Category: Power Pop Review

The Cherry Drops and Leanne Kingwell

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The Cherry Drops

The Cherry Drops “Everything’s Groovy”

Who knew you could mix Garage and Bubblegum pop with seamless precision?  The Cherry Drops have done this making a themed album that combines every 1960s power pop influence you can name. Like the Archies-styled cartoon cover the LP begins rather harmlessly with “Pop, Pop (Til You Drop),” but then shortly veers into the garage with the hand-clapping “Little Girl.” The next tune, “Outta Sight” was voted “coolest song” by Little Steven for good reason. It features a strong beat with some great layered riffs and a wicked dueling guitar solo at the break (cool, indeed!).

And its not just music, but pop culture that’s celebrated. “Shlemiel, Shlemazel, Hasenpfeffer Incorporated” is a blazing  punk surf theme, that’s a tribute to 70’s TV show “Laverne & Shirley.” The Beach Boys influenced “Summertime Is A State of Mind” soothes, and a crisp cover of The Raspberries “I Wanna Be With You” excites. In fact you’ll hear lots of familiar influences buried in the music, and its not all retro, “Let’s Bug Out” is like Weezer meets Jan & Dean and “Surfer Slut” combines Dick Dale and The B-52’s. The bottom line of all this is pure power pop fun. Highly Recommended.

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Leanne Kingwell

Leanne Kingwell “Choking on Halos”

Aussie rocker Leanne Kingwell wrote “Choking On Halos” in Melbourne and recorded it in Hollywood over a period of two years. And she’s not your typical pop diva. In fact she’s the anti-diva, with influences rooted in The Clash, Nirvana, and My Chemical Romance. Starting on “This High” a dense bed of guitars form below the melody and allow Leanne’s rasp to come to the forefront. “Saviour” is a defiant but smoky approach that gives the song almost a gothic atmosphere. “Sunshine” is a pretty cool single filled with sex-filled lyrical metaphors, and think Sinead O Connor meets Romeo Void with a Pixies fetish on the title track.

Recommended tracks also include cool “My Flag On The Moon,” plus the dynamic dance tunes “Kickin” and “Slingshot.” If you are looking for pop with a deep dark edge, Leanne has you covered.

CD Baby | Amazon

Concert Review: Power Popaholic Fest Day 1

Barry Dreyfus
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Review by Barry Dreyfus  |  Photos courtesy of Tom Parisi

The summer officially ended this past weekend and went out in a blaze of power chords, melodies and catchy songs at the 2014 Powerpopaholic Fest at The Rock Shop in Brooklyn. Friday night’s sets opened with Brooklyn’s own Rhino House Band; who immediately brought the energy with a brilliant and almost funky rhythm section and edgy, kinetic tempo shifts In their well-conceived songs. Augmented by excellent guitar work and some truly memorable songs, I’m sure they’ll become a staple on the scene. The Lisa Mychols 3 followed and brought a furiously punky West Coast texture to Lisa’s new songs. With a far punchier sound than in her studio work, Lisa ripped thru a great set with her usual joy and the band provided more than solid support.

Corin Ashley came on to pull fully realized pop gems off his latest album and inject them with charm, a great sound with nice colorization by the keyboards and his playful manner. And of course, the requisite “la-la’s” and harmonies expected from a top power pop band. Then came Bryan Scary and Evil Arrows; who were, to my ears, the surprise of the night. Fusing disparate pop elements from Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground to 60’s garage bands to late 70’s pop-punk Bryan whipped the crowd into a small frenzy. So many blended influences manifested themselves in their songs it was hard to count them all. This band sure bears watching. The night was brought to a close by The Thigh-Highs with their mix of Yardbirds-like guitar play with strong rock n’ roll backing and cleverly written songs. The lineup highlighted the various styles and influences that go into good power pop and there was still a 2nd night yet to come.  Visit Power Popaholic’s Facebook page to see video of the event!

Rob Bonfiglio “Freeway”

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Rob Bonfiglio

On his third LP, the veteran musician (guitarist/songwriter/producer with multi-platinum pop act Wilson Philips; guitarist & co-conspirator for former RCA power-pop band Wanderlust) still knows how to create joyous power pop, like the opener “Lonely World” by contrasting the sweet chorus with the isolating lyrics “What is love, what is wealth, when you’re all by yourself?”

This effort has a more laid back California feel than previous albums, using more contemporary pop rhythms with rich melodies. “Almost Blue” is a smooth Eagles-like tune with some great slide work in the break. “I am Tomorrow” is another great song with a simple pop beat that builds into a complex tapestry of melody with sharp backing harmonies. “Beautiful” has a good mix of chord shifts and dramatic romantic lyrics. The pop craftsmanship here can’t be discounted, it’s absolutely gorgeous. Not that Rob has forgotten how to rock, “Best Plans Never Made” is an excellent rocker with a nod to Ringo and Paul, catchy swagger and the dense guitar outro.

The album goes through adult themes like hope, forgiveness and the frustrations of life and love. Bonfiglio’s pop sensibility is similar to Andrew Gold with the bouncy “Under The Gun” and the sunny “Golden State” with its sunny, deliberate tempo and some heavenly harmonies very reminiscent of Bob’s famous father-in-law. Overall a low pressure album that hits all the right notes, even with the slight instrumental “Prelude”and it makes my year end list for 2014.

Amazon | CD Baby

 

The Posies “Failure”

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Special re-mastered edition of The Posies debut album out now!

Back in 1988, teenagers Jonathan Auer and Ken Stringfellow created a demo tape that they handed out at shows. Created at Jon’s makeshift 8-track studio in his parents TV room, little did they realize they were making power pop history. Despite some inexperienced quirks, the band has the Posies sound-craft fully realized on the second track “The Longest Line” with guitar hooks, catchy melody and sunny harmonies. The talent was evident, as this was the best DIY power pop debut since The Shoes.

Most of the album is a flawless mix of influences old (The Hollies) and new (XTC) from the epic “Under Easy” to the guitar jangle genius of “I May Hate You Sometimes.” Although this wasn’t as widely heard or finely produced as later Posies albums, it still resonates with old fans and sounds as fresh today as it did back then. This edition comes with 8 bonus tracks and a little booklet with old reviews and notes. Highly recommended, of course!

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The Ugly Beats and The Roaring Juniors

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The Ugly Beats “Brand New Day”

Austin, Texas band The Ugly Beats have been making glorious 1960s garage-styled power pop for over ten years now, and their newest release is testament to this approach.  However on this album there is less a reliance on the stomping rough style (like The Troggs) and more actual melodies and harmonies that get in your head quickly. “Up On The Sun” starts with a fast tempo guitar attack and “Throw Me A Line” has a driving rhythm that compels you to clap along with the countdown.

The punchy riffs of “I Want That Girl” and “Gone For Good” are more irresistible treats with energy and cool to spare. Every cut here is great, even the bouncy instrumental “Beataroo” works wonders. What you have here is a band at their peak and a smokin’ retro all-American power pop album. Fans of the Animals, Outrageous Cherry or The Above are sure to love this one too. Highly Recommended.

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The Roaring Juniors “Almost Grown”

If it seems only a month or two since we reviewed The Roaring Juniors, its because we did. The Ann Arbor based band is back for more punk pop fun with its newest EP. Stylistically the band is more consistent here, channeling The Ramones, Replacements and The Buzzocks. The opener “Movers and Shakers” is the highlight here, with its killer guitar hook. From there the energy level stays high on “Very Clydesdale,” a snearing punk anthem, but lyrically gets lazy on “Angel Friend” which is an excuse to cuss. Still catchy though. Only available on Bandcamp.