Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Late Cambrian and Street Corner Symphony

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Late Cambrian “Peach”
A trio of Brooklyn alternative rockers has a winner here with the opener “Lover’s Point.” Its got  fast paced verses and a shiny Strokes-like chorus. Heavy guitars open “The Label Needed A Single” like Sugar Ray meeting up with The Plain White Tees. Lots of energy, real-life narrative and layered instrumentation make this a fun listen.

I also liked the riff work on “The Wolf,” with its rhythm similar to The Bangles’ “Walk Like An Egyptian.” The popular single “Ryan Gosling” is included here, easily the most danceable tune on the LP. No real filler amongst the 13 tracks, even though the melodies on the first half are better. The band even manages to indulge with the instrumental “Hypgnotica/Afternoon Special.” Ends with a strong melody in “The Luddite” and the interplay of the male vocalist/guitarist John and female voclaist/keyboardist O is magical. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Bandcamp

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Street Corner Symphony “Southern Autumn Nostalgia”
Here is a talented a cappella pop group based out of Nashville, Tennessee that won acclaim in NBC’s all-vocal competition, The Sing-Off. The group starts out smoothly with the jazzy gospel inspired “Voodoo.” It gets even better with “Little Old Me,” its Wilsonesque-syled harmonies and its “ba-ba-ba” choral break. Fans of The Sonic Executive Sessions will love this.

“Loves A Loser” is similar to a Bleu ballad with its prayer-like sighs and another highlight is “Frozen In Time” with its slick hook and polished production. “Picturing You” and “Myriad Of Stars” are fine vocal ballads, each band members voice is so similar to each other you’d be hard pressed to tell who is doing the lead. The only big misfire is the ending combo of “Sicut Tempus Fugit” and “Dragon Rider” which together sounds like a pretentious remake of Spinal Tap’s “Stonehenge.” But for fans of great harmonies it’ll be enough.

Amazon LP due out in July.

Lyn Saga and The Real Numbers

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Lyn Saga “Venice”
Recently I got a huge pile of new music from female power pop artists, Lyn Saga being the first. The melodic pop and percussive “The Day We Met” starts us off and charms with its multi-tracked vocal chorus. She is an accomplished guitarist too, as her solid guitar riffs lead the way on “I Believe” and “I Didn’t Mean To.”

Her clear vocals play both the pop princess and bad-girl rocker. “Life Is But A Dream” is a Weezer-styled tune and it impressed me the most with its loud riffs and hook filled chorus. “The Only One” brings back memories of Liz Phair with its slow, sparse opening turning into a hand clapping rocker. A touch of Shangri-Las nostalgia guides “Stay,” its also super catchy and invites repeat listens. Its hard to find anything here that’s even mediocre, but its short a real ballad to break up things. The title track is another feel good tale about leaving the 9 to 5 and heading for the California Beach. Exceptional power pop that deserves a spot on my top ten for 2013 list.

CD Baby | Amazon
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The Real Numbers “1-2-3-4-5” EP
San Francisco musicians, Dave Ambrose and Lawrence Grodeska share a love of melody and guitar hooks, so it didn’t take too long to follow up their debut,  and this one is lots of fun. The title track sets the mood, and its catchy sing-by-the-numbers chorus will appeal to the inner kid in you. “Godzilla Girl” is another standout track with a driving bass line thanks to Chuck Lindo, a harmony laden chorus, and the added sound effects are bonus. “Daphne” is a jazzy pop departure, a sad song that’s sung with earnest optimism. “The Wiggle” is an ode to a favorite bike route to Golden Gate Park, but it’s cheery approach is like “The Wiggles,” so your kids will enjoy it too. No real filler here, overall a well-crafted slice of power pop – so pick it up!

Jackdaw4 “Dissecticide”

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I found out that Jackdaw4 was calling it quits last month, and with the sadness there was the anticipation of the band wanting to leave on a high note. When I think about the bands discography, they are the closest thing we have left to a UK version of Jellyfish. Head honcho Willie Dowling throws everything and the kitchen sink into this one, and its really compelling. “Abagail’s Last Hurrah” is a fast and furious melody with crunchy guitars and awesome harmonies.  “Coming Up For Air” ups the tempo and is a sweet rock anthem that Jeff Lynne would approve of.

“Foundations” is where Willie lets his venom out, not unlike Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) or Bryan Scary. This dark theme is continued on “Life’s a Celebration For The Few,” an ultra cynical lament about todays ubiquitous technology. “Melanoma” is a dramatic ballad about that “God-shaped hole in your life.”  This leads to the big hook on “Ministry of Fools,” with Queen-like guitar flourishes. Like 10cc, you’ll get wild shifts in tone and melody as heard in “Why Don’t You Come and See Me When She’s Not Around.” Each track hits it right — and it makes for a great power pop experience. It makes my top ten list for 2013, and if you want to get the Jackdaw4 concert experience, checkout Live (Before Dead?).

The Cherry Bluestorms and Bryan Estepa

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The Cherry Bluestorms “Bad Penny Opera”
The Cherry Bluestorms are the duo of Glen Laughlin (The Dickies) and Deborah Gee, and both shared a love of 60’s guitar-based melodic rock. Its been a long time since I heard a full length rock opera concept, and this LP is epic in scope – the story is roughly about a girl leaving behind her home in 60’s Britain and trying to find a fresh start. Starting with an “Overture” past the 5 minute mark, it highlights Laughlin’s guitar mastery, evoking Pink Floyd and The Beatles simultaneously.

Then it transitions to acoustic guitar and the dual vocals of “By Your Leave” similar to Jefferson Airplane or Dreamboat Annie-era Heart if it was lead by Amiee Mann. “A Better Place” is a packed with horns backing up Gee’s crisp vocals. Next is a fast-paced cover of Donovan’s “Wear Your Love Like Heaven.” Gee’s vibrato sounds great on “Sunday Driving South,” a mid-tempo gem. “The Country Man” is Glen’s vocal highlight, a neo-hippy guitar anthem. Other tracks need a few more listens to appreciate, but the back half of the album drags a bit. Parts of songs are just brilliant, like the opening chords of “To Love You is A Crime,” or the chorus to “World Going Mad.” Definitely worth a place on your music playlist.

CD Baby | Amazon
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Bryan Estepa “Heart vs Mind”
Sydney based singer songwriter, Bryan Estepa shows us a bit more of his easy listening side here. The acoustic “(if you follow) We just might get near” is a statement similar to Jackson Browne where he “heads for the great unknown.”

And the 70’s styled melody of hope in “Seachange” is the centerpiece here, with Estepa longing for “the simple life.” Then the louder “Them Fighting Words” is a solid melodic pop gem, with “In a Minute” quickening the tempo. Both “Nothing At All” and “Nobody Has To Know” are glossy ballads in the style of Bread, with soulful guitar and keyboards, the latter tune feels almost like a spiritual. A solid release.

CD Baby | Amazon