Category: Power Pop Compilation

May Day: Pop Boomerang, Tommy & The Rockets, The Chords UK, Jack Skuller, Gordon Michaels, Kai Danzberg

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power pop spongebob
There is just so much music out there that I can get to, but I will make it as easy as I can to pick worthy stuff. An easy pick is Pop Boomerang‘s Marching Out Of Time compilation – a name-your-price download. The label is closing soon, so this is one of the last comp LPs they will do, and its a damn good one; check out the opener Little Murders “Wait ’til Summer,” The Wellingtons “Soda” and the fantastic Her Majesty’s Finest (feat. Kate Duncan) “Shake Yer Popboomerang.” Denmark’s own Tommy and The Rockets give a tribute to Record Store Day with “The Hottest Store In Town,” fans of the Ramones will eat it up.  The Chords UK gives us a sorrowful “White Van Man” while Jack Skuller changes his sound with a dynamic beat on “Watercolor Rain.” Gordon Micheals channels Billy Joel a bit on the memorable “Hey Doreen.” Finally, the talented Kai Danzberg will finally “Get It Right” a terrific hook-filled single.






Looking toward 2022

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We’ve got a lot of great music to look forward to in 2022. The group Walcot was formed in Chicago several years back and band leader Asher George is now based in Charlotte, NC. The debut single “Dreamin’ Away” is from the upcoming Songs for the Disenfranchised EP. The timeless hook draws you into its easy-going melody.

Maple Mars teases us with “Goodbye California” an upcoming single from the new 2022 album coming from Big Stir Records.


Speaking of Big Stir — they are now the dominant label in this genre, and they offer a huge FREE download of music from this past year in a worthy retrospective.

Rum Bar Records also is giving us a preview of 2022 with The Dirty Truckers. The blue-collar rockers return to the bar for another round with their highly anticipated brand new full-length in 2022. But here is a three-shot sampler EP.

Any way you look at it 2022 looks to be an even bigger year for power pop and rock n’ roll.

Happy Birthday to John Lennon!

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John Lennon’s 80th Birthday would have been on October 9th, 2020. To celebrate, a number of artists have released tributes in his honor.

John Lennon Tribute

Various Artists “Jem Records Celebrates John Lennon”

Each band is given a pair of tunes, and this first-class tribute starts with the premiere Beatlesque band The Weeklings. They add a Bo Diddley styled rhythm to this unique arrangement of The Beatles “The Word” and flesh out the bare-bones Lennon demo “What’s The New Mary Jane?” NYC-based The Midnight Callers deliver some sweet harmonies on the acoustic “Child of Nature” and bluesy lead guitar on “Jealous Guy.”

The Grip Weeds are faithful to the spirit of “You Can’t Do That” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” and the depth of sound and crisp production are impressive.  The Anderson Council’s Peter Horvath channels Lennon well on “I Found Out” with its swirling psychedelic reverb. Johnathan Pushkar and The Gold Needles also deliver the goods. Richard Barone’s speeds up the tempo in the lone mashup of  “Revolution” and “Power To The People.” It all works and is Highly Recommended.

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Timmy Sean puts a modern spin on several classics with his new EP – It’s a FREE download. Enjoy!

Reno Bo has done Beatles tributes before, but this one is new! It’s a FREE download. Enjoy!

John Lennon

John Lennon “Gimme Some Truth”

This latest ‘greatest hits’ collection is likely the best sounding mix you’ve ever heard and really does do justice to John’s compositions. Remixed by Paul Hicks (who did Imagine – The Ultimate Collection), all 36 tracks were selected by Yoko and son Sean to tell John’s post-Beatles story and illustrate his many moods. All gift-wrapped in numerous deluxe packages (the big one has a commemorative book, stickers, postcards, and extensive liner notes.)

Lennon’s searing indictment of self-serving politicians and “narrow-minded hypocritics” is even more relevant today than it was over forty years ago. The selection of songs includes his most popular work giving them new life for generations to come. Highly Recommended.

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October Surprises: Singles, EPs, Compilations and a Cartoon

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On a rare occasion, I hear some EMD that does it right. On “Tarantino,” Steve Aoki & Timmy Trumpet modernize the classic surf guitar riff of Dick Dake, later made famous via Pulp Fiction. Aoki’s mesmerizing electro beats combined with Trumpet’s eccentric horn licks are very entertaining. The cartoon is also a hoot!

Willie Dowling’s infamous Jackdaw 4 discography is now on 369music (with his Dowling Poole albums). If you missed it, this was a free download for a while. But this was a great XTC inspired band – check it out.

Wisconsin’s Disq does a decent cover of this Wilco song. They also have a collection of demos from their break-thru LP from March.

Einstein’s Sister, a legendary power-pop/indie rock band from the late ’80s is back! The old discography is on Bandcamp now, and these brand new singles sound fresh!

Zach Jones has a way of updating that old pop sound that is pure magic. I was very impressed with this sharp sounding “Must Be On My Way,” which resembles a lost Monkees single.

Melbourne’s four-piece Girlatones have a gentler approach towards pop. There is a sense of acceptance in the combination of guitar, vocals, and piano. Lead singer Jesse William’s vocal delivery is akin to the vocal stylings of Belle & Sebastian.

Crown Vic Royal is not a whiskey, but a band from Chicago that plays blues-infected rock and roll. Check out this new EP.

Garfield’s Birthday is a band from Weymouth, England and for 25 years Simon Felton (Head honcho of Pink Hedgehog Records) has done a smashing job. Now a long-awaited “best-of” compilation is finally available. Plenty of rarities and alternate mixes.

Disq and An XTC Celebration

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Disq

Disq “Collector”

Disq is a fresh Wisconsin band started by middle school classmates Raina Bock and Isaac DeBroux-Slone. Now at 19 they recently expanded the band to a five-piece band and from the album’s beginning, it makes a great impression. “Daily Routine” is a very relatable look at modern drudgery as Issac sings “This is my daily routine. Spend my hours on a computer screen…” I love the video too, which borrows the appearance of old The Monkees TV show. The duo has a great knack for hooks and layered melodies reminiscent of Pavement, Weezer and Teenage Fanclub.

The earnest “D19” is a love song about a microphone (and not a metaphor for anything else). “Loneliness” is a great tune that builds to its defiant strummed chorus mourning a lost relationship,  and “Gentle” is very much in the Weezer style, with a crunchy layer of fuzz guitar between verses. The tone shifts from the acoustic “Trash,” then it goes into the riff-heavy garage tongue-in-cheek nihilism of “I Wanna Die.” Each song is carefully constructed to fuse all of the band’s influences to a single distinct sound, so no filler here. Yeah, power pop is not dead to this new generation of kids. Highly recommended.

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The Overtures

Assorted Artists “Garden of Earthly Delights – An XTC Celebration”

This is not the first artist tribute to XTC, that honor goes to 1995’s Testimonial Dinner.  But Futureman Records new tribute is much larger (49 tracks!) and a more comprehensive selection from the entire career of this well-loved band.  I really like it when an artist puts their own spin on Partridge and Moulding’s songs;  a few good examples include The Shellye Valauskas Experience “Wonderland,” Chris Price’s acoustic “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead,” and Michael Simmons “Wrapped in Grey.”

With so many tracks here it can be hit or miss at times, but these talented artists with strong pop sensibilities can’t do much better than to cover some of XTC’s songs. Overall an impressive collection and downloads benefit The Wild Honey Foundation.

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