David Brookings and Gary Ritchie

powerpopaholic

David Brookings and The Average Lookings

California musician David Brookings has been a steady favorite of mine for many years, refining his songwriting craft and sound with each album since 2000. With his new band The Average Lookings, David delivers a truly unique sound that retains his main influences (Beatles, Beach Boys, Byrds) without sounding imitative. His vocals are a little like Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) so he has better range than most. Each song here hits the bulls-eye; “Hearts” starts us off with its effective catchy chorus, jangling rhythm and ending crescendo. The hand-clapping, bouncy “Time To Go” is a perfect follow up and “The Optimist” is another gem that proves “you’ll never be a winner unless you lose for quite a while.” Even the ballads like “Don’t Stop to Doubt Yourself” are compelling both lyrically and melodically.

Another memorable twist is the country-tinged rocker “I’m in Love With Your Wife,” which is a fictional accounting of Eric Clapton bragging to George Harrison that his girl Patti “looks wonderful tonight.” Beautifully written and produced, its all killer, no filler – and enough variety in style and tone that keeps the music fresh and unpredictable. It’s darn close to a flawless record and rockets to the top of my best LP of 2016 list.

Itunes | Buy direct from David | CD Baby

Here is a great bio video of David…

Gary Ritchie

Gary Ritchie “Poptimistic”

Chicagoan Gary Ritchie returns on Poptimistic and from the bouncy opening “Million Dollars” its very much like a classic Rubinoos single followed by “Let’s Pretend,” a Beatlesque tune full of simple lyrics and Rickenbacker bass lines. Clearly Ritchie has improved his songwriting over the years, as the compositions are tighter than past albums. “Subtle as a Freight Train” allows both Ritchie and co-guitarist Jeff King to show off a bit, and Gary also has a love of old school ’50s pop Buddy Holly style on “Perfect Girl.”

No filler anywhere, and plenty of catchy gems like “Carol Says” about a profile of a fortune teller and “Dial 9,” a mid-tempo Merseybeat charmer. The attitude of all the songs are summed up in “Real Good Feeling,” and if you are a fan of retro-grade pop perfection look no further. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | CD Baby | Kool Kat Musik

EP Reviews: The Top Boost, Easy Roscoe, Boys on The Beach

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Automat

The Top Boost “Turn Around” EP

The Top Boost is Vancouver’s newest garage pop trio (Hunter Gogo, Kirill Yurtsev, Greg Johnston), and their debut EP Turn Around was recorded and mixed in Vancouver and mastered at Abbey Road Studios in London. And it sure sounds fantastic, after a quick intro “What If She Loves You” takes its cue from 1980s song structure and psychedelic 60s jangle. Think bands like The Ocean Blue, Aztec Camera, and The La’s. Each compelling, catchy melody resonates from the romantic “Tell That Girl” to the shimmering “Still On My Mind.” The title track is unusual, it has a swirling melodic chorus interrupted by ascending minor chords that give it a sinister feel. One of the best debut EPs I’ve heard so far this year.

Amazon


Easy Roscoe “Piñata” EP

Nashville rockers that have an easy going, fun approach with their bright vocals and catchy guitar riffs. “Roll Baby Roll” is a great start, and “Green Leather Jacket” is a little Green Day and Gin Blossoms with a bit of Southern attitude. Some nice harmonies and call and response vocals make “By The Water” another gem. Then add a funk rhythm and bass guitar to those harmonies, and “Whoa-o-o” you have a easy party song on “We Cry.” An impressive debut.

Amazon


Boys On The Beach “Addiction”

It’s a stretch to call this an EP, more like a single (2 tracks) but this band from Tokyo, Japan knows how to rock. “I Hate This Addiction” has big echoing fuzz chords and dense percussion. Even better is the B-side “It’s Allright, it’s Okay” with Japanese verse and an English chorus. Hope to hear more from these guys!

Bandcamp | Boysonthebeach.net

The Honeydogs and Champagne

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Honeydogs

The Honeydogs “Love & Cannibalism”

The Honeydogs return this year, and lead dog Adam Levy (fresh off his brilliant solo LP Naubinway) unwinds a bluesy pop opener “Vermillion Billows (Shouldn’t Take It So Hard)” with a smart lead riff in the chorus and just like that, The Honeydogs are back. “Devices” has the band sounding tighter than ever, with jazz horn and funk guitar accents. Levy makes music here that is both celebratory and soulful.

“Art & Vandalism” is my favorite here, a Honeydog classic about “counting your blessings” and it has a Steely Dan-like confidence alongside its catchy melody. “Wheels” and “Left Alone” are good upbeat rockers, and “Looking Through the Sun” is another great guitar melody, so no filler here either. The Americana themed “Ordinary Legs” and Caribbean themed “Little Sister” close out this fine album, highly recommended and worthy of many repeat listens.

