Category: Top Ten of 2024 Candidate

The Lemon Twigs “A Dream Is All We Know”

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The Lemon Twigs “A Dream Is All We Know”

The dynamic duo of Michael and Brian D’Addario continues to wow with each new album, delving further into shimmering, explosive songs that evoke vintage power pop and rock.

The opening track, “My Golden Years,” starts with a catchy, jangling melody. And then those harmonies kick in. It adds amazing depth to the entire song, but in typical Lemon Twigs fashion, there are more sonic goodies layered on top, and the vocals become more forceful to a crescendo at the song’s end. “They Don’t Know How to Fall in Place” starts with a harpsichord opening, but the verse twists and turns into another comforting chorus. Again, each song has some roots in ’60s and ’70s Baroque pop, but with a combination of key changes, instrumentation, and harmonies, it’s always a new and unique experience. There’s just too much here to simply “spot the influence” as it approaches Jellyfish levels of production complexity.

Some overt influences are easy to identify, like “In The Eyes of The Girl,” an obvious Beach Boys pastiche, but it’s not that simple. Starting like an early 1964 romantic ballad, it morphs using even more sophisticated vocal arrangements beyond that era. Another easy callout is “Rock On (Over and Over),” which is a dead ringer for The Raspberries and one of the few straight rock songs on the album.

Unlike previous efforts by The Lemon Twigs, every track here feels like a hit single, except “Ember Days,” which is a leftover from the previous album Everything Harmony. Another big standout here is “Peppermint Roses,” a Beatlesque gem with a slight Middle Eastern feel, its Rickenbacker blasting out after the 2nd chorus. Overall, this is a bonafide masterpiece that makes the top of my 2024 list. Super highly recommended.  

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Dave Cope and The Sass and Dent May

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Dave Cope

Dave Cope and The Sass “Hidden From The World”

Philadelphia’s Dave Cope and the Sass’s sixth album, Hidden From the World, is a triumph. A playful mix of styles that combines power pop, folk, and alternative elements makes for an exciting and varied listening experience that covers a lot of emotional ground. Influences vary throughout the album, from Big Star, Nick Drake, Todd Rundgren, Brian Wilson, Leonard Cohen, Paul McCartney, and more. It’s a very personal album dedicated to his brother, who passed away recently.

Starting with “All Alright,” it hooks you with a fantastic riff before the folk acoustic “Just A Dream I Had of Lizzie.”The jangling title track, “Hidden from The World,” is insightful, and the bouncy “One Hell of A Ride” has a great sitar rhythm. Cope keeps churning out great, memorable songs here. The intricately arranged “Crooked Picture” recalls Pugwash, with a forceful anguish that “some things never change.” “Next to Nothing” and “Precious Heart” are both sweet gems with a catchy, singable chorus. Not a single false note here, and “Settle Down” is a soulful rocker with a touch of Andrew Gold and Motown. Overall, it’s a brilliant album that deserves a spot on my top ten for the 2024 list. Super highly recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik


Dent May

Dent May “What’s for Breakfast?”

Dent May is a musical chameleon who can set a mood better than almost anyone. Dent May’s latest album has beautiful melodies and is easy to get into. The opener, “You Already Know,” is a light, airy, upbeat song that encourages the listener to live their life to the fullest, with a clever, slow chorus. “Keep Me In Mind” isn’t as catchy, but still engaging. Another early standout is the fast-tempo “One Call, That’s All,” with handclaps and bright, almost falsetto vocals.

“Coasting On Fumes (feat. Jordana)” has interesting back-and-forth vocals, but May veers into easy listening territory with “Kiss Me In The Rain,” and the songs don’t stand out as much. He tries some pretty psyche-pop touches on “Cactus Flower,” but the chorus doesn’t quite bring it home. The light soul beats and basslines on “Let’s Take It From The Top” sound like demos from disco-era Bee Gees. Nice, but it fails to stick like the first three songs here. Still, this is music that deserves to be heard.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

The Real Numbers and Brent Seavers

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The Real Numbers

The Real Numbers “Thank You”

San Franciso’s power pop band The Real Numbers has been a fixture in the indie scene for over 12 years, but this new album has a special meaning. It was originally lost in a tragic computer accident; the story is in detail here. But despite the setbacks, the band got this done and added some ex-Jellyfish to play on it (Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and Tim Smith).

Dave Ambrose and Lawrence Grodeska are the main collaborators here, along with Chuck Lindo (bass) and Robert John Tucker (drums). The enthusiasm is palpable on the horn-lead “Lucy’s in Love.” But even better is “I Love To Sing,” a sweet musical biography.  Stylistically, The Real Numbers are akin to The Barenaked Ladies, Fountains of Wayne, and Andrew Gold. They even cover Gold’s hit “Thank You For Being A Friend.”

