Category: Top Ten of 2007 Candidate

Okay, the wait is over and The Nines’ new album has arrived. I’m happy to say “Gran Jukle’s Field” has the ability to transform any tough music critic into a drooling fanboy. At this point, it’s safe to say that Steve Eggers and crew have effectively emerged as the vanguard of the power pop movement today. Over the years, the leaders of the genre (including Roger Manning, etc.) all got know each other and contribute to improve each others albums. Not that they need the help, but both Bleu and Jason Falkner contributed to this album and it is as good as a power pop gets. Every song here is a real gem, beginning with the irresistable “Insanity (The Sanest Thing You Got)” with the baroque chorus and harmonies aplenty. Then comes “Don’t Be A Fool” which sounds like a track from ELO’s “Discovery” album, a mix of melody and disco beat that’s smooth as hell. The highlight of the album here is “Dance Just For Me” a very L.E.O.-like love song to a stripper. This song will be humming in your head long after you finish listening. The fun and bouncy “Chantel Elizabeth” is a great The Kinks meets The Sweet hook-filled drinking song. Following that is “I Am Lost” a note perfect Bee Gees tune circa 1974. The song “Virginia” has the XTC-like melodic sound that Eggers brought to the last Nines album, “Calling Distance Stations.” The variety here makes this album succeed as a whole, and “Find Our Way Back Home” is a perfect example. The song is a country music version of the Beatles “All Together Now” sing-a-long tune. Every song here also has amazing repeatability – something most “disposeable” pop music is lacking. The fact is that all the players here have created a hook-filled masterpiece and if you could only get one album this year (why would you?) – this is it.

The Nines Website | My Space | Not Lame | Kool Kat | CD Baby

When I got the The Orchid Highway based on other online reviews, I expected a pretty good CD. What I found was a potential top 10 CD. Every song on the self-titled debut rings with a classic Badfinger vibe throughout the album. The opener “Sofa Surfer Girl” is a legit killer single that recalls Beatles and Fastball with it’s hook-filled chorus and blistering guitars. “Medicine Tree” lives up to the rep the band has as the Vancouver version of Sloan, with bouncy ringing guitars, harmonies and fast-paced melody – in fact they sound better than a lot of newer Sloan material. “Let’s Stay In Instead” has a dreamy Pink Floyd playing “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” quality. “Next World” and “Ballad On Plain E” has a neo-psych flavor and reminds me of The Go’s latest CD. The retro love fest continues with a very Doors-like “Opiate.” Another great single is “Pop Tart Girl” with it’s shimmering guitars and very Rubinoos-like chorus. And the Jellyfish references won’t be missed in the closer “Legion Hall.” Overall a brilliant album that power pop fans will not want to miss. The last EP “Fourplay” is also another Beatlesque stroke of brilliance, so get that one too. Sometimes listening is believeing.

Orchid Highway Website | MySpace

Listen to “Opiate”

Listen to “Let’s Stay In Instead (acoustic version)”

What can I say about Ken Sharp that has not been said many times before? This power pop fan/author/musician has produced a thrilling album that fans are sure to embrace. Vocally, Ken is similar to Seth Swirsky (Red Button) and Sean Lennon in tone and timbre. From the opening “Hello Hello” he lets the listener know what’s coming: hook filled riffs and melodic power pop. “The Man Who Couldn’t Be Wrong” has the perfect Beatlesque choral and guitar solos, and it pulls out all the stops, including harpsichord. A good mix of Jellyfish-styled melody with Raspberries layered guitars is featured on “Better Every Day” and it keeps getting better with each track. “Melody Hill” is a classic power pop tune, that reminds me of what The Dave Clark Five might’ve sounded like if Phil Spector produced them. Things get a bit funky on “Orange Cellophane” with soul-styled organs and a bit of a Lenny Kravitz groove. “So Simple Radio” sounds like an ELO/Abbey Road outtake (who doesn’t like that?) that fades out strangely. And for power pop fans, “Why Girls Cry” is the stuff we wished Todd Rundgren would do again. Better than his previous albums, it’s a power pop love letter, punctuated by “I Got Lost” a very Lennonesque finale. It’s Awesome stuff. With help from friends Ritchie Rubini (Caulfields), Rob Bonfiglio (Wanderlust) and Chip Z’Nuff and Donnie Vie from Enuff Z’Nuff, “Sonic Crayons” delivers the goods. Get it now and miss it at your own peril for it is part of my top ten list.

MySpace | Kool Kat Musik | Not Lame

Frisbie released a bona-fide power pop hit album in July 2000 with “The Subversive Sounds of Love.” A critical hit that put them on the map, however personal problems for band members prevented further albums. Now we get a really strong effort with “New Debut” — and it’s another classic. Built on catchy melody and supported with incredible musicianship, it inspires and takes influences from Cheap Trick, Big Star, Kiss, Styx and the best of the guitar-driven pop bands of the 70’s. It opens with the brilliant title track “New Debut” that has a juicy cowbell and guitar chorus. “Distaster” is another gem that gets downright Bandwagonesque, but most of the tracks here recall classic Styx mixed with Kansas more than anything else. In fact, “Half-Breed” sounds like it belongs on Styx “Pieces of Eight.” But what makes this album so special is that the overdone bombastic approach of the era is gone in favor of the melody. Both guitars and harmonies are nicely done on “I Speak Your Mind” and other than the strange schizophrenic lyrics of “S.F.B.” not a single track is wasted here. “The Main Complaint” has elements of Thin Lizzy, Alan Parson Project and even Yes. Both singers, Liam Davis and Steve Frisbie do a great job and make this album shine brighter than “Subversive Sounds” ever did. Listen to the entire album streaming here.

Frisbie’s Site | MySpace | Kool Kat Musik | Itunes | Not Lame

The Grip Weeds have been one of my favorite bands (they were amazing as the last power pop act to play at the legendary CBGB’s last year) and so now we go back to the future with the album that started it all – “House of Vibes.” This was a great album when it was originally released in 1994 and now they’ve gone back and meticulously reworked and remixed each track. Now you have a superb classic ready to be re-introduced to power pop fans who never heard The Grip Weeds. It includes tons of bonus tracks, demo tracks and live tracks. A whopping 25 tracks of music to wade through. This is classic power pop and deserves to be heard again. “Salad Days” is a seemless transition from the energy of the Who and the melodic prowess of The Beatles. The sixties style is both comfortable and timeless on “Realize.” The sound is a blend of Revolver-era Beatles, Byrds and Clapton. Every track is classic here, thanks to songwriting brothers Kurt Reil (drums, vocals) and Rick Reil (guitar, vocals), Kristin Pinell (guitar) and Michael Kelly (bass). The Grip Weeds were a premiere DIY band and now with digital technology it sounds polished with lush harmonies and expert musicianship. Don’t miss this one.

Grip Weeds Homepage | MySpace | Kool Kat Musik | CD Baby

Listen to the amazing single “Salad Days”

Why did they revisit this album? The answer is here.