Category: Power Pop Review

Last year, Paul Collins gave us his “Flying High” album. This year the former Nerves front man does a follow up that hits all the right notes. Opening with “Hey DJ” it has a classic power pop beat, and goes into a nostalgic chorus with ringing guitars. The hit to miss ratio is very low overall, and the smooth “Ribbon of Gold” has a magical yet grizzled feel, almost Paul Westerberg-like with Tom Petty overtones. “I Still Want You” has lots of energy and a great hook that Cheap Trick would envy. Paul even laments the “Big Pop Song” with one of his own making, “The one song that never lets you down/ The one that’s always been around.” After a few songs, you realize this is a really, really good album, so by “Falling in Love With Her” the air guitar comes out for me. Big hooks, big guitar licks and like Paul mentions “it feels so good.” There is still that early 80s pop punk vibe tucked away on songs like “She doesn’t Want To Hang Around With You” that will bring back a smile and some memories. The album ends with three ballads, and though they can’t compete with the high energy stuff, the best of the bunch “Flown Away” is a good soulful commentary on the state of Paul’s state of mind. Right now you can buy it directly from his site.

Paul Collins Web | My Space

Those Swedish pop masters, The Rhinos have a new album out called “In Rhi-Fi” and if you are a Byrds fan, you will get your fill of jangling 12 string Rickenbacker here. Lasse Hindberg has 14 original songs, and unlike the debut album which sounds more like a tribute band, the Rhinos sound begins to evolve. Using more four way harmonies, the opener “Everything That She Believed” is a lot closer to The Association in style. The although the melody in “PTO” is positively gorgeous, the lyrics are more suited to a punk rant about a “media whore” who supports war and “is gonna crash” (I think it’s about Carl Rove). This is followed by the great “After The Love Is Gone” which continues the baroque harmonies, along the lines of The Left Banke.  “Just Another Hour With You” attempts to be a Pet Sounds era ballad, and it almost works. The vocals on some tracks are just too understated and even though there are a few gems here (“Before I Set You Free” and “I’d Rather Be Sad” ) there are plenty of embarrassing songwriting examples (“She Presents The News” and “My Town”) that spoil it. Another good one is the very Ringo-like “Tell On You” but the band would do better to do some editing for it’s next album. McGuinn fans and retro enthusiasts will enjoy the impressive musicianship, others here can pass.

My Space | Rainbow Quartz | Not Lame

While a lot of modern indie pop can be only be considered fodder for the next Apple commercial or teen drama, sometimes you will find a band that spends more effort to transcend that label. I believe Faded Paper Figures does enough to push that envelope on it’s debut “Dynamo.” Opening with “North by North” and the very best song on the album, the catchy “B Film” it pulses with clean crisp guitars and a perfect drum machine beat. The sound gets even richer on “Logos” which brings to mind Ivy. Electronic beeps wash across strategic beats, surrounded by a simple guitar ballad in “Future Self” – it begins to follow this template in “Metropolis” and “I Fell Off My Name.” Somewhere past the albums midpoint the synth effects begin to interfere with the melody (“Geneva’s Gone”) or the songs get too dull (“Red State”) but thankfully the Faded Paper Figures follow the overindulgence with more smart, precise tunes like “The Persuaded” and “Being There.” The melodic skills here are evident – much like Tim Myers debut, this mines the same sunny indie pop place. If you enjoy the Orba Squara, Postal Service, or Magnetic Fields quieter moments you are sure to enjoy this album. Again, not quiet power pop but on the indie pop spectrum it’s worth the effort for those moments of melodic brilliance.

Faded Paper Figures website | My Space | CD Baby

Deleted Waveform Gatherings – the musical meshing of Dipsomaniacs leader, Øyvind Holm from Trondheim, Norway takes the Rainbow Quartz psyche-pop sound and updates it with modern pop slickness. Taking cues from Guided By Voices and Gripweeds, the opener “Tiger Rider” is a great single with looping guitars and harmonies sure to please any power pop fan. “All Our Futures” and “Good As Gone” take a more alternative route, similar to Robert Harrison’s Future Clouds and Radar, or even a more poppy sounding Love and Rockets. The title track “Little Baby Warfare” gets better here as Holm’s vocals are less strained, and the driving guitar melody is supported by a collage of other instrumental tracks during the break. Sometimes the experimental bend of the instruments will drown out the melodies, like on “Mental Balance Movement” – do you need the drums to go spastic on a ballad here? And “The New Rain” feels like a GBV snippet extended to six minutes. Thankfully, by mid album the songs are more accessible. “Even A Black Cat” is a classic highlight here, with a great big melodic hook. A bunch of excellent songs end the album with the more positive pop of “Melt-Down Kisses,” the bittersweet ballad “Razor Light” and the wonderful Beatlesque “Backwards To Zero.” I think some fans will like the neo-pysche pop better than I did and others may find the more traditional songs too plain. It’s a toss up, but there is definitely something here for everyone, and the quality tunes here make this an album worth getting.

My Space | Not Lame | Amazon

I met CJ Grogran at IPO New York and foud his set pretty good, so afterwards his agent gave me a copy of his CD “newsongtwo.” Co-Produced by Kurt Reil of The Gripweeds, who plays drums on the tracks here as well, Grogan has the talent that carries a lot of these classic rock and roll styled songs. There are hints of The Beatles, Smithereens, The Gripweeds, and even Bob Mould in his influences. The album spans many different moods and approaches. A great example is “Go” with expansive guitar and organ that builds to it’s dense chorus of gentle harmony and swirling guitar melody. Vocally he’s a bit like Steve Winwood and he pounds the piano keys and bares his emotions on “Thrashing Doves,” but the mood lightens on the pop tribute “Bacharach” where the classical pop piano contrasts well with his mellow vocal, and with the horns here it’s reminiscent of Terry Kath-era Chicago. I appreciate the wonderful contemplative acoustic guitar and sitar on “Fall Down on Me,” as opposed to the hard rock sound of “Colourblind” which sounds less distinctive here. So what follows on the album is some nice memorable tracks (“Painted Line”) followed by artistic wanderings (“The Once In A While” and “NewSongtoo”) and then some straight forward power pop (“Turning The Beat”). So you have an album that has a bit of everything, like a box of Whitman Chocolates – you’re never sure what you’ll get; either something soft and sweet or dark and nutty (jeez! enough with the candy metaphors). More often than not you’re enjoying the precise musicianship and melodic touches of brilliance on display.

CJ Grogan Site | My Space | Not Lame