Phoenix and Visqueen

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Phoenix “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”

This is straight up alternative pop, but it was one of the better albums in it’s genre this year so I wanted to give it a quick review. French quartet Phoenix are like Air meets The Strokes with a touch of Field Music, so you get a good mix of alt. pop styles here, from New Wave, to Moody Ambiance, to brilliant Power Pop. Frontman Thomas Mars croons on the opener “Lisztomania” along a bouncy classical pop riff. The heavy synth lead on “1901” is a new wave love song that builds up to a rich soaring chorus of “Falling/Falling/Falling”. We get some subtle disco drone (“Fences”) and then a two part instrumental (“Love Like A Sunset”) but it is a mild distraction from the excellent pop that follows with “Lasso” full of catchy riffs and another rushing chorus. The album is on many top ten lists for pop this year, deservedly so.


Visqueen “Message To Garcia”

Lead by Rachel Floatard opens with the snappy “Hand Me Down” that is a full power pop anthem as good as any out there. Fans of Cheap Trick and The Replacements will appreciate the killer hooks here. It’s another Brooklyn band here with honest love of rock-and-roll and a real passion that comes through each note. Floatard carries much of these songs along, her vocals a sweet mix of both Heart and Joan Jett. “Fight For Love” is a perfect example of her delivery when the chorus “When you gonna fight for love?” hits she dares the listener to respond, and it leads into a wicked guitar solo. When the tone shifts for “So Long” a soaring tribute to Floatard’s father, who died of cancer last year – the dedication is clear. The band also benefits from a list of veteran collaborators, including vocal contributions from Neko Case and steel guitar from Jon Rauhouse. This is another one on many top ten lists, and is also one hell of a rocking pop album.

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The Dudes "Blood, Guts, Bruises, Cuts"

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The Dudes are a Calgary band with a classic rock sound in the best sense. A bit like early Collective Soul mixed with Big Star, in other words – what rock and roll is supposed to sound like. With the first riffs of the opening track, “Honest Mistake” it will please fans right away, as lead singer Dan Vacon wears his soul on his sleeve. The next song “Girl Police” is a loving tribute to Cheap Trick in the opening notes and then piles on hook after hook. Vacon’s vocal delivery is a little like Queen with an Adam Levine (Maroon 5) styled twist. Another great tune is the narrative “Mr. Someone Else,” a snarky love letter to your best friend’s hot girlfriend. The albums theme of the hard time getting good lovin’ is both romantic and deeply cynical, but overall plenty of fun. Currently, the band is living up to the album title, by suffering a rash of injuries (Vacon broke his collarbone in a BMX accident, and his drummer Scott Ross lost some teeth on the same bike a week later). Some call this a “cursed” album because of the recent band accidents, but you can’t blame the music here. Most of the tracks are pretty solid and some tunes like the mid-tempo “Petty Lies” are almost poised to break into a standout chorus, but just don’t quiet get there. Overall a pretty good driving album with enough diversity in the track list to ensure repeat listens.

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Other top tens and goodbye to 2009

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Get a gander at some other top ten lists…

I’ve been gathering some new reviews the past few days, as the year winds down I’ll slowly return to posting more often. In the meantime here is a review of 2009 with the boys from Jib Jab.

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Plasticsoul "Peacock Swagger"

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Ugh, Always late to the party. This one just got by me because I did my top ten list early this year, and but it gets special consideration — and I’d like to amend my list for it. Plasticsoul hails from L.A. and this album just blew me off my chair when I popped it in. Then Absolute Powerpop put this as his #1 album of the year. It’s hard to argue against this… it’s simply a work of genius. Opening with “Sentimental F**ks/ Life On Other Planets” is rich with Beatlesque guitar riffs, music hall piano and a drum break that Ringo would envy. The loud “Cock Rock 101” is exactly what you think it sounds like. The following tune “Champion Tragic Boy” channels a bit of Jellyfish, with it’s catchy mid tempo harpsichord melody. A sweet pastoral “Fishwife” full of sitar and bongos follows this, and then the tragic ballad “Cancer” which double tracks lead vocalist Steven Wilson and adds backwards guitar for further effect. The aching chorus of “Cut it out/ Please cut it out. Cancer is breaking me down.” is unforgettable. The album settles into a more laid back groove, with acoustics opening the next six songs, including “Shame” and the very Michael Penn like “New Town Different Day.” The orchestral sweep of “San Francisco” is another easy listening winner here. A duet with Wendy Wang on the countrified “You’re Not Free” has plenty of soul. The album’s mood shifts perfectly into psychedelic pop on “My Three Friends” which follows a rhythm similar to “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and then continues with the groovy “Rainy Season.” This is the most sophisticated power pop album I’ve heard this year. Don’t miss it.

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