Category: Power Pop Review

Brian Hoffer “Into The Boulevard”
Brian is a singer/songwriter from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who takes the DIY route to power pop similar to The Breetles or Jonny Polonsky. The early standout here is “Psychoanalysis” a catchy melodic gem that recalls They Might Be Giants or Lamar Holley. Hoffer’s vocal isn’t quite ready for the ambitious high notes on “Gently Down” but the opening piano tinkle of “Superman Somehow”is a clearly a winner with excellent lyrics and solid composition. “Cats & Birds” is a good meandering melodic loop with an impressive cello and piano duet. The narrative of rejection on “Ancient Explorers” is both endearing and easy to identify with. A few misses, but overall this is a really enjoyable debut from a talented newcomer. I hope to hear more from Brian in the near future.

Simon Felton “Surrender Dorothy!”
Pink Hedgehog head honcho, Simon Felton (Garfield’s Birthday) follows up his solo debut with the help of label mates Alan Strawbridge (Schnauser) and cult hero Anton Barbeau. Strawbridge’s psychedelic influence really paints the pop of “Marbles” and other tracks with his distinct reverse guitar and organ touches. Felton’s quintessential casual British vocal keeps things moving along on the groovy “Surprise,”it sounds very much like the pysch-pop of The Pillbugs. A sad croon is present on the mellow “Finally” and fans of sixties “toytown” era pop (The Idle Race, The Mindbenders) will love the ironically titled “Novelty.” The ballads here have never been better, and the brilliant “Slowing Down” is one of the best written songs here. The album devolves into Pink Floyd/Moody Blues styled naval gazing on the last several tracks, but fans of psychedelia will be in nirvana.

Rollo Time “Victims of The Crown”
When we hear the opening chords of “You Can Talk.” it’s clear that Rollo Time has changed from its debut. It’s a good single, with the right amount of rock bluster in the chorus. But there is less stylistic experimenting and more of a commercial rock sound here. The exception is “Eyman Prison,” a delightful standout with a 10cc like lyrical quality.

The hard guitar riffs make the pop compositions stand out in some cases, like in “Where Is Mine” with its odd backing sound effects. Another gem is the hook laden riffs and harmonies on “I Can’t Believe This Day.” Like a mix of Joey Sykes and Marillion with its shambling rock melodies, the eccentricities of the songs will keep you paying attention, but it loses steam by the albums end. However there is enough good music to make it worth repeat listens, so give it a try.

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River Rouge “Not All There Anymore”
River Rouge, Michigan is a downriver heavily industrialized suburb of Detroit. The band River Rouge is Detroit-born Andre Comeau (lyrics, vocal, guitar), Randy Morris (bass) along with a solid group of backing musicians. The opening number “Black Licorice” is an electric rock single that impresses with Comeau’s gin soaked growl.

The band doesn’t reach that apex again, but the quick folk rock melodies of  “Usurper Hero” and countrified “Arc Welded Love” are both decent songs. “Good at Goodbye” is a straight ahead rocker, and other than the booze soaked “No Good For Nothing” the remaining tracks aren’t that compelling, but the last track titled simply, “Yes” is a wonderful tune along the lines of Steve Winwood’s Traffic.  The two “bookended” tracks are really impressive and hopefully the next album will build on this potential.

Rocketship Park “Cakes and Cookies”
Rocketship Park is a hidden musical diamond in the infinite clutter of the indie rock dreck that deserves your attention. Masterminded by the talented Josh Kaufman, he spent many years writing and recording these fantastic songs but never officially compiled or released them. So here they are… Beautiful pop like the catchy “Fast Friends” and lighter-than-air “Pistachio” needs to be spread around.

The house party recording style on “Cakes and Cookies” creates a sing along atmosphere that’s hard to resist. Influences of The Beach Boys, The Shins and Eno are hinted at, but this is simply a great album that will generate interest in the bands past work. Best of all, it’s available as a pay-what-you-want option on Bandcamp.

Leadfinger “We Make The Music”
This solid Aussie bar band tries its best to break into stardom with it’s hard rocking 3rd album. Lead singer Stewart Cunningham does a great job on the title track opener, combining Thin Lizzy and Replacements influences with his Dylanesque vocal approach. Unfortunately after this, the songwriting gets fairly dull and forgettable. However the mandolin lead “Fourteen,” is indeed a cool Wilco styled gem that shouldn’t be missed. And the last song, “Beside Me, Against Me” is a truly impressive rock epic. But along with standard bar room blues (“Leaving,”) is a large amount of filler (“Untitled,” “Segue 2”) that makes this album miss more than hit. At least the band offers up some free stuff on Bandcamp.

L.A. based alt-rock quartet The Whiskey Saints are an expressive band that delivers southern-influenced alternative rock with well-blended harmonies and raucous guitars. Brought together by David Bloomfield and David Sparrow, they rock loudly on “The Gift” with crashing drums and riffs. The impressive “Long Road” shows a solid blend of rock and pop, similar to Toad The Wet Sprocket but with heavier guitar chords. But they jump right to the raucous garage style of “Before My Time” and its a catchy treat sure to please.

The tracks are varied with arena-styled alt. rockers (“Eastbound”) and pretty guitar ballads (“Karianne”) with superior musicianship. With influences like Ryan Adams, My Morning Jacket, and Wilco it’s not hard to understand why The Whiskey Saints are popular around the LA music scene. More gems include “Building To Break” and “Curtains.” An enjoyable listen from a talented and experienced band.

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Together We Are Not Alone
Here is a collection of several artists, including our fave, Bleu sending out songs to support Japan in their time of need. All funds goes to the Japanese Red Cross Organization and the label takes no profit from this album. 100% royalty goes to the catastrophe victims of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami,accidents at nuclear power plants that hit Northern Japan. Explore and you’ll find this is a really cool compilation for a great cause. Just listen to The Sonic Executive Sessions shine with those stellar harmonies on “Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring.”

The Northstar Session “Late Bloomer”
The Northstar Session are a SoCal rock band where you hear echos of the past, but it doesn’t slavishly imitate them. Opening with the ear candy of the title track, it brings to mind The Autumn Defense but with a bit more polish. A great standout is the hook laden “In Time” with a great power chords between each verse as it reaches a crescendo.  And these guys still rock out a la Faces on “Turn You Around” with a simple backbeat, and blues guitar riff.

We get some nice group harmonies and jazzy licks on “Love Won’t Keep Them Apart,” and it’s a bit like The Black Crowes doing Van Morrison. Many of the tracks are slow moving mid-tempo soft rockers, like “Who You Were,” so fans of Wilco and The Fleet Foxes will enjoy this album for sure. Solid musicianship here as well. After all, you don’t get an appearance on NBC’s  “Parenthood” by slumming around.

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Justin Nault “It’s Just Me”
Justin Nault is an up and coming entertainer living in Nashville, TN. The bouncy piano opens things up on “I Would” and it proves Justin has the talent and vocal skills to make it. The songs melody line is a bit like The Rembrandts, but with a modern twist. “Addicted” follows through with a nice hook and smooth harmonies in the chorus. A signature tune here is the title track, a nicely written but sparely composed theme, with a sweet harmonic outro.

The albums second half is okay, but doesn’t distinguish itself as the guitar lead “Walk Away” sound pretty generic. “Puppet” brings back the piano lead, and Justin seems most comfortable here. Justin is also lead singer for the band Cougar Petting Zoo. Overall, an impressive debut from a young man with a bright future.