Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Nick Frater and Bur

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Nick Frater

Nick Frater “Bivouac”

A “bivouac” is defined as a temporary shelter where one is prepared to do battle, and Nick Frater isn’t afraid to shake things up with a concept album about the downfall of post-industrial Britain under successive generations of Tory government. Nick lets his orchestral pop genie out of the bottle with several song suites.

“The Town of Opportunities” is the first suite, with five parts that fit neatly together and the catchy earworm “Hello Monday!” Some instrumental touches remind me of Pet Sounds, from the kettle drums of “Keep It Simple, Stupid” to the harmonies on “Heaven It Can Wait.”

The tempo and style shift on “Will It Be Enough,” the second multi-part song suite, ending on the ballad “Don’t Get Sentimental.” An 80s classic rock vibe is all over the impressive “Boom and Bust,” and then we are on to the next suite. Along the way, you get more great singles like “Step Into The Motorcar.” Like Glenn Tillbrook or Paul McCartney, Nick knows how to craft musical stories and give the entire album a comfortable flow. He’s also added a bevy of talent to the studio, like Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (Beck/Jellyfish), Luke Smith (Ulysses), and Joe Kane (The Poppermost). Overall, highly recommended.

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Roger Joesph Manning, Jr.

“We Are Bur”

From the opening fuzz guitars on “(Bur Is) 10th Prestige Level 70,” it’s clear this Chicago band has late 90’s Elephant Six bands as their main influences here, notably The Minders. The band theme “We Are Bur” boasts gentle pop harmonies and a bouncy rhythm. “Baba Burry” has the Seinfeld reference (like the band logo) as lead singer Jeremy Kush notes “You’re Jerry to my Larry David” with frequent stops and a frantic tempo.

While the music is a pleasant diversion, some of the tunes aren’t all that memorable. “Helicopter Leaves” offers a nice melody with its easier pacing, and “Flesruoy Pleh” is a dream pop change of pace. The fuzz heads into GBV territory towards the end with “The Bur Are Sick.” Fans of this style will want to pick this one up; its music that deserves to be heard!

Kool Kat Musik| Amazon

Spooky Singles and a bagful of treats: Descartes a Kant, Willie Dowling, Wesley Fuller, Cold Expectation, Linda Lindas, and many more!

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(Spoken in your best Crypt Keeper voice) It is that time of year again when little boys and ghouls are knocking on doors for a trick or treat. Good thing all we have is treats! Let’s start with Mexico’s Descartes a Kant which is like an old video game mixed with your favorite indie post-punk band. A creative disturbing retro-futuristic concept album that really sticks with you! Willie Dowling (Dowling Poole) reheats an oldie in the production oven and it will make you “Happy?” cause it’s a freebie! In another vintage-inspired gem, we get “Alamein Line” from Wesley Fuller, dig that retro-drum-beat, new album coming soon. A little more in the spirit of things is Cold Expectation‘s “(I Live With) Ghosts” with some nice guitar work in that break between the chorus. Girl punk pop band Linda Lindas takes an old chestnut “Little Bit ‘O Soul” and makes it their own. Finally, we get to the big bag of candy, The Big Stir Records Halloween Collection! For a mere $5 you get a 20-track assortment of treats from Plasticsoul, The Armoires, Steve Stoeckel, and more. Hope these satisfy your sweet tooth (and ear)! Hee hee hee (thundercrack sound effect!)




Kurt Baker and Somerdale

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Kurt Baker

Kurt Baker “Rock N Roll Club”

Kurt Baker is back, and he’s got a badass leather jacket and sneering toughness on the opener, “Hittin’ Rock Bottom,” with its hard-hitting riffs and standout chorus similar to Oasis. Kurt’s emphasis is on the “power” here and less on the pop. The title track and the power ballad “She Don’t Wanna Be Alone” are closer to the traditional Kurt Baker sound, both impressively written songs.

