It’s cooling off this week on the East Coast. The Record Company isn’t a great name for a band, but these guys have a nice groove and swagger on “I Don’t Dance On Mondays” from their new 4th Album. Love that slide guitar sound! The Campbell Apartment has a new single worthy as a theme for Barbie’s Ken on “Boys Like Driving.” Next, Vanilla continues its slow rollout of Pish Posh one song at a time, this one is “S1 E1,” a march about binge-watching. I was very impressed by Half Catholic, “Pour It On Lightly” is like The Posies meet Pearl Jam and 100% original soaring melodic rock (also out on Kool Kat Musik). Funeral Cake is a little punkier, fans of The Muffs might enjoy them; check out “Sleep Over” and “Fairy Land.” Next Sugar Fight has a few singles collected with the addition of a few guests (Frank Bango, for example). Finally, with summer over, you should pick up the latest freebie from radio show blogger Ice Cream Man (Wayne Lundqvist Ford,) a massive collection of over 100 songs. Summer never ends with this much music!
Category: Power Pop Compilation
IPO Vol.23 and This is Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio compilations
Why compilations? There is no better way to get an “instant” power pop collection in your head than with these 2 terrific collections from trusted curators with years of experience. If you are looking to keep up with all the new music that’s out there and don’t have the time and money to know “who’s good?” then these power pop compilations are essential shorthand for the rest of us.
Various Artists “Dana & Carl Present: This is Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio Vol. 5”
These guys are still at it?… This Is Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio” hosts Dana & Carl’s newest compilation (Volume 5) does not disappoint. From the sunny surf harmonies of Laurie Biagni’s “Hey Mr. DJ” to the alternative rock buzz of Jeff Shelton’s Deadlights, this collection has a big range of styles and sounds. Some traditional power pop stalwarts, like Chris Von Sneidern’s “Goodnight Sailor,” are a welcome treat, along with newer bands like In Deed with “Peace & Quiet.” A solid 27 tracks and a few station IDs make this one a keeper.
Various Artists “International Pop Overthrow: Volume 23”
Every year David Bash takes great care to introduce new musical talent with his IPO festival and companion soundtrack. With Volume 23 (!) you get a 3-CD set with 68 tracks. Start with disc one and the 60s sunshine pop of The Tambourine People, it’s a sugary pop gem, akin to The Peppermint Rainbow. The Vinylos uses horns to deliver “The Rain Comes” very similar to the recent Ken Sharp, and Black Mail House has a similar horn-led tune “There’s Only One Way Out Of This.” Other standouts here include Golden Richard’s “Shake Your Hair” and Blake’s “Vinyl Junkie” which is a fitting bio of a music geek.
On disc 2, there is more of an alternating structure between seasoned pros like David Brookings (“One of Us Is Crazy”) and newcomers like Elphonic (“Rapid Transit”), and it’s literally hit or miss with the newer bands. Luckily, the batting average is high. Standouts for me were Lisa Marie Claire’s folky “Paper Letter” and Andrew Stonehome’s “Heartbreaker.”
Disc 3 is the most diverse of artistic styles, starting with the Beach Boys-like “Summer Camp” by Fredrick Julius, and the Beatlesque Sunbourne Rd’s “Dear Jo” and Parlophonic’s lovely “Feel The Light.” The most out-there track this year is the rap (!) by Morty Shallman “Party All Night At Sunset,” and I think LMAFO better watch out! Standouts include Glowbox’s “Test of Time” and Barmudas “Dry January.” Overall, there will be faves for everyone on each disc. Enjoy!
Tributes: Jem Records Celebrates Pete Townshend and Pop Aid for Ukraine
Assorted Artists “Jem Records Celebrates Pete Townshend”
The third “JEM Records Celebrates” compilation focuses on The Who’s Pete Townshend. Pete not only coined the term ‘Power Pop’ but inspired countless rockers with his bombastic chords and timeless songwriting. JEM artists contributing include The Weeklings, The Grip Weeds, The Anderson Council, The Gold Needles, Nick Piunti, Lisa Mychols & Super 8, The Airport 77’s, Johnathan Pushkar, The Midnight Callers, and Richard Barone.
