Category: Power Pop Review

Vanity Mirror and Aloud

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Vanity Mirror

Vanity Mirror “PUFF”

The Toronto-based Brent Randall and Los Angeles-based Johnny Toomey team is well-known for their work with the baroque-pop outfit The Electric Looking Glass. Their newest endeavor, Vanity Mirror, benefits stylistically from the balance between the two musicians. Randell’s vocal is very much in the Ray Davies mold, and he wrote, played, and produced the album, with Toomey very much in Ringo-mode on drums.

The band’s sweet retro approach is the same road that the Elephant Six bands took back in the late 90s, with The Kinks, Beatles, and The Creation as musical touchpoints. Opening with “(I First Saw You There on) Tinpot Lane” catches you with the opening reverb riff and its baroque Anglophilic verses. “Tuesday’s News” is a lovely pastiche with a great piano and Rickenbacker combination. The strong songwriting helps songs like “Dandelion Wish” elevate beyond its precise retro-pop technique. The music was mostly created on vintage instruments, for example, “A Fool With An Applecart” which boasts an old piano melody punctuated by airy cello and flute flourishes. Both catchy and affecting, the album is a strong opening statement and is highly recommended.

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Aloud

Aloud “Apollo 6”

Bandmates Jen de la Osa and Henry Beguiristain have been the driving force for the rock group known as Aloud. They started out in Boston, but in 2017 moved to Los Angeles. In that time they released 5 albums, and this is their sixth. It starts out with an impressive anthemic sound on “Somewhere To Be” that almost dares you not to clap along, fans of Oasis will love this one. Then Jen delivers a powerful vocal akin to Nancy Wilson with “The Comeback Kid,” a bluesy number.

The band gets spacey on “Meditation for the Housebound,” and this psychedelic approach follows through on a few other songs. The “Morning Moon” starts out slow and builds into a dense chorus, “Big Blue” slinks along and another highlight is the heavy percussion of “Stranger in the Alps.” The pop styles are seemingly very varied, and lots of experimentation is evident. Not everything works, but a lot does and this is a band that definitely deserves to be heard. I will want to hear the back catalog for sure.

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Ryan Hamilton and Bennett Wilson Poole

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Alex Fleuris

Ryan Hamilton “Haunted By The Holy Ghost”

Ryan Hamilton was a bit of a nervous wreck with the release of his latest album, based on his social media. Originally scheduled for March, it was a little late. He need not worry, as this release is amazing. Based on his experiences growing up in an extremely conservative religious household, Haunted By The Holy Ghost doesn’t pull any punches. Start with the opener “Asshole” a confession to all those one-night stands he bedded, but the title track is a perfect modern power pop song. It’s all about accepting religious guilt with a catchy sing-along chorus.

The positive vibes of “Overdose” and “Paper Planes” really deliver the hooks. Both songs boast catchy melodies that Ryan effortlessly puts out, all he needs is a “moment and a microphone.” With his songs, Ryan adds more of his personal anxieties about romance in the slow-burning “Broke My Heart, Fixed My Vision” and “Absence Of Love.” The sequence of songs tells a common story of regret for being that “Asshole,” but it’s not really redemption — it’s more “Yeah, Whatever.” It loses a little direction towards the end as “Sad Bastard Song” recognizes that bitterness stays with you long after a breakup. Overall this is a fantastic album, and hopefully, others will recognize this.  Makes my top ten for the 2023 list and is Highly Recommended.

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Alex Fleuris

Bennett Wilson Poole “I Saw A Star Behind Your Eyes, Don’t Let It Die Away”

The veteran rock trio of Robin Bennett (Dreaming Spires, St Etienne), Danny George Wilson (Grand Drive, Danny & The Champions Of The World), and Tony Poole (Starry Eyed & Laughing) are back. Where their debut record was very much like a Crosby Still Nash-styled, mellow California folk pop, this new album is even more hippy-dippy. The Byrdsian jangle is in full swing with the catchy “I Saw Love” with its solid three-part harmonies. Not unlike The Travel Wilburys, with an emphasis on late-era Beatles psychedelia.

These guys each take a verse on the George Harrison-like “Waiting for the Wave to Break,” and the smooth “I Want To Love You (But I Can’t Right Now)” is a soulful recall of glory days. Other highlights include “Ready To Serve,” and the gentle “Heart Songs.” While it meanders through the latter tracks, there is enough here to make this Highly Recommended.

