Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Josh Flagg “Devastate Me”

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My first impression of Josh is a distinct one.  If someone did this to John Mayer or Darius Rucker, and told him to grow a pair, I expect he’d sound more like Josh Flagg. The charging chords and bar room shout “Seeing Red” sets the stage for this energetic guitar pop album.  Flagg adds the right amount of snarl to “Bring Me Back To Life” and the dueling guitar leads make it an effective single about a love-lorn zombie.

The album pulls no punches and sounds more like Dave Grohl on the title track, with its fast tempo and layered guitars. The clever hooks in the arena ready “256” draw the listener in and can make even a non-power-pop fan take notice, with its rock riffs building to an echoing chorus. Lots to like here without filler and even the slower tunes like “Don’t Wake Me” recall Paul Westerberg’s lonely guitar ballads. And if you’d like some extra power in your pop – it’s there in “Whatever Turns You On.” Josh lists The Posies and Superdrag as main influences here and I can say fans of those bands would be pretty pleased with this album. Multiple listens are also recommended to really appreciate the subtleties on each track. It’s a great debut for your weekend.

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Archie Powell & The Exports and The Gilligans

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Archie Powell & The Exports “Great Ideas In Action”
Without missing a beat Archie Powell moves to the next level in the story arc from Skip Work, in the bouncy opener “Metronome” where he opines “Life is A bitch, for me all the folks you know…” Powell has a bit more acid in his lyric and distortion in his riffs this time. “Crazy Pills” and “Shooting Spree” take aim at the lost generation of 20 somethings with rotten job prospects. Fans of early Elvis Costello and Green Day with its roaring, kicking, defiant indie rock will love this.

The album keeps hammering along with loud precision on “I Need Supervision” but by the albums mid-point it starts to get a bit tiresome, although “Job Fair” is a spot on rocker about the frustration of careerism, with fuzz organ and guitars across a driving beat. Without a slower tune to be heard, its best to take this album in small doses, as the punk-pop approach wears thin, otherwise it’s the perfect soundtrack for todays slacker-in-training.

Artist’s website | Amazon

The Gilligans “As Seen On TV”
Once again the fuzz guitar power pop of the Gilligans greet us on As Seen On TV. The collective of guitarists Todd Borsch and Dan Mckenzieis give us alternating tracks of straight guitar pop (“She’s My Thing”) and 60’s influenced psyche-pop (“On TV”).

Plenty of great tracks here, generally harder sounding than the last album, for example “The Girl Has Got You Now” riffs just dominate the melody. Plenty of catchy tunes here, like the Merseybeat “Hold You Tight” and the brilliant mid-tempo “You’re Everything” reminds me of The Hudson Brothers. Many more gems like “Too Many Pills” and the swirling epic “Shadow of Myself” showcase a band at its peak and make this a Gilligans album you can’t miss.

CD Baby | Amazon | Jam Records

Candlebox and Lightships

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Candlebox “Love Stories & Other Musings”
Candlebox is a perfect example of popular rock band that doesn’t want to be hemmed into a single rock category. With a platinum-selling debut in 1993, they rode the Seattle grunge bandwagon but the wheels fell off in 2000 with numerous personnel changes. They reformed in 2008 and the band now sounds totally ready for a comeback. Opening with “Youth In Revolt” it’s got a loose feel, and like the Foo Fighters, blasts us with guitars and a heavy hook. My favorite here is next, “Sweet Summertime,” its a great power pop track about the difficulty of touring and being away from your family while on the road.

There are many great songs here from the hard melodic “Lifelike Song” to the sweet power ballad “Baby Love.” Lead singer Kevin Martin still has those trademark howls that work best with Peter Klett’s gritty riffs. They are no longer beholden to grunge, although a faithful re-recording of five past hits are included (in case you forgot them). After listening to the entire album those “hits” are the weakest songs here. If we evaluated the new tracks alone it would stand as the best Candlebox album ever. A great re-introduction to a band that plays genuine melodic rock n’ roll.

Itunes  | Amazon

Lightships “Electric Cables”
Gerard Love’s (Teenage Fanclub) new solo outing is a shimmering poppy confection, opening with the lighter-than-air  “Two Lines” and the summery warmth of “Muddy Rivers,” it has more in common with Belle & Sebastian than his former band. Backed by Bob Kildea from Belle & Sebastian (surprise!), Tom Crossley from The Pastels, Dave McGowan and Brendan O’Hare from Teenage Fanclub, Love gets to indulge in sweet melodies and lush arrangements that echo and envelope the listener. There is no better example than “Sweetness In Her Spark” with its quivering rhythms and ethereal vocal. The precious centerpiece is “Silver And Gold” – and it’s got some groovy guitar fuzz to go with harmonies worthy of The Association.

