The Attorneys have changed their name to Flying Machines and gotten some good airplay on the USA show “Psych” — they have also bulked up from a three piece to a four, adding a new bass player as well. Keep these guys on your radar for impressive music.
Martin Gordon "The World is Your Lobster"
I’m prepared to crown Martin Gordon the clown prince of power pop. His lastest work “The World is Your Lobster” is a maniacal mix of XTC pop genius and Neil Innes/Monty Python humour. Gordon skewers plenty of sacred cows here, with bouncy pop glee. “Pop Goes Bang” is a clear comment on the state of musical taste today, with lines like “Tell me, will this awful racket never stop?” The next song needs no introduction, “What would Jesus Drive?” — it’s not a hotrod folks. The next several songs stylistically recall 10cc and the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour-era quirkiness. The Gilbert & Sullivan musical experiments continue (“Am I Alone?” and “A Policeman’s Lot is Not A Happy One”) and the influence is clearly leaking through to songs like his own “Mirror, Mirror.” The silliness is also amped up when compared to his previous works (example: an entire song about a joke “My Dog’s Got No Nose” How does he smell? Terrible). The music still has great melodies, and flawless musicianship. Along the way Gordon punctures consumerism (“No Offers At All”), hypocrisy (“Don’t Do As I Do”) and plenty of pithy observations about the mankind’s relationship with his deity (“No More Limbo”). The lyrics demand attention, and even delve into abstract Dadaism (“Just Say Wee”). As with his past works, you get a lot of bang for your buck with 15 tracks. Like me, you’ll be screaming for more. Keep it comin’ Martin!
Wild Weekend Music Festival in Austin
Yup. Another Power Pop festival is scheduled for August 29th – 30th in Austin, TX. I guess the SXSW fest isn’t enough for that city! This is a definite retro skinny tie power pop affair. Among the headliners of this 30-band weekend will be first wave UK punk artists The Boys (“First Time,” “I Don’t Care”), appearing for their first U.S. show in over 25 years, and Paul Collins’ Beat (“Rock N Roll Girl,” “Walking Out On Love”), Vancouver’s Pointed Sticks, and 20/20 (“Yellow Pills,” “Cheri”) are back together to bring the quintessential power pop sound to the masses, alongside fellow Bomp Records alumni Nikki Corvette (“You’re The One,” “He’s A Mover”). Get more info on My Space
Hear a classic from Paul Collin’s Beat…
Spa "Self-titled"
I almost missed this one. This trio from New Zealand have a clean indie pop hook with the catchy single “Neil of Diamonds.” This is a bona fide radio hit with the easy going lyric “When I go out tonight, I’m gonna get myself some drinks, I’m gonna listen to the Stones, get some rock and roll, forget about my conscience, I’m only twenty-three, you know I am…” The follow up “Beautiful Punk” is filled with tight guitar riffs and Steven Tait’s distorted vocals. Spa takes a page from Weezer’s book in the tune “Growing Up” and the next big song “Yale” struts a bit like Lou Reed meeting Radiohead. “Rollerskater Girl” is relaxing simple tune, but like the remaining songs, it doesn’t reach the lofty highs on the first half of the album. But nothing here is really bad and as an e-music selection, it’s a worthy download. Keep your eye on them for a follow up.
My Space | E-music
Listen to “Neil of Diamonds”
The Waking Hours and gogoPilot
The Waking Hours “How Does It Feel”
Tom Richards (Guitar/Vocals) and his band The Waking Hours have always been a top notch band that we haven’t heard from in a few years. On this new EP, “How Does It Feel” – they kick up the power to “11” and rock a lot harder than you may be used to. “New Revolution” is fine power pop with a punk edge, a la The Jam. The next song “How Does It Feel” is a majestic mid-tempo number lead by Tom’s vocals and Sean Sutphin’s crashing drums that bring to mind Coldplay a bit. “Close To Me” is a Brit pop number with the echo and power chords , the kind Oasis used to chug out, but The Waking Hours make it look easy and it’s got some cool chord changes in the melody. Every song here is a winner, if only it had a few more tracks… Oh well, I’ll take what I can get here. Fans of Tsar, Rooney and Superdrag will love this.
My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame
gogoPilot “Armageddon Lullabies”
Straight from Charoltte, NC – the home of this summer’s PopFest, gogoPilot is the band of singer/songwriter Jeffrey Williams. He takes no prisoners in his latest, “Armageddon Lullabies.” The album is full of lush pop arrangements that have varied instrumentation like violin, cello, accordion and lap steel guitar. “Requiem For A Shut-In” starts with a catchy acordian and guitar that unfolds an introspective tale of depression. Likewise, “Electric Chair” has a full jangle sound that remind me of classic Wilco. This continues with “Quiet Town” and “Alcohol,” both haunting tales of the human condition that have great musical hooks. The kind of alt. country pop that Gary Louris and the Jayhawks used to do so well. Every song has a high quality of musicianship and Williams trademark biting commentary about life, divorce and alcoholism. Don’t miss this one.
My Space | CD Baby