Category: Power Pop Review

International Pop Overthrow Vol. 19

powerpopaholic
IPO vol. 19

Although I’ve been reviewing IPO compilations since this blog has been active, this collection is the one of most eclectic I’ve heard in a long time. The breadth of artists here cannot be overstated, and the music really can’t be stuffed into a narrow genre anymore. Also, these 65 tracks appears more balanced than in the past, so there isn’t a “favored” disc out of the three.

Disc 1: Right away the man David Bash himself gets a tribute, “Bash” by The Tearaways. Another gem is “Remake The Stalls” by Cartoon Spirits, and the legendary Ron Dante appears with a Reggae beat on “Skills.” Some retro sounding tracks include “Shake It Out” by Starfire Band channeling The Who, and Hailee Rose and Dave Rave deliver a sweet Motown styled duet on “So Invisible.”

Disc 2: Always enjoyed Zach Jones Rundgrenesque “Everything’s Fine,” and its hard to match the amazing Greg Ieronimo on “Best Day Of Our Life.” I also loved the danceable mantra of “You’re Never Gonna Have Enough Money” by The Black Lemons. The plaintive mid-tempo ballad “All in This Together” by The Hard Way is another melodic and catchy gem. Lighter jangle is part of Hummingbird Syndicate’s “Waterfall Away” and Trip Wire’s “Winter Song.”

Disc 3: Starts out with quirky pop of New Man’s “Maybe I’m Feeling Fine and Jordan Andrew Jefferson’s “White Light.” The romantic “Linda’s A Maybe” by Dave Birk, is an funny ode to the girl who you wish would come to the party. The wild punk melody of “I’m Free” from The Forty Nineteens is a great party anthem, and the Beatlesque “Mohammed On Top Of The Mountain” is a gem from Butch Young. The reverbing bass guitar from The Dives “On The Spot” and Marston’s “These Blues” both make a psychedelic impression.

Overall a great value (as always) and a showcase for the ever expanding array of pop artists that fit under the IPO tent. Highly Recommended!

Kool Kat Musik | Amazon | Pop Geek Heaven

 

I was present for IPO New York at Bar Matchless, Brooklyn — Mike Daly & The Planets were introduced by my buddy Dave “The Boogieman” here. It was a great show with lots of local and international artists, and unfortunately due to illness the festival CEO David Bash couldn’t attend live. He need not worry as the artists came through for him and played to an enthusiastic audience!

The Nines and Simon Felton

powerpopaholic

The Nines “Alejandro’s Visions”

A labor of love for Steve Eggers, with the help of Bill Majoros (the Foreign Films) this is a cinematic album that harkens back to the 1950s, from doo wop to the advent of rock and roll. Its like an audio movie musical with the cacophony of sounds opening up “Alejandro’s Visions,” and leads to the best Beach Boys meets The Platters song  you ever heard  in “I Have Found You.” The album concept is a familiar “boy-meets-girl” trope but its done both seamlessly and brilliantly.

“My Sweet Marie” brings to mind an early Buddy Holly concert, and then the charmed couple visit a amusement park in “Escape From A Small Town” with both rockabilly swagger and sweet harmonies throughout. Eggers heartfelt vocals are in peak form here, culminating in the a cappella “When Our Love Was In Bloom,” and his strongest dramatic statements “Operator (Coming Home To You)” and “And Suddenly” compare well with the best work Jeff Lynne (ELO) has ever done. Other songs recall old Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, but overall this was an album that was impossible to put down, and that’s enough to make it a welcome addition to my top ten albums list of 2016. 

CD Baby | Kool Kat Musik

Simon Felton

Simon Felton “Return To Easton Square”

Another collection of therapeutic/confessional songs from Simon Felton (Garfield’s Birthday) that range from sombre to silly. The catchy piano  of “Alibi” has interesting lyrical phrasing “I wanna be your glass of wine…” Simon still has a way with melody as demonstrated on the Donovan-like psychedelic “Goodbye (Again)” and ”It Must Be (A Nightmare).”

While some corny stuff finds its way in “Good Morning Britain” (which sounds like an update of “Act Naturally”) there are plenty of compelling songs here. More highlights include “I Would (If I Wanted To)” and “It’s Obvious.” Give this one a chance and add it to your playlist.

Bandcamp

Allyson Seconds and Rob Martinez

powerpopaholic
Allyson Seconds

Allyson Seconds “Little World”

Allyson is based in Sacramento, CA and “Little World” is a great example of California pop, with contributions from Anton Barbeau, Colin Moulding (XTC) Kimberley Rew (The Soft Boys) Beavis Frond and the late Scott Miller (Game Theory, The Loud Family) amongst others. Her silvery timbre is not unlike The Bangles Susanna Hoffs.

The album sticks to environmental themes with a warm energy that doesn’t sound preachy. On the fast paced title track, Allyson’s soft vocal flows over a keyboard melody and on “Sun Don’t Shine,” Barbeau’s psychedelic fuzz guitar dominates. The momentum slows with the ballad “Summer of Gold” and the new age folk of “Great Blue Heron.” But there are several highlights here; the sparse “Octagon,” “Burning Burning” and “Apples Are Falling” all make good use of Allyson’s gentle voice. Fans of The Jayhawks, The Bangles and Aimee Mann will surely want to pick this album up.

