Category: Power Pop Review

Kai Danzberg and Third of Never

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Kai Danzberg “Pop-Up Radio”

We first heard about German musician Kai Danzberg last year on an EP, but he’s been very busy since then. You gotta appreciate a guy who wears his power pop influences on his sleeve, or in this case his entire body. It all starts with the faux Jellyfish opener “Welcome To The Show” with references The Beatles, Jellyfish, Queen, The Bee Gees and Pink Floyd(?). It uses every audio cue you could think of, a chiming piano, layered effects, and all that instrumentation is impressive. The piano coda leads into the sunny “Yes We Can” which is the kind of harmonic pop similar to The Sonic Executive Sessions or Paul Steel. The chorus pleads and delivers a full-on sugar rush.

The entire album follows this style, highlights include the “You’re The One,” “How Can You” and the earnest gem “Too Late.” But the pop sweetness wears off by the album’s mid-point. There are lots of compelling musical elements, however not everything here has a hook and often the atmosphere and production overshadow the song compositions. Fortunately, there is enough to make this a highly recommended listen. Fans of the above-referenced bands will appreciate it, and if you’re a Michael Jackson fan you’ll definitely want to check out his recent Unacceptable EP. Oh yeah, Kai has also made this a FREE download – so dig in!

Bandcamp

Third of Never

Third of Never “Austerity”

A New Jersey power pop band with the emphasis on “power” is made up of Jon Dawson, CJ Grogan, Vince Grogan, and Mike Polilli with Kurt Reil (The Grip Weeds) and John Bundrick (The Who) lending a hand. The pounding drums and thick riffs of “Kidnapped Information” showcase the bands crackling energy that will really appeal to fans of The Who or Blue Oyster Cult. “Dig The View” is another great song meant to be played loud.

The atmospheric hard rock of “Run Silent, Run Deep” is another winner, and even the lead vocals resemble Roger Daltry. The band keeps the pedal to the floor, although the tempo finally slows on “18 Strings,” a song with some great percussive effects and texture. And we finally hear those harmonies on the closer “Shanty Town.” This would’ve made my top 30 if I heard it earlier this year. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

KiDD and Ryan Allen’s New Year present

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KiDD

KiDD “Where Are The Strange People?”

KiDD is Glasgow musician Stuart Kidd, who’s also been part of The Wellgreen and Doctor Cosmo’s Tape Lab. He has emerged from his bedroom recording studio with a batch of lo-fi pop gems, including a children’s music album. If you enjoyed Harry Nilsson’s “The Point” or Ringo’s “Octopus’s Garden,” you’ll find KiDD a refreshing listen.

The instrumentation is sparse, but the melodies are tightly packed. The opener “Little Flower” has this sweet combo of jangling guitar and futuristic bubble popping sounds in the rhythm, as the harmonies flow along. The combination of pastoral and futuristic on “Cyan Seren” is a mellow gem that won me over right away. The album’s second half features several psychedelic textural pieces like “Callisto” and “Modified Radio Birdsong.” The psyche-pop of “Looking For The Way Out” is another trippy melody that sticks, but doesn’t linger too long. A very pleasant distraction and overall a great headphones album.

Bandcamp | Pretty Olivia Records

Happy New Year from Ryan Allen!

We get a nice gift (aka FREE download) from Ryan Allen and his Extra Arms. “The Boy Who Bounces Back” and “New Year’s Day” are two tracks that were recorded but left off of 2016’s Basement Punk. Great stuff!

The Best of 2017 List comes out Friday!

A great year for music, and even though I’ll continue reviewing some of last year’s albums, the list is almost ready. We will also post David Bash’s best of List the following week. Stay tuned!

Justine & The Unclean and Shed Seven

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Justine and the Unclean

Justine and the Unclean “Get Unclean”

Former members of Boston band Malachite, Justine Covault (lead vocalist) and Janet Egan King (bass) are the main force behind The Unclean with the addition of Charles Hansen (Tom Baker & the Snakes) on lead guitar and Jim Janota’s pounding drums. It’s bar room power pop with some punk overtones, and like most of the Rum Bar Records roster, it features big hooks and loud anthems suitable for the arena rock crowd.

“Bring Me Fire” is starts us out with a dense guitar rhythm, and you’ll hear many influences from Heart, to Missing Persons and The Buzzcocks. Covault’s vocals are very distinctive and while not as quirky as Dale Bozzio she has a more aggressive approach as best heard on “Love Got Me Into This Mess.” There is also a slight twang to the hard country-rock “I’m in Love With You, Jackass,” which is both catchy and full of attitude. The harmonies of Justine and Janet shine on the Ramones-like “Passive Aggressive Baby.” Across the album, we get many solid songs with no filler anywhere but a ballad somewhere would’ve been a nice break from all those fast tempos. A great debut that deserves to be heard.

