William Duke presents "The Sunrise and The Night"

powerpopaholic
Few artists have the stylistic depth I’ve heard from William Duke. This California native has two distinct personas that come together in a brilliant  fusion. The 12-stringed jangle of “It’s Only The Beginning” typifies this first style. It’s a gentle atmospheric pop that The Millenium, Yes and The Moody Blues excelled at. This style culminates with the prog infused instrumentals “30 Ave. Entrance To The Park” and “The Canyon.” The other style is pure early 70’s influenced rock, “The Great Escape”and “A Moment In The Sun”are gorgeous pop tunes similar to Big Star and Bread. Every track is awash in inventive bass lines and minor chord shifts, by the albums mid point the styles intertwine together on “The Impending Happiness” and the lush harmonies of the title track. This is where the “sunrise” meets the “night” – and even though it’s got a retro-sound, when it performed this well, you sit up and take notice.
Duke is originally from alternative pop faves Bye Bye Blackbirds. He takes things up a notch or two here. This is a hauntingly beautiful album that gets every track right. and for fans of the Curt Boettcher style of pop this is a must-buy. Better yet, Kool Kat Musik is offering a 20 song bonus disc with alternate mixes and demo tracks, so get it while it’s still available. 
My Space | 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 Russians "Crashing The Party"

powerpopaholic 1 Comment
A few doors down from fellow Bostonian Oranjuly is a five-piece alt rock band called The Russians. Lead by frontman Scott Janovitz (former Gram Parker sideman),  the band is a neo-psychedelic delight. The ironically named “The Record’s Over” sounds like a Beatles meets Flaming Lips hybrid, it’s a brilliant standout track.  Each strum and slow beat strings together random thoughts like “Weren’t we listening to The Beach Boys and dreaming?” 
The songs float along a dreamscape that draws the listener in right away like the laid back “Taking To Yourself” with catchy hooks that draw comparisons to Ken Stringfellow.  The subtle groove on “Sober and Un-Upsetting” leads to a wonderful horn filled break and multi-track chorus. It shifts in tone from slow ballad pop to alt. country, synth-pop all have flavors from his previous experiences with Parker, The Figgs and others. It gets a bit meandering at times, but ultimately satisfying with strong melodic tracks like the acoustic “Measure Out Our Space” and Big Star influenced “Make It Easy.” The album ends with the slow anthemic “Lovesickholiday,” a hidden gem with it’s sweet harmonies and not one single filler here. A highly recommended headphones album if there ever was one.
My Space | CD Baby | Amazon
power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

The Candles and Little Beirut

powerpopaholic 1 Comment

The Candles “Between Sounds”
Multi-instrumentalist Josh Lattanzi has worked with many great pop acts (Ben Kweller, Tinted Windows, The Lemonheads) but here he’s in charge of The Candles. This a very warm album with easy going affectionate pop that doesn’t break any new ground, but it’s solid in approach and execution. The playful progressions in “Waiting For The Truth” are compelling roots styled pop with a touch of synth. The best melody comes from the easy going “Here and Gone” with it’s descending guitar rhythms and hand claps in the sing-along chorus.

The musicianship is top notch, with even James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins) helping out with the twang on “Anywhere Tonight.”  The slight country flavored pop works best on the well written “Who We Are.” This is one of those albums that isn’t that immediate, but really sticks with repeat listens. Fans of Ryan Adams, Jackson Browne and The Gin Blossoms will enjoy this release immensely. Get the FREE sample track “Here and Gone” here.

My Space | Amazon

Little Beirut “Fear Of Heaven”
This Portland Oregon band sounds like the model of a contemporary pop band, as the opener “Last Light” has that Coldplay meets Guster approach with a decent hook in the chorus. Lead singer Hamilton Sims keeps things moving along on “Cosmic Waitress” with chiming guitars chords and hand claps. The composition gets a bit sparse on “Apology To My Heart” but it holds together thanks to Sims vocal and a good melody. The standouts here follow — “Bow and Quiver” is a solid melodic rocker with a rhythm guitar riff that will stick in your brain for days, and epic rock ballad “Lifeboat” almost approaches greatness, but doesn’t quite make it there. There are other good tracks here (“Cigarette Girl” and “Crooked Crown”) but it feels like the band is just dipping their toe in the power pop waters. The compositions are solid, but a bit too safe to be that memorable. After repeat listens the songs “hidden” details in the melodies may keep you coming back, but this band needs to drop the subtlety if it wants to gain a bigger following.

MySpace | CDBaby  

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

Autumn Defense "Back of My Mind" and Bleu album preview

powerpopaholic 1 Comment

Wilco members John Stirratt and Pat Sansone will release their fourth Autumn Defense album “Once Around” on November 2nd via Yep Roc Records. If the single is any indication, this looks to be a very well received album. And the California sound to “Back Of My Mind” is just irresistible. Now get this single as a FREE Download from Yep Roc.


Oh and by the way, Bleu’s new album “Four” has been out for streaming and will be out in the US on November 2nd. Pretty cool, eh?

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