Michael Oliver and Ken Kase Group

powerpopaholic

Michael Oliver & The Sacred Band “Yin & Yanxiety”
Boston based Michael Oliver (formerly of Go Dog Go!) sets in motion an excellent group of smart pop tunes that combine many great influences. “Complicated” opens with a wicked riff and slow beat similar to Matthew Sweet or Michael Penn. Next we are treated to a gorgeous arrangement in “Neverlast” which draws from Brian Wilson, stating ironically “there’s no use bringing up the good times of the past.”  The album boast some excellent rockers “Love While It Lasted” and “Little Miss Oblivious” with memorable hooks and nice double-tracked harmonies. No filler here, even the ballads like “It Was You” and “I Won’t Get Over You” are very compelling and moving compositions. Plenty of highlights, and it’s the song details like the handclapped beats on “Tell Me What You’re Dreaming” that enhance the overall melody. It does lose a bit of steam toward the end, but after a few spins I’m convinced this album deserves a nomination to be in the top ten for 2011 (one more month left!) so don’t miss it — it’s essential listening.

CD Baby | Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

 

Ken Kase Group “Collected Works 1997-2008”
Ken Kase is not your average singer-songwriter, and his unique pop stylings are gathered in this satisfying collection. Comparable to Marshall Crenshaw, David Yazbek or a more pop oriented Todd Rundgren – its tough to peg Ken Kase to a single style. All you need to know is that the album has wonderful hooks and earnest lyrical stories. Starting with the energetic “Pauline” it has a neat sticky riff ending each chorus. The dark subject of date rape comes into focus on “Walk Right In” and the excellent chords in “I Guess Your Word” make it another winner.

Some have labeled Ken as an “intellectual” pop guy with titles like “Theraphosid” and similar to They Might Be Giants, he manages to comment on pop culture perfectly with a jazzy touch on “The Coffee House Of Doom.” The country styled “The Names of The Roses” and the XTC-like “Insincere Apology” are both personal and highly enjoyable listening. A great example of one of Ken’s best is “Shiner” with a slick eighties pop sheen, it’s about reconnecting with a long lost friend. Not everything on the album works, but most of it does – so give this rare talent your attention.

CD Baby | Amazon

 

Chris Corney and Mike Barnett

powerpopaholic 1 Comment

icon

Chris Corney “Airways Mansions”
The new solo album from British singer/songwriter Chris Corney showcases lush production and some terrific songs. The melodic strums of “America” has echos of both Tom Petty and Neil Finn (Crowded House). The subtle song-craft is evident in “These Bones” with sweeping harmonies through the chorus and the wah-wah guitar breaks. The Brydsian guitar jangle gets more pronounced on the slower “In Control,” as the album moves away from roots rock to an AOR style. This starts to sound a bit cliched with 80’s guitar motifs on “Without Love.”

The stripped down acoustic “Little Marrakesh” is where Chris shines, and it gets better. My favorite single here shows up in “Bella” with it’s echoing slide guitar and biting lyrics about desperation. The pop culture references are sprinkled around here and with repeated listens the message of societal corruption comes through loud and clear. It ends on a somewhat positive (?) note, “Woke Up In The Sun” – with no filler to be found. Overall a group of  solid rock tracks and a few intricately produced mid tempo gems make this real grower.

CD Baby  | Amazon

icon

Mike Barnett “Bigger Than This”
In 2009 I reviewed the duo Barnett Gurley, so here is Mike Barnett jangling out solo style. The catchy opener “The Love I Have For You” will be repeating in your head for days. The guitar work is excellent and is equal parts Roger McGuinn and Neil Young, Barnett’s vocals are a bit on the nasal side, but if you get past that this is a great album. “Motorcycle” is a cheery strumming tune with a not so hidden riff from Badfinger’s “Baby Blue” in the chorus.

The roots inspired ballad “Amy Moon” is an interesting character sketch, with a Dylan-like harmonica break. The light pop of “Life’s Better” and “Sunshine Lemons” keep the mood upbeat, and the skiffle beat of “Shakin” is fun, but for some reason the fidelity on some of these tracks get pretty flat. This improves with the rich melodies “Love Will Win” and  “Shutting Down” which sounds like a lost Roy Orbison tune. Or is Mike just a long lost member of the Traveling Wilburys? You decide.

CD Baby | Amazon

The Sick Rose and Dot Dash

powerpopaholic 1 Comment

The Sick Rose “No Need For Speed” 
The Sick Rose is a band from Italy that hasn’t gotten nearly enough attention. No Need for Speed is rich in classic power pop structures, irrepressible enthusiasm, and it’s also produced by Dom Mariani (DM3, Stems). The band has been playing garage syled pop for a while, but here they roar out of the gate with “Putting Me Down,” and singer Diego Mese has a clear vocal that compares well with Curt Smith (Tears for Fears).