These artists do truly original interpretations of Pete’s best-known songs. It’s tough to call out a single song that standout out here, as all the artists do such a great job. My favorites included Lisa Mychols & Super 8’s version of “Baba O’Riley” and “Can’t Explain,” The Midnight Callers’ “Let My Love Open The Door,” The Anderson Council’s “Mary Ann with the Shaky Hand,” and Airport 77’s combination of “Substitute” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” But even the more traditional approaches of The Grip Weeds’ “I’m Free” and The Weeklings’ “I Can See For Miles” bring real power to their versions. Not a weak track here and it’s highly recommended.
Assorted Artists “POP AID – A Power Pop Compilation to Benefit the Citizens of Ukraine”
This massive 63-track, 3CD collection was put together by Kool Kat Musik to benefit the citizens of war-torn Ukraine. 100% of all profits from sales of the collection will go to World Central Kitchen, a renowned organization founded by chef Jose Andres whose mission statement is “To serve hot, nutritious meals to people who need them most.”
An amazing array of artists from around the world have provided previously unreleased tracks that you won’t find anywhere else. Many songs were recorded specifically for this collection. The 63 artists contributing power pop favorites on this compilation include Arvidson & Butterflies, Jim Basnight, Terry Carolan (with Al Chan & Tommy Dunbar), Chris Church, Cloud Eleven (with Rick Hromadka), Dave Cope and The Sass, The Embryos, Flashcubes, Nick Frater, The Glad Machine, Jeremy (with Ken Stringfellow), The Junior League, Joey Molland (Badfinger) and many more familiar names.
Kool Kat Musik is to be commended for their heroic efforts in getting this done so quickly. There are too many great songs here for me to even call out favorites, just know that out of the 63 tracks you will find many, many fresh favorites. Highly recommended and all for a very worthy cause, so get it now!
May Day: Pop Boomerang, Tommy & The Rockets, The Chords UK, Jack Skuller, Gordon Michaels, Kai Danzberg
There is just so much music out there that I can get to, but I will make it as easy as I can to pick worthy stuff. An easy pick is Pop Boomerang‘s Marching Out Of Time compilation – a name-your-price download. The label is closing soon, so this is one of the last comp LPs they will do, and its a damn good one; check out the opener Little Murders “Wait ’til Summer,” The Wellingtons “Soda” and the fantastic Her Majesty’s Finest (feat. Kate Duncan) “Shake Yer Popboomerang.” Denmark’s own Tommy and The Rockets give a tribute to Record Store Day with “The Hottest Store In Town,” fans of the Ramones will eat it up. The Chords UK gives us a sorrowful “White Van Man” while Jack Skuller changes his sound with a dynamic beat on “Watercolor Rain.” Gordon Micheals channels Billy Joel a bit on the memorable “Hey Doreen.” Finally, the talented Kai Danzberg will finally “Get It Right” a terrific hook-filled single.
Looking toward 2022
We’ve got a lot of great music to look forward to in 2022. The group Walcot was formed in Chicago several years back and band leader Asher George is now based in Charlotte, NC. The debut single “Dreamin’ Away” is from the upcoming Songs for the Disenfranchised EP. The timeless hook draws you into its easy-going melody.
Maple Mars teases us with “Goodbye California” an upcoming single from the new 2022 album coming from Big Stir Records.
Speaking of Big Stir — they are now the dominant label in this genre, and they offer a huge FREE download of music from this past year in a worthy retrospective.
Rum Bar Records also is giving us a preview of 2022 with The Dirty Truckers. The blue-collar rockers return to the bar for another round with their highly anticipated brand new full-length in 2022. But here is a three-shot sampler EP.
Any way you look at it 2022 looks to be an even bigger year for power pop and rock n’ roll.