Happy Holidays from Power Popaholic!

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It’s time for holiday presents! Some videos, some free downloads, all related to this festive time of year. I left lots of goodies for my loyal readers – just click on a gift box to see each “present.” Happy Holidays to all the Power Popaholics out there!

Power Pop for the Holidays: The Gripweeds and The Deadbeat Poets

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The Gripweeds “Under The Influence Of Christmas”
This reliable New Jersey power pop band could have made a great album about Festivus if it wanted to. The originals here like “Christmas Dream” and “Santa Make Me Good” are excellent songs, full of loud riffs and bluesy harmonica. Included is a cover of The Pretenders “2000 Miles,” a great tune not always played out during the holiday. There are wonderful flute, harmonies and jangling guitars on traditional songs like “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” and a very mod “Welcome Christmas” that Pete Townshend would approve of. An impressive album that should linger long after January on your playlist.

Amazon | Itunes

The Deadbeat Poets “A Deadbeat Christmas”
The subtle and unassuming guitar of “Christmas Eve” leads us into “Christmastime in Painesville,” an original full of great guitar work amongst the pity party lyric where even Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special can’t cheer you up. The sacrilegious “Drunk At Midnight Mass” is the highlight of this disk, with impressive drumming and churning guitar rhythm. It plays a bit like a Meatloaf meets Jethro Tull here – and it’s pretty compelling. If you say humbug to traditional cheery Xmas tunes, you’ll prefer this take on the holiday.
CD Baby | Amazon

 

David Mead “Dudes”

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This is the David Mead that I’ve been waiting for. After raising the funds through Kickstarter, David has released one of the most intricately crafted pop albums of the year. We meet a collection of  Dudes through each musical narrative starting with “I Can’t Wait.” The warm melody bubbles with optimism; “I can’t wait to get up/ get out of bed/my mind is filled with words you said.” It then rocks out to the Paul Simon styled bounce of “King Of The Crosswords” and “Bocce Ball.” Both songs have smart, descriptive lyrics that show a whimsical portrait in time. And it wouldn’t be  Mead album without a slow ballad, here “Tell Me What I Gotta Do” just drips with desperation and hopelessness. The theme that wraps each song up is the title track, “Dudes” a celebration of male friendships. The heaviest guitar riffs scream out on the rocker “Happy Birthday, Marty Ryan” and it’s sure feels like bar room party at the chorus. The albums poignant high point comes on “The Smile of Rachael Ray,” where loneliness during the holidays season come into focus.

This is surely the finest Mead album since his debut, not that his discography lacks excellence – but the concept album here is exceptionally cohesive and not a note of filler is visible. On top of all this Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne) produced the album, so the mixing is perfect as well. Overall a great antidote for all that lame holiday music.

Amazon | Itunes

P.S. That is all for my year 2011 album reviews, there were so many good albums this year – I’ll be doing a top 25 On Christmas Day. I will start the New Year with some great albums that I got just a bit too late to add to my year ending list.The remainder of this week’s reviews will focus on my favorite Christmas music! 

Robbers On High Street “Hey There Golden Hair”

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Previous albums from Robbers On High Street made comparisons to Spoon, but four years later things have changed. With Hey There Golden Hair, they dive head first into Beatlesque power pop. The opener “Hollow Hill” is a perfect example of taking elements of Fab Four style and crafting something new and wonderful. There is not a single dud on the album, mixing Hammond Organ, fuzz guitar riffs and horns to melodic perfection. Other 60’s and 70’s stylistic touches are sprinkled throughout, as “Crystal Run” and “Electric Eye” are legit hits if they made the radio. And the band does not let up as “Second Chance” chorus bounces along, and the psychedelic “Face In The Fog” has a brilliant hand-clapping rhythm section with organ break.

If anyone ever tells you retro-styled rock is played out, have them listen to this album and specifically the funk beats and staccato guitar riffs of “Hey Unbelievers” or the driving urgency on “Monkey.” Vocalist Ben Trokan has the perfect vocal rasp for the groovy tunes here with some fine songwriting as well. It feels like a band very comfortable in its own skin, letting its hair down. Fans of late sixties rock and pop need this album. It is a rare power pop triumph that earns a nomination to this years top ten.

Amazon | Itunes