Category: Power Pop Review

Liar’s Club “Come and Go”

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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.

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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!

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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.

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Concert Review: IPO New York 2013

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Okay, so I made my annual trek out to Manhattan to visit David Bash at the International Pop Overthrow once again. This was a special opening night, as Starbelly was appearing and I made it just in time for their hard rocking set. When David introduced the band, he said “This band epitomizes power pop,” and he was correct. The reunion of Bryan Ewald (guitar), Dennis Schocket (bass) and Cliff Hillis (guitar) was magical. Next came The Whims (a local band I will be reviewing next week) followed by my old friends The Hillary Step, who played a wonderful acoustic set previewing tracks from a new EP due this summer. The venue, National Underground was a small, but lively bar – the only hindrance being a support pole directly in front of the stage. The Festival continues through this Sunday. See the schedule here.

Jeremy Porter & The Tucos and Ex Norwegian

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Jeremy Porter & The Tucos “Partners In Crime”
 Michigan’s Jeremy Porter is no stranger to power pop, alt. rock and country. He’s gained his chops in many bands, but with his buddies Jason Bowes (bass) and Gabriel Doman (drums) they are a tight energetic trio.

Starting with “Castaways,” its a catchy 3 minute rock song very similar style to The DB’s or REM brand of power pop. “Little Miss Awesome” is a slicker, 80’s styled tune that showcases Porter’s guitar riffs between each chorus. The country jangle comes out on “Wedding Day” and “Still Waiting Here.” And the band sounds like its having a great time on the bouncy “Pizza Girl” and the twisting lyrics of “What You’re Doing Today.” Each song is interesting (no filler here) and its played just right. Highly recommended.

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Ex Norwegian “Crack”
Roger Houdaille’s continues to take Ex-Norwegian in bold directions, but always keeping those hooks in mind. “Your Own Swing” is a pretty basic sing-along that warms you up, but he throws a perfect curve with “Bibi Kan Werk It” which is part Weezer and part Beach Boys including a terrific melodic chorus.

“Aventura” has a bit more glam guitar, and the hook on “I’m A Fighter, Not A Lover” is even better with Michelle “Big Meech” Grand leading the vocals here. Then Roger struts in full Ziggy Stardust mode on “Full Time Lover.” With the unique harmony of Roger, Michelle and Giuseppe Rodriguez, the band is morphing into the America’s version of The Wellingtons. No real filler here, each tune has a strong beat and tries to experiment with unique sounds  and like all great power pop this Crack can be just as addictive.