Category: Power Pop Review

Penguin Party “Sex furniture warehouse and other stories”
Dave Milligan has a lovable quirky attitude on this third Penguin Party album. “Mike Leigh-on-sea” is an impressive XTC styled single, and the album goes off on the theme of senior citizenship with typical British jangle and whimsy. The production is sparse compared to the last album, and it brings us a homey intimacy on “She Was Only A Roofer’s Daughter.” It’s like Martin Newell doing a sing-a-long in the pub, especially on the charming “Song For My Old Lady.” Sometimes it looses it’s way getting too jokey (like an old Monty Python tune) or experimental. But there are more than enough gems here (like the terrific “Whatever Happened to Tomorrow’s World?”) to make it worth your while. Fans of Mr. Newell and Mr. Partridge shouldn’t miss this one.

Sitting Target Music | Bandcamp

Lousy Robot “Hail The Conquering Fool”
If you mixed The Eels and Apples in Stereo in a blender you might get Lousy Robot. This Albuquerque indie band knows about quirky synth hooks and fuzzy riff based pop. Listening to the hand clapping goodness of “Andy Warhol’s Gone” it sets expectations high. The album balances out tight melodies in songs like “The Peacock” with low key filler (“A Not Quite Perfect Film”). Some of the stream of conscious lyrical musings work well on “Christmas In Berlin” and it sets you up for sweet tracks like “Sugarsweet Me.” However the band wears its slacker badge with pride, as “A Man On A Weird Horse, Pt. 1” teases us with a single bridge. And that’s the issue I have – a few good songs surrounded by a pile of loose snippets. This 12 track album felt more like an EP, so I hope the band makes more pop and less “corn” on the next album. Pick out the choice kernels here.

MySpace | Bandcamp | CD Baby

Don’t you love it when girls really know how to rock? This Minnesota quartet play pop with a dash of punk energy and solid musicianship. Think the Go-Go’s meet Joan Jett in the parking lot for a rumble. The band has won kudos from Sussanna Hoffs (Bangles) and Nancy Wilson (Heart) so you know the band is on the right path.

2205 is named after the band’s house address, where many nights were spent jamming. Lead by a bass line by Jamie Holm, we get “Overexposure” and lead vocalist Abisha Uhl delivers a rock vocal with honey sweet backing harmonies. Highlights include the back beats of “Kick Back” and the “Autograph” with solid guitar riffs leading each song. Some song themes are small vignettes that follow a familiar pattern in “Cigarettes,” “One Night Stand” and “Shattered.” Once the tempo slows the band tends to lose those hooks, although “Cigarettes” boasts the best lyrics like “I don’t know if I’m real. And I might run home and kill all my friends.” A solid effort that will win over fans of grrl rock.

Power pop veterans Wild Bores are back and the duo of John Whildin and Brian Chard concentrate their third album on strong melodies with toe-tapping rhythms. Starting with the up-tempo “Expect Me Now” its similar to The Dbs or Big Star with it’s catchy base line. Crunchy guitar riffs with controlled distortion rule “Biology” and it bumps up things a notch. There are strong riffs on “Forward Is Backwards,” but the vocals here seem buried or slightly off.

Thankfully the band doesn’t stray off course, as “Freake” is an excellent power pop single that we’ve come to expect from the Wild Bores. The production is not over polished and recalls classic REM or Chris Stamey in spots, with the memorable “Making A Sun” and the heavier “18 Miles” as highlights. The band tries a few experiments here on the quieter tracks, and some work (“Band of Thieves”) and some don’t (“Taking Time”). They break out the big horns for the closer “Same Time Tomorrow” and it’s a great song that highlights how much this band has developed. Check it out.

Redondo Beat “Meet Redondo Beat”
Hailing from a little village in Germany, Roman Aul had a talent for pure pop with a classic early 60’s style. With the help of backing vocalist Katrin Meinert and drummer Max Schneider they formed Redondo Beat. The solid retro pop sounds like a collection of lost 45s by Dion & The Belmonts, Bobby Fuller and Eric Burdon. The opener “The Sweetest Sound” has great guitar opening and bouncy beat like The Dave Clark Five.”The Spell I’m Under” is clearly influenced by early 60’s icon Del Shannon, and so goes our trip down memory lane.

While this is a very solid nostalgic exercise, some song compositions just aren’t that memorable, with the exception of where they inject some R&B influence like on “Break-a-Heart” and the very catchy “My Baby (Knows How To Have A Good Time).” Toward the albums second half we seem to hit the late fifties with Duane Eddy (“Full Moon Child”) and Danny & The Juniors (“Shoop Shoop”). This is certainly a lot of fun, so fans of those moldy oldies can rejoice here. The rest of you young’uns can get off my lawn!

My Space | Bomp Records | Amazon

The Sterling Loons “March To The Tune”
If you mixed Hendrix, The Kinks and Syd Barrett in a blender you could get The Sterling Loons. Lead by guitarist Eamon Nordquist, he belts out the opener “Old Nick” and then we are treated to loose concept album, similar to Shnauser with multiple melody lines and finely crafted guitar solos. “Morning Sunshine” is a trippy delight, and “March To The Tune” brings to mind The Kinks classic period. Another highlight is the strong composition and harmonies on “Hope She’ll Get Away Part 1.” It gets better with the impressive Steve Howe-like guitar work on “Beauty Eyeing The Beholder” but Eamon’s vocals don’t always hit the mark here. The absurdist “She’s Happy” and “All Aboard” are warped Who styled tunes and other highlights include “Spaceman” and “Half Of All The People.” The mix of mod pop and heavy prog may not sit well with some, but there is much here to savor and appreciate.

MySpace | Kool Kat Musik | Amazon

Codeine Velvet Club “s/t”
A side project of Jon Lawler (Fratellis) and Scottish singer Lou Hickey came out late last year. This is an inspired attempt at 60’s noir orchestral pop along the lines of John Barry or the late Stan Kenton jamming with The Parlotones. The first few tracks are outstanding, starting with the dramatic “Hollywood,” and the smokey “Vanity Kills” sets a perfect big band meets goth mood. “Time” has a casual pop swing with a masterful performance by trumpeter Derek Watkins. The horns really make the band standout on the nightclub swing number “Little Sister” and the guitar reverb on “Like A Full Moon” is just dripping in coolness. The boy-girl vocal dynamic works well, although the sap is thick on the slower ballads, and when the hook isn’t there it feels like a rejected Broadway show soundtrack. But when the rocker persona of Lawler dominates (“I Would Send You Roses”) it shines once again. After listening to lots of power pop this is a nice change of pace and there is enough here to perk up your ears.

MySpace | Amazon

Sajama Cut “Manimal”
Sajama Cut is a Jakarta, Indonesia-based band that uses big rhythms and multi-part harmonies to deliver power pop goodness. Listen to the big single “Paintings/Paintings”with slick vocals by lead singer Marcell Thee.  “Twice (Rung The Ladder)” is a moody mid-tempo tune with complex vocal harmonies and is typical of what you’ll find here. “Utitled #4” is an 80’s styled synth pop gem that speaks to the bands melodic ability, but its success isn’t repeated. Sometimes the lyrics get a bit muddled, maybe it’s the just the English translations. The band’s music seems to be only available through direct mail order, but you can download the impressive single “Paintings/Paintings” from the band’s Facebook page. Hopefully we’ll hear more tunes like this in the future.

MySpace | Direct Order | Facebook