The Junior League, The Well Wishers and Dave Caruso

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Without a doubt, I missed a lot of good music in 2020. I will do my best to highlight some LPs and EPs that I didn’t review yet in the next few weeks. 

The Well Wishers

The Junior League “Fall Back”

Joe Adragna’s follow up to the summer excellence that was Summer of Lies. This album is much more laid back, with less anger but just as much anxiety as “Sad America” seems an appropriate theme for the sad state of our country. The style is more alt. country-pop, with Joe looking back on his journey with the soulful “Ladders,” and some great jangling hooks with “Leave Me Resigned.” Additional highlights include the cynical “Help It’s Strange,” “Through With Me,” and the Byrdisan title track. Highly Recommended!

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The Well Wishers

The Well Wishers “Shelf Life”

Jeff Shelton is another artist who consistently delivers great jangling guitar with a distinct layer of fuzz, and the pandemic gave him additional time to record and make more music. You know what you’re getting; “We Grow Up” and “My Desire” delivers the goods with compelling melodies and riffs.  A few mid-tempo tunes have more of a roots-pop feel like “Secrets and Lies” and “Father of The Bride” about a dad coming to terms with giving away a daughter (“take it all in stride”).  He seems to be having fun with songs like “You Never Have To Sing A Lonely Song” and The Squeeze-like “Who Cries.” Listen to this, you will too. Highly Recommended!

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David Caruso

Dave Caruso “Radiophonic Supersonic”

Dave’s new album radiates a positive vibe all around and is ranked high on many year-end lists. “Little Miss Sunshine” is a bouncy melody that gives you hope with a big hook in the chorus. Dave got assists from production pros Brad Jones and Andy Reed and he’s never sounded better.  The vocals are measured, but the compositions are carefully constructed, like “The Drop.” It’s got a touch of XTC with a big dose of pop smoothness. “A Piece of The Action” is another highlight here. The styles vary across the album, but most of the songs are in the easy-listening category; the bossa nova “Atomic Smile” evokes a jazzy mood. Some songs are a bit lightweight, but enjoyable overall.

Kool Kat Musik

The Top 10 EPs of 2020 and some final singles

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The Top 10 EPs from 2020

    1. Aaron Lee Tasjan “Found Songs Vol.1”
    2. Brad Marino “False Alarm”
    3. The Unswept “The Codependent EP”
    4. Cliff Hillis “Life Gets Strange”
    5. Dear Stella “Time Zones”
    6. The Lickerish Quartet “Threesome Vol. 1”
    7. The Amplifier Heads “The Man With The Sun For A Head”
    8. The Blakes “Readymade Blakeup”
    9. Jim Trainor “Glass Half Full”
    10. Sally Crewe & The Sudden Moves “Corona Drive” and Mike Gibson “Never Seen Star Wars”

Still digging out of 2020. I enjoy this month because I get to see all the other bloggers’ lists and compare. I know there are always a couple of gems out there I missed. I already have some new music for 2021, but first I will try to review some of the LPs that missed the list. In the meantime, enjoy this last pack of 2020 singles:









The Power Popaholic Top 25 Albums of 2020

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  1. Joe Giddings “Better From Here”
  2. Ice Cream Hands “No Weapon But Love”
  3. The Szuters “Sugar”
  4. Joey Molland “Be True To Yourself”
  5. Rick Hromadka “Better Days”
  6. Drake Bell “The Lost Album”
  7. The Weeklings “3”
  8. Nick Piunti and The Complicated Men “Downtime”
  9. Gary Ritchie “Head On A Swivel”
  10. The Bye Bye Blackbirds “Boxer At Rest”
  11. The Overtures “Onceinaworld”
  12. Keith Slettedahl “You Know You Know”
  13. The Lees Of Memory “Moon Shot”
  14. Emperor Penguin “Soak UpThe Gravy”
  15. Diamond Hands “III”
  16. Kurt Baker “After Party”
  17. Disq “Collector”
  18. The Empty Hearts “Second Album”
  19. Coke Belda “4”
  20. The Explorers Club “The Explorers Club”
  21. Goodman “Goodman Versus The Nostalgia Machine”
  22. Timmy Sean “A Tale From The Other Side” Part I
  23. Successful Failures “Pack Up Your Shadows”
  24. Mo Troper “Natural Beauty”
  25. Brendan Benson “Dear Life”

Overall, a really good year for power pop and the pandemic has allowed many artists to write themes about love and hope (Rick Hromadka and Ice Cream Hands). The differences in ranking from 1 – 25 are very, very small. There was also a strong return to “traditional” power pop this year, meaning sounds that emulated The Beatles’ style and spirit (The Szuters, Weeklings, Gary Ritchie, The Overtures). Some albums that were not rated a “9” grew as I listened to them again and others did the opposite. Emotionally charged debuts from Disq and Keith Slettedahl broke through for me. I spent a lot of time on a video giving snippets of each artist, so you can get a quick listen to each.

