David Bash’s Top 125 Album list

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It’s that time of year again! I post this list to benefit people who are not on Facebook. For the newbies here, David Bash is the CEO of IPO (International Pop Overthrow) music festival and generally a grand poobah of Power Pop opinion. So I’m proud to say we both picked the same #1 album of the year, Sitcom Neighbor’s Shag! All of my top 30 are in here, plus a ton of music I did not get to review. If you’d like to see other categories, like top re-issues – you’ll need to contact David through Facebook. And if you’d like to see another good power pop end-of-year list, check out the blogs that actively support power pop, for example, Absolute Power Pop, Power Pop Square, Power Pop Station (also, picked Shag at #1) and Power Pop News. So let’s begin.

Top 125 Albums

  1. Sitcom Neighbor-Shag (Gravity Works)
  2. Mark & The Clouds-Cumulus (Mega Dodo)
  3. The Flywheels-I’m For The Flowers (MLM)
  4. Brent Cash-The New High (Marina)
  5. Dent May-Across The Multiverse (Carpark)
  6. Wesley Fuller-Inner City Dream (1965)
  7. Derrick Anderson-A World of My Own (Omnivore)
  8. The Galileo 7-Tear Your Minds Wide Open (Damaged Goods)*
  9. The Belmondos-Good Mistakes (Self Released)
  10. Ruby Free-Shades (SodaStar)
  11. The Stanleys-The Stanleys (Pop Detective/Off The Hip/Rock Indiana)
  12. Mothboxer-The Secret Art of Saying Nothing (Self Released)
  13. Sex Clark Five-Ghost Brigade (Russia)
  14. Justin Levinson-Yes Man (Self Released)
  15. The Nines-Colour Radio (T.A.S. Gold)
  16. Cheap Trick-Cheap Trick Christmas (Big Machine)
  17. Groovy Movies-Groovy Movies (Hidden Volume)*
  18. The John Sally Ride-A New Set of Downs (Kool Kat)
  19. Sidewalk Society-Strange Roads: The Songs of Rolled Gold (Fruits De Mer)
  20. El Goodo-By Order of The Moose (Strangetown)
  21. The Sexies-The Sexies (Self Released)
  22. Chris Price-Stop Talking (Omnivore)
  23. Chris Lund-Great Event Syndrome (Self Released)
  24. Pugwash-Silver Lake (Lojinx)
  25. Eyelids-Or (Jealous Butcher)
  26. Burgess Meredith-A Dimension of Sound (Self Released)
  27. Corin Ashley-Broken Biscuits (Murray Hill)
  28. Paul Bertolino-Toy Box (No Label)
  29. Richard X. Heyman-Incognito (Turn-Up)
  30. Wiretree-Towards The Sky (Self Released)
  31. Third of Never-Austerity (Jam)
  32. Michael Roberts-Suspended In This Space (Digitalis)
  33. The Brass Buttons-Seven Seasons (Rock Indiana)
  34. Once & Future Band-Once & Future Band (Castle Face)
  35. Gail George-Bloom (Self Released)
  36. Richard Turgeon-In Between The Spaces (Kool Kat)
  37. Robyn Hitchcock-Robyn Hitchcock (Yep Roc)
  38. The New Pornographers-Whiteout Conditions (Collected Works)
  39. The Sighs-Wait On Another Day (OMAD)
  40. Balduin-Bohemian Garden (Sunstone)*
  41. Serpent Power-Electric Looneyland (Skeleton Key)
  42. Duncan Reid & The Big Heads-Bombs Away (Self Released)
  43. Brenyama-Euphoria Love (JEM)
  44. Squeeze-The Knowledge (Love)
  45. Daniel Wylie’s Cosmic Rough Riders-Scenery For Dreamers (Self Released)
  46. The Kik-Stad En Land (Excelsior)
  47. The Charlatans-Different Days (Self Released)
  48. Alain Pire Experience-Songs From The 13th Floor (Self-Released)
  49. Plasticsoul-Therapy (Big Stir)
  50. The Lunar Laugh-Mama’s Boy (You Are The Cosmos)
  51. Jane Bordeaux-Ma She’Hashoov (Self Released)
  52. The Virtues-Oh Dear (Zip)
  53. The Wellingtons-End of The Summer (Off The Hip)
  54. Gospelbeach-Another Summer of Love (Alive!)
  55. Nick Heyward-Woodland Echoes (Universal/Sony)
