Millencolin and Stratocruiser

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Millencolin “Machine 15”
Millencolin is a Swedish punk rock band in the Green Day pop mold. This is hard hitting, power chord riffing heaven. This is brash boisterous punk with harmonies that take center stage. The big single “Detox” is a sure fire hit if it gets airplay. The other songs run from typical hard rock pop of “Done Is Done” to the punkier elegance of “Broken World” So if your tastes run across the spectrum of mainstream popular rock, like Goo Goo Dolls or Foo Fighters, you’ll enjoy this. Another great pop single is “Come On” with it’s anthemic chorus and Kinks-like guitar progression. Some tunes get closer to the harder, edgier with “Who’s laughing Now” – which is either a put down to artists who don’t “sell out” or almost a statement to fans, who may consider this album too mainstream. With 15 tracks there is something to please almost everyone, and fans of the groups earlier “Kingwood” album, will not be disappointed. It’s Recommended if you like any of the above mentioned bands. Listen to it streaming on the Epitaph label site.
MIllencolin SiteMy Space | Itunes

Stratocruiser “Egg Shells”
North Carolina power-pop group Stratocruiser’s new album “Egg Shells” is full of crunchy rock riffs and sweet pop melody. It’s following in the heavy power pop footsteps of Aerosmith, Badfinger and especially Cheap Trick. Lead singer Clay Howard’s vocals recall a mix of Ian Hunter and Bon Jovi. Mike Nicholson’s guitar rings with Brydsian clarity and coupled with Matt Brown on drums and Jack Getz on bass, Stratocruiser has a monster of an album here. Starting with the mid-tempo “Try” it sets the tone with heavy riffs and harmonies that almost could pass for a Kiss rocker. Next on “Egg Shells” the bass turns up the psych-pop bass line and gives us a sweet guitar solo in break. There are a few Beatlesque melodies here, like “I Think So” which is very close to Gene Clark in it’s style. Straight ahead rockers like “Rolling Green Fields” give way to the full blown psyche-melodies of “Make it Work.” The heavy rock of “Cherry Flavored” recalls BTO, Thin Lizzy or Grand Funk. This is a great album, that will sound even better in the car with the windows down, played loud. No duds here and it’s on emusic too! So get this now and enjoy!
The Stratocruiser web site | My Space | E Music

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The Rationales "The Going and The Gone" EP

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Singer/songwriter David Mirabella has been playing for years with people like Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Phil Aiken (Buffalo Tom), and Dan Cray (Beyond Id). When it was time to start his own band, David used Craigslist to find band members Brian Binkowski (drums), Matt Goldfield (keyboard), John Maloney (bass) and Kevin McMahon (guitar). Together they formed the Rationales. Sounding like Whiskeytown meets Tom Petty with a bit of The Rolling Stones thrown in. They just finished the debut EP “The Going and Ther Gone” with six tracks. The Americana roots based group stradles the line between pop and rock without really planting their feet firmly in each genre for long. “Guardrail” is a Wilco-like mid tempo number with an inventive bassline and backing organ that drives the melody to a lush chorus. Another great pop song here is “No Guarantees” – it has the power pop bounce and twang that Rhett Miller and Old 97s did at their poppiest. This continues into the awesome “Far Away” with a ghostly harmonomic in chorus and Mirabella’s vocals are very Jagger-like here. The catchy driving rhythms are also on the song “On the Vine” – it compares well with Wilco’s “Summerteeth”-era roots pop. I really look forward to a full album from The Rationales, as this is an excellent EP.

The Rationales web site | MySpace | CD Baby

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Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin "Pershing"

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Lets start off by referring to this band by the initials SSLYBY, as I like to keep my posts reasonable in word count. It’s often a name that initially seizes the attention of music lovers, but it’s the simple and infectious hooks that turn them into fans. Despite the name, this is a bright fluffy gem of modern indie pop. Opening with the catchy “Glue Girls” it has equal touches of New Pornographers, Belle and Sebastian, and the Shins. “Boring Fountain” is anything but, with a mesmerizing break full of bass and guitar goodness. Then, “Dead Right” flows along with easy going melody and the right touch of strings. If fans of the band Zumpano feel left out, the track “Think I Wanna Die” will bring them out into the sun. The track “HEERS” is a very precious ballad, similar to Elliot Smith. The mood shifts around with those perky guitars always popping into the melody, similar to the stylings of the band Of Montreal. A good example of this is “Oceanographer” with it’s echoing chorus and constant strumming – despite the goofy lyric it begs repeated listening. I totally disagree with Pitchfork here, that you have to offend someone to be memorable. The easy going pace of most of the music and the melodies, prevents it from being another annoying, pretentious Conor Oberst ripoff. On the other hand there isn’t a lot of substance here and that is what this album lacks. It’s light pop fluff, like cotton candy and that’s fine for me once in a while. If lyrics are your big thing might I suggest Milton and The Devil’s Party? If you just want some lazy sunday music, you can buy “Pershing” off the myspace page.

The SSLYBY web site | My Space

Listen to “Glue Girls”


Listen to “Think I Wanna Die”

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Respect the clap! We need more clap!

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Okay, we all know that great power pop involves handclaps (and harmonies) at the right moments in a song. Follow Kevin Hillard from Small Sins and the life of a professional pop handclapper. This is truly hilarious. I reviewed Small Sins a while ago so this video was a nice distraction.

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2nd Day Crush "From the Nights You Lost Your Voice"

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When when singer/songwriter Chris Drizen and met bassist Rick Barrio Dill at a Hollywood Hills party they decided to start a band. Then auditions for a guitarist brought them Rami Jrade and his friend drummer George Lind, and 2nd Day Crush was born. Two years later, we get “From the Nights You Lost Your Voice.” This debut album is a polished slice of indie rock, starting with the opening track “The Victim” — a mix of buzzing guitars and beat heavy rhythms. Similar in sound to Semisonic meets Coldplay with a bit of Green Day guitars thrown in. The next tune, “Put Down Your Guns” is a fast paced infectious melody with an easy to digest chorus and the right amount of modern influences. Other songs have bouncy pop to offset the guitar toughness, like in the great “Something Now” and Drizen’s vocals seems to channel both The Rembrandts and Neil Peart in the song “Better Than This.” My favorite here is “I Want To Be There Again” which is one of the better modern pop singles I have heard this year. Stylistically, the band moves around as some songs will remind me of Australia’s Taxiride, (“Walk Away” and “Watch The World”) full of confidence and energy. Every song here sparkles with quality and professionalism, so there are no throw away tracks here either. A drawback for me is the lack of any type of ballad, as the album is on “full speed” through all 12 tracks. However, this is glossy power pop with modern 21st century sensibility — a true bid for pop radio success.

2nd Day Crush web site | My Space | CD Baby


Listen to “Watch the World”

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