Powerpopholic

Brent Cash "How Will I Know If I’m Awake"

March 23, 2008April 1, 2018 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

This is an incredible find and an amazing debut. Brent is an Athens, GA songwriter and performer with a sound that perfectly captures the glory days of Burt Bacharach, Brian Wilson, and The Carpenters. For lovers of sunshine pop, this album is the holy grail – opening with the lovely “Everything That’s Grey” the piano and flute set the mood for the lush orchestral chorus that compares well to Rick Gallego (Cloud Eleven). Then the main single kicks into gear “Digging the Fault Line” overflowing with melody lines and the multi-layered vocal harmonies that will have you swoon. This album is like a cool breeze on a summers day, sipping tropical drinks from your patio. Brent’s vocals are similar to Jeff Larson, and with a female choral on “I Think I’m Falling in Love” brings to mind The Free Design or The Cowsills. This is the style of music that the Wondermints used to do so well and I haven’t heard much of lately. “Only Time” is another winner that evokes The Association and The 5th Dimension. Every song is lovingly crafted, from the duet with Amanda Kapousouz in “Love Is Burning Down Tonight” to the extravagant arrangements and sophisticated chord changes of “Good Morning Sunshine.” Then “This Sea, These Waves” moves into a dreamy Bossa Nova that is aural relaxation until the opus “More Than Everything” wraps up everything in a bow that sparkles like a Carpenters gem. Start your summer vacation early and listen to it on Brent’s site…

Brent’s Web Site | My Space | Kool Kat Musik | Not Lame

Listen to a snippet from “Digging the Fault Line”

The Unremarkables "Five Year Holiday"

March 21, 2008July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

This is a Norwich UK group that have an unapologetic, commercial American sound and a not-so-good name. The Unremakables have a bit of Coldplay meets The Goo Goo Dolls in them as the guitar strums lead the song to a sticky chorus in “In The Water (Part One).” Next comes the song “Back Stabbing” – a mainstreamed slice of alt rock with a blistering guitar solo at the end. “Everlast” and “The Only One” are the height of radio ready adult alternative style, with a pleasant mid-tempo guitar that is so generic it could be classified as a pop-lite. Things get much better with the highlight here “The Gift” where the rougher, punchy riffs match better with the James Oakleys inspired vocals. Another highlight is the memorable “Satellite Town” which laments a childhood, where a once vibrant town is in decay – the song has a real sticky chorus and is sure to linger. “Cruel Summer” has a bit of a paisley pop feel, and is full of vigor and emotion similar to The Crayons or The Gin Blossoms. Some of the other songs here suffer from a lack of “hook” but this shouldn’t put you off listening to the album. Unlike their namesake, it’s most remarkable and will have you repeating your favorite tracks in no time at all.

My Space | E-music | Itunes

Squires of The Subterrain "Now I’m 64"

March 20, 2008March 20, 2008 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

Hilarious comment on the Paul McCartney divorce settlement. So Heather gets a judgement of $33 million. The divorce judgement which was highly critical of her as witness, calling her claims to Paul’s money as “exorbitant.” The court publication of the settlement seems to verify Beatle fans’ claims that she’s a “