Category: EP reviews

Free Music Monday: Tommy Lorente and Fallon Cush

powerpopaholic
Tommy Lorente

Tommy Lorente “Amanita Sessions (Live)”

French power pop dynamo Tommy Lorente gives us live selections from his album A Cruel Lack of Tenderness (Un Cruel Manque de Tendresse). Recorded in November during a private concert at studio Amanita in Anglet with his band La Cavalerie. His signature tune “Katerine” is first, and even if you don’t understand French you’ll enjoy the bright melodies. Get it on Bandcamp for FREE!


Fallon Cush “Tell Me Once”

Australian musician Steven Smith has released several orphan tracks from his band Fallon Cush into this FREE EP for you all as a New Years gift. Many of these songs go back as far as 1999, but sound really fresh. “Tell Me Once” is a really cool single and the loose production shows how far the band has progressed from its early days. Enjoy it on Bandcamp for FREE!

Holiday Music: “I’ll be drinking this Christmas” and “Bad Sweater Christmas Party”

powerpopaholic

Scott Gagner features probably one of the most popular activities this holiday seaon. From his LP Rise & Shine which I reviewed early this year.

I always enjoy a new jingle-jangle classic and The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club has a shiny new single that’s ready to be unwrapped. It’s a free download and it has a pretty neat-o B-side “Never Be Big Stars,” which reminds me a lot of Cheap Trick. Thanks for present guys!

Michael Carpenter, The Pengwins and Jack Skuller

powerpopaholic

While I rarely highlight singles, a lot of them have reached my inbox lately.  I wanted to share and even though I didn’t “rate” them, they are most worthy of your attention:

Martin Carr

Michael Carpenter “Too Late/I’ve Been Lovin’ You”

A long-time favorite of this blog, Michael Carpenter has returned to the studio, and he’s taken a break from the covers and delivered some original compositions. “Too Late” is blues-rocker that has a strong pop melody and “I’ve Been Lovin’ You” is a dense guitar chorus that makes most Carpenter songs a joy to listen to.

Bandcamp

The Pengwins “Vol.2”

The legacy of The Pengwins continues to drip out in exclusive box-set singles like last years “Vol.1: Naive/Life After High School”.  This year we have Vol.2 “If U Want 2/Look Around” and its a wonderful new combo. “If U Want 2” was newly recorded and is the real gem here, with echoes of The Shoes and The Beatles it was even recorded in Abbey Road studios.

Lannie Flowers sounds great as always, the second side “Look Around” was originally recorded in the late ’70s and has more of a Cheap Trick vibe. If you order direct from SpyderPop Records, you get a special cardboard box, 7″ single with a bonus CD of the songs, plus guitar picks, photos, and other goodies.

CD Baby

Jack Skuller

Jack Skuller “Can You See Me | Hard To Want”

Jack Skuller is a young modern musician called by some “the anti-Bieber,” or “a mini Jack White.” Skuller cites his influences as Little Walter, Buddy Holly and Elvis Costello. This year he was the recipient of the Holly Prize, an award made possible by the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Songmasters as a tribute to the legacy of Buddy Holly, a Hall of Fame inductee. One listen to the single, and I was impressed. Check it out.

Amazon Pre-order

Freebie Friday: The Persian Leaps, El Silver Cabs and Crossing Guards

powerpopaholic

With summer finally here we have a full slate of music ready to be reviewed for next week, but this Friday I’ve got some nice freebies for you:

The Persian Leaps is a band from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Its a bit of melodic noise pop on its new EP Praise Elephants. Notable here is the power pop single “Silent Treatment” full of fuzzy guitar riffs and solid harmonies. “Exponentially Devoted” is another good song with a layer of jangle above the dense fuzz pop.  The band plays short, catchy songs coated along the same lines as Guided By Voices, Teenage Fanclub and My Bloody Valentine.
Bandcamp or pay the band proper at Amazon or CD Baby

20px_spacer

New York band El Silver Cabs have a snappy new single with “Oh No” that reminds me a little of those ’90s-era DIY rockers (like The Idle Wilds). This is a typical unsigned band toiling away, their older EPs go all the way back to 2012. But you can definitely hear a progression of improvement on the new EP Bish Bosh. Another notable tune is the fast paced “Red Wine & Ritalin.”
Another freebie from Bandcamp

20px_spacer

Okay this isn’t a freebie, but its a “lost” album that I’ve come across. The Crossing Guards are a Minnesota band that had this album, out in 2009. And its biggest influences are The Posies, Guided By Voices and The Replacements. GBV fans will go bonkers for the heavy rhythm guitar on “Smoke and Mirrors.” Lead singer/guitarist Martin Devaney and bassist Sean Hoffman go all out here and it deserves to be heard. Don’t miss standouts “Pretty Little Problem” and “Untouchable.” Overall a solidly recommended LP.
Bandcamp | Amazon | CD Baby

Tyson Leslie and Evil Arrows

powerpopaholic

Tyson Leslie “Train Wrecks, Havoc & Heartbreak”
 Tyson Leslie has been a vibrant part of the Kansas City music scene for over twenty years, playing in various bands now steps out of the sideman role with his debut LP.

Leslie is a rarity, a guitar shredder who actually cares about melody. The Beach Boys used to sing simply about cars and girls, and on “Little Green Honda” he updates the formula and its a damn catchy single. “Crazy All Over You” is a semi-honkey tonk road song that displays Leslie talent for amazing licks. A smooth rock duet with Lyndsey Lou is next on “She Danced Under The Lights” and “Selective Amnesia” recalls Dave Edumnds and Rockpile.

Leslie also has amazing range, from catchy pop of “Suckerfish” to epic rock ballads like “Goodbye To The Rain.” More highlights include “Wasted Time” and the Beatlesque ender “The Last Words.” I couldn’t find any weak tracks, and with precise production values I have to add this to my top ten albums list this year. A real hidden gem.

Amazon | Bandcamp

 

Evil Arrows “2” EP
 As a follow up to January’s “1” EP Bryan Scary is back with an Evil Arrows sequel. Scary is a distinctive voice that is immediately accessible, a rich combination of glam rock and power pop.

“Gods of Light” is a mid-60’s Stones-style tune, but at the chorus it goes into a multi-tracked, dense production of “ba-ba-ba” vocals. “Last Living Doll” is a quick tempo gem lead by staccato guitar riffs and Bryan’s playful lyrics. “A New Age Holiday” has some inventive chord shifts and “Shadow Lovers” struts along like T.Rex and is the standout track on this “side”. Between the 2 EPs, you get one of the best albums this year.

Bandcamp only