Category: emerging artists

Here are a few emerging artists EPreleases that hit my inbox:

The Breakups “Eat Your Heart Out” EP
This album blew me away on first listen. A big hint here is that they are opening with Jason Falkner in Silverlake, CA this month. Starting with “Day in The Sun” it has angelic choruses and heavy guitars similar to Tripsitter or Teenage Fanclub. The next song “Tissue Sample” is a strings and guitar ballad with lead singer Jake Gideon’s gentle vocals similar to Cloud Eleven. This six song EP is varied in style and keeps you guessing throughout with a variety of styles. “Feed” has the rising guitar chords similar to Fountains of Wayne. The ending “Winding Down”gets the Ken Stringfellow vibe done well. Don’t miss this one.
MySpace | The Breakups Website

 

Keyboard Cathy “Sushi Lover”
Yes, Cathy has an old Broadway sense of melody and a Roland R-600 keyboard. But it’s not all pop showtunes and kitsch. It falls somewhere between The Carpenters and Julie Andrews, the best of this is evidenced in the song “Golden Child” which won Honorable Mention in the Broadway/Cabaret category of the Unisong International Songwriting Contest. The song “Sushi Lover” is like the ultimate dinner music for Japanese eating – as it has instructional narrative that teaches you how to enjoy eating the food. And the pop melodies are upbeat and cheerful (almost saccharine) and the messages in the music sound straight out of Dr. Phil’s motivational guide. You will either love it or not, but it’s worth a listen.
My Space| CD Baby

Lazy Lions “Keep Your Love Away”
Brooklyn rockers Lazy Lions, have a way with really fine Elvis Costello styled power pop – just listen to the opener “Keep Your Love Away” and just try not to smile or tap your feet. The bouncy melody and smart guitar play also remind me of Squeeze, and the song “Magellan In Reverse” has echoes of The Fixx as well. This is an excellent 4 song EP of melodic goodness that compares well with power popper, Any Trouble and The Db’s. Highly recommended for sure – One question: When is the full length album coming out?
My Space | emusic

Kaitlyn Anderson “A New Word For Over”
In the past, I’ve given nods to good female vocalists and Kaitlyn is no exception. Here is an alternative to the current female pop cliches, with the single “So Much Better” a really strong song, is part Meredith Brooks attitude and Shania Twain sweetness. She has a strong pop vocal that doesn’t overly stylize the song and as an example “Unhappy” has a great melody and understated rock guitar that doesn’t take away from the vocal performance. Also worthy of note is Guillermo Guerrero’s excellent guitar solo on “Walk Away.” A bit of Pat Benetar rock leaks out on “Pressure.” Worth checking out for sure.
My Space | Kaitlyn’s Site

Some unique non-power pop finds that may turn your head:

Midnight Juggernauts “Dystopia”
These Australians, in a nod to the Ramones, renamed themselves Vincent Juggernaut and Andy Juggernaut. The two met in high school and played straightforward guitar rock together before moving on to experiment with synthesizers and dance music. By combining electronic dance pop and prog rock in equal parts you get The Midnight Juggernauts “Dystopia” – The group uses synths, drums, and bass with the occassional falsetto vocal in spots creates pop that with a dark, ominous undercurrent. “Into the Galaxy” is very successful single, and you will hear echos of ELO and The Moody Blues that fit just fine here. The smooth new wave synth beats of “Shadows” will give you Depeche Mode flashbacks of the 80’s. These influences continue through “Worlds Converge” with hints of a very Bowie-like vocal as well. Overall I highly recommend this combination of wonderously hypnotic synths, stomping rhythm, and apocalyptic choruses. So far the best dance music I’ve heard since Scissor Sisters.
 The MJ Site | My Space |

DrBoKarma “Don’t Be Rediculous- part one”
Eccentric and charming. Strange and experimental. These are words that describe the self produced album of DrBoKarma. This is a musical waltz through the genres-blending English folk/Pop Psychedelia that also touches on a bit of jazz as well. Think of it as Dan Zanes or Stew on a lot of quaaludes. In any case, DrBo takes you on a journey. Lets call it DIY quirky pop done by a well trained session man that knows how to set up a mood. Since it’s so hard to pigeonhole, let me just point out the Kinks like ballad “Yvonne” as a highlight. Not for everyone, but worth a listen. You can only buy the CD from the DrBoKarma website or Amazon.com
The DrBoKarma Website | My Space

