Gordon Weiss "Sum of All Parts"

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Brooklyn native Gordon Weiss is a guy who knows what he likes. His influences (Elvis Costello, Squeeze, XTC, Crowded House, Jellyfish and the Beatles) are worn on his chest like medals of valor. The first song on “Sum of All Parts” is called “Fountains of Weezer” and it combines two of his favorite bands sounds (Gee, I wonder who…) Like a chameleon he struts his inner Jagger in “Too Much” and while it’s good, the better songs follow. “It’s Easy” is close to a Wisely or Rembrandts song with it’s smooth California strumming. The Elvis Costello tribute “Red Shoes Revisited” is a catchy song with the perfect instrumentation and dead on 80’s period feel, and “Half of Harry” is an XTC-like bit of Anglo-jangle pop. Gordon’s vocal style is similar to Marshall Crenshaw in the country flavored “Hook, Line and Singer.” The piano lead “Match Point” resembles a Joe Jackson ballad with a touch of Andrew Gold. The ending songs “Suspiria” and “Listening” are very tuneful songs that round out this debut album, not a weak song to be found here. Give a listen, as songs are streaming from his website “Gornpop”.

Gornpop | MySpace | CD Baby

power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

Major Label picks for July

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Rather than sell my old CDs, I have removed that widget and added a widget for Amazon.com of current major label releases that I’ve been listening to in the past month (click on an album cover if you’d like to hear it). It will be updated monthly, so here are the mini-reviews:

Rivers Cuomo “Alone: The Home Recordings Of Rivers Cuomo”
Pretty much a lot of rough Weezer material for fans only. “Lemonade” sounds like it would’ve been a fine song if developed further. A few unpolished gems here like the neat riffs of “Lover in The Snow” and “I Was Made for You” – the rest is half-songs and filler. For completists only.

Dennis Wilson “Pacific Ocean Blue & Bambu”
Like “Smile,” Dennis Wilson’s solo Beach Boy albums have attained mythic proportions at this point. The songs have the soul of the Beach Boy and the vocal delivery similar to Joe Cocker. “Pacific Ocean Blue” is an under rated masterwork here with the spiritual “River Song” and the gin-soaked ballad “Moonshine” (joined by brother Carl). The remastering here is rich, if a bit overproduced, but gems like “Tug of Love” shine through.

Ruby Suns “Sea Lion”
The Ruby Suns shed the Beach Boy-isms of the first album for this follow up. The Spanish styled “Oh, Mojave” and “Tane Mahuta” belong on an old Hawaiian travelogue, but then the dreamy psyche pop of “There Are Birds” lead you on a mesmerizing journey. Blissfully mellow experimental indie pop at it’s finest. Perfect summer beach music.

Amiee Mann “Smilers”
A little laid back collection of songs for the first lady of power pop. The brilliance of her songwriting shows through in “Stranger Into Starman” and “Looking for Nothring.” I consider Aimee the Carole King of our era, with piano and strings tugs at your heart. Unfortunately, no uptempo songs here make the album suffer a little.

Coldplay “Viva La Vida”
What happened to Chris Martin and Coldplay? If you loved “A Rush of Blood to the Head” then stay away from this one. This same indulgences that ruined Radiohead for me has leached onto this band. Long epic chords and guitar strums either work well (“Yes”) or not at all(“Chinese Sleep Chant”). Some may disagree here, but I feel this is an indulgent mess.

The Dodos “The Visiter”
Blending bits of folk, pop and tribal music rhythms, this indie band does a good job mixing the songs melodies and beats. Imagine if Paul Simon’s “Rhythm of The Saints” were redone by an Elephant Collective pop group. Highly imaginative and an addicting listen.

More indie power pop reviews coming!

power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

Van Duren "Open Secret"

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An album full of simple pleasures made by a pop music veteran, Van Duren. I’ll be quick with the history here, but Van Duren is part of Big Star lore, partnering with Jody Stephens and Chris Bell in 1976. He would have taken Bell’s spot in Big Star if the band had survived. Undaunted he’s been making music over the past 30 years in the Memphis area. His latest “Open Secret” is a collection of sweet pop songs and ballads that make for fine listening. The opener “Stars Inside” has a bit of that Big Star flavor, with hummable melody and guitar strums. Similar to other southern rockers like Mitch Easter or Don Dixon, the earnest vocals come out on “Face to Face Again” where he laments “Children grow up too fast/ All we can do is cast a long shadow.” Like a lot of adult themed pop, the subjects are varied from love, loss and aging. Elements of the title track “Open Secret” are similar to Brian Wilson and Todd Rundgren, with full strings and woodwinds. My favorite here is “Heart Trouble” where he is joined by both Terry Ferguson and Probyn Gregory (Wondermints) with a hook filled guitar melody that inspires. Van Duren is limited a bit by his vocal range, but the instrumentation is pure gold as “At The Lonely Hearts” reminds me of a Hudson Brothers ballad. More Todd comparisons come to mind on the mid tempo songs (“Oh Kay” and “Europe”). The last track “Europe” is also a standout here, with piano and guitar dramatics that bring the album to a fitting finale. Overall, this is a great album that power pop fans are sure to enjoy.

Van Duren’s Site | MySpace | Not Lame

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Tim Myers "The Good Life" EP and "Revolution" EP

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Tim Myer’s single “The Good Life” was featured on a previous post. Now that I have his full EP with the addition of 4 more songs, I can declare that this California native is no flash in the pan. Both his commercial singles “The Good Life” and “A Beautiful World” have been popping up on TV and more material keeps flowing out (see the video below). The remaining tracks on the EP include the Coldplay via Beatles tune “On Your Side” with a great hook and the slightly trippy Mex-pop of “Magic” with some nice horn work. The folk ballad “Remember When” includes a sweet duet with Schuyler Fisk. I wanted to hear more so I listened to some tracks from his earlier EP “Revolution” which takes on a more Lennonesque quality. On “West Virginia” the piano resonates and Tim seems to channel both Chris Martin and John Mayer here. Other ballads are nearly that good, but missing any of the optimism I heard in “The Good Life.” Both are good EPs showing the sunny/dark contrasts of Myers moods. No doubt he has the talent and material to put together a great full length album — it’s something I will be looking forward to.

Tim Myers Site | My Space | CD Baby-“Revolution” |Itunes


Black Jesus by Tim Myers Directed by Jason Myers

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