Category: Power Pop Review

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

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