Category: Power Pop Review

The World Record and Steve Katz

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The World Record “Freeway Special”
After the highly acclaimed Guitars Forever in 2007, songwriter Andy Creighton (Apex Manor, Papercuts) second solo project picks up right where he left off.  After the quick demo-like intro “One Knee” it goes into the title track with Big Star styled guitar chords and a strong horn section. Next we get the subtle lounge tones of “Candy” and the mutli-tracked acoustics and harmony in “A Little More Time.”

There is an element of Andy’s jangley sound that will definitely appeal to fans of Chis Stamey (DB’s) and REM, especially on “Be Nice” and “Cats on The Roof.” Some songs are simple sketches with compelling melodies like “Call The Doctor” and “Stopping Somewhere.” Not everything sticks, but with 18 tracks you can’t go wrong here as most hit the mark. Additional highlights include “Marsha (Think It Over)” and “She’s Not A Liar.”

Steve Katz “Barricades” EP
This is not power pop, but you can’t ignore talent like this. Originally from Belgium, singer/songwriter Steve Katz has made Manhattan his home and produced his debut. It highlights Steve’s strong vocal skills which resembles a mix of Eddie Vedder and Damien Rice on the modern rock opener “Thrive.” He follows this with a simple acoustic ballad “Today I Saw Hope” and title track, but my favorite here is “Fair” because the melody  is memorable and a good match for Steve’s rich vocal performance – kinda reminds me of David Gates and Bread.

Power Popaholic on The Time Machine

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I was thrilled to be able to talk about the Power Popaholic Fest Original Soundtrack on The Time Machine with Michael McCartney on Radio KEAO/KONI/KPMW/KRKH in Hawaii. Michael was great to feature me and allow me to plug the Soundtrack.

The Time Machine is a radio program that uses a nonsense name as an excuse in order to play music from all over the musical spectrum. The show plays a lot of new stuff in addition to covering over 70 years of pop sounds. Listen to them from links through our Radio Stations section or visit The Time Machine.fm

You can also listen to the interview on pod-o-matic.

International Power Pop Special: Quatre

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Luciano Albo “A Ordem Natural das Coisas”
From Porto Alegre, Brazil comes a truly gifted musician that does brilliant power pop in his native Portugese! His album title means “The Natural Order of Things.” I couldn’t translate all the lyrics for you, but Luciano has a solid Beatles influence and 2 albums are available in his native country. His compositions have plenty of melodic hooks and harmonies and the whole thing was mixed by frequent Mike Viola partner Ducky Carlisle. His is still setting up a site to sell stuff in the USA, but you can listen to Lucino on Soundcloud. Enjoy!
Listen to everything on Soundcloud! | Facebook | Buy the album here!

 

BB Brunes “Long Courrier”
The French power pop band  I mentioned a while ago has a new album. The band seems to have moved away from rock & punk, and has embraced a slicker indie pop sound. The catchiness is still evident in “Coups Et Blessures,” with its cool guitar and synth rhythms. This album is sung entirely in French, and the sound has lots more in common with The Bravery or Scissor Sisters on the track “Stereo.” It relies on Adrien Gallo’s soft vocal and synth beats for most of the time.

Finally, the guitar riffs make a welcome return on “Lala Queen” and “RIP” which would make a nice soundtrack for a Victoria’s Secret commercial. Otherwise it seems a perfect example of a good rock band trying to make itself “more commercially” palatable to the masses. Sigh.

Kenny Howes “Tornadoes Here and Past”

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Kenny Howes “Tornadoes Here and Past”
It seems like a million years since I last heard Kenny Howes, who was a bona fide power pop superstar in the late 90’s. I am happy to report on his return, with Tornadoes Here and Past, a new album full of original material. Opening with the delicate acoustic rhythms of “Cannot Remember” it showcases Kenny’s instrumental prowess, then builds to a fantastically lush melody. “Slip On By” has echos of Todd Rundgren, and “Silence and Camouflage” guitar and bass combo is classic Kenny Howes pop.

There are a few detours, like the 70’s influenced “Foxy Jackie” has some nice horn accents and nice harmonies. Other highlights, “People are Doing Stuff” is a simple whimsical ditty, that asks the question “What are you doing?” It gets a bit looser on the albums second half with the powerful rocker “You Don’t Say Anything” and the Harrison-styled slide guitar of “Five Minutes Of Rain.” We are treated to some Beach Boys harmony on the intro of the impressive closer “We Don’t Get To Say Goodnight.” Overall another triumphant comeback in a year full of them. Don’t miss this one either.

Kenny has played with tons of artists in power pop, including Smithereens frontman Pat DiNizio, here doing a cover of The Monkees “I’m A Believer”

Scott Warren and Sara Melson

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Scott Warren “Dyed In The Wool”
Formerly of Signal Hill Transmission, Warren gives us his 2nd solo effort. The bouncy opener “Divisible/Indivisible” leads with Beatles styled brass and handclaps. “No One’s Home Anymore” is a solemn mix of “Elenor Rigby” till you get to the fast paced chorus. My favorite here is “When She Comes Around” a gentle love song with a great bass line and catchy jangle chorus.

The stripped down, sparse approach concentrates on Scott’s lyrics and composition, this works well on “Guess I Should Tell You.” And it also works magic on simple pop treats like the “Dime Novel” and the Shins styled “Sinking Feeling.” Even the slightly psyche-pop closer “Tongue-tied” is a marvel of melody with natural sound effects. After several spins this album grew on me like a well worn pair of jeans, and would make a excellent headphones album on a quiet night.

Sara Melson “The Beachwood Canyon Sessions”
Sara Melson is one of those artists, who have such a lovely voice you wonder “How come I never heard her before?”  – especially since her debut Dirty Mind from 2008 was considered a folk pop success and she’s been a TV actress. Since that time Sara left her label, sold songs to TV and like Jeff Lynne of ELO, has decided to re-record and reinterpret some of those songs in a stripped down manner for The Beachwood Canyon Sessions.

Coming at these tunes fresh, Sara breathes real life into them, the songs have spiritual quality with “Birthday Prayer” where she looks back and forward at once. The optimism of “Never Been Hurt” is tempered with caution after the chorus where “…my fear has got no chance of winning.” Each track charms and let’s Melson’s personality shine through. Fans of Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Sarah MacLachlan will savor this.