Category: Top Ten of 2019 Candidate

The Last Bees and Pezband

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The Last Bees

The Last Bees “The Last Bees” EP

Milwaukee-based The Last Bees are a project from the mind of singer-songwriter Ian Ash. Playing perfect Beatlesque pop music is comparable to Bushnell’s Law; “easy to learn, but difficult to master.” Very few bands have done it right (The Red Button is one of them) and I’m proud to say The Last Bees deserve to be part of this exclusive club. The Last Bees stick to the Fabs mop-top era (1964-66) for inspiration, and it would’ve been nice to move forward in time, but we can get to that on the next EP.

“I Can’t Wait” is pure infectious joy on par with the Wonders. The Beatles may be the starting template, but Ian makes sure each song has a unique catchy-as-hell chorus that finds the melodic sweet spot. The songs also tap into a kind of youthful vulnerability that has all but vanished from today’s pop music. Care is given to each song so it doesn’t become repetitive and at under three minutes — they never overstay their welcome. A big highlight for me was the mid-tempo ballad “The Final Sting,” with its glossy acoustic strums, recalling The Beatles “I’ll Be Back” in technique. Without a doubt one of the best retro pop EPs you’ll hear in 2019.

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Pezband

Pezband “Cover To Cover Remixed”

Remember power pop in the ’80s? While Pezband’s original Cover To Cover was released in 1979, it foreshadows the mid-80’s production techniques (big bass, delays, loaded reverbs) that gained popularity at that time. Fans will love this remix; the vocals are more prominent and other sonic details are clearer. I talked with band leader Mimi Bentinis earlier this week about the album.

Pezband’s great melodies are still guitar loaded, but they add some synths on “Stella Blue” and the title track adds a steel drum intro. The vocal work is also passed around a bit more. The band’s songwriting is solid, “Meika” should have been a huge hit. The band puts the “power” in power pop on “Back In The Middle,” and “Don’t Look Back.” In addition, “Unexpected” is another excellent tune that deserves repeat listens.

But you can also hear the band’s frustration with its lack of commercial success. One clue; “Make Me Happy” ironically doesn’t sound too happy. Betinis’ mid-tempo “Didn’t We” makes that frustration clear “why’s it all wrong / tried for so long / didn’t we?” It wasn’t that surprising that the band shut down soon afterward. But this rare LP from the Illinois power pop legends definitely deserves re-discovery. Fans of  The Beat, 20/20, The Plimsouls, and The Flashcubes will love this. Highly Recommended.

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Joe Sullivan and Eytan Mirsky

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Joe Sullivan “Growing Up Schlockstar”

Joe Sullivan returns with a highly anticipated sequel to his 2014 gem Schlock Star. Sullivan has the playful style and guitar buzz all around the opener “Mr. Positivity” that reminded me of an “American version” of Paul Steel. It’s a highly addictive melody that follows a theme of looking back at Joe’s youth through a power pop lens. “Gifted And Talented” boasts an assist from the awesome Brandon Schott, and its got a pop structure is similar to Jellyfish with its harpsichord, minor guitar chords, and heavenly harmonies.  “Secret Weapon” is an ode to the untouchable girl from your class, but better is “Greenfield Acres” a layered guitar gem describing Joe’s hometown with a light Beatlesque touch.

It’s more focused than Schlock Star with less direct homages, but the corniness is turned up as well. The earnest innocence of “Cheerleader” and “The End” are so well played and executed it avoids lyrical parody. He cranks up the riffs on the Raspberries-like “Birthday” and it’s the highlight of the album. A great song that pulls out all the stops, and it’s guaranteed to have you playing air guitar. Overall, it checks all the right power pop boxes and almost every song here hits the mark. Oh, and it’s also got Andy Reed and Donny Brown. This album seems custom designed to make my top ten for 2019 “best album” list. Highly Recommended (of course).

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Eytan Mirsky

Eytan Mirsky “If Not Now… Later”

The lonely troubadour Eytan Mirsky is back with a well written and solid melodic album. “Would It Kill You?” is a catchy opener that basically asks a woman who’s rejected him to “be nice to me,” which seems a tough sell. Unlike Funny Money, the album is a lot more pessimistic in its point of view and the music has more of a rootsy country vibe. Mexican standoff seems the subject of “Lay Down Your Weapons,” led by its slow steel pedal melody. And the fatalistic attitude is also expressed in “When the Ship is Sinking,” asking directly “Are you gonna float or are you gonna drown?” This theme is carried through the entire album.

It doesn’t let up, until the bouncy “Lingerie Pillow Fight,” which is the album highlight for me. It’s a great song with Eytan’s humorous attitude and catchy guitar riffs that would make Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne) jealous.  I also recommend “Last Home Game of the Season” a sad sack theme that’s perfect for your losing baseball team’s video montage. If you’re a member of the Mirsky Mouse Club definitely pick this album up. It’s music that deserves to be heard.

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The Dates and Emperor Penguin

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The Dates

The Dates “Ask Again Later”

Out of Los Angeles, singer-songwriter Garett Goddard (Personal and The Pizzas, King Tuff) created the alter-ego band The Dates. On his debut, he worships at the power pop altar of Big Star, Teenage Fanclub, and The Flaming Groovies. The jangle-tastic “Any Other Nite” would easily fit on Grand Prix. Next, “Star” and “Pictures With Rene” keeps the same feel with more of a tilt toward #1 Record. Hero worship will only get you so far… but Goddard’s production has a deliberate lo-fi rough edge that keeps it fresh. And the hook-filled riffs of “Friday Nite @Vineland” and “Nervous” make this an album that can’t be missed.

