After reading and listening to this guilty pleasure from Popdose.com my mind began to wander and I was reminded of this great SNL skit. Before finding success with Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer combined forces on this hilarious mockumentary about a pair of men trying to qualify for the U.S. Olympic synchronized swimming team. There’s just one problem: The U.S. doesn’t allow men to compete… oh, and one of the swimmers can’t actually swim. And that cheesy theme, Frank Stallone’s “Far From Over” is parodied in the background music.
OUT OF LEFT FIELD: There is some buzz online that mentions the Faces reunion could be possible. The original members would include Ron Wood, Ian McLagan, Kenney Jones and Rod Stewart. I would love to see Stewart recapture his old glory, as this would go a long way in bringing Stewart back his street cred.
Pop fans will remember Rob Bonfiglio (pronounced “Bon-feel-e-o”) as a former member of Wanderlust and The Skies Of America. Rob displays consummate musicianship in full bloom on this, his debut “Bring on The Happy.” This is the epitome of finely handcrafted power pop. It starts off with great promise on “Nothing Will Hold You Down” a full sonic modern pop blast that recalls both John Mayer, Swirl 360, Taxiride and Wanderlust. The sound of “That’s Alright” has a radio friendly nod to the seventies style guitar with the super musicanship and heavenly hooks and makes it a great single. Robs vocals recall a mix of The Chili Peppers Anthony Kiedis and Carl Wilson. It’s no wonder that Rob’s worked with Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson and Wilson Phillips, on the epic “How To Mend a broken Heart” the melody and harmonies bring to mind both the Holland-era Beach Boys and Todd Rundgren’s “Something/Anything” here. And it keeps going, the killer rhythm and attention to details on “React” make it another “air guitar” classic. The guitar lead and multi-tracked vocals of “What you Need” recall Eagles’ Joe Walsh at his most catchy. The mid-tempo ballad “Straight from the Heart” starts like a Stevie Wonder opus and then the chorus plays with a bouncy optimism, and great chord progressions. The album dials down a little toward the end with “Sympathy (Who I am)” but jumps back in with a classic Fosse piano riff in “The Best is Yet To Come.” The ending tracks do a decent job of balancing heavy arena rock (“Blow Me Away”)and another heart felt ballad on the final song “Some Days are Better.” This is an excellent solo debut for the musically literate and it also makes my top ten of 2008 list. Wow. A lot of great music came out this month so far. My pop cup runneth over with this one.
Some of my selected reviews will now be published on The Rock and Roll Report. That’s a good thing – spreading the word of a powerpopaholic! My review of Justin Kline – Six Songs is in the latest buzz section.
The Junipers are songwriter Joe Wiltshire and vocalist Marc Johnston who, together with a group of friends in Leicester, make upbeat, chiming pitch perfect baroque and psychedelic pop with echoes of early Bee Gees, The Curiosity Shop and The Zombies. If you are looking for big loud electric guitar riffs, they are not here, but everything else is. Especially that McCartney baseline driven song structure. “Gordie Can’t Swim” opens with a Beatles meets Elephant Six collective retro sound, full of hooks that stick and harmonies that float along the melody. This sets the tone for the album, and despite a few slow instrumental breaks – it’s brilliant in every way. “Fly The Yellow Kite” is a shimmering pop confection that resembles a Wondermints composition. “Already Home” uses a Monkees-like country vibe with those impressive basslines and harmonies to great effect here and it’s a awesome pop song. Using a collection of instruments from of sitars, mellatrons, organs, kazoos, piano, strings, fuzz guitar will have fans of sunshine dappled psyche pop doing backflips. “Out of My Pocket” is adds a dash of prog organ to an acoustic guitar melody and, and “Sheena” is a very Wackers-like folk pop gem. Another standout is the Genesis-Klaatu beauty called “Song That Fades Away” with a sweet harpsichord solo in the middle. Other straight pop songs here “Mortimer” and “Sunnydown Avenue” resemble The Hudson Brothers in sound and spirit. The albums quieter moments concentrates on piano and gentle folk guitar similar to Elliot Smith. If you don’t enjoy the retro-psyche pop genre then you should pass on this, however fans of Andrew Sandoval, The Pillbugs, and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” will gobble this one up. There are so many layers of impressive instrumentation and arrangements here I’m letting this one into the top ten of 2008. Again, no filler on this impressive debut, and I’ve added two tracks to the Lala player on the right for you to hear.
The Junipers Website | My Space | Kool Kat Musik | Lala
Devlin Murphy who had a smashing debut album last year is working on a follow up. As a bonus with Powerpopaholic, I am authorized to have my blog readers download three FREE songs from his new album.
Not sure if it’s worth the effort? Just listen to “Back To You”
That’s just one song, included in this download are “Ask Again” and “Breathe” DOWNLOAD THE SONGS HERE
Out of Left Field: An article that reveals how the songs Todd Rundgren produced helped open up his third ear and made him a better musician. So let’s see it!
