Powerpopholic

The Well Wishers "Jigsaw Days"

October 27, 2008July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

Jeff Shelton has always been a pop favorite with The Spinning Jennies and his current band, The Well Wishers. The new album “Jigsaw Days” brings Jeff back to his power pop roots, and it’s obvious here that The Well Wishers are the heir apparent to The Posies. “Heroes” is a dead ringer for that classic sound, full of buzzing guitars and sweet hooks. “All The Suckers” continues this template, with Shelton’s vocals anchoring the chiming melody. And there is much more where that came from. The acoustic, folk-pop styled “Florida” has a wonderful jangle and it’s instantly memorable. “Moving Mountains” and “Love Lies” are additional standouts with an upbeat tempo and harder guitar sound. Some tunes get more contemplative, like “Drunk On The Tilt-O-Wheel” which recall Teenage Fanclub’s best ballads. Fans of Matthew Sweet, Nada Surf, Bob Mould will also find a lot to love here. Other than “Poor Old Man” (I felt it was a bit long) every track here shines like a diamond. With only ten tracks here, Shelton has cut the fat from this album and has given us power pop fans the red meat we crave. This is a worthy of top ten album for 2008 as well. A great release that will please fans and casual listeners alike.

My Space | Not Lame | CD Baby | Jam Recordings

The Not Lame Special FREE Music download

October 26, 2008April 4, 2018 powerpopaholic

This is a great sampler of tracks from our friend Bruce at Not Lame Recordings. New songs from All Day Sucker, The Crash Moderns, Vibeke, Khalid Hanifi, Saul Zonana, The Model Rockets and Readymade Breakup. It’s only around till the end of October Check it out here!

Also get ready next month for International Pop Overthrow coming to New York City November 4th through the 10th this year. The venue this year will be at Kenny’s Castaways and the set list includes The Moptops, Steve Caraway, Readymade Breakup, Maple Mars, Private Jets, The Brixton Riot and The Romeo Flynns, just to name a few. It’s your one stop to see these fantastic new bands in one place.

Tim Anthony "Retrofit" and "The Happy Door"

October 24, 2008July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

Holiday treats come early! Tim Anthony (formerly of The Brambles) is enjoying a bit of a resurgence, now that his 2005 album “The Happy Door” has been re-released in the US. Voted the #1 release in Spain that year it’s full of classic power pop that fans of Richard X. Heyman and Dwight Twilley will flip for. Even Amplifier magazine called The Happy Door “40 minutes of melodic magic.” A lot of the music here was crafted for movies and tv for instant catchiness. These are well crafted slices of timeless pop, from the quick snappy melody of “Mary Ellen” to the powerful jangle riffs of “No Words” every song rocks and pops here, with no filler to be found. With the help of power pop guru Ed James on drums, harmonies and strings it effortlessly glides through 12 Beatle influenced songs. Fans of The Toms,The Rubinoos and The Flashcubes will love this as well. And every song here has a great back story that’s described in the liner notes. If you loved the innocence and pop hooks of “That Thing You Do” this is highly recommended.

MySpace | CD Baby | Not Lame

Fans of The Brambles and Tim Anthony may want to dig deeper into his past, and that is who “Retrofit” is partially made for. These historic recordings were made by Anthony with Tommy Allen and Gary Frenay (The Flashcubes). Included is Anthony’s first local hit “Don’t Forget Me” with his first band, The Agents. As a period piece, this album is fascinating. Fans of The Flashcubes, 20/20 and The Records will appreciate the 80’s style as well as an early version of “Mary Ellen” and listening to Anthony’s style develop. “No One Can” and “She Broke My Heart” sound like legit new wave pop hits. Others may find it hopelessly dated and prefer the more polished album above. But even then, this is worth more than a single listen, and if you loved “The Happy Door” why not?

MySpace | CD Baby | Not Lame

Soft Targets "Heavy Rainbow"

October 23, 2008July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

Soft Targets consist of singer/guitarist Jesse Corry and bassist/keyboardist Nathan Sadler and drummer Steven Gillespie. The debut album of this Tallahassee, Florida band is a blend of The Cure and Aztec Camera in terms of pop sounds. This is not quite power pop, and closer to indie pop with Corry’s vocals almost like Peter Murphy without the baritone. The melodies on the album are appealing in places with “Calm Me Down” being close to the style of the Talking Heads with some great guitar melody. In a funky way the song “The World Looks Bigger Now” is the most fully realized with harmonies and some nice arrangements, crisp guitar playing. The other songs that follow are pretty pedestrian, and don’t have the kind of hooks that stand out much. I was ready to write off the album at that point, but when the song “Skyscraper” took hold with a sharp guitar riff and catchy melody that merits attention. It’s got a glam-like heart with some nice harmonies and proves to be the best song on the album. After this we get the keyboard ballad “Sirens” which almost sound like Eric Matthews or Cardinal and makes a great contrast to the earlier tunes. The album picks up stream toward the end with other notable tracks (“Heavy Rainbow” and “Small Straight”) Overall, this album has several good tracks, and deserves some consideration.

MySpace | CD Baby

Listen to the “Calm Me Down”

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The Break and Repair Method "Milk The Bee"

October 22, 2008July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic 2 Comments

So where do you go when your group has sold millions of albums (Matchbox 20)? If you’re drummer/guitarist Paul Doucette you put out a solo album that breaks the mold of his typecast role. The Break and Repair Method is full of lush arrangements and Doucette’s vocals have an earnest intensity that rivals Matthew Sweet. Opening with “This City is Bound To Do Us In” has a casual pop sense and it uses Doucette’s rasp to great effect. The obvious single here is “You Won’t Be Able To Be Sad” – it has great anthemic hook and lots of passion in the melody. Doucette receives a little help from his friends (Nina Gordon and Tracy Bonham among them) and his wife (Moon Unit Zappa), who help round out the sound. The keyboards are a front and center here, and it works to great effect on “Calling All Electric Prints” which recall both Jeff Tweedy and Paul McCartney. The guitar work returns on “I’m At A Low” with a very jazzy riff that carries the song along. The piano/guitar combos that fill the song “Your Numbered Days” and”Won’t Get Worse” will bring up comparisons to XTC and other Beatlesque bands here. Fans of Matchbox Twenty will certainly enjoy this album but keep in mind this a definite departure from the norm of that band. It’s a smart and subtle album that deserves repeat listens here.

Break and Repair Method Website | MySpace | itunes