Category: Power Pop Review

The Connection and Green Seagull

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The Connection

The Connection “We Wish You Success”

Power pop faves The Connection return with a strongly themed LP about breaking up with your girl on We Wish You Success. Starting with “You Know” it gives you everything you want; quick tempo, sing-along chorus and steady riffs with a terrific solo break. “Color Me Unimpressed” is a great tune that describes the internal monologue of a guy wondering why he’s going out with someone so incompatible. The title track adds a honky-tonk rhythm when going through the break up as lead singer Brad Marino sings “Don’t wanna waste my breath /cuz your tone-deaf /I’ll just watch you dig a deeper grave.”

No bad songs or filler here, as the band maintains cruising speed. In some sense, the band isn’t growing or expanding and playing it safe with its tried-and-true rock and roll. But fans love it, and it yields great songs like “Mechanical Heart,” “Heaven or Hell,” and “The Girl is Trouble.” Another Highly Recommended gem from New England’s Hit Makers.

 

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Green Seagull

Green Seagull “Scarlet Fever”

London retro rockers Green Seagull are firmly rooted in 1966-69 psychedelic pop, with trippy Farfisa organ, Rickenbacker jangle, and light harmonies. “Not Like You And Me” and “Scarlet” open the set with a paranoid tone, but it quickly showcases the talent here. If you enjoyed The Strawberry Alarm Clock or the Lemon Pipers, then songwriters Paul Nelson and Paul Milne have the goods for you.

“Dogsbody,” is like a hippie-like musing and the baroque organ in “Remember The Time” recall The Left Banke or The Cowsills. Another solid tune is “(I Used to Dream In) Black and White” with fantastic three-part harmonies and contrasting that with crisp guitar riffs. However many tunes simply lack the hooks to make them stick or worse they remind you of the period excesses that paved the way to progressive rock. With that in mind, several standouts include the layered bubblegum gems “Shrubbery Road,” “Girls Are Coming To Town,” and The Kinks-like “I Live and Let Live.” For fans of the ’60s psyche-pop era it’s definitely recommended.

 

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Arthur Alexander and The Orange Peels

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Arthur Alexander

Arthur Alexander “One Bar Left”

Arthur Alexander is a power pop legend, born in Warsaw, Poland then immigrated to NYC where he helped form The Poppees in the mid-‘70s, often dubbed “The Fab Four Of The Bowery.” They played regularly at Max’s Kansas City and CBGB’s and became the very first new artist signed by the visionary Greg Shaw to his Bomp! Records label. Then he started another band Sorrows in the early ‘80s, signed a label deal with CBS Records and released two albums, before moving to LA to produce other artists. Finally, after all this time Arthur is releasing his first solo LP.

These songs have been collecting for decades, and its great to finally hear Arthur unleashed. He touches on all different genres from New Wave, Blues, Punk, and Rock.“One Bar Left” is a rousing rocker that is undeniably catchy and loaded with energy. Arthur’s vocals are slightly grizzled, but expressive and clearly melodic on “Psycho-Automatic,” with a touch of ’80s instrumentation and solid beat. You’ll hear The Monkees meets George Thorogood on “(She Got Me) Wang Dang Doodle” and Beach Boys guitar and harmonies on the ballad “It’s You.” Yet, its all uniquely Arthur’s sound. And yes, some of this sounds like filler tracks from The Poppees/Sorrows era. And yes, it could’ve used some editing, but enough are keepers here; “Shot In The Heart,” “Ecstasy,” and the Beatlesque “I’ll Get Your Love Someday.” Fans of John Wicks (The Records) and Paul Collins (The Beat) will also enjoy this LP. Highly Recommended.

 

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The Orange Peels

The Orange Peels “Trespassing”

The Orange Peels sound shift that began with Begin The Begone continues, as leader Allen Clapp adds more textures into his jangling melodies. Having moved to the Northern California mountains, the entire album has an expansive new wave feel. Starting with “Camera 2,” it has more synth layered into the melody that contrasts with its organic strumming. The guitar influences of John Moreman recede in the distance as those hypnotic synths take over.  “Running Away” and “Room 222” both have a robotic quality, but Clapp’s warm choruses shine through in each case.

“Dawn Tree” boasts floating harmonies and strings that recall Field Music or The La’s. The ambitious title track piles the synth-pop melodies on top of each other and it feels like a futuristic techno soundscape/dance track. Thankfully Clapp hasn’t forgotten how to do power pop, as “All Our Tomorrows” is a joyful guitar gem that boasts a strong hook. While The Orange Peels have always delivered strong material, it has gradually evolved away from its power-pop roots. Fans have grown alongside the band and find it just as hypnotically satisfying. Highly Recommended.

