Category: Power Pop Review

Sam Phillips and Felsen

powerpopaholic

Sam Phillips “Push Any Button”
Prolific singer-songwriter Sam Phillips returns with her 10th studio album, Push Any Button. Thankfully she leaves behind the wanderlust of her recent past and brings us melodic pop that comes closest to her masterwork Martinis & Bikinis. Starting with the organic percussive effects on “Pretty Time Bomb” it sets the stage for the compelling melody of “All Over Me,” with neat little horn flourishes and a churning guitar rhythm. The catchiest song is next, “When I’m Alone” with its fast paced beat and Phillips expressive vocals.

The minimalist orchestral base and plucking strings suits Phillips well on tracks like “Going”and “Speaking Of Pictures.” Another gem “You Know I Won’t” is another sing along melody and with barely a wasted noted, its a perfect showcase of an artisan at her best. Highly recommended AOR listening.

20px_spacer

Felsen “I Don’t Know How To Talk Anymore”
Oakland band Felsen is a hard working local band made up of guitarist Dylan Brock, singer/guitarist Andrew Griffin, bassist Christian Hernandez, and drummer Art McConnell. Felsen has toured throughout the West and puts together a workman-like effort on this new album.

The songs take a while to reach the hook, but they do get there. The lead track “Rock and Roll’s Not Dead” certainly takes its time, as we don’t get any rock guitars till the four minute mark. Much better are the melodies of the title track, “Better Days,” and the catchy “Tokyo Electric .” Where Felsen falters is in the slow meandering epics (“Gunfighting At Dawn”), but if you’re patient you’ll appreciate both the environmental message and the music.

Carnival Season “Misguided Promise: Carnival Season Complete (1984-89)”

powerpopaholic

Carnival Season “Misguided Promise: Carnival Season Complete (1984-89)”
As a music collector you often spend some some time looking over “lost” bands that never got the attention they deserved, and thanks to the internet nothing is “lost” anymore. Through a connection with Tommy Keene (FYI: new album coming up next month), I came across this obscure ’80s power pop band from Birmingham, AL that toured with The Replacements and Redd Kross (to name a few). Made up of guitarist Tim Boykin, bassist Brad Quinn, and drummer Mark Reynolds they broke up just as the Seattle grunge scene emerged in the early ’90s.

They certainly deserved more recognition than as mere footnote in power pop history, as Misguided Promise gathers up the bands entire output in one neat package. Read the full review on BlogCritics.org

Carnival Season “In Our Time”
Carnival Season drummer Mark Reynolds passed away in December of 2012, the band had been sharing song demos for possible inclusion on their first album in 25 years. “In Our Time” would have been one of Mark’s songs to be included on the album. The song was recorded In Kobe, Japan, and Birmingham, Alabama, by Carnival Season’s Brad Quinn (bass, keyboards, vocals) and Tim Boykin (guitars) with guest drummer Eric Wiegmann. So this is the official last single of Carnival Season, it makes as perfect epilogue to the above mentioned anthology.

CD Baby

The YouTube ID of <span>wRlTuT4GCJA</span> is invalid.

Doug Bryan “Antique Future”

powerpopaholic

Solid songwriting and clever melodies are characteristics of this new album from Dallas musician Doug Bryan. On top of that you have an All-Star supporting cast of music talent: Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze), Dallas producer  Salim Nourallah, Miles Zuniga (Fastball) and Bryan Wakeland (The Polyphonic Spree). Opening with the languid “Panic” it’s punctuated by vocal harmonies and Ringo-like drum fills. What’s missing from Doug’s nasal vocals is made up with his lyrical mastery on “Cure For Happiness,” and its catchy chorus that keeps things moving. The atmospheric “The Blackheath Standard” reminds me of Brad Jones solo LP, Gilt Flake.

Doug’s day job is that of a film editor and he shares his experiences on “Orange County” with lots of cinematographer terminology, and the acoustic ballad “Cannonball” is an earnest description of a weary romantic. Out of left field comes “Stalemate” with Tilbrook lending his vocals, and Zuniga on guitar; its a long lost Squeeze tune. Multiple listens are required to really appreciate the subtle touches, however Bryan loses me on the faux-Buddy Hollyisms of “Bombscare.” And toward the albums second half it gets more and more convoluted, but still worth exploring. While not for everyone, Antique Future is like a box of peanut brittle. Crunchy, nutty and delicious!

Smash Palace and The Wheel Workers

powerpopaholic

Smash Palace “Live at The Auction House”
Live concert albums are not so easy to pull off, but this one by Southern New Jersey band Smash Palace proves you can capture the “live” sound with great clarity. Recorded for a PBS broadcast, the 12 songs featured here represent a good mix of the band’s long and prolific career. This line up includes Stephen Butler (lead vocals/guitar), Phil Rizzo(guitar), Wally Smith (keyboards), Fran Smith Jr (bass) and David Uosikkinen (drums). Special guests include Brian Butler who lends vocals to “Count The Days” and DyAnne DiSalvo, who sings on the acoustic version of “Give You My Word.”

If you don’t have the last Smash Palace Greatest Hits, this makes for an even better hits album as it takes from the band’s more recent (and stronger) material. The Butler brothers are master musicians and this highly recommended live performance is a treat for the ears.

20px_spacer

The Wheel Workers “Past To Present”
There are plenty of good “protest message” albums out there (i.e. The Sharp Things) but its rare when the music is as impressive as the message. The Wheel Workers are an indie rock band from Houston, TX with a sound that invites comparisons to “OK Computer”era Radiohead and Midnight Oil. The title track is intense orchestral pop-rock with a wild synth lead that’s both brooding and catchy. Masterminded by singer/guitarist Steven Higginbotham, his environmental messages are overt, but its the melodies that win you over. The best one here is the snappy “Chemicals” which reminds me of Peelgreems a ltttle bit.

Then we shift to the grim, fast paced “Starve The Beast” that ultimately become a defiant theme, as Steven chimes “Let’s get together and occupy the world over.” Nearly all the other tracks work well, fans of Guided By Voices will like the driving melodies of “Drone” and “Compromise.” The musical textures and swirling rhythms throughout also make this album a great listen, although the slower tunes “Animals” and “Want” overstay their welcome. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

The Connection “Let It Rock”

powerpopaholic 5 Comments

If there ever was a power pop band that oozed coolness out of its pores it would be The Connection. This new full length LP hits the ground running with the mint single “Wrong Side of 25,” chock full of classic guitar riffage. The band’s sound has continued to define the edge half way between The Beatles and The Stones. Its un-apologetically retro, and they relish every note.

Another “radio-ready” hit is “She’s A Keeper” with an unbeatable hook that rivals The Wonders “That Thing You Do.” It then shifts the key to a surf styled “The Way Love Should Be,” and then blasts those guitars on “Crawling From The Wreckage (Of A Saturday Night).” A country-styled shuffle leads “Susan” and the tempo slows down for the garage psyche “Haze” and “Not How It’s Gonna Be.”  Even the umpteenth version of “Johnny B. Good” sounds fresh as the title track. No filler here, and lead singer Brad Marino and guitarist Geoff Palmer hit it out of the park. It deserves a spot on your top ten for 2013, its definitely on mine.