Caddy and The Turnback

Caddy

Caddy “Ten Times Four”

After 2015’s solid LP The Better End, Tomas Dahl took a break from songwriting and spent more time in his “day job” working long nights while spending part-time as drummer and guitarist for The Stanleys last year. Thankfully, holding back those musical impulses wouldn’t last long. In fact, it burst open to a flow of great power pop gems on “Ten Times Four.” There are tons of standout tracks here. From the grand opening chords of “Miracle Turn,” it makes a statement that cannot be ignored, with melodic guitar crunch familiar to fans of late 90’s mainstays Myracle Brah, Starbelly, The Shoes, and The Posies. “Somewhere Beautiful” starts with the lyric “First rule is lighting is everything…” And then it launches into the brilliantly catchy chorus. Continuing, it gently goes into the buzzing gem “Secret Hiding Place” a dead ringer for a lost Teenage Fanclub classic.

And the hits keep coming from the aptly named “Contagious” to the contemplative “In The Basement.” Not a single weak track, although the slow ballad “Roadblocks” feels like a sleepwalk until we get to a final burst of energy in “The Good Ones.” Overall an awesome feel-good experience for the ears. It happens every year in the fall when artists flood my inbox with great music to be considered for the annual top ten list. Caddy easily squeezes into the top of the list for 2018. Super duper highly recommended.

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The Turnback

The Turnback “Spinning the Earth in Reverse”

The Turnback have gradually moved to a heavier power pop sound (think Foo Fighters) since 2015’s Are We There Yet?  The psychedelic touches are long gone, and that’s okay because we want this band’s sound to evolve over time, right?

The opener “Here I Am” has a catchy chorus and the requisite riffs that still make The Turnback a power pop favorite. Both leads, Todd Giglio and Kenny Sherman add a heavier riff and slight growl to “This Could Be Our Year,” and the Monkees-like verses make it more upbeat. It’s a sweet and salty pop mix that continues with “Hit And Run” and the impressive “She Walks On Gold.”

“What’s The Difference Anyway” and “Untitled So Far” are mid-tempo soul-searching songs where Kenny’s vocals really shine. The duo takes on political causes with “Stand For Something (Or Go Sit Down)” and it’s good, but taking on apathy isn’t exactly as revolutionary as their past gems (like “If I Were God.”) “Your Fragile Wall” does a much better job with the hooks. Overall a very good album. It doesn’t quite reach the highs of their past work, but it absolutely deserves to be heard.

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Bird Streets and Lane Steinberg

Bird Streets

Bird Streets “Bird Streets”

It’s been a long journey for New York songwriter John Brodeur. Since his 2000 debut Tiger Pop, he’s been collaborating, writing and performing for nearly two decades, and through it all maturing as a musician. John’s new project is called Bird Streets, and its a collaboration with the producer and multi-instrumentalist Jason Falkner (Jellyfish) that delivers satisfying results. Falkner has notably has brought out the best in his recent partnerships (R. Stevie Moore, Bent Von Looy) and this continues the trend.

The familiar, but fresh opener “Carry On” has got handclaps and guitar hooks, embracing the best of power pop with its layered melody. Falkner’s influence is really strong on the brilliant single “Betting on the Sun” as it mixes a jangling rhythm with its shimmering light chorus and dark lyric. “Spaceship” is a notable metaphor for the musician’s addictive life as Brodeur states “No way of stopping until life had passed me by.”

The bright “Thanks For Calling” is a great song of longing with a bouncy melody and a catchy bass line. “Heal” describes an abusive co-dependent relationship, with soaring harmonies. Most every track hits its mark, with only a few quiet moments. Overall this is easily Brodeur’s best album, and it continues Falkner’s winning track record. Highly recommended and makes my top ten list for 2018. Kudos once again to Omnivore Records for this one!

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Lane Steinberg “Lane Steinberg and His Magical Pony”

Lane Steinberg is a prolific musician often mixing experiments in melodies alongside mini pop symphonies. Sometimes it all comes together (like the brilliant 8×8 projects) and sometimes it doesn’t. This LP gathers many older singles and collaborations. Often I compare him to Todd Rundgren in approach, and the opener “You’re Not Connected To The Internet” has the catchy melody, and crashing percussion. Next, “Another Early Autumn” is a magical Brian Wilson styled composition that showcases Lane’s vocals and savvy production skills.

We do get collaborations with Stevie R. Moore (“Franklin & First”) and David Grahame (“After Taxes”), among others. More highlights include the very Ray Davies-like “Everyone Thinks I’m Happy Now” and the breezy “Portofino.” Overall, a worthy addition to your playlist and it gives the novice listener a good primer to Lane’s musical milieu.

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Nick Piunti and Peter Holsapple

Nick Piunti

Nick Piunti “Temporary High”

Nick Piunti is back and better than ever. Like other power pop contemporary artists (David Mhyr, Rob Bonfiglio) he’s firing on all cylinders here. The opening title track is a great summer anthem with Nick’s distinct raspy vocal and layered guitar riffs. The strong melody lines of “You Invented Hell,” and”If This Was Right” were co-written by Ryan Allen and fit in perfectly.

