Category: Power Pop Review

Lane Steinberg and It’s Karma It’s Cool

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Lane Steinberg

Lane Steinberg “Headspace”

Lane Steinberg(The Wind, 8×8) is back with his current Headspace. Steinberg is an excellent songwriter, and although this isn’t as dense as his 8×8 compositions, it’s just as infectious. Opening with the strong title track a sweet piano-bass combo with a creative guitar break, its influences are equal parts Rundgren and Nilsson. “Under Summer Skies” is an elegant lounge melody that layers its vocals on a bed of jazzy pop piano and strings. Another similar gem is “Lovesick Jones,” a tale of a self-destructive romantic, and a “kid that’s fully grown.”

A more Bacharachian shuffle is “The Best Part” with its subtle orchestral touches, and Lane has his quirkiness in overdrive on “Finally Next To You” and “Super Flumina Babylonius.” While he loses a little momentum after this, his last track “Antidote” is a bouncy, guitar gem that finishes this highly satisfying listen. Steinberg is a unique talent and one that deserves to be explored. Highly Recommended for sure.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

It's Karma It's Cool

It’s Karma It’s Cool “Thrift Store Troubadours”

UK band It’s Karma It’s Cool has evolved over the years. While the band’s point of view remains delightfully unique, the melodic elements are subdued in favor of densely layered psyche-pop fuzz and percussion. The opener “How Be You Be Blue?” has a lovely harmonic chorus, as the guitar echoing distortions contrast with the verses. Unfortunately, it becomes an issue on “Warmer Climes,” as the lead singer Jim Styring gets drowned out by the rhythm section.

Thankfully, the next few songs are better, “Old Bones” has a good guitar melody, and “Winter Coats” has guest Peter Holsapple(DBs) on Mandolin. The band leans more into progressive territory with “Broken Hearted Foundations” and “Vacations in a Taxi Cab.” My favorites here are “The Terms of Letting Go,” a novel way of grieving a lost love, and “Roll The Credits,” a paean to a supporting guitarist “in that power pop video.” Overall, I would’ve liked more musical hooks, but still a decent album, worth exploring. Check it out.

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July Singles: The Worriers, Tamar Berk, Vanilla, Tommy Sistak, The Slip-Ons, Hurry

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It’s July! Trust Your Gut, the latest album by The Worriers (due in September) have this cool video for now. The band, led by lead singer Lauren Denitzio, has a highly approachable songwriting style full of folksy flourishes and driving guitars. Tamar Berk is back after her winning turn last year on Start At The End. She hasn’t missed a beat, and I look forward to more strong memorable melodies, as the preview shows. Vanilla also comes back with new music from the Pish Posh collection recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. Speaking of Abbey Road, local Beatlesque troubadour Tommy Sistak wants to “Take Me Along.” Next, Singer Brock Pytel (Canadian pop-punk band The Doughboys) and Brian Minato (Sarah McLachlan) are  SLIP~ons, and they bring GBV energy with them. Finally, I don’t know much about Philly power pop band Hurry, but they have nice harmonies – kinda like Teenage Fanclub and the album is due in August. Enjoy the fireworks!





Tributes and Compilations: Peter Ham and The Mosquitos

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Pete Ham Tribute

Assorted Artists “Shine On: A Tribute To Pete Ham”

Pete Ham, the lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist for the band Badfinger, was one of the great emerging stars of the early 1970s. One of the first power pop bands, the Beatle’s shadow loomed large over the group, and despite his tragic story, his musical skill was undeniable. Rather than me go into history on the band – get Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger by the late great Dan Matovina. That tells the tale.

All of Badfinger’s hits are here “No Matter What,” “Day After Day,” “Baby Blue,” and many more. The project, which includes 35 new recordings of songs Ham wrote or co-wrote, will benefit Mental Health America of Southeast Florida. The project’s goal is boosted by the wide range of musicians who pay homage to Ham classics and deep cuts on the two-disc set.

I enjoyed many of the covers, including Dan Baird (Georgia Satellites) as part of The Chefs on a fun, infectious “I Can’t Take It.” I also liked The Smokin Novas faithful take on “Shine On” and the reverent approach by Shelby Lynne on “Day After Day.” Other standouts include “Mary Lou Lord’s “Baby Blue,” Rob Bonfiglio’s “Lonely You,” and the spirited country version of “Lay Me Down” by Diane Ward. Like all big compilations, there are tracks I didn’t like – but don’t let them sway you. Badfinger fans will enjoy this for sure. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

The Mosquitos

The Mosquitos “This then are The Mosquitos!”

