Category: Top Ten of 2020 Candidate

Szuters and Lisa Mychols & Super 8

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The Szuters “Sugar”

The Szuter brothers; Mike and CJ were always guitar heads that played melodic rock, much like The Lund Brothers. In the late ’90s they formed The Szuters and let loose a great rare LP in Japan, but then changed the band to heavy alt-rock and their name to Magna-Fi. They ended up at Ozzfest in 2004 supporting Sevendust, but the band faded from view six years later.

Coming back to their power-pop roots, “Sugar” is everything we missed from The Szuters, and it lives up to the title. Opening with the Beatlesque “Two We Will Always Be” its a super catchy melody with sticky sweet harmonies. The piano-based “Don’t Lie To Me” is another winner, with a wild psyche-pop riff mid-break. Fans of  The Raspberries and Cheap Trick will love “Baby Don’t You Be So Blue,” and “She’s Coming Home With Me.” The Beatlesque gems return with “If You Only Knew” and “I Don’t Wanna Cry.” They turn up the amps for the heavier “Good Thing,” and not a note of filler anywhere. It’s a perfect balance of melodic sweetness and guitar crunch. Easily gets a top ten nomination for my year-end list. Highly Recommended.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN9i0UaRZx0

The Yum Yums

Lisa Mychols & SUPER 8 “Lisa Mychols & SUPER 8”

The “Queen of Power Pop” Lisa Mychols joins forces with British psyche-popper Paul “Trip” Ryan to deliver this playful confection for the ears.  Lisa’s light harmonies open thing on “What Will Be?” a hippie-infused psychedelic intro that seamlessly blends into the bouncy “Trip & Ellie’s Music Factory” and this is where the chemistry of the two artists play to each other’s strengths.

“Time Bomb” is another great example of kaleidoscopic pop. The tone of the music ebbs and flows from romantic (“Honey Bee”) to wry humor (“The Monkee Song”) but never loses momentum. It does mellow significantly towards the album’s second half with “Your Summer Theme” and “Laguna Night To Remember.” Mychols vocals are as lovely as ever, and Trip even adds his vocal lead to the acoustic “Peaceful.” This is music designed to relieve stress, so spin it and snap along to the music. Highly Recommended.

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Keith Slettedahl and Ed Ryan

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Keith Slettedahl

Keith Slettedahl “You Know You Know”

Guitarist-songwriter Keith Slettedahl was the driving force of The 88, one of the great power pop bands that slowly faded from view several years ago. They’ve been in my past top ten list, but they are likely best known to the public for the theme to the TV show Community. Now Slettedahl has created a solo LP with producer (and Posies drummer) Frankie Siragusa.

Keith’s knack for hooks and rock melody is in full bloom, as its lineage can be traced to The Beatles, T-Rex, and Spacehog. Opening with “No One Understands Me Like You Do,” it slowly builds as those deep guitar riffs cut across the verses, to the hushed vocals that recall Marc Boland at his peak. “Lady Is Love” is another big winner with an irresistible bass line, and then “It’s Never Been Easier” constructs a thick wall of sound that rivals Oasis or The Dandy Warhols. Each song seems designed to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, with “My Baby,” and the catchy gem “Cuz I’m A Lover.” Keith smolders with the ballad “Give It Time You’ll Be Fine,” where heartbreak is emphasized by Spanish horns and harmonies and “One and All” laments with exhausted feeling about living online instead of the real world. I couldn’t find a bad song here. Definitely belongs in my top ten albums for 2020.

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Ed Ryan

Ed Ryan “Even Time”

Multi-instrumentalist Ed Ryan returns with his third album, as he goes through his history by revisiting songs he made with The Rudies and Jupiter Jets, and throws in some new material to match. The title track is a solid pop single with a steady rhythm and compelling hook, it’s a different sound for Ed, but the next several songs have a strong late 70s – early 80s guitar vibe. The electric guitar buzz “Never Lied To You” delivers a terrific hook in the chorus and “Say What You Will” is a very compelling jangle-pop melody.

“I Want To Go” literally changes the tone again, with an acoustic guitar and galloping rhythm. But it’s a momentary change, as the guitar buzz returns on “Let It Out,” another great tune. “Next Time Around” and “Breakway” have an even harder edge, as they burst from the speakers. Other tracks feel a little out of place (“Everywhere”), but there is enough here to please fans of The Beat, Rick Springfield, and The Knack. This is truly music that deserves to be heard. Check it out.

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The Explorers Club and DC Cardwell

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The Explorers Club

The Explorers Club “The Explorers Club/To Sing And Be Born Again”

The Explorers Club is a band that specializes in harmonic retro-pop, and what started as a terrific Beach Boys sound-alike band with a flair for songwriting, has gradually shifted to include many more influences of the late ’60s and early ’70s. The band’s line-up has shifted through the years, but the one constant has been lead singer-songwriter, Jason Brewer. He’s also enlisted the talent of Los Angeles-based Emeen Zarookian (recently from Bebopalula.) Brewer explores his musical milieu like his own mixtape, and you can spot influences throughout each song.

Starting with “Ruby,” you’ll hear distinct echoes of the Turtles “Elenore,” and the horns on “Don’t Cry” clearly evoke Burt Bacharach. But it’s much more as these original songs are equally strong compositionally and the execution is flawless here. That includes those sparkling Wilsonesque harmonies, which can turn “Love So Fine” from an average song to a great one. “Mystery” brings The Righteous Brothers back to life as well. There are so many highlights including “One Drop of Rain,” “Dawn,” “Say You Will,” and “Dream World.” Almost every song hits that retro “sweet spot,” and it is sure to be on my top ten list at the end of this year.

