is an instrumental album for a 1960’s movie that never existed, retro pop fans can bask in the fluorescent glow of nostalgia. Will there be another Austin Powers movie? We got the soundtrack.

Jon Klages new single “1133 Ave. of the Americas (For Enoch Light),” is a subtle jazzy tribute to his grandfather, akin to Harry Nilsson in its brilliant simplicity and a great mood setter. UK artist Barton Hartshorn has a new single, “Listen For A Change,” and it recalls Prefab Sprout and early Style Council. Very nice.

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Steve Robinson and My Life As A Dog

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Steve Robinson

Steve Robinson “Swallowing The Sun”

Steve Robinson (Headlight, Roger McGuinn) made impressive music with singer-songwriter Ed Woltil on his album Cycle several years ago. Robinson has a smooth approach on this solo LP. Opening with the layered acoustic and jazzy electric guitars of “Sorry Amsterdam,” he looks back at his youth in the 1980s and it feels similar to Aztec Camera. “Wild God” is even better at setting a mood with its caustic lyrics “Eat your words and spew your junk” and its raga-like rhythm. Another gem here is “Quiet One” with its subtle melody and a slide guitar from XTC legend Dave Gregory. It is a fitting tribute to George Harrison, the “quiet” Beatle.

The songs move from Celtic-styled folk-pop (“Milk and a Dash”) to dour acoustic ballads (“Skinful,”) but there are some bright gems here, notably the McCartneyish piano pop of “Mr. Empty Head” and the bouncy love song “Make You Mine.” As he notes in “Dizzy Love Song” it’s “not rocket science… just sing along.” Beautifully produced and cleanly mixed, I’m sure you’ll find enough favorites here to make this album one that deserves a spot in your playlist. Highly Recommended.

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My Life As A Dog

My Life As A Dog “Borders”

My Life As A Dog is the passion project of singer-songwriter Ryan Hanifin. Ryan traces his five-year Odyssey from his home in Texas to Brooklyn, before finally settling down in Charleston, SC. An echoing piano ballad “Dotted Lines” is supported by classic strings that make a clean lead into the melody of the title track “Borders.” As the main melody chugs along Ryan’s vocal style brings to mind crooner Eric Matthews. The theme of the album is travel, and we do time travel with the ’80s-influenced “Science Fiction” and “Concrete Shoes,” its instrumentation recalling Tears For Fears at times. A highlight here is “Jessamine and Lavender” with its dramatic storytelling and jangling guitars. Ryan puts it all out there, and it will speak to many. This is definitely music that deserves to be heard.

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