Broken Promise Keeper "Ice Cold Pop"

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Rob Stuart is a man with a mission. Also known as Broken Promise Keeper, he wants to deliver some “ice cold pop” to your ears. If I had to make a direct comparison, Broken Promise Keeper sounds very much like cult pop favorite Anton Barbeau. It’s fair to say Ice Cold Pop begins with a confident bounce and jangle filled riffs of “Directions.” The song has some elements of mid eighties production, similar to early REM or The Shoes sound, so fans of this style will be sure to enjoy it. The driving piano chords of “Worship From Afar” sparks a great song with beautiful cascading harmonies in the chorus. The tracks here are full of rich effortless hooks, especially on my favorite track, “Kristine.” The next song “I Blame James” is a interesting lament on how all his childhood heroes (James Dean, James Bond, etc.) are setting an example that he can’t follow. The quick bass and rhythm guitars of “Look Out Hollywood” recall early Joe Jackson quite a bit. Stuarts vocal is serviceable when the songwriting and arrangements are clicking, but at certain points, the DIY nature of the production poke through (“Fake It”). Some tracks seem to be workman efforts, like “Amusement Park Lover” and “Once” but don’t quite have strong enough hooks. The album ends strongly with the gentle acoustic gems “Secret” and “Goodbye.” For most pop fans this one is worth the effort to track down and listen to.

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Golden Bear EP and The Test Dream EP

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Golden Bear “Everest” EP
Golden Bear was a well-received band that recently played SXSW and went on a tour of the East Coast. The band has a fresh sound with fuzz guitars and catchy songs structure with “Night Lights.” This is modern power pop you can dance to and it has a free form quality with varied instrumentation and just the right amount of distortion. You never quite know where a song is going to go, and that unpredictability makes Golden Bear lots of fun. Like a funky mix of Mother Hips and Apples In Stereo, this band doesn’t neatly fall into any genre category. Golden Bear has a compelling sound and tons of potential.
MySpace | C-side Records


The Test Dream “Self Titled” EP
This Long Island band produces good sunny styled contemporary pop. Starting with “Open Wide” it’s a melodic mix that takes the best influences of The Beatles, Shins and Drake Bell. “Directing Traffic” remind me a bit of the recent Secret Sky, with it’s bouncy keyboards and light horns in the production. The group makes an effort to rock a bit more with “Someone” and it contrasts that with a Billy Joel lounge style vocal. The sugar content of  the vocals and chords on “Look for The Boy” go off the charts into Andrew Gold territory. An excellent start for this band, and I hope to hear more soon. 
MySpace | CD Baby

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The Webstirs interviewed by Powerpopaholic

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It’s a two-fer! I also interviewed the duo of Preston Pisellini and Mark Winkler of The Webstirs. They are expected at 4/24 to play for International Pop Overthrow in Chicago. The release of “So Long” has made the top ten this year as well. These guy were candid and funny. To read the interview directly, click here.

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The Spongetones "Scrambled Eggs"

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When I last left Jamie Hoover and company it was a celebratory return to form, with “Too Clever By Half”. The Spongetones are one of the few, great power pop bands from the early 80’s that have outlasted almost everyone else. This time the band jams with a terrific opener “All the Loving” and it’s full of jangle and strum that harkens back to their Beatlesque traditions. And like your favorite comfort food, it’s easy to lap up. But Jamie hasn’t lost the ability to take things in other directions, with “Inevitable You” a sweet mid-tempo ballad about longevity in a relationship (with a band mate or spouse). A more grizzled take on the band’s future comes across on “It Can’t Go On Forever” and the bouncy “Lost Weekend” continues the jangle party. Certain songs have a slightly more adult progressive feel, similar to The Pillbugs on “Where Ya Gonna Go” with it’s speedy baseline lead and the folk pop of “Propeller Flights.” Even a venture into the blues with “Tough Love” show us that it’s not all sweet pop, similar in style to the Fab Four’s “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” Even though everything here isn’t as accessible as the last album, the grand melodies of songs like “Too Unlikely Two” with it’s dual guitar solo are a joy to behold. There is plenty here for the long time ‘Tones fan, like the Monkees’ guitar rythyms of “Karma Depleted,” the hummable “Pick That Up For A Song,” and sparkling Rickenbacker on “She’ll Be Gone.”  With such an eclectic mix of styles here, you understand why they called this one “Scrambled Eggs.” As long as Jamie and the boys are cooking, I’ll order this special anytime.

My Space | CD Baby

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