Category: Power Pop Compilation

Celebrate 100 releases by Pop Boomerang Records!

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Pop Boomerang

Pop Boomerang Records “PB:100”

One of my favorite labels is Australia’s Pop Boomerang. For their 100th pop release, label head Scotty Thurling commissioned a collection of 32 previously unreleased songs from artists across the entire Pop Boomerang roster. The bands range from pure power pop (The Solicitors), roots rock (Livingstone Daisies) to jangle pop (Four Hours Sleep) and everything in between. Scotty’s even got his own theme done by the classic power pop band Kelly’s Heels. Celebrate this great label with this new compilation. Highlights include:

  • The Killjoys “Marching Out Of Time”
  • The Little Murders “Kings Cross”
  • Four Hours Sleep “ I Don’t Know”
  • Central Rain “What A Day”
  • Tim Reid “In The Dark”
  • D. Rogers “Don’t Smile Til Easter”
  • Love Parade “Inside and Out”
  • The Solicitors “His Robe”
  • Grand Atlantic “Never Say Goodbye”
  • Lazybirds “Slinky Skanky”

And if you want a small sampler of current releases, check out “Up to Our Eyeball In It” for 16 tracks promoting the various bands 2013/2014 output. And its a name-your-price download. It’s all solid gold from down under! Bandcamp only.

Assorted Artists “Beyond Belief: A Tribute To Elvis Costello”

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SpyderPop Records releases a compilation paying tribute to the words and music of the incomparable Elvis Costello. Costello is truly one of the worlds greatest modern songwriters, so I was stunned that a tribute disc took this long to come together. Liz Phair put it best “Elvis Costello writes novels in three minutes. He gets inside your head, and doesn’t let go… His songs about women and girls are devastating, like arrows to the heart. He’s a poet with a punk’s heart.” This collection gathers just about every power pop artist I can think of interpreting his massive songbook.

It’s hard to highlight standouts, but I’ll focus on a few of my favorites. Starting with disc 1, you have Chris Richards and The Subtractions doing a crunchy but faithful version of “No Action,”  Gail George makes the “Deep Dark Truthful Mirror” her own. “New Amsterdam” by Parallax Project is another gem of an arrangement with its unique rhythmic texture. Jaime Hoover & Steve Stoeckel do an amazing a Capella version of “Blame It On Cain.” Of course Kurt Baker’s synth version of “High Fidelity” is another highlight.

Disc 2 boasts a stripped down version of “Alison” by Matthew Sweet and a truly beautiful arrangement of “Riot Act” by Brandon Schott. Another fave is Hans Rotenberry’s “Tear Off Your Own Head (It’s A Doll Revolution)” and Paul Myers tragic “So Like Candy.” Disc 3 continues with the high energy “Strict Time” by The Anderson Council and the always amazing Lannie Flowers doing “Radio Sweetheart.” With the huge amount of songs I was a little surprised no one took on the fan favorite “Oliver’s Army.” Many of the artists do a great job with the songs, so ultimately its worth the wait.

Co-produced by longtime Costello fans Olivia Frain and John M. Borack, with all proceeds from the release benefiting the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, a non-profit organization that donates musical instruments to under-funded school music programs. Highly Recommended.

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CD Baby

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Power Pop from the Garage and Kylie Odetta

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Various Artists “Power Pop from the Garage”

For the music connoisseur, this is like finding gold buried under the beach sand. If you think you know Power Pop, then Australian label Zero Hour Records will challenge you with 22 obscure tracks from some rare Aussie bands from 1974 to 1986. All of them were local bands that probably never got international play beyond the Indian Ocean, but well worth listening to. The American/UK power pop influence is clear, one of the tracks Beathoven’s “Do You Remember The Time” rips off Badfinger’s “No Matter What” in the chorus and the ELO production style is all over Chris Pelcer “Can’t Find Reverse.”

