Marty Graveyard and Kevin Bents

powerpopaholic

Marty Graveyard “Marty Graveyard’s Summer Holiday”
Marty was the drummer of the now broken up Dutch-Power-Pop Band The Madd!, and this is his first solo album. Starting with the bouncy “Do You Really Wanna Dance?” it’s a relentlessly catchy opener, with a Rubinoos meets Beach Boys vibe. Marty’s vocal is really reminiscent of Roger Hodgson (Supertramp).

Then Julia Reinhold guest vocals on “Why,” a nostalgic pop tune in the style of Lesley Gore. The fast paced guitar riffs and high vocals will surely make “My Heart Is Set On You” a summer classic. The relentless sunshine may be too cute for some, but this is a guilty pleasure I’ll gladly give in to. Fans of The Monkees and The Three O’Clock will also love this, recommended tracks include: “Just Friends”, “Kick Me When I’m Down” and the jangle filled title track.

Facebook | Amazon

Kevin Bents “The Honors”
Kevin impressed me with his melodic 2008 album The Means, here he takes a decidedly Steely Dan vibe with his keyboard on “Not The Kind.”  Kevin gives us a touch of soul on “I’ll Wait” and “On The Spot” is a catchy suite of themes with great unexpected tempo changes. The slow ballads “Somebody Got A Hold” and “Sail Down The River” remind me a bit of Peter Gabriel. And the free form rhythm and composition of “Downtown” and metallic “Constant Contact” are also highlights. This mature LP always lets the melody lead. An adventurous album that’s hard to ignore.

CD Baby | Amazon | KoolKat Musik

Sunday Sun EP FREE download

powerpopaholic 4 Comments

Sunday Sun is the brainchild of four young Amsterdam musicians Wouter Rentema, Jan Teertstra, Yoshi Breen, Koen-Willem Toering and they have already earned my utmost respect. They found each love those melodic hooks in rock and decided to make an EP chock full of them. Very much like The Sonic Executive Sessions, these guys have superior harmonies and if you watch the video for “Highly Respected Rebel” the good vibes are just infectious. It’s only FREE to download for 2 weeks and it’s one of my favorite EP’s this year! Perfect weekend music… Enjoy!

Sunday Sun homepage

Moldy Oldies: Goodbye Don Grady and the Yellow Balloon

powerpopaholic

Don Grady, who was one of television’s most beloved big brothers as Robbie Douglas on the long-running 1960s hit My Three Sons, died Wednesday. He was 68. A musical prodigy from a young age, Grady also played drums for  sunshine pop pioneers The Yellow Balloon, who had a minor hit with a self-titled song in 1967.

Fun Fact: The band at one time also included Daryl Dragon, who wasn’t as famous at the time as he would be a few years down the road as the male half of the popular duo Captain & Tennille.

Whitejacket “Hollows and Rounds”

powerpopaholic

Chicago-based Musician Chris McDuffie has been part of Apples In Stereo since Tone Soul Evolution, but now he’s moved to Chicago and created his own band, Whitejacket (a reference to a literary influence of his, Herman Melville) that wears its Beatlesesque influences on its sleeve.

Opening with the low key “Versus Angel” its got all those vintage sounds and ghostly choruses that the Apples are famous for. White Album fans are sure to hear the cues in “The Modern” and “Easy Now.” Chris also claims more obscure influences like Margo Guryan and Billy Nicholls. “The genesis of the record came from my long-standing admiration of the baroque pop of the late sixties and seventies,” McDuffie explains. “I guess I’ve always been fascinated with the arrangement and production from that period, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to appreciate it even more.” We appreciate it too. The overall tone of the album is slow and measured, be sure to soak it all in.

 CD Baby  | Amazon

Ambulance “Planet You”

powerpopaholic 3 Comments

Let’s go back in time to the skinny tie era of Power Pop (before people even knew the term) in 1980. And a little known New Jersey band, Ambulance had a single “It’s All Up To You” early that year on Sing Sing Records. And even Richie Ramone helped play drums on that track. Much like our friends Buddy Love, these gents have returned decades later to re-tell the tale of Ambulance.

If you are a fan of that old school garage power pop, SW Miller (guitar), Bobby Padula(drums) and Alan Rigoletto (bass) deliver the raw energy and  enthusiasm. The original tracks are great – and mixed in with the new stuff. I’ll give Miller credit, his guitar playing and song composition are spot on. Unfortunately his vocal sounds like Bob Geldof with a sinus cold and the attempted harmonies on “Tonight” made me cringe. There are several good new tracks here like,”Not Fighting Fair” and “Believe In You.” But I had difficulty getting past those vocals. Fans of the early punk/new wave era however will not be disappointed.

Artists Site | CD Baby  | Amazon