Rich McCulley and Annie Dressner

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Rich McCulley “The Grand Design”
In a complete change in tone from his last album, roots rocker McCulley’s outlook has gone from bittersweet to joyful. “Here Right Now” states that he doesn’t “wait for sunshine” but here it is, with a richly arranged melody. This is an album that puts the past behind him, celebrating a better life today, with new love in his life and a young son of his own.

One of the best tracks here is “The Most Beautiful Thing,” a gushing love song with chiming guitars and catchy chorus. The sunny tone is almost like The Eagles hooking up with Smashmouth on “Let You Go” and”The Gift.” It gets a little more rootsy as we get past the mid-point, “Just Begun To Run” and “Don’t Know What To Do” are good examples. No filler here, and the album is a real statement on McCulley’s life. “Little Bit Broken” is a perfect theme for today’s middle aged dude who’s been “kicked around, but still here.” Bravo.

CD Baby | Amazon| Kool Kat Musik
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Annie Dressner “East Twenties”
A girl and her guitar. It’s almost a cliche now, but Annie’s music is like an intimate conversation. A confession with sweet multi-tracked harmonies, “Heartbreaker” is like a melodic soundtrack to a summer stroll down a country creek. “I Can’t Forget” is a twee ballad about the memory of a loved one. Unlike her debut LP Strangers Who Know Each Others Names, Annie leaves the quirky pop behind for a more serious and poignant musical statement. Fans of The Cranberries and Jenny Lewis will enjoy this heart-felt folk pop.

CD Baby | Amazon

 

The Three O’Clock Reunion is coming!

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The legendary Southern California band who coined the term “Paisley Underground” aka “Paisey Pop” returns! The Three O’Clock mixed pure-pop sensibilities with psychedelic overtones and now the original band is getting back together for Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in April. In addition, The Hidden World Revealed, comes on June 25, 2013 – it’s a re-mastered 20-track collection from the years 1981-1986.

The Popdogs and The Sharp Things

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The Popdogs “Cool Cats for Pop Dogs”
The Popdogs are one of the bands scheduled to play IPO Liverpool at The Cavern Club this year, and the debut LP is due out in May. From Lincoln, UK the band mines the jangly side of power pop goodness with influences clearly from REM, The Records and even The Smiths. Lead singer and songwriter James Styring and guitarist Tim McKeating are at the bands’ core and have great talent for power pop. “Kelly’s On” bounces along a hook filled chorus, leading to the angular guitar riffs of “Honest Guy.” Several songs are just classic, accessible gems like “High Time.” This is a signature tune with a repeating jangle rhythm and my favorite. Also recommended are “Ocean Blue,” and the awesome guitar riffs on “Kissin Alicia.” This is a terrific find and worth the wait.

Amazon (Pre-Order) | Kool Kat Musik (May 13) | Facebook

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The Sharp Things “Green Is Good”
The Sharp Things is a Brooklyn-based, pop and rock collective with eclectic influences including Mark Eitzel, Scott Walker, Jimmy Webb, David Bowie, Radiohead, and Joe Cocker. This album is a shout out to those who supported the “Occupy” movement out there, especially the opener “Blame The Bankers” playing out like a Bowie tune. The styles vary wildly. Some songs work, and others don’t. My faves here include “Flowers For My Girl” which sounds like a Foundations outtake, and the catchy “Goodbye To Golders Green,” with its ominous minor chords. Check it out, it’s a FREE download.

 

The Left Behind and The Taters

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The Left Behind “Volume One: We’re Already Gone” EP
From Marshalls Creek, PA comes a musician/producer named Tim O’Grady. His new project The Left Behind will appeal to fans of The Secret Powers, especially the opening track “She’s Had Enough Of Us.” The strong vocals, hand claps and dense melody of “I Don’t Want To Go Home” is another standout, along with the follow up “Is It Because?” Each song has a solid hook, even with a catchy organ bridge (similar to Smashmouth) on “I Won’t Regret A Single Thing.” I’m not sure if it was done on purpose, but the sound compression is fairly distracting – the backing vocals and rhythm often fuzzing into oblivion, especially on the last track “There You Go.” Also not sure if the music has anything to do with the popular Apocalyptic book series, but thank the Lord – this is a FREE download on Facebook!

Bandcamp | Facebook FREE download

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The Taters “Taters Party”
The Taters are an eclectic mix of roots-rock, power-pop, with country and bluegrass tendencies. The band loves the old 60’s era pop influences and decided to get together a “live” show in the spirit of The Beach Boys Party LP. The good news is the album is an enjoyable one, boasting a colorful combination of covers and originals. “Pageboy” sets the casual tone, with guitars and bongos and the cover of Ringo’s “Photograph” is also very well arranged and performed. But the highlight of the disc came next; the catchy “New Girlfriend” and jazzy bounce of “Thingamajig.” But they get too ambitious, and Squeeze’s “Goodbye Girl” is sung like a Mariachi band. Worse, “Help Me Rhonda” makes it painfully obvious they can’t sing in perfect 4-part harmonies. Thankfully, the band gets back on track with a cool mash-up “Smoke on Route 66” and closes strong with the brilliant bluegrass styled “Titanic.” Perfect fun if you like a rockin’ Prairie Home Companion.

Amazon | CD Baby

Eric Barao “Eric Barao”

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Eric Barao is a singer/songwriter from Massachuettes with quite the pedigree. Co-founder of The Cautions, he’s been part of Air Traffic Controller and L.E.O.  That last band was run by powerpop icon Bleu, and he produces Eric’s debut along with Ducky Carlisle… so hold on to your hat.

Opening with the mid-tempo “One Holiday” its very much like Jason Falkner lite. The descending piano chords run into a hard pause before the hooky chorus, and the follow up “Trying Too Hard” slows down to a ballad tempo, and the melody is just amazing. Bleu’s fingerprints are all over “New Earth,” one of those Jellyfish-ELO styled flourish-filled songs sure to stick in your head. Another standout is the ballad “In Love With A Broken Heart,” a beautifully written song about “lessons learned too late.”

One track that seems to have life beyond the LP is “To All You Guys” about overcoming bullying – its an inspiration for any kid dealing with social challenges. The light airy “Running In Place” is highlighted by sunny background harmonies. The ending tracks “She Needs Air” and “Sugar and Cream” are full of bright pop atmospherics that highlight Eric’s vocal range. And despite rarely having any quick tempos, the songwriting and performances keep things from getting dull. Being a soft-rock album, the guitars play a minor role and the keyboards are the main force here. So without any duds amongst the ten tracks, this definitely stands as a contender for my top ten list for 2013.

Amazon | CD Baby