New Interviews: Curtains For You and Golden Bloom

powerpopaholic

I was so taken with the new album from Seattle band, Curtains For You – I got to interview both Matthew Gervias and Peter Fedofsky for Power Popaholic. You can click on the Artists Interview button or go to this link: Curtains For You interview. If you didn’t catch the album review you can find it here.

In my busy travels before IPO I got the chance to pose some questions to Shawn Fogel, aka Golden Bloom. He’s got some pretty interesting things on his mind and a great link to a funny concert mishap. Here is the direct link: Golden Bloom interview. Check out the album review here. I also updated a few interview pages from earlier this year, so you can now listen/read the interview with Ken Stringfellow (Posies).

power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

Russell Crawford "Floating Aimlessly"

powerpopaholic

If you like Michael Carpenter, then chances are you’ll enjoy Russell Crawford. A member of Carpenter’s band, Russell broke out with his brilliant solo debut in 2006. Now Crawford has slowly pulled away from Carpenters orbit here. It’s a straight pop album minus any gimmicks or needless bells and whistles. His music fits in the “timeless” category being rooted in piano, bass, guitar, drums approach. Many tracks are highlights but “Bad Luck” is a true standout here, with an inventive build out to a multi-tracked chorus. Russell is a blend of both Ben Fold’s “attitude” and Neil Finn’s “sensitivity” in equal parts, from the snarky “Overachiever” to the aching “If You Ask Me.” Another highlight is the overly dramatic “Nigel” which seems an anthem to the dangers of naming your kid “Nigel.” Russell starts to loosen up midway through the album on “My Love” and “Shake it.” Every song here offers something and is easy on the ears, along the lines of Adrian Whitehead and Mr. Carpenter himself. It ends with a rousing cover of Andrew Gold’s “Thank You Being A Friend.” On repeated listens it rewards you, so don’t miss this gem from Australia’s Popboomerang records.

My Space | Not Lame | CD Baby | Kool Kat Musik

power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

The Recital FREE album download

powerpopaholic

Musician, label owner, and producer Zach Curd has been a member of many bands, notably The Pop Project and has donated music to the masses before. Well this group from his Suburban Sprawl called it quits – The Recital from Detroit. Adam Kempa (Pop Project’s drummer) is the Recital’s bassist. A decent indie pop band with some quirky minimalist songs, they took all their leftover songs and created The Succulent Leftovers EP for fans.

Listen to “Kid You’re Wrong” right here:

power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

Grace Basement "Gunmetal Gray"

powerpopaholic

St. Louis’ Grace Basement is led by multi-instrumentalist Kevin Buckley who has quite a knack for writing concise pop gems. It’s pretty evident from the opening track “There He Goes” that the harmonies and chord minor changes are very infectious, and the addition of fiddle backing is an added bonus. The dance hall influenced melody of “Tilly Lingers” is another catchy gem along the lines of Harry Nilsson and XTC. Unlike the solo approach of the debut album New Sense, Buckley is assisted by guitarist Ben Phillips, bassist Mike Zapf and drummer Sean Price – it gives the entire album fuller sound. The smart pop sound avoids being too quirky — like Jon Brion or Ben Kweller without the over indulgent dramatics. The urbane arrangements at the albums mid point (like “Why Would I Wait For Another?” and “Warships”) come closer to the latter-era Camper Van Beethoven or Whiskeytown. The mature acoustic guitar on “Highway” is meticulously constructed and “Golden Bell” has a wonderful melody and weary vocal that brings to mind Scott McCaughey (Minus Five) or Ryan Adams. The album ends with the orchestral flourishes of “Land of Endless Change,” a fitting finale of Beach Boys styled vocal harmony, guitar and strings. This LP is a high watermark in the bands development and it’s most definitely worth adding to your pop collection.

My Space | Amazon

power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

The Saltshakers "Lights Out"

powerpopaholic 1 Comment

Chad Curtis of The Saltshakers has created a more garage-styled follow up to the Up All Night LP. With the addition of guitarist Nick Woods (Box Social) and bassist Jamie Owart the band still has that high energy sugar shot that pop fans expect and admire. Similar to Weezer or The Buzzcocks in tone and relentless pace, it blasts through the catchy opener “Please Don’t Walk Away” so well it sounds effortless. The songs are deceptively simple but full of great hooks, and a great example is “This World Can Wear Us Down” with a killer rhythm guitar riff. And it channels a bit of The Replacements manic spirit on “West Coast.” Some songs don’t quite hit the same high points (“Bedhead”) but are performed with an uninhibited charm. Chad remarked that this is “Pop music with more guts,” and it’s hard to argue against songs that make instant 3-minute concert themes like “Take You With Me.” However, it would have helped to have a ballad or another mid-tempo number like “Too Early To Tell” to give listeners some space to appreciate the fast pop-rock tunes, which can wear you down after a while. On the other hand, this is an album you can roll down the windows to and turn it up loud as the wind blows through your hair.

power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.