If you could picture the perfect bar band – does a mix of The Replacements and Cheap Trick sound right to you? Well, The Respectables, (Nick Piunti, Joey Gaydos, and Donn Deniston) cover that ground pretty well. The CD starts with the rocker “Charged By The Minute” and it has the piss and sweat pouring out of these guys like classic ‘Mats. This is high powered pop in Detroit “Motor City” style all through it’s 11 tracks. Lead vocalist Nick Piunti recalls a mix of Ryan Adams and Mike Viola. “Could It Be” states “it seems like I know you” with a simple riff and beat track that is both familiar and new at the same time.  The Squeeze-like opening guitar jangle of “Spark & Destiny” is my favorite here only because it combines that style with a Tom Petty type of weariness. The group gets a little too cutesy with a bell in “From This Place” and a few tracks seem to coast on a single rhythm. But, you’ll hear nice detailed guitar work from lead Joey Gaydos, where he adds little flourishes to the arena rock sound. Overall an excellent album, if you like bands like The Romeo Flynns, Cheap Trick or The Vines. Very respectable company indeed.

My Space | CD Baby | Kool Kat Musik | Not Lame

Graham Day (The Prisoners, Prime Movers, The Solar Flares) and The Gaolers put out great classic garage with a modern punk appeal. They hailed from the Medway Delta in England, and he Gaolers have the Eric Burdon and The Animals sound down pat on “Better Man.” This is pure gold for fans of the blue-eyed soul groups of the ’60s, like The Box Tops, and R&B rock of The Yardbirds. The White Stripes wishes they could sound this authentic and melodic as well. The rocking “Begging You” will get you moving from the opening piano and guitar riff. And the electric sitar/guitar combo of “Pass That Whiskey” is a great intro to a modern Raspberries-like melody. The aggressive “Wanna Smoke” is typical of the tunes here, with a driving beat and a snarl which has been perfectly captured in a simple arrangement. Yet Graham Day’s lyrics are completely legible and his vocals are tough, but not raspy (a common issue with retro beat bands). They also do a great job with the sound here, no overdone fuzztones or sonic distortions. Like in the the tune “Just A Song” Day sings “Don’t judge me/begrudge me, it’s just a song”- well it’s a damn fine song I’ll give you that. Place a copy of this with your early Who albums, or more recent bands like The Cynics and The Ugly Beats as one of the best in the genre.

My Space | Cargo Records site | E-Music | Not Lame

Listen to “Disown Me” from the earlier album, “The Daily Grind”

One of the better songs from the IPO#11 collection was Laurie Biagini’s “That Feeling Inside” so I decided to check out the rest of her music. You can guess from the cover and title exactly what it will sound like. It may be winter, but “Ridin’ The Wave” is a sweet summer album of California sounds similar to The Malibus. In fact it wouldn’t be a stretch to call Laurie the next generation of The Honeys. If you’re not sure who The Honeys are, just imagine if the Beach Boys were Beach Girls instead. Laurie’s voice is very reminiscent of Michelle Phillips and it fits the melodies perfectly here, from the sunshiny title track to the groovy psyche-pop of “Mr. Guru.” Not only are the songs well performed, but Laurie’s songwriting and musical composition do the job right, keeping everything bouncing along with plenty of catchy beats and memorable hooks. “Magical Night” and “Vancouver Rain” starts to enter Karen Carpenter territory with a slightly more serious approach. Obviously the songs suffer a little by being derivative of that past era, but you could do much worse. In fact, every song is enjoyable with no fillers through 16 tracks. Other highlights include “You’re A Dangerous Thing,” and “Doin’ Nothing At All” and for fans of Sunshine pop and Surf pop it’s the perfect wave!

My Space | CD Baby

Splitsville will soon be entering the studio to record a new album. I can think of only a handful of bands that best represented power pop in the late nineties, and Splitsville is certainly one of them. Born from the aftermath of The Greenberry Woods, Matt Huseman and his brother Brandt ranted early on “Cause The kids hate power pop… but they need that sugar shock!” This compilation gathers hits across 5 albums that continued to be treasured by loyal fans.  The band evolved from the early frenetic energy of Ultrasound with it’s single “Yearbook” and the bouncy “Ponce de Leon” to the louder rebellious Repeater. With tracks like the Beatles meets Jam hit “Manna” and the Fountains of Wayne-like “Big Red Sun” it was a huge leap forward and got more media attention. Then they topped it off with The Complete Pet Soul, a beautifully rendered love letter to both Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney. With this they became power pop gods, and then guitarist Tony Waddy joined the band for 2003’s Incorporated and the evolution continued. The Weezer-like “Headache” is one of my all time favorite songs. These 25 tracks have been hand-picked by the band so, if you have never heard of them, then this is a great way to catch up to the amazing Splitsville sound. I can think of no better holiday gift for the budding power popaholic. 

My Space | CD Baby
Power Pop Melodic Rock Powerpop