Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Ed Ryan and DB Edmunds

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“Ed

Ed Ryan “Along for The Ride”

The new album ‘Along For The Ride’ by Ed Ryan is a veritable gold mine of well written songs that highlight his musical abilities. Heartfelt lyrics and hooks that transports listeners into Ryan’s imaginative universe. Standout tracks like “Better Than That” and “Make It Happen” demonstrate Ryan’s knack for blending catchy melodies with easy-to-hum arrangements.

Ryan’s vocals, however, slightly limit the album’s full potential even if the songwriting and production are clearly excellent. Although his voice exudes emotion and authenticity, it sometimes lacks the youthful clarity required to raise these great songs to their best. “Heart On My Sleeve” is a raucous rocker that would really benefit from a growling-styled delivery. His vocal delivery works best on the mid-tempo ballads like “Solitary Man” and “Imperfect Life.” Clear influences are Tom Petty and other mid 70s styled rockers.

From reflective ballads (“Poppe’s Garden”) to energizing rockers (“Find Me A Girl”), the album covers a broad emotional spectrum to appeal to any power pop fan. All things considered, ‘Along For The Ride’ is evidence of Ed’s unquestionable skill and commitment to his trade. Highly recommended!

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“Ed

DB Edmunds “Everybody Knows By Now”

Originally a founding member of late ’90s power pop faves The Gladhands and main singer/songwriter/guitarist for Chapel Hill-based The Stars Explode, DB Edmunds began his solo trip in 2022 with EP ‘Life’s Wild Ride’. This new full length album was written in the wake of COVID lockdown, and its starts out promising, produced by the legendary Mitch Easter. The opener “Give It All You Got” is a bittersweet rocker about perseverance in the face of difficulties. “Chasing Yesterday” captures the melancholy tone as it explores the process of people losing their bearings, but a standout here is “(Don’t You Go) Wishing On A Falling Star” which has late 80’s sound, a great vibe is here, and would’ve been a hit if released in that era.

Another great song is “All The Possibilities,” starting with a Rickenbacker riff that blends into a layered melody about UFOs. The style changes on “Blind Faith,” which mines the late era Who for musical inspiration. A good song, but it shifts in style again on “The Weight of The World,” a slow jazzy song akin to a James Bond movie theme. The album is performed and played to perfection in the end, however the abrupt changes in style are distracting. DB seems to explore more than compose, and you will want to pick out some favorites here, as this is music that deserves to be heard.

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Late Nov singles and EPs: Mt. Misery, Kurt Baker, The Aerovons, Lùlù, Sudden Cuts, Ryan Hendry

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We start our Thanksgiving week, thanking Mt. Misery a Hartlepool, UK band with a sound very much in the vibe of Dropkick (who have a new album dropping next year). The light jangle and comforting melody is just the tip of this iceberg. Next, Kurt Baker returns with some of his “Inner Demons,”  and it’s brilliantly played with a loaded band, featuring faves Wyatt Funderburk and Geoff Palmer. Next, The Aerovons are back! I reviewed the return of this rock curio a few years ago, and lead singer Tom Hartman.This EP is very much in the same space. After that we have power pop crunch courtesy of Lùlù, a French band from Paris, and we hope to hear more from them. California band Sudden Cuts have a dense indie sound, check out “All Over Town” with it’s Replacements guitar vibe, oh and this one is a freebie. Finally we have Ryan Hendry with his energy-filled singles – and I love his instrumental cover of a suite of Genesis tunes, written by the great Tony Banks. Enjoy!




Joy Buzzer and Willie Dowling

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“Joy

Joy Buzzer “Pleased to Meet You”

The band was founded in 2021 and features Kevin Lydon on lead vocals, with Jed Becker on guitar and writing the tunes; KG Noble on guitar and vocals;  Nick DeMatteo on bass and vocals, and Mark Brotter on drums. The opener is the band’s first single “Judy Judy Judy,” with its catchy chorus and Jed Becker’s layered guitars recall 80s classic hooks, and the solo break even touched on prog/psyche rock. Kevin Lydon’s vocal perfectly fits and help give the band its signature sound.

It amps the energy up even more on “You’d Be Surprised,” a Beatlesque gem akin to The Weeklings. “Jeanette” brings us back down to earth, as a mid tempo tune with unexpected key shifts and stellar harmonies. There is something here for every power pop fan, from heavier rockers like “The Secret Word” and “You Don’t Even Know My Name” (which was voted coolest song by Stevie Van Zandt’s Underground Garage) to lighter pop gems like “Mamaroneck” and “All These Yesterdays.” The quirky and catchy come together on “Try Not To Be An Asshole,” a personal favorite of mine. While a few songs seemed formulaic, I couldn’t find a bad song here. When its all killer and no filler, it’s definitely on my top ten list for 2024. Super highly recommended!

