Category: Power Pop Review

Perry Serpa and The Bablers

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Perry Serpa

Perry Serpa “Laying Low in the Highlands”

Like many musicians, Perry Serpa went to work when COVID hit, and this album is the result. Opening with the instrumental “Out Of Purel” kinda says it all, I think. The time of isolation allows Serpa’s sparse chamber pop to focus on how events felt in 2020, and it offers a sobering view on loss and confusion.

The darkness of “Shadow Of The Delacorte,” feels like a walk through empty streets, and jazz-inflected “I Got A Fever” is a compelling dual-meaning tune. The cover of the Gilbert O’Sullivan nugget “Alone Again (Naturally)” fits here like a glove, and it’s not all gloom as “Now I’m Not So Sure” is a hopeful gem with a touch of soul. Not everything here is as catchy either, but there is enough variety to make this a good representation of the time we were in. Check it out.

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The Bablers

The Bablers “Psychadilly Circus”

An accomplished group of Finnish musicians, The Bablers are songwriter/vocalist Arto Tamminen (bass, drums, guitars,
keyboards, cello, percussions, vocals), Janne Haavisto (drums, vocals), Pekka Gröhn (bass, keyboards, vocals), and Hannu Pikkarainen (guitar, vocals). The opener is a Lennonesque ballad “Love Is Everything!” which signals a decidedly retro direction, from there the title track brings more energy, and despite fuzzed-out (unintelligible) vocals, the rhythm is simply infectious.

“Queen Of Yesterday” is a lonely character study, a successful hybrid of “Elenor Rigby” and Pink Floyd’s “Have A Cigar.” The power-pop sound comes out on the jangling “I Hope It Wouldn’t Rain Tomorrow,” a terrific single, and “All Because of You” is a familiar, yet heartfelt ballad that swells up during the chorus. From there it goes off in different directions, some interesting (“Angry Young Man”) and others not so. The production is crisp and clean and allows the music to shine, some additional gems include “Walking On A Sunny Beach” and “When You Were Growing.” While it could’ve used some editing, with 15 tracks, there is enough to pick through to make this one highly recommended.

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Johnathan Pushkar and The Palace Guard

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Johnathan Pushkar

Johnathan Pushkar “Compositions”

Johnathan is back! Starting with “Any Second Now” it’s another snappy Beatles-inspired pop gem that will hook you quickly, very much like his debut last year. He approaches the songs with wide-eyed innocence and light vocal that can be either sweetly endearing or very irritating (depending on the listener). Jonathan keeps the party going with “Does What She Does,” a Beach Boys-inspired track. Pushkar then delivers the mellow reassurances of “Gonna Be Alright” and country-lite “Just Friends” about a crush gone wrong, recalling Ringo’s “Act Naturally.” “Can’t Get You Out of My Mind” is a song of obsession with a girl, and taking the opposite end of that theme “Alexandra” is a cautious tale about that clinging girlfriend.

All well and good, but some songs here feel too generic, “Making Plans,” “Red Eye” and “Love Will Save The Day,” simply disappear from memory almost immediately. Note how these songs contrast with the great cover of Paul McCartney’s “Junior’s Farm.” In this case, drummer Geoff Britton and Dan Ealey appear on the song, as part of the Ram On Tribute. Fans of the debut will enjoy this for continuity, but others may be looking for Pushkar to push the envelope a little bit more.

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The Palace Guard

The Palace Guard “All Night Long: an Anthology 1965–1966”

One of the few select American bands that tried to imitate The Beatles’ “overnight” success in real-time, was The Palace Guard with its jangling single “All Night Long.” Another notable imitation from this time was The Knickerbockers “Lies.” Both singles captured the zeitgeist of early Beatlemania, but to maintain a music career after that was a challenge for both bands.

The Palace Guard only released 6 singles during their tenure and was the starting point for power-pop legend drummer Emitt Rhodes, who left the Guard to join The Merry Go Round. They even backed Don Grady (“Robbie” from My Three Sons) on his songs “Little People” and “Summertime Game.” Thanks to Omnivore Recordings, this collection has all 12 sides of The Palace Guard’s output, remastered and restored. Notable hits include “Falling Sugar” and “Calliope.” Fans of mid-60’s nuggets will love it.

