Tag: Jim Basnight

Jim Basnight and The Junior League

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“Smug

Jim Basnight “Under The Rock”

Jim Basnight has been active since the late 70s, first with the Moberlys and later as a solo artist, helping shape Seattle’s pre grunge indie rock scene. His new album, ‘Under The Rock,’ began in 2023 with sessions in Athens, Georgia, organized by bassist John Carlucci. Back in Seattle, Basnight and longtime co producer Garey Shelton expanded the recordings with new harmonies and guitar work from his current band. Inspired by the results, they cut more tracks in 2024 and 2025, rotating players and building a deep pool of material.

As a longtime fan, I hear the spark of his early records paired with the control of a seasoned writer. He opens “All Summer Long” with the feel of a lost John Fogerty tune, driven by Basnight’s steady swagger. “Get It Out” hits fast and hard,  and the country tinged “Other Woman” and “So F’ed Up” lean into sharp storytelling and hooks that stick after one listen. The solid “Think Of Me,” and the heart felt ballad “Ones That Got Away” are also highlights here. If you care about strong songs, tight playing, and records you will spin more than once, this one delivers. Highly recommended.

Kool Kat Musik | Amazon


“The

The Junior League “The Moon Neither Noticed Nor Ignored”

Joe Adragna returns as The Junior League with another batch of melodic guitar rock that hits the mark. He has built a track record for consistency, and this set keeps that streak intact. “Sunset Park” and “A Matter of Time” feel like instant staples, built on clean jangle, strong melodic lines, and Adragna’s weathered vocal, which gives the songs lived in credibility.

“Just As Long As I Have You” leans into earnest mid tempo territory, layering guitars around a direct love lyric. “The Naked Lunchbox” taps into the smooth, harmony rich sound of Eagles in their late 70s prime, without sounding retro for the sake of it. “Never Quite The Same” raises the bar with a more detailed arrangement, subtle backing harmonies, and tasteful slide guitar that adds depth.

Adragna pushes harder on “I Hate To Break It To You,” where distorted guitar and punchy percussion give the track a blues punk edge. He pivots back to bright, guitar driven pop on “Until You Get It Right,” proving he knows how to balance grit and melody. The emotional core runs deepest on the extended “Forget Forget Me Nots,” which closes the album with weight, reflection and great guitar riffs. This stands among his strongest efforts and deserves your attention. Highly recommended and an early nominee for 2026.

Kool Kat Musik | Amazon

All I Want For Christmas is…

powerpopaholic

We have a few days left…

So in the spirit of the holiday season, I am looking through my massive list of 516 releases to see which albums make the cut. The end of year Top 25 List will likely arrive on New Year’s Eve or shortly after. In the meantime, I have a final blast of Christmas music. Enjoy it while it’s here, but even cooler is this stocking stuffer for you all. Jim Basnight has a new album coming out before the year’s up, I have an exclusive limited time download for y’all. Pick it up and pick up this LP when it comes out.

Some new Holiday Favorites!



Jim Basnight and Marc Jonson & Ramírez Exposure

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Jim Basnight

Jim Basnight “Early Years”

Where did it all begin? Jim’s bohemian existence as a musical artist is chronicled and remastered as a series of early solo singles and some with his band The Moberlys. His energy is palatable on the 1977 openers “Last Night” and “Leave The Past Behind,” after being robbed in NYC. Songs like “I Return” scream “hit record” and Iggy Pop clearly influences “Sexteen.”

For fans of the early ’80s, the styles run from power pop, punk, and new wave. Basnight and The Moberlys have an edge few could claim at that time,  as “Country Fair” and “I Trust You” are both catchy gems. The Bo Diddley guitar on “Show Who You Are” and the bouncy sweet “Love is Beautiful” showcases Basnight’s many moods. Overall a 20-track lo-fi, fun listen and highly recommended.

Amazon

Marc Jonson, Ramírez Exposure

Marc Jonson & Ramírez Exposure “Turning On The Century: Volume 1”

Marc Jonson teams up with Ramirez Exposure and the long-awaited results do not disappoint. “Tape Recorder” opens with glorious harmonies worthy of Brian Wilson, and Curt Boettcher, and the songwriting has a melodic ethereal quality like the band America. From the light jangle of “Titling At Windwmills” to the expansive echoing vocal of “Sour Lemonade Sour.”

California sunshine is strong with the duo, and songs are mostly short mini-symphonic scaled gems – a great example is “Rain, Rain, Rain,” as it conjures visions of wide open spaces. The two alternate lead vocal duties and Marc sounds most comfortable on the breezy “I Don’t Know Your World.” The only pet peeve here is the hooks aren’t as strong in the album’s second half but that doesn’t take away from the superb musicianship here. Highly Recommended. Currently singles are on Amazon, and the full album is on Bandcamp.

Kool Kat Musik |Tape Recorder | Sound of the Real World

Remasters and Rarities: Jim Basnight, Bill Lloyd and The Keys

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Jim Basnight

Jim Basnight “Pop Top” (Remastered)

“Pop Top” was Jim Basnight’s first solo album, originally a cassette-only release in 1992, and his first CD album release in 1993.  The tracks came together while he was on tour with the Moberlys, and working with a variety of collaborators (including REM’s Peter Buck) deliver fine examples of the late ’80s and early ’90s pop-rock. “My Vision of You” is an effective jangling tune, with emotional verses and a solid chorus. “Asphalt Field” is a narrative pop-rock song that reminds me a bit of Midnight Oil, and the rollicking “Opportunity Knocks” has a wicked piano blues riff similar to The Rolling Stones, and it’s really catchy. With 18 tracks, this compilation hits a lot of different moods and styles.