Nick’s expressive lyrics and jangly guitars on “No Return” are like musical comfort food. The rough edges of some songs are polished just right, like “Blameless” and “Keep Me Guessing.” Nick is amazingly consistent throughout the album, with his all-star band Donny Brown, Andy Reed, Geoff Michael, Plink Giglio and Chris Richards. A joy to listen to from start to finish. Highly Recommended and yes, it’s on my crowded year-end top ten list!

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Peter Holsapple

Peter Holsapple “Game Day”

After 21 years, Peter Holsapple (dB’s, Continental Drifters, REM) returns with his second solo album. I loved Out of My Way in 1997 – it was a classic indie LP with a lot of quirky melodies that stuck. Game Day takes a very different approach. It’s classic freeform musical expression with thoughts that float around to a musical soundtrack. On “Game Day” he wonders “do I still have what it takes to pull this off?” and pays tribute to his road days with “Continental Drifters.”

Holsapple has a lot of space to get weird and wild. “In Too Deep” and “Tuff Day” are great highlights that prove the old man still has it. Another fun track is “I Got High With You” about late nights with friends. The “Inventory” of his life is a long look back at all the possessions he accumulated during his youth. Other notable tracks are the strong “She Handed Him A Pencil” and the Hendrix-like “Them Changes.” This potpourri of tracks is like finding a box of old records — some you will love, others will go in the sale bin. But you’re glad you found them. Check it out!

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Danny Wilkerson and Simon Love

Danny Wilkerson

Danny Wilkerson “Wilkerson”

Drummer Danny Wilkerson (Pengwins) had a dream. That was to make his solo album a definitive statement, so he brought in the big guns of power pop to help out. Produced by Bleu McAuley and Ducky Carlisle, mixing by David Spreng (Bob Dylan) and vocal support from Roger Joesph Manning Jr. (Jellyfish), Joe Sieders (The New Pornographers) and mastered at Abby Road by Miles Showell (Beatles, Stones, Who).

The opener “Everybody Loves To Love” is a richly crafted epic gem with layered guitars, sitars, and harmonies very much in Bleu’s wheelhouse. Its got all these great details, with a spacey synth ending before it roars to life with “Enough For Somebody,” a glossy sunshine pop song that showcases Wilkerson’s great range, full of key changes and handclaps. “Let It Go Tonight” is another sure-fire hit single. The remaining songs are all impressive, as Danny goes through each tune with care. Influences are very clear (ELO, Beatles, Tom Petty, Andrew Gold) but not derivative. Clearly inspired and the melodies are purely original. Not a dud in the block of ten songs. Makes my top ten list (it’s crowded this year!) for 2018, and highly recommended.

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Simon Love

Simon Love “Sincerely, S. Love X”

Simon Love (The Loves) brings us not so gentle love ballads full of sharp acerbic wit and expletives. The melodic style is full of 60’s inspired touches that stands as a contrast to bold lyrics. “God Bless the Dick Who Let You Go,” sets the tone with soaring strings and horns. The Lou Reed-inspired “Ballad Of Simon Love” is a fun rock star theme, with a neat hand-clapping section.

The Beach Boys-like ode to “Joey Ramone” is a sincere gem that wears its heart on its sleeve. Another sweet tune you wouldn’t play for your mom, “I Fucking Love You” bounces along, and the Beatlesque “Stephen Timothy West” sounds like it fell of The Magical Mystery Tour Bus. It runs out of fresh musical ideas after the midpoint but recovers with the spritely “Not If I See You First.” If you liked the influences I mentioned here, check it out.

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Lisa Mychols and Three Hour Tour

Lisa Mychols

Lisa Mychols “Sugar”

The queen of Power Pop is back! Mychols blend of catchy melodies and girl group harmonies are in full swing on the appropriately titled Sugar. Her light vocal blend and psyche pop groove on the opener “One Revolution” does remind me of Karla Kane in spots. Stylistically Lisa visits different directions from the bubblegum of “Loving You Baby” to the coy balladry of  “My Friend And Me.” I did notice that “Endless Daydream” is a medley of three different songs stitched together.

Like most of Lisa’s discography, there is no filler here. The highlights include the rocking “Domino,” the sunshine pop of “Don’t Wanna Close My Eyes,” “Goodbye All Carousels” and the jangling gem “He’s Got Me Dreaming.” It’s tough to pick out favorites here, as the songwriting is strong all around. Highly Recommended and a contender for my top ten list of 2018.

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Three Hour Tour

Three Hour Tour “You Never Know”

It’s another tour of duty for the Champagne, IL band lead by singer/songwriter Darren Cooper. He’s joined by Adam Schmidt and Brad Elvis (The Elvis Brothers) to create a clean sound that will appeal to fans of Tommy Keene, Matthew Sweet, and The Well Wishers. He’s always created reliably catchy hooks, and starting off with the title track “You Never Know.” The mid-tempo gem describes a meeting with a classic rocker and closes with a sweet guitar solo. “Fallen Angel” is more typical, with a sing-along chorus and descending bass line. The chiming riffs of “Gray Waves” is another highlight, full of beautifully layered guitar rhythms.

Cooper gets notably Who-like on the brilliant instrumental “Pascal The Hypnotist,” and the starry-eyed hero worship of “The Ballad of Buddy Rich,” reminded me of Weezer a little, but overall there isn’t any real filler. This is a Three Hour Tour you’ll want to repeat often. Highly Recommended.

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