Book Review: John Lennon – Life is What Happens

powerpopaholic

John Lennon – Life is What Happens
 By John Borack
With the 70th birthday of John Lennon, this timely book tracks his legacy of music, art and activism in an exciting and memorable way, with more than 400 photographs, including many rarely seen in print before. The book is wonderfully designed with plenty of quotes from famous rock and rollers and life-long Lennon fans. I’ve read many, many Beatle books and the style and format of this one makes it a unique combination of biography, critical commentary and memorabilia catalog all in one. And because the focus is on John, we find many great post-Beatle photos, posters, sketches and rare letters by him in full color (most items have an auction price listed too).

Lots of credit goes to John Borack, who vividly recalls his Lennon obsession and has painstakingly gathered all the quotes and photos together. I highly recommend this book to even the casual fan, and if you want your kids to know who John was, and why he was so important to generations of people, this is a perfect introduction.

Buy John Lennon: Life is What Happens on Amazon.com

power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

The 88 "s/t"

powerpopaholic 1 Comment

The latest self-titled album from The 88 since they toured with Kinks frontman Ray Davies is an impressive effort that succeeds in being accessible and keeping your attention glued to a pile of radio-ready singles. Lead singer Keith Slettedahl’s vocals strut along, a little Oasis styled arrogance go a long way to support Adam Merrin’s awesome piano melodies. Fans of Supergrass will find solace in the Brit-styled chord structures and impressive riffs. The opener “Center of The Sun” is a perfect example of a song that balances rock and roll with a shot of sugary pop.  Davies even lends his backing vocal on “They Ought To See You Now” and it’s one of the best tracks – it layers guitars and Hammond organ flawlessly. One thing I’ve noticed is how much better the songwriting and composition is compared to past albums that may have relied more on studio wizardry.

It’s also the most consistent album so far, without a weak song to be found. The energy and hooks cram every nook and cranny from the anthemic “After Hours” to slower tempo work on “Hold On.” Even the slow acoustic “Takes It Away” catches the magic of a weary blues based love song. The second half of the album isn’t as immediate on first listening, but just as satisfying as it grows on you. I’ve read a few critics say that “nothing’s new here” but that misses the point. Power pop is not about innovation, so much as getting the basics right and the 88 do. Easy to classify this as one of the year’s top ten albums.

MySpace | Amazon | Itunes
icon

power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

Hellogoodbye "When We First Met"

powerpopaholic 1 Comment


Hellogoodbye have announced that their forthcoming record will be called Would It Kill You? and comes out November 10th. This California band made waves with 2006’s Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! and knows a good hook or two, so I expect if it has more tracks like this one – it’ll be worth getting.

power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

Monday’s Mini Reviews

powerpopaholic

This is a collection of non-power pop stuff that I listened to last week, it’s pretty eclectic– from experimental to metal, if you wanna be daring give these a try…

Secret Message Machine “Orphanville”
Musician Michael Barrett has made a tour-de-force of lo-fi bedroom pop in the spirit of GBV, Zappa and Beck. Tons of diverse influences from mod and classic rock often with two contrasting rhythms and a melody sandwiched between them. Like an audio version of those old stereoscopic “Magic Eye” posters – when you stare (listen) at it long enough you’ll see a picture emerge. Nice trippy stuff on “Wilson Street” and “Drug Store Burns.” I’m not big on experimental DIY pop – but this one was worth diving into.
MySpace | Amazon  

Worst Case Ontario “Smallcraft” EP
It turns out this NYC band which I kinda enjoyed has officially broken up. Led by Sam Weisberg on guitar it emulates the early nineties club scene a bit, with a fuzz guitar and distorted vocal covering a solid wall of sound on “The Complainer,” which seems to explain why the band imploded. This is basic shoegazer rock and if you’d like to get this one you’ll have to e-mail Sam himself on the band’s MySpace page.
Ben Montague “Overcome”
With so much “idol wannabe” crap out there it takes a bit more for a good pop vocalist to get noticed. I only heard a few songs from Ben Montague, but you can hear that pure talent and excellent pop songwriting on first listen. Like a mix of Seal and John Mayer, Ben’s golden tones will definitely charm you. The inspirational and infectious singles are all over this debut, like “Rainy Day,””Can’t Hold Me Down” and “Weight of Love.” My favorite is the Lenny Kravitz-like soul on “Yeah Yeah.” This may be the best straight pop debut of the year that you missed.
MySpace | Amazon

The New Czars”Doomsday Revolution”
So how hardcore metal can you go and still have a recognizable melodic sound? Lead by rock guitarist and producer Greg Hampton, and including the legendary Adrian Belew, the New Czars answers that question with plenty of shredding. The band bangs away not unlike Metallica on the opener “Keep On Goin'” with a thick baseline and Hampton’s wailing vocal. The compositions are melodic with progressive elements on some tracks. Overall a good hybrid that reins in some metal excess and focuses on quality musicianship and song craft. Fans of Joe Satriani or Queensrÿche will like this one too. Highlights include “Why Do You Have 2 Lie” and the fast paced “Confessions.”
power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.