From there it mines influences from the ’80s, as “Love Express” seems to go all synth dance club, similar to The Orion Experience, and “Good Feeling” has a similar vibe. Then “Bright Blue Sky” goes back to those heavy bass riffs and an arena anthem. Even with the heavier production, you can’t dilute Kurt’s solid hooks; “Missed Connection” is another catchy guitar/synth gem. Produced and mixed with the talented help of Wyatt Funderburk, he helps keep Kurt on track. This is the strongest Kurt Baker album in a long time; almost everything here sticks!  Highly recommended and nominated for my year-end top ten list. Don’t miss it!

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Somerdale

Somerdale “Let’s Get Started”

It’s been 7 years, but we finally have a good follow-up to Shake It Maggie. New Jersey power pop phenoms are back on the Kool Kat label. “Let’s Get Started” is a winning opener, as they rock a Who meets Cheap Trick-inspired sound that hasn’t aged a bit. “Come Enjoy” is a simple party theme, but it works just fine. While “Crooked Road” is a more traditional rocker, the chorus brings it together. “Missing You” has all the right elements but feels repetitive, much better is the ballad “Lulu,” a solid example of a great rock vocal setting the mood.

“Good Enough” and “Better Without Her” are consistent melodic rock with some nice musical hooks thrown in, as “Taking You Back” feels inspired by The Sweet. While nothing here is too deep, the music is wonderfully performed and keeps Somerdale in the mix of your power pop playlist. Highly Recommended.

Kool Kat Musik

Do you love Yacht Rock? Then check out Yächtley Crëw.

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While we love power pop here, we also cover a few other genres (indie rock, jangle pop, bubblegum), and one of them is yacht rock. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Yacht Rock came into being. It has a smooth, melodic, and often soft rock sound, with pop, R&B, and easy-listening influences. Most yacht rock songs have rich vocal harmonies, polished sounds, and lyrics that often talk about love, leisure, and living the good life. We promoted a great collection of Yacht Rock songs several years ago with Andrew Curry’s compilation of covers (by mostly power pop artists.) Available on Amazon.


Yachtley Crew

Yächtley Crëw “Seas The Day”

But Yächtley Crëw have dedicated their entire existence to these songs, and they tour the country promoting it. And it’s much more than your average cover band. They have an entire persona built around it, with stage choreography, and audience participation, and they started to add to the genre by producing original music. I got to see the band in action last weekend, and like Jimmy Buffet they cultivate their fan base. People attend in captain’s hats with drinks in hand swaying to the music. Available on Amazon.


I also got the opportunity to interview the lead singer Philly “Ocean” Daniel and we got into more details about the band.

Justin Levinson and Diners

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Justin Levinson

Justin Levinson “Collamer Circle”

Vermont singer-songwriter Justin Levinson’s newest LP Collamer Circle, is his fifth full-length album and first after returning from four years in Los Angeles. Together with fellow songwriter Ben Patton, they have created their first official collaboration, cementing a musical kinship that dates back to their high school days. These songs explore a wide range of topics, from the complexities of relationships to contemplative self-reflection. Justin still knows how to craft songs with great hooks like the opener “Madeline For The Win.”

Like a lighter version of Adam Schlesinger, Levinson adds some bounce and joy to songs like the Beach Boys-influenced “California Sun” and “Baby You’ve Arrived.” The guitar riffs and harmonies on the Jellyfish-like “Lead Me To You” and “She Spreads Sunshine Everywhere” are also nice highlights. The ballads vary from cute fluff (“Mirabelle”) to treacle (“No One Can Be Your Everything”). Overall, enough here to make this a Highly Recommended listen.

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Diners

Diners “Domino”

Mo Troper produced this vision of singer/songwriter Blue Broderick. Blue certainly has the musical hooks on the twee “Working On My Dreams,” but really doubles down on the sophisticated power pop arrangements on the title track with elements of both The Beatles and Big Star. Like Troper’s last album, it doesn’t sit still stylistically. “So What” is a great example of this, as the Ramones’ riffs contrast with her halting vocals.  Each song seems a contemplation on making a commitment, the best on this theme is the catchy “The Power” which is a big highlight here.

Even minimal tracks like “Painted Pictures” stick fast in your head. Wistful longing is a staple of power pop and Blue does a great job with “Someday I’ll Go Surfing” and “I Don’t Think About You The Way I Used To.” Overall, a genuinely delightful record that will win you over, despite running out of steam in the latter third. Highly Recommended.

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