Tag: The Pozers
Thomas Walsh and The Pozers
Thomas Walsh “The Rest is History”
Thomas Walsh (Pugwash), a musician who has a lot of great inspirations (XTC, ELO, etc.), put out his first record under his own name. Walsh moves beyond his Pugwash oeuvre a little and adds his own spin on some stylistic sounds, with additional help from heavyweights like Michael Penn and Neil Hannon.
The Jeff Lynne-like single “A Good Day For Me” is a brilliant opener that once again proves Walsh’s talent. His songwriting remains strong on highlights like “All This Hurt,” which boasts a great jangling melody. Even better is the sublime “Take Your Time,” with its fantastic bridge. He also excels at trippy psych-pop with the hypnotic bassline of “Everyone Back in the Water.” He also does a fair amount of experimental pop with the unexpected chord shifts of “Love in a Circumstance” and the tribal chanting of “This Is My Fortress.” Add the poignant counting of his blessings with “To Be That Child Again” and the orchestral sweep of “We Knew,” and there you have it. More hits than misses, and not a single dud. Highly Recommended.
The Pozers “Something Pop”
This Texas band makes the most of recording at Abbey Road Studios in London and opens up with “And You Love,” a five-minute epic with soaring guitars and synths. Despite the studio gloss, lead singer-songwriter Jim Richey effectively gets across a variety of sounds with a punkish garage style.
The Pozers’ style works best on fast-tempo catchy tunes like “Alison With An Edge” and “It’s All About You.” The ballads here are also well written, like “Make Up,” but the percussion needs to be toned down a little in the mix. The ambitious harmonies on “Her Facade” aim a little higher than the band’s ability to do it, but it settles into a nice mid-tempo groove. A big highlight is the Merseybeat and handclaps of “Missing You (Missing Me),” and the slow groove on “Ease Off My Heart.” This is a band that definitely deserves to be heard.
Support P. Hux and some EPs that deserve to be heard: Old Town Cryer, Flathead, Andy Bopp, The Photocopies, The Pozers
The great P. Hux has a new album he’s finishing up, mixing, mastering, and other details. You only have a few days left to contribute to one of the best power pop artists around. Visit the Kickstarter site. Old Town Cryer has a bluesy live performance last year at The Fallout Shelter in Norwood, MA and half the proceeds go to The Pine Street Inn, a charitable organization whose mission is to end homelessness. From Marseille, France comes Flathead, an energetic power pop band that advertises “No Synths… Only Guitars.” Another great power pop veteran, Andy Bopp is back with an EP of sweet tunes; “Roger” and “Poison Girl” which is like a mix of Bowie meets Robert Pollard. Love this! The Photocopies have a neat new release that hums along, check out the fuzzy pop “Holiday Romance” and “Like Teenage Love.” Finally, The Pozers video for “Two” comes from Crybaby Bridge. It’s my favorite song from the album. Enjoy!
Nick Frater and The Pozers
Nick Frater “Full Fathom Freight-Train”
The UK based Frater has quickly emerged as a power-pop force to be reckoned with. With a leaning towards classic 60s-70s influences he opens with “Sunshine After The Rain,” a deceptively simple melody that worms it’s way into your head quickly, on its strong verse-chorus structure. “Oh, Now Girl” is like an early Teenage Fanclub gem, which also has its heart on its sleeve. “Your Latest Breakup Song” slows down just a touch, like if Paul Simon teamed up with Andrew Gold. These three tunes alone make Frater’s music unforgettable. But there is more.
The dream-like “All Out at Sea” changes the mood and “The Getaway” has this thick early 70’s sheen, like Sweet or Sailor. “Holding On to You” is a perfect song about longing that combines old and new styles of pop balladry. “Strangers on The Bus” and “What Does Good Look Like?” lean toward mid-tempo pop in the mold of Adam Schlesinger. Not a single weak track here, so I’m gonna cut this review short. Last year’s “Goodbye Kayfabe” was a top ten EP, and it’s safe to add this LP to 2019’s top ten LP list.
The Pozers “Crybaby Bridge”
Texas-based band The Pozers are back with two distinct songwriters as they sing about nostalgia, youth, breakups, regret, and death. Starting with a hard rock riff and an echoing lead vocal by Kenny Swann on the opener “Goodbye (I’m Gone),” it’s safe, but an uninspiring start. But Jim Richey’s “Two” is a much more interesting tune, as a psyche-pop mid-tempo gem with layered harmonies and a nice instrumental break at the midpoint. Fans of The Pillbugs will enjoy that one. Next, “SoCal” is another Richey song and you’ll hear echoes of Badfinger in this tune about chasing fame. He sings “So tell me how’s the life you’re making? If you cry just say you’re faking.”
“The Only Girl” is an odd one; like a Beach Boys tune played at half speed and it contrasts with Swann’s “Nonstop” with its frantic drum pounding. Some songs with this approach work great like “Teenage Storybook,” and “So Long” but some of the heavy production techniques detract from other songs (“Telling My Secrets”). ”The Obvious Ledge” is a worthy tribute to the late Elliot Smith. There is enough here to keep most power pop fans interested, and I would recommend you check it out.
Reissues and Freebie Friday: The Pozers, Imp of Perverse, Zeus Springsteen
Reissues: The Pozers “Embrace Your Addiction”
With their 5th CD release, The trio known as The Pozers (Jim Richey, Kenny Swann, Jeff Hamm) serve up some brand new “addictions” for your listening pleasure.The albums overall theme is on memories (specifically 1987) and musical influences are straightforward; starting with “The Time and Place” it slowly morphs from harpsichord into a rich combination of guitars and Beatlesque harmonies. Then “Cindy See” is a very Fountains of Wayne styled gem to honor an obsession with supermodel Cindy Crawford.
Richey’s poignant fuzz guitar “Lucky Face” emphasizes “We get no guarantees (I guarantee that)” and the Beatles style is especially strong on “When Intellects Collide,” and then it changes slightly for the breezy gem “Sunshine (Smiling Face)” with some horns added to the raw vocals. Many songs densely packed, with sharp wit between each drum fill and chugging riff. The band’s arena rock indulgences come out toward the end, but this is still one of best Pozer’s albums out there.
Freebies!
Imp of Perverse is a Texas band with a mellow psyche-pop style full of sleepy low vocals. Check out “Misunderstanding.” A FREE download too.