Parks and Van Go

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Parks

Parks “Parks”

Seems like a million years ago Boston musician Brian E. King gave us Oranjuly but his new band is finally ready to hit prime time. Parks has Brian joined with Eric Bolton (Guitar), Andrew Jones (Drums), Rob Johanson (Bass), and Robin Melendez (Vocals). A true group effort it boasts several different styles of indie pop, starting with the pensive “Fools” where it’s “been a long time coming” as the band layers its synths, booming drums, and wailing guitar rhythms. King seems to concentrate his sound in pop jams that reference the new wave ’80s.

While it starts out good, it gets progressively better as we hit the guitar hooks on the brilliant “Sweater Weather,” with its lovely bridge chock full of harmonies and finger snaps. The catchiest gem “All We Have” has an infectious beat, as it mines deep emotion that expresses the frustration “tired of waiting, tired of hanging around.” The beauty (and sadness) of “Escaping Together” combines an idyllic ballad with the silence of heartbreak after “everyone’s dead” to you. It’s another huge highlight. The other songs don’t hit as high, but come close with “3×5” sounding like a lost 10cc track, and the jangling guitar melody of “Prove It” makes good use of Robin’s call and response vocal. No filler anywhere, and it provides a deep listening experience. Makes my crowded list of top ten nominees for best LP of 2018.

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Van Go

Van Go “Everyone Loves You When You’re Gone”

Chicago rockers Van Go come out swinging on their newest release, which is like Foo Fighters and Cheap Trick jamming with Material Issue. The guitars are loaded with tight, hook-laden power pop gems like summer anthem “Live Through This.” Each song is uptempo, with an attitude like on “Black Luck” as Van Go singer Dave Sippel croons like Dave Grohl. If you love sweet guitar riffs, this album is for you!

The band cruises through these 12 tracks, with some dark lyrics making its way toward the album’s midpoint with  “The Grim Life” and “Dead Already.” Continuous fast tempo barrages get chaotic on “Tell Us How You Really Feel,” but the catchy  “Schrodinger’s Cat” is a dynamic gem that you can sing along to. The title track gets a little denser with its psychedelic verses over its 4-minute run. And a cool cover of Paul Collins’ “Walking Out On Love” ends things. Highly Recommended!

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

RIP: Pete Shelley

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Pete Shelley was always someone I admired, not just for his excellent work with The Buzzcocks, but his solo work too. His music literally pushed the late 70’s sneering punk aesthetic into the realm of pop and new wave. Some people have argued that maybe The Buzzcocks were power pop — and they wouldn’t be wrong, but they could easily be classified as the first punk-pop band too. The Buzzcocks were also one of the most influential DIY bands of its day, when they self-released their debut EP Spiral Scratchin 1977, setting a strong example for the future of independent music. Pete Shelley had died of a heart attack aged 63, but he made a dent in the musical landscape that will be felt by his fellow homosapiens for years to come.

More Christmas Presents: Thrift Store Halo, The Morning Line, Michael Simmons, Kai Danzberg, Geoff Palmer, Richard Turegon

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Tis the season for even more lovely holiday singles. But there’s more — a great compilation album by Geoff Palmer (The Connection) and a full covers album by the prolific Richard Turgeon. And both are FREE downloads for a limited time!




Get the single here.


Big Sunset and Richie Parsons

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Big Sunset

Big Sunset “Big Sunset”

Portland musicians, Jay Caruso, and JP Ramos are the core of Big Sunset, a five-year collaborative project. Both worked with a band called The Contestants, then Caruso explains “I really loved the way JP Ramos wrote and that our voices worked well together. I reached out to JP to see if he wanted to write some songs together. Both JP and I are huge Jellyfish and XTC fans.” And that comes across on this labor of love.

