Category: Power Pop Review

If you ever dreamed of finding that “unknown” pop nugget in the back of the record store’s cut out bin, then Doug Derek & The Hoax will make you smile. Much like when Not Lame unearthed “The Toms” a few years ago, Doug Derek was a little known garage band from New Haven, CT during the same period (1980-81). The album is a snapshot in time of the skinny tie era of power pop similar to Paul Collins’ Beat, The Plimsouls and even Peter Case a little bit. The big “hit” here is the opening two tracks “Bobby’s Gotta Get Back To Boston” and ” I Don’t Really Like It Here” which would fit just perfectly on those DIY power pop compilations that Rhino Records made long ago. The remaining tracks are good too, another standout is “Airwaves” which almost sounds like a Rubinoos song with it’s excellent guitar breaks and earnest chorus, about a band’s rise to fame. This album would most definitely have been a hit at the time, but it fell through the cracks — until now. Enjoy!

My Space | CD Baby | Kool Kat Musik | Not Lame

Reaching back, I found this little gem of an album. Formerly the Bees, they changed their name to “The Silver Seas” and deliver that familiar ’70s-style soft rock that combines the hazy harmonies of the Beach Boys with Jackson Browne’s running-on-empty rhythmic momentum. Lead songwriter Daniel Tashian underplays his commercial skills with a casual charm that shrugs where others might strain. He’s crafty, not contrived. The sound on the ballads like “Dream of Love” also reminds me of Sondre Lerche and James Taylor, so if you like them you’ll dig The Silver Seas. Tashian injects a healthy dose of Seals & Crofts style to his storytelling in the title track “High Society”. “The Country Life” is very similar to Van Morrison’s “Wild Night” or “Domino” in structure and beat. Some wonderful jangle and harmonies are in “Ms. November” and is one of my favorites on this album. “Imaginary Girl” is another gem that sparkles along with a wonderful piano melody. “Hard Luck Tom” is similar to the effortless pop of JT if the Wilson boys were backing him. No real filler here unless you count the instrumental “Taitville,” this is perfect for a fall day, with the leaves turning color to these elegant pop sounds. 

My Space | The Silver Seas site | Itunes

Listen to the “Imaginary Girl”

Listen to the “The Country Life”

When Argentinean native Sebastian Litmanovich formed the band Cineplexx last year in Barcelona Spain, he had some help from power pop buddies Douglas Stewart (BMX Bandits) and Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub). The sound is lush and full similar to Belle and Sebastian (even a song near the albums end is named after them) with wall-of-sound arrangements and full Spanish language vocals. The opening “Espiral” has the soft vocal and light orchestral backdrop, that compares well to Elf Power or The Field Mice. Then “A Mi Lado” has a sparse synth beat with light harmonies that recall eighties synth-wave bands a bit and “Tirados” almost resembles those spacey late 60’s Moody Blues ballads with fuzzy bass and theremin. It definitely creates a dark atmosphere and this gets even more moody with “Picnic” a sullen Cure-like ballad. This musical direction seems to take over the remaining tracks, as “Droga Paliativa” (Palliative Drug) which goes on like an updated version of Sisters of Mercy with competing background melodies. It gets more and more like ambient mood music, as the only English tune “Tiger Trap” has a slight Beach Boys feel, sung by Stewart. Fans of Belle and Sebastian and Velvet Underground minimalism, will enjoy this. A fine album, even though the musical themes repeat throughout and wear thin by the end. Give it a try and you may like it better than I did.

My Space | CD Baby | Cineplexx site

Listen to “Espiral” from Cineplexx’s new album Picnic:

After a review of Dan Weir’s Town and Country, I was told Scott Gagner who was part of that band, had his own album. Hailing from Minnesota, Scott Gagner started his career as a drummer in a few California bands before he created his own entity. Cartographer is a fine example of good songwriting in the classic style of REM or Wilco, with a rich melodic sound. A big standout here is “I’m Not Following You” with it’s ringing guitars and perfect pop rhythms that will bounce around in your head for days. Layers of piano, moog synths and drums make “Love Triangle For Two” a pleasant mid tempo diversion. It gets more alt country with the ballad “Sound Rebounds” and “Waiting” have a Wilco meets Pearl Jam feel. “Suburban Girl” has nice energy, with guitar, synth melody and handclaps that make this song lots of fun. This album is too long to be considered an EP, but by the end feels like it needs more music (leave them wanting more I guess). I look forward to a follow up.

Cartographer ‘s Site | CD Baby | My Space

Utter charming DIY power pop is what makes you root for Frank Marzano. The Edinboro, PA transplant has all the right influences (The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Klaatu) “bands with a real emphasis on songwriting.” he says. The songs have sunny, cheerful melodies and the arrangements are top notch as well – best compared to Chris Breetveld (The Breetles). Opening with the Merseybeat of “A Girl named Sam” it jangles away and should put a smile on your face. Marzano’s vocals work best here, his slightly nasal delivery resembles Mike Love a bit, so it takes getting used to. The album is a hodge-podge of Beatlesque pop-rock, ballads, doo-wop, and folk, tackling such diverse subjects as romance, city life, divorce and single motherhood. The lyrics are fun and often full of dry humor – in fact, he most often sings in an earnest first person narrative. He tries to pick up a single mom in “Hot Mama” mentioning all the selling points including “I’m patient with kids.” Another highlight is the descriptive of “Bleecker Street” complete with idealized “homeless who discreetly ask for change.” All the instrumentation is quality too, from Phil Popotnik’s sax solo to Frank’s own guitar breaks. But it’s got it’s flaws, too. One can fault the length of many songs, for example “Hard To Get” is over four minutes and wears out it’s welcome after two. The ending piano epic “Matthew/Neurotica” clocks in at over eight minutes. Other tunes are just creepy (“She Does Math”). But when it gets it right like in “My Christmas Wish” – it’s a breath of fresh air and Frank’s honest sweetness comes through. This is a guy that just loves this kind of music and it shows – he played at The Baggot Inn in NYC and mentioned “If I’m capable of playing Carnegie Hall, then I want to do that. If the best I can do is a street corner in Edinboro, PA, then I’ll do that, too.” He certainly has talent. Fans of innocent sweet pop will overlook the lack of self editing here and revel in the quality melodies and musicianship.

Frank’s Site | CD Baby | Itunes