While lovely, the thick atmosphere and flute of “The Warmth of The Sun” could also put you to sleep. But there are enough wonderful harmonies like on “Stretching Out” that prevent things from being a total snoozefest and fans of  gentle chamber pop and psychedelic daydreaming will find this a perfect album. Others may consider it the musical equivalent of Prozac.

Itunes  | Amazon

Smash Palace and Jonathan Rundman

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Smash Palace “Do It Again”
Brothers Stephen and Brian Butler continue to weave melodic magic with this excellent release. The super catchy jangle of “Living It Lonely” starts us off,  then we get the muscular riffs of the Tom Petty-like “It’s Easy.”  Another favorite here is “Do It Again,” as Butler recalls the compulsion to rock from his past influences (The Beatles, Stones, CBGB’s) “before the music was all for free.”  It’s a desperate plea to bring back what made rock and roll matter to so many lives. His vocal reminds me of Ray Davies – both “21st Century Boy” and “Tell Her Now” sounds like a long lost Kinks tunes.

Talk about infectious – both “She’s Never Coming Back” and  “Dreamer” will stick in your head and stay there for good. The chord progressions and organ of “Sympathy Runs Deep” are classic as well. Not a mediocre note here as this album makes my top ten for 2012 list easily. After last year’s “7” made my 2011 list I didn’t think the band could get better — I was wrong. Super duper highly recommended as essential power pop.

Smash Palace website | Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Jonathan Rundman “Jonathan Rundman”
I last listened to Minneapolis-based Jonathan Rund­man back in 2008, and he’s one of the most down-to-earth musicians I’ve heard.  This is an overview of his career from the past 10 years, so it’s a “greatest hits” package of sorts. It’s also a great introduction if you’re not familiar with Jonathan’s work. Rundman has a great knack for melody and hooks as evidenced by excellent rockers “Smart Girls” and “Carol Of The Bells.”

His simple harmonies and straight forward pop arrangements are an easy fit with anyone who enjoys early REM jangle, and Old 97’s styled Alt. Country with the smartly written “Librarian” and “Ashes.” His music does have a Christian point of view, but it’s not the type to put off any secularist. It’s all about the music – and Rundman easily weaves between indie rock (“Surgical Precision”), low key country (“581”) and fast paced honky tonk (“747”) with adept precision. No filler here as the long track list bounces along from start to finish.

CD Baby  | Amazon

European Power Pop Special: Spain (Power Pop Español)

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Since we focused on Japan a few weeks ago, I wanted to concentrate on some European countries who do power pop right… and all the music is sung in English too. Spain is the main focus of this post. Notable labels Rock Indiana and Jam Recordings have provided me with these featured bands:

Wolrus “Wooden Tapes”

From A Coruña, Wolrus wear their influences on their sleeves from Buffalo Springfield, The Hollies, and The Jayhawks. The band has some serious guitar jangle and banjo chops plus lots of harmonies too. Opening with the impressive “Summer of 10’s” it’s got a catchy foot stompin’ rhythm. “Stone & Roses Blues” is pure late era Beatles, (“Two Of Us”) and the summery pop of “Clearer Than Me” is Beau Brummels-styled country.
Facebook | Jam Recordings | Rock Indiana

The Phantom Keys “Real Sounds of The Phantom Keys”

Old school mod-garage basically. This band does its best to emulate the looks and sounds of those ‘no hit wonders’ who made it onto all the obscure 60’s punk compilations, such as ‘Nuggets’ and ‘Pebbles.’ Fans of The Pretty Things, The Sonics, Downliners Sect and any Mod Surf band will enjoy this. So get your go-go boots on and do the hippy shake shake.

My Space | Jam Recordings

Goodfellows “Happynitol 150mg”

The Goodfellows are a Spanish band whose musical inspiration is undeniably American power pop bands (like The Shoes and The Spongetones) they’ve made appearances on IPO compilations but here is their debut LP, inventively designed like a prescription drug (“10 Power Pop Revitalising Pills: Not a Fix but a Relief. A Boost of Good Vibes”) and overall this musical ‘medicine’ is sure to cure your blues with some excellent tracks like “Susanne” and “You Know The Secret We Hide.” Occasionally the vocals get buried by the jangle and  the accent can get distracting, but ultimately I’d refill this prescription.

Facebook | Amazon | Rock Indiana | Jam Recordings