Category: Power Pop Review

Brothers Ellis and Tom Clark are the duo behind Epicycle. The third album “Jingo Jangle” is a mix of progressive sixties pop sounds firing on all cylinders and Sgt. Pepperisms especially on the track “Girls Don’t Rule My World” which has wonderful sonic details in the multi-track piano and orchestral flourishes. The opener “8-Track Mind” brings together Bryds-styled guitar jangle and Cheap Trick riffs in a dense polished production. The piano ballad “Goodbye” is an impressive soulful song along the lines of Billy Joel. The brass and creepy Alice Cooper/Tom Waits vocal of “Ode To Branson” is a bit too strange till we get to the Roger Waters-like chorus. “Day for Night” revisits this style with a well done piano melody. The quirkiness of “Club Marmalade” and “Worst Rock Song” seems like an attempt to merge Zappa and 10cc. Like The Pillbugs, it has a tendency to overindulge in the pyschedelic effects too much toward the albums end. That mentioned a lot of other studio acrobatics here work well on most songs. It also features guest spots by Brad Elvis of the Elvis Brothers and Paul Mertens of Brian Wilson’s band. This album is worth a listen for sure. Fans of the above mentioned bands will reach musical nirvana with this one.

My Space | Epicycle Web Site | CD Baby (last Epicycle album) | Not Lame | Kool Kat Musik

After a number of issues that have threatened internet radio, I wanted to know what online stations are out there for my fellow powerpopaholics, so here is a short list so far. If you know any others just post a reply.

DJ Jeff’s Power Pop Show, KSCU Santa Clara

Popbang Radio

Michael McCartney’s Time Machine

Time Machine on live365

Radio That Doesn’t Suck

Ed Lynn’s Suitcase Full of Dimes

Pop Garden Radio

San Diego’s Bigfellas are a local favorite and they have a smart way of blending pop and rootsy commentary along the lines of Ben Folds or Randy Newman. One of the many talents in the band, Charlie Recksieck writes some great piano driven music for the the mind as well as the soul. It opens with the SoCal pop of “California King” with a chorus that melts like butter and the biting lyrics of “vegetarians who love to shoot thier guns.” Then it shambles into a hard-luck story with “Dollar for Every Dime” that talks about Lotto addiction, and the banjo follows the piano lead along. The funniest/meanest song here is “I Wish That I Were Gay” which wraps itself in Gershwin’s “Rhadspody in Blue” and turns into the type of satire that Randy Newman used to do so well. It’s basically a rant about gay envy and how they “have cache” and it’s a hoot. The album goes off on left field with a “On The Green” with a disco beat, it’s hard to tell if it’s comedy or just bad rap. We’re back on track with “Johnny Get Out Of The Sky” and fine mid-tempo tune. “Wish You Knew” is a wonderful ballad about regret after someone has passed on. The guitar strum takes center stage in the very psyche-pop “4:20” that could’ve fallen off a Pillbugs album. Lots of impressive piano and guitar riffs are on the Folds-like “Adam & Eve & ted & Alice” and “Reinventing The Wheel” has a bit of the bar room jam feel. It’s good entry in the piano pop field and it makes me want to revisit the past album on CD Baby. Enjoy!

My Space | Amazon | CD Baby (“Clap!” album)

Keith Harbottle is the one man band behind Big Life Desire and even he knows what you think of him. He sings “I don’t have a good voice, I can’t hardly sing, still I can impress, it’s not supposed to make sense” (“Not Supposed To Make Sense”). Keith has a very British theatrical sound, similar to the Bonzo Dog Band or a sober Syd Barrett. The songs are well arranged and melodic, especially the latter-era ELO-styled opener “Full Of You” with synth keyboards leading the way. Some songs are inventive and “So Inclined” is a very Alan Parsons Project flavoured mid-tempo song. However, Harbottle’s polite voice lacks any kind of range and seems custom made for a novelty record. By the mid point of this album it got very distracting, although the ballads (“After All” and “So Say I”) are easier to take. My advice is to listen yourself and cherry pick the better songs here, as I’m sure this is not everyone’s cup of tea. You may disagree here, but this album is best heard in dribs and drabs. Listen to everything here on Harbottle’s music page

Big Life Desire Site | My Space | Your Love Is (single)

My weekend vacation is up. On a few Gannett newspaper sites, they are promoting the newest Brian Wilson album “Lucky Old Sun” by having the entire album stream for listeners. This is a very good thing to older established artists that don’t feel the labels support them enough. With the success and adoration from 2004’s “SMiLE” album, this is a step above the follow up “Gettin’ in Over My Head” done that same year. Brian’s emphatic vocals have less of a tired feel and some sweet gems are to be found in the title track, “Forever She’ll Be My Surfer Girl” and the sweeping “Mexican Girl.” Unfortunately there are lots of narrative bits and reprises between the songs (done to better effect on The Beach Boys “California Saga” years ago) that don’t work here. A remake of “Can’t Wait Too Long” is filler here, and a truly beautiful biographic ballad about his comeback “Midnight’s Another Day” suffers from Brian’s lack of vocal range, but most fans will find it forgivable and truly savor the handful of songs. In fact, I wonder out loud how gorgeous this song would be sung by someone else (Much like the Elvis Costello/Burt Bacharach’s “God Give Me Strength”). Others will wonder what all the fuss is about.