Category: Top Ten of 2007 Candidate

I was not keen on Maple Mars’ “Circular Haze” which I thought got too trippy and tried a bit too hard. So I wasn’t sure what to expect four years later with “Beautiful Mess” and I was pleasantly surprised. Guitarist Rick Hromadka (formally of the LA based Double Naught Spies) has done an excellent job here balancing the power pop and the psychedelic sound that he does so well. The opening song “Beautiful Mess” is equal parts Mick Ronson and Queen with a little Beatles thrown in. “Listen” is an awesome mix of the psychedelic and lush pop orchestration, sounds like it belongs on Badfinger’s “Straight Up.” A lighter touch on tracks like “Breathe Deep” make this release so enjoyable. The guitar work on “Fell Of The Cloud” rivals The Cloud Eleven for smoothness and laid back California style. This approach works beautifully to a cover of 10cc’s “I’m not in Love” that will give you goosebumps for sure. The ballad “Between Two Worlds” shimmering guitar solo is similar to a lost ELO tune sung by Todd Rundgren and will demand repeat listens. There are other ballads here “Apology” and “Sweetest Dream” do an amazing job of establishing an atmosphere and the vocal overlays and chords in “Sweetest Dream” remind me of classic Cyrkle. With no misses and so many hits, this easily makes it a Top Ten contender of 2007.

Maple Mars Website | CD Baby | Itunes | My Space | Kool Kat | Not Lame

This is a crunchy pop treat along the lines of The Cars meets the Spongetones. The Maxtone Four delivers the goods when it comes to catchy, jangly guitar riffs and sharp-witted lyrical humor. From the opening track “Just Say I Know” you are know that this is what power pop fans live for! And it doesn’t let up. The hallmark of a great pop album is that the songs seamlessly create an experience that you want to repeat over and over again. The great energy also keeps songs like “I fu**ing hate this place” from becoming a routine rant and fans of Teenage Fanclub will enjoy the excellent guitar work. “Short pants,” “Okay you go first” and other songs here are just not just fun to listen to, but following the lyrics make it an extra treat. It’s hard to write about such a good album, I can only tell you to visit the sites to listen to it. Awesome music well worth adding to your top ten for 2007 list.

Listen to “I Fu**ing Hate This Place”

The Maxtone Four Website | My Space | Not Lame | Kool Kat

An added bit of exciting news: The New Pornographers are coming out with a new album on 8/21/07

With an orchestral magnificence not heard since Brian Wilson’s Smile and a brashness not heard since the earlier albums of Oasis, I present to you Grand Atlantic. Hailing from Brisbane, Australia – and lead by Phil Usher’s gritty vocals, Grand Atlantic is everything a power pop fan could want and bands like Travis or Coldplay wish they could become. It starts off with the dramatic piano melody in “Prelude” and fades into the blistering single “Coolite” – the type of great song only Oasis used to be able to pull off. The album continues with tastey guitar riffs in “Smokle and Mirrors” a great single and my favorite tune on the CD. Things get a little trippy on the Beatles’ “Rain” inspired track “Chaos Theory” and then with the next track “Wonderful Tragedy” resembles a classic SuperDrag track with a touch of Beach Boys “Pet Sounds.” Another gem is the low key “Slappin’ On The Cuffs” that often recalls classic Teenage Fanclub a little bit. The group does an excellent job of using the best elements of classic 60s pop and creating something new and catchy, like the horn flourishes in “Burning Brighter.” Another band that draws similar comparison here is The New Pornographers, and every track here is impressive. Even the last track “Peace be with you” is awesome, using french horn, harpsichord, sleigh bells, wood blocks, hand claps, timpani, cymbals, tambourine, string quartet, and everything short of the kitchen sink! The Beach Boys-like coda at the end of the album is not to be missed either. Bottom line, this is an amazingly great album and deserves much acclaim. On my top ten for 2007, most definitely.

Grand Atlantic’s website | MySpace | CD Baby | Not Lame | Kool Kat

Future Clouds & Radar is the latest creation of Robert Harrison, of the great band Cotton Mather. Robert has basically evolved beyond the old Cotton Mather sound and what we get is a real gem of an double album here. “Birds of Prey” starts us off with lots of horns and odd drum work that is clearly indie pop friendly. The production work here is just stellar. Robert’s voice has a similar cadence to John Lennon and it helps make even pedestrian songs sound special. There is lots of stuff here, and most of it is excellent. The old Cotton Mather sound comes through on “Hurricane Judy” – a cool single full of nice little Beatle-isms, that makes this tune a joy to listen to. “Quicksilver” channels the ghost of Lennon’s “Oh My Love” just perfectly and makes an excellent ballad. In “Drugstore Bust” Robert uses lots of unique sound techniques and it’s got a great hook as well. This song my favorite on this album. “This is Really A Book” is a song with lots of sonic weirdness that play opposite to the main melody. Look out Robert Pollard, you have some real competition here. “You Will Be Loved” has a little string flourishes that recall the Bee Gees pre-disco glory. “Wake Up and Live” is a Reggae anthem given a cool pop treatment. “Our Time” is also an excellent song with classic jangle guitar riffs and melodic hooks. That mentioned, he tends to over indulge in some sonic weirdness like, “Devil no more” or “Letters to Junius.” On disk 2 “Get Your Boots On” continues with some great fuzz guitar and awesome harmonies. Disk 2 continues to deliver great songs like “Dr.No”, “Back Seat Silver Jet Sighter” and “Altitude” is sure to please old Cotton Mather fans. “Safety Zone” is a beautiful mid-tempo song that makes an excellent ending here. With a bit of editing this could have been a perfect tour de force, as it stands it’s merely really, really good and an album that needs time to be fully absorbed. It’s still one of the best I’ve heard this year so far.

Future Clouds and Radar Website | Amazon | Emusic

Listen to “Drugstore Bust”

Listen to “Quicksilver”

The state of alt country is in good hands with groups like Limbeck. Like the Honeydogs, Limbeck has taken the lead in the genre since the demise of The Jayhawks and my apparent disappointment of the latest Wilco album. In the past Limbeck couldn’t seem to reconcile the country leanings and sugary pop tendencies. On this album they come together perfectly. Limbeck frontman Robb MacLean tells a great bunch of road stories that are pure Americana with a West Coast laid-back flavor. There is no filler on this album and every song seems to flow at it’s own smooth pace, suited for lazy sunday afternoons in summertime. The details here show a finely crafted masterpiece. “Big Drag” has a bluesy beat with little Sax flourishes that has a awesome chorus. “Let Me Come Home” almost sounds like a country-flavored Fountains of Wayne tune. Even a slow country ballad “Reading The Street Signs” gets a bit of Beach Boys harmonies. “Wake Up” is a Tom Petty styled rocker that keeps your toe tappin’ with excellent guitar riffs. “Your Story” has some great harmonic shifts and chord changes that is the stuff of greatness and my favorite track on the album. This is definely on my top ten list this year and if you are an alt country fan this is a “must-have” album. Listen to the album streaming on the Pure Volume site.

Limbeck’s Site | My Space | Pure Volume | Not Lame