Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

The Bye Bye Blackbirds are a wonderful new pop band from Oakland, CA. “Honeymoon” is a light and cheery EP without being sappy and will appeal to fans of The Byrds, Beach Boys and classic Wilco. The choruses come flying at you with gorgeous pedal steel guitar on “In Every Season.” The Pet Sounds vibe comes across on “After Work” very nicely. “Weekend Folks” reminds me of the gentle crooning of Teenage Fanclub and Pete Ham era Badfinger. “Needle-in-a Haystack Girls” have a real Richard X. Heyman sense of melody and hooks. It’s obvious that songwriters Ian Robertson and Bradley Skaught are huge power pop fans here. The influences are prominent but The Bye Bye Blackbirds still have a unique sound and the songwriting is top notch too. Every song here is a power pop gem and will not disapoint. The mood gets a little somber on “How I Knew It Wasn’t Love” but does an amazing job with the Rubinoos-like “Suit & Make Up” If only this was a regular album and not an EP it would be on my top 10 list. Don’t miss this one.

Bye Bye Blackbirds Website | CD Baby | Itunes | My Space | Not Lame

Listen to “Quiet Confusion”

Great Northern has the kind of Oasis-styled pop dramatics that draw you in and take hold of you. The opening track “Our Bleeding Hearts” starts with a nice piano melody and slowly builds to a chorus that reminds me of The Smashing Pumpkins in their prime. “Just a Dream” follows as a kind of pastoral power pop, like The Olivia Tremor Control fronted by Enya. This is followed by “Home” – a terrific single with a beatlesque vibe that lingers long after the final note plays. Lead singer Rachel Stolte’s voice is awesome, reaching highs that leaves Gwen Stefani in the dust with the song “Telling Lies.” Each song is thick with great wall of sound-styled production and like Enya, builds a sonic soundscape that starts great but can easily get overly bombastic. Mid way through the album “A Sun a Sound” seems like a good Coldplay styled track that changes the mood a bit. “Into the Sun” and “The Middle” then switches gears and gets more aggressive with the guitar work. This starts to sound a bit like Blur and ends the album on a positive note. It’s alot to take in one album, but it’s done really well. Great Northern is shining example of ethereal and soothing power pop.

Great Northern Website | My Space | Amazon | Itunes

Other bloggers have been discovering that Bryan Scary and The Shredding Tears are so far the best power pop band this year (even though technically this came out end of last year). My original review from February is here. The Obscure Sound blog has some downloads and a really great review. I could not agree more with it. Essential reading and listening.

The Alice Rose from Austin, Texas has an uncanny ability to play amazingly catchy pop music. After being reviewed well by National Public Radio, local Texas media and other power pop blogs, I’ve finally gotten around to this one. The band’s sound is best defined to resemble the classic strummings of Squeeze and Crowded House. But the influences aren’t definitely not confined there. That’s why “Phonographic Memory” is such a great choice of title. Led by the talented JoDee Purkeypile, it is a major find and you should give these guys a spin on your ipod. “Lighten Up” has a McCartney meets Glen Tilbrook vibe – and would make an awesome single. “Love Me” is like an early Elton John classic. “Saints” is a perfect mid-tempo ballad with a chorus that has a rush of emotion that I haven’t heard in a long time and reminds me of classic Stevie Wonder. “Wisteria” is another great song here. A nice mix of arena soft rock guitar and melodic acrobatics that Jellyfish fans will fall in love with. I love the chord changes on this song and vocal performance – this is my favorite song on the album so far. “Stop” recalls early Wilco meets The Rembrandts and is an excellent tune as well. The production is clean and well done too. It is without a doubt, if you pick up this CD, you will not be sorry. Hear some of it on MySpace.

The Alice Rose Website | MySpace | CD Baby | Not lame

Pittsburgh, PA’s Black Tie Revue debut hit the streets and it is best described as legitimate sonic assault. The catchy “Code Fun” dares you to not enjoy yourself while you listen — it opens up with “Red Everywhere” and that’s full of heavy guitar and fast drums, not unlike Splitsville or Green Day’s early material. The best track however is the amazing “I’m so sure” a great summer punk anthem. It got the right amount of scorching riffs and profanity and I can’t stop listening to it and hitting that repeat button over and over. The group has been touring all over the country (CMJ, SXSW) and has been picking up new fans wherever the go. A local Pittsburgh newspaper declared BTR “most likely to succeed” less than two years after first playing together. “Code Fun” continues the addictive three-chord power-pop fest and I dare you to not shake your head in response to this one! “The Late Show” gradually increases the noise at the end of the track, like The Beatles’ “She so Heavy.” Every song here is hot with no filler, all killer tracks! The band’s history is one where “persistence” is a credo and it’s beginning to pay off. Get this one before your friends!

Listen to “Code Fun”

BTR Website | MySpace | Amazon | Not lame | Gearhead Records

I finally got to listen to this wonderful CD. Dolieslager’s wry lyrics and tuneful songs are perfect for a rainy day here. Fans of Michael Penn and The Rembrandts will enjoy this album immensely. This is beautifully crafted pop with just the right amount of catchiness and quirkiness as evidenced in the mid-tempo song “Anchor,” which mix it’s melody with a bit of heartache. “Like Day and Night” is a high spirited romp, if you can imagine Elliot Smith as lead singer of the Monkees here. “Carousel” is a bit more reflective and follows a music box styled tempo. Even simpler is “Between the Pages” song about romantic yearning – with a nice steel pedal guitar adding emphasis here. “Nowhere in Record Setting Time” is a little vaudevillian-styled tune that Harry Nillson fans will respect. In fact, Duane’s songwriting style is not unlike Nillson, weaving emotions and descriptive pictures together seamlessly. Not every track is stellar (“Close to the Bottom” feels like filler here) but so much is so good it will find a favorite spot in your music collection and Duane is an artist that has an amazing debut and an excellent future.

MySpace | CD Baby | Not Lame