Powerpopholic

The Ragamuffins of Love "Wise Up"

January 11, 2009July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

Are you looking for a group that knows how to rock with a sense of humor? The Ragamuffins of Love played at IPO this year and have the musical chops to show off on the opener “Kiss Those Good Times Goodbye.” Sung and played by the likes of Eff Dupp, Amadou Schbag, Kaye Seurat and Saul Goode. I think Bart Simpson will be calling Moe’s bar looking for these guys for sure. Eff (aka Sandy McKnight) has a slurred quality to the vocals that recall Joe Walsh or Randy Newman a bit. The riffs and melodies here are no joke though. The next song, “Tangerine” get into your head pretty well, and the “Plastic Yellow Raincoat” is a great song here in the Elvis Costello vein. The skinny tie jangle pop of “Julie Fashion Queen” will bring sweet memories to many power pop fans of the 80’s. More highlights here include “All Broken Hearted Lovers,” and the Pete Townshend’s gin soaked “It’s Not True.” Eff then lets the band go for a metal/punk intro sound on “I Want My Money Back.” The intro doesn’t match the song that well here. Overall, the production is a slightly uneven, and the backing vocals aren’t that good, but the songwriting and musicianship is solid gold here. I only expect improvement from these guys. Fans of The Kinks, Elvis Costello and Buddy Love will love this stuff. I wised up, you should too.

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Peppermint Trolley Company "The Brady Bunch Theme"

January 11, 2009April 4, 2018 powerpopaholic

In 2007, I found this cool video of The Peppermint Trolley Company, an obscure pop band that modeled itself after The Association. They never kept this original “Brady Bunch” theme, because they wanted to have girls sing “It’s the story of a lovely lady…” part. After a single album in 1968, they faded from memory. It’s a shame because they showed potential as a great sunshine pop band, if they emerged a year earlier it might have made a difference.

Dave Dee passed away.

January 10, 2009January 10, 2009 powerpopaholic

Sixties British pop star Dave Dee has died aged 67 after a long battle with cancer. The former policeman was the lead singer with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich and enjoyed a string of chart hits including “The Legend of Xanadu,” “Bend It, and “Save Me.” Here is the video of “Bend it” – he was a cult fave of mine. The other hit here is Hold Tight which I posted two years ago. What an underrated band at the time, RIP Dave.

Alan Bernhoft "Beatlesque One"

January 9, 2009December 4, 2024 powerpopaholic

And here I though The Rutles were back in town. No, it’s multi-talented singer-songwriter Alan Bernhoft with a collection of songs that really captures the feel and sound of The Beatles. From The Spongetones to The Beatnix to The Fore – people love Beatlesque power pop. It’s no surprise really that this style of power pop is one of my guilty pleasures. Alan does a great job with these songs, so they are not just an imitation or tribute band (like the Fab Faux). These are all original compositions with the spirit of 1964 starting off on “Keep Your Hands Off My Baby” and “Be Mr. Nice.” Some of these songs are from Bernhoft’s film, “Desperately Seeking Paul McCartney”. Marc Cushman, the film’s director & producer said “We couldn’t afford The Beatles’ music, so we got the next best thing- Alan Bernhoft.” The different eras are all covered well with hightlights on “Someday (’08 Mix)” with a bit of Sgt. Peppers style, and both “Sunshine Girl” and “Winter Ocean Mary Go Round” have a bit of a Mystery Tour flavor. Alan wrote all the words & music, sings, plays all the instruments and produced the recordings at his AIM Studios in Los Angeles. A few tracks here are way overproduced (“Every Girl I See”) with too much fuzz and reverb, but for the most part it’s all good. Fans of Beatlesque pop rejoice!

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The Crowd Scene "With Complete Glossary For Squares"

January 7, 2009July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

This Virginia band agrees that music aint what it used to be. Guitarist/vocalist Grahame Davies takes a trip through inner space here with a very English style, if you can imagine The Brigadier or Neil Finn with a female vocal backup.The album is full of folky melancholy tunes, the only sign of upbeat life here is the brilliant “Edward Learjet” with an interlocking harmonic chorus and biting lyrics that recall last years’ Milton and the Devils Party. In fact, “I Wouldn’t Say I’m Sorry” shuffles along it’s exquisite pop moping and it leads to my favorite song here “Trick Photography” with references to The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. This is one of those albums that grows on you like moss. The jangle of “Craked Leather Seat” recalls John Lennon vividly and most of the songs here are highly appealing guitar ballads. Anne Rogers gets to shine as lead on “Which Way” – a Elvis Costello styled mid tempo song. I couldn’t find a bad track here, despite the somber tone much of the album takes – even the Big Star-like “Finish Line” – the more you hear it, the better it gets. An impressive sophomore release that deserves a late night listen.

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