  56. Pseudonym-Pack of Lies (Kool Kat)
  57. Ride-Weather Diaries (Wichita)
  58. Greg Ieronimo-Never Leaving California (Self-Released)
  59. Liam Gallagher-As You Were (Warner )
  60. The On & Ons-Welcome Aboard (Citadel)
  61. The Kik-Hertaalt! (Excelsior)
  62. Dan Auerbach-Waiting On A Song (Easy Eye Sound)
  63. Dana Countrymen-The Joy of Pop (Sterling Swan)
  64. Fastball-Step Into The Light (Self Released)
  65. The Blood Rush Hour-Who Folds First (Nicola)
  66. Ameoba Teen-Selection Box Vol. 1 (Magic Circle)
  67. Cotton Mather-Wild Kingdom (Star Apple Kingdom)
  68. Simon Felton-Topsy Turvy (Pink Hedgehog)
  69. The Len Price 3-Kentish Longtails (JLM)
  70. Pop Co Op-Four State Solution (Silent Burglar)
  71. Temples-Volcano (Fat Possum)
  72. The Naturals-We Are The Naturals (Popboomerang)
  73. Real Estate-In Mind (Domino)
  74. Strangers In A Strange Land-Strangers In A Strange Land (Self Released)
  75. The Singles-Sweet Tooth (Self Released)
  76. Cait Brennan-Third (Omnivore)
  77. Smart Patrol-Overage Underachievers (Off The Hip)
  78. The Connection-Just For Fun! (Rum Bar)
  79. The Tearaways-Esq. (AMR)
  80. King Washington-Potential (The End)
  81. Neil Finn-Out of Silence (Universal)
  82. Gloria-In Excelsis Stereo (Howlin’ Banana)
  83. The Simple Carnival-Smitten (Sundrift)
  84. Propeller-Don’t Ever Let This Let You Down (Moving Wall)
  85. The Hangabouts-Kits & Cats and Saxon Wise (Futureman)
  86. The Mylars-Melody Records (Melody)
  87. Phil Angotti-Such Stories (Cavdog)
  88. Karla Kane-King’s Daughters Home For Incurables (MLM)
  89. Punch Punch Kick-Punch Punch Kick (Lollipop)
  90. The Shins-Heartworms (Columbia)
  91. Mark Crozer and The Rels-Sunny Side Down (Planting Seeds)
  92. Game Theory-Supercalifragile (KCM)
  93. Suzy & Los Quattro-Faster & Louder! (Rock Indiana)
  94. Honeychain-Crushed (Self Released)
  95. The Safes-Tasty Waves (Hidden Volume)*
  96. Celsi, Bragg & Maitland-The Road To Glasgow (Steel Derrick)
  97. Sparks-Hippopotamus (P&C)
  98. Flamin’ Groovies-Fantastic Plastic (Burger)
  99. Charles Jenkins & The Zhivagos-The Last Polaroid
  100. Hornal-The Game Begins With The Lights Out (Self-Released)
  101. Todd O’Keefe-Uptown (Self Released)
  102. Freezing Hands-II (Hidden Volume)
  103. Fernando Perdomo-The Golden Hour (Forward Motion)
  104. Gentle Brent-Just Dandy (Jigsaw)
  105. Shake Some Action!-Crash Through Or Crash (Satellite)
  106. The Men-Sunburst (TMI)
  107. Stevie Moore/Jason Falkner-Make It Be (Bar None)
  108. Chris Church-Limitations of Source Tape (Spyderpop)
  109. Cheap Trick-We’re All Alright! (Big Machine)
  110. The Viewers-Universal Sky (Self Released)
  111. The Maharajas-You Can’t Beat Youth (Low Impact)*
  112. Judy Dyble/Andy Lewis-Summer Dancing (Acid Jazz)
  113. The Forty Nineteens-Good Fortune (Kool Kat)
  114. The Baron Four-Silvaticus (Get Hip)
  115. Autos Detroit-Second Best (Self Released)
  116. The Wheels-The Year of The Monkey (Warner Chapell)
  117. Leisure McCorkle-5000 Light Years Beyond The Speed of Sound (Nappystar Chocolate)
  118. Blair Packham-Unpopular Pop (Self Released)
  119. Kris Rodgers-Losing The Frequency (Rum Bar)
  120. The Deep Six-Introducing The Deep Six (Heavy Soul)
  121. Ryan Hamilton & The Traitors-The Devil’s In The Detail (Fanny Pack)
  122. Gordy Garris-Never Give Up (Self Released)
  123. The Yellow Melodies-Life (The Beautiful Music)
  124. The Clientele-Music For The Age of Miracles-Merge
  125. Magic Bus-Phillip The Egg (Back To The Garden)

