The Grip Weeds and The Cherry Drops

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The Grip Weeds

The Grip Weeds “Trip Around the Sun”

The Grip Weeds are easily one of the most successful power pop bands from New Jersey, featuring Rick Reil ( rhythm guitar), Kurt Reil (drummer, vocals) and his wife, Kristin Pinell Reil (lead guitar). Add to the mix, Dave DeSantis (bass) and you’ve got the complete package. The band doubles down on its musical influences from ’60s psyche-pop, hard rock,  jangle and folk on this “Trip Around The Sun.”

Starting with the shimmering melody on “Vibrations” recalls 2013’s positive vibes from “Speed of Life.” It then goes to the slow-building gem “I Like Her,” and the folk-rock strums of “After Sunrise” with steel pedal accents. Psyche-pop has always been a specialty of The Grip Weeds repertoire and the groovy “Mr. Nervous” and Byrdsian “Truth Behind The Lie” stands with the band’s best work. Reil’s anthemic skills continue on the gems “Times I Wasted” and “She Tries” with its sweet harmonies and angular riffs. Overall no duds and nothing feels forced either. This is a band cruising along on a magic ride and it earns a top ten nomination for best of 2018. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

The Cherry Drops

The Cherry Drops “Good to the Last Drop”

On the third album from the retro-loving The Cherry Drops (Vern Shank, Josh Cobb, Jamie Markowski, and Jimmy Mason) they are joined by an array of guest stars. Ron Dante of The Archies, Dennis Tufano of The Buckinghams, Mark Dawson of The Grass Roots, Steve Boone of The Lovin’ Spoonful and the late Gary DeCarlo of Steam.

The opening “Cherry Drops Theme” features pitch-perfect Beach Boys-styled harmonies. “One More Try” is a bouncy theme that hits all the right optimistic buttons, with layered harmonies, guitars and booming percussion. “Tiger Feet” is another toe-tapper, similar to The Bay City Rollers that deserves its own custom dance moves. The band’s harmonies peak on “Feels Like Summer Love,” and “Rockin’ At The Hard Rock” with a genuine nostalgic glow and superior musicianship that really impressed me.

It’s fine that the guest stars play their respective “hits,” but a few songs do suffer from a little too much saccharine, like the Ron Dante (The Archies) led “Happynessville.” Thankfully the superior production lifts the cover material and helps make the music sound timeless. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | CD Baby

Stocking stuffers: Holiday singles for Christmas

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Working on several more reviews before my top 25 list comes out after the New Year. In the meantime here is the last of my holiday singles. Add them to your Yuletide mix!








….and if you are totally sick of holiday music, check out the New Slingsby Hornets! Get the Christmas single here.

Parks and Van Go

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Parks

Parks “Parks”

Seems like a million years ago Boston musician Brian E. King gave us Oranjuly but his new band is finally ready to hit prime time. Parks has Brian joined with Eric Bolton (Guitar), Andrew Jones (Drums), Rob Johanson (Bass), and Robin Melendez (Vocals). A true group effort it boasts several different styles of indie pop, starting with the pensive “Fools” where it’s “been a long time coming” as the band layers its synths, booming drums, and wailing guitar rhythms. King seems to concentrate his sound in pop jams that reference the new wave ’80s.

While it starts out good, it gets progressively better as we hit the guitar hooks on the brilliant “Sweater Weather,” with its lovely bridge chock full of harmonies and finger snaps. The catchiest gem “All We Have” has an infectious beat, as it mines deep emotion that expresses the frustration “tired of waiting, tired of hanging around.” The beauty (and sadness) of “Escaping Together” combines an idyllic ballad with the silence of heartbreak after “everyone’s dead” to you. It’s another huge highlight. The other songs don’t hit as high, but come close with “3×5” sounding like a lost 10cc track, and the jangling guitar melody of “Prove It” makes good use of Robin’s call and response vocal. No filler anywhere, and it provides a deep listening experience. Makes my crowded list of top ten nominees for best LP of 2018.

Amazon


Van Go

Van Go “Everyone Loves You When You’re Gone”

Chicago rockers Van Go come out swinging on their newest release, which is like Foo Fighters and Cheap Trick jamming with Material Issue. The guitars are loaded with tight, hook-laden power pop gems like summer anthem “Live Through This.” Each song is uptempo, with an attitude like on “Black Luck” as Van Go singer Dave Sippel croons like Dave Grohl. If you love sweet guitar riffs, this album is for you!

The band cruises through these 12 tracks, with some dark lyrics making its way toward the album’s midpoint with  “The Grim Life” and “Dead Already.” Continuous fast tempo barrages get chaotic on “Tell Us How You Really Feel,” but the catchy  “Schrodinger’s Cat” is a dynamic gem that you can sing along to. The title track gets a little denser with its psychedelic verses over its 4-minute run. And a cool cover of Paul Collins’ “Walking Out On Love” ends things. Highly Recommended!

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

RIP: Pete Shelley

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Pete Shelley was always someone I admired, not just for his excellent work with The Buzzcocks, but his solo work too. His music literally pushed the late 70’s sneering punk aesthetic into the realm of pop and new wave. Some people have argued that maybe The Buzzcocks were power pop — and they wouldn’t be wrong, but they could easily be classified as the first punk-pop band too. The Buzzcocks were also one of the most influential DIY bands of its day, when they self-released their debut EP Spiral Scratchin 1977, setting a strong example for the future of independent music. Pete Shelley had died of a heart attack aged 63, but he made a dent in the musical landscape that will be felt by his fellow homosapiens for years to come.

More Christmas Presents: Thrift Store Halo, The Morning Line, Michael Simmons, Kai Danzberg, Geoff Palmer, Richard Turegon

powerpopaholic

Tis the season for even more lovely holiday singles. But there’s more — a great compilation album by Geoff Palmer (The Connection) and a full covers album by the prolific Richard Turgeon. And both are FREE downloads for a limited time!




Get the single here.