Dan Israel and Secret Trees

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Dan Israel “Dan”

Fans of Tom Petty, Dylan and The Traveling Wilburys will be quite taken by the tight melodies of Dan Isreal. It’s not that Dan is a bundle of sunshine, but he’s a music veteran with typical country-western themes of heartache and loss running through his compositions. “Be With Me” has a catchy bounce and Katie Geartys’ vocal harmonies are a perfect compliment.

“You Don’t Love Me Anymore” is a radio-ready rocker of romance-gone-wrong featuring Adam Levy (Honeydogs) on guitar and Bethany Larson on vocals. The 12-string electric-guitar jangle goodness of “Can’t Believe It” and “Lonely Too” play out like lost Wilco tunes, and overall the quality of songs is pretty consistent. Dan’s been playing for a while (this is his 13th album) and he’s definitely an artist who deserves to be heard.

Amazon | CD Baby

Secret Trees

Secret Trees “Till We Find Ourselves”

Los Angeles-based Secret Trees excel in creating atmospheric chamber pop that soothes – the opener “Beautiful Forever” is a flowing melody with amazing harmonies. Taking influences from Tears for Fears, Bon Iver and The Beach Boys – it really made me take notice.

Unfortunately the next several tracks are understated minimalism in “Some Room To Spin” and the sleep inducing moodscape “Til We Find Ourselves.” Thankfully we get back to something melodic to go with the flawless technique on “Better Things” with its sweet bridge full of strings and acoustic guitar. The roots flavored “The Sound of Your Love Breaking” and “One More Lonely” round out the best tracks. Produced with a lush sonic depth, this is a band you should check out and I hope we’ll get to hear more in the near future.

Itunes

Three Hour Tour “Action and Heroes”

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Three Hour Tour “Action and Heroes”

It seems like forever since I last heard Darren Cooper’s band Three Hour Tour. Truth is it’s been 5 years and I’m thrilled we have some new music with Action and Heroes. Darren still has Adam Schmitt as his engineer and producer, and Brad Elvis covers the drums. The opener “March of The Fakers” is a heavy with fuzz guitar riffs, war drumming and blistering solos that wouldn’t be out of place on a Foo Fighters or GBV album. Darren crafts a personal statement that’s sure to resonate with music fans. It goes without saying that fans of The Grip Weeds, Myracle Brah or The Well Wishers should get this album immediately.

Overall, the music is high quality power pop, and nearly every track is a compelling listen. “Afterlife” is a classic rocker and the title track is a sing-along anthem, stating “we could use another hero in this world.” The late 70’s arena rock influence (specifically Boston) is strong on the brilliant “Room With A View” and “Tonight.” Darren does get a bit indulgent on the Zepplinesque “No Guarantee,” but my favorite track here is “Somewhere” with its goosebump inducing minor chord structure and hook in the chorus. Highly Recommended and it makes sense to add it to my top ten list for 2015.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Power Pop en Español: Jose Estragos and Super Ratones

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Jose Estragos “Vol.3”

Madrid Spain has always been a bastion of power pop talent. I was lucky to catch Jose at IPO in New York last week while he was fresh promoting his third album. Jose is an avid Beatles fan, and its shows from his Merseybeat music recorded in Abbey Road studio #2  to his album cover drawn by the legendary Klaus Voorman. This third album completes a trilogy, the earlier albums are available in the USA.

Jose Estragos II | Jose Estragos I | Amazon Spain

Súper Ratones “Mancha Registrada”

This Argentine band has been around since the late ’90s and remains active today. A good place to start would be Mancha Registrada (2000), with influences ranging from Beach Boys, Beatles, ELO and Queen. “Como Un Fantasma” could almost be a James Bond theme, with its dramatic guitars and “Otro Dia En La Vida” certainly has excellent pop production with soaring choruses and punctuating strings. The album was produced by Los Pericos’ guitarist Juanchi Baleiron and “Cómo Estamos Hoy” was a big hit in Argentina. Even though Súper Ratones never broke through to the USA, they still deserve to be heard by power pop fans.

Amazon

The Nines and The Reign

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The Nines

The Nines “Circles In The Snow” EP and “Rare cuts and demos”

Steve Eggers of The Nines has been very busy this year, hot on the heels of his latest album Night Surfer and The Cassette Kids, we have a fresh EP. This is a continuation of The Nines heavier style on “Circles in the snow (tapes and transcripts Vol.1)” with Bill Majoros (The Foreign Films) supplying the growling guitar riffs. The big highlight here is “Someone Like You,” with a rich wall of layered guitar sound, horn accents, and smooth chord shifts. “Circles in the Snow” has a tinkling synth, and deep beat with a thick ‘80s vibe, and “Fire In The Disco” has the staccato guitar riffs similar to early XTC. Overall a very good collection of songs, this EP is the first in a series so be sure to look out for the next one.

Amazon

A fascinating collection of bits and pieces from The Nines entire history. Some great music tends to get lost in the cracks, and “Don’t Worry Susan” is a standout right away. And “Is There Something I’m Missing” is a great example of how Eggers takes an ordinary melody and layer the elements to make something special. It’s also easy to see why some tracks didn’t make it, “Crazy, Lazy, Crazy, Crazy” is just a little too much like Nilsson’s “Think About Your Troubles” and “Life Is Worth Living” is missing most of the lyrics. While not essential, Nines fans should add these flawed gems to their collection.

Bandcamp only


The Reign “The Long Wait”

Lead singer-songwriter Joe Caravella adds his own homespun take on power pop with his new album, as the jangling Rickenbacker is joined by grungy guitar rhythms on “Lodi Smiles.” The harmonies on “Prize” is a strong homage to Badfinger in tone and “Nothing Comes Around” boasts unique chord progressions in the chorus. You’ll hear influences from Pearl Jam, Extreme and The Beatles, of course. Joe has a more standard power pop tune with the mid tempo “Beside Me (Mary’s Song)” and the ballad “The Last Words” reminds me of Gary Cherone’s acoustic work.

Joe’s vocals are clear and deep, similar in style to Rob Grill (The Grass Roots) on “Not So Lonely” and “If You Think You Can.” The Reign don’t stay stuck in a single style either, although it leans heavily on early 70’s classic rock. At a long 16 tracks you get plenty of bang for your buck, even though it tends to wander into long jams and awkward psychedelics toward the end.  Definitely worth exploring, as the albums first half is simply excellent.

CD Baby | Amazon

 

 

EP reviews: The Persian Leaps, Goodman, Yes You Are

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The Persian Leaps “High and Vibrate”

This Minnesota band brings us a wall of heavy fuzz guitar riffs on “The Infection” and the big standout here “Dottie. Queen of The West.” The tempo and approach remind me of Echo & The Bunnymen or The Smiths. A faster pace and steady beat on “Frozen” is another solid song with ringing guitar chords and harmonies thanks to Adam Brunner(bass guitar), Drew Fosberg (lead guitar) and Michael McCloskey (drums). “Anthem” keeps the pace and makes this a highly enjoyable EP – check it out!

Amazon

Goodman “Goodman”

These four tracks were originally cut from Michael Goodman’s upcoming release, not because of quality, mind you, but because a 16-song album seemed excessive. “Lessons Learned In Love” has a bedroom pop vaudevillian style, with a cool coda full of Beach Boys styled harmonies and old piano echo. “Telegram Girl” has a mod hook and its a real gem about breaking up, as he intones “Why should I waste my life on you?”  The shuffling beat of “Movies” is another fun song with hand-claps and echoing vocal brimming with cool confidence. I really look forward to the full length after hearing this!


Yes You Are

Ex-Tilly and the Wall lead singer Kianna Alarid is part of a new band that plays an intense pop style with sing along hooks in the chorus and snyth-covered rhythms. A bit too close to mainstream pop in “Echo,” but “World Without End” is a little Annie Lenox mixed with U2. Listen for free at http://weareyesyouare.com/sound/