Last night I figured I will never get all my reviews done before the years end. So, I officially announce the Powerpopaholic Top Ten Poll of 2008.
Scroll down the the bottom right column of the blog to make your pick. A lot of readers asked for my personal top ten list, and I really don’t have one (I don’t want to piss off all those Bryan Scary fans). But I do have 32 top picks that made my polling list this year. If you forgot who they are, the links to each review is below. Remember: VOTE NOW TIL NEW YEARS
The sunshiny goodness that is those Australian wonders, The Wellingtons have returned with an album of pure pop magic. Opening with the winding of a child’s toy “Song for Kim” soars along with twisting riffs and hand claps. The hard driving melodies continue with “Come Undone” which has a Jellyfish meets Rooney vibe, and the utterly charming chorus that is easily one of the best songs this year. “I Get My Heart Broken Everyday” has swelling brass and toe-tapping swagger, and a nice synth coda to each chorus. “Natalie” is another flawless gem, that goes along to Roger Manning Jr. land, with a fresh faced melody supported by layered vocals and guitars. Every song shines here and it’s tough to come up with anymore gushing praise for this album, which hits peaks many times. Clocking in at just under 30 minutes, Heading North For The Winter is everything a great pop record should be – short, sweet and to the undeniably catchy pop point. So stop reading and get this one already — I’ve only a few more days left for regular reviews before the top ten poll starts.
I must state: This is a banner year for female power pop vocalists. Between great albums by Marykate O’Neil and Vibeke, you get a brilliant release from Kelly Jones too. So how is she different? Well, if The Bangles, Susanna Hoffs and Marshall Crenshaw had a love child it would sound just like Kelly Jones. The album is a practically flawless 28 minutes of power pop. It helps that she’s supported by Mike Viola and Ducky Carlisle (fresh from The Major Labels) and even Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne) co-wrote a song with Kelly for the album. Kelly’s vocals are both fresh and forceful, as she glides through these songs effortlessly. It starts with the bouncy pop of “There Goes My Baby” which reminds me of The Pretenders “Don’t Get Me Wrong” a little, but it’s got all the little things right with great harmony, hand claps and Mike Viola doing the backing vocals. Possibly the best romantic pop tune about my love of power pop is “Same Song” with great lyrics to match the music (“In all the major keys, which reminds me of you when you’re not around”). Kelly has toured with Mike this past summer, and the closest comparison I can make here is Sam Phillips at her peak, with Viola playing the part of T-Bone Burnett. Every song here is a winner. Even the unusual Schlesinger penned “Crazy Talk” makes good use of the contrast in Kelly’s vocal with the low octave guitar bursts. The ballad “I Can’t Help You” is another wonderful standout, with Viola’s music and Kelly’s angelic vocal. No need to scrutinize further — just pick this one up! We are a few short weeks from the year end Top Ten of 2008 poll. This one slides in to make it an even 32 albums to choose from.
Pop fans will remember Rob Bonfiglio (pronounced “Bon-feel-e-o”) as a former member of Wanderlust and The Skies Of America. Rob displays consummate musicianship in full bloom on this, his debut “Bring on The Happy.” This is the epitome of finely handcrafted power pop. It starts off with great promise on “Nothing Will Hold You Down” a full sonic modern pop blast that recalls both John Mayer, Swirl 360, Taxiride and Wanderlust. The sound of “That’s Alright” has a radio friendly nod to the seventies style guitar with the super musicanship and heavenly hooks and makes it a great single. Robs vocals recall a mix of The Chili Peppers Anthony Kiedis and Carl Wilson. It’s no wonder that Rob’s worked with Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson and Wilson Phillips, on the epic “How To Mend a broken Heart” the melody and harmonies bring to mind both the Holland-era Beach Boys and Todd Rundgren’s “Something/Anything” here. And it keeps going, the killer rhythm and attention to details on “React” make it another “air guitar” classic. The guitar lead and multi-tracked vocals of “What you Need” recall Eagles’ Joe Walsh at his most catchy. The mid-tempo ballad “Straight from the Heart” starts like a Stevie Wonder opus and then the chorus plays with a bouncy optimism, and great chord progressions. The album dials down a little toward the end with “Sympathy (Who I am)” but jumps back in with a classic Fosse piano riff in “The Best is Yet To Come.” The ending tracks do a decent job of balancing heavy arena rock (“Blow Me Away”)and another heart felt ballad on the final song “Some Days are Better.” This is an excellent solo debut for the musically literate and it also makes my top ten of 2008 list. Wow. A lot of great music came out this month so far. My pop cup runneth over with this one.
The Junipers are songwriter Joe Wiltshire and vocalist Marc Johnston who, together with a group of friends in Leicester, make upbeat, chiming pitch perfect baroque and psychedelic pop with echoes of early Bee Gees, The Curiosity Shop and The Zombies. If you are looking for big loud electric guitar riffs, they are not here, but everything else is. Especially that McCartney baseline driven song structure. “Gordie Can’t Swim” opens with a Beatles meets Elephant Six collective retro sound, full of hooks that stick and harmonies that float along the melody. This sets the tone for the album, and despite a few slow instrumental breaks – it’s brilliant in every way. “Fly The Yellow Kite” is a shimmering pop confection that resembles a Wondermints composition. “Already Home” uses a Monkees-like country vibe with those impressive basslines and harmonies to great effect here and it’s a awesome pop song. Using a collection of instruments from of sitars, mellatrons, organs, kazoos, piano, strings, fuzz guitar will have fans of sunshine dappled psyche pop doing backflips. “Out of My Pocket” is adds a dash of prog organ to an acoustic guitar melody and, and “Sheena” is a very Wackers-like folk pop gem. Another standout is the Genesis-Klaatu beauty called “Song That Fades Away” with a sweet harpsichord solo in the middle. Other straight pop songs here “Mortimer” and “Sunnydown Avenue” resemble The Hudson Brothers in sound and spirit. The albums quieter moments concentrates on piano and gentle folk guitar similar to Elliot Smith. If you don’t enjoy the retro-psyche pop genre then you should pass on this, however fans of Andrew Sandoval, The Pillbugs, and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” will gobble this one up. There are so many layers of impressive instrumentation and arrangements here I’m letting this one into the top ten of 2008. Again, no filler on this impressive debut, and I’ve added two tracks to the Lala player on the right for you to hear.
The Junipers Website | My Space | Kool Kat Musik | Lala
