Balduin and Flake

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Balduin “All in A Dream”

Balduin is a bit of a mystery man from Switzerland,  but for lovers of retro pop this is one of the best recreations of psychedelic music I’ve heard. Heavily influenced by British pop of the late 60’s, Balduin performs these songs on a plethora of period instruments (sitar, mellotron, harpsichord, harmonium, etc.) and if you didn’t know better you’d think this was a lost gem from the record bins of 1968.

“Love Is You” is a sunny baroque pop confection similar to late era Beatles, and most consumer friendly with its sly hook. Next is the sitar raga “Which Dreamed It” recalling George Harrison, and the folky “Autumn” is a reverb heavy folk number like the Byrds or Donovan. Fans of retro acts like The Sunchymes or Any Version of Me will marvel at the delicate arrangements that Balduin creates, bringing the era to life. You can also play spot-the-influences of Syd Barrett, The Moody Blues, and The Kinks. There is some instrumental filler scattered about the 16 tracks, but most of these are gorgeous (“Prisma Colora”). “Father” is another standout, like a lost John Lennon solo (the missing piece between “Mother” and “Beautiful Boy”). Fans of period baroque can do no better. Highly recommended.
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Exclusively from Sunstone Records

Flake

Flake “Songs Without Words”

Okay, this weirdness isn’t power pop, but a Swiss duo Thierry Luethy, and Isabelle Ritter do make quality art-pop that deserves to be discovered. No label, no distribution, no publicity — just download the tracks from their website for free.

And while some stuff here is totally skip-able (“Everytime I Get The Shakes,”) there is enough here to make me appreciate the hard work Thierry and Isabelle put in. Check out the catchy “Hipster Girl” and the compelling chorus of “We Are The Night.” Ritter’s vocals are gorgeous and rescues the more ambient compositions, and more modern pop goodies are here too: “Shooting Star” and “As Time Goes By.” The method of discovery and price of admission are just right for finding new music.
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FREE Download on Flake-Music.com

Freebie Fridays (early): Myracle Brah, Ballard, Doc Vinegar and The Legendary Losers

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Normally I’d close out the week with some great new free music, but the bounty of awesomeness was too good for me to wait til Friday…

Myracle Brah

Baltimore’s Myracle Brah is an one of the best loved American power pop bands, lead by singer-songwriter Andy Bopp (Love Nut). It’s been a while (since he’s involved in several other bands) but the long awaited return of Myracle Brah is cause for celebration, and a FREE Bandcamp EP is just the icing on the pop cake, including a cover of The Troggs “A Girl Like You.” Stop reading, download and just listen!

Ballard

Coming from the UK, Ballard has been putting out EPs for a while now. He’s a self described 40- year old malcontent that spews lo-fi Garage pop with a touch of bubblegum soul. He loves recording things spontaneously and mixing it up in mono – and its totally DIY cool. Check out his latest FREE Download.

Doc Vinegar

Straight from Aubagne, France comes Doc Vinegar,  Psychedelic Pop with a 60’s vibe influenced by The Byrds and The Kinks (with a French accent). This retro-nostalgic sound is always a guilty pleasure of mine, and Doc Vinegar does a really sweet job with this music. 12 big tracks here – just say “Oui” to a FREE Download. Merci, Doc!

The Legendary Losers

The Legendary Losers, an Albany three piece band is on a mission to bring music (played with real instruments) back to the masses. The opening track is a rant about “electro-freaks and techno-geeks” messing up rock and roll. Dave Graham has a rough vocal, but he sings with solid conviction about “The Rock That Makes Me Roll” and it reminds me a little of Paul Collins mixed with Mojo Nixon. Enjoy the FREE Download, even if you have “a Green Day sticker on your BMW.”

Concert Review: Roger Hodgson

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I had a great time at the Paramount in Huntington, NY last night seeing Roger Hodgson perform. While a member of Supertramp, Roger wrote most of their hit songs and his distinct vocal is what fans most recognize. With an experienced band behind him, Hodgson mesmerized the audience. He played audience favorites like “Breakfast in America” but plenty of deep cuts like “Lady,” “School,” and “Even in the Quietest Moments.” Roger still carries over the progressive rock influences from those early albums, full of grandiose textures – a great example being “Fool’s Overture”.

