Archie Powell and The Exports "Loose Change" EP FREE Download

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Chicago native Archie Powell and The Exports are more than plain ole’ rock and roll, it’s a mini party in a 5-song EP. Powell opens things up with the rootsy “Moving To The City” which is a bit like Wilco or Old 97s poppier tracks. “Loose Change” is another good follow up that works in a hummable chorus and a punchy beat. Other other songs here are also clear winners including “Mattson Is A Flake” which reminds me of Ben Kweller with a Weezer styled chorus. On “Piggy Bank Blues” he mentions “Rock and Roll is just a pyramid scheme…” So to prove Powell’s not part of any scheme, this the EP is a free download, so you have no excuses. Highly recommended for sure.

MySpace | Bandcamp Free Download Page | Archie Powell and The Exports Website

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Bill Donati "Never Like This"

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Bill Donati played drums with the Goatdancers, and Lawson and Four More, a group that released two 45s on the Ardent Label in Memphis. The Ardent Label gained some fame with Big Star, but clearly missed out by not recognizing Donati’s talent earlier. As a pianist and singer, Donati wrote and recorded his own songs in Memphis and Los Angeles. Donati’s solo album is a lost treasure from 1972, and fans of Beatles, Badfinger and Big Star will be amazed at the gems here. Opening with the Merseybeat and high vocals in “Never Like This” it stays true to the Fab formula, and delivers classic songwriting as well. Donati’s Rickenbacker riffs and piano lead on “Catherine” and “I’m Not Saying” compares well with Pete Ham in his prime. “A Love Gone Mad” is also pretty interesting, a mix of Kinks-styled vocals and Beatlesque piano. Most of the songs feature strong production work by Ardent’s legendary engineer Terry Manning. It runs out of steam by the albums end a bit, but there is plenty here to recommend. Fans of the Ardent “sound” as well as Tommy Hoehn and Van Duren will also find a lot to like here. Bill also has a claim to fame as creating one of the very first modern rock videos “Nuclear Surfer”in 1982. Recently he’s also teamed up with Jimmy Pou on the group Byron’s Dream. Much like other “lost” releases this year, I am grateful that this album is seeing the light of day.

CD Baby | Not Lame | Kool Kat Musik

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Thowback Suburbia "s/t"

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“If you should find yourself having trouble locating a pulse in today’s music, Throwback Suburbia is the proof of life in power pop.” – these words are posted on the Throwback Suburbia My Space page. Here is an awesome band that wraps itself up in the spirit of the genre. It opens with the pop explosion that is “Private Oasis” full of ringing guitars and strong melody reminiscent of The Rubinoos. The follow up “Asking Why” is a Velvet Crush/Raspberries-like tune full of great chords and impeccable harmonies. The band hits for the fences here and succeeds with the ELO-styled opening piano chords on “Head Over Heels” and it’s one of the albums many standouts. Fans of Jellyfish will appreciate this as well as the “The Same Mistake” which has such a clean pop sound, and smart songwriting that it really deserves to be a radio friendly hit. The first half of the album hits the sweet spot for sure, then it goes for a harder sound on “Say When” for the Tom Petty fans here. But really, there is not a single note of filler here, and plenty of pop gems to soothe hungry ears. “Perfectly Okay” goes all Fountains of Wayne with us and “Halfway To The Stars” is a cool Jellyfish mid-tempo that sounds as good as anything Roger Manning has written, and it’s my favorite song on the album. They’ve already blown the doors off of International Pop Overthrow in Los Angeles this year and I hope to hear more of them in the years to come. This band deserves much accolades for this full length debut – easily one of the best of the year. It’s another “must-get-it-now” slice of music heaven.

MySpace | CD Baby | Not Lame

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Ken Stringfellow. The Power Popaholic Interview.

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Not many artists are as versatile as Ken Stringfellow. Power pop fans will know him for his work in the Posies and The Orange Humble Band, his own solo projects and part of the revival of pop legend Big Star. I was thrilled to get to interview him. We talk about his move to Paris, his involvement with Cheap Star, his new band The Disciplines, and even touch on his appearance at the upcoming Charlotte Pop Fest later this week and his time with REM. The opening clip here is “Definite Door” from the album “Frosting On The Beater.” Listen to the entire interview streaming (21 minutes).

UPDATES: For those who would like to read a written transcript of my interview with Matthew Sweet, you can check it out on power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.