Yes, the more the merrier. Spread the love of The Major Labels, a power pop supergroup made up of Mike Viola, Bleu and Ducky Carlisle. I’m not gonna say anymore, except you need to pass out 3 friends e-mails to get the album.
Power Pop Potpourri
Here are a few emerging artists EPreleases that hit my inbox:
The Breakups “Eat Your Heart Out” EP
This album blew me away on first listen. A big hint here is that they are opening with Jason Falkner in Silverlake, CA this month. Starting with “Day in The Sun” it has angelic choruses and heavy guitars similar to Tripsitter or Teenage Fanclub. The next song “Tissue Sample” is a strings and guitar ballad with lead singer Jake Gideon’s gentle vocals similar to Cloud Eleven. This six song EP is varied in style and keeps you guessing throughout with a variety of styles. “Feed” has the rising guitar chords similar to Fountains of Wayne. The ending “Winding Down”gets the Ken Stringfellow vibe done well. Don’t miss this one.
MySpace | The Breakups Website
Keyboard Cathy “Sushi Lover”
Yes, Cathy has an old Broadway sense of melody and a Roland R-600 keyboard. But it’s not all pop showtunes and kitsch. It falls somewhere between The Carpenters and Julie Andrews, the best of this is evidenced in the song “Golden Child” which won Honorable Mention in the Broadway/Cabaret category of the Unisong International Songwriting Contest. The song “Sushi Lover” is like the ultimate dinner music for Japanese eating – as it has instructional narrative that teaches you how to enjoy eating the food. And the pop melodies are upbeat and cheerful (almost saccharine) and the messages in the music sound straight out of Dr. Phil’s motivational guide. You will either love it or not, but it’s worth a listen.
My Space| CD Baby
Lazy Lions “Keep Your Love Away”
Brooklyn rockers Lazy Lions, have a way with really fine Elvis Costello styled power pop – just listen to the opener “Keep Your Love Away” and just try not to smile or tap your feet. The bouncy melody and smart guitar play also remind me of Squeeze, and the song “Magellan In Reverse” has echoes of The Fixx as well. This is an excellent 4 song EP of melodic goodness that compares well with power popper, Any Trouble and The Db’s. Highly recommended for sure – One question: When is the full length album coming out?
My Space | emusic
Kaitlyn Anderson “A New Word For Over”
In the past, I’ve given nods to good female vocalists and Kaitlyn is no exception. Here is an alternative to the current female pop cliches, with the single “So Much Better” a really strong song, is part Meredith Brooks attitude and Shania Twain sweetness. She has a strong pop vocal that doesn’t overly stylize the song and as an example “Unhappy” has a great melody and understated rock guitar that doesn’t take away from the vocal performance. Also worthy of note is Guillermo Guerrero’s excellent guitar solo on “Walk Away.” A bit of Pat Benetar rock leaks out on “Pressure.” Worth checking out for sure.
My Space | Kaitlyn’s Site
New Brian Wilson on the way
A look at Brian Wilson’s new release, “That Lucky Old Sun” this promo looks like a solid effort and the video has guest spots from the usual legion of followers, The Wondermints, Jeffery Foskett, and others.
Fair Herald "Familiar Streets"
Not really power pop, but regular rock here. Fans of Counting Crows and Dave Matthews Band will find a lot to like about Fair Herald, with it’s laid back guitars and Mike Kuntz wailing lead vocals. The opening song “From Peotone” has a steady beat and effective piano lead, hits its comfort zone early and it continues with the mellow REM-like “Whirlwind” where Kuntz sings “There’s no where else to run anymore.” The next song is one of the albums best, “Coyote Nowhere” with it’s alt-country guitar ballad style and sunny mood and light percussion – similar to Whiskeytown or Old 97s. The remaining songs on the album tread on familiar guitar rock ground, and don’t really distinguish themselves from each other. There are exceptions though. “Never Said Hello” and Make Me Blue” are standouts as musings on a relationship with a musician, and both have an impressive guitar solo to end the songs. Fans of the above mentioned bands should check them out.
Fair Herald website | MySpace | CD Baby | Itunes
Rinaldi Sings "Bingo"
Rinaldi Sings is the new group fronted by singer and songwriter Steve Rinaldi. A big band with a big sound, they play uptempo moddish pop that nods to the band’s northern soul and sixties influences. He’s played in IPO Liverpool this year too. Rinaldi’s influence is more swinging Carnaby Street kitsch than Beatles and Bryds here. The horns and organ dominate most of the melodies, leaving the guitars as supporting players. Steve’s vocals are great, but for some strange reason they remind me of Greg Page (of The Wiggles) – maybe it’s the whole “feel-good” rock vibe here. Opening with the bouncy “You Take Me There” sets the album’s tone of distinctive cheeky optimism. Like the bubblegum pop hits of Tom Jones or Petula Clark with modern rhythms. A highlight is “End of An Error” which has an insanely catchy melody and harmony that resembles the best of The Beautiful South and other Manchester bands with those great Bacharach-ian horns. Other nostalgic trips like the wonderful “The Only Show in Town” get in a Harpers Bizarre mood. The beautiful orchestration is another detail that bumps this album up a notch. The Housemartins are another Hull band that draws comparison here, as far as hooks and horns, but Rinaldi’s voice is much stronger. No bad tracks here – a worthy earful of classic up-tempo pop music.
Rinaldi Sings website | MySpace | CD Baby
Rinaldi Sings “Avenues & Alleyways”