Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

After time with The Luxury Liners and The Foxymorons, Singer/songwriter David Dewese had the urge to put out a solo album. I’m glad he did, because it’s got great melodic songs and a laid back Nashville aura surrounding the music. “Dear Self” is a smooth acoustic/piano pop theme with a catchy hook. “This Too Shall Pass” is a great stomping mid tempo number supported by strings, piano, and timpani. It flirts with the country sound much like The Honeydogs, even though it’s got a pop structure. Many of the songs are simple guitar tunes, done with intimacy and emotion here, like “Without You” or “Lake Tawakoni.” But it doesn’t wallow in self reflection too long and “Moment Too Late” starts pretty standard and then chord change leads to a snappy chorus that is instantly hummable. The best thing about Dewese is he makes these songs very easy to relate to lyrically and musically. This is a solid album, and some tracks are available here through noisetrade, so spread the wealth!

My Space | CD Baby | Kool Kat Musik

I heard a lot of buzz on other sites about Captain Wilberforce. My first impression was a singer/songwriter with great melodic skills along the lines of The Brigadier or Glen Tilbrook. This is intelligent Brit-rock with a delicate strum and occasional angular buzzing riff here and there. Simon Bristoll aka Captain Wilberforce applies his wit and skill to these songs in a precise manner, similar to Colin Moulding of XTC. This really evident in the title track, where all the nice XTC-Bryan Scary like detailed flourishes come together perfectly. This is followed by the Squeeze-like “Confetti Champagne And Roses.” A stunner here is “The Girl Who Broke Her Own Heart” which of could be called the classic Brit-pop ballad. Tim Finn is another point of comparison on “Get A Grip My Dear” and “Don’t Get Me Started” is another rich tune with a great melody that is both well constructed and played. However, Bristoll’s vocals don’t have a very wide range and strength, even so his arrangements compensate for this. Also, some of the latter tracks fail to excite even though they are prepared for the listener in a pretty package, the exception here is the wonderfully Jellyfish-like “Born Again Brand New Man”. If you like the bands mentioned above, this will satisfy your pop itch. I expect great things in the future from the Captain.

CD Baby

I got an advance copy of Marykate’s new album “Underground” which is the follow up to the MK Ultra EP. In addition to one of the better tracks from the earlier EP like “Green Street” – we find Marykate leaning away from power pop a little into a full use of her singer/songwriter talents. “Easy To Believe at First” you hear a gentle Carole King vibe until the chorus explodes with melodic optimism and cool harmonies. “Saved” is another great song with some excellent lyrics about being proselytized. This formula also shows up on the dynamic and poignant “Mr. Friedman.” Then Marykate embraces her inner Joni Mitchell on the folkie ballads “Me, The Bee, The Miner” and the title track “Underground.” The latter track really shines and uses Marykate’s expressive vocal range. Lest we forget, we want some cool pop too, so we get a stellar cover of Joe Jackson’s “Different for Girls” and the bouncy fun of “One Thousand Times A Day.” The coda is the fitting “So Long” with a smooth melody and some nice slide guitar work. Overall a more mature direction that benefits the fans of Marykate for the better. Unfortunately, you will need to wait until February for this one. And yes it’s worth the wait, I will update the links at that time.

My Space | MaryKate’s site

A Detroit-based 3-piece that sounds like they are having a blast playing “My Body (Is a Strange Place To Live)” with it’s quick guitar riffs and Mother Hips-styled dense psyche touches. By getting down to the early  80’s DIY essence of the punk/pop movement, the Friendly Foes raging diatribes on rock and roll’s currents state of affairs are done with just enough sugar to help this medicine go down. Coming from other bands, Ryan Allen (Thunderbirds Are Now!), Brad Elliott (Satin Peaches), and Lizzie Wittman (Kiddo) hit the ground running. Opening with “Full Moon Morning” it’s a template for the best of this album, with angular guitar riffs and Ryan leading the charge. Friendly Foes’ sound best compares with The New Pornographers, but it’s not all fey pop sweetness here. Using sunny boy-girl harmonies and bouncy major chords on “Criminal Justice” it’s got a catchy swagger that is hard to ignore. This album takes no prisoners and doesn’t let up either. So if you’re looking for a ballad somewhere, you’ve got the wrong album. Wittman gets to shine on a few songs, notably “Get Ripped” which resembles The B-52’s and The Ramones combined.  All this energy goes to good use as almost every song here kicks ass. Some highlights include, “Get Yr Shit Together”, “Couch Surfing”and the epic “Lil’ Tiger” all with excellent melodies and great musicianship. On “Dying To Survive” and “Breakfast Burritos” gets a bit too typical, but that is being picky here. This is like power pop with an extra shot of caffeine. Make mine a double.

My Space | CD Baby

This was an album that I’ve been meaning to listen to since the summer, and Steve recently played in NYC, so I was finally able to get a hold of “Hurricane Season.” Steve Caraway has a very eclectic approach to pop. His vocals are a great strength and this evidenced on the opener “Before You Run Away” which has a Spongetones meets Michael Carpenter vibe. The sound runs from 70s arena rocker to contemporary soul pop, if you can visualize Dave Bickler’s (Survivor) range with Frank Sinatra training – that’s about right. “When I Change Your Mind” is another great song with lots of jangle and a good hook-filled chorus. The title track, “Hurricane Season” brings to mind Adam Marsland’s style of aggressive pop. Then he shifts into soulful balladeer on “Something New” and “No Looking Back” – this is where his really vocal chops shine and carry the song. That’s not to say the jangle pop songs aren’t damn catchy though, “Rabbit” has a sticky chorus with sweet chord changes. “Gone, Gone, Gone” gets his Beatles mojo in overdrive with sitar leading the way on the song. My favorite song here though is “Sausage Factory” about the cynical and destructive music industry (“Golden handshakes/Smiles so phony”). “Scented Letter” makes good use of overdubbing and recalls The Smithereens best. The stylistic changes on some songs may be jarring at first, but you’ll be humming these song over and over. It’s most welcome on my ipod in repeat mode.

My Space | eMusic