The covers album To Sing And Be Born Again puts additional emphasis on how well this music would fit in that “AM Radio Gold” era. The two LPs fit perfectly together. Boyce and Hart’s “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight,” Danny Hutton’s “Roses and Rainbows,” Paul Revere and The Raiders “Kicks,” and the rest are expertly done.

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DC Cardwell

DC Cardwell “Crystal Set”

It’s been a long time, but DC Cardwell is back with a new album full of hooks and simple, direct lyrics. The album opens with the late ‘70s power-pop of “Friendly Fire” and its charming, almost tinny guitar riffs. But the songs gets richer (and better) with each song moving forward. “The Spirit Is Willing” has a great Beatlesque Rickenbacker riff, and the breezy “I Can’t Run Fast Enough” has a brilliant bassline and it’s one of the most memorable songs he’s ever done.

Another keeper is the politically-charged “Lies Are All You Speak,” calling truth to power in the best Nick Lowe tradition. Another terrific song in the Nick Lowe mold is “Just Try Me Out” as a pitch for the author of his new book. One of the most thought-provoking songs here is “Rock and Roll Isn’t With Us Anymore.” The simple acoustic strum brings to mind Ray Davies, as he opines on the changing times and how things “will burn away.” Another fine tune is an ode to his pet “Stay At Home With Your Cat.” Highly Recommended.

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Coke Belda and Andrew Gold

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Coke Belda

Coke Belda “4”

Coke Belda certainly wears his love of McCartney on his sleeve. Opening with an unapologetic fanboy love note on “Thank you, Paul,” you can have a fun time counting how many Macca songs are mentioned by name. But this doesn’t take away from the fact that Coke writes catchy melodies that just stick. “Another Day” is a gem that adds a little ELO to the mix with its deep chords about avoiding internet trolls. The short “Believe” is a bouncy acoustic ballad, and the rich production and vocal harmonies take center stage on the mid-tempo standout “6×8 Basement.”

Belda varies his style enough on the impressive Hollies-like “Just A Dream,” and the hippie folk tune “1968.” So far this album is really good, but on “Harlan, Kentucky” Belda takes it up a notch. The catchy verses build on each other, the riffs are infectious and by the middle eight it’s transcendent. At another time, this would be a huge hit song. He also indulges with a syrupy six-minute love song on “Watching You,” which eventually builds to a flowing guitar solo. Simply no filler here, and it makes my top 10 list this year for sure. Super highly recommended.

Kool Kat Musik

Andrew Gold

Andrew Gold “Something New: Unreleased Gold”

Andrew Gold was best known for hits “Lonely Boy,” and Golden Girls theme song “Thank You For Being A Friend.” He was a great songwriter and helped rocket Linda Ronstadt to fame. His genius was often overlooked, and he passed away in 2011. But his widow Leslie Kogan discovered a collection of demos Gold recorded in 1973. These songs would ultimately land him a deal with Asylum Records who would release his first album in the fall of 1975. Thanks to Omnivore Recordings, it’s seeing the light of day.

The potential hit here “Something New” was eventually given to Playboy model Barbi Benton in 1976, but Andrew’s version is fresher with less studio gloss. Additional “finished” songs include the country-pop of “Prisoner” and “Resting in Your Love.” These are not typical Gold, but very enjoyable. The remain tracks are all solo demos and not everything here sticks. Highlights include the fine melodies of “Come Down To Me,”  “The World Tomorrow Brings,” and “Don’t Bring Me Down.” Despite the fact that these songs are underdeveloped, they all hold potential. This collection will mainly appeal to Gold fans. Others should start with Essential Gold.

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Nick Piunti and Andrew Taylor

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Nick Piunti

Nick Piunti and The Complicated Men “Downtime”

It’s no surprise that Detroit-based singer-writer Nick Piunti is one of my favorite power pop musicians. His music has always managed to get in my yearly top ten and Downtime is no exception. Nick is joined by a new backing band, The Complicated Men; Jeff Hupp (bass), Ron Vensko (drums), Kevin Darnall (keys), and guests Ryan Allen (Extra Arms) and Chris Plum (Brendan Benson). Piunti’s distinct vocal recalls a less grizzled Bryan Adams crossed with Mike Viola.

Downtime plays a little glossier and cleaner than previous entries, and Nick’s ability to craft a hook remains formidable with the opener “Upper Hand.” The guitar riffs of “Bright Light” are further boosted by a thick bed of rhythm, piano, and percussion. Next, the tone becomes wistful on the mid-tempo “Every High” where each high is measured against life’s low points. Nick’s ballads are just as impressive, with “All Over Again” and “Good Intentions” both looking back wistfully at the past. The energy is kicked up a notch on “Going Nowhere” and “Gonna Be Good.” The band sounds like it’s having fun here too, and there isn’t a note of filler within these ten tracks. Did you expect anything less? Super highly recommended.

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Andrew Taylor

Andrew Taylor “The Lockdown Session: April 2020”

Andrew Taylor (Dropkick) had a bunch of songs written from unused audio clips he’d been saving up over the past year and with the COVID-19 lockdown in April, he started recording and mixed them in his garage in East Lothian, Scotland.

Some of these tunes are simply amazing, like the gentle opener “Life Is Good” with its easy strum, fans of Teenage Fanclub will love it. Other highlights include “Not Running Out,” “Older,” and “When All I Have Is You,” is pure magic. While other songs don’t quite have the hooks to grab you, this is a surprisingly good addition to the Dropkick catalog. Plus it’s a “name-your-price” download, so no excuses to check it out! Highly Recommended.

Kool Kat Musik