Category: Power Pop Review

An album full of simple pleasures made by a pop music veteran, Van Duren. I’ll be quick with the history here, but Van Duren is part of Big Star lore, partnering with Jody Stephens and Chris Bell in 1976. He would have taken Bell’s spot in Big Star if the band had survived. Undaunted he’s been making music over the past 30 years in the Memphis area. His latest “Open Secret” is a collection of sweet pop songs and ballads that make for fine listening. The opener “Stars Inside” has a bit of that Big Star flavor, with hummable melody and guitar strums. Similar to other southern rockers like Mitch Easter or Don Dixon, the earnest vocals come out on “Face to Face Again” where he laments “Children grow up too fast/ All we can do is cast a long shadow.” Like a lot of adult themed pop, the subjects are varied from love, loss and aging. Elements of the title track “Open Secret” are similar to Brian Wilson and Todd Rundgren, with full strings and woodwinds. My favorite here is “Heart Trouble” where he is joined by both Terry Ferguson and Probyn Gregory (Wondermints) with a hook filled guitar melody that inspires. Van Duren is limited a bit by his vocal range, but the instrumentation is pure gold as “At The Lonely Hearts” reminds me of a Hudson Brothers ballad. More Todd comparisons come to mind on the mid tempo songs (“Oh Kay” and “Europe”). The last track “Europe” is also a standout here, with piano and guitar dramatics that bring the album to a fitting finale. Overall, this is a great album that power pop fans are sure to enjoy.

Van Duren’s Site | MySpace | Not Lame

The pop mind of Gilbert Garcia is fertile. The band name roughly translated means “My fault” – and it isn’t a mistake that his band, the Memphis based Mea Culpa has a great pop sensibility that resembles Ben Folds, Elvis Costello and Big Star all at once. Recorded at the legendary Ardent Studios, “Madison” should lift the band to new highs and make the leap to stardom. Helped by bassist Adam Hill, this is a short album (8 songs) but it’s a quality collection. Opening with the “Coming Back To Me” it resembles a the band You Am I, even Gilbert’s vocal approach is like Tim Rogers.The song is full of sweet hooks and it continues on the smartly written “Resume” lead by a strong piano melody. However the album’s high point is the guitar rock goodness of “You’re Not The One” – it’s got hit single written all over it. Then the album settles into a bit more of a laid back position with the Teenage Fanclub-like “What You Want” and the very Ben Folds-like “Your Best Appendage.” After that unfortunately the remaining songs can’t compete with the earlier ones in terms of memorability. But the flashes of brilliance are definitely worth your ears and a purchase. 

Mea Culpa Site | CD Baby | Itunes

Listen to “You’re Not The One”

Bill Popp is among the unsung heroes of power pop. Popp is a music veteran of early 60’s rock influences in the classic tradition of The Beatles, REM, and The Who. Popp and his band, The Tapes delivers melodic hooks, combined with dance grooves and poetic harmony, that have a timeless quality. He compares well to Frank Royster, with more of a British Merseybeat flavor. The lyrics are personal and touching in all cases here, and fans who favor DIY artists like Chris Breetveld (“The Breetles”) will go nuts for Bill Popp and seek out his music. The new album starts with “Paradise,” a “don’t-worry-be-happy” mantra set to a nice guitar riff. It’s got a nice Beatley vibe and just the right amount of mellow reassurance in the chorus. The follow up “Perfect Idiot” is a wonderful fast paced diatribe of self-criticism and nervous conversation in under three minutes all set to a wonderful hook. “Love and Lust” is a very Pete Townshend-styled rocker with plenty of jangle and a sweet piano break in the middle of the song. The song “Your Hero” is an perfect autobiographical snapshot of Popp at 50 years old – he’ll literally tell you, “Yeah, I tend to drink a lot, but what else do I got?” in the song. The Popp’s wisdom continues in the song “Love Many Trust Few” – it has a little rap in the middle with guitars, that reminds me a little bit of 10cc. A nice cover of The Beau Brummels “Just a Little” round out this release. It a shame that this band isn’t bigger or more well known than they are. They are one of NYC’s best kept musical secrets. CD Baby is expected to carry the album soon, but you can check out earlier releases there.

Bill Popp’s Site | My Space | CD Baby

“If you ain’t got no money, ain’t nobody calls you honey,” he once said. Criminally underappreciated, Bo was a true rock and roll pioneer who not only perfected a guitar style used by everybody, but also an innovator of electric guitar reverb and tremelo effects. Without him there would be no “rock and roll”, nevermind power pop. When you talk about who stole a riff from somebody else… you have to mention Bo Diddley because EVERYONE copied from him. His major songs included, “Say Man,” “You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover,” “Shave and a Haircut,” “Uncle John,” “Who Do You Love?” and “The Mule.” He was 79 years old.

Shimmering pop melodies from Aprilsrain is the result of a collaboration between Roger and Chris Manning (both of Jellyfish) and about ten other musicians. But this is not a Manning album, and it does not resemble Jellyfish. The heavy lifting here is done by Jon Del Arroz, who handles vocals and John Corker, lead guitar. They sound like a clean mix of Death Cab for Cutie and Eric Matthews, with flowing orchestral strings overlayed over phased guitars. “Stumbling” is a highlight with it’s modern piano lead melody and Del Arroz’s strong vocals. “Nova” is another good song, a soothing ballad with the effortless ability to relax the listener. Lots of delicate harmony and baroque chord changes dominate this album which tends to veer toward the mellow side of pop. The pop jangle of “Dagobah” is another standout, similar to The Cosmic Rough Riders, with some memorable guitar work. “Useless Game” is a very contemporary pop song with a reflective playful mood. A pair of sentimental ballads end this ten song album, “Building Up A Wall” is one of them, a sweet duet with Mara Frager complete with violins and acoustic guitar. The Manning brothers production is clean and tight, but not every song has a good hook – so it’s a mixed bag here. Very much like The Pinder Brothers minus the retro spin, baroque and sunshine pop fans may enjoy this. If you are looking for pop angst, go elsewhere.

Aprilsrain site | My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame