Emperor Penguin and Shake Some Action

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Emperor Penguin

Emperor Penguin “Sunday Carvery”

While London band Emperor Penguin’s sound is rooted in late ‘60s UK psych and ‘90s Britpop, they’ve updated the music closer to what 21st-century audiences expect. Starting with the heavy fuzz emo and beats of “Desdemona” it then settles into the catchy “Sputnik Sweetheart,” a love song about a Russian space satellite. The brilliant narrative of “You Don’t Know What You’re Missing” is like a joyous mix of XTC and Smash Mouth, about a dysfunctional marriage. “Motorway” is a jaunty tune with happy Sgt. Peppers horns following our hero down a British highway. And the “Queen of Power Pop” Lisa Mychols joins the boys for the duet “Let Me Take You On Holiday,” continuing the positive vibes.

The stylistic diversity of songs and subject matter prevents any predictability. “Fran Times a Zillion” is a unique “sports team chant” for New York photographer Fran Lebowitz (?) and you take it all in. And not a note of filler here, and these are all songs where details emerge on multiple listens. The richness of the experience makes this one both highly recommended and a check box for my top ten list of 2022.

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Shake Some Action

Shake Some Action “Wide Awake”

James Hall is back with the addition of Corey Knafelz on drums, keys, and guitar on a new Shake Some Action LP, and just in time for the warmer weather. Wide Awake is neo-psych-pop at its finest, with a wicked jangle and the right amount of echoing reverb, mixing influences from the late ’60s through the ’90s into something very appealing. “Paint You A Picture” is the expansive opener, meant to be cranked up with the car windows down. The title track has Hall’s harmonic chorus drifting across the dense rhythms, as with the steady follow-up “Crash Through Or Crash.”

Hall successfully constructs these songs with ringing Rickenbackers but takes great care not to repeat himself. “Night Train to Munich” can resemble The Ocean Blue, and “Don’t Take It Out On Me” warps the guitar sound almost like U2. Add to this no filler, and the variety helps make this one of my favorite SSA albums. Added faves here include “Angel of Night” and “Overboard.” Highly Recommended.

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Terry Carolan and Trevor Blendour

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Jim Basnight

Terry Carolan “Flights Of Fancy”

Terry Carolan has had a long musical career under the radar, but when old friend Gary Littleton asked him to contribute songs for a compilation album for the pop magazine Audities, Carolan delivered “Solo Rita” a simple Beatlesque tune that proved to be popular with the Not Lame crowd. Carolan did end up playing with Raspberries bassist, Scott McCarl for his solo LP Play On, played IPO in 2002, and eventually joined power pop band Blue Cartoon. Over the years he has released several solo LPs that reflect his talents including Heirs of Fortune.

Flights of Fancy brings back “Solo Rita” and adds similar power-pop gems. “The World Keeps Turning” is a more sophisticated melody about repressive feelings that hits all the Beatle-isms at over 4 minutes. The slow jangle of the ballad “I’ll Go Home (Elysian Fields)” name drops “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields” in a dreamlike state, which encourages you to tune out and re-live the past. It’s the majestic bittersweet ballads that ring true here, the Lennon-inspired “Fade” and the slice-of-life gem “Watching Me.” As a bonus, Carolan is offering this album as a free download on his site. Don’t let it pass you by.

Terry Carolan Website

Trevort Blendour

Trevor Blendour “Falling In Love ”

Musician Trevor Blendour (aka  Trevor Treiber) takes the 1960s-era rock and roll playbook and makes it his own with Falling In Love. Similar in style to Johnathan Pushkar, but Trevor’s sound sticks closer to Buddy Holly, as opposed to The Beatles. The music is short, sweet, and addictive. Starting with “I Don’t Mean Maybe” it’s got the bouncy rockabilly guitar lead and Trevor’s bright vocal. “Falling In Love” and “Carly Please” are stuffed with overlapping choruses, the latter especially memorable with a big melodic hook that reels you in.

Some compositions clearly take inspiration from early ’60s teenage tragedy songs like “Win Back That Girl,” “Him Instead of Me,” and “Tough Guy.” Trevor updates the sound for today’s audience by dialing up the tempo to punk proportions on songs like “Another Guy” and “Cold Heart.” If there is a criticism here, it’s that several songs sound alike and blend into each other. Style shifts like “Rena” and the Elvis clone “A Paradise” are welcome but few and far between. However, there is no filler here, and all 13 tracks shine. Highly Reccomended.

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Remasters and Rarities: Jim Basnight, Bill Lloyd and The Keys

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Jim Basnight

Jim Basnight “Pop Top” (Remastered)

“Pop Top” was Jim Basnight’s first solo album, originally a cassette-only release in 1992, and his first CD album release in 1993.  The tracks came together while he was on tour with the Moberlys, and working with a variety of collaborators (including REM’s Peter Buck) deliver fine examples of the late ’80s and early ’90s pop-rock. “My Vision of You” is an effective jangling tune, with emotional verses and a solid chorus. “Asphalt Field” is a narrative pop-rock song that reminds me a bit of Midnight Oil, and the rollicking “Opportunity Knocks” has a wicked piano blues riff similar to The Rolling Stones, and it’s really catchy. With 18 tracks, this compilation hits a lot of different moods and styles.

Jim works his magic on most of these tracks; notables include “Blue Moon Heart,” “One Night Away,” “Hello Mary Jane,” “Evil Touch,” and “Restless Night.” Overall plenty of worthy tracks makes this highly recommended LP. This has never been released digitally for downloads or streams and has been long out of print, until now. Check it out!

