The Blank Pages and Mark Lane

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The Blank Pages

The Blank Pages “Before The Summer Fades”

New Jersey native Greg Potter and bandmates have been making great music for over 25 years. It’s the perspective of middle age that drives the lyric here, “Take The Stage” shows both eager enthusiasm and the trepidation that a band on the stage won’t be playing forever, so leave your mark. “She’s Got The Knack” is a great song with the bouncing melody, with some wonderful guitar work on the edges of the chorus. Blank Pages’ sound is a unique blend of old school (Big Star) and modern pop (Sloan) highlighted by clean harmonies and sharp guitars.

Potter’s self-doubts are put to music on “It Is What It Is” and “Make Up Your Mind.” The jangling guitars are prominent on “High Flyer,” but a lyrical narrative takes a while to reach the chorus. Other themes are about losing friends, lovers, and memories to father time. “That’s Too Bad” has a great Andy Partridge vibe to it. Not everything resonates but most of it does, making it one of The Blank Pages best efforts. Highly Recommended.

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Mark Lane

Mark Lane “New Memory”

It’s been almost five years since LA artist Mark Lane has delivered a new album. Unlike his early works, these are longer and more fleshed out. ”Takin’ That Ride” has a dense 80’s style guitar hook, then the piano-based “Something Grand” is a slow-burning gem with great guitar flourishes like Steely Dan mixed with Harry Nilsson. “After The Comma” keeps this style as it all leads to more brilliant riffs. A more traditional power pop guitar is up-front on “Too Far Into You,” with a steady bass rhythm.

“Greet The Day” is another solid tune that resembles Tom Petty a bit with a sing-along chorus. The stylistic changes here are subtle from song to song but so smooth as not to distract from the listening experience. In an album full of standouts “Bend the Strings” and “Open Road” have an epic folk-rock feel, but overall there is no filler here. Happy to say this is my first top ten album for 2018, so savor it.

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The Foreign Films and The Tonighters

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The Record Collector

The Foreign Films “The Record Collector”

Commanded by Bill Majoros and assisted by a collection of musicians like Steve Eggers (The Nines), Carl Jennings, and the late Wim Oudijk to name a few, The Record Collector is an expansive box set.

Like Robert Harrison’s (Cotton Mather) recent I-Ching song cycle, the music is varied in style and touches several themes. There are six sides to the entire project and many songs can be heard on Bandcamp. The vinyl version includes 3 records and a 12 page booklet with a short story “Emily Blue and The Star on The Moon.” The songs all relate to the story of a lonely star-struck girl and her adventures.

Starting With “Shadow in The Light” it builds to a solid chorus, with lots of energy, but then we hit the ELO-like epic “The Sun Will Shine Again” as it slowly wraps around you with its harmonies and guitar solos, it feel like an album finale in “Let It Be” fashion, not a second song. “Junior Astronomer’s Club” has a swirling psyche-pop feel, Majors vocals are soft and brimming with earnestness. The harmonies are extraordinary, for example on “Cinematic Kiss (in Dreams).”

At points the psychedelics approach Pink Floyd proportions like on “Emily Blue,” and “Emily’s Dream Sequence” but its the power pop gems here that will ring your bell. Some great ones early on are “Broken Dreams,” and “Lucky Streak.” There are a few outlier pop songs like “Land of 1000 Goodbyes” with guest Kori Pop delivering with her silken vocals. Kori and Bill make a great duet on “State of The Art.” There are elements of Bowie-like glam, folk-pop, and blues sprinkled throughout, but with 31 tracks it’s a lot to take in. As a passion project, this succeeds because Majoros puts a lot of craftsmanship into each musical phrase and the overall story. A concept album can be like a large meal, you take in each morsel and savor it. Highly Recommended.

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The Tonighters “Kathleen Rose” EP

A new UK band from Newcastle that has a great power pop sound. Check out the opener “Kathleen Rose” and the acoustic “Flower.” Lead singer Billy G does a crackerjack job. I can’t wait to hear more — someone sign this guy to a label! Listen and hope downloads are coming soon.