Amazon


Rob Martinez

Rob Martinez “New Love Environment”

Rob Martinez is an Albuquerque singer-songwriter with a crisp retro pop style on Adam Marsland’s Karma Frog label, he brings to mind all those squeaky clean pop singers of the early ’60s transitioning to the psychedelic era like Bobby Sherman or Tony Burrows. “Hanging’ On The Line” and “Love Life” are great examples of sunshine pop with just a dusting of psychedelic flourishes.

“Some People Never Change” gets a little more aggressive, with Hollies-like harmonies and the confessional ballad “Hey Girl” are perfectly fine pop singles. While Martinez innocuous vocal doesn’t put himself apart as much as Allan Clarke (The Hollies) he comes pretty close. And some winning melodies break through, like the catchy “When She Comes To Town” with its Rickenbacker flourishes and the multi-layered chorus of “Hard To Take.” By the albums end we finally get a riff heavy power pop tune “Better Get Ready.” Marsland does a great job on guitar here and provides Martinez ample support. Fans of McCartney and The Left Banke will enjoy this too. Highly Recommended.

Karma Frog Records

EPs Reviews: Jim Eyles, The Bishops’s Daredevil Stunt Club, Vista Blue

powerpopaholic

The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club “Don’t Buy This Record”

The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club gives us real sweet EP, it features a variety of styles from the angular alt. rock synths of “Have You Met You” to the bright riffs of the anthemic “Succumb To The Blues.” Clearly the band likes to indulge with longer jams but what is interesting here is the 5-minute long “Just Drive” where the first minute is clearly inspired by the theme of the show Stranger Things. My favorite here is “The Sweetest Song” with a whistling bridge to a catchy chorus. And its a FREE Download — this is so good it’s scary!


Vista Blue “October Days (and October Nights!)”

Vista Blue is back in time for Halloween. The Blue boys give us a real treat in a series of fuzz drenched songs based on horror movie locations, like the Beach Boys inspired “Crystal Lake” and “Trick ‘r Treat.” Also enjoy the Ramones-like “Haddonfield Memorial.” Bonus points if you can name the movies these locations are from. This is also a FREE Download — no tricks here, just a power pop treat!


Jim Eyles “Propeller”

New Jersey based artist Jim Eyles delivers a raw rock and roller “It Takes Too Long” and his take on “Slow Down Fast” makes use of a catchy bass riff. While Eyles vocals are a bit rough, producer Steve Butler (Smash Palace) adds some brilliant guitar work on “You Should Know Better” and the reverb rhythms of “For The World.” Overall a fine introduction to Jim Eyles, and a great addition to your playlist.

CD Baby | Amazon

Slow Down Fast – Jim Eyles from Jim Eyles on Vimeo.

Big Star “Complete Third” and Friends & Frenemies

powerpopaholic
Big Star

Big Star “Complete Third”

Big Star’s third album is a big deal in that it appealed to fans outside of its loyal power pop base, and its raw emotions cemented the band’s legend. At this point the band was cut in half, with Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens doing what they really wanted, commercial considerations be damned. Chilton’s lyrics showcase deep depression and frustration, and his vision was highly influential in the development of alternative rock, still felt decades later.

Recorded in 1974 but not released for the first time until 1978, Third would be subsequently re-released, renamed and re-sequenced many times over the years. While some demos and alternate versions and mixes of songs have dribbled out on various compilations, all extant recordings made for the album are presented for the first time on Complete Third. This definitive collection boasts 69 total tracks, 29 of which are previously unheard session recordings, demos and alternate mixes made by producer Jim Dickinson and engineer John Fry. The set allows the listener to track the creation of the album from the original demos, through sessions and rough mixes, to the final masters of each song. The box set contains extensive notes from original participants and artists influenced by Big Star. It’s comparable to The Beach Boys Pet Sounds Sessions in terms of its thoroughness.

While this may be overkill for the casual fan, this is a “must have” for serious Big Star fans and music audiophiles. Highly Recommended.

Amazon


Mystery Lawn Music

Assorted Artists “Friends & Frenemies”

Mystery Lawn is a Northern California label that’s home to many great West Coast power pop bands like The Orange Peels, The Agony Aunts, The Corner Laughers, Anton Barbeau and more. But what I love about a compilation like this is I can discover other bands I have not heard before like The Variable Stars on “The Lights Above Los Gatos” and the light airy vocals of Arts & Leisure on “Can’t Breathe.” And its not all rock and pop, examples of classical (Henry Plotnick) or folk guitar (Black Butterfly Gang) are featured too.

If you dig harmonies and female lead vocals you will love The Flywheels (“Counting To Eleven”) and Alison Faith Levy (“Rainbow Tunnel”) who clearly channels Jackie DelShannon. While not everything here is as infectious as “Oh Please” from the brilliant Marshall Holland, I didn’t really find a really bad track among the 18 songs on display here, and many are exclusive – so pick this one up! Highly Recommended.

Bandcamp exclusive