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Bill Lloyd

Bill Lloyd “Feeling The Elephant” (Remastered)

Between 1983 and 1986 before he joined the country duo Foster and Lloyd, Bill Lloyd put together a series of power pop songs in the tradition of Dwight Twilley and released it as Feeling The Elephant in 1987. It was reissued in 1990, where it found its audience — but power pop fans can really appreciate the music with this newly remastered version of the album. The chiming guitars of the opener “This Very Second” are bright and hook-filled, and the Big Star-like crunch of “Nothing Comes Close” is timeless perfection. The big single here “Lisa Anne” is very much in the mold of Marshall Crenshaw and the jangling “It’ll Never Get Better Than This” is another gem here.

A few songs actually are dated by the period but still, sound fantastic like “I Wann Sit And Watch The Credits Roll” and the hard rock “All At Once You Are Unzipped.” Overall not a wasted note here and it holds up extremely well. If you ever wanted to find a place to start the deep dive into Bill Lloyd’s power pop this is the place. It should be an essential part of your music collection.

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The Keys

The Keys “Unlocked”

There are several “lost” power pop treasures of the 1980s, but The Keys are of particular importance. In the wake of the punk revolution in the UK, The Keys first album from 1981 is the definition of “a lost classic” of the power pop genre. Similar in approach to Elvis Costello and The Beat, the band was signed by A&M Records, and produced by upcoming star Joe Jackson, but despite the critical acclaim it only sold a few thousand copies, and it remains a find for rare record collectors and was never reissued on CD. The band dissolved in 1983 without a follow-up to the debut.

But in the year prior to the breakup, The Keys made some recordings in London between 1981 and 1983. These 12 tracks are now unearthed today and fit in perfectly with their first LP. The band has a slightly more muscular sound with “Crying Out For Love” and “Don’t Do That.” The recordings aren’t that high quality, but the talent remains impressive. Unlocked is a release of Rollin Records, but there seems to be only limited distribution, and I can’t find a place in the USA that has it. So just like the debut, it’s another mad dash to find it. But if you do it’s a worthy companion.

Rollin Records UK | Discogs

Spring Singles: The Lickerish Quartet, Johnathan Pushkar, Kai Reiner, Squire, Nerd Magnet, the Vinyl Skyway, Richard Turgeon, Kerosene Stars, Nick Frater

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As the season struggles to change, some of our favorite artists are making new music sure to warm the soul. Power pop royalty The Lickerish Quartet is back with their 3rd EP, and the lead single is aptly titled “Fortunately.” Johnathan Pushkar sojourned in Sun Studios, Memphis, and covered Elvis in worthy tribute. It’s been a long time since I heard Kai Reiner, and he’s dusted off and remastered “Cold Summer” from 2008, a worthy single, and London’s Squire reminiscences about “The Place I Used To Live,” but I like the Mod melody “The Young Idea” even better. Nerd Magnet gives us a joyous “Another Round,” and even if you don’t speak Japanese you’ll dig the power-pop vibe here. A band that really changed has been the Vinyl Skyway, as they focus on an acoustic ballad “Recover.” Richard Turgeon continues to put out catchy, crunchy rock, and his latest singles “I Never Loved You” and “Better With You” are the yin/yang of a relationship. Kerosene Stars avoid romance but sing about the “Purpose of a Friend” with an ’80s new wave feel. Finally, Nick Frater, who kicked ass in 2021 with a top-rated album, has some fun doing an entire EP of Rutles stuff.



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Vanilla and Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard

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Vanilla

Vanilla “Sideshow”

Jayson Jarmon, Sean Gaffney, Mark Simmons are back after a retro-pop diversion into 1966, with Sideshow. The opener “Sorry” is a bright hook-filled gem that bounces along with its rhyming verse.  The 90’s jangle of “Milkmen” is a fast tempo gem along the lines of  XTC circa Oranges and Lemons. The music is frequently poignant, “Best Days Gone” are a comment on the sad state of the music industry, where artists beg for listeners to “play me, pay me,” but “I Shall Be Re-Released” brings us some hope, as those great songs will never die.

Not everything is great, “It’s Drunk and I’m Raining” is a so-so novelty rocker along the lines of the Bonzo Dog Band. The band does much better with the lush pop of “Misery Loves Company,” and “The Truth Is Never True.” And there are more than enough gems here to make this a highly recommended pick. Definitely give it listen.

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Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard

Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard “Backhand Deals”

Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard. Say it three times into a mirror and the ghost of Marc Bolan appears! Not really. But this cheeky band from Cardiff, Great Britain is a true joy to listen to.

The bubblegum glam opening “New Age Millennial Magic” is catchy and addictive, but the lyrics have a distinctly dark side if you pay attention. “Good Day” may sound like happy pop, but “if you believe in something/we’ll let you die for nothing.” It’s punk nihilism with a happy smiling face. And the sound recalls a glorious mix of T.Rex, Queen, and Supergrass.

Lead vocalist Tom Rees has great range, proving it with “Break Right In,” a bright charmer about a small ray of optimism in the face of adversity. He also does well with the ballad “Yourself,” and the bass-driven “You” gives advice to “look out for yourself.” Next “Feel the Change!” boasts a wicked piano, bass, guitar combo that sticks in your head. Overall, a highly recommended album.

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