The Power Popaholic Interview: The Posies

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The Posies

The Posies performed to a full house at City Winery on January 25, 2018. The show was a dazzling acoustic party that even had custom wine for the occasion.  Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer joined with me before the show to talk about their remastered albums coming out on Omnivore Records this spring, Big Star and Alex Chilton, plus how cool it was to have Ringo sing one of your songs. We had a great casual conversation (14 minutes)

The Posies are celebrating 30 years of making music in 2018, and will be re-releasing our classic 1990s albums Dear 23, Frosting on the Beater and Amazing Disgrace and all are double CD/double LP sets. The CDs contain the original album and a full CD (and more) of bonus tracks, most of which have never been released — not even on the out-of-print box set At Least At Last. Check it out here: The Posies Pledge Campaign

 

 
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They Might Be Giants and Daniel McGeever

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They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants “I Like Fun”

Over the course of their 30-plus year career, prolific pop experimentalists John Flansburgh and John Linnell have always been a little obsessed with death and the macabre, but on I Like Fun, it’s an overt theme – and every track touches it. Starting with “Let’s Get This Over With” a piano rhythm and pounding bass drum, sets up the bouncy lyric ”Even when you’re out of work/you still have a job to do.” It then jumps into the big single “I Left My Body” which is classic TMBG (the album was even recorded in the same Manhattan location as their classic 1990 LP Flood,) with its harmonies and catchy melody.

The band can still rock out “An Insult To The Fact Checkers” and the power pop of “The Bright Side” proves the guitar riffs still belongs on a TMBG album. But there is plenty of weirdness here, from the classical piano stylings of “Mrs. Bluebeard” to the nerdy dance pop “Push Back The Hands.” And while some of it sounds gimmicky (“The Greatest”) there are more than enough memorable songs like the “Last Wave,” a final statement on the subject; “We die alone, we die afraid… and the grave is the loneliest place.” In another artists hands, this album could sound like a funeral dirge, but with the Johns you get a lively party.

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Daniel McGeever

Daniel McGeever “Cross The Water”

McGeever is a pop singer/songwriter who builds perfect dramatic song structures using classic tools of the trade: guitar and piano. The opener “Julia” builds a mid-tempo love song that recalls Elton John or Paul McCartney with a chorus brimming with sweet harmonies. The emotional appeal of McGeever’s music also reminds me of Graham Gouldman or Gilbert O’ Sullivan. The album starts out hopeful, “Life’s A Game” has McGeever belt out the chorus, and it leads to the wistful “Wedding Day,” with its nostalgic feel.

On tracks like “Return” the piano takes on a slight baroque quality, but as the album continues the compositions are more classical folk like “For Violet.” Most of the album is love balladry, but the best romantic gem here is “Our Love Will Remain” and McGeever’s double-tracked harmonies are especially good. “It’s Not Over All Yet” finishes our story with a six-minute epic Billy Joel meets David Gates flourish, dramatically stating “in the face of adversity there is always a little hope.” A great romantic album that stands up to multiple listens, and highly recommended.

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Música en España: Ramirez Exposure, Mama, Hank Idory

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2017 was also a very busy year “across the pond” in Spain – which is a very strong market for power pop artists and continues to produce great music in English and Spanish. A big thanks goes out to Rock Indiana label in Madrid. and Pretty Olivia Records in El Altet, Alicante. Here are some of my favorites… excelente música para ti.

Ramirez Exposure

Ramirez Exposure “Young Is The New Old”

Valencia-based artist Víctor Ramírez has an impressive musical resume. After having supported Jacco Gardner on tour in Spain last year, he enlisted Ken Stringfellow (Posies, Big Star) and Marc Jonson to produce his solo album, even covering Jonson’s “Suddenly Sunshine.“ Opening with the spacey, bouncy pop of “Hazel Love” it shows amazing melodic skill with a light touch. The joyful “Sweetheart” is a mid-tempo gem with a tight composition and “The Heartbreak Kid,” named after a favorite movie is about listening to your subconscious to make bold life choices. You definitely hear a subtle Brian Wilson influence across each song. And the song quality is maintained from beginning to end. This is another album that easily could’ve made my top albums list for 2017.

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Mama

Mama “Toque De Queda”

José María Granados is a veteran power pop musician and Mama is one of Spain’s most venerable bands. Translated to “Touch of Delay,” delivers a superb collection of power pop in Spanish, from the opening strums of “Uno Mas” it bounces along, and the big single “Acto De Fe” (Act of Faith) is super catchy even if you don’t know the language. Songs are mostly 3-minute bursts of irresistible choruses and energetic guitars. Many great tunes here. Highly Recommended.

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Hank Idory

Hank Idory “Hank Idory”

Also from Valencia is another artist, Hank Idory with more of a chamber pop approach; smooth vocals mixed with soft harmonies that recall bands of the sunshine pop era like The Millennium or The Association mixed with a crisp modern production style. The meticulous arrangements will win over power pop fans even if you don’t understand the language, like the gentle “Lo mejor de mí” or gorgeous ascending bridge of “El tiempo siempre miente.”  Only rarely veering into the conventional, its clean Rickenbacker chords and chiming harmonies make this my favorite Spanish language release of 2017.  Highly Recommended.

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