Jordan Jones and The Whiffs

powerpopaholic
Jordan Jones

Jordan Jones “Jordan Jones”

Sometimes when you hear great power pop, it’s easy to spot right away. Los Angeles based Jordan Jones debut is one of those rare instances. His music was a cassette-only release on Burger Records, and later a digital release on Beluga Records this year. Starting with “Wrote You A Song For Me,” I hear a distinct Marc Bolan influence and it sounds like a surefire hit from the golden age of power pop (Big Star, Raspberries, Cheap Trick).

“Understood” is a quick gem with punk fuzz guitar and a fast tempo not unlike The Connection. “My Somebody” is a smooth guitar melody, layered with crashing drums about getting older and looking for somebody. It leads into the super catchy “No Makeup” with smart lyrics about loving the girl whether she has makeup or not. The potential hits keep coming; the mid-tempo “Rumour Girls,” “Waiting” and “Be My Baby” are brilliant in its simplicity. The acoustic “Do You Wanna Hang Out” is just the kind of honest romance Chris Bell would write about on #1 Record. The marching drumbeat opens “Oh My Heavenz” and anchors this sped-up ballad to finish this short debut. Every single one of these ten songs resonates and Jones pulls it off with style and enthusiasm. Highly recommended and a definite spot saved in my top ten list for 2019.

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The Whiffs

The Whiffs “Another Whiff”

Kansas City’s The Whiffs began with a simple EP in 2017, and they emulated the sound (and look) of Stiff Records label artists like Nick Lowe and Wreckless Eric. This year they took a big leap forward in quality, with songs that would be big hits in a world circa 1978 – 1980. The sound has elements of classic power pop and punk, all 14 quick jams in under three minutes each. “Shaking All Over” is a great Lowe-sounding single with a catchy chorus and a great guitar solo. More standouts include the Raspberries-like “Hey Little Annie,” “Please Be True” and “Dream About Judy.”

The bands’ influences include Alex Chilton and Paul Westerberg with heartbreakers full of three-part harmonies like “Throw It Away” and “She.” The pub rock roots come through “On The Boulevard,” and some upbeat punk tunes end the album. My biggest issue with all this is the very muddy sound production. I understand the need for authenticity when recreating an era’s sound, but most of the album’s songs have the mid-range pumped up high. Like a worn-out cassette, it sounds like someone threw a blanket over the entire mix. There is a reason old albums get remastered, and if the band ever did this — it would give these tunes a real chance to shine. Still, this is absolutely an essential listen for power pop fans. Check it out.

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Dave Cope & the Sass and Eric Crugnale

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Dave Cope and The Sass

Dave Cope and the Sass “Dave Cope and the Sass”

Philadelphia based Dave Cope and The Sass exemplifies the mid 70’s rock that personified classic power-pop (Big Star, The DB’s) mixed with the album rock of that era (BTO, Foghat, Steve Miller Band, Bad Company.) The band (Dave Cope, Ethan Rider, and Fred Berman) takes it’s time to grow on you, starting with “Seeing Things” and it begins with a Beach Boys hymn before strumming along to a George Harrison-like tune that sticks with each verse despite the 5 minutes + time. “My Way Out” blasts forth with a guitar attack and its a catchy gem that proves to you this band is special. Then its “Living in the Middle,” a brilliant single that just hooks you immediately. I was sold at this point.

There is not a single note of filler here, and several tracks will live on your playlist; “If Your Mama Only Knew” and “Josephine” will rock your socks off and “Dog Days” recalls The Beatles “Blackbird” with its gentle acoustic melody. The music is not only well written but played to perfection. Add this album for consideration to the top ten list in 2019. Highly Recommended and well deserved.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Eric Crugnale

Eric Crugnale “Time Kills”

Long Islander Eric Crugnale made a good impression with Carol Was Here a few years back.  So it’s a good time of the season to hear him again with producer Kevin Bents assisting. Crugnale is a singer-songwriter that plucks at the heartstrings, and on “Don’t Give Up” he lives up to that description. The song is a hopeful tune when “No one knows your name” during the holiday season. “Dreams and Memories” has a flowing chorus with a 70’s styled synth that adds bells and horns at its peak.

Next, the impressive “Turn Damn This Car Around” is a scenario set to music, with its colorful piano/guitar interplay reminding me of Ben Folds a little. Much of the music is set around failed relationships with a touch of R&B, good examples being “A Shoulder (To Cry On)” and “Love Won’t Change Your Mind.” Fans of the blue-eyed soul of Hall and Oats will enjoy “Wagon,” and “I Just Wanna Be Loved By You.” Eric is much more confident on Time Kills, as “It Must Be Love” boasts an uplifting theme with a group of Beatlesque horns adding a flourish. While a few tunes feel repetitive, there is enough here to rate this as highly recommended.

Amazon | CD Baby

Goodman and The Gershwin Brothers

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Goodman

Goodman “The Era of Buckets”

When I hear people say that classic power pop is an old niche genre with older influences, I generally agree. So what does the future of the genre sound like? I listen to artists like Michael Goodman, who has been steadily increasing his musical skills over the past ten years. Goodman plays electric and acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, banjo, piano, and synths. He is assisted by producer Oliver Ignatius and studio drummers Jordyn Blakely and Jeremy Kolker. The Era of Buckets pulls no punches melodically and takes in influences from psychedelia, shoegaze, and slowcore.

