Category: Power Pop Review

The Beat Rats “A Cellar Full Of Rats”

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The Sunny Boys “Beach Sounds”

In the cold of winter, it’s best to listen to music that’s warm and reminds me of those summer nights. And that’s exactly what this Italian Beach Boys tribute band is. They started their surfin’ safari at the end of 2003 when the long time hardcore fan Gianluca Leone (aka Brian The Captain) finally got the opportunity to form the band. All the dedication pays off, as even Jeffrey Foskett (Brian Wilson’s band) gave high praise for the song “Mahalo“. Beach Sounds aren’t straight covers but original songs with it’s own style, and includes pitch perfect harmonies and huge hooks. The arrangements are notable on the ballad “She’s My Summer Dream” where it weaves the vocals together seamlessly. It’s so gorgeous it goes above and beyond the typical tribute band. If you’re not listening carefully for the accents you’d swear this was a lost Beach Boys album circa 1964. It’s essential listening for fans of this style of pop. Eccellente!

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Chad Curtis of The Saltshakers has created a more garage-styled follow up to the Up All Night LP. With the addition of guitarist Nick Woods (Box Social) and bassist Jamie Owart the band still has that high energy sugar shot that pop fans expect and admire. Similar to Weezer or The Buzzcocks in tone and relentless pace, it blasts through the catchy opener “Please Don’t Walk Away” so well it sounds effortless. The songs are deceptively simple but full of great hooks, and a great example is “This World Can Wear Us Down” with a killer rhythm guitar riff. And it channels a bit of The Replacements manic spirit on “West Coast.” Some songs don’t quite hit the same high points (“Bedhead”) but are performed with an uninhibited charm. Chad remarked that this is “Pop music with more guts,” and it’s hard to argue against songs that make instant 3-minute concert themes like “Take You With Me.” However, it would have helped to have a ballad or another mid-tempo number like “Too Early To Tell” to give listeners some space to appreciate the fast pop-rock tunes, which can wear you down after a while. On the other hand, this is an album you can roll down the windows to and turn it up loud as the wind blows through your hair.

You can’t peg John Shaughnessy’s acoustic-based power pop to one specific style, but you can listen in rapt attention to the great quality of the songwriting and melodies here. Assisted by Smash Palace’s Stephen Butler and IKE’s Brett Talley, John creates a wonderful organic sound that is naturally rhythmic and hopeful, influenced by classic 70’s artists and the Beatles. The opening title track is a fun folk-pop guitar tune with a double tracked vocal, and the follow up “Feeling’ Good Again” is a classic power pop tune with a jangley upbeat tempo. “In The Morning” brought back visions of Gordon Lightfoot to mind for me. Shaughnessy’s multi-faceted approach may be jarring at times, going from slow folk themes (“Don’t Let Go”) to early 80’s styled pop rock (“Dorothy Reminds Me”). The countrified Beatles meets Harry Chapin of “Chasing The Wind” is a delightful spiritual gem and my favorite here. These are all good songs here, each one is anchored by John’s steady vocal and professional musicianship. I look forward to more from Shaughnessy.

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So you’ve never heard of Stackridge? Well if you’re not from the UK you are forgiven. The Anglophilic progressive pop band began to great fanfare in 1971, were predicted to be bigger than Genesis and even had an very well reviewed LP produced by George Martin right after his Beatles tenure ended (Man In A Bowler Hat). Then by 1975, they fell off the public’s radar. I never heard about them till recently, and after listening to the back catalog, it’s like the discovering a missing link between 10cc, Klaatu and Protocol Harem. Needless to say, if you like any of those bands, you can dig deep here. For those power pop fans who question the inclusion of a progressive band here just give a listen to “Dangerous Bacon,” and I guarantee you’ll be hooked. But, today these old codgers have a brand new album for you to hear. A Victory For Common Sense has most of the what fans expect. Well orchestrated rock and pop, starts off with “Boots and Shoes” a standard melodic rock tune that’s crafted with an ear towards contemporary audiences, that then bathes itself in anglo-slice-of-life nostalgia on “The Old Country.” A real gem here is “Red Squirrel” with it’s Badfinger-like guitar riffs and steady bass rhythm. The folk ballad “North St. Grand” slows the albums pacing a bit, but a few other tracks poke through some of the serious prog noodling, like the wonderful “Lost and Found” and the ethereal gem “Cheese and Ham.” It ends on a ponderous unwieldy jam with “The Day The World Stopped Turning.” While it doesn’t touch the glory of the early 70’s albums, it comes pretty darn close in spots. For most long time UK fans this more than enough to celebrate.

The Parallax Project is a loose collective of musicians centered around lead vocalist/guitarist Michael Giblin. On his new album I Hate Girls he does a fine job with the opening track “All The Same,” full of Revolver-styled rhythm and a workman-like effort in the chorus. Much like Squeeze meets Elvis Costello, “The Day After Tomorrow” is has a compelling lyrical story that leads to a catchy chorus with guitar and organ breaks, “it’s all about singing a brand new song” he intones. “It’s So Easy” will remind people of Phil Seymour with it’s sunny sound and understated beat. The title track and it’s follow up “Waiting To Pull The Trigger” are similar to more recent Glen Tilbrook efforts, with some nice guitar solo work on the latter track. Some of the tracks are a little too understated (“Half”) and although very easy on the ears, Michael need to push those hooks to the next level to be a bit more memorable. By the albums mid point things loosen up and sound better for it. A big highlight here is the energetic “Coming Around” which reflects Michael’s time spent touring, hanging, and recording with The Plimsouls. “You And Me” is another fun tune. All capped off with a very cool cover of Martha and The Vandella’s “Needle In A Haystack.” Kool Kat Musik has a special offer on this one with a bonus disc of 11 pop favorites from The Kinks, XTC, ELO and more performed by The Parallax Project.

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