If you remember we reviewed Richard Snows debut here. Now power pop fans can get excited again. Richard has the jangle of the Byrds, the harmonies of The Beach Boys and folk leanings of Paul Simon. Richard is best compared with Richard X. Heyman with his varied pop sound. Opening with the Beatlesque “Silent Girlfriend” it perfectly captures a moment in time. It’s a perfect single that would make even devout Spongetones fans take notice. “You’re My Number 1” continues the hit parade with a hook filled chorus. The Beach Boys styled arrangement on “You Said It” is packed with beautiful vocal harmonies and melodies. “Hard To Be Happy” is a sixties love note to Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark with echo and jangle. Another standout, “Lonesome Cowboy” opens as expected, as a guitar driven country rock track then it takes a funky reggae turn. It keeps the music from being predictable, and that’s what makes it a compelling track. “Expectations” is also does this by starting as heavy pysche-pop and ending up as a new age choral. The ballad “Days of Simplicity” talks about how each future generation will miss the simple music that shaped their lives as they grow older. The song is reminiscent of those classic Moody Blues ballads. A very satisfying experience and highly recommended.

Richard Snow’s Site | My Space | CD Baby | SideB Music

Reviewed by Mike Z.
On the opening track, “Lover Boy”, singer/guitarist Marc Olivier’s voice grabs your attention immediately, which is a strong way to kick off any record. His voice sounds like Adam Ant in pitch and played-up British accent and warbles effectively like that of Larry Kirwin from Black 47. The music is also strong enough that it can not be ignored, so a good mix of sounds is established off the bat, and that will (for the most part) continue throughout. This is a good mix of rock, pop, and lyrical braggadocio. With “Every Day” the band again succeeds in creating a musical mix of anger, angst, and a wry sense of humor complete with bouncing guitars and a synthesizer sound straight from 1983. 

“Mary B!” has one bad-ass riff which is wasted on a song which is fails to paint a compelling portrait of its title character. Add half a point to this rating if you are a Francophile, as that motif (that’s French, right?) is to be found at various points of this recording. A weakness is exposed here and continues to unravel somewhat in the next three songs. Even though these tracks are somewhat out of place, it doesn’t overly sully the rest of the work. “The Boy” is more of a rocker and maybe the best realization of this band’s sound. Everything is just right with the mix of guitars, driving 4/4 drums, chunky bass, and overdriven synths. “Fifteen Years” continues the sonic momentum and gives further hope that this band may have some real talent. The guitar resounds like nothing I’ve heard since Billy Duffy’s big, big guitar from The Cult’s Electric.  “Whispering” starts out slow and has bittersweet lyrics. It borrows from The Beatles and XTC initially and has some beautiful touches throughout. The lyrics are simple and do not try to overstate the sentiment that the music creates. I’d recommend this album to be played on your house or car stereo, so as to fill the room and let the big guitars and meat-head drum beats bounce off the walls. If you throw this in while doing chores, having some friends over for beers, or going for a drive, a great energy will be added to the environment and it will be really hard to not get swept up with the music. 

Plastic Heroes Site | My Space | Itunes

Listen to “The Boy”

I guess Mondo Primo are trying to push the edge of power pop and punk by being ballsy enough to call the new album “2FN HOT” (I’m sure one of these guys has it on a license plate). The group’s sound is closest compared with Bowling For Soup with even more pop polish. Fans of Sloan will enjoy the opener “Overheated” which rocks hard and includes dreamy harmonies and minor chord changes. It plays like a great single and then it goes over to the very Weezer/Green Day-ish “Bands With Brand New Amps.” This sound continues with the rest of the album and the boys have a fresh energy that makes most of the songs work. Songs like “Allegories” and the speed-guitar fest “Dude, Your Girlfriend Sucks” are standouts that will make you forget about The Click Five (remember them?) and other Disney band-o-the-week pretenders. In a wonderful nod to The Beach Boys, Mondo Primo concentrates on “East Coast Girls” and the buzzsaw guitars form a wall of sound that ends in a crescendo. A love song to this style of music is best illustrated in “Powerchords” where the lead singer laments “hope I never get bored of these power chords”, and most power pop fans won’t.  So my advice kids, slowly back away from the Jonas Brothers dreck and give Mondo Primo a chance.

My Space | Itunes | Merch Now

Listen to “”Dude, Your Girlfriend Sucks” in 3D! – Grab your glasses! COOL! The 3-D theme is all over this album. Do you want to see the original video where this came from? It’s The Mask (1961)