Powerpopholic

Golden Bloom "Fan The Flames"

August 20, 2009September 5, 2024 powerpopaholic

Golden Bloom is multi-instrumentalist and frontman, Shawn Fogel, who brings his bright energetic melodies to us with Fan The Flames. The album begins with the keyboard heavy pop song “E.H.M.” and Fogel wants the listener to soak it all in. The follow up “Doomsday Devices” is a sure fire hit single about using your last resort in a situation. Then the gorgeous strumming and descending chorus “Fan The Flames” will be appreciated by many Wilco fans for sure. The album explores Fogel’s frustrated optimism, or maybe optimistic frustration. The ballads here are strong as well, “She Leaves Me Poetry” and “The Fight At The End Of The Tunnel” have a bit of George Harrison-like melancholy and heartache. “Dead Petals” has a good catchy hook, and a cheerful rant against those ignorant to our planet’s peril. Fogel played all the instruments on Fan the Flames — piano, bass guitar, tenor sax, keyboards, harmonica, and drums — with his usual precision and passion. “Theme For An Adventure At Sea” is another well written and thought provoking song. Even the short political rant “Untitled” is fun. Enjoy this adventure in thinking man’s power pop.

My Space | Saki Store | Golden Bloom.net

Listen to “E.H.M.”

Roxy Monoxide "Another Day, Another Episode"

August 18, 2009July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

Roxy Monoxide is a five-piece rock/power-pop band that draws influences from Pretenders, Cheap Trick, and the Plimsouls. Lead singer Coree Levy has a strong vocal, along the lines of Cyndi Lauper or Grace Slick. Starting with the very Cars-like rhythm of “Insecurity” it sets the stage. The early 80’s rock style here suits the band just fine, and the melody has a good hook to it. The riff heavy “Just Cry” resembles a Heart tune and is one of the best showcases for the bands instrumental acumen. Lead guitarist Scott Samuels can play a mean axe, but his vocals didn’t float my boat here. The band lacks some consistency in spots and should work on balancing Levys vocals with the guitar parts. “Easier Said Than Done” is a soft mid-tempo pop song with Levy cruising through the jangling chorus. Songs like “Scrape Me Off The Floor” work well, despite the very disparate vocal ranges of the band members. “Waiting Around” proves the songwriting talent is evident here too, painting a vivid story in the lyric. Fans of Bazooka Jones, Joan Jett and Suzi Quatro will appreciate the good female power pop vocals here, although the band’s persona is pretty tame. If you like the above mentioned bands it’s worth a listen for sure.

MySpace | CD Baby

The Oculist "Principals"

August 17, 2009July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

Combining cheap keyboard fuzz and sparkle with down home folk guitar, Jeff Suri (aka The Oculist) creates melancholy orchestrations that musically strive to bring hope to the hopeless and tone to the toneless. It starts with a wonderfully spacey opening on “Hold On” and “The Plan” that instantly brings to mind Beach Boys “Smiley Smile,” The Beta Band and Radiohead’s sonic textures, with low horns and high percussion. “Principles” has a monologue over an obscure instrumental, and will test your resolve, as it’s either weird poetry or performance art. However, if you pay attention it’s a fine Zappa-styled commentary on public loneliness. “Break The Bank” is a relaxing mantra in the mold of Pink Floyd’s psychedelic peak. “Chlorine In My Eyes” is another soothing song driven by electronic beeps and a strong drum track, and really grows on you. The melody is buried just below the surface and it’s very impressive. Fans of more recent High Llamas and Pedro The Lion will also enjoy this for sure. The album ends with patter of water and the fine synth keyboard work of “Buckets Of Saddness” and then an instrumental reprise. The album’s theme addresses common but poorly understood human conditions. It’s most definitely a “headphones” type of album that you can get lost in easily.

My Space | CD Baby

Frank Furt "Cut N’ Paste"

August 15, 2009July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

You’d think after Peter and The Penguins, I would be done with Beatle styled rock bands this year… well no. In Germany, the leader of the Beatles Revival Band, Richard Edward Kersten (Frank) wanted to write Beatlesque songs, with a modern studio flair. So he hooked up with a young Ronson Jonson (Furt) and the results are here. Opening with the very Rain-like “Sipping Lemonade In The Sunshine,” Frank and Furt’s vocal and instrumental skills will win you over. “Flow Down Stream” mixes sitar and the albums groovy production techniques are similar to The Pillbugs. The melodies are really good here, and a few highlights are the sunny “Don’t Care Cos I Love You” and early Mersey ditty “Picture On My Wall” with just the right amount of handclaps and perfectly timed riffs. And it’s not all Fab Four by-the-numbers either, as they veer off the template just enough to keep it interesting with the mid tempo “Someday” and the poignant ballad “It All Equals In The End.” These tunes are more comparable to fellow German transplant Martin Gordon, especially the last track “It’s Such A Long Time,” full of long psychedelic passages. Pop fans can relax and float downstream with this one.

Itunes | CD Baby | Frank Furt Website

The Lonely H "Concrete Class"

August 14, 2009August 14, 2009 powerpopaholic 2 Comments

There is nothing ordinary about Seattle based classic rock quartet The Lonely H. Fronted by the charismatic, 6’7″, 19 year old Mark Fredson, a man hard to miss in any room for both his height and booming voice, and accompanied by the Brothers Whitman – Eric Whitman (guitar) and Johnny Whitman (bass) – and drummer Ben Eyestone, The Lonely H have more swagger and set their site’s on nothing short of being the next Allman Brothers Band. Unlike the pop nature of their last album Hair, this one leans heavier on the rock and roadhouse blues formula. In fact fans of the Bob Segar and Wilco will enjoy the honest and memorable songwriting here. Highlights include “Cold Blues” and “Diggin’ A Hole” with Fredson’s howl, and pumping melody. “Going Out West” rocks a bit harder, like vintage AC/DC or Jet. The most country-fried song here is “Singer” which will sit right with fans of The Eagles. The guitar rock twang and memorable hook makes for excellent listening on “Other Side Of The Water.” It’s not perfect, as the stripped down acoustic “Phoenix” and “River” reveal the groups vocal limitations clearly. The group then redeems itself with the catchy “Girl From Jersey.” Overall this album is clearly a winner — fans of classic rock can safely turn up the volume here and enjoy these young’uns.

My Space | Amazon