Yes, there are “shoulda-been” hits in this collection (Heartbeats “Don’t Want Romance” and Turnarounds “Let’s Do It”), as well as examples of dated 80’s production (The Orphans’ “See You”). This great collection is hampered by sound quality on a few tracks that really could use some re-mastering. But considering that we have no clue if master tapes even exist, I’d still want to hear these rare pop gems.
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Zero Hour Records (exclusive)


Kylie Odetta

Kylie Odetta “Waiting Game”

Now a diversion from the usual power pop review: Kylie Odetta is soulful singer/songwriter who’s talent is easy on the ears and eyes. R&B pop is her stock in trade here even though she blends other genres in her music. “Waiting Game” is a slow start, but things pick up with “Can’t Handle That” an energetic percussive march that highlights Kylie’s vocals – it reminded me a bit of Kate Miller Heidke.

Her sweetness comes through on the ballad “One Day, Some Day” and “I Just Wanna Feel Love,” but the sweeping dramatic ballads like “My Love” lack the big hooks or distinctive styling to keep me interested. I think the biggest problem may be finding an audience for this loose R&B alternative pop, but Kylie certainly has the vocal talent to make it work.

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Amazon

Here Comes The Reign Again and Ice Cream Man Power Pop

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Martin Carr

Here Comes The Reign Again “The Second British Invasion”

After last year’s Tribute to Lite Rock, producer Andrew Curry moved his attention to 1980’s British pop. You get updated takes on era-defining hits by Duran Duran, Human League, Culture Club, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and more. If there is one thing I remember about many of these songs, was a brashness and optimistic defiance that reflected the 1980’s “New Wave” ethos. In today’s era our collective anxiety yields some mixed results, as the mood of some songs tend to be wistful, if not downright melancholy.

Favorites here include Fountains of Wayne singer Chris Collingwood doing “Life In A Northern Town,” and Cliff Hillis improves on “Wouldn’t It Be Good.” I liked the subtleties of Mike Viola’s take on Tears For Fears “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” and Freedy Johnston’s version of Naked Eyes’s “Promises, Promises.” It didn’t quite work for me on Jim Boggia & Pete Donnelly’s “Goody Two Shoes” or Ken Stringfellows’ “Digging Your Scene.” But Rachael Yamagata’s piano ballad of “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?” is sung with more pain and emotion than Boy George ever could.

A lot of artists have deliberately gone “low-fi” in direct opposition to the slick production of the past, but there are some faithful approaches featured especially Bleu’s “Don’t You (Forget About Me) and “West End Girls” by Secret Friend. With 27 tracks there is a favorite for everyone, mine included “Dancin’ with Myself” by Taylor Locke and The Corner Laughers “Our House.” Even if some of these songs aren’t as familiar to you, this set is highly recommended.

Bandcamp | CD Baby

Ice Cream Man  “powerpop and more”

IPO

Fellow power pop blogger Wayne Lundqvist Ford has been producing self-contained radio shows for a while now. He has more of a preference for English Mod, Northern Soul and Garage power pop, and he’s got a great ear for the stuff. After 50 shows he’s still going strong, and now he’s gathered samples from a ton of bands and with the help of our friends over at Futureman Records and has made a massive song collection a FREE downloadable treat.

We are talking 64 tracks of music. These are primarily artists who are criminally ignored by  main stream radio stations and deserve to be heard, including some of my favorites (Bryan Estepa, Tommy Lorente, Baby Scream, The Solicitors, The Legal Matters and The Turnback – just to name a few). Bravo Ice Cream Man!

Futureman Records

Power Popaholic Fest Soundtrack Vol.3 release party!

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It’s finally here! The Power Popaholic Original Soundtrack Volume 3 is ready for you! 16 tracks of can’t miss rock and roll all in support of this summer’s Power Popaholic Fest in Brooklyn, on August 29 & 30. Some of this music has never been released anywhere yet and other tracks are exclusive to this collection. This is currently only available as a download on Bandcamp. We will have some special CD versions for sale at the show. This video above is the Lisa Mychols Three with the opening track! Listen and enjoy!

Bandcamp only