Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Raymond Meade and Tipsy in Chelsea

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Raymond Meade “Fables and Follies”
Glasgow, UK based Meade was in the band The Ronelles back in 2006, and here he makes an amazing debut with guest spots from Jon Fratelli (Fratellis) and Philip Chevron (The Pogues).

The album is just flawless – the strong beat and guitar riffs open “The Hardest Part” and the hooks are huge on the chorus of “Don’t Say You’re Sorry.” His sound is unique, but if you can imagine Rick Springfield playing for The Velvet Crush (I guess) that’s close enough. “Tracing Air” has a beautiful multi-tracked guitar opening, layered vocals and rhythms, and it also slows with fine harmonies on “Waiting For Lucy.” Each song is great, I’m not even gonna touch on “Carnivore” with a mid-song narrative by Iain Banks, and the epic anthem of the title track. This is an album that gets better with each listen, and should’ve been in my top ten list for 2012. Simply brilliant guitar pop.

Artists Website | Amazon
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Tipsy in Chelsea “Tipsy in Chelsea”
The duo of Dean Falcone and Trish Thompson creates lovely 70’s lounge pop in the style of Burt Bacharach. Thompson’s approach on “I Wouldn’t Mind The Wait” is very much in the mold of Dusty Springfield, with soft hushed tones. “You Don’t Care” is another intimate ballad that describes heartbreak perfectly. Falcone’s instrumentation and arrangements are right on target. What is missing is a spirited increase in Ms. Thompson’s vocal range, which is more like Astrud Gilberto than Marilyn McCoo. After all, singing The 5th Dimension’s “(Last Night) I Didn’t Get To Sleep At All” is an okay cover, but listening made me want to hear the original.

CD Baby | Amazon

Et Tu Bruce and The Unswept

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Et Tu Bruce “Suburban Sunshine”
West London meets West Coast in this great example of harmony laden pop. “Dress Me Up In Bruises” is an excellent opener, full of solid guitar riffs and an upbeat melody. The harmonized vocals of “Never See You Cry” bring to mind The Association, the catchy composition hooks you as well as the flawless musicianship.

This continues with the jangle fueled “Miracle Crash” and the weird mantra “Never Say Trevor Again.” The band does delve into folk pop with “The Turning Of The Screw” which is so sweet natured it’s sure to turn off today’s jaded music critics at SXSW. And it even gets into psychedelic rock at the end of “It’s All Nothing.” Overall the album is highly addictive and even if few songs overstay their welcome, its tons better than most bands can deliver. Makes my year end top ten too.

Amazon | CD Baby
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The Unswept “Surf Song” EP
Cousins Charlie and Ryan O’Brien are originally from Sheffield, UK but moved to Chicago – and will soon be appearing at Dave Bash’s IPO festival. The guys have a clear case of Beach Boy envy on “Surf Song 89” with it’s Spectorish wall of sound and the danceable “She’s So Cool” layers high treble strums over a solid backbeat. The 60’s retro sound on this 4 track EP is a charmer although the echo is thrown on a bit thick. Traditional Brit pop with a twist.

CD Baby | Amazon | Bandcamp

New Talent: Propeller, Love Messengers, Steelesque

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Propeller “Don’t be Sorry Again”
Greg Randall and Will Anderson are Propeller, born from the ashes of Varsity Drag, The Lemonheads and Unbalanced. This is the newest release full of crunchy guitars and dense rock rhythms. “Nothing” has solid hook and hand claps and it will dig its way into your brain. And each tune has the same sweet indie rock quality, so no filler here.

