Category: Power Pop Review

For those looking for a indie campfire sing-along, I give you Team Genius, who released the Hooray EP earlier this year and have now put out a full length CD. If you are into funky falsettos, blissful choruses, tonal experiments of some fairly primitive music, you’ll have a lot of fun with this group. But that doesn’t mean they don’t create some addictive pop too. Team Genius provides irreverent indie pop for the ipod generation. The opener “Take Me Home” showcases it’s strength in melody and instrumental skill similar to Matt Mahaffey (Self). This is followed by the GBV-like “Surely The Sun Will Explode” another excellent pop song that weaves together vocals of Drew Hermiller and Emma Firth. It then plays a catchy campfire sing-along with “Sing Song” with a strained shout of vocals that reminds me of the Proclaimers at a forest jamboree. “The Wise Ones All Give Up” is almost like a Talking Heads tune, and a few other tracks merit a listen but the album runs out of gas slightly by the end. The group is really close to breaking through, but some songs are quirky beyond accessibility. The band’s strength is it’s geek bravado and diverse use of instruments (cello, ukulele, harmonica, bells, percussion) as well as Firths angelic vocals. Fans of Magnetic Fields, Talking Heads, and newer Brooklyn quirky pop will love this one. Others would be advised to jump in the pool as well. The water’s fine.

Team Genius Website | CD Baby

Listen to the “Sing Song”

Much like Doug Derek and The Hoax, The Strand is another band from the early 80’s that had some success on college radio, and decided to start a come back. But in this case, rather than dig out those old tracks, the band (James Garner, John Hubbell and Bill Lasley) all tuned up the instruments in 2007 and picked up right where they left off. Okay rather than that earlier example, these guys are closer to the band Buddy Love. Fans of early Jam, Paul Collins and Stiff-era Elvis Costello will feel at home with this nostalgic, “skinny-tie” guitar pop. The songs are well produced and sound crisp and clean, with the opener “Rising Tide” lead by great songwriting and guitar work (no cheap synths here!) is easily the best song here. “Why’d You Call” is a typical 80’s throwback track, and you can make a game of guessing which songs were written recently vs. penned almost 20 years ago. Another good song is “Along for the ride” with a steady drum driven melody and guitar accents. The older tunes are okay, but the newer sounding material is better, for example the ballad “Begin Again” has a great story and piano melody. A curiosity here is “Scared Streets 1” which takes a page from The Ramones and early punk. If you wanted a glittering curiosity from another era, give this one a shot.  

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

A new site, created by several popular bloggers have created a survey, where you can post your top five album list right here.

I encourage you to add your opinions to the list and challenge John Borack’s top picks. It’s a busy time for me but I’ll post mine any day now. The poll is open until 10/31/08 — so vote today!

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”