Jim works his magic on most of these tracks; notables include “Blue Moon Heart,” “One Night Away,” “Hello Mary Jane,” “Evil Touch,” and “Restless Night.” Overall plenty of worthy tracks makes this highly recommended LP. This has never been released digitally for downloads or streams and has been long out of print, until now. Check it out!

Bandcamp


Bill Lloyd

Bill Lloyd “Feeling The Elephant” (Remastered)

Between 1983 and 1986 before he joined the country duo Foster and Lloyd, Bill Lloyd put together a series of power pop songs in the tradition of Dwight Twilley and released it as Feeling The Elephant in 1987. It was reissued in 1990, where it found its audience — but power pop fans can really appreciate the music with this newly remastered version of the album. The chiming guitars of the opener “This Very Second” are bright and hook-filled, and the Big Star-like crunch of “Nothing Comes Close” is timeless perfection. The big single here “Lisa Anne” is very much in the mold of Marshall Crenshaw and the jangling “It’ll Never Get Better Than This” is another gem here.

A few songs actually are dated by the period but still, sound fantastic like “I Wann Sit And Watch The Credits Roll” and the hard rock “All At Once You Are Unzipped.” Overall not a wasted note here and it holds up extremely well. If you ever wanted to find a place to start the deep dive into Bill Lloyd’s power pop this is the place. It should be an essential part of your music collection.

Amazon


The Keys

The Keys “Unlocked”

There are several “lost” power pop treasures of the 1980s, but The Keys are of particular importance. In the wake of the punk revolution in the UK, The Keys first album from 1981 is the definition of “a lost classic” of the power pop genre. Similar in approach to Elvis Costello and The Beat, the band was signed by A&M Records, and produced by upcoming star Joe Jackson, but despite the critical acclaim it only sold a few thousand copies, and it remains a find for rare record collectors and was never reissued on CD. The band dissolved in 1983 without a follow-up to the debut.

But in the year prior to the breakup, The Keys made some recordings in London between 1981 and 1983. These 12 tracks are now unearthed today and fit in perfectly with their first LP. The band has a slightly more muscular sound with “Crying Out For Love” and “Don’t Do That.” The recordings aren’t that high quality, but the talent remains impressive. Unlocked is a release of Rollin Records, but there seems to be only limited distribution, and I can’t find a place in the USA that has it. So just like the debut, it’s another mad dash to find it. But if you do it’s a worthy companion.

Rollin Records UK | Discogs

Jim Basnight with The Rockinghams and The Moberlys

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Jim Basnight remains a rock and roll survivor, from his days with The Moberlys in the ’80s, to The Rockinghams in the ’90s to today. Last year Power Popaholic released the full-length LP Jokers, Idols, and Misfits with our digital distribution on Bandcamp. This year Jim has gone back to his archives and re-released his original albums with those bands. These releases have been remastered and include never-before-released bonus tracks. Enjoy!

Jim Basnight with The Rockinghams

Jim Basnight with The Rockinghams “Makin’ Bacon”

While in Seattle, Jim Basnight teamed up with Criss Crass (Muffs) and Jack Hanan (Seattle’s Cowboys) to form this fun trio in 1992. Originally released on Not Lame Records in 1999 after the band broke up, its stage shows had a reputation for being pretty wild, and it’s easy to see why.

Opening with “Middle of the Night” has a grunge-fueled riff that sets the mood, “dancing to your favorite song” and the party has started. Bouncy punk-pop of “Need A Car,” “Played A Trick” and the jangling gem “Ho Chi Minh” show just how good this band was together. The songwriting feels immediate and the riffs and vocals are loose, on “More Than One Way” you get a hint of what they sounded live on stage. Basnight struts around and howls approval on “Lattes,” and impresses the groupies looking for a “Rock and Roll Girlfriend.” This release includes some rare tracks like “Ripple In The Bag,” “Miss America,” and “Python Boogaloo.” Highly Recommended.

Bandcamp

Jim Basnight and The Moberlys

Jim Basnight and The Moberlys “Seattle – New York – Los Angeles”

This 1995 Moberlys compilation (now updated and remastered) gathers many songs from the band’s career in the ’80s and is an underappreciated gem that still sounds timeless today. Influenced by The Byrds, The Raspberries, and The Rolling Stones (to name a few) they combine roots rock, garage rock, and new wave pop in a unique melange. The band changed line-up through each of the cities mentioned in the title, but Basnight was the constant.

“I Wanna Be Yours” recalls the sharp pop of The Pointed Sticks, while “Rest Up”  is a tight song that brings to mind both The Byrds and R.E.M. and on the ballad “Lose Me” Jim does his best Jagger-like vocal. The band successfully does roots-country on “Aint it Funny” and “Elma,” but can still do pop gems like “Summertime Again” and “She Always Smiled” with ease.  “Tonight” feels like Tom Petty, and “Your Fool” is a bouncy new wave radio hit.  This kind of musical variety was rarely done back then, and it’s more impressive that each genre is handled so well. No filler at all, and an important document of this “lost” power pop band. Highly Recommended.

Bandcamp