Category: Top Ten of 2021 Candidate

The Brothers Steve and Latvian Radio

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The Brothers Steve

The Brothers Steve “Dose”

LA’s Brothers Steve return with a harmony-laden sophomore album. Starting with “Get On Up” it has a fizzy, catchy chorus that reminds me of The Hudson Brothers jamming with Sweet. While the ’70s influences are a starting point, it’s the band’s enthusiasm and talent that crosses the finish line. Jeff Whalen (vocals and guitar), Steve Coulter (drums), and Jeff Solomon (bass) got their start in the legendary band Tsar, and then Os Tyler (vocals) and Dylan Champion (guitar, vocals) joined the brotherhood to go all-in on power pop.

“Next Aquarius” adds an acoustic strum that the electric guitar riffs latch onto and the Jellyfish-like whimsy of “Mrs. Rosenbaum” is a tale that gently shows off their skillful three-part harmonies. But the stickier glam rock of “Wizard of Love” and “Electro-Love” are potential hits that are designed to get you dancing and hitting that repeat button. “She Will Wait” goes back to the acoustic, and here it feels like an outtake from a Beach Boys Party!  Then the party continues into the bubblegum sing-along “Sugarfoot” and “Better Get Ready to Go.” The album is rounded out by mid-tempo chamber pop “Love of Kings” and the layered vocals of “Griffith Observatory.” Not a dud in the bunch. In fact, the album is so accessible and fun, it’s nearly impossible to argue against it. Without a doubt, one of the best power pop albums this year. Super Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Latvian Radio

Latvian Radio “Phooey!”

Patric Westoo returns to his power-pop roots with his latest effort Phooey! as it recalls Chris Stamey, R.E.M., and The Plimsouls with its catchy jangle on the opening gems “Sliding Down A Ladder” and “Make Believe.” The echoing beat of “Waiting On A Letter” is another winner with its bluesy guitar flourishes over the dense jangling rhythm. The late 60s psyche-pop influences are still there with the catchy “Out This Door,” but the best song here is the bouncy gem “Bloody Mary Me Marie” about meeting a girl at a chance encounter. The chorus echoes out the lyrics and the instrumentation is top-notch here.

The album’s second half doesn’t match that effort, but it still contains great songs like “Not Anymore” and “Genie In Bottle Alright.” The songwriting here is another strength under the surface, as the lone ballad “The Simple Kind” shows a maturity to Westoo’s storytelling ability. This album is a grower that requires a few spins before it sinks in, and it’s worth the effort. Highly Recommended.

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Nelson Bragg and Ward White

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Nelson Bragg

Nelson Bragg “Gratitude Blues”

Nelson Bragg conceived his final solo LP during COVID quarantine in Burbank, CA. Being Brian Wilson‘s percussionist/vocalist for 14 years, Bragg is a perfectionist when it comes to introspective melodic pop. Starting with “Lose Yourself” it’s a terrific song that describes the need to look inward, “and play my Beach Boys songs” sounding brooding, but upbeat, and vaguely like Lindsey Buckingham. The jangling “Glorious Days” is like a sunny warm memory fleshed out, and the Beatlesque “Whitechapel Girl” is a bouncy gem with a sugary sweet chorus.

The epic Elton John/Bernie Taupin ballad “I Want Love” is richly surrounded by harmonies, and Peter Holsapple helps define “The Cool Kids,” a lovely folk song that’s dressed up in lots of thick orchestration. It’s a hallmark of Bragg that all those Brian Wilson sonic touches leak through in his own work. “Seriously Girl” opens with a Chicago-styled intro with blaring horns and then builds into a much mellower psych-pop gem. The wordless hymn of “The Dover Twins” is a pastiche of styles and the California pop of “Dreams Made Us Free” sounds like an interview of Bragg about his tenure with the band set to music. Many of the songs here are a winsome look back on his career, and nothing is held back. Not a single dud in the bunch. This kind of craftsmanship and quality of music is a rarity, we can only hope that Bragg doesn’t really stop making these types of retro-love songs. Highly recommended and added to my list of top ten albums for 2021.