Top 10 EPs

  1. Cliff Hillis-Many Happy Returns (Tallboy)
  2. Irene Pena-Trying Not To Smile (Self Released)
  3. Borgh-Stars, Bars & Vintage Guitars (Self Released)
  4. Thrift Store Halo-Pop Rocket (Hi-Beam)
  5. The Seasongs-Dias Y Noches (Clifford)*
  6. Jamie & Steve-Subtextural (Loaded Goat)
  7. E Joseph and The Sparrows-Glorygram Vol. Three (Mantaray)
  8. Dave Rave & The Governors-The Indicator (RaeBeat)
  9. Christine B Phelan-Mind Games (Self Released)
  10. The Hingles-No Matter What (HAK-P)

Sparks “Hippopotamus”

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Sparks

Sparks “Hippopotamus”

I have to acknowledge the musical “elephant in the room” (or is that expression “hippo in the room”?) in that one of the longest lasting and most unique sounding bands continues to produce substantial music without compromise nearly 50 years along. I’m talking about Sparks, more specifically the Mael brothers; Ron and Russell. I can’t think of any other musical artist short of Todd Rundgren who deftly avoids commercial success, yet keeps its cult fan base on the edge of its seat over the course of decades. It makes sense that Rundgren helped get them started too, signing them to his Bearsville label and produced their self-titled 1971 debut. Early on, Sparks was compared favorably with 10cc, but with even more artistic integrity. I would encourage the uninitiated to explore the vast back catalog which I consider experimental power pop until the band’s shift to electronic disco on 1979’s No.1 in Heaven, which is considered the band’s commercial breakthrough in the US.

But I digress, as Hippopotamus the band’s 23rd album retains Ron Mael’s sharp wit, and Russel’s iconic vocals as best displayed early on for “Missionary Position.” The meta-melodramatic “Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me)” is a great example of Sparks musical auteurism. And like most Sparks work, some tunes are perfectly accessible (“Unaware”) and others border on annoying (“Giddy Giddy”). The title track is a surrealist nursery rhyme, and another highlight is the light and wobbly “I Wish You Were Fun.”

Even when the subject gets somber, like on “Bummer” about a funeral service or “Life with the Macbeths” the impressive operatic musical composition showcases the brothers’ knack for brilliance. When I was done, I felt compelled to revisit the early period work and marvel at how ahead of its time it was and how it holds up even today. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

Kai Danzberg and Third of Never

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Kai Danzberg “Pop-Up Radio”

We first heard about German musician Kai Danzberg last year on an EP, but he’s been very busy since then. You gotta appreciate a guy who wears his power pop influences on his sleeve, or in this case his entire body. It all starts with the faux Jellyfish opener “Welcome To The Show” with references The Beatles, Jellyfish, Queen, The Bee Gees and Pink Floyd(?). It uses every audio cue you could think of, a chiming piano, layered effects, and all that instrumentation is impressive. The piano coda leads into the sunny “Yes We Can” which is the kind of harmonic pop similar to The Sonic Executive Sessions or Paul Steel. The chorus pleads and delivers a full-on sugar rush.

The entire album follows this style, highlights include the “You’re The One,” “How Can You” and the earnest gem “Too Late.” But the pop sweetness wears off by the album’s mid-point. There are lots of compelling musical elements, however not everything here has a hook and often the atmosphere and production overshadow the song compositions. Fortunately, there is enough to make this a highly recommended listen. Fans of the above-referenced bands will appreciate it, and if you’re a Michael Jackson fan you’ll definitely want to check out his recent Unacceptable EP. Oh yeah, Kai has also made this a FREE download – so dig in!

Bandcamp

Third of Never

Third of Never “Austerity”

A New Jersey power pop band with the emphasis on “power” is made up of Jon Dawson, CJ Grogan, Vince Grogan, and Mike Polilli with Kurt Reil (The Grip Weeds) and John Bundrick (The Who) lending a hand. The pounding drums and thick riffs of “Kidnapped Information” showcase the bands crackling energy that will really appeal to fans of The Who or Blue Oyster Cult. “Dig The View” is another great song meant to be played loud.

