Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

The Dates and Emperor Penguin

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The Dates

The Dates “Ask Again Later”

Out of Los Angeles, singer-songwriter Garett Goddard (Personal and The Pizzas, King Tuff) created the alter-ego band The Dates. On his debut, he worships at the power pop altar of Big Star, Teenage Fanclub, and The Flaming Groovies. The jangle-tastic “Any Other Nite” would easily fit on Grand Prix. Next, “Star” and “Pictures With Rene” keeps the same feel with more of a tilt toward #1 Record. Hero worship will only get you so far… but Goddard’s production has a deliberate lo-fi rough edge that keeps it fresh. And the hook-filled riffs of “Friday Nite @Vineland” and “Nervous” make this an album that can’t be missed.

The songwriting is basic and to the point; “Love’s Made A Fool Of You” and “Summer Girls” are perfect teen heartbreak anthems, where you “don’t want to go to school… I wanna stay home in my room… all the time” Every song held my interest and encouraged repeat listens, so that makes it an early favorite on my Top Ten of 2019 album list. Obviously, it’s Super Highly Recommended.

Amazon


Emperor Penguin

Emperor Penguin “Walnut Fascia”

Nigel Winfield and Neil Christie form the anchor for the UK-based band Emperor Penguin. The band marries power pop with elements of psyche and prog rock. “The Miasma at Euston” is a pastiche of The Beatles, The Jam, The Fall and a touch of King Crimson. Another highlight, “Shaking Spear” is a wicked rolling riff with a Who-like harmonic repeating chorus, and amazing shredding follows. Next, “See Ya later, Sayulita” has a memorable jangling melody, and “Only Love” is another gem that instantly hooks you.

“Sorry Not Sorry” plays heavily into the 60’s sound with its psyche-pop rhythm as a pitch-perfect political protest song. “Hotel Diplomat” has a very “Dukes of The Stratosphere” feel with its harpsichord and descriptive lyric. Then out of left field, the dense “Jensen Interceptor” almost sounds like a Love and Rockets tune. The prog style is dialed up a few notches for the rest of the album, and you get crazy psychedelics like “Brian is Flying Us Off to Mars” and the faux James Bond soundtrack “(The Theme From) Falling Tree.” While inconsistent, it’s never incoherent. Fans of The Grip Weeds, The Pillbugs and 60’s anglophiles you couldn’t do better. They are also scheduled for IPO Liverpool in May — don’t miss them! Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Mike Daly & The Planets and Vinius

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Mike Daly

Mike Daly & The Planets “All It Takes Is One”

Mike Daly plays an unapologetic rock that comes out of the realization that “punk rock fantasies” are long over and playing into middle age offers its own personal rewards. And while Daly’s vocal approach brings to mind Bob Mould mixed with Steven Page and Chris Stamey, he’s clearly comfortable in his own skin.

Staring with “Slack” its heavy power chords punctuate each verse of him “Polishing my Grammys that I’ll never win.”  The great guitar riffs open “Come Along” and leads to a head-bopping chorus about an old rock and roll fan’s life. “Find The Pleasure” is another standout and “Nonsense” has a little Lou Reed styled lyric. while not everything hits the mark, Daly has enough goodies here to keep you coming back for more listens. As an added bonus, this album is a name-your-price download. Highly Recommended.

Bandcamp


Vinius

Vinius “Heart and Bladder”

Vinius is the alter-ego of San Francisco-based TV/film composer Devin Farney. His influences stick to piano-based indie pop with cinematic and orchestral elements. Opening with “The Blame Game” it’s like a combination of Ben Folds and Andrew Gold with a slowly rising verse and a great chorus. His soft vocal fits the rich orchestration and moody atmospherics on “Caricature of Characters” and synth ballad “Probably Not Going To Happen.”

While many tracks have their moments, they don’t always tie into a compelling hook or chorus. The lush mid-tempo “How Much Would It Take” is another demonstration of Farney’s skill and ability to build an emotional melody. Some tracks are wonderful piano sketches, like “If You Ever” and the rousing chord progressions of “Offerings” with its whimsical tuba line. Overall a fine debut that deserves to be heard.

Amazon | CD Baby

The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness and Braddock Station Garrison

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The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness

The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness “Dead Calm”

International collaborations strike again! TBWTPN are Andrew Taylor (Dropkick) and Gonzalo Marcos (El Palacio de Linares).  Named after a song by The Feelies, and recorded in first takes in a couple of evenings between Madrid and Edinburgh, Taylor and Marcos hit gold here. Filled with jangling Rickenbackers and warm melodies, it feels like a melding of Big Star, Teenage Fanclub, and Elliot Smith.

The opening song (named after the band) has that Big Star progression and killer chorus that sets the table perfectly. Each song takes a mellow approach with crisp orderly compositions, “Close The Doors” is a great example of that dreamy jangle pop that sticks in your head. There is enough variety in the songwriting to keep things fresh through all ten tracks, and most of the songs are upbeat. Andrew’s soft vocal harmonies and his acoustic guitar standout as precise pop on “Start it again” without the need for overt folk or rock elements. The title track ends the album and echoes the opening melody. Amazing music that makes my best of 2019 list for best power pop this year. Super Highly Recommended.
power pop

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Braddock Station Garrison

Braddock Station Garrison “American Radio”

Do they have college radio bands anymore? Washington, DC band Braddock Station Garrison has a touch of Americana added to their fantastic rock sound. They are following in the footsteps of those 90’s college radio bands (The Connells, The Bats, Buffalo Tom) all while sounding modern and engaging.

