Category: Power Pop Review

Mike Barnett and Wesley Wolfe

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Mike Barnett “Everybody Gets to Dream”
Mike Barnett returns with a much stronger display of melodic prowess and Dylanesque lyrical skill. With some help from Salim Nourallah, and team of guest players, Barnett crafts a sweet non-glossy LP that reminded me of a low-fi Traveling Wilburys at times. “Who Loves You Blue” sets the stage with his soft delivery and Harrison-like slide guitar.

“I Could Fall” is the secret to his longevity, with some wonderful guitar work in the break – Mike will just “keep keeping on till who knows when.” And he gets positively Beatle-y on “It Must Be Love” with its slow tempo sparse arrangement. He quickens the tempo on “Heidi Surprise” and one of the best tunes here is the inspirational “Everybody Gets To Dream.” Another gem here is the Jeff Lynne like “Push Me Away.” It would’ve been nice to slip in more harmonies, but despite that its a solid effort that encourages repeat listens.

CD Baby | Amazon

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Wesley Wolfe “Numbskull”
North Carolina’s Wesley Wolfe is an artist you want to keep your eye on. The self-styled musical auteur combines a dazzling array of influences, from GBV, Beach Boys, Peter Gabriel and Weezer. The opener “Lost In My Daydreams” utilizes a strong percussive effect as well as a catchy chorus. And it gets even more impressive on the quick tempo of “Fragment of A Dream.”

And its more than the layered textures here, Wolfe has a mastery of indie pop melody, and like Robert Pollard he tosses off gems with ease, like “Read My Mind” and even the slower title track stays on course. The albums theme is about dealing with life’s big worries and coming to terms with it. “Jesus Eyes” is delicate mid-tempo ballad to a girl “innocent and beautiful to me.” No filler here, as this is one of the better indie rock albums I’ve heard so I’ll be checking out his prior work. Highly Recommended!

Amazon | Bandcamp

The Power Popaholic Interview: Phil Ajjarapu

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It’s an inspirational story of Phil almost dying to get this album made. I reviewed his album If It Makes You Feel Better back in March. And in case you forgot what it sounded like I embeded the favorite track below. But if you really want to know about Phil and this album… Here is his full story.

Album Previews: Skeleton Staff and The Dowling Pool

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It’s been a long wait, but we finally get a new track from Skeleton Staff. The main message is this: Stop worrying about imperfections we can’t change and just get on with enjoying life. Buy it on Bandcamp for a buck. Likely this is the first single to a new album on the way. I guess this can tide me over.

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I wondered what would become of Willie Dowling after the break-up of Jackdaw4, but I didn’t have to wait very long. The Dowling Poole is a new band formed by singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Willie Dowling (ex Honeycrack/Jackdaw4) and Jon Poole (ex Cardiacs). Influenced by pop masters such as XTC, Blur, 10CC, The Kinks, The Beatles and more, The Dowling Poole debut album Bleak Strategies will be released this summer. You can pre-order this one from Pledge Music.

Tommy Lorente and The Y Axes

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Tommy Lorente “Un cruel manque de tendresse”
It’s rare I hear a power pop musician from France, but Tommy Lorente is a genuine talent. Coming across like a French version of Kurt Baker, the album title translates to “A severe lack of tenderness,” and it bursts forth with a great opener “Ma Dose de Toi.” A little bit of Elvis Costello and Rockpile go a long way to making this a fun listen.

The caveat is that the entire album is sung in French, but even if you don’t comprendre les mots you’ll enjoy the hand clapping, toe tapping “Mirabelle” and sweet strums of “Quelque Part.”  Another highlight is “Katerine,” with its catchy main guitar riff and cowbell beat. No duds here and the production is clean with heavy percussion and horns underneath those riffs. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Itunes

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The Y Axes “Sunglasses and Solar Flairs”
San Francisco Y Axes fall along the lines of ’90s indie pop, so fans of The Primitives or The Sugarcubes will enjoy the bright vocals of lead singer Alexi Belchere on the opening track “Sunglasses.” The lush synth textures mixed with sharp rhythm guitar on “Nothing With You” make this a highlight. But my favorite track here is “Green To Gold” with its textured dance beats and layered chorus.

A little of the Y Axes goes a long way, so more generic tracks like “Loop Machine” and “Rivers” don’t stick despite the slick production work. “Chemicals” is an almost-hit, with its anthem-like chorus that rescues the song. “Artax” is another notable guitar/synth combo with Alexi’s chirping vocal. Give it a try for only $5 on Bandcamp.

Bandcamp

Palmyra Delran and Jimmy Jax Pinchak Band

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Palmyra Delran “You Are What You Absorb”
I was introduced to Palmyra during The Cavestomp Festival last month, and was really impressed, so I picked up her CD. Palmyra takes some elements of garage, power pop to deliver perfect party rock. Her sound is part Debbie Harry with a psychedelic spin, she’s been a member of The Friggs and Pink Slip Daddy – and she’s caught the attention of Little Steven Van Zandt.

“You’re My Brian Jones” was a No. 1 song for Underground Garage’s 2012 list, and it certainly is a catchy gem. But there is so much more here, “Shy Boy” has that great bass reverb and multi-tracked chorus and the high energy on “Lies For You” make it a signature power pop tune. There is enough echoes of the past here, recalling The Animals and The Shangri-Las on “Never To Be Back Again” and “Someday Soon.” Delran keeps things fresh on each song here, using pig latin and bongos on “Sunny Day” and the mid-tempo charmer “Back To You” has some nice string accents. Highly Reccomended!

CD Baby | Amazon

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Jimmy Jax Pinchak Band “Make It Better”
Lots of actors try expanding their resume by becoming musician. Unless you have a Disney pedigree, the road is uphill and very steep. Jimmy Jax Pinchak (recently seen as Peter Wiggin from Ender’s Game) is one of those rare actors who actually have solid musical skills to go with the good looks. His new album “Make It Better.” was mastered by Grammy award winner Erick Labson and contains great influences (The Beatles, Cream, The Blues Breakers).

The opening track “There is More” is a muscular rock track with a sweet guitar hook. Pinchak’s deep vocal reminded me a little of his main inspiration, Johnny Lang with “On The Run” and the guitar stylings on most of the album are straight forward blues-rock. Standouts include covers of Tommy James “Draggin’ The Line” and Santana’s “Soul Sacrifice.”

Amazon

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