My only pet peeve here is the vocals are a bit buried, almost disappearing into the instrumentation. Best of all this album is a FREE download! Fans of The Replacements, Sugar, Lemonheads, Dinosaur Jr. and Teenage Fanclub will just love this. Highly recommended and you have no excuses!
FREE on Bandcamp

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Love Messengers “Dogsmile” EP
All the way from Finland comes Rock guitarist-singer Timo “Still Crazy” Pääkkö, eccentric organ-wizard Jussi Reunamäki, bassist Tarmo “Entwhistle of Eurajoki” Lehtonen and drummer Jaakko “Crazy Kid” Kotiniemi. These dudes play straight forward rock and roll with solid skills. “Dogsmile” mixes a soulful organ, guitar and heartfelt vocal. The B-side “Tarkka” has a Beatlesque beat with jangle filled Rickenbacker melody.
CD Baby | Amazon

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Steelesque “Johnny On The Spot” EP
Pittsburgh musician Rob Eldridge brought this band together, combining many varied influences. It starts rough with the tentative blues rocker “Hooker A” but doesn’t really brings the hooks till “Life Fast Wheel” with a catchy chorus and terrific rhythm work. The plodding “Raven Don’t Mind” reminds me of Blue Oyster Cult, as Eldridge’s effective vocals and lead guitar give the song real life.
Itunes | Facebook

JoDee Purkeypile and Richie Fontana

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JoDee Purkeypile “Messenger”
This is the second solo album by JoDee Purkeypile (The Alice Rose) and starting with the piano melody of “Cruel Movements” its full of double tracked vocals and Elliot Smith styled isolation. “I Think It’s Alright” breaks out a fantastic guitar riff, with various variations of the chorus.

Purkeypile brings his English power pop influences to the forefront so if you like Squeeze, Crowded House, Nick Lowe and Badfinger you’ll enjoy this. The bounce of “Wired Wrong” and Elton styled piano of “She Can Ride A Bike” are real gems. JoDee’s mastery of the classic instrumentation and layered arrangements invites repeat listens on many tracks, notably “Storm On The Sea of You and Me.” Things slow down towards the albums end, but overall an excellent album to dig into. Highly Recommended!

Amazon | CD Baby | Bandcamp

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Richie Fontana “Steady On The Steel”
Studio journeyman guitarist/drummer Fontana has a long and impressive career.  Getting his start in Piper (Billy Squire’s first band,) Richie then worked with Paul Stanley (Kiss,) Laura Branigan and many others. Eventually Richie made the commitment to step out with his first solo LP. It should also be noted that, although Richie has Multiple Sclerosis, he’s carried on and done everything himself on the album (including mixing, producing and arranging).

Steady On The Steel has a classic 80’s power pop sound, and his vocal cadence resembles Billy Joel on the catchy “Every Time I Dream.” The production here is clean and the musicianship is flawless, as the title track demonstrates. I’m sure if some of these songs made it to the radio back then, you’d have several big hits – “Be My Shadow” and “Tomorrow Never Comes” being prime examples.

CD Baby | Amazon

Red Jacket Mine and Baby Scream

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Red Jacket Mine  “Someone Else’s Cake”
Seattle band headed by songwriter Lincoln Barr (also in Stag), who’s smart lyrics and casual style are a mix of both Bob Dylan and Van Morrison. Red Jacket Mine also has a hint of pub rock and Memphis soul, shown on “Amy” with its tight composition and wild outro. The big hooks come out on “Ron Nasty” as the guitar and harmonies are in perfect form.

“Engineer” boasts a sax and drum rhythm and shambling Bowie-like chorus that really wins you over too. Add a touch of Steely Dan and you get “Skint City” and “Listen Up (If the World is Going to Hell)” with its 70’s lounge vibe. It’s also got a Elvis Costello styled cynical streak that runs throughout each track. Each song is solid (no filler) and it varies the style enough, adding alt-country on “Have You Got A Permit To Preach On This Corner.” It ends with the infectious beat of “Bellar & Bawl.” Highly Recommended for sure.

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Baby Scream “Baby Scream” Special Edition
Of all the bands from Argentina with songs in English, Baby Scream has had the most power pop success. Lead by Juan Pablo Mazzola, the band has produced several good albums, and has decided to revisit and re-release the debut LP, which I reviewed back in 2010. And Juan has added some original mixes by producer Muddy Stardust (Chris Robinson Brotherhood, LA Guns, Col. Parker). Lets not forget the band also has a FREE album of covers called “Lost Balloons” you can pick up here.

Bandcamp exclusive