Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Signal Hill Transmission`s new CD “An Empty Space” is a highly polished slice of indie rock you’ll really enjoy. The album begins with an acoustic mid-tempo “Pipe Dream” that stresses a glorious melody that is sure to please Fountain of Wayne fans. Unlike other indie bands, they are not all one note, same sounding on each song, but display a wide range as evidenced by the next track “Alright” which displays some great guitar and rhythm with lyrics that stress “I wish I grew up in the 70s when free love and rock n’ roll meant something” And this, along with “Polyvinyl Acetate” is the album’s primary theme. “No More Riders for Free” is my favorite track on here because it starts slow and the guitar just builds with the song into a blistering solo near the end that would make Jeff Tweedy envious. The song “Cherry is a Girl” has chiming guitars and tumbling vocals played with clean harmonies like a great FOW track. Most of the songs are catchy and immediate and this album is as “sticky” to the ears as anything else, until things start to slow down on “On and Off” and the moody “95 North.” The title track “An Empty Space” has a bit of the Jayhawks or Wilco feel to it with a pounding drum, guitar strum and harmonica and is also an album highlight. Visit the Signal Hill Transmission site to hear the album streaming. It’s available all over the place!

The SHT Website | MySpace | CDBaby

The Wellingtons are a fresh new power pop band from down under. This is the follow up to 2005’s brilliant Keeping Up with the Wellingtons which is also available on CD Baby. A lot like classic Tories, Jellyfish and Matthew Sweet this band knows what works and they do it exceptionally well. “Top Ten List” starts off with an infectious drumbeat and lightning quick melodies that sparkle. The group has great energy, usually reserved for a more spunky band like Green Day or Kelly’s Heels. Lead singer Zac Anthony recalls John Faye and Rivers Cuomo from Weezer in his vocal approach. “Girls in Magazines” and “Penny” are great examples of this. “Sight For Sore Eyes” is a another great tune with perfect riffs and harmonies all over it. “Singer in a cover band” has a Cheap Trick like riff and rocks the house down. “If we feel okay” is another Tories-like radio friendly potential hit single. On “The Nice One” we hear Kate Goldby join Zac with the vocals, and I feel she could have been used more on the album. Overall there is no filler on this album, although it plays the same style on all 12 tracks without a slower ballad breaking things up, it is a great summer album. Get your pop fix here and enjoy it.

The Wellingtons Website | MySpace | CDBaby

The Peaces are an NYC trio that concentrate on six part harmonies and clean classic pop. Lead singer Brian Halverson and the group do a perfectly pleasant job of weaving melodies and harmony on highlights like “Oasis” and “She Stands So Close.” If you are a fan of the light touch of the Association, Cloud Eleven and The Curiosity Shoppe, you’ll definitely enjoy this album. “Existential Me” is the best track in my opinion. It is a bit faster paced and has a killer hook similar to The Wondermints with nice harpsichord and guitar breaks. The chorus sings “I’m not so different from you…”. But The Peaces are different from you and me — they’ve got real melodic talent here and thank goodness! “Old Anxiety” gets a little bit harder with a great Badfinger-like track. “Nobody Cares” is a pitch perfect Rubinoos-styled tune that continues the gentle jangle of this album. The guitar work is also first rate as “Something Wrong could be right” contains a nice little solo. The last track “From each other’s eyes” mines a bit of the 70’s, with lounge calypso beats and makes a curious ending, but overall a stellar effort! I really look forward to more music from the Peaces. Listen to streaming samples on The Cherry Bomb records site.

Cherry Bomb Records | My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame

You just have to admire Kelly’s Heels. This is a band that has been in the trenchs of post-punk power pop for a long time. Since the first IPO show in 1999, Kelly’s Heels have been a band that was consistently first-rate with Beatles, Records, Kinks inspired guitar pop. They had Not Lame’s theme song written for Hook Heaven vol.2 pop compilation on top of everything else. And now the band has matured gracefully to this new release. Bob Kelly’s vocal approach can best be summed up as a mix of McCartney and Elvis Costello. And let me tell you the music is full of great hooks and melodies that knock you down after the first listen. If you heard any of the earlier albums, this one just raises the quality level to “11” and makes it a near perfect album. Each song follows a tight arrangement and stays under three minutes for the most part. The tracks later on don’t quite reach the great highs at the start of the album, but there is no filler in here. A great track, “For Always” best speaks with the lyrics, “Some may call it growing up, accepting what life all orders up” and other songs talk about reliving the past and it being hard to let go of old dreams. “The Same Mistake” sounds a bit like a lost Squeeze tune and the ballad “Walk Alone” provides a brief pause in the high energy here. Listen to the entire album streaming on Not Lame! If you never listened to Kelly’s Heels yet, this album is a great place to start!

Kelly’s Heel’s Site | My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame | Itunes

The Singles exploded onto the scene in 2003 as a standout with the excellent album Better Than Before. So this past February, The Singles have switched labels and released Start Again. There is plenty of garage rock on display here, with a liberal doses of T Rex worship on the “The Most Beautiful Girl.” This song sounds like a outtake from T Rex’s Electric Warrior. About half the album has that Marc Bolan vibe, with songs like “When will she be mine” and “Summer.” Then on “Annette” try to imagine Bolan fronting for The Dave Clark Five, complete with fuzz guitar and hand claps. They change pace with “Cryin’ over you,” a 50’s styled tribute to Roy Orbison. Lots of Small Faces influenced mod-styled rock is all over this album as well. “Hypnotized” is a good example of this, and remind me of another power pop group – The High Dials. “Goodbye Little Girl” is an awesome radio friendly track, that is a fitting finale. I highly suggest this album for highway driving this summer.

The Single’s Site | My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame

Listen to “Annette”