Steel Derrick Music

Ward White

Ward White “The Tender Age”

Ward White is back with a new set of songs that reward the attentive listener. His gentle Bowie-like croon is perfectly suited for a song like “Dirty Clouds” which adds elements of jazz and rock together. The next song is more atmospheric than melodic, “Easy Meat” about dark impulses, and then the solid “Let’s Don’t Die At The Spotlight” is an amusing scenario of LA traffic with some soaring vocal lines. White to me often is the musical equivalent to filmmaker David Lynch, where the sweet, sleek surfaces often reveal darkness underneath, and the title track “The Tender Age” is an excellent example.

Other tracks aren’t as compelling, with some exceptions. “Gail, Where’s Your Shoes” is a standout with its warbling guitar break, and “Wasn’t It Here” shows some much-needed guitar energy. Overall a solid effort that takes a few repeats to find a space in your brain. Check it out.

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Nick Frater and Scott Gagner

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Nick Frater

Nick Frater “Earworms”

Nick Frater is a 60s/70s sophisticated-pop connoisseur from Croydon, UK. Earworms are exactly what power popaholics look for in a song, and Nick does a great job by letting his work just burrow into your brain. Lots of period influences are combined to make something new, yet familiar. Staring with “It’s All Rumours” with help from Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (Jellyfsh) it flows sweetly into the ELO-styled chorus. Then the wicked lead opens “Buggin’ Out,” another standout that will have you singing “doo-wops” till the end.

The “hits” keep coming with the mid-tempo “With Heavy Heart,” and shifting key changes of “Lucky Strike” which again mines Queen for its guitar flourishes. The smooth gloss of “Star Crossed” is almost like Jeff Lynne joined Seals & Crofts. And the ender “How To Survive Somebody” evokes both Elton John and The Carpenters. Each song is like a handcrafted love note to that era, and it makes for irresistible replays. Highly Recommended and another candidate for the top ten albums of 2021. Don’t miss it!

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Scott Gagner

Scott Gagner “BloodMoon”

A lot of introspective music came out of the great pandemic this year. But none so personal and deeply emotional as Scott Gagner’s BloodMoon. With the help of  Ken Stringfellow (Posies), the soaring “Rise” is an early high point, about a family moving from a natural disaster. The ghostly “Twice In A Lifetime” follows these thoughts half-spoken and half-sung in a trance-like state. The album centerpiece is “I Don’t Get Out Much Anymore” a soulful heart-breaking ballad.

Scott seems to channel his inner Lee Hazlewood for sublime “My Shadow” but after that, it gets very spacey with “On The Moon” and “Orion.” It seems to be more like a calming ASMR vibe, with meditations on the past. Even when the tempo speeds up on “Year At A Glance” and “1977” it feels like a sleepy reminiscence of events. While I did enjoy the first third of the album, it took more effort to appreciate the rest. The complex arrangements are a plus, but the brooding atmosphere will not appeal to everybody.

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Andy Bopp and Styx

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andy bopp

Andy Bopp “AB”

Andy Bopp is a power-pop legend and guitarist from Baltimore Maryland. From Bastards of Melody to Myracle Brah, for over 25 years Bopp has carried the melodic rock flag and never waivered. On AB, he delivers a great variety of rock and power pop styles, as he falls neatly into a musical space somewhere between Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices) and Chris Stamey (the Db’s.)

Starting with “Ashes” it’s a definitive cry for immortality and “not letting go” unless he knows he’s been heard, with layered percussive rhythms over his guitar riffs. The echoing jangle of “I Am A Jetfighter” is another anthemic tune that rings true. Most of these tunes are accessible, short, and immediate; boiled down to a pure hook that begs to be repeated, like the 2-minute “Arlo and Joan.” It’s tough to keep calling out favorites because everything here works, like the fantastic “Abbie Karey,” which sounds like a lost Pete Ham (Badfinger) mid-tempo ballad. The second half rocks harder, “Bending All The Jets,” “EM543” and “Blood 66” are quick garage jams that soften you up for more methodical GBV-styled rockers like “Bicycle Parts” and “Think About You.” Overall not a weak track in the bunch and makes my top ten LP list for 2021. Highly Recommended!

