New EPs: Darlings, Jim Camacho and Chris Alvy Band

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Darlings “Warma” EP

If you’re into by the numbers garage pop with a sugary coating than Darlings will be a real treat. The band was started by singer/guitarist Peter Rynsky from his NYC apartment with three friends. Peter and co-vocalist Maura Lynch give us a sweet pop duet layered on top of punk guitars on “Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself”. The melodies here on “Spit It Out” and “Don’t Wanna Hang Out Tonight” really keep your attention, similar to The Creaky Boards lo-fi Beach Boys bedroom pop. Give these guys a chance and I think they’ll grow on you pretty quickly.
My Space | Darlings Site | Amazon

Jim Camacho “Is It Me” EP

Camacho made his initial mark with the Goods, a South Florida band. He’s recently been touring with Dreaming In Stereo. ‘Is It Me’ is melodic pop with Jim’s trademark earnest vocals, which reminds me of Joe Cocker without any gravel in this throat. The tracks are all stellar and the self-directed title track is typical of this heartfelt work. “Debutante” is another standout, with catchy chorus and a descriptive portrait of a heartbreak and girl who’s “happy in your life without me.” It’s easy to see why Jim has won numerous local music awards for his songwriting, as it simply resonates with you.
CD Baby | Amazon

Chris Alvy Band “Anything Goes” EP
Miami based Chris Alvy brings us some excellent guitar riffs and vocal harmonies on the title track from ‘Anything Goes.’ Songs are instantly memorable, for example “The Fall” sounds like a combo of Cheap Trick and Split Enz. The 70’s styled guitar crunchiness and chord combinations make tracks like “Something New” really standout. Stylistically, tracks like the Extreme-ish “This Is Yur Life” and the acoustic “Your Smile” are a bit less consistent, but no less compelling. I dare you not to sing along on the latter track with it’s strumming chorus of “Yabba Dabba Doo.” Easily one of the most impressive debut EPs this year. Where is that full length LP? I can’t wait for this one.
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Gerry Beckley and Snowbirds

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Gerry Beckley “Unfortunate Casino”
Gerry Beckley (America) has been serving up stellar pop for most of his adult life. After recent work with Jeff Larson, a haunting concept album emerges with Beckley’s trademark warm melodic style. The gentle “Always” starts us off with a simple hushed vocal, guitar strum and horn accents. “Feelings Flow” is another sentimental soft shoe melody that easily brings us a smile.

The title track is a simple tune that builds into a rich complex theme, but a real gem is the upbeat “Remembering” with its hook filled harmonies and handclaps. The slower numbers really resonate too, “Dark River” and “Cup Of Rain,” being especially moving. In addition, a pair of wonderful songs (“Hello” and “Simpson Sky”) written by both Gerry and Bill Mumy are perfect pop in the Andrew Gold mold. No throwaway tunes here make this album an essential purchase. I look forward to more Gerry Beckley each year.

CD Baby | Amazon

Snowbirds “s/t”
The Snowbirds are a six piece Americana/Rock band from Wisconsin with a gentle confidence and knack for making majestic melodies. Lead singer Jason Berken has a sweet soulful vocal and the rest of band does a great job bringing out each songs emotional heart. The steel lap guitar and harmonies on the opener  “Current State” impresses and “Old Wall” is another roots pop gem. Things get bumped up with the Gary Louris styled “Cody Cody” full of gorgeous chords. The barroom anthem on “Shakedown” balances the album out between slower ballads and Tom Pettyesque mid tempo songs like “So Long.” Fans of alt country style like The Jayhawks, Ryan Adams and The Autumn Defense will really enjoy this one.

Snowbirds site | CD Baby | Amazon
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The Honey Pies and Tiny Animals

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The Honey Pies “Think Of England”
From Australia comes this vintage sounding 60’s fuzz rock band that’s a lot like a Starburst sour and sweet chew. It’s got a hard punk rock shell with a sweet chewy melodic center.

