One of my favorite artists, Joe Giddings is preparing us for his new forthcoming LP “Better From Here” coming this Summer. It pretty much sums up the state of mind for most power pop artists nowadays… but hopefully fans of Joe will purchase this single and make him feel relevant this weekend, “cause 50 likes on Facebook can’t be wrong!”
In case you missed it – “All The People Some of The Time” is also available.
Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic
The Bowers, The Stanleys, and Smash Fashion
The Bowers “Odds or Evens”
This Melbourne Australian band from gives us a real hidden gem. The tight riffs and vocals of Phil Gionfriddo make “Time Is Mine” a winner, and his cadence reminds me of Ed Rolland (Collective Soul). Taking a cue from 60’s Mod, the thumping beat and Byrdsian psyche-pop gives us “Going To Love Me Now.” This is near perfect garage pop with the harmonies, farfisa organ, driving riffs and wailing lead retro enthusiasts will cherish. It loses a little steam towards the end with the droning title track, but it’s worth uncovering for sure.
Bandcamp only
The Stanleys “Always” EP
Another Aussie export, The Stanleys are a quartet that draws from classic 70’s bands like The Raspberries and Sweet with modern rock techniques similar to Weezer. Then you throw in studio wizards like Ken Stringfellow (REM, The Posies) and Michael Carpenter, and it’s a pretty impressive debut here. The hooks are strong on “Always” and “Kid’s Gonna Rock” and the sound is comparable to Vinyl Candy. Enjoy!
CD Baby | Amazon
Smash Fashion “Blame it on Brandy/Marionette” EP
LA based dandies led by Roger Deering and supported by veteran musicians, have a glam meets power pop sound. The thundering drums and crisp guitar riffs on “Brandy” demand attention. It’s a lot of fun, and the b-side “Marionette” is just as infectious with some great Brian May styled guitar solo work between the main verses. The band has a back catalog worth investigating, and I’ll be looking forward to the new full length LP.
SmashFashionMusic.com | CD Baby
Nelson Bragg “We Get What We Want”
Nelson Bragg has spent the last several years recording and touring extensively as percussionist and vocalist for Brian Wilson’s touring band, and now the current Beach Boys reunion. On this new album, he works with a stellar cast of musicians including Probyn Gregory and Anny Celsi of The Brian Wilson Band. Unlike 2007’s Day Into Night, Bragg’s compositions are bigger and supported by lusher, richer orchestration. The sound is like a soothing blend of The Byrds, Posies and Dan Fogelberg (with a touch of Beach Boys too). The acapella harmonies usher in “You Could Believe” and we’re treated to a superb jangle filled melody. “What She’s Done To Him” is solid West Coast styled pop with horns accenting each verse. Nelson also covers “Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long” from Brain Wilson’s first solo LP, with a relaxed island feel, dense harmonies in the bridge and horns in the break. The tone of “Steel Derrick 1979” is more along the lines of Gordon Lightfoot and the epic “Let The Cruel World Go” is a piano ballad of the highest order, with a full string accompaniment.
“She Used To Love Me” is my favorite song on the album, with multiple guitar tracks and a sitar lead it recalls latter era Hollies or Beau Brummels. The pastoral twang of “Tyme and Tyde Agree” is another gem of a duet with co-writer Anny Celsi. The Celtic feel of the “Everything I Want To Be” is beautiful, but the instrumentation overshadows the melody here. Overall highly recommended and the production and mastering is done with the audiophile in mind. It’s streaming on his site, so don’t miss this one!
nelsonbragg.com | Amazon
Bill Lloyd “Boy King Of Tokyo”
For those looking for Bill Lloyd to return to the power pop genre, as he did with Set To Pop and Standing On The Shoulders of Giants, the wait is over. The new album Boy King Of Tokyo boasts the strongest tracks I’ve heard from Lloyd, starting with the title track about his years as a “gaijin brat” in Japan, with its trademark jangle and solid hook. The chiming riffs of “Buy On Credit” and the solid harmonies on “Let It Slide” are classic Lloyd. Fans of classic influences like Dave Edmunds, Byrds, and McCartney will just eat this up. The stories here are great too, especially “Com Trol” a humorous, but true tale of corporate rock and selling out.
Bill sounds like he’s having fun on the bar room drawl of “Home Jeeves” with it’s twang and beat similar to “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” The passion of power pop fans are best described on “The Best Record Ever Made,” and its my favorite here, all about that infectious hook. The country roots tracks are great too, notably the magical “Chet’s Right Hand, Man” done in the Chet Atkins guitar style. No duds, and even the slower tracks like “Where Nobody Cares At All” are full of personality. No reason this shouldn’t be part of my “best of” 2012 list.
billlloydmusic.net | Amazon | Kool Kat Musik
The Spinto Band “The Living Things”
Normally I don’t have time to post only videos on the home page anymore, and I just add them to the Power Popaholic video jukebox. But I thought this was so inventive and well done, I added it today. The Spinto Band, on top of creating some of the most adventurous pop music going, is well known for their incredible music videos and the new one for “The Living Things” won’t disappoint! Created by the talented animator Phil Davis, the video is a combination of hand drawn animation and pixilation. All of the roughly 2,000 drawings in the animation were created frame-by-frame by Davis over the course of 20 months. Can you spare three minutes to watch the beautiful results of almost two year’s worth of one man’s work? Sure you can.