Lannie Flowers "Same Old Story"

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Lannie Flowers groomed his pop sensibilities as front man and leader of the Dallas-Ft. Worth based band The Pengwins from the late 70’s through the 80’s. Since the bands demise, Lannie has established a strong reputation in the Dallas area as a talented songwriter and producer. Here he spreads his wings on “Same Old Story” with a massive rock medley which consists of 36 tracks, each one under two minutes (except the last track). You need to hear the entire album continuously for the full effect, you’ll hear references to great power pop- an example “Another Weekend/Tired Of Being Alone” you’ll hear echos of The Raspberries or 20/20. “Give Me A Chance” has a CheapTrick/Boston vibe. But because each song is so short the music doesn’t stay with each influence for long. I haven’t heard this good a long continuous musical concept since Jethro Tull’s unabridged “Thick as A Brick” or Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”- and that’s a really long time ago. Overall, this is a stunning album made for lovers of musical melody with ADD. The story of these songs follow a relationship from beginning to end and my only nitpick here is that some sections are so good, I would want to hear full three minute songs of them (“Turn Off The Night”) instead of 30 seconds. The musicianship is gorgeous, from the handsome guitar riffs to the many vocal styles Flowers uses to convey the story. Be the first on your block to show this album off to your friends — it’s an instant power pop singles collection!

CD Baby | Not Lame | Kool Kat Musik

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Bryan Estepa "Sunday Best"

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Sydney’s Bryan Estepa released the classic “All the Bells and Whistles” last year. Although his newest isn’t as chock full of high energy pop goodies, it’s a more mature and even release. Bryan moves beyond his love of AM radio pop on “Sunday Best.” On the opener “Aches and Shakes” you get a good mix of harmonious choruses and melody that fans of Crowded House will appreciate. This is light breezy pop with an adult slant on issues, and a slice of Americana flavor, the next song “Different With You” would not sound out of place on a Jayhawks album. What I like about the geek love of “Carl Wilson” is that it doesn’t try to emulate his hero’s vocal style, it just takes a catchy narrative to piano, mentioning in the lyric “your voice it makes me quiver/ I wish I could have met the younger Wilson”. The song “I’m Going” is my favorite here – it’s got the dramatic phrasing and guitar chorus that makes it a pop classic. “Myself” has that high energy that recalls his last band The Hazey Janes (move over John Faye and IKE). Then it takes it down a few notches with the ballads and mid-tempo alt country at the end of the album (“Skipping Days” and “Worry Me None”) another standout is the title track (“Sunday Best”) with a wonderful combination of guitar and banjo after the chorus. This sophomore release showcases Bryan’s songwriting as well as his melodic pop talents. The most worthy music I’ve listened to this Sunday for sure.

MySpace | CD Baby | Not Lame

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Interviews with The Spongetones and Shake Some Action!

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I was amazingly lucky to get these interviews with the following power pop artists. The Spongetones Jamie Hoover was very friendly and approachable and I interviewed him hot on the heels of his new album “Too Clever By Half” – to say Mr. Hoover is respected here is an understatement as you can see above, his peers all pay tribute to the band.

Not to be ignored is the irrepressible band Shake Some Action who also talked a bit about the new album, the live tour and the band’s future. I chatted with leader James Hall ( who is working on a new Jeunes album) and bandmate, Gary Miller.

Check out the links above or visit our interview section.

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Midnight Juggernauts and DrBoKarma

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Some unique non-power pop finds that may turn your head:

Midnight Juggernauts “Dystopia”
These Australians, in a nod to the Ramones, renamed themselves Vincent Juggernaut and Andy Juggernaut. The two met in high school and played straightforward guitar rock together before moving on to experiment with synthesizers and dance music. By combining electronic dance pop and prog rock in equal parts you get The Midnight Juggernauts “Dystopia” – The group uses synths, drums, and bass with the occassional falsetto vocal in spots creates pop that with a dark, ominous undercurrent. “Into the Galaxy” is very successful single, and you will hear echos of ELO and The Moody Blues that fit just fine here. The smooth new wave synth beats of “Shadows” will give you Depeche Mode flashbacks of the 80’s. These influences continue through “Worlds Converge” with hints of a very Bowie-like vocal as well. Overall I highly recommend this combination of wonderously hypnotic synths, stomping rhythm, and apocalyptic choruses. So far the best dance music I’ve heard since Scissor Sisters.
 The MJ Site | My Space |

DrBoKarma “Don’t Be Rediculous- part one”
Eccentric and charming. Strange and experimental. These are words that describe the self produced album of DrBoKarma. This is a musical waltz through the genres-blending English folk/Pop Psychedelia that also touches on a bit of jazz as well. Think of it as Dan Zanes or Stew on a lot of quaaludes. In any case, DrBo takes you on a journey. Lets call it DIY quirky pop done by a well trained session man that knows how to set up a mood. Since it’s so hard to pigeonhole, let me just point out the Kinks like ballad “Yvonne” as a highlight. Not for everyone, but worth a listen. You can only buy the CD from the DrBoKarma website or Amazon.com
The DrBoKarma Website | My Space

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Mea Culpa "Madison"

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The pop mind of Gilbert Garcia is fertile. The band name roughly translated means “My fault” – and it isn’t a mistake that his band, the Memphis based Mea Culpa has a great pop sensibility that resembles Ben Folds, Elvis Costello and Big Star all at once. Recorded at the legendary Ardent Studios, “Madison” should lift the band to new highs and make the leap to stardom. Helped by bassist Adam Hill, this is a short album (8 songs) but it’s a quality collection. Opening with the “Coming Back To Me” it resembles a the band You Am I, even Gilbert’s vocal approach is like Tim Rogers.The song is full of sweet hooks and it continues on the smartly written “Resume” lead by a strong piano melody. However the album’s high point is the guitar rock goodness of “You’re Not The One” – it’s got hit single written all over it. Then the album settles into a bit more of a laid back position with the Teenage Fanclub-like “What You Want” and the very Ben Folds-like “Your Best Appendage.” After that unfortunately the remaining songs can’t compete with the earlier ones in terms of memorability. But the flashes of brilliance are definitely worth your ears and a purchase. 

Mea Culpa Site | CD Baby | Itunes

Listen to “You’re Not The One”

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