Vegas With Randolph “Rings Around The Sun”

powerpopaholic

Vegas With Randolph has been a bright spot on the power pop landscape since their debut, now they ramp up the talent on Rings Around The Sun. Getting help from a star-studded group of musicians like David Myhr, Brandon Schott, and Andy Reed to name a few, its likely that this is the best VWR album to date. Starting with “You Set The World On Fire,” John Ratts and Eric Kern burn through its high energy tribute to modern scientists.  Then it pushes the guitars to “11” with “Salt Water Taffy,” a catchy single that reminds me of Myracle Brah with its smooth harmonies.

And the band has lots of fun too, notable is “Cool Things” a hummable garage sale list (“boombox, CD Stand, Cup from 7-11”) sung with an excitement that compares well with Bowling For Soup. The pace moderates a bit with “Empathia,” another great short story set to music, however my favorite track here is “Everybody Wants An Atom Bomb.” It’s an over-the-top melody with a killer riff that drips of chauvinistic patriotism and fireworks. More light fun is on “Snow Day” and the grand finale “Rings Around The Sun” is more than satisfying. The additional single “Drops of Gold” and bonus track “Cool Change” are great, but maybe belong on different LP. You get a packed 15 tracks and all without any filler. Highly recommended.

Amazon | Bandcamp

Free Music Tuesday: Gleeson, Ghost to Go and Hector & The Leaves

powerpopaholic

I got a late start to the week, but the goodies are here, and all this music is available as name-your-price, or free download from Bandcamp:

Gleeson is out of Austin, Texas this band has been quietly toiling away for over 3 years on this massive 22 song album. Lead singer Ty Chandler gives us a great multi-faceted approach, “Pro Tool” is similar to Sloan, “Queen of Boulevards” channels ELO strings with a Fountains of Wayne. They prove to be adept at alt. country with “Out Of My Mind,”similar to The Jayhawks.  “Meanwhile Back At Home” shifts around like a Jackdaw4 or Bryan Scary song. They even cover Guided By Voices'”Smothered In Hugs” and Big Star’s “Blue Moon.”

They are all over the map stylistically and prove they can do it all. The bottom line is that each song is melodically sound and demands repeat listening. It makes my top ten list this year, so you have no excuse not to get this and spread the word. You can also get it from CD Baby, if you wish to donate $9.99


Ghost to Go is a Brooklyn based garage pop band, and they approach “Icy” with the same gusto as Jet’s fave “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” Influences include The Rolling Stones and The Replacements.


Hector and The Leaves gives us some great power pop, starting with the catchy “Problems” its the kind of debut that gets noticed. “Goodbye” has those  light harmonies that float above the guitar and piano. Fans of Elliott Smith, The Beach Boys and Paul McCartney will just love this. One of my favorite EPs this year. It will make my top ten too!

The Bongos “Phantom Train”

powerpopaholic

Richard Barone and the Bongos were a staple of the New York scene in the early 80’s, and one of the best guitar pop bands ever.  So good they are listed in John Borack’s top power pop albums list twice! So imagine finding the legendary “lost” Bongos album. After Beat Hotel, the band split apart being pulled away by solo projects and although Phantom Train was recorded in 1986 it was never released. Until Barone revisited the album and decided to share it with the world now.

Opening with “My Wildest Dreams” it certainly brings back memories of a simpler time with its catchy chorus and new wave synths. The 80’s echoing production sound is a little distracting, but the Bongos raw talent overcomes this. A nice cover of Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman,” leads us to the angular guitar riffs of “Diamond Guitar” and “Run To The Wild.” The tight melody of “River To River” is another gem with bouncy beats, saturated in reverb. Fans of Barone’s solo work will recognize the echoing “Tangled In Your Web.” Another good track is “Town of One” and although this may not win over new fans to The Bongos, it is definitely welcomed by the faithful.

Amazon