The songwriting is basic and to the point; “Love’s Made A Fool Of You” and “Summer Girls” are perfect teen heartbreak anthems, where you “don’t want to go to school… I wanna stay home in my room… all the time” Every song held my interest and encouraged repeat listens, so that makes it an early favorite on my Top Ten of 2019 album list. Obviously, it’s Super Highly Recommended.

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Emperor Penguin

Emperor Penguin “Walnut Fascia”

Nigel Winfield and Neil Christie form the anchor for the UK-based band Emperor Penguin. The band marries power pop with elements of psyche and prog rock. “The Miasma at Euston” is a pastiche of The Beatles, The Jam, The Fall and a touch of King Crimson. Another highlight, “Shaking Spear” is a wicked rolling riff with a Who-like harmonic repeating chorus, and amazing shredding follows. Next, “See Ya later, Sayulita” has a memorable jangling melody, and “Only Love” is another gem that instantly hooks you.

“Sorry Not Sorry” plays heavily into the 60’s sound with its psyche-pop rhythm as a pitch-perfect political protest song. “Hotel Diplomat” has a very “Dukes of The Stratosphere” feel with its harpsichord and descriptive lyric. Then out of left field, the dense “Jensen Interceptor” almost sounds like a Love and Rockets tune. The prog style is dialed up a few notches for the rest of the album, and you get crazy psychedelics like “Brian is Flying Us Off to Mars” and the faux James Bond soundtrack “(The Theme From) Falling Tree.” While inconsistent, it’s never incoherent. Fans of The Grip Weeds, The Pillbugs and 60’s anglophiles you couldn’t do better. They are also scheduled for IPO Liverpool in May — don’t miss them! Highly Recommended.

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The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness and Braddock Station Garrison

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The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness

The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness “Dead Calm”

International collaborations strike again! TBWTPN are Andrew Taylor (Dropkick) and Gonzalo Marcos (El Palacio de Linares).  Named after a song by The Feelies, and recorded in first takes in a couple of evenings between Madrid and Edinburgh, Taylor and Marcos hit gold here. Filled with jangling Rickenbackers and warm melodies, it feels like a melding of Big Star, Teenage Fanclub, and Elliot Smith.

The opening song (named after the band) has that Big Star progression and killer chorus that sets the table perfectly. Each song takes a mellow approach with crisp orderly compositions, “Close The Doors” is a great example of that dreamy jangle pop that sticks in your head. There is enough variety in the songwriting to keep things fresh through all ten tracks, and most of the songs are upbeat. Andrew’s soft vocal harmonies and his acoustic guitar standout as precise pop on “Start it again” without the need for overt folk or rock elements. The title track ends the album and echoes the opening melody. Amazing music that makes my best of 2019 list for best power pop this year. Super Highly Recommended.
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Braddock Station Garrison

Braddock Station Garrison “American Radio”

Do they have college radio bands anymore? Washington, DC band Braddock Station Garrison has a touch of Americana added to their fantastic rock sound. They are following in the footsteps of those 90’s college radio bands (The Connells, The Bats, Buffalo Tom) all while sounding modern and engaging.

Opening with “Blockbuster” its got a solid hook, along with a jangling rhythm and its a quick standout. The Stones-like “Travellin’ Bible Salesman” is a nice simple rocker. “Small Town Scene” and “When You Say” speed up the tempo and drum beat, but the vocals are a little like The Black Crows with its talky approach. The band also gets jammy on “Border Run.” It keeps up this approach, and if you loved the bands mentioned above it definitely deserves to be heard.
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Jeff Whalen and Yorick Van Norden

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Jeff Whalen

Jeff Whalen “10 More Rock Super Hits”

Jeff Whalen was the lead vocalist for the power pop band Tsar. The group split in 2005, but Jeff is back with an amazing, Linus Of Hollywood-produced, solo debut. The music is a hybrid of bubblegum/glam/power pop with an infectious enthusiasm that’s hard to ignore. “Goofing Around” is an easy going catchy opener, and “Jendy!” is a sugary pop nugget straight out of the Linus playbook. “Ground Game for Worm” is a straight-ahead jangling gem.

The most impressive song on the LP for me was “The Alien Lanes” where the guitars take a more central part of the melody. It’s like a Cheap Trick tune with less bombast and a more layered chorus. “Don’t Give It Up” is another slice of ear candy you can dance to. In fact, I could not find a bad song here – it’s all killer no filler! This released late in 2018, but only in select outlets — it sees wider release in February. If I could shoehorn this into my 2018 top ten list I would but for now, it’s at the top of my 2019 list for best LP. Highly Recommended. As a bonus, I recently did an interview with Jeff Whalen you can read right now.

Kool Kat Musik

Yorick van Norden

Yorick van Norden “The Jester”

This was high on David Bash’s list and I had never heard of Yorick van Norden before. He is based in The Netherlands and is very adept at crafting melodies. Having a good sense of psyche-pop influences he starts with the trippy “Forest of The Mind” which sounds like a lost Grip Weeds track. But then he launches into the catchy jangle gem “Train In The Station” and I perked up. His classic pop influences and production techniques are solid as each track gets better than the next. “Another Day in London Town” has a great Beatlesque melody and stream of consciousness lyrics that stick fast.

“More Than Words” is a wonderful sunny mid-tempo gem that recalls Belgian artist Bent Van Looy. He also has 2 musical suites, which use orchestral flourishes to highlight a medley of delicate compositions. “A Song For You” is his own explanation of why he writes music, as the Christmas harmonies of “Winter” bring to mind a warm fireplace. No filler and it’s highly recommended. It definitely would’ve found a spot in my top 20 for 2018.

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