Starting with the swirling rhythm of “My Head Is Attached,” Big Sunset boasts a variety of instrumentation from strings, horns, organ and sets up the carnival-like atmosphere. “Beautiful” is a waltz-timed tune with a Jellyfish-like approach, but the melody isn’t as sticky as the hypnotic “The Night I Was Murdered” with its delicate acoustics and deep cello strings. This dream-like approach also works on “Wolfing” and “Invisible Men” is another highlight featuring Beach Boys-like harmonies and musical subtleties that recall ELO. While technically brilliant, it lacks the hooks that their influences possess. Still a worthy LP for fans of the genre, and it certainly deserves discovery.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Richie Parsons

Richie Parsons “Black Throated Blue”

Boston musician Richie Parsons is back with his new Kickstarter funded LP (produced by The Posies Ken Stringfellow, who also sings and plays on everything.) A full band is in the studio featuring Doug Harper (guitar), Frank Dehler (bass), Malcolm Travis on drums, and Parsons on lead guitar and vocals. Parsons approximately sounds like a combo of Jonathan Richman and Chris Stamey. The hi-energy opener “Beverly” captures Parson’s pop-rock sound perfectly. “Winter’s Dream” is another winner, a love song with a chugging melody and hook-filled chorus. And “Six Hours Ahead” name drops The Raspberries, as he goes to “a punk rock show.”

The album takes a somber turn mid-way on “Rainy Day” which has Bacharach-styled orchestration with horns and strings. The twang of “Here I Am” is a rootsy Western blues tune, and the Farfisa organ of “Tomorrow” is reminiscent of The Doors. The production is strong throughout the album, although it runs out of hooks toward the last few songs. Overall a very good album that’s highly recommended.

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Bill Lloyd and Creamer

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Bill Lloyd

Bill Lloyd “Working the Long Game”

Bill Lloyd has been a power pop paragon since his 1987’s Feeling the Elephant, but hasn’t emerged with new original music for a while. To remedy this he signed on to Spyerpop Records last year and put together a cover LP, Lloyd-ering. But now Bill brings us a classic LP that is his best yet. Each tune is carefully constructed, evokes all the right influences, and features guest songwriters Aaron Lee Tasjan, Buddy Mondlock, Graham Gouldman (10cc), Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick), and Scot Sax (Wanderlust).

Opening with the catchy “Satellite” it’s an easy going melody that recalls Tom Petty, then it goes straight to the glorious Beatlesque title track which explains Lloyd’s obvious persistence. Each song is a distinctive treasure, riffs disguise the subtle bass line of the joyous “Make That Face” and they work just as well with the acoustic heartbreak of the ballad “Wake Up Call.” There is a healthy dose of retro-hits like “Go To Girl” and “What Time Won’t Heal,” but when Lloyd rocks he doesn’t fool around. “Merch Table” is a solid rocker about playing live, he sings “It’s been a decade since you bought new music, got rid of all your old CDs/ You want to clutter up the house with new songs like these?” If it all sounds like this, then absolutely. No doubt here, it makes my top ten list for 2018 and is super highly recommended.

Amazon | CD Baby

Creamer

Creamer “Creamer”

Nashville singer-guitarist Philip Creamer is a new force to contend with in the power pop community. His distinct sound gets its style mining classic ‘70s influences, just imagine if Elton John joined Big Star playing The Raspberries. If that sounds like an earful, you are correct. Creamer starts with the epic scope of “Daydreamer,” with its gentle building melody, deep chords, and impressive crooning. And power pop fans will find the opening bridge of “Record Machine” irresistible with its “ooh-ah” bridge, riffs and handclaps that sound timeless. Creamer tends to extend his songs for both dramatic effect and musical variety, as demonstrated on the infectious “Drugs No More” and “Ride or Die.”

The album’s first half can do no wrong, and he starts to spread beyond the Power Pop and Glam genres on the second half. He gets funky on “Magic” where he’s looking for some “real rock and roll,” and dazzles with Queen-like bravado.  In fact, there isn’t a weak song on the album, except the overtly religious ballad “White Dove.” Overall another contender for top ten album of 2018. Highly Recommended.

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