The guitar riffs and jangle melodies are awesome on “Magic Teacher” and “Pathetic Girl.” If you’re looking for that garage feel with harmonies “Before You Go Away” is another winner. The band is pretty consistent here, and for the most part we get mainly fast paced tunes with a few mid-tempo ones (like “Drop By And Stay”). The Beatles-style Rickenbacker arpeggio dominates “Take It All Back,” and it’s another keeper here. So while you chow down on some Thanksgiving grub, feed your need for power pop with The Sick Rose.

Facebook | MySpace | Itunes | Amazon

icon

Dot Dash “Spark>Flame>Ember>Ash”
Dot Dash are a Washington DC band with a both feet firmly planted in the post-punk indie pop genre that recalls The Joy Division and The Cure. Opening with the C-86 styled “The Color And The Sound” it sure brings back memories of my college days when raw minimalist jangle rock was everywhere thanks to REM’s Murmur.

Singer/Guitarist, Terry Banks and bassist Hunter Bennett (Julie Ocean) are joined by guitarist Bill Crandal (Modest Proposal) and drummer Danny Ingram (Swervedriver). An early standout is the melodic “Learn How To Fly.” Unfortunately, Banks lead vocal gets buried on many tracks, and it hinders great tunes like “Dissolve” and “Alright, Alright.” You have many near misses here too, “A Straight Line” and “Gripped” suffer from Banks atonal “punk” approach. You basically hear a band still finding itself in spots, but both “Seconds In A Day” and “Hurrah” you get a good melody to match the solid guitar playing. Overall this is a band worth exploring, so check it out.

CD Baby | Amazon | Facebook | Itunes

icon

The Hazey Janes “The Winter That Was”

powerpopaholic

The Hazey Janes are an indie outfit from Dundee, Scotland and they have already established themselves as an act worthy of the following based on the 2006’s Hotel Radio. After a sci-fi inspired instrumental intro, we get to “Carmelite” – a superior 80’s styled guitar rocker that thrills along the lines of Van Halen and REO Speedwagon.

The synth and guitar combo of “Girl In The Night” opens up to a hummable melody and tight composition. Lead vocalist Andrew Mitchell has a strong presence and his vocals stand out on each track, but here he hits the pop sweet spot. The forceful “Wake Guide To Love” recalls both Utopia and Bon Jovi at once with as a stadium sized rocker with a nice hook. “Aspen” and “The Darkness Falls” adds alt country flavor and it’s appearance is out of left field, but this is still engaging. It shifts gears again on “Southern Lawns” and it’s ringing guitar textures will please fans of Blur or Manic Street Preachers. As you can read with all the above influences, the band goes all over the place, not sticking in one genre. As a testament to bands excellent musicianship, nothing here falls flat but the problem with this album is it may be too stylistically diverse to please any one audience. But don’t let that stop you from adding this one to your playlist.

Trolley and The Outfield

powerpopaholic

icon

Trolley “Things That Shine and Glow”
Fans of Rainbow Quartz bands and all neo-psychedelic rock rejoice! The Trolley connects the sound of nugget-era 60’s with the energy of today. The quartet has also been spotted at SXSW and IPO this year. From the opening bars of “I Woke Up” you’ll hear a chord reworking of The Seeds “Pushin’ Too Hard” and the sneering croon of Paul Wall. But the band is more than just a retro retread, as the next tune “My Obsession” shows, its got a solid hook filled melody and masterful composition. “The Calico Cat” continues this atmosphere, and the jangle filled “In The End” add bits of The Kinks, The Zombies and The Beau Brummels with each musical phrase.

The harmonies are notable on several tracks. Not everything here sticks, but the album has 14 tracks and most of them are highly recommended. Stand outs include “Out Of Love,” “Til I’m Gone” and “That Made Me Wanting You.” So light up the patchouli incense and tune into Trolley.

CD Baby | Amazon

icon

 

The Outfield “Replay”
We’ve had a revival of sorts with several mid 80’s acts coming back to life this past summer (The Cars, Journey, Weird Al Yankovic) but I was really brought back to the era with the new album by The Outfield. It’s amazing that after all this time Tony Lewis’ voice can still hit those high notes (only Yes vocalist Jon Anderson is comparable) and it’s like we never left 1983. The band is true to it’s sound and some strong compositions are here with the anthemic “Aladdin’s Cave” and “California Sun” washes over you with it’s melodies, steady drumming, and solid harmonies.

In addition, these eighties icons grew up in the sixties and nostalgia is in full bloom with a tribute to Cream on the song “Disraeli Years.” On the other hand, if you never liked the Outfield or AOR arena rock to begin with, there is nothing here that will win you over. When it comes to reunions however I would say that this succeeds where The Cars revival feels artificial and forced. This fits rather nicely in the bands discography.

CD Baby | Amazon