Bandcamp only


Styx

Styx “Crash of The Crown”

Let’s get this out of the way first, I know Styx is not power-pop, but they are a band that has earnestly been moving to update their prog art-rock sound for the past five years without losing their uniqueness. The Tommy Shaw/JY-fronted Styx is still dedicated to that sound but has managed to change things since 2017’s The Mission. Very few legacy rock bands have managed to do this successfully — but Styx has cracked that code. While old-time fans of Styx may balk at this effort, it adds several new musical influences to keep things fresh.

Starting with “The Fight of Our Lives” it establishes the classic Styx prog sound, with soaring guitar and harmonies all in under 2 minutes. “A Monster” continues the momentum, and “Reveries” has Lawrence Gowan’s vocal carry things, along with a wicked guitar break. The title track is where we shift into a new sound, as all three vocalists contribute here, and I hear echoes of Queen(!) mixed in. “Long Live The King” is another gem with this new sound. “Our Wonderful Lives” moves us slowly back into Styx land reminding me of “Sing For The Day” mixed with “Penny Lane.” Tommy Shaw and company do enough to establish their virtuosity, but the hooks are missing on some of these songs (“Sound The Alarm” and “Coming Out The Otherside.”) That said, this is a good direction for the band to go in, and fans will find plenty to enjoy here. Check it out.

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Brent Windler and Scott Warren

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Brent Windler

Brent Windler “New Morning Howl”

Kansas City musician Brent Windler (Sons of Great Dane) explores an expansive sound in his new solo album. With a nod to alt-country influences and Brian Wilson-styled harmonies, this is an atmospheric slice of Americana that sounds great. Most impressive is the opener “Around The Bend,” a shimmering melody that immediately sticks to your head, and it’s the album’s shining high point. The follow-up “My Josephine” is a sweet mid-tempo ballad that features echoing slide guitar notes across elegant strings that build to a dense wall-of-sound coda. Brent gets even more intimate with cascading harmonies over acoustics on “Spanish Jasmine.” And that expansive lushness is also shown on the instrumental “Can You Sleep Tonight Under Lightning Bug Skies.”

The strings, harmonies, and atmospheric textures on the title track, and a few others make for pleasant listening, but the lack of hooks on the album’s second half is concerning. A comparison to the Beach Boys Sunflower-era is the strumming majesty of “Empathy and Those Forgotten Victories” and the final song “In My Daze” puts it all together with another epic track. Overall enough here to get a high recommendation. Listen with nice noise-canceling headphones for the best results.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik | Goldstar Recordings (Bandwear)

Scott Warren

Scott Warren “Shadow Bands”

Is that Colorado singer-songwriter Scott Warren or is it Liam Gallagher? Adding a touch of Beatle-influenced psychedelia, the opener “Press Reset On The World” blends a little “I Am The Walrus,” a little Oasis strut, and thickly layered rhythm section into a bold statement that really rocks. Warren is joined by Brian Young and Mark Crozer (The Jesus and Mary Chain) who support Scott’s perfectly fuzzy riffs. The upbeat “Left Out Of The Joke” has an almost glam feel, with the chugging riff and laid-back vibe.

Warren slows the pace on “Bury It Down” about the pain of Covid isolation, “I don’t look so bad, but I feel run down” with a sunny refrain, it’s another gem. The mood gradually sours even more on “Regret” punctuated by smooth guitar riffs. And those riffs take the lead on “Chemical Trails” with a trippy lyric and psych-pop rhythm. “In The Devil’s Key” slowly marches with menace and brilliantly grooves along with dissonant chords. The ballads are contemplative and emotional, “She Walked Away From It” being the better example. No real duds here, even the acoustic instrumental “Winter Spring” is like peeling back an onion. Overall, a terrific album that gets better with each listen. It makes my top ten list for 2021. Highly Recommended.

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