Category: EP reviews

Freebies: The White Oranges, Surf Cassette, The John Sally Ride

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The White Oranges

Indie-Rock trio from Saginaw, Michigan produced by Andy Reed, so you know it will sound great. The opener “Everybody” is a catchy longer rocker, those 5 minutes rush right by. These tunes are long but good. Fans of Weezer will love this too. Get it now!

Surf Cassette

Nice throwback to the grungey-pop of ’90s with this band from Milan Italy. Unfortunately “Lust For Life” can’t compare to the Iggy Pop classic. Skip to “Mess In My Head” and “Maybe I’m Not Sober” for fuzz guitar bliss.

The John Sally Ride

The brilliant pairing of John Dunbar and Sal Maida (Milk & Cookies) with drummer Sal Nunziato. I love this amazingly tight single and B-side that is a preview of the upcoming LP “A New Set Of Downs” Get it now!

EP Reviews: 1957 Tail-Fin Fiasco, The Roaring Juniors, Cinema Star and Son of Skooshny

powerpopaholic

The 1957 Tail-Fin Fiasco is a UK band with an uncanny resemblance to Steely Dan, but with an ability to travel beyond simple sound emulation. All these tracks are cool as hell, especially the opener “Kiki vs. Alice From The Breakers” as they mention my hometown in the first opening words of the lyric.

The Roaring Juniors are an energetic Michigan band we’ve heard before and leader Ronnie Riggar frantically jams to the fast tempo “Manzanita,” and does an equally  good job on a cover of The Beatles “Hard Days Night.” Check it out on Bandcamp or Amazon

Son of Skooshny is Skooshny frontman Mark Breyer with Steve Refling. The band has slowly built up its collection of singles into a EP for you to enjoy. Fans of Tom Petty and The Traveling Wilburys will love this music. Get it on Bandcamp or Amazon

Video Spotlight: Cinema Star


Cinema Star has been making power pop music since around 2000, this is their latest “Attractive” single. Get it on Bandcamp or Amazon!

EPs Reviews: Jim Eyles, The Bishops’s Daredevil Stunt Club, Vista Blue

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The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club “Don’t Buy This Record”

The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club gives us real sweet EP, it features a variety of styles from the angular alt. rock synths of “Have You Met You” to the bright riffs of the anthemic “Succumb To The Blues.” Clearly the band likes to indulge with longer jams but what is interesting here is the 5-minute long “Just Drive” where the first minute is clearly inspired by the theme of the show Stranger Things. My favorite here is “The Sweetest Song” with a whistling bridge to a catchy chorus. And its a FREE Download — this is so good it’s scary!


Vista Blue “October Days (and October Nights!)”

Vista Blue is back in time for Halloween. The Blue boys give us a real treat in a series of fuzz drenched songs based on horror movie locations, like the Beach Boys inspired “Crystal Lake” and “Trick ‘r Treat.” Also enjoy the Ramones-like “Haddonfield Memorial.” Bonus points if you can name the movies these locations are from. This is also a FREE Download — no tricks here, just a power pop treat!


Jim Eyles “Propeller”

New Jersey based artist Jim Eyles delivers a raw rock and roller “It Takes Too Long” and his take on “Slow Down Fast” makes use of a catchy bass riff. While Eyles vocals are a bit rough, producer Steve Butler (Smash Palace) adds some brilliant guitar work on “You Should Know Better” and the reverb rhythms of “For The World.” Overall a fine introduction to Jim Eyles, and a great addition to your playlist.

CD Baby | Amazon

Slow Down Fast – Jim Eyles from Jim Eyles on Vimeo.

Freebies and EP Reviews: The Lunar Laugh, Red Cabin, Kai Danzberg, Melanie Crew and David Myhr

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Jared Lekites is back as The Lunar Laugh with a new singe “Work In Progress” and its got great catchy melody. Jared never disappoints, so get this one!

Long island native Jonathan Foster is back with a new Red Cabin EP. “Willow Tree” and “Falling Apart” are solid pop gems. Its a FREE download so add it to your playlist. 

German musician Kai Danzberg has many influences from disco, modern pop to powerpop and “Time Machine” is clearly influenced by ELO. Some hit potential is definitely here, listen also to “You Keep Turning.”

Okay London native Melanie Crew is NOT power pop, but she’s got a calm sweet voice. She’s actually had songs receive airplay on the BBC. If you want to just chill out this is the FREE download for you.

Video Spotlight

David Myhr(The Merrymakers) has a new single “Spellbound” that I promoted on Facebook a few days ago. It’s a very ELO-inspired track that is featured in a Swedish movie “Flykten till Framtiden.” Looking forward to more Myhr! Get it on iTunes

EP Reviews: Colorworks, Todd Wicks, Bracket

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Colorworks “Dream of Mangoes”

Seattle quartet featuring the vocal duo Bret Dylan (guitar) and Nick Myette (bass) alongside percussionist Andrew Ginn and guitarist/keyboardist David Easton. The sound is very sunny pop with a great melodic sense, after the psychedelic “Daydreams” it veers into the bouncy pop of “Pears & Mangoes” with its sweet harmonies and minor chords. “She Said No” is my fave here; part Zombies, part Rundgren – all catchy goodness. These guys recently finished playing IPO Seattle. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

Todd Wicks Dream Cruise “Todd Wicks Dream Cruise”

More traditional rock release from Todd Wicks (Prime Ministers) and the songs focus on universal emotions (obsession, grief, love, resignation) found living in suburban Detroit. Nicely produced, with steady guitar on my favorite track here “Rock Yourself.” Best of all, it’s a FREE download on Bandcamp.

Bracket “The Last Page”

Forestville, California band that gave us the wonderful Hold Your Applause a few years ago, tries an experimental album that is one single track at over an hour and 10 minutes long. It zips through melodies at a quick pace, buzzsaw riffs one minute, Zappa-like instrumentals and multi-tracked harmonies the next. The lyrics say “its a work in progress” at 4 minutes in and it feels like a collection of demos strung together. However some brilliant stuff is buried in here, so be patient. Worth the trip.

Amazon