Powerpopholic

Thowback Suburbia "s/t"

September 22, 2009July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

“If you should find yourself having trouble locating a pulse in today’s music, Throwback Suburbia is the proof of life in power pop.” – these words are posted on the Throwback Suburbia My Space page. Here is an awesome band that wraps itself up in the spirit of the genre. It opens with the pop explosion that is “Private Oasis” full of ringing guitars and strong melody reminiscent of The Rubinoos. The follow up “Asking Why” is a Velvet Crush/Raspberries-like tune full of great chords and impeccable harmonies. The band hits for the fences here and succeeds with the ELO-styled opening piano chords on “Head Over Heels” and it’s one of the albums many standouts. Fans of Jellyfish will appreciate this as well as the “The Same Mistake” which has such a clean pop sound, and smart songwriting that it really deserves to be a radio friendly hit. The first half of the album hits the sweet spot for sure, then it goes for a harder sound on “Say When” for the Tom Petty fans here. But really, there is not a single note of filler here, and plenty of pop gems to soothe hungry ears. “Perfectly Okay” goes all Fountains of Wayne with us and “Halfway To The Stars” is a cool Jellyfish mid-tempo that sounds as good as anything Roger Manning has written, and it’s my favorite song on the album. They’ve already blown the doors off of International Pop Overthrow in Los Angeles this year and I hope to hear more of them in the years to come. This band deserves much accolades for this full length debut – easily one of the best of the year. It’s another “must-get-it-now” slice of music heaven.

MySpace | CD Baby | Not Lame

Ken Stringfellow. The Power Popaholic Interview.

September 21, 2009July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic 4 Comments

Not many artists are as versatile as Ken Stringfellow. Power pop fans will know him for his work in the Posies and The Orange Humble Band, his own solo projects and part of the revival of pop legend Big Star. I was thrilled to get to interview him. We talk about his move to Paris, his involvement with Cheap Star, his new band The Disciplines, and even touch on his appearance at the upcoming Charlotte Pop Fest later this week and his time with REM. The opening clip here is “Definite Door” from the album “Frosting On The Beater.” Listen to the entire interview streaming (21 minutes).

UPDATES: For those who would like to read a written transcript of my interview with Matthew Sweet, you can check it out on power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

Happy Rosh Hashanah!

September 19, 2009September 19, 2009 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

It being the holidays, I could not resist this one. Put down your Beatles remastered CDs and listen to this. Enjoy members of the L.A. tribute band The MopTops. The video was directed by the writer and stand-up comic Dave Kessler. Oy Vey — Yeah, yeah yeah, yeah!

The Brigadier "Time is a Wound"

September 16, 2009July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

The third album from The Brigadier (Matt Williams) continues to showcase his extensive gift of music and melodies. It opens with the impressive and catchy “I’m gonna make you mine Missy” which combines a cutting lead guitar and Beach Boys backing harmonies. This is a bona fide classic track that shouldn’t be missed. Next, “Oh Paddington” is another magical melody with slight psychedelic overtones and a bit like a lost Klaatu track. Slowly, the album gets funkier beats in “Why don’t you love me?” – with very 70’s style syths and a whispering lead that beckons the listener. Much of the gentle almost narrative Roger Waters-meets-McCartney style comes across on tracks in the albums middle. Both “Traditional love songs” and “Ode to Escape” will hold your interest till the very Queen-meets-Moody Blues flavored “Time is a Wound.” The guitar work is excellent, but often a supporting player here as the mood and intricate harmonies lead the song. It’s my favorite on the disc, too. The songs gradually get both delicate and precious with the melodies and themes, like “Something Good” has a baroque current running through it. This tendency eventually leads us to the Kinks-like burlesque of “Jobseeker” and “(I Like) The Look Of You” with light harpsichord and do-wop chorus. The utterly gorgeous finale of “The Insomnia” is a Brian Wilson/Wondermints aria that tells us the author is begging all his active thoughts to stop and let him sleep. This is the kind of release that will keep smart pop fans up late nights, playing The Brigadier over and over again.

My Space | CD Baby | Listen on The Brigadier Site

The Brilliant Inventions and Benjamin R

September 15, 2009July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

The Brilliant Inventions “Have You Changed”
The Atlanta Singer/Songwriter duo have a bright folk pop style that they demonstrate well on the opener “Isn’t It Worth It.” Both Josh Lamkin and Eliot Bronson both play guitar and harmonize together to bring a natural sound that may remind a few of The Rembrandts and a good example of this is on the next track “Have You Changed.” Clearly they have a really good sound and are skilled musicians. The Ben Folds-lite piano song “There Goes My Heart” almost works, but the fast paced “If You Want It” clearly pushes into power pop territory along the lines of Fountains of Wayne. And these guys also excel at the ballads here, as the soulful “Lights You Up” chimes away and lends a very Del Amitri flavor to the song. The slower tracks like “You Don’t Have To Be Strong” and “We Don’t Have The Words” sound beautiful, but leave your memory quickly. The energetic “Tell Her I’m Gone” is lyrically a lot of fun with lines like “what am I gonna do with a dog and cat/I told her they died so she wouldn’t come back” and “Restless” seems to channel Glen Tilbrook a little bit. But the guys need to take it to the next level as far as songwriting goes, and pop some hooks into a chorus now and then. Until that time give these guys a listen, and they might just grow on you.

MySpace | CD Baby

Benjamin R “The Other Side Of Nowhere”
Robert Selvaggio aka Benjamin R was a music producer for bands like Eagle Eye Cherry and Puddle Of Mudd. He steps out from behind the production booth with his own material here. Robert makes good use of his studio smarts, and the sound on the opener “Quit” is quite impressive. Sounding like a cross between adult oriented pop and rootsy rock, similar to Neil Diamond or Ric Ocasik. Some nice touches and electric violin on “History” make it a great ballad. “Not Gonna Let You Go” has a good chorus, and the steady guitar rhythms and organ lead make it the most Cars-like. Another good song is “Time is Running Out” and the slightly celtic rhythms of the mid-tempo “Letters.” Some songs are very emotionally strong, like “I Don’t Need This Anymore.” The entire album’s theme sounds like the script for a slow painful divorce and the angst clearly runs in a progression from “Falling Apart” to “This Time (I Hope You’re Happy)” – not so cheerful, but a solid debut.

MySpace | CD Baby | Benjamin R site