Amazon


Champagne

Champagne “Beach Closed”

Champagne is a band from Cádiz, Spain that explodes on the scene with Beach Closed. The loud opener “Tell Me Why” is a piano-guitar melody that is everything we love about power pop, from the catchy chorus to infectious guitar solo midway through. Despite the euro-accented vocals,”Visiting You” is another gem that rings true with deep riffs closer in style to Weezer or The Gigolo Aunts. It does veer into arena rock territory with “Don’t Feed The Animal” and “The Van,” but the energy level is high and songs still engage you.

“It’s Alright” is a campfire beach sing-along with a simple ukulele and guitar melody and “Where’s Barbara Ann?” is a wonderful Beach Boys themed rocker that’s my favorite here. Another terrific ear-worm is “Plastic Feelings,” with a toe tapping guitar melody and “Weller” is a nice shout out to The Jam frontman. It ends with the lovely harmonies of “Hawaii,” especially the dream-like layered ending. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

Arvidson & Butterflies and Weezer

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Edward Rogers

Arvidson & Butterflies “Arvidson & Butterflies”

A big thanks to Wayne “The Ice Cream Man” Ford, a power pop blogger/radio DJ who helped bring Swedish power pop musician Roger Arvidson to my attention. Backed by a first rate band known as The Butterflies, its full of jangling Rickenbackers and uplifting themes. Fans of Joe Algeri’s work (The Jangle Band, Britannicas, and The JAC) will feel at home with this album. Starting with“Tired Of Running,” it has that Byrdsian layered rhythms and echoing vocals sure to please.

The album follows this formula, as each song is crisp and inviting and but especially good “Changing All The Time” has a little more weight reminding me of Tom Petty. No filler here, although “Change The World” gets a little preachy with its mantra. Roger even gets a little wild on “Alright” with its head shaking tempo. Another big thanks to Kool Kat Musik for releasing this highly recommended album.

Kool Kat Musik | Amazon (EP only)


Weezer

Weezer “The White Album”

When the band decided to “come back to the shack” on Everything Will Be All Right in the End it appeared Rivers Cuomo had embraced Weezer’s glorious past. So on this newest self titled LP known as “The White Album” Rivers teams up with Dan Wilson (Semisonic) on the opening track “California Kids.” But as an opener it feels like a overproduced throwaway track, with its “ooh-wee-ooh” backing and familiar structure we’ve heard before, almost like a Weezer cover band. The melody on the piano of “Wind in Our Sail” is much better, and the chiming “(Girl We Got A) Good Thing” is a real winner with its joyful chorus and solid guitar break. Whew! Weezer is back.

However we still get lyrical weirdness of “Thank God For Girls,” a male rant/rap that pokes at gender fears and offers absurd analogies without much melody. Also “Do You Wanna Get High?” painfully tries to re-create the era of Blue Album – it almost works, but its Rivers love letter to his wife Kyoto “King of the World,” that feels closest to the “old” Weezer in terms of style. “Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori” continues this nostalgic trip. The good news is that the band still sounds great and makes an effort to tell stories that tie together, and it succeeds for the most part. Even with a few duds, this is the Weezer you know and love. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

Gentle Hen and Gretchen’s Wheel

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Gentle Hen

Gentle Hen “The Bells on the Boats on the Bay”

Gentle Hen is the creation of Northampton Mass. songwriter Henning Ohlenbusch. The band includes Brian Marchese, Max Gemer, Ken Maiuri, and Tony Westcott. These are emotional, easy going pop tunes starting with the relaxed “I Don’t Know About Anyone Else But” with its catchy chorus and its repeating echo motif.  Its a little like They Might Be Giants without all the nerdy subject matter or accordion — “Jake and Kim Broke Up (Leave Me Out of It)” has a snazzy rhythm and soaring vocal ending.

Overall the music is compelling as “I Wasn’t Looking For This” and “Somebody Else’s Problem” is about the difficulties of breaking up (with a very sweet Kinks reference.)  Sometimes the limitations of Henning’s vocal range are evident on several songs, but the multi-tracking on “the Wrongway Out of Town” make it very palatable. Another fun gem is the stream-of-thought lyrics on “The People You See Regularly Never Grow Old.” Worth checking out!

Amazon


Gretchen's Wheel

Gretchen’s Wheel “Behind the Curtain”

Gretchen’s Wheel is the brainchild of Nashville-based Lindsay Murray. Her music is a lush indie-pop with some power pop influences. While her first album Fragile State was produced by Ken Stringfellow (Posies) this new album is assisted by musicians Phil Ajjarapu, Ira Elliot (Nada Surf), Donny Brown, Andy Reed, and Jack Thomas.

The quick tempo “Invisible Thief” starts out good, but “Younger Every Year” is a stunning composition that showcases a lush pop sensibility and Lindsay’s ethereal vocal. “The Good Things” is another song with an easy flowing melody, but the guitar takes center stage on “Live Through You,” delivering a rock solid tune.  “Try To Make It” is another gem written by the power pop legend Sloan, so you just gotta give Gretchen’s Wheel a spin.

Amazon