Category: Power Pop Review

While not power pop, I will occasionally dip my toe in reviewing other genres of indie music. Sounding similar to Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Manaics mixed with The Cranberries, No Fixed Abode consists of Una Walsh and Tony Dean with a cast of talented supporting players. The band is based in Derbyshire and performs at festivals and clubs all over the UK. “What did I do” mines the indie folk-pop vibe with Una’s beautiful Irish voice and a great catchy chorus. “Kebab Crazed Nutter” reminded me of Mary Hopkin’s “Those Were the Days” and I knew then this album required repeat listens. Most of the album is what I would call modern Celtic folk, but some songs breakout of that mold. “Modern Life” is a gorgeous ballad and sounds like a Melanie classic with a nice trumpet solo. “Sunne Days” is a great song that mixes Harper’s Bizzare and Laura Nyro. Tony Dean’s guitar work is perfect accompaniment to Una’s vocals – never too strong or too much in the background. Overall, much better than I expected from a folk group and worthy of inclusion on your ipod for sure. Get it at CD Baby.

The No Fixed Abode Website | MySpace | CD Baby

Love in October has released its debut EP and has a fairly good sound with a bit of a Green Day meets radio friendly Swedish pop. Recorded by producer Ed Rose (The Get Up Kids, Motion City Soundtrack) Love in October is a good alternative rock album with hard driving hooks and punk attitude. “Method To Madness” is a good example of this, with excellent clean production stylings. “1000 Miles from here” has a flavor of the Green Day ballad “Time of Your Life.” “Hollywood Horror” sounds a little too much like Phantom Planet and it would not suprise me to learn that the band sells it’s tunes to the soundtrack of the next big teen drama phenomenon. Is it too commercial? Well, you’ll have to be the judge of that – but it does make for good listening.

The Band’s Website | MySpace

The Switches are a new band that follows in the vein of Mika and Scissor Sisters, but decidedly less effeminate. In fact, “Lay down the Law” is an awesome song here that is catchier than Mika’s “Grace Kelly” and just as dancable. The energy is comparable with The Fratellis and there is plenty of Queen worship. Lead singer Matt Bishop tries his best to channel Freddy Mercury. The Switches have filled “Heart Tuned to D.E.A.D.” with lots of guitar, harmonies and lots of potential. Some songs here do the Queen tribute perfectly and “The Need to be Needed” is great example of this. And “Drama Queen” is a good single with plenty of swagger and it brings to mind Imperial Drag and The Makers. “Every Second Counts” manages to be a very good tune that evokes T-Rex in spots. “Step Kids in Love” is an excellent 10cc inspired song and one of my favorites here. The tunes are all pretty radio friendly and loaded with energy, although not every song is memorable. “Message from Yuz” has got plenty of great riffs and handclaps – but it didn’t have that much sticking power. “Coming down” is very by-the-numbers alt. rock and forgettable. Even the last tune, “Testify” has some great melodic riffs but insipid lyrics like “I’d like to see ya, I wouldn’t want to be ya” – I think ultimately alot of people will love this CD. Like a snickers bar, it’s very sweet and nutty and full of empty calories.

The Switches Website | MySpace | Amazon

Listen to “Drama Queen”

From sources on the Audities list, I wanted to spread the word that the Canadian power pop band Zuckerbaby is working on a new album. Listen to some of the new tracks on the MySpace page. Nearly 10 years after the group formed, landed a major recording deal, played stadiums across the country and then imploded after losing their record contract, Zuckerbaby is indeed back, and this time the band’s priorities have changed. “We’re just a bunch of guys who love to make music,” said guitarist Reed Shimozawa. “After all is said and done, and all that we’ve been through . . . the biggest thing we missed was creating something, and the feeling of giving birth to music that at least four people in the room think is great.” Read more about it here.

Also I’d like to give a shout out to some new blogs posted by Stuart Jones, a huge music fan with a group of music blogs.

Mr. Obscure – a blog with lots of rare tracks
Punk Powerpop – more tracks from ’77 to ’83
Rare and Elusive – more hard to find tracks
Super Seventies Sounds – take a wild guess what era these are from.
Enjoy!

Paul Collins is a true original. With Jack Lee, he formed The Nerves in 1974, whose hit “Hangin’ on the Telephone” became a single for Blondie. He then met up with bass player Steve Huff and formed the Beat in 1977 and has released “The Beat” – one of the greatest power pop albums of the 70s. The Beat has played with The Ramones, Shadows of Knight and Eddie Money. Paul’s latest album is “Flying High” after a 12 year absence. With a mix of up-tempo guitar rockers and slow ballads, the album flows beautifully. And alot like Jeff Murphy or John Wicks, age has only made these guys sound better. “Rock n’ Roll Shoes” is an excellent classic single in the Beat tradition. “Helen” is another great song with a catchy and bouncy melody. Things get a bit spotty toward the middle with lonely sounding acoustic “Bobby.” But this album has plenty of great songs including the Wilco-like “All over Town” and the Byrds-like “More Than Yesterday.” Also amazing is “Silly Love” – which cuts between chorus with awesome guitar solos. “Paco & Juan” sounds alot like Dire Straits’ “Sultans of Swing” with a rich tapestry of characters in the song. If you haven’t heard the The Beat – shame on you! get this album and atone for your sins.

Paul Collins Website | MySpace | Kool Kat | Not lame