The best of the rest… I will not spend time ranking them, but everyone here could have squeezed into my top 25 easily.

Biggest disappointments of 2020

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Just let me start by saying this isn’t a “worst albums” list but a collection of mediocre albums that I will likely not listen to again. I tend to pick on established stars who should’ve known better. Let the hate mail flow…

 

Billy Bremner

Billy Bremner “Rockfiles: A Tribute to Rockpile”
Bremner paying tribute to his old band Rockpile (with Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds) sounds like a decent idea, but he can’t pull it off. Musically it sounds like a lame cover band, and Bremner’s vocals just aren’t up to snuff — it’ll have you reaching for the original almost instantly.

 

Kevin Godley

Kevin Godley “Muscle Memory”
Godley was an integral part of 10cc, one of the most innovative rock bands of the ’70s. Unlike his counterpart, Graham Gouldman who’s done a great job this year with a new album, Godley’s work is as non-melodic and experimentally boring as can be. Godley’s vocal is still impressive, and it makes the experience listenable. Barely. “Periscope” is the only tolerable tune here.

 

Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello “Hey Clockface”
Many critics fall over to the “master craftsman” who mixes styles and moods “brilliantly.” This scattershot mess feels like a series of loose demos. He goes for weird moody Arabic instrumentals, ballads he croaks out (his vocals are shot), and tin-pan alley pop that seems better suited to Randy Newman or Leon Redbone. The song “Radio is Everything” has him doing narrative poetry. Maybe he thinks he’s Bob Dylan now? His one “angry old man” song “No Flag” is pure cacophony compared to his last album Look Now.

 

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney “III”
Sir Paul figures he could just indulge himself, playing lots of loose jams and sketches. But unlike McCartney which was a home-tooled response to The Beatles, and McCartney II which was an attempt to incorporate new music trends, “III” feels like he’s noodling around and bored. The septuagenarian multi-millionaire pop star still has legendary talent, as “Seize the Day” proves he can still fart out good music whenever he wants to. But after all that promotional build-up, he’s just taking it easy here. Ho hum.

 

The top 25 best power pop of 2020 is coming soon…

The Empty Hearts and The Midnight Callers

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The Empty Hearts

The Empty Hearts “The Second Album”

The Empty Hearts is a supergroup full of veteran musicians; Wally Palmar (The Romantics) on lead vocals, Elliot Easton (The Cars) on lead guitar, Clem Burke (Blondie) on drums, and Andy Babiuk (The Chesterfield Kings) on bass. The band’s sound is rooted in 60s classic rock and blues, and it’s delivered with high energy.

“Coat Tailer” is a sweet anthemic opener with the beautiful riff leading the main hook. It also helps that all four band members know Ringo Starr, who plays on “Remember Days Like These,” which has a bit of Wilburys vibe. The band’s cool cannot be denied with the horror-themed “Jonathan Harker’s Journal” and the hooks are all over “If I Could Change Your Mind” and “Come On And Try It.” The mood shifts with the smooth harmonies on “The World As We Know It Moves On,” and again on “Death By Insomnia” which feels like a sequel to The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.” The finale “Indigo Dusk Of The Night” goes in a Fab-like psychedelic direction too. The production is pristine, without a wasted note. It also makes my Top Ten nominee list. Highly recommended, don’t miss it!

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The Midnight Callers

The Midnight Callers “Red Letter Glow”

The New York-based  Midnight Callers boasts a pile of diverse influences and occupies a space within power pop that puts more emphasis on the “power” and it will knock you over if you’re not ready for it. Fans of Meatloaf, Sweet, Cheap Trick, Kinks, and Buffalo Springfield will really grow to love this excellent debut.  The band is comprised of Chris Paine (rhythm guitar), Martin Stubbs (lead guitar), Julien Budrino (drums), and Marley Myrianthopoulos (bass). 

The fast tempo on “41 Miles To Roscoe” delivers those fantastic riffs right away, and “Down On Luck” bring those classic rock harmonies to the forefront. “I Need You” has a great driving riff that would’ve made the song a massive hit if it was released in 1978. The styles are diverse enough to keep you engaged throughout the entire album. “River Rise” is another gem with a bed of guitars supporting a soaring lead vocal, and “State of Mind” has a jangle and energy similar to The Grip Weeds (no coincidence, since Kurt Reil is listed as a producer.) The band doesn’t slow down until the plaintive “Do We Need It.” The production is great and most of the songs hit their mark. Highly Recommended!

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