Kai Danzberg is working with a new artist, Myles Josephh. The harmonies are terrific and Kai knows a great melody when he sings it. The team is working on a new EP for this year.
The John Sally Ride is another artist poised to make a big comeback this year. Here is the first impressive single, love those riffs!
The Dowling Poole is back, Willie Dowling and Jon Poole have a new album, “See You, See Me”, to be released on 28 February 2020. These are the first 2 singles. XTC fans will dig it!
Brad Marino plays this Buddy Holly classic. Hey, it’s a FREEBIE!
The new band Go Outside is more of an emo/alt. rock band, but they hit this single correctly when they shout “I swear to God if I ever play Power Pop… Give me something to make my heart stop!” Kinda reminds me of Superdrag. Album is on Bandcamp, and this single is a FREEBIE!
A band from Madrid, Spain – m.a.p.a stands for the first names of the people in the band; Manuel, Ana, Pepe, and Antonio. Plus they do a sweet cover of “Mean Mr. Mustard,” it’s a FREEBIE!
Chicago’s Sunshine Boys (featuring Freda Love Smith of Blake Babies, Dag Juhlin of Poi Dog Pondering and Jacqueline Schimmel of Big Hello) is releasing the politically-charged single “Infinity Girl” on Friday, Jan 10 and Power Popaholic has the exclusive premiere! Sunshine Boys’ sophomore album, Work and Love, will be released on Friday, May 1 via Pravda Records and follows 2018’s critically acclaimed Blue Music.
BTW: In case you missed last Sunday’s radio show on 11L Radio NY International – I played a song from each of the albums in my top ten for 2019. Here it is recorded for posterity and your convenience.
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Editor’s note: It happens every year. I miss several releases from 2019. Some are high on other bloggers lists, some I just forgot to review (Doh!) and others just seem to slip through the cracks for a variety of reasons. This week I will review a few of these remaining 2019 albums.
Bryan Estepa “Sometimes I Just Don’t Know”
The venerable Australian singer-songwriter Bryan Estepa delivers a stark, emotional album that earned Absolute PowerPop blog’s#1 album spot. Estepa has always tackled serious adult subjects, and the first track “I’m Not Ready For This” is all about dealing with a serious health crisis. Bryan’s strong vocals are filled with empathy that sets the tone of the album. While the music is more adult-oriented pop than power pop, you do get catchy and melodic songs like “Drawn Like Magnets.”
Dealing with doubt, fear and how your loved one gives you the strength to go on is also a central theme. “Rattled and Rolled” and “Another Kind of Madness” deal with these strong emotions and the tight compositions keep it compelling. The lyrics will resonate with the patient listener, “Granted” is some of the best advice a song can give. It would be too easy to turn this somber subject matter into a depressing album, but Estepa fights through these feelings with conviction. I will concede this would have made it in my top 20, and thus a highly recommended listen.
This Ohio band led by Rene Rodriguez, Todd Stanton, and Andrew Stanton does a good job of creating pop eclecticism with a sense of fun. Taking influences from Mike Viola, NRBQ, and The Beach Boys, it starts with the bouncy “Saving It Up For Sunday” that goes through a typical week in the life. The themes alternate from happy to sad and the lead vocalist duties shift from song to song (with mixed results).
So we get the slow lounge ballad “She Makes Me Happy” followed by the hopeful pop of “Maybe Next Time.” Next, we get some slow faux Jimmy Buffet on “Wanted Man,” but things again pickup with the uptempo “Halfway There.” The highlight of the album is “Miss Her Reminiscing” with great lead guitar and the tender “Silence in The Room” is another beautiful gem about dealing with the loss of a loved one. Check it out, it’s music that deserves to be heard.
Final comments: The power pop genre is much less cohesive now than it was 10 years ago. It seems anyone with a retro sound seems to get the label shoved at them. On the other hand, the best power pop this year did not fall into a single style category (“Beatlesque,” “Alt. Roots,” “Psychedelic Glam” ) but took from a variety of styles and influences. This year was a tough one as all the artists did a great job, and I’ve missed so many albums I see at the top of other blog lists. Check out all these artists — you won’t be disappointed and you’ll most likely disagree with my order.
After a 13 year absence, Tim Boykin has reformed The Lolas and the band hasn’t lost its ability to create catchy melodies and sweet harmonies with loud raucous guitars. Boykin is joined by drummer Shea Rives and bassist Jeff Waites, and together they pick up where the band left off. This impressive Kool Kat label debut displays a tight musical combo playing ten solid cuts of prime power pop.
The title track blasts from the speakers with bright clear vocals and a dominant riff leading the way. The influences are classic (The Beatles, The Ramones, Big Star) and the relentless hooks keep on coming. “DJ Girl” is a great mid-tempo pop gem, and “Bon Voyage” is a fast tempo melody with a driving guitar rhythm. The psychedelic “Wish You Were Loud Enough” seems slightly out of place, but “Assailant” leads with a wicked fuzz bassline and multi-tracked harmonies. The not-safe-for-work “Lightning Mountain” is probably the most beautiful jangling Rickenbacker melody to contain the f-word. Not a single note of filler and yes, this also makes my crowded top ten list this year. It’s also worth noting that The Lolas have a new LP coming out early January. Boykin has a new crew playing on this one, and it’s likely to be one of my first reviews of 2020.
Singer Matthew Milia (Frontier Ruckus) helped his old band earn fame based on his finely honed songwriting skills. He turns to the nostalgia of his youth during Catholic school as the subject matter and his sound seems to squarely fit in-between Ben Folds and Elliot Smith. Opening with soothing California styled pop of “‘Alive At The Same Time” has an easy-going jangling melody and smooth Beach Boys styled harmonies. “Puncture” has that stream of consciousness lyric about life and self-acceptance. “Congratulations Honey” is a steel pedal ballad that looks back on his “white trash town,” and then the jangle comes back on the compelling “Attention Students” that recalls the Jayhawks or Wilco.
The songs vividly describe an intimate portrait, a great example being “Swollen Home” about mundane suburban living; the ambiance comes through each verse. “Abruptly Old And Caffeinated” picks up the tempo, the verses work poetically and then a key change in the latter half make it another keeper. While not every song is a slow ballad, all the songs emanate a feeling of bittersweet melancholy. The lack of hooks or tonal variety work against the album, but it’s the skillful musicianship and writing that make this an album that deserves to be heard.
Chicago’s 
