Great song from The Tearaways, from the upcoming album ‘And Now For Our Next Trick.’ due out at the end of the month. The jangling alt. rock alter-ego of Jeff Shelton The Deadlights returns with a new single here, and I was impressed with the melodic EP by Peter Hall called About Last Night. The title track rocks, and “For Love” has some ELO overtones, but overall very very good. Keith Hale aka The Plus 4 sings about a UFO sighting I guess and the radio-ready single by Ransom and Subset is a real treasure that’s a free download. Loud punk rock from Friends of Cesar Romero all the same tempo, but I liked the “Bittersweet Nothing Symphony” best, and it’s a free download too.
Category: Power Pop Review
Support P. Hux and some EPs that deserve to be heard: Old Town Cryer, Flathead, Andy Bopp, The Photocopies, The Pozers
The great P. Hux has a new album he’s finishing up, mixing, mastering, and other details. You only have a few days left to contribute to one of the best power pop artists around. Visit the Kickstarter site. Old Town Cryer has a bluesy live performance last year at The Fallout Shelter in Norwood, MA and half the proceeds go to The Pine Street Inn, a charitable organization whose mission is to end homelessness. From Marseille, France comes Flathead, an energetic power pop band that advertises “No Synths… Only Guitars.” Another great power pop veteran, Andy Bopp is back with an EP of sweet tunes; “Roger” and “Poison Girl” which is like a mix of Bowie meets Robert Pollard. Love this! The Photocopies have a neat new release that hums along, check out the fuzzy pop “Holiday Romance” and “Like Teenage Love.” Finally, The Pozers video for “Two” comes from Crybaby Bridge. It’s my favorite song from the album. Enjoy!
Ryan Allen and Butch Walker
Ryan Allen “The Last Rock Band”
Ryan Allen has not let up since his top-ten-rated album from last year. This time Allen and his bandmates have a concept album about the rise and fall of the “last” rock band. It’s loaded with anthemic melodies, pounding percussion, and dense guitar riffs from beginning to end, starting with the title track “The Last Rock Band.” The classic approach reminded me a little of Nick Piunti, as it asks the question “is rock dead?” It goes through the timeline of the story, from the “Discovery,” of the sound that “changed my life” to the excellent “Start A Band.” Ryan hits the power pop sweet spot with almost every track.
Allen emulates the obvious in “Like The Ramones,” and shreds even harder on “Wrong Place Wrong Time” about the downfall of the last band’s excesses. The only misfire is “Bought A Computer,” a lament of Luddite musicians told through the synth rhythm. But the music is kicked up a notch with “Second Act,” and the epic “We Have Returned.” At times, Allen’s vocals get a little buried in the mix, but the hooks are so strong here it’s hard to complain. If you want a prime example of modern power pop melded with classic rock, we have it here. Super highly recommended.
Butch Walker “Butch Walker as… Glenn”
Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Butch Walker has come a long, long way from his time in the power pop band The Marvelous Three. The native Georgian had a long prolific solo career and is still a sought-after producer (Green Day, Pink, Taylor Swift) but this time he changes his persona to “Glenn,” a late ’70s troubadour fashioned as a Southern version of Billy Joel with a touch of John Mellencamp when the guitars kick in. The concept album takes place in a “club” where a bar fight breaks out halfway through happy hour.
The beauty of this piano man act is that many of the songs are really good. The first song, the ballad “Leather Weather (Mr. and Ms. Understanding)” will touch that nostalgic part of your brain, and the catchy “Roll Away (Like a Stone)” recalls a long-lost Jackson Brown single. “Avalanche” and “Holy Water Hangover” are sleepers that will also stay with you after a few plays. The poignant ballad “Don’t Let It Weigh Heavy on Your Heart,” a duet with Elizabeth Cook, is a song designed to make you cry into your beer. Fans of this classic rock era will love it. Highly Recommended.
February Singles and Freebies: The Rallies, Lisa Mychols, The Nobility, The Low Spirits, The Guts, Cliff Hillis
The animated video is from The Dowling Poole, the track is taken from the album ‘Refuse’ which is available to buy on Bandcamp here. Really great singles this month and my faves so far; The Rallies kill it with “Must Be Love” a power pop classic in the making. The queen of power pop, Lisa Mychols also returns with The Masticators for an excellent freebie “Here’s A Boy” and Nashville band The Nobility‘s ballad “Poison Mind” recall The Bee Gees styled falsetto. If your tastes are more old-school, The Low Spirits deliver the freebie “Outta Sight” with its textbook ’66 Animals style, and Geoff Palmer’s side project The Guts has a punk pop gem with “O.F.S.C.” Finally our old friend Cliff Hillis has a sweet new EP out, but since this is a singles post, his new single is a catchy sing-along about the “coolest scuba diver we know.” He should tour kindergartens with this (is this how Raffi got started?).
Star Collector and Paul McCann
Star Collector “Attack, Sustain, Decay... Repeat”
Star Collector’s sixth album is likely the most well-rounded collection of songs by the Vancouver band. The opener “Feel It Comin’ On” stomps forward with its solid riffs, and the catchy “Beat It To Death” gives you “all that sass” as the tongue is planted firmly in cheek when it comes to pop cynicism. “Running Through The Rain” is a classic Who-meets-Bunnymen blast that sticks with you, and the hypnotic bass of “If We Can’t Take A Joke” and “Crashin” recalls Cheap Trick with a Canadian cowbell.
The band slows up for the ballad “Cross My Heart,” a heartbreaker about a broken marriage. Not everything works, as “Broken Butterflies” sounds like a mixed musical of clichés. The smooth “Nineteen Dream” seems to channel the best of the band; a minimal bass line and soulful verse that explodes into loud guitars and a bitter chorus. The band doesn’t stay in this sweet spot, but it’s pure magic when it does. Highly Recommended
Paul McCann “Alter Ego”
The death of a parent can be a deeply emotional and impactful experience for anyone, including musicians. Like Tamar Burke in 2022, Paul McCann documented his father’s unexpected passing and it inspired him to create music that reflects his feelings of loss, grief, and remembrance. He worked with a bevy of collaborators including Jason Falkner (Beck, Paul McCartney); Roger Joseph Manning Jr (Jellyfish); Charlotte Hatherley (Bat for Lashes); Gary Lucas (Jeff Buckley, Captain Beefheart), Sylvie Lewis, and others.
“World Keeps Turning Round” has strong horns over a pensive but soulful melody, and “Lost in this Moment” is a standout with a rich hopeful chorus amongst the churning guitar riffs. The early ’70s pop sheen of “All is fair (in Love and War)” channels Bacharach and The Carpenters with its sophisticated orchestration. At times McCann tries a bit too hard with rock epics (“Divide and Conquer,” “Call Off the Dogs”) but his soulful introspection on “Red River Run” and “Out of The Blue” are truly haunting. Some songs require repeat listens to catch all the details and nuance, but I just love the immediate hooks of “Something Has Changed.” Overall, very highly recommended.