Long Island musician Vance Brescia formed a Beatles-influenced punk-pop band in the early ’80s, very much in parallel to Tommy Marolda (The Toms) from New Jersey or Paul Collins’s band The Beat from Los Angeles. The Mosquitos were also ahead of their time, as the sound was a mix of Merseybeat, punk, and new wave. They were poised for 80s stardom. The title track from the band’s EP “That Was Then, This Is Now” was chosen by Arista Records’ Clive Davis for The Monkees to record as their comeback single in 1986 following a couple of nominations at the New York Music Awards. The Monkees version entered the Top 20 that summer. Shortly thereafter, the band split up.

The band never really had a major album release, so this massive project was expanded to a 47-song double CD by Kool Kat Musik. This allowed for the publication of nearly all of their original songs, demos, and covers. Highlights include “I Know A Secret,” “I’m So Ashamed,” “Put Your Foot Down,” and others. More than enough to make this highly recommended.

Kool Kat Musik

The Midnight Callers and Mason Lowe

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The Midnight Callers

The Midnight Callers “Rattled Humming Heart”

The Midnight Callers are back, and after a fantastic debut, their sound overall honors the classic ’70s influences (The Raspberries, and early Cheap Trick) with a touch of Glam (Sweet, T-Rex) here, so there is no “sophomore slump.” Lots of short crunchy guitar gems, the production and musicianship here are near perfect. Opening with “New York Tramp” it buzzes through the verses and the lead even sounds a little like Robin Zander in the chorus. “Step!” and “Closer” picks up the tempo, and are great catchy tunes that really stick. The Callers have an innate sense of rock, and “Girl On The Run” from its jangling melody to the harmonies is very much like a lost Tom Petty hit. In the dramatic “Without Ya” those harmonies come to the foreground at the start and then the song morphs into a brilliant rocker, it’s my favorite tune here. Other highlights include “Little Runaround” and the love ballad “Maggie.” No filler here, but a few tunes are missing the hooks they need. However the batting average is very high for this album, so don’t miss it. Highly Recommended for sure.

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Mason Lowe

Mason Lowe “Morning People”

Seattle-based drummer Mason Lowe (Bread & Butter) opted to record an album in his basement to burn off the stress of work during a global pandemic. It boasts a nice fuzzy bedroom pop opener “Plastered” with a catchy chorus/verse combo, and it gets better from there. “Whiplash” is a bright swaggering grunge-pop tune that follows the same template.

The songs take influences from the past (The Creation, The Jam, The Sorrows) and re-configure them into original rockers, the one critique is the tempo and approach for each song don’t vary much, and it causes most songs to blend into each other. But some of the melodies stick nicely like “Stoned and Cold” and “You Took A Chance On Me”

Other tunes like “What Took You So Long” and “You’ve Got The Touch” develops nice vibes, but it could’ve used a tempo change at some point. Despite all this Lowe has lots of potential here, so check this album out.

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More June goodies: Mansfield, Poppermost, The Rubinoos, Doggy Heaven, Taxi Girls, Cameronoise

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Really enjoyed Copenhagen-based band Mansfield “Chasing After You” video and the classic pop sounds this band evokes. From the EP Come Rain or Shine, so check it out. Speaking of classic sounds, Joe Kane and his Poppermost are back with the Merseybeat madness and he manages to excite using vintage instruments. Oh, my! The Rubinoos have a new single out, “Rumble Under My Hood” and these veterans sound ageless. A new band Doggy Heaven has a clean sound and a unique theme, “Never Gonna Happen” is a good opener. Canadian rock band Taxi Girls is a dynamic trio from Montreal. The band, which consists of Jamie, Vera, and Lynn, combines the iconic Ramones sound with the fiery spirit of the Muffs and a splash of Verruca Salt. Finally, another Canadian band Cameronoise has a cool instrumental EP Freebie for you all, with a song titled “Alternative Batgirl.” How cool is that? Perfect for a sunny summer drive.