Category: Power Pop Review

Freebie Fridays! Keith and The Dead Girls

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Keith Klingensmith and the TM Collective “Free!”
Keith runs Futureman Records, a collection of awesome power pop gems from the past, and he’s a pretty fine musician to boot. With his band the TM Collective, he will feed your need for free music. Yes this collection of covers is 100% free to download and the nineteen song run from the easily recognizable Beach Boys “Let Him Run Wild” to the more obscure “Jesus Follows Lisa Home” by the What Gives. My fave is the rarely covered Rutles tune “Cheese and Onions.” Enjoy this collection and check out all the releases Keith curates.


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The Dead Girls “Fade In/Fade Out”
I was impressed with the Dead Girls EP last year, so this full length LP builds on it. Lead singer Cameron Hawk has a sound a bit like Wire mixed with Weezer on “Never Erased.” The terrific riffs and harmonies on “Naysayer” kicks it up a notch and the band builds a good atmosphere on the slow building “Find Your Way Back To Me (Oh My Soul)”  – it will have you missing Alex Chilton all over again. No filler here, each track is quality, more highlights include “Under Siege,”  the amazing “Scare You”  and epic “I Feel You”  which is equal parts Led Zeppelin and Oasis. I hear a lot of stuff, and this is the best free album I’ve heard all year. Get it!

Tarmac Adam and Kevin Lee & The Kings

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Tarmac Adam “The History Effect”
 Tarmac Adam is a Melbourne pop band created by songwriter Matt O’Donnell and multi-instrumentalist Steve Paix with Rueben Alexander (drums), Josh Barber (percussion) and former Crowded House bassist Nick Seymour. The upbeat “Chalk On Slate” feels like a nod to those 80’s alt. pop hits by The Psychedelic Furs.

It then brings us a highlight with “Bygones” a richly arranged mid-tempo gem. That dream-like quality is all over this album, with O’Donnells’ light tenor doing wonders on the melodic “Giving It Back.” We spend time with slow tempo tunes, introspective lyrics, and it isn’t till we get moving with the excellent “Window Pane” that it draws you in again. There is also something about “Catch His Breath” that feels Andy Partridge influenced, with its horns and synths blending together. Give this one some time to grow on you, and you’ll be rewarded.

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Kevin Lee and The Kings “Breakout”
I liked Kevin’s last album, and he picks up right where he left off. Those “Big Hooks and Chunky Guitars” are back as well. The album starts with “Tell Me Why” featuring highly polished chord progressions and simple chorus. Kevin’s sound gets a bit harder on “Burn It Down” and “Breakout” where the riff drives the song. The arcing theme of the album is about breakups and lost chances. “Gold Digger” kinda reminds me of early Bon Jovi, and “Outside Looking In” is a poignant tale of seeing your former girlfriend marry someone else. My favorite tracks are the tandem of  “Save Your Soul Tonight” and “Hope In A Hopeless World” with its inspirational lyrics and constructive message. Overall a solid release for fans of classic rock, with no filler either – highly recommended!

French Power Pop? Oui! Mondrian and Julien Pras

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Mondrian “Isn’t It Fun”
Melodic alt. pop from France starts out pretty unassuming with the light harmonies on “Paris,” but the “Last Breakfast On Planet Surf” delves into classic Kinks styled narrative and beat. The quirky electro folk of “LHG” and “Rise and Fall of A Golden Boy” show a willingness to experiment, and lead singer Roman Oswald sounds similar to Pete Brewis of Field Music. You have some terrific compositions, like the dual tracked banjos and flute on “Love, A Collision” and the synth textured “A Kiss A Day.” Itunes only has the band’s EP, but that has the exclusive tracks “Whippersnapper” and a live collaboration with the legendary Van Dyke Parks “Sail Away Lady.”

Bandcamp | Itunes | Facebook


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Julien Pras “Shady Hollow Circus”
Julien Pras is one of those gifted French songwriters, singing in perfect English with a striking similarity to Elliott Smith especially on the opener “Seven More Hours.” The intricate guitar and melancholy of “Angel of Mercy” is positively mesmerizing.

Pras’ soft and melodious voice drifts through each tune effortlessly. It fades into the psychedelic “Radio Silence” and the next several tracks have highly stylized arrangements with orchestral touches, much like 10cc’s Original Soundtrack or Dynamo Bliss’ debut. But with many tracks over the four minute mark the LP starts to lose its immediacy. A final highlight is “Join The Dots” before it once again jumps into the abyss of the slow progressive melodies of “Daily Battles” and “Watchman Blues.” Although at this point the LP will only reward patient listeners, you should find a darkened room with some good headphones and just enjoy the trip.

The Pencils “Anthology”

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the pencils

A huge “thank you” goes out to Ray Gianchetti of Kool Kat Musik for finding this “lost” UK power pop band from the 80’s. They issued a few singles including the well received “Watching The Tears,” but the full LP recorded in 1984 was never released. Ray tracked down the master tapes of all the bands complete recordings, and there you have it.

The band has a sound in between The Hooters and The Toms, and fans of The Romantics, Squeeze and early Elvis Costello will find a treasure trove on each CD of this 2 disc set. Much of the songwriting is solid and highlights include the catchy “If You Really Want To Hurt Somebody,” “You Say You,” and “Til Your Luck Runs Out.” But many of the other songs are great too, had this LP released at the right time everyone would’ve known The Pencils. Highly Recommended!

Kool Kat Musik | Amazon

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Hey it’s still here! Kool Kat Musik is also selling copies of Powerpopaholic Fest Volume One, our 18-song “soundtrack” to last years music fest. We are still raising money for The Red Cross with each sale, and hope to send them another check soon!