“Sex Wax” opens things up with blistering guitar rhythms and Freakbeat drumming. “Hair of The Dog” continues the manic pace until we get to the melodic “Get It Right” with it’s perfect blend of echoing vocals and harmonies, it’s a real highlight. You’ll also get some garage do-wop similar to early Kinks in tracks like “Don’t Mention The War” and “Diving Bell.” It’s all good stuff here, the band even manages to throw in some Merseybeat with “She Don’t Love You.” Stylistically it never is quite clean cut, and sometimes it goes for the throat with the punk rants “DQYDJB” and “Bossanova.” One of the most versatile bands I’ve heard this year, it will appeal to fans of both The Beatles and The Sex Pistols simultaneously.

CD Baby | Amazon

Tiny Animals “Our Own Time”
New York City power-pop trio (husband & wife, Chris & Rita Howerton, on guitar & drums respectively, and bassist Anton Kriesi) have already been veterans of TV music (like MTV’s Jersey Shore and The Real World) so it’s no surprise Our Own Time is a decent example of modern power pop.

Themes of love and breakup aren’t new, but the melodies here are non-threatening and several times you get enough smart hooks to draw you in, like on the great opener “Fight or Flight” and the bombastic “You Let The Whole World Down” full of heavy guitar riffs and floating backing vocals that weaves together a blanket of sound. “Wait For Me” has a nice dance beat with the chorus and a few more standouts have some really nice production like “I Don’t Need This Love” and “The Moment.” The band does veer into the mainstream a bit too much on  “I Can’t Cry Forever” and “Nah Nah Nah” which seem like demos for some Disney ingenue. Hopefully Tiny Animals will do well enough to leave the formulaic behind in future releases.

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Robin Sparkles "Make It Sparkle"

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Probably the greatest pop album ever released (in Canada). In addition to scoring several big bubblegum pop hits in the late ’80s, teen queen Robin Sparkles also helped pave the way for the decade’s ultimate (and most successful) teenybopper band, the New Kids on the Block. The album was promoted initially by a concert tour of Canadian malls, but it wasn’t until later in the year that the album began to catch on with the young pop audience, when MTV and radio latched on to the single “Let’s Go To The Mall,” which soon pushed the album to the number one spot on the Billboard album charts (and in less than year, was certified quadruple platinum). A follow-up single, “Sand Castles in The Sand,” proved to be just as successful, as it peaked at the top spot of the Billboard singles chart. And now you can get the entire album as a free download! 

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New EPs: Deon Toh, Eytan & The Embassy and the Sound of Growing Up

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Deon Toh “Letters” EP

Singapore native Deon Toh isn’t quite traditional power pop but creates solid pop compositions with intricate piano melodies that recall Eric Matthews. “I’ll Find A Way” is a great start and the soaring strings in “Little Lives” make it a standout. “Ties” bring to mind the casual easy listening John Mayer used to be famous for. “Take My Heart With You” has a calm confidence that shines through each note. Overall, a real treat for lovers of baroque pop out there.
FREE download from Bandcamp

Eytan And The Embassy “The Free” EP

Eytan & The Embassy is is a 6-piece soul-powered rock group from Brooklyn. The party starts with the funky “No Reason To Cry” and the catchy theme of “The Good Life” has a wonderful piano chorus and dense orchestration.  “From Now On” is a slow ballad that has a bit of 50’s style and “Good Morning Marilyn” delights with it’s clean pop composition and stuck-in-your head melody. I hope Eytan expands on this project — I would like to retreat to this pop asylum!
FREE download from Bandcamp 

The Sound of Growing Up “Drifting” EP

This one isn’t a free download, but it’s worth checking out if just for the terrific opening single “The Kite” which bangs away on a piano like a mix of Ben Folds and John Faye of IKE. The following tracks aren’t bad either, “Swing” and “I Have No Reason” are also memorable. Both tracks makes great use of vocalist-guitarist Justin Kao. A very promising start and hopefully a full length album is forthcoming.
Facebook | Bandcamp

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