Category: Power Pop Review

The Injured Parties are Chicago based rock band lead by Larry O. Dean (guitar/vocals) and assisted by Jimmy DeLauriea (bass) and Mike Ebersohl (drums). Opening with chugging and driving guitar on “American Comfort” they remind me of Tom Petty or The Lemonheads if they were lead by Lou Reed. “Been There, Done That” has a weary Neil Young approach that suits the song just fine. The descriptive story of characters inside “Zingerman’s Deli” is a lot of fun to listen to, with charging piano and guitar rhythms. The low key vocals in “Dogwalker” are enhanced by the female harmonies in the background and the Ray Davies-styled narrative. Unique subjects include a love song to actress “Linda Fiorentino” and getting so stupid you “Walked into a Wall.” Colorful lyrics aside, this will also appeal to fans of Dylan, Roger Waters and The Kinks. Lovers of classic guitar sound will gravitate easily to The Injured Parties.

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Being a New Yorker has it’s advantages. Nearly forty-five years after the Beatles first appeared on American television on the Ed Sullivan show, Sir Paul returned to the Ed Sullivan theater and performed atop the marquee of the Late Show with David Letterman. I think that’s Brian Ray on lead guitar here.

Minneapolis’ Gidgets Ga Ga will immediately recognizable to pop fans as hybrid of Oasis and The Replacements. Lead by lead guitar/singer Mickey Flores and assisted by bassist Zac Zidron and drummer Larry Beers, the music is consistently good throughout it’s 18 tracks. These loud rocking tracks like “Beki” and “Baby You’re A Star” should be played at full volume. This is no frills rock that has plenty of catchy melodies, like the hand claps all over “The Bomb” they will recall some of the early 90’s best pre grunge-pop. Some of the mid-tempo songs like “Dreamer” and the country flavored “Ease Your Mind” get a little routine, but the band switches gears with the high powered “Damn!” that recalls The Godfathers, and even the heavy power ballad “Lullaby” sounds like it could’ve been a Stone Temple Pilots/Nirvana single. The production techniques on a few tracks change, like “Streetwalker” has a rich full sound, and then “9 Ways” almost sounds like garage demo for example. And with the ending track “Belmont (Bone Us)” you barely hear the vocal. It gets a little distracting, but that doesn’t diminish the quality of this rousing rock music.

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If liked the punk pop of Brody Dalle’s Spinerette, you’ll love this Norwich, UK 5-piece The Brownies. It’s a female fronted band with plenty of ballsy, loud guitars and it’s not afraid to hurt your feelings. Lead vocalist Sophie Little gets your attention right away with the opener “Dance Romance.” The song kinda trends toward Elastica with punchy riffs and excellent bass work provided by Nathan Pounds, Stevie and Maxie Gedge. The album highlight here is the snarling pop of “Cougar” where Little starts yowling “You mark me like you mark your territory / I’ll ride you and you can claw me/ Slash slash it turns me on” pumping up the sexuality with each knife sharp riff. It’s this hostile combination of feminist aggression and gin soaked sex appeal that makes The Brownies so damn exciting. This is followed by the excellent tandem of “It Kills” and “Fight Night.” These first four tracks are as energetic, fresh and exciting as anything out there. Then it seems the band loses it way a bit as the other tracks can’t seem to ante up until “Cry Yourself To Sleep”which combines a synth dance beat with frantic guitar, drum combos and Little’s bold vocals. Fans of Be Your Own Pet, Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and Blondie will definitely dig this. So, If you like honest attitude with your power pop, blast this one through the speakers, why don’tcha.

The Wild Bores are neither wild, nor are they boring. Singer/songwriter John Whildin put together a band rooted in traditional Chicago pop with some Nashville influences. It features studio performances and collaborations with Brian Chard (always dependable bassist and guitarist), Glenn Kotche (Wilco) and Dan Leali (Poi Dog Pondering). The laid back opening “Whatever makes you happy” is like a comfortable shoe that just feels right and shuffles along. Whildin combines the lyrical slices of blue collar life similar to Bruce Springsteen with the melodic touch of Fountains of Wayne. Vocally, he reminds me of Chris Stamey a little bit. “My Home Town” has a very Ray Davies feel, where he describes “Sometimes I was a baseball player …sometimes I was a soothsayer.” The simple acoustic arrangements fit perfectly with the electric guitar touches in the chorus. It’s deceptively simple and makes the rebellious rant “Hands on it” amazingly compelling to listen to. Other songs wander along (“Time Wasted,” “Lovely Place”) but always deliver the goods by the time the chorus kicks in. “Chasing A Revelation” is another highlight here with clean riffs and sweet harmonies. This is introspective thinking man’s pop for your ipod’s playlist.

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