Opening with “Blockbuster” its got a solid hook, along with a jangling rhythm and its a quick standout. The Stones-like “Travellin’ Bible Salesman” is a nice simple rocker. “Small Town Scene” and “When You Say” speed up the tempo and drum beat, but the vocals are a little like The Black Crows with its talky approach. The band also gets jammy on “Border Run.” It keeps up this approach, and if you loved the bands mentioned above it definitely deserves to be heard.
power pop

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Vanilla and The Paisley Underground

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Vanilla

Vanilla “Mystik Knights of Tacoma”

Vanilla is an indie-pop band from the US Pacific Northwest. Featuring Jayson Jarmon (Liar’s Club), Sean Gaffney, Dana Sims (Witchburn, The Jet City Fix), and Kord Taylor. You’ll hear a more varied list of influences than previous albums. We open with the surf guitar instrumental “March of The Mystik Knights” and then we get the superb “On A Night Like This” full of pop melodicism, organ and a chorus stickier than freshly chewed gum. Carl Funk supplies the vibrato-heavy vocals on “Save Me,” and then we get to the psyche-pop goodness of “Sweetshop” full of harmonies and wicked guitar riffs.

Another notable fact is the lead vocals change with each song, from Kirk Adams to Regan Lane (and a long list in between). It’s nice to hear an updated hard rock cover the Small Faces’ “Itchycoo Park” and the retro-composition “Man of The Moment” sung by Jordani Sarreal, sounds like a lost James Bond movie theme. While the multiple styles and instrumentation make for fun listening, it can be jarring track-to-track. It does fit the theme of musicians being part of a delusional fraternity whose days are numbered as “Be Not Coy” lyrics tell us “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Your time is almost past.” Highly Recommended.

Amazon


Pasiely Underground

The Bangles, The Three O’Clock, The Dream Syndicate and Rain Parade “3×4”

In the mid-80s, several bands from the Los Angeles-area formed the core of a power pop offshoot movement, commonly known as the Paisley Underground. These bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and strong guitar riffs, part homage to 1960s groups such as The Byrds, The Doors and Bee Gees. Coined by Michael Quercio of the band The Three O’Clock, the movement stood to defy that era’s punk/new wave pop. The top bands of this sub-genre were; The Rain Parade, The Dream Syndicate, The Three O’ Clock and The Bangles.

Well 35 years later, The Three O’Clock reformed in 2013 and in December of that year we saw a reunion of all four bands for two nights in L.A. and San Francisco. These artists were part of a special clique and grew up together, so they honored each other by covering each other’s songs. Four bands covering three songs each (as it is titled). The album’s covers are played in a laid back fashion, and while they don’t surpass the originals, they pleasantly remind you how good these songs are. If you are a fan of any of these bands, it will definitely rekindle your interest in the era (and the originals). For the uninitiated, this is a solid album giving you a crash course in the Paisley sound. Check it out!

Amazon

Popdudes and Populuxe

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Popdudes

Popdudes “Maximum Rock Stupidity”

This is a bonus CD for buyers of the John Borack penned “Shake Some Action 2.0” book and its a nice mix of classic power pop covers and a few originals. The Popdudes, are essentially author John Borack and Michael Simmons with several high profile guests: Robbie Rist, Michael Carpenter, Kenny Howes, and Torbjörn Petersson. Borack and Simmons know what makes great power pop, and they bring their “A” game to originals like “Joe Sincere.” I wish there were more than a handful here.

The band does a crack job with Cheap Trick, McCartney, ELO, Matthew Sweet and many others. While several covers are faithful, I like the ones that are slightly off-center; like Kenny Howes version of Abba’s “Waterloo” done as a hard rocker. I also love that they go for a few deep cuts, like George Harrison’s “Ding Dong, Ding Dong” or Walter Egan’s “Magnet and Steel,” an outtake from the Drink a Toast To Innocence compilation.  Highly Recommended.

Good Music Guy

Download the sample “High”

Popluxe

Populuxe “Lumiere”

Brooklyn based Populuxe is vocalist/writer Rob Shapiro, drummer/percussionist Mark Pardy, bassist Mike Mallory and several studio musicians over the years. They bring together a creative soundscape, which gets influences from XTC, Paul Westerberg, Steely Dan and more.

The band’s attitude is shaded with darkness on the opener “Lady Liberty” and it felt like a lost David Bowie track. Next, the brilliantly written “Garage Sale” is a closer match to Black Sea-era XTC, and its a highlight with its quirky percussion and dense chorus. It then mellows out on the bongos and strums of “Schoolyard” before it takes a weird turn on the 8-minute opus “How Long’s It Gonna Take,” with little jazzy guitar elements. At first annoying, I found myself singing the chorus. “Behind Enemy Lines” and “Beat It, Eric” are both built from solid bass and drum structure, with angular guitar leads. After a few spins, I really liked it, as it reminded me of the band Sugarplastic in spots. But there are no hooks to draw you in right away, so while the arrangements are really good you need time for this one to grow on you. Check it out.

Amazon | CD Baby