 

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Chris Richards & The Subtractions and Vamos

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Chris Richards & The Subtractions

Chris Richards & The Subtractions “Peaks and Valleys”

Chris Richards and The Subtractions take the next step in musical evolution. Newly added guitarist Andy Reed, who also works with Richards in their other band The Legal Matters adds his formidable skills. Regulars Todd Holmes(bass) and Larry Grodsky(drums and percussion) round out The Subtractions. And the band’s sound has shifted to be more in line with The Legal Matters crisp melodic style.

Opening with “Half Asleep” it balances the call-and-response guitars with a layer of harmonies and rich chord shifts that puts the band on a new level. “Just Another Season” is a mellower melody with some nice guitar subtleties, but it kicks back in gear with “The Coast Is Clear,” a west coast feel is all over those jangling guitar rhythms. The “hits” keep coming, with the music flowing in high energy peaks (“In A Sense”) and slower tempo valleys (“Wrapped In A Riddle”) throughout. After the album’s midpoint, it settles in a bit with some nicely written songs like “The End of Me” and “Maybe That’s All.” Fans of Big Star, Teenage Fanclub, and Matthew Sweet will enjoy the entire album and the cover of Big Star’s “Thirteen” and Sweet’s “Someone To Pull The Trigger” fit well here too. It’s all highly recommended and fits into my yearly top ten list for 2018.


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Vamos

Vamos “1-2-3”

Chicago garage-punks Vamos is different from what I usually review but they have a raw sound that is impossible to ignore. Vamos (Ryan Murphy-guitar/vocals, Will Wood-bass, Josh Lambert-drums) formed during Chicago’s epic blizzard of 2011 and began playing the city’s thriving DIY scene.  It took a while but the band finally delivers. Murphy describes 1-2-3 as “a controlled descent into madness and mayhem [where] ghostly echoes and reverberations chase edgy, unforgettable melodies.”

I have to agree with that on the big opener “Force of Nature.” The punk buzzsaw anthems “2Ded4Lyfe” and “Do Wanna” both have Ramones-like energy. “Outsiders” is a damn catchy power pop gem. There is a little bit of filler here, but the good stuff definitely makes up for it. Other great cuts include “I Don’t Care,” “Creeper,” and “I Feel Righteous” which reminded me of early Sweet mixed with Love and Rockets. Highly Recommended.

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Bart & The Bedazzled and Adrian Whitehead

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Bart Davenport

Bart & The Bedazzled “Blue Motel”

Bart Davenport is back with his new band The Bedazzled, featuring Jessica Espeleta (bass, backing vocals), Wayne Faler (guitar), and Andres Renteria (drums). They seem to float through their new pop album Blue Motel. It’s best described as a mix of ‘80s English pop and West Coast yacht rock. The title track features light jangling rhythms and synths, with Bart’s crooning vocals above it all.

A highlight for me was the subtle minimalist melody of “Halloween By The Sea,” with its lyrical lament on American decline. “What’s Your Secret (Cleo)” lifts the mood a little more with its playful bass line. However much of the album’s tone is slow tempo soulful musings and this makes the album drag a bit. On the rare occasion, like “Grownups” the jangling melody is upbeat – a little like The Ocean Blue. Fans of Prefab Sprout and Aztec Camera might enjoy this album. Check it Out.

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Adrian Whitehead

Adrian Whitehead “Nerd From The Suburbs”

It’s been over ten years since Adrian’s been heard, and while his first album was fairly Beatlesque, his latest is little closer to Elton John meets Crowded House on the opener “Folie a Deux.” It’s a great song that drives home the chorus over its guitar strummed melody, and the follow-up is the bluesy progression “Blaming The Snake,” full of colorful lyrics and jazzy brass accents.

That hushed acoustic “Sigmund Freud” is very much in the mold of the late, great Elliot Smith circa XO. Adrian stays in this folk-pop style for the next few tracks. “The Gilded Cage” is a big highlight that mines some wonderful chord progressions and sweet lyrics about friendship, and even a George Harrison-like electric guitar break. The title track is another winner, with an autobiographic spin. The production is top notch and it will grow on you after a few listens. Highly Recommended.

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Saturday Night Singles: Ken Sharp, Geoff Palmer, Brad Marino, Thrift Store Halo

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Ken Sharp was given a challenge by producer Fernando Perdomo. Write a song with the title, “She Hates the Beatles!” Since Ken is a huge Beatle fan, it wasn’t easy but he did it. I mean, who in their right mind could hate the Beatles, right?

Geoff Palmer is having a friendly rivalry with his bandmate Brad Marino. Both guys play for The Connection and both put out solo singles this week. Fans of the band,  Tommy and the Rockets or New Trocaderos will love it. Which one do you choose? You don’t have to! Get’em both!


Thrift Store Halo is working on a follow up to last year’s LP. This single is a great start. It’s classic Power Pop calling to mind Elvis Costello, Paul Weller, and Nick Lowe.