Category: Power Pop Review

Phil Angotti and Chase Hamblin & The Roustabouts

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Phil Angotti “Life and Rhymes”
An enjoyable follow-up to 2011’s People and Places, Angotti once again takes us on an introspective journey. Fans of McCartney-Emitt Rhodes styled pop will love this album, starting with “Hopeful Kids” and its sing along chorus. The lyrics about looking back in “Difficult World” and “Life and Rhymes” are both expertly arranged and performed, with the title track comparable to a Carole King classic. Phils’ hopes and dreams may have started by looking “In Liverpool,” but the Beatlesque bounce of “I Might Come Back” is fast-paced gem that begs repeat listens.

Each tune radiates warmth and genuine feelings, especially cool is the lone country song here “Daddy’s Country Records,” about how his Dad would tell’em to “knock off that 60’s pop” and learn to be “country.” No filler and all killer here – I do not hesitate adding this my year-end top ten contenders list.

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Chase Hamblin & The Roustabouts “VAUdeVILLE”
Chase Hamblin’s grandfather was a songwriter in the heyday of vaudeville, the popular early 20th century “variety show” that combined musical performances with comedy, dancing, burlesque and more. Hamblin and his band, The Roustabouts channel some of that theatrical flair here, “Beautiful Things” being an early standout song with a great hook. Things get more psychedelic on “Round and Round” with its dark lyrics, tight harmonies and harpsichord flourishes.

The circus-themed and varied compositions are a mixed bag, but most songs resonate from the somber “Lonesome” to the Wombles-like “I’ve Got A Brain.” It’s tough to separate the novelty from the good stuff here, but some nice guitar and piano work stand out on “Leaving Town.” Overall, its a finely layered production that fans of Sgt. Pepper would approve of.

The Fleeting Ends and The Whims

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The Fleeting Ends “Our Eyes Are Peeled”
 Philadelphia band The Fleeting Ends are a solid entry in the power pop genre. They sound like a mix of The Strokes, The Kooks and Rooney, with nods to XTC and Blur in spots.

The impressive opener “Little People” sets the stage, with a fast paced sing along chorus, and then dazzles with the string laden “Operator” throwing out a huge hook in the chorus. Then my favorite, the strutting “Poor Gloria” with both singers, Matt Vantine and Matt Amadio working harmonious magic. “Sing Groupie” is another fun tune, with that infectious riff and harmony combination. And the band keeps the energy going from beginning to end. Highly Recommended.

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The Whims “The Whims”
It was nice to hear new power pop talent like the Whims at IPO last week. They put on an energetic set, so I wanted to hear the studio LP debut, and starting with “Over My Shoulder” it has a rough Superdrag-like quality.

Lead guitarist Fletcher Maumus knows his way around a riff and keeps each song grounded with rock solid song structure on “Hard To Believe” and “Pick Me Up.” The strongest melodies appear on the albums first half, with clap along rhythms and sweet harmonies. Although not the most forceful vocalist, Dileepan Ganesan is clear and sincere in his delivery. “Fall Behind” is a mid-tempo song that combines the ambition of the vocals with the riffs in the best way here. Although it eventually runs out of steam, this is a very engaging debut.

Liar’s Club “Come and Go”

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Liar's Club

Liar’s Club was one of the rare Seattle and Tacoma bands in the late 1980s and early 1990s that focused on intricate studio production, the best example being the excellent “Drop Dead” album with the XTC like “Cinnamon Smiles” and a variety of hard rock and pastoral melodies.

Skip ahead two decades and we’ve got Come and Go. The title track feels like they never left the 80’s with big angular rhythms and staccato riffs. And a bit of Partridge-like fun is displayed on “Big Bastard” including organ and horn flourishes.  Slowly the stylistic excesses give way to some great songs, “Gonna Get Yours Yet” is a perfect example of this. “Emily” is a another smart mid-tempo gem, mixing Queen and Beatles in equal measure. Fans of Jellyfish are sure to flip over this track. The baroque “As Soon As Impossible” is a light forlorn 60’s melody, then the band rocks out on “Ever The Optimist” complete with cynical lyric and kick-ass guitar solo. There are 15 tracks total, and most of them are great including a sweet cover of George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass.” The slide guitar pysche-pop harmonies of “You Suffer” and “Forgiven” round out this excellent return to greatness from The Lair’s Club. Let’s hope the next album isn’t as long a wait.

Pretty & Nice “Golden Rules for Golden People”

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Seemingly out of nowhere, Boston band Pretty and Nice became a perfect example of next generation power pop. Golden Rules for Golden People is an engaging mix of The New Pornographers,  Field Music and early XTC. Although it sticks to the alt. rock template on the opener “Stallion & Mare,” the angular guitar riffs like early 80’s poke through. “Mummy Jets” adds a bigger hook and it becomes the best Apples in Stereo track you missed.

The quirky instrumentation give each song an edge that other indie power pop lacks. “New Czar” mixes styles with abandon, but keeps that ear worm intact. The frenetic sped up pop melody of “QQ” is the type of brilliant retro-experimentation that I haven’t heard in ages. The fuzzy production in spots does mar things a little (“Gold Fools”) but with gems like “Yonkers” that buzz by with surf choruses, synths and horns at breakneck speed – you’ll be having too much fun to notice. Its tightly controlled chaos, so you may miss the messages about the shallow joys of being an “instrument” of the rich. I liked the bands last EP Us You All We, but this new album boldly ups the ante.

The Incurables and Labradors

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The Incurables “The Fine Art of Distilling”
St. Louis musician Jimmy Griffin is a virtuoso guitarist that has a band with more than enough ability to create memorable singles in a “Wings meets Wallfowers” style. Starting with “16 Lines” its a masterful use of the slow building verse to a rich chorus. “Fall So Hard” has a great barroom jangle, very much in the Tom Petty meets Beatles mode. The unassuming song dresses its melodies with breaks full of amazing Stratocaster solo magic. Griffin’s raspy vocal is perfectly suited to “Famous Last Words” with Byrdsian styled riffs and lovely male-female harmonies. This is followed by “FM” a gem about the loss of the art of radio DJ where he asks “Is there anyone alive on the other side of my radio?” All the tracks grow on you and have surprising lyrical depth, like the subtle “Wish” and the hook filled “I Will Burn” which remind me of the Honeydogs. You’ll also here echos of The Stones on “Break the Heart of the World.” Highly Recommended!

Labradors “Growing Back”
Hard rocking band from Italy in the vein of Sugar, Weezer, and Nada Surf. One would never know, as they sound exactly like most American rock bands without any accent. “Punch” starts out the hard charging set with its punk undertones where they sing “I deserve a punch in my face,” and “Be My Camille” sound almost identical to The Virgins. “Astrology” has a Thin Lizzy-like swagger and then “Sundance” finally gets laid back and casual… remember Sugar Ray? While everything here sounds good, its a case of having the influences prevent the band from really standing out on its own. The vocals are also uneven, occasionally they’ll use dissonant punk harmonies that just don’t work. However, a handful of tracks are memorable including “Afraid/Happy” and the Guided By Voices-like “Some Of The Kids.” Give it a try.