Bill Lloyd “Boy King Of Tokyo”

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For those looking for Bill Lloyd to return to the power pop genre, as he did with Set To Pop and Standing On The Shoulders of Giants, the wait is over. The new album Boy King Of Tokyo boasts the strongest tracks I’ve heard from Lloyd, starting with the title track about his years as a “gaijin brat” in Japan, with its trademark jangle and solid hook. The chiming riffs of “Buy On Credit” and the solid harmonies on “Let It Slide” are classic Lloyd. Fans of classic influences like Dave Edmunds, Byrds, and McCartney will just eat this up. The stories here are great too, especially “Com Trol” a humorous, but true tale of corporate rock and selling out.

Bill sounds like he’s having fun on the bar room drawl of “Home Jeeves” with it’s twang and beat similar to “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” The passion of power pop fans are best described on “The Best Record Ever Made,” and its my favorite here, all about that infectious hook. The country roots tracks are great too, notably the magical “Chet’s Right Hand, Man” done in the Chet Atkins guitar style. No duds, and even the slower tracks like “Where Nobody Cares At All” are full of personality. No reason this shouldn’t be part of my “best of” 2012 list.

billlloydmusic.net | Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

The Spinto Band “The Living Things”

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Normally I don’t have time to post only videos on the home page anymore, and I just add them to the Power Popaholic video jukebox. But I thought this was so inventive and well done, I added it today. The Spinto Band, on top of creating some of the most adventurous pop music going, is well known for their incredible music videos and the new one for “The Living Things” won’t disappoint! Created by the talented animator Phil Davis, the video is a combination of hand drawn animation and pixilation. All of the roughly 2,000 drawings in the animation were created frame-by-frame by Davis over the course of 20 months. Can you spare three minutes to watch the beautiful results of almost two year’s worth of one man’s work? Sure you can.

David Paton “Under The Sun”

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I would like to jump on my soapbox for a moment and say that for every “washed up” old rocker trying to extend the 15 minutes of fame (Bow Wow Wow) there are honest-to-God talented musicians who need to be heard again and fans who’ve missed them. Because the reunion isn’t a train wreck, they get little or no attention from the press and that’s a crime in my opinion. Thankfully a few oldies bands are still makin’ music I want to listen to (The Beach Boys, DB’s) and maybe we can find a few more. Okay, rant over.

Pilot was one of the best power pop bands in the 70’s era, lead by the #1 single “Magic.” Written and sung by David Paton, it’s an enduring classic and I’m happy to say Paton still has the goods when it comes to catchy singles. Under The Sun is a return to form, although Paton’s done great work with the Japanese power pop band Beagle Hat. Here it’s more adult oriented contemporary pop, and it starts out with the low key “Under The Sun” which sounds like Paul McCartney’s answer to Nilsson’s “Coconut.”  The minimal jazz of “I’m No Liar” and slick pop of “I Wanna Be With You” are okay, but feel formulaic. The real gems are “Don’t Touch Me” and the gorgeous melody of “All For You.” Like Sir Paul, David pours out his experiences with compelling melodies, like the world weary “Go Find Yourself.” The bonus tracks of Pilot’s “Magic” and “Just A Smile” are newly recorded and still sound fresh today. Overall a worthy addition to Paton (and Pilot’s) discography.

CDBaby | Amazon

 

Gary B & The Notions and Elijah Cross

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Gary B & The Notions “How Do We Explode”
A new release from the boisterous Gary B and The Notions is out and its got everything a power pop fan would like; classic pop melodies, angular guitar riffs and defiant vocals. Fans of Superdrag and Weezer will really graviate to this album, especially the raw sweetness of “The Surfin’ Song.”

However my favorite here is the Elvis Costello meets Big Star hooks in “How to Eat A Brick Sandwich.” The blaring fast riffs on “Lyndsy Fonseca” make it an indulgence similar to Lenny Kravitz, but not as memorable. Lots of near-misses (“Back Pain Lozenge”) for every inventive narrative here, like “Too Busy For An Ambulance Ride.” And of course no slower or mid tempo tunes doesn’t help it either, but for only $5 its definitely worth a listen.

Band website  | Bandcamp only

Elijah Cross “Flawed Designs” EP
Elijah Cross was born in California, and attended the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, he caught the attention of Fernando Perdomo (Dreaming In Stereo) who took the lad under his wing. The result is this EP, and it’s a great debut — just listen to the sweet pysche-pop melody of “Let’s” and the Bacharachian beauty of “Disclaimer.” But what is unique here is that you can earn half of Elijah’s album profits!

The EP is only $4, and for every $200 of this music sold – Elijah will give $100 to a random fan (just send in your Bandcamp receipt to enter the drawing). And you can win multiple times! So it’s like buying an EP and a lottery ticket in the same shot! But honestly, the music is worth it all on its own. I would encourage you to support this budding talent!

 Bandcamp only