Paul Starling and Friendly Foes EP

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Paul Starling “Aimed Arrows”

A few years ago Paul Starling gave us the sweet “Ghost Waltz” which was re-released as “Doors and Windows.” The aching vocals are still there with Beach Boys overtones and wall of sound production on the opener “Lay Down Your Weary Arms.” The banjo and lazy day rhythm of “The Mission” is another winner here. A rich contrast of orchestral flourishes and acoustic guitar are part of “Tired Of The Casual Goddess” makes for an echoing dreamscape. Things get a bit too echoey on “Yes I Know What Day It Is,” but the song is a well structured pop blues tune, and this is well worth the meager four bucks on Paul’s site. His blog also contains some free bonus music downloads, so you can get a few samples before you break the bank.


Friendly Foes “So Obscene”

The Detroit trio known as Friendly Foes are back and after last years “Born Radical” it’s great to get this holiday gift. With a bounce and the same raw guitars courtesy of Ryan Allen on “How It Works” with a relentless guitar attack. Then we get the excellent single “Keep Breathing” which gives you a power pop punk groove full of energy and enthusiasm. Lead singer Liz Wittman hits here stride here and does an amazing job. Both “Paint It Gold” and “Line Up” have plenty of enthusiasm and the crashing cymbals of drummer Sean Sommer. Fans of Cheap Trick, Sloan, and Garbage will flip for these hooks that come fast and hard. The acoustic ballad “A Million Scenes” doesn’t quite live up to the other songs, but after these first four shredding head banging tunes you’ll be playing air guitar in no time at all.

MySpace | CDBaby

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Best Power Pop EPs of 2009

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Funny thing, I was so swamped with regular LPs this year, I honestly didn’t even review a full ten EPs. Partially due to the fact the majority of EPs I hear don’t come from the power pop genre, strictly speaking. However I feel these releases would stand as essential to your 2009 music collection.
  1. Greg Pope “Pete” EP
  2. Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears “Mad Valentines” EP
  3. Josh Fix “This Town Is Starting To Make Me Angry” EP
  4. Syd “Upswing”
  5. Skoober “s/t”
  6. Michael Carpenter & The Cuban Heels “New Dog Old Tricks”
  7. The Offbeat “To The Rescue” EP
  8. The Friendly Foes “So Obscene” EP
  9. Paul Starling “Aimed Arrows” EP
  10. The Chemistry Set “Alchemy#101” EP
Reviews on these non-linked EPs are coming next, along with my favorite alternative rock albums from this year. Also another cool holiday link at A Good Day For Airplay is The Posies’ Jon Auer singing “Let it Snow” here.
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Top 20 Best Power Pop albums of 2009

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Rather than have a strict top ten, I wanted to bring you my personal top twenty albums this year. Many have been nominated, but these just stuck with me this year strictly in the “power pop” genre. I look forward to the top ten lists of many other music blogs, so hopefully we’ll see many more before the year ends.
  1. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. “Catnip Dynamite” *
    and Plasticsoul “Peacock Swagger”
  2. Roger Klug “More Help For Your Nerves”
  3. Lamar Holley “Confessions of a College Student”
  4. Michael Carpenter “Redemption #39”
  5. The Campbell Stokes Sunshine Recorder “Makes Your Ears Smile”
  6. The Webstirs “So Long”
  7. Jeff Litman “Postscript”
  8. Curtains For You “What A Lovely Surprise To Wake Up Here”
  9. L’Avventura “Your Star Was Shining”

  10. The Simple Carnival “Girls Aliens Food”
  11. The Shazam “Meteor”
  12. Dennis Diken with Bell Sound “Late Music”
  13. Jeff Larson “Heart Of The Valley”
  14. Bleu “A Watched Pot”
  15. The Secret Powers and The Electric Family Choir
  16. Chris Richards and The Subtractions “Sad Sounds of Summer”
  17. Thowback Suburbia “s/t”
  18. The Wigs “File Under: Pop Vocal”
  19. Valley Lodge “Semester at Sea”
  20. The Resonars “That Evil Drone”
Coming up next: My top EPs of 2009


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Please Do Not Fight and Hollands

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Please Do Not Fight “Move” EP

The four piece band Please Do Not Fight have an quirky indie rock sound with heartfelt emotion, not unlike Death Cab For Cutie. Lead singer Zen Zenith has a tortured vocal that resembles Adam Marsland or Ben Folds. No pissed off angst here, just a calming presence when needed for most of the album. Highlights include the well constructed “I Will Not Forget” and the subtle zen ballad “BAMF.” The addition of synth and violin adds to the infectious atmosphere here. Another gem is “Up Up Up” where it resembles a great straight up alt. pop single and Zen rises to the occasion here. “Hard To Tell” is a solid narrative that starts out “I think I’m drunk, but I’m behind the wheel again…” and it’s another excellent tune that ends a solid EP.

MySpace | CD Baby


Hollands “Mother” EP

This Brooklyn band mixes rock, punk, folk a bit like Radiohead meeting 10cc in a bar and jamming to Phish. It’s not that accessible on first listen. But give it a chance. The ELO-like touches and electric bass lines add to the majesty of the opener “Air Conditioned Heart.” It’s a big sound that pushes lots of buttons and the follow up is the slower “Cheerio!” that approaches greatness with it’s Pink Floyd reverb dirge and again that great bass rhythm. The next song, “Just Like Them” is a study in contrasts: John-Paul Norpoth’s vocal resembles a Ray Davies ballad, now add a loud punk noise break in the middle. It’s jarring and unpredictable, as is much of the album. “Jackie” is the EP’s highlight, with a well played guitar lead, chorus/verse combo and a laid back hook. If these guys decided to focus on the melody more often like in “Jackie” it would have worked better. What we get are flashes of brilliance that surface every now and then. I would keep my ears open for more.

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Coconut Records "Davy"

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This was released in January but I wanted to include it in my top ten list. Three years after his departure from Phantom Planet, musician/actor Jason Schwartzman returned to L.A.’s pop-loving circles with the solo project Coconut Records in 2003. Schwartzman is one of those rare breeds: an actor with musical talent that translates well. Sometimes this works (Zooey Deschanel) and sometimes it doesn’t (Scarlett Johansson). Well here on his sophomore effort Davy, it works really well. These are instantly catchy pop nuggets that recall Elliot Smith, The Beatles and Magnetic Fields. The relaxed “Microphone” highlights the hook filled and instrumental mini-symphony. The mid tempo “Any Fun” borders on Weezer like quirkiness with a Phil Spector touch. Schwartzman’s wavering vocals fit well into each composition, like the Ben Kweller flavored “Wandering Around”. My favorite here is the McCartney meets Brian Wilson bedroom melody “Saint Jerome” that floats through your head like “A Day In The Life.” Even a simple melancholy pop cut like “Courtyard” becomes a timeless daydreaming ballad. This is great pop song craft here and, it has found a spot on my ipod rotation that I can’t bring myself to remove. The Bonus: for a limited time it’s only five bucks at Aimee Street.

My Space | Aimee St | Amazon

Davy – Coconut Records

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