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Video premieres and singles: Chris Berardo, Willie Wisely, Brent Windler, Welcome Center, Vintage Fiction, Shake Some Action!, Richard Turgeon

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VIDEO PREMIERE: Chris Berardo goes full power pop with a cover of Badfinger’s classic “Baby Blue.” When asked why he wanted to cover the song he said “I’d always been a huge fan of Badfinger’s music, just such a fantastic blend of melodies, great harmony singing and rock-solid playing.” Get the single here: Amazon

Willie Wisely goes back to his power pop roots with “The Automaton.” This is the Wisely we know and love, so it’s great to hear him poke that bear once in a while. Get the Maxi-single here: Amazon

Brent Windler shows us a terrific video from his upcoming 2021 debut record New Morning Howl. The LP will be out worldwide on August 20, 2021. I can’t wait, as it sounds awesome so far. Get it here: Amazon

Welcome Center is a band that has a great mix of influences, so fans of Death Cab For Cutie and Phoenix are sure to enjoy “Parasite City.” Get it here: Amazon

Vintage Fiction‘s psych-rock single, “Alright, Okay” sways back and forth in its own mellow vibe. A part of the EP Caution in Vogue. Check it out on Spotify


So nice to hear new music from Shake Some Action! The jangle-tastic band with James Hall has a freebie for you! Take it now, or live with the shame of not getting great power pop. New LP coming soon this summer!


Richard Turgeon is earning a new moniker for me as ‘King of Dad Rock’ with his new single “Forgiveness,” and he’s been tirelessly pouring out covers, all of them compiled here: Vol. One and Vol. Two

Cloud Eleven and Caddy

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Cloud Eleven

Cloud Eleven “Pandora’s Box”

Last year during the Pandemic lockdown, Rick Gallego (aka Cloud Eleven) was exploring his collection of demos, song snippets, and outtakes. He found enough good stuff here to build upon, and his unique approach makes this a step above the typical rarities album.

The experimental title track “Pandora’s Box (Schone Lulu)” is an interesting 60’s styled instrumental, and the Beach Boys-inspired “Row Row Row” is another neat curio, along with “Radiant Radish.” Light and pleasant fare like “You Make Me Happy” and “Homework” feel a little underdeveloped. The blissfully romantic “Extraordinary Girl,” “Deep Down” and “Heaven-Scented Bliss” are what Cloud Eleven fans expect and love, but there are other experiments here that just don’t work. One pleasant surprise is a cover of The Isley Brothers “I’m Gonna Knock On Your Door.” For fans of the band, it’s a great addition. But newcomers to Cloud Eleven should check out Record Collection first.
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Caddy

Caddy “Detours and Dead Ends Vol. 1

Another covers album? Not quite. Tomas Dahl (Caddy) decided to do the research and cover some obscure power pop bands across the 70s and 80s. And the songs are deep tracks as well. It’s most likely you’ve never really heard these songs, and that makes them “new” to most people. Heck, even I didn’t recognize most of them, and that encourages more exploration.

Caddy has a clean hard rock sound and the opener “Walking On The Roof” (Sgt. Arms, 1982) is a really cool song, and Tomas makes it his own (as he does with all these). Lots of highlights here, my faves being “If I Call Your Name” (Junior Campbell, 1971), “Cost of Love” (The Cretones, 1980), and “No Money ” (The Freshies, 1980). Highly Recommended.

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Richie Mayer and Jim Trainor

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Richie Mayer

Richie Mayer “The Inn of Temporary Happiness”

During the 1980’s Chicago Power Pop bands like Pezband, Cheap Trick, and Shoes helped carve out their own niche, and Richie Mayer’s band Loose Lips, was there at the time, (even on TV!) but the well-regarded group only released a single EP.  40 years later Mayer is back, bursting with creativity on his own solo effort.

Loaded with solid production, influenced by The Cars and The Beatles primarily, it starts with “Dangerous Rythym,” a great guitar-based tune, layered with details and Mayer kind of sounds like Ric Ocasek here. Even better is the hook-filled “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore,” sure to get you playing air guitar and singing along. Highlights include the Beatlesque “Love Will Find A Way,” the gentle rocker “Come Back Caroline,” the rousing “Don’t Say Nothing,” the Jellyfish-like “She Is Why,” and many more.

The vocals Mayer delivers shifts with several songs, some sounding like a psychedelic pastiche in the same way Andrew Gold did with The Fraternal Order of The All, and others going in a more 80’s MOR sound. It demands multiple listens to appreciate the craftsmanship here. Not a bad thing and most songs do hit the bullseye. Highly Recommended.

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Jim Trainor

Jim Trainor “Staring Down The Sun”

Idaho native Jim Trainor’s EP last year was impressive, but now his Nick Bertling produced full-length debut shows off a great opener in “Truth,” a heavy rock-pop gem that’s shows off Jim’s exceptional songwriting, and thick hooks. The follow-up “Heaven Descending” boasts a strong chorus, and it leads to the exceptional power ballad “Staring Down The Sun.” Jim develops another earworm for “Somewhere Before” and the “doo doo doo” lyric begs you to sing along with him.

As the music gets progressively lighter and/or mellower, the production is just as sweet.  Added highlights include “All I’m Thinking About” and “Maybe I,” with a distinct Beatley flavor and the frenetic layered guitars of “Rewind.” There are more than enough gems here to make this a highly recommended pick.

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