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“Willie

Willie Dowling “The Simpleton”

Willie Dowling (Dowling Poole, Jackdaw4) goes solo here and displays his formidable melodic talents. The songs are almost prog-pop with dramatic builds on “Let Us Begin” including an operatic piano solo loaded with violins, about a slowly unfolding armageddon. The story continues “Long Drop Down” a compelling tale of a poisonous world “where the liars and the cheats prevail.” Dowling’s influences remain Roy Wood, XTC, 10cc, and a sprinkling of Sparks theatricality. Unlike his other works, most of these songs are piano led, and it sounds similar to a stage show soundtrack.

The concept album follows modern political nihilism, the title track “the Simpleton” is a bio of a TV pundit with a solid cascading melody followed by the dramatic chorus of “Sadie Goldman,” a lost soul that follows a road to illusion. “Down the Slide” continues the story of the evil corporate media; “don’t you let the truth get in your way.” It ends with the beautiful ballad “In The Ocean,” and while Willie’s musicianship is stellar, the distinctly bleak worldview might put off some. But if you are a fan of the band Skeleton Staff, you will definitely love this. Highly Reccomended.

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2nd Grade and Andrew Weiss

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“2nd

2nd Grade “Scheduled Explosions”

Philadelphia musician Peter Gill (aka 2nd Grade) just has a knack for effortless melody and alt. rock fuzz that makes ‘Scheduled Explosions’ his most accessible collection of ADD power pop. With 23 songs it’s always been hit or miss, but very much like Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices) Gill has a high batting average here.

“Live from Missile Command” is a great catchy start that ends just as we’re taking off. The fanboy dreams of “Uncontrollably Cool” and bounce of “Fashion Disease” are a great pair of tunes. Other favorites include the distorted love notes of “Joan on Ice,” hand-clapped “Instant Nostalgia” and mellow rockers “Made Up My Own Mind” and “Evil Things.” In between the songs are experiments with studio tape defects like “Crybaby Semiconductor,” or the muffled beautiful mess of “All About You.” Similar in technique to Mo Troper, it feels like he has a really great song at first and then goes out of his way to bury it in harsh lo-fi production. Despite this, the melodies shine through, making it repeatable and highly recommended.

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Andrew Weiss and Friends

Andrew Weiss and Friends “the world’s smallest violin.”

Andrew Weiss, a singer-songwriter, feels a kinship to the West coast rock sound from the ‘70s as he revels in confessional moments and emotional storytelling. “Summer of ’68” is a great example of speaking about the past while comparing it to today, “Why does it feel like nothing’s changing?” he asks. Some real gems make the cut here like “He Must Be High On Something,” with its great slide guitar flourishes. He also channels a little early Paul Simon on “We’re Trying To Have a Society Here!”

The biographical “Rockin’ it Since ’83” and “Emergency Contact” are neat little scenarios, but many songs have a tendency to blend into each other without much variety. While it might feel a bit self indulgent, Andrew gets some good vibes going and you may like it. Check it out.

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Nick Piunti and The Armoires

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Nick Piunti

Nick Piunti “Up and Out of It”

Likely one of the best power pop artists we have today, Nick Piunti has consistently produced excellent music for well over ten years. In his third album with his band, The Complicated Men, he continues his run of great tunes, but with more variety of tone and style without compromising his unique sound. In terms of lyrics, each and every one of his songs is deeply personal and biographical in subject matter.

The openers “Seasick” and “Bottle it” are some of Piunti’s finest ear worms, about the songwriting process. The melodies and power chords “may be something you’ve seen before,” as he sings but they are super catchy and do the job. “Mind Reader” is another gem that effortlessly clicks. Two songs were created by guitarist Joe Daksiewicz. One of them “I’m Ready” has a slower mesmerizing tempo and Nick’s vocal brings it life. Joe also does many of the solos on the album. The remaining Complicated Men are bassist Jeff Hupp, keyboardist Kevin Darnall, and drummer Ron Vensko. Like all of Nick’s work, it’s a great listen from top to bottom. Highly Recommended and definitely on this year’s top ten list.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

The Armoires

The Armoires “Octoberland”

Another veteran band, The Armoires are back with Octoberland, their fifth full-length album, and a great mix of eclectic rock styles wrapped in a distinct sound.”We Absolutely Mean It,” is a densely packed melody highlighted by strings and the multi-tracked verses singing “This is where we go big.”

Christina Bulbenko’s singing on “This One is For The Swedes” and “Ridley & Me After the Apocalypse” are highlights, and includes lots of interesting pop textures with the synths and guitar rhythms. Rex Broome lends his vocals on the contemplative “Here Comes the Song,” and the choral harmonies are added to his lead on “You Oughta be Cut in Half,” which lends itself to comparisons to The Cowsills. A creative narrative about Ukraine is sung on “Snake Island Thirteen,” a lovely pop confection comparing soldiers to ancient Greeks fighting monsters. The mellow “Music & Animals” is another satisfying melody, but not everything here works as well. However, there are enough good songs to make it recommended, especially if you enjoy the Armoire sound.

Big Stir Records | Amazon