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More May singles: The Bayonets, The Well Wishers, The Lolas, Scoopski, Kurt Baker

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Brian Ray (Paul McCartney) is back with his old-school band The Bayonets. He let loose with his newest video, maybe more suited for Halloween (whatever) but it’s got a nice hook. The reliable Well Wishers are also back with the dense “So Important” and The Lolas have a great single here with “Trick Myself,” one of their best IMHO. Scoopski has a quirky single, like Green Day without the guitars or Billy Joe’s snarl. Honestly, check out the catchier “Double” that came out earlier. Finally, Kurt Baker returns to true form (minus the hair) for “Secrets,” and it’s no secret that Kurt is one of the top power poppers out there. More music to comb through each week, my review pile is growing at a furious clip, so stay tuned.




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Alex Fleuris and Dropkick

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Alex Fleuris

Alex Fleuris “A Lifetime Of Bullshit”

French rocker Alex Fleuris (Crusaders of Love) moved to Montreal to record an album and got all the demos done but along the way, life happens (Covid, day job, etc.) so rather than wait, Alex decided to release these songs, and he did everything here except a few drum tracks.

Starting with “Don’t Care About Nothing” it has that Phil Spector wall-of-sound approach, with a sweet jangling guitar break.  The Raspberries-like “I Should Have Never (Got In The Way)” has a driving riff and compelling melody. Alex’s skill here is on full display, and “Word Gets Around” is a multi-layered tune, and like the others, the solo bridge is exceptional. “Street Girl” feels like a lost ’80s pop hit, and the ender “Memories of a Sad Clown” is another example of epic classic rock songwriting.

Now this would be so much better with some professional mixing and mastering, but that said I think there are some excellent songs here. Maybe some enterprising record company will take it to the next level. As it is this is music that deserves to be heard.

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Dropkick

Dropkick “The Wireless Revolution”

Andrew Taylor returns to his main band, after a few new projects and collaborations. Dropkick operates at the intersection of mellow Americana and jangling power pop, and after nearly a dozen albums (including lockdown sessions) Dropkick moves forward in Byrdsian fashion. The Wireless Revolution notes in the opener “Don’t Give Yourself Away” that “this place feels different than before,” all to the confident melodic strums. But not much has changed as far as musical quality.

Taylor has a knack for smooth melodies, and his songs are consistently great. “Telephone” is the first big standout here with a strong chorus, and even the better “Unwind” adds those delicate harmonies to the mix. The other bandmates get props too, Ian Grier and Alan Shields on tracks like “The Other Side.” Overall Dropkick does great work here, “Wouldn’t Know Why” is another highlight with a fantastic bridge. And this is another highly recommended album.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Ransom and the Subset and Matthew Logan Vasquez

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Ransom and the Subset

Ransom and the Subset “Perfect Crimes”

Seattle singer-songwriter RanDair Porter carefully curated Ransom and the Subset’s sophomore album. Back in 2014, when I heard the debut No Time To Lose it proved Porter’s talent, but with Perfect Crimes, he’s brought a more consistent sound across the 10 tracks. That glossy flawless production makes this a great headphones album, as it straddles the line between sophisticated adult-oriented pop and power pop. A bevy of guest stars behind Porter includes Roger Joseph Manning Jr., Darian Sahanaja, Jim Babjak, Kurt Reil, and Ducky Carlisle to name a few.

The opener “Perfect Crime” is irresistibly catchy with its guitar riffs rhythmically bouncing across a chorus of “bada-ba” harmonies. “Sara Kandi” is a seamless follow-up, about infatuation with a young girl he just met. “Left Her at the Shinkansen” is a Japan-based tableau at the famous bullet train. Once we get to “One Last Thing (Leaving)” its mellow vibe recalls the recent The Pearlfishers with its smooth tones and orchestral composition. The guitar riffs return with “Should Have Said Nothing At All” loaded with great backing harmonies. The ender “Fast Car” has a bit of Elvis Costello in its DNA. While the most memorable music and standout hooks occur in the album’s first half, the remaining songs are just as meticulously constructed. This is a terrific album that is without a doubt a contender for my top ten list for 2023. Highly Recommended.

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Matthew Logan Vasquez

Matthew Logan Vasquez “As All Get Out”

Matthew has been the frontman for heartland indie rockers Delta Spirit, he draws from a huge collection of influences, including Gram Parsons, Kurt Cobain, Neil Young, and Iggy Pop. The album’s approach is a potpourri of roots rock to slow jams. After the rhythmic percussive opener “Untouchable” it kicks the doors out on the catchy “Over It” a hook-filled rocker that sticks fast with its punk edge.

It then settles into a groove with “Odysseus” with its spiritual mantra “always coming home but never going home.” The anthemic “Long Line of Lovers” has a great Beatlesque bass line buried in the chorus and it’s likely the standout track here. The 12-string strums and jangle of “Shawna” and “Recognize” are flowing streams of Matthew’s lyrics that feel like a modern-day Donovan. And before you know it the pounding rocker “Can You Turn Me Up” shows up. While it zig-zags all over the place, the songs are quite good. Highly Recommended.

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