Kool Kat Musik


Shed Seven

Shed Seven “Instant Pleasures”

Old school Brit-poppers Shed Seven race to grab the Brit-pop crown from the late Oasis with a hard-rocking sound 16 years after they disbanded. Make no mistake, this is a glossy studio rocker with all the bells, whistles, and the kitchen sink to jack up the band’s long forgotten mojo.

The opener “Room In My House” has that thick swagger, energetic guitars and the theatrical “Yeah, yeah, yeahs” sure to win over the unconverted. “Nothing To Live Down” is another sing along gem, but from that point things get spotty. “It’s Not Easy” and, “Said I’m Sorry” are more reflective and veer closer to pure pop. Overall, the album is hit or miss with its remaining songs. I liked the nostalgic “Better Days” but the dance-rock of “Enemies and Friends” left me flat. Another gem is “Star Crossed Lovers,” but the faux Maroon Five “People Will Talk” show that Shed Seven won’t supplant the Gallagher brothers at this point in time. However, Brit-pop fans should check this one out.

Amazon

Lucille Furs and The Mylars

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NOTE: There is still a huge pile of music to review as the year ends, and as usual, I have fallen behind, so likely I will continue to review 2017 releases well into January. The top 25 list will be coming out approximately the first weekend of the new year.

Gorilla

Lucille Furs “Lucille Furs”

Chicago band Lucille Furs is a pure retro 60’s band in the mold of The Strawberry Alarm Clock, New Colony Six and The Left Banke. “The Fawn of The Teal Deer” is very much like a Zombies tune, with its harpsichord melody and strong charting chorus, and while the initial sound and style are familiar, the band’s compositions are original and unique.

The subtle “Pink Noise” is another highlight that jumps out with tight harmonies and a strong bassline. Things mellow a bit with “Sunset Moon,” its layered melody chased by a Spanish guitar counter rhythm, but the band is at its most baroque on the psyche-pop gem “Our Lady Of Perpetual Frustration.”  Then the style shifts a bit on “Alabaster Crayon” sounding like an early Three Dog Night hit. Additional standouts include the Kinksian “Please, Give Her This Letter” with a swirling coda, and the final track “Between Us Two/ I Saw You,” chock full of 12-string guitar riffs. Overall a wonderful little retro discovery and Highly Recommended.

Amazon


The Mylars

The Mylars “Melody Records”

The Mylars are a super-charged rock and roll outfit founded by vocalist/guitarist Danny Roselle (ex-Crash Moderns) and long-time collaborator, vocalist/bassist Quig. The Mylars clearly have the musical chops and crisp production to get some major label attention. The band has many influences and crosses the line from pub rockers to arena rockers often, so fans of The Goo Goo Dolls or The Gin Blossoms might enjoy them too.

“Forever Done” has the crunch and infectious choral melodies that gets your attention right away.  It all clicks with the solid swaggering riff of “What Do You Got To Lose,” along with the anthemic songwriting on “Shine” make it another great single. The bombastic layered guitars lay it on nice and thick for an updated cover of The Cars “Let’s Go,” and I didn’t miss the synths one bit. The chugging rhythm of “Betty, Buddy & Me” reminded me of Fountains of Wayne a little, and since you’ve got two main singer/songwriters the music never gets predictable or stale. While most of the music is straight melodic rock and roll, the ending “Home To You” is a pure power pop gem with handclaps and a great hook in the chorus. No filler here, all killer and it slips into my top ten consideration for 2017 albums of the year.

Amazon

Merry Christmas from Power Popaholic!

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Scott McCaughey delivers a sack load of great Christmas music with his group, The Minus 5, a rotating line-up of musician friends. Tons of guest stars; Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie), Peter Buck, Mike Mills, The Posies, Colin Meloy (The Decemberists), Chuck Prophet, M. Ward, Tammy Ealom (Dressy Bessy), to name a few.

Looking for something a little less traditional? Justin & The Cosmics gives us a Christmas doo-wop that reminded me of Zappa meeting up with Mojo Nixon for an egg nog.

One of my favorites, Spirit Kid has a song about the jolly fellow in red. This isn’t new, but it is still a FREE download.

Pop Etc. is a young band (formerly The Morning Benders) originally from Berkeley, California, later based in Brooklyn, New York. They have a great sound, perfect harmonies and best of all this EP is a FREE download

Comedy legend/banjo player Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers deliver this funny holiday single “Strangest Christmas Yet.” I sure hope it replaces this worn out tune I constantly hear at the shopping mall.