The Greek Theatre and The Cool Whips

powerpopaholic
The Greek Theatre

The Greek Theatre “Broken Circle”

Sweden’s premier West Coast psych-pop outfit is back. If you can stay awake during the seven minute plus instrumental opener “Fat Apple (at About Noon)” you will be treated to the pastoral prog greatness that is “Paper Moon” with sweet laid back harmonies and finely textured melody. The slower “Broken Circle” is a folk influenced gem with layers of banjo, vocals, and bass.

Vocally its part Harpers Bizzare and part Beach Boys, as Sven Fröberg and Frederick Persson weave the songs together into a tapestry of many moods. The title track shreds like Eric Clapton playing on a Free Design album and its another highlight. Fans of prog and folk will enjoy this, but if you are looking to “rock out” I’d pick something else.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

The Cool Whips

The Cool Whips “Baddies”

Portland band, The Cool Whips play a very bubble gummy style of power pop. Mainly using guitar and Farfisa, they churn out songs in the late ’60s tradition and Baddies is a perfect companion to their 2014 album Goodies. The first track is the slow tempo “My Old Man is A Drag” and it’s a psychedelic teenage rant that’s actually timeless.

The bubble gum is quite sticky with “The Peppermint Tree” and “There Must Have Been Sugar In It,” like a lost 1910 Fruitgum Company track. Then they shift a bit with “Field of Flowers” and the lead vocalist sounds like Elvis Costello here, so it’s a nice change of pace. Other highlights include the bouncy “Time Will Tell” and “Inside Outside.” This band serves its niche well, so check it out.

Power Popaholic Fest 2017: Day 2

powerpopaholic


More music and fun on our second night at Power Popaholic Fest. We had Somerdale start things with selections from their top ten album Shake it Maggie. Then straight from Chicago came The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club, playing an electric mix of rock, psyche, and pop. We also welcomed the return of Jana Peri, who played at our very first festival six years ago. We ended things with The Rockinghams playing classic garage rock covers. Thank you all for attending! Our 2017 Fest page will be updated with tons of photos later this week.

Power Popaholic Fest 2017: Day 1

powerpopaholic


A great time was had by all on our first night at Power Popaholic Fest. We had The James Rocket blast off to start things followed by the awesome combo of Slyboots, they started with a version of Cheap Trick’s “Tonight It’s You” that had the crowd jumping! The Successful Failures followed and impressed everyone too! We then introduced a new band; The Great Fraud, and people were dancing late into the night! One more night to go!

James AM Downes and Onesie

powerpopaholic

James AM Downes “Prison Font”

The opener “Bait My Soul” is a sweetly descriptive pop confection, about a girl “with “fuck off” lips and a face so sweet” who gets away with a good hook accented by handclaps. “Not Thinking It Over” is another gem with a jangling rhythm and strong catchy chorus.

The title track has a familiar sounding guitar rhythm (recalling Lennon’s “Mind Games”) but Downes fragile tenor here resembles Mick Hucknall (Simply Red). The strong lyrics and the descending chords in the chorus push the song into “hit” territory. The remaining tracks don’t reach as high, but don’t disappoint either. Overall, James simply has the raw talent that deserves recognition. An impressive debut.

CD Baby | Amazon


Onesie

Onesie “Leos Consume”

Onesie is the musical moniker for Brooklyn-based songwriter Ben Haberland. Stitching together vivid, hooky guitar pop anthems from scraps of Brit pop, punk, and rock, it rocks nicely on its debut Leos Consume. Opening with the terrific gem “Karaoke Killers” full of guitar blasting, hand clapping, hooky goodness. “Credit Score Of 666” has a wicked riff leading the hushed lyric very much like a lost Smash Mouth classic.

And the band doesn’t stick to one style which in this case is a benefit, as it skillfully jumps across genres. “Daytime King” is a little Red Hot Chili Peppers meets Gin Blossoms, and the jangling gem “Hotelekinesis” is sure to encourage dancing. “Husbands in Finance” allows some neat psychedelic instrumentation with its wah-wah guitar lead and climbing bassline.  In fact, it’s impossible to find a bad song here — written with a gusto that even “Ballad Of The Boomerang” struts from its jangly twee roots to a Collective Soul-like power pop. And the frequent guitar breaks just make me love this album more.  A real treat for lovers of melodic rock, it’s both highly recommended and on my list for top ten album of 2017. Don’t miss this one!

Amazon

Mike Benign Compulsion and Andy Stone

powerpopaholic
Mike Benign

Mike Benign Compulsion “Kid”

Milwaukee’s power pop combo The Mike Benign Compulsion return with a sweet (and harsh) look back at childhood. The band (Mike Benign, Joe Vent, Michael Koch and Paul Biemann) brings a solid melodic rock style to the opener “Gadfly” and gets very much like Elvis Costello meets XTC on the excellent title track “Kid.”

The dominant keyboard-guitar combo on “The Best Years of Our Lives” showcases Benign’s muscular melodies, but he can be a Bowie-like troubadour on the narrative “The Legendary Band (That’s Still Together),” which could be about The Stones or any oldies band cynically cashing out. The anthemic guitar opens “Goodbye, Kid Dreams” and continues the adult cynicism with rock and roll. Another strong album for Benign, who ends with the heartfelt lyrics of “If It All Falls Apart,” and once again makes this a highly recommended LP.

Amazon | CD Baby


Andy Stone “Blender”

Stone is a talented indie musician with a love of the sixties and seventies pop, and Blender is similar to the recent solo work of Mimi Betinis. The charming opener “Catherine’s Acting” is a wink and nod to a girl escaping “the madness.”  Another great power pop single here is “Be That Girl,” with a smart hook in the chorus and cheery backing harmonies.

Stone also goes bolder on the rocker “What A Shame” and ambitious “430” but his vocal limitations are more audible here. Highlights include “Our Mutual Friends” and the Dylanesque closer “You Alone, My Universe,” its a lot of fun with plenty of double entendres. Give this one a look, and you won’t be sorry.

CD Baby | Amazon