The atmospheric hard rock of “Run Silent, Run Deep” is another winner, and even the lead vocals resemble Roger Daltry. The band keeps the pedal to the floor, although the tempo finally slows on “18 Strings,” a song with some great percussive effects and texture. And we finally hear those harmonies on the closer “Shanty Town.” This would’ve made my top 30 if I heard it earlier this year. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

Power Popaholic Top 30 for 2017

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Another banner year for great music if you avoided the mainstream music press.  It’s pretty easy to guess my list based on the numbered reviews, and we did have two “tens” in the group this year. Other albums fell or rose in rank based on multiple listens after my review, a good example of this is Chris Price’s LP that just haunted me for weeks (despite the fact that few tunes are traditionally considered “power pop”). There were also more high-quality albums out there this year, so I expanded my list to 30. Here are the top power pop albums of 2017:

  1. Sitcom Neighbor “Shag”
  2. Derrick Anderson “A World Of My Own”
  3. Pugwash “Silverlake”
  4. Fastball “Step Into Light”
  5. Scott Gagner “Pins & Needles”
  6. Plasticsoul “Therapy”
  7. Wesley Fuller “Inner City Dream”
  8. Liam Gallagher “As You Were”
  9. Fernando Perdomo “The Golden Hour”
  10. The Wellingtons “End of The Summer”
  11. The Nines “Colour Radio (American Transistor)”
  12. Chris Price “Stop Talking”
  13. Bill DeMain “Transatlantic Romantic”
  14. Hornal ”The Game Begins with the Lights Out”
  15. Ruby Free “Shades”
  16. Greg Ieronimo “Never Leaving California”
  17. Burgess Meredith “A Dimension of Sound”
  18. Onesie “Leos Consume”
  19. The Relationship “Clara Obscura”
  20. Corin Ashley “Broken Biscuits”
  21. Cotton Mather “Wild Kingdom”
  22. The Blood Rush Hour “Who Folds First”
  23. Propeller “Don’t Ever Let This Let You Down”
  24. The Mylars “Melody Records”
  25. Cheap Trick “We’re All Alright!”
  26. Chris Lund “Great Event Syndrome”
  27. The Naturals “We Are The Naturals”
  28. The Galileo 7 “Tear Your Minds Wide Open!”
  29. Mothboxer ”The Secret Art of Saying Nothing”
  30. Captain Wilberforce “Black Sky Thinking”

Top EPs of 2017

  1. Cirrone “Kings For A Night” EP
  2. V-Sparks “New Sensation” EP
  3. The Red Button “Now It’s All This!”
  4. Stay “Always Here” EP
  5. TimeWhy?s “Autumn of Love” EP

 

KiDD and Ryan Allen’s New Year present

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KiDD

KiDD “Where Are The Strange People?”

KiDD is Glasgow musician Stuart Kidd, who’s also been part of The Wellgreen and Doctor Cosmo’s Tape Lab. He has emerged from his bedroom recording studio with a batch of lo-fi pop gems, including a children’s music album. If you enjoyed Harry Nilsson’s “The Point” or Ringo’s “Octopus’s Garden,” you’ll find KiDD a refreshing listen.

The instrumentation is sparse, but the melodies are tightly packed. The opener “Little Flower” has this sweet combo of jangling guitar and futuristic bubble popping sounds in the rhythm, as the harmonies flow along. The combination of pastoral and futuristic on “Cyan Seren” is a mellow gem that won me over right away. The album’s second half features several psychedelic textural pieces like “Callisto” and “Modified Radio Birdsong.” The psyche-pop of “Looking For The Way Out” is another trippy melody that sticks, but doesn’t linger too long. A very pleasant distraction and overall a great headphones album.

Bandcamp | Pretty Olivia Records

Happy New Year from Ryan Allen!

We get a nice gift (aka FREE download) from Ryan Allen and his Extra Arms. “The Boy Who Bounces Back” and “New Year’s Day” are two tracks that were recorded but left off of 2016’s Basement Punk. Great stuff!

The Best of 2017 List comes out Friday!

A great year for music, and even though I’ll continue reviewing some of last year’s albums, the list is almost ready. We will also post David Bash’s best of List the following week. Stay tuned!