Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Listeners, let’s go back, way back to those thrilling days of Beatlemania… The Fore are a group that sticks to the Beatles tribute formula to come up with original tunes, done in the Fab style circa 1964. Hey it worked for the Spongetones and several other bands, so another is not going to hurt. In fact it makes it tougher for them, because we judge them based on the Merseybeat template and how well they bend it. Lead by Spencer John Hannabuss (bass) and Matt Hardy (lead), the recreation is near flawless – in two minute power pop gems, like the opener “Love for Sale” with it’s “Ticket To Ride” guitar riff and smooth three part harmonies. After hearing “A Girl Like You”, you’ll swear this is a Beatles single that was lost in time. The group then breaks out into some skiffle and blues in “Little Louisa” and “If I Show You Love” echos “This Boy” quite nicely. If you miss the old Mersey sound, then The Fore fit the bill perfectly. The songs are well written and not just stolen riffs – “You’ll Be Mine“ is a swinging, screaming jangley slice of sweetness. Later on a few songs resemble The Searchers, and Gerry and The Pacemakers. It’s not the most original way to make power pop, but it sure sounds great. Soak in this nostalgic guilty pleasure with your early Spongetones and the Mop Tops. A real gem to be treasured here.

The Fore Web site | MySpace | CD Baby | Not Lame

Brooklyn native Gordon Weiss is a guy who knows what he likes. His influences (Elvis Costello, Squeeze, XTC, Crowded House, Jellyfish and the Beatles) are worn on his chest like medals of valor. The first song on “Sum of All Parts” is called “Fountains of Weezer” and it combines two of his favorite bands sounds (Gee, I wonder who…) Like a chameleon he struts his inner Jagger in “Too Much” and while it’s good, the better songs follow. “It’s Easy” is close to a Wisely or Rembrandts song with it’s smooth California strumming. The Elvis Costello tribute “Red Shoes Revisited” is a catchy song with the perfect instrumentation and dead on 80’s period feel, and “Half of Harry” is an XTC-like bit of Anglo-jangle pop. Gordon’s vocal style is similar to Marshall Crenshaw in the country flavored “Hook, Line and Singer.” The piano lead “Match Point” resembles a Joe Jackson ballad with a touch of Andrew Gold. The ending songs “Suspiria” and “Listening” are very tuneful songs that round out this debut album, not a weak song to be found here. Give a listen, as songs are streaming from his website “Gornpop”.

Gornpop | MySpace | CD Baby

Tim Myer’s single “The Good Life” was featured on a previous post. Now that I have his full EP with the addition of 4 more songs, I can declare that this California native is no flash in the pan. Both his commercial singles “The Good Life” and “A Beautiful World” have been popping up on TV and more material keeps flowing out (see the video below). The remaining tracks on the EP include the Coldplay via Beatles tune “On Your Side” with a great hook and the slightly trippy Mex-pop of “Magic” with some nice horn work. The folk ballad “Remember When” includes a sweet duet with Schuyler Fisk. I wanted to hear more so I listened to some tracks from his earlier EP “Revolution” which takes on a more Lennonesque quality. On “West Virginia” the piano resonates and Tim seems to channel both Chris Martin and John Mayer here. Other ballads are nearly that good, but missing any of the optimism I heard in “The Good Life.” Both are good EPs showing the sunny/dark contrasts of Myers moods. No doubt he has the talent and material to put together a great full length album — it’s something I will be looking forward to.

Tim Myers Site | My Space | CD Baby-“Revolution” |Itunes

Black Jesus by Tim Myers Directed by Jason Myers

Lannie Flowers groomed his pop sensibilities as front man and leader of the Dallas-Ft. Worth based band The Pengwins from the late 70’s through the 80’s. Since the bands demise, Lannie has established a strong reputation in the Dallas area as a talented songwriter and producer. Here he spreads his wings on “Same Old Story” with a massive rock medley which consists of 36 tracks, each one under two minutes (except the last track). You need to hear the entire album continuously for the full effect, you’ll hear references to great power pop- an example “Another Weekend/Tired Of Being Alone” you’ll hear echos of The Raspberries or 20/20. “Give Me A Chance” has a CheapTrick/Boston vibe. But because each song is so short the music doesn’t stay with each influence for long. I haven’t heard this good a long continuous musical concept since Jethro Tull’s unabridged “Thick as A Brick” or Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”- and that’s a really long time ago. Overall, this is a stunning album made for lovers of musical melody with ADD. The story of these songs follow a relationship from beginning to end and my only nitpick here is that some sections are so good, I would want to hear full three minute songs of them (“Turn Off The Night”) instead of 30 seconds. The musicianship is gorgeous, from the handsome guitar riffs to the many vocal styles Flowers uses to convey the story. Be the first on your block to show this album off to your friends — it’s an instant power pop singles collection!

CD Baby | Not Lame | Kool Kat Musik