The stage was decorated with various trees and greenery – all to add atmosphere to the epic “Death and a Zoo,” where the percussion and animal noises made the stage look and feel like a rainforest. Hodgson has a very deep spirituality that comes forth when he plays, and the complex arrangements of the song add to this impression. The band was also superb, and special mention goes to the exceptional Aaron MacDonald doing sax, clarinet, flute and backing vocals. And Roger can still hit those high notes! I can’t wait for Roger bring the magic back to New York on his next tour. In the meantime – let’s see what we can do to get Supertramp into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Be sure to visit http://www.rogerhodgson.com & http://www.facebook.com/RogerHodgson

Tim Lee 3 and Gail George

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Tim Lee 3

Tim Lee 3 “Devil’s Rope”

One of the better acts at IPO is the Tim Lee 3, which is essentially Tim Lee (Windbreakers, Marti Jones, Let’s Active) and his wife Susan Bauer Lee accompanied by Chris Bratta on drums. Devil’s Rope is a mix of Southern rock, blues and pop all done with solid proficiency and fiery spirit. “Signal” opens it and its the most pop oriented tune with Susan’s bright clear vocal leading the way. The title track is a sing-along blues stomp with a hand-claps and cool reverb-drenched guitar.

“Monkey Dance” is whimsical look about touring; struggling musicians with great guitar work from a “never-was.” A bit of Southern Culture On The Skids show up on the fuzz tones of “Cut-Rate Divorce” and “Judging You.” Overall, a really sweet album that has enough variety to prevent predictability and some great songs sprinkled throughout. They are hard at work on a new album, and I look forward to it.
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Amazon

Gail George

Gail George “The Barrio Sessions with Early Times”

Gail George was another “live” hit at IPO that’s decidedly off the power pop genre. The Barrio Sessions were recorded in East Harlem, and George has a silky vocal with pop smarts playing with multi-instrumentalist Early Times. “Mythomaniac” is a soulful torch song with bongos and little Santana-like guitar flourishes. Gail has an emphatic approach that is similar to Laura Nyro, Carole King and Joni Mitchell (all obvious influences here).

The big single here is “Gonna Get Worse” with a strong bass line and strong backing vocals with its hook. Also a highlight is “Nobody’s Friend” with its sad lyric, somber trumpet that highlights Gail’s willowy vocal performance. “Walk Away” is another highlight with its strong coda (particularly good performed live). The album second half fails to generate much excitement, but I enjoyed the understated tone and hope to hear more from this talented singer-songwriter.
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Amazon | CD Baby

 

Sunday Singles: The Popravinas, Lannie Flowers, Lily Sparks, Spirit Kid, Nick Piunti

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Although I don’t review singles, we still want to let readers know when an artist comes out with something cool. And with a lot of new singles floating around, I wanted to feature a few standouts:

The Popravinas release their first tunes since the full-length CD Everybody’s Fault But Ours in 2008. The Santa Monica, CA based band continues to crank out great tunes and this single proves they haven’t lost a thing since then.
CD Baby

Lannie Flowers was a highlight at IPO this year and he released a new single at the show, the Big Star classic “Back of A Car”. It was recorded live at the Trash Bar in New York taken from the Live In NYC album. It also has an unreleased new song “Best I Can” which is so good, I’d call it another “A-side.”
CD Baby

Lily Sparks is a new trio that deserves your attention that performed at IPO. Lead vocalist Niamh (pronounced “neev”) is a rock diva comparable to Grace Potter or Ann Wilson (Heart) and the guitars really rock on this brand new single. Check it out!
CD Baby

Spirit Kid (Emeen Zarookian) continues to dazzle us with this new single, about a supposed “true story” about living off the remains of that last job. Its has a bit of glam in its DNA, and its catchy too! Awesome. Bandcamp

Nick Piunti is hard at work on his next album after the top-ten winner of Thirteen In My Head last year. I enjoyed meeting him and listening to his excellence at Power Popaholic Fest this past August. Once again comparisons to Mike Viola are apt, and I can’t wait for this new one as “Time Machine” is an awesome start. Bandcamp