IPO Fall 2013 Report

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Following our own Power Popaholic Fest lead, the International Pop Overthrow came back to New York in the borough of Brooklyn last week. The venue was easy to get to, plus Matchless boasts a good sound system and plenty of room for patrons to get up close and personal with the IPO artists.

The music was uniformly very good, and special kudos goes to Cliff Hillis who played with both Corin Ashley and Starbelly. I was impressed with several bands; The Modulators brought a roaring audience with them, and the Rousers are another tight combo that didn’t miss a note. Guest Kurt Reil joined London Egg on stage,  Meyerman rocked loudly and Jana Peri had a full band backing her great voice. Like the spring IPO in NYC, power pop veterans Starbelly mesmerized the crowd. An excellent time was had by all, thank you David Bash for another successful concert series!

Kelly Jones and Little Anchor

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Kelly Jones “Alta Loma” After thrilling us with her collaborations with Mike Viola on SheBang! and Melon,– Kelly Jones bares her soul on the personal Alta Loma. Starting with “Right Hand Man” it evokes the sensitive spirit of Dan Fogelberg and Joni Mitchell with its acoustic guitar lead and subtle slide guitar accents. The album is full of intimate musical musings, a perfect example is “Limbo” with dreams “rolling out the window.” The melodies are subtle, and invite contemplation with rich lyrical imagery. “Idyllwild,” “Love Dynamo” and “Funny Old Way” are the thoughts of a mature woman’s point of view on romance. Other songs deal with the passage of time (“Old House”) and spiritual faith (“Unanswered Questions.”) So cuddle up with a hot cup of tea and listen to Kelly’s angelic voice. Highly Recommended.

CD Baby | Amazon

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Little Anchor “Floating Bridges” Miss the summer weather? I know I do, but Brooklyn-based foursome Little Anchor has a new album that will bring those summer memories back. Lead vocalist Alexa Cabellon has a clear smooth voice that brings each tune to life, starting with “Alive” it showcases the angular guitar progressions and sing along chorus. The songs gradually get more personal, with the ethereal ambiance of “Carolina Waits” and the slower duet of “Mailman.” The tempo is more playful on “If I Wanted To” as Alexa’s joyous voice “couldn’t hide it if I wanted to” chorus make it a catchy gem. “Over and Over” is a grand dramatic tune, with sweeping piano chords that tell me this is a band to keep your eye on.

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The Melismatics and Breaking Laces

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The Melismatics “Rising Tide”
Produced by Jon Auer (The Posies, Big Star) The Melismatics are a maturing alt. rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The opening track “Crawl, Baby, Crawl” is a combination of solid male-female vocals (husband/wife team of Ryan and Pony Smith,) guitar riffs and synth chords. It’s the catchy chorus that keeps things interesting, then on “Halo” the synths increase and dance beat reminds me of The Orion Experience.

In fact, the next few songs bring a new wave vibe to the melodic “Cocoon” and “Close 2 The Vest” that make a good impression. But some of the remaining tracks just aren’t that memorable, even though the guitar riffs are more prominent. The wonderful falsetto that opens “Rising” gets closer to what this band could be and the vocal harmonies are perfect here. Give it a chance to win you over.

CD Baby | Amazon

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Breaking Laces “Come Get Some”
It’s really frustrating to finally discover a great band only to find out they’ve just broken up. The Brooklyn-based trio of Willem Hartong (singer/guitarist), Rob Chojnacki (bass), and Seth Masarsky (drums) have somehow managed to play for over ten years under my radar (my bad.) The band’s style of melodic alt-rock falls somewhere between The Gin Blossoms, Soul Coughing and The Lemonheads.

The ringing guitars and epic hooks on “Better Than Me” easily qualifies as an A-side single that should’ve taken off. Then in a tonal shift “Be Hammer” uses Foo Fighters riffage in the sing along chorus, another shift as the church organ opens the reflective “When The Lightning Comes.”  The semi-serious rock ballad  “Before You Down” hooks you early and the Jellyfish-like “Extra Time” is another welcome gem. The band doesn’t take much that seriously on “Mr. Curry Is A Cop,” a funny tune – very much in the Fountains of Wayne mode. Lyrics are free flowing irony and full of attitude, especially the Beck-like rap “I used To Be A Boy Scout.” No real filler here, so now I highly recommend you get this and work your way backwards through the discography.

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