I wish you all a peaceful, healthy and prosperous Holiday Season.
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Enjoy this new Green Day holiday song!
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Open your present! It’s Close to the Hedge, a collection of new and/or previously unreleased songs donated by the artists and friends of Pink Hedgehog Records. It’s a FREE download!
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Please enter to win a 3-CD collection if you haven’t already. The Top Albums of 2015 list comes out December 28, 2015.
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FREE TO ENTER! This contest is sponsored by the Power Pop Hall Of Fame ™. Now is your chance to win! Submit your name for a chance to win a set of three power pop CDs. The CDs are:
A random drawing will take place at the headquarters at the Power Pop Hall Of Fame ™ on December 31st, 2015. All entries must contain a valid e-mail. Winner will be contacted by e-mail and must have a mailing address within in the United States.
Disclaimer: Winner will be displayed on January, 2, 2016. Power Popaholic may be in touch by e-mail to let you know about concerts, events, and related products. We will NOT share your information any with other persons or entities. If you do not wish to subscribe to our list please contact us to unsubscribe.
Just a few final singles before the holidays…
[su_spacer size=”20″] Burgess Meredith is a 60’s-influenced rock & roll band located in Austin, TX. The band pays tribute to the late great actor and was formed by Josh King, John Vishnesky and Jesse Hester. These guys sound pretty amazing; a bit like a young 10cc, rumor is they’ve been tapped for next years IPO. All I can say is I can’t wait for the new LP to come out. Proof the future of power pop is bright with these artists!
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Big Huge is pop punk band from NYC. I don’t know much about them – but they are unsigned and have a raw energy that’s hard to ignore. Check’em out.
[su_spacer size=”20″] The Swedish Polarbears give us the best Teenage Fanclub song not made by Teenage Fanclub in “Norman Blake.” Although this song isn’t new, the band is working on a new EP for 2016 called The Great Northern.
[su_spacer size=”20″] Alicia Rae is a singer-songwriter from Washington, DC. The self-taught guitarist purchased her first guitar in 2009, and quickly found her knack for songwriting. A little shy, it took some convincing from her loved ones to perform at her first open mic in late 2012. Alicia was quickly recognized for her crisp vocals and catchy lyrics. Pick up her EP at Noisetrade for a mere tip.
Just one more week of reviews for 2015 – next week is our long-awaited year end “Best of” list!
Honeywagen “Jamboree”
Kansas City jangle pop junkies, Mike Penner, Scott Christensen, Bill Ryan and Peter Cook are Honeywagen. I mentioned them in my review of IPO #18, but I wanted to hear the full album Jamboree. Reminds me a bit of Midwestern roots band with Beatlesque flair, starting with “Angel” it has some barroom swing to go with those guitars. Plenty of Byrdsian jangle on “Another Hour,” although the vocals are a bit understated, there are lots of favorite influences here. “Five Point Oh” plays like an old Beach Boys car song and “Good Luck Tonight” is a little bit Big Star and Dwight Twilley combined. Recommended tracks include the high energy “Lose My Mind,” self loathing ballad “Loser,” and the Monkees-like “She Wants.” It was hard to find a bad song, which is a good sign of any highly recommended album. Check it out!
An astute powerpopaholic reader alerted me to this gem. Hooten Tennis Club combines arty noise-pop and power pop into something like Pavement meets Teenage Fanclub. Band leader Ryan Murphy, guitarist James Madden, bassist Callum McFadden and drummer Harry Chalmers formed the band in 2013, recording a cover of The Rolling Stones “19th Nervous Breakdown,” (hmm, this sounds familiar) then signed with Heavenly Records.
The sound is full of bright pop hooks and dense guitars on “Up In The Air” and jaunty catchy chorus of “P.O.W.E.R.F.U.L .P.I.E.R.R.E.” proves this band is more than just a messy impressionist pop band. Early singles “Jasper” and “Kathleen Sat On The Arm of Her Favorite Chair” are solid slices of life set to fuzz riffs, recalling the best pop of the ’90s. Not a single wasted note here, even the long four minute plus “Always Coming Back 2 You” held my attention. Brilliant indie pop that is highly recommended. Amazon
Cotton Mather is back. Cotton Mather’s much revered album 1997 album Kontiki – originally issued in 1997, and then again as a deluxe edition in 2012 – was heavily influenced by Chinese philosophy, and the band’s mastermind, Robert Harrison is mining that subject matter again with his new ambitious project which represents the first all-new Cotton Mather music in more than a decade. Stay tuned!
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Paul Steel is making a sequel to his musical masterwork April & I. In 2007 that album got him on my radar as a musical force to be reckoned with.Paul’s personal output has been sparse in recent years because he’s been earning a living s a commercial pop writer and producer. But he’s got the bug again, so a sequel is in the works. Check out the pledge music page.