“Lydia Pinkham” is a very Jellyfish-styled tune with its swirling psyche-pop touches. “Sorry for the Mess” is a big highlight here, a message for future generations apologizing for screwing up the environment. The brilliant composition and musicianship make it my favorite song here. The introspective “News of the Day” and “Hello World” are wistful observations, and despite the bouncy optimism in the melodies, there is a sense of sadness mixed with nostalgia. Overall, a great album that’s highly recommended, and a name-your-price download. You can’t ask for more!

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Brent Seavers

Brent Seavers “Exhibit B”

Brent Seavers (The Decibels) has driving energy on his opener, “Roller Coaster Ride,” as the riff weaves up and down the scale. Brent lists The Beatles, The Jam, The Primitives, The Plimsouls, and The Monkees among his favorite bands. Overall, the album has a tight sound, yet each song is unique, taking the listener on a whirlwind tour of the multi-colored power pop universe.

More varied stylistically than The Decibels or his first solo outing, the song compositions are terrific. “Evolves” is a catchy gem with weaving harmonies and a killer guitar solo. The story songs that stick fast include “The Noble Cause,” “No Perfect Way,” and “Til It’s Over.” There are some overt nods to the ’60s mod (“Fuzz Off” is pretty obvious), but it’s not a retro-dominated album. Timeless and highly recommended. Keep on going, Brent!

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Wesley Fuller and Ducks Ltd.

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Wesley Fuller

Wesley Fuller “All Fuller No Filler”

We all knew Perth-born, Melbourne-based Wesley Fuller’s follow-up to Inner City Dream would be good. Wesley was kind enough to be interviewed about this album while promoting the singles earlier this year. But from the opening chords of “Back to Square One,” you can see that his songwriting has improved exponentially. With the casual retro synth-pop of “Alamein Line,” or “The House of Love,” and the guitar riffs of “The Velvet Affair,” Wes takes the late ’70s influences and builds from that point.

Even though Wesley looks a lot like Jeff Lynne—and Lynne’s influence is palpable in several of the songs—there’s a lot more happening here that reveals itself after repeated listening. “Look No Further” takes a distant piano rhythm and turns it into magic with a loaded chorus of harmonies. Like the promise in the name of his record, there’s nothing here that feels like filler. Highly recommended and an early nominee for 2024’s top ten!

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik


Ducks Ltd

Ducks Ltd. “Harm’s Way”

In the same vein as power pop, jangle pop is an adjacent subgenre of music that has a timeless quality. Bands like REM, The Smiths, and Echo and the Bunnymen reimagined what the Byrds started in the 1960s in the late 1980s. Canadian band Ducks Ltd. follows the tradition of combining sparkling, jangly guitars with crisp vocals and thoroughly melodic songwriting.  The duo of singer-guitarist Tom McGreevy and guitarist Evan Lewis take great pains to make these songs stick.

“Hollowed Out” really does remind me of those college-era bands; The Ocean Blue or The Mighty Lemon Drops, without the psychedelic aftertaste. “The Main Thing” is another song that chugs away with a zippy chorus and a fast rhythm. Most of the songs hit that nostalgic mark, and this is another highly recommended album.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

More February EPs and singles: Jordan Jones, Curling, Calendars, Sirius Voltage, Little Miss Echo, Suzy Goodwin

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Jordan Jones is a singer/songwriter from Los Angeles with solid melodic skills, and his latest EP, And, I, You, is a gorgeously rendered piece of 70s-influenced pop. Clear influences from ELO, Hall & Oates, Fleetwood Mac, and Gilbert O’Sullivan. While his previous LP earned kudos for its Rundgren-like rockers, this slickly produced slice of soul is another side of this brilliant artist. It’s a quick listen and likely will be on my top ten EPs for the 2024 list.  Get this gem on Kool Kat Musik.

I don’t think I gave Curling a fair shake or a good listen last year, and now it’s getting the “deluxe” treatment. The angular guitar melody of “Shamble” recalls Colin Moulding, and there is more here that deserves to be heard, especially the inspiring “Hi-Elixir.” Japan’s power poppers Calendars are back with a quick single, “Apart” and it’s great to hear them again. While we are overseas, Portuguese rockers Sirius Voltage deliver “For Your Dreams,” a riff-tastic slice of swagger. On a lighter note, Little Miss Echo brings to mind Papernut Cambridge meets The Beta Band, with the catchy “Optigan.” Finally, a Motown melody from Suzy Goodwin, mixed by studio master Michael Carpenter.