Here are a few new artists releases making waves recently:

The Pomegranates “Everything is Alive”
This Cincinnati, Ohio band draws comparisons to Death Cab For Cutie and Modest Mouse, with a knack for soft melodies and obtuse song structures. This album draws influences from classic rock and experimental pop, and sometimes it works really nice on the intricate “Whom/Who” or the organized mess of “In the Kitchen.” They channel classic Kinks on “Late Night Television” but the best track here is the Beach Boys meets Death Cab track, “The Bellhop” which points out what makes the group special. The albums second half doesn’t keep the pace up, but if you want something a bit left of center power pop, it’ll do just fine.
Lujo Records | My Space | Itunes

Dream Bitches “Coke and Spriters“
The lack of solid female power pop vocalists lately has me in a funk, until I heard Yoko Kikuchi and Ann Zakaluk aka Dream Bitches. This is a playful pop album, that gets all the influences right, without sounding like The Pipettes. The guitar riffs on the catchy “Hierarchy Island” remind me of a female version of the Vandalias a little bit. The gears switch around and they can channel both They Might Be Giants lyrical sarcasm and The Cranberries vocal harmonies all at once. “Mother’s Day” is an especially good song in this style. Some songs get folky and then others like “Me and The Major” have a nice garage pop feel. “Sweet Anneth” is a hilarious ode from a bitch’s point of view. And the pop hooks and effortless harmonies here are a welcome change in the  super catchy “Video Games” – for those of you who miss the old Liz Phair, you’ll find comfort with the Dream Bitches.
Dream Bitches’s home | My Space| Itunes

Clovis Roblaine “The Clovis Roblaine Story”
Thanks to a hot tip in my e-mail box, I give you this, the very definition of a lost classic power pop album from the 1980’s. Clovis Roblaine is a talented Oklahoma multi-instrumentalist. His lone LP encompasses a variety of classic power pop styles: girl groups, vocal and instrumental surf tunes, mersybeat, Buddy Holly, and a pinch of doo-wop. The album compares well with the best that Dwight Twilley could offer at the time. The used record of this album goes for over $150 on some collectors sites. And you will not find it anywhere else (at least I couldn’t). Get it before it’s gone…
CD baby

The Campbell Apartment formed in mid to late 2007 when long-time friends Ari Vais and Dan Haag had a conversation about how for the 10 years they have known each other, they’ve always wanted to play together but never have. So now they have collaborated to create the first album “Insomniacs Almanac” which I can say has a Guided By Voices meets Fountains of Wayne-styled sound. So it’s no surprise that FOW is touring with them. The opener “Long Distance Relationship” sounds like an outtake from GBV’s “Alien Lanes” with contrasting vocal and guitar melodies that melt together. The short tunes are full of cognizant material and occasionally hilarious lyrics. Both “Wife” and “St. Louis” have those wonderful hook-filled choruses and stream of thought details similar to FOW. By mid album, the tone changes a bit to more topical humor, an example are the very funny “How To Be Alone” and “Addicted To MySpace” that fans of Jonathan Coulton or They Might Be Giants will appreciate. The next group of songs “Afterthought” and “Stuck” get a lttile more guitar heavy and lean closer towards Weezer. Toward album’s end Vais and Haag ruminate on the effects of creative burnout. This is evidenced with “Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired” and the tired theme continues with “Feverish and Friendly” where they mention “the only thing that I can think of is sleep.” Overall a fine album that will appeal without a doubt to GBV and FOW fans, as well as anyone who thinks they spend too much time on a computer… Wait, do I have an e-mail? Let me check.

UPDATE

The album can be listened to streaming on the band’s label Headphone Treats. But for a limited time the entire album will be available for as a FREE download from AmieStreet.com

My Space | Headphone Treats