“Don’t” is a brilliant opener, with guitar strums across a light layer of xylophone and  Goodman’s emotive dual-tracked vocals. The next track is the super-catchy anthem “Watch Your Mouth” with its passive-aggressive chorus. “Wildcat” is a droning shoegaze melody about obsession, and “Wasting Away” adds a snappy synth beat to this minimal dance jam. Although the tone is melancholy on most tunes, like “She Finds Me Out,” or “Somethings Happening” it still retains a very compelling melody line. “Shallow(Completely Shallow)” reminds me of Brendan Benson, and its a great break-up tune. “Headrush Baby” is another winner, a richly layered composition with great minor chord shifts. The expansive “Life Begins!” bathes itself in a psyche-pop glow as it describes the (lack of) meaning in life. This is Goodman’s best album and it’s highly recommended. Plus it makes my top 25 nominee list for 2019.

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Gershwin Brothers

The Gershwin Brothers “God Is A Bully”

The duo of Dave Foster and Lane Steinberg (aka Sol and Al Gershwin) are joined by a local NYC musical crew (Mike Fornatale, Charles Roth, Tom Shad, Tom DeVito, Mary Spencer Knapp, Erica Smith) for this stylistically diverse band debut.  I’m a big Steinberg fan and his contributions to the album are clear to those familiar with his work. All songs are written by Foster and Steinberg, and we start with “Deleting You,” a witty song about culling your “friends” from social media, and then we get the Beatlesque opus “Unbroken.” The song is an impressive ballad that recalls McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” in the chorus, beautifully done – it’s the albums high point.

From there we go to “Antelope Canyon” starring Erica Smith’s delicate vocals sounding like a hybrid of Laura Nyro and Basia. Another strong composition with some jazzy overtones, that get a little psychedelic on “Heaven In My Head” with lots of drama and synth organ. Lane sings the title track, a smart and catchy mid-tempo ballad. The album sometimes ventures into weirdness; like “Notre Amour Fantastique,” sung by Mary Spencer Knapp; an operatic show tune sung like Édith Piaf! The rare “Mama’s Love” has all three leads sing together.

Despite the incohesive nature of the album, there are a lot of good songs here; “Sugar-Free,” and “Endless of Summer of Love” are great tunes with neat harmonies.”He’s The New You” is a lovely folk anthem of empowerment after divorce. Definitely something for everyone here, so check it out on Bandcamp.

Bandcamp

Ho ho holiday singles (part 2) Gifts from Big Stir Records, The New Trocaderos, Ballard, The Decibels, and The Slingsby Hornets

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Our friends over at Big Stir Records have a lovely Holiday Maxi Single (Big Stir Digital Single No. 56) with holiday songs from Anton Barbeau, The Bobbleheads, Dolph Chaney, Kai Danzberg & Scott McPherson, The Decibels, The Forty Nineteens, Alison Faith Levy (with Karla Kane), and Kimberley Rew & Lee Cave-Berry. Add to this, new holiday singles by Athanor and The Brothers Steve. Now that’s a stuffed stocking!

The New Trocaderos (Kris Rodgers and Kurt Baker) deliver a bluesy holiday track. Oh, and it’s a FREE download.

Bolton, UK is the home of Ballard, a lo-fi indie pop dude. He’s missing Christmas – and it hasn’t even started yet! Also, a FREE Download.

The Decibels have an entire Christmas EP for your holiday. Love the Motown version of “Deck The Halls.”

Although I haven’t heard a new LP in years, The Slingsby Hornets always have a Christmas tune ready to go! Get this single on CD Baby.

Warren Scott Band and The Toms

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Warren Scott Band

Warren Scott Band “The New Deal”

Brandon Warren, Scott Tofte, and Will Prapestis have been playing together for many years, but this is their first recorded album. They have a loose, melodic sound comparable to Skeleton Staff, with a host of influences from The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Warren Zevon, and The Barenaked Ladies. The title track is a modern reaction to politics, and Warren’s vocals stand out dripping with sarcasm (Is he talking about Trump or FDR?). While it isn’t quite what I expected, it gets better from here.

“One Hit Wonder” is a fast-paced gem, with horns and quick bass arpeggios. The band opines on musical tastes with “Something 2 Listen 2” and it’s also very catchy. “She’s A Little Bit Off” has a 50’s styled melodic chorus, about the unconventional nerd girl we all admire from afar. Pop culture is often subject matter; ”St. Christopher” is a tribute to the work of the late Christopher Crosby (“patron saint of pratfalls”) aka Chris Farley. “Miss Moneypenny” is a jaunty James Bond-inspired tune and “Saturday Survivor” is a banjo led melody layered with amazing harmonies. While not everything sticks, there is enough bouncing melodies, catchy hooks, and driving rhythms to make it highly recommended. Check it out!

Amazon | CD Baby

 

Lannie Flowers

The Toms “The 1979 Sessions”

Tommy Marolda is a respected songwriter, musician, record producer, engineer, and music publisher. His 1979 debut of “The Toms” is rightly called “One of the finest slabs of D.I.Y. pop bliss ever” by music critic John Borack and it deserves all that acclaim. Tom has continued to record his own material over the years, notably working with The Smithereens and Richie Sambora. But that 1979 debut was special. Now we finally get to hear more music from the session.

The first three tunes are very similar to the style of “The Toms” debut and could’ve made the cut. In particular “She Said Goodbye To You” and “That Could Change Tomorrow” are stuffed with catchy melodies in a jangling package. Things slowly evolve stylistically after that. The quality of “Til The End Of The Day” and “She’s So Lovely” are poor, but the songs are well written. “Love At First Sight” adds some modern funky riffs and disco beats; you hear Tom trying out a new sound. “Angela Christmas” is a lost gem that deserves to see the light of day. Again the sound evolves as “Talk Is Cheap” and “Uptown” sound more like the ’80s power pop. For fans of the first album, this is an essential companion. If you’re not familiar with The Toms, start with the debut. It’s music that deserves to be heard thanks to Futureman Records.

Bandcamp Exclusive