Category: Singles Only

It’s December goodies: The Leb Trip, Jupiter Motel, Action Shelly, Barry Walsh, Incredible Weapons, Rum Bar Records assortment

powerpopaholic


The Leb Trip is the new indie psych folk rock pop project by Jordi Bel, guitar and voice of the Barcelona psych rock band Stay and ‘Rising High’ is the new EP produced by Daniel Wylie (Cosmic Rough Riders). While it’s too short and bittersweet, I still liked it. Check it out. Jupiter Motel is the side-project of Steve Monteith, long-time guitarist of Star Collector. It’s got that nostalgic rocker vibe. Get it at Kool Kat Musik. Action Shelly is a based in Italy but rooted in the UK sounds. Fans of early XTC will like them, even their debut from last year. Barry Walsh really has a great song here with “The Sound,” a self-referential gem! Incredible Weapons is a study in contrasting sounds, sweet female vocals and spacey synths, heavy guitar riffs with hooks, just listen to “Crushing it.” Finally our friends at Rum Bar Records gives us a Black Friday freebie — 38 mouth watering tracks, but only the first one, “Santa’s in a punk band now,” has that Christmas theme. More on those records later this week!





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

powerpopaholic


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!




November singles: Ken Stringfellow, Bleu, Vanilla, Dolour, The Boathouse, Captain Wilberforce

powerpopaholic


The melodramatic Ken Stringfellow (Posies) is a soul searching single from his new album ‘Circuit Breaker.’ He screams that last chorus, as a man who can give no more to this art. Another power pop veteran Bleu has been releasing a few singles here and there, and I really liked the duet with Carly Paige on “Where the Colors Bleed.” After 33 songs, the massive collection of ‘Pish Posh’ by Vanilla is quite the feat; “Consider It Done” is the latest one — when does this end? Our friend Shane Tutmarc (aka Dolour) has a completely new version of the album ‘New Old Friends’ and even though “October 29th” has passed, its a ballad worth keeping close. This month we have 2 freebies.  The first is a clever bit of yacht rock “The Boathouse” by a mysterious group, so help me solve who this really is. Second is Captain Wilberforce with his angular guitar jangle about a certain election, called “the Installation” and repeat after the chorus, “We don’t care, We don’t care.” Well, at least you can enjoy the music.




Fresh sounds: Joe Dilillo, The Fatal Flaw, Lolas, The Hutchinsons, The Jaws of Brooklyn, The Candy Whips, Curling

powerpopaholic


Joe Dilillo gives us “Who We Are Now” boasts some strong songwriting, a good “end-of-September” song. The Fatal Flaw has a classic power pop sound, and this excellent single is a freebie, so don’t be shy. Tim Boykin’s band The Lolas continue to put out great music, he’s been so good for so long I take for granted singles like “From the Start.” The Hutchinsons were a great power pop duo in the 90s, and they’re re-mastered now, so check ‘em out. The Jaws of Brooklyn are really from the other side of the country (Seattle, WA) but the soulful pop is top notch. If you crave something 80s-like, listen to The Candy Whips “TV Set” very much in the Devo-esque category. Finally Curling brings melodic noise pop with lots of depth on “Radio King.” The leaves are changing, so change your playlist to a few of these artists, OK?





Mid August EPs and singles: Cliff Hillis & Dennis Schocket, The Laissez Fairs, Jamie Turner, Sorry Monks, Scott Roberts, Shake Some Action!

powerpopaholic


It is a joy to hear Cliff Hillis and Dennis Schocket play for “fun” and deliver this amazing new EP. Every single song is a gem and deserves a space on your playlist. While summer is still here, check out the retro-fuzz of The Laissez Fairs, “Living in The Summer,” and the song “Idiot Proof.” Speaking of retro-sounding new artists, Jamie Turner has popped out another single “Hum Drum” that sounds like a lost Beatles single from 1968. The bedroom pop of Sorry Monks has been hit or miss for me, but he scores on “Young Man.” Scott Roberts reached out to me with his music, and I enjoyed the Big Star-like “After We Go.” Finally Shake Some Action! gives us another echoing single “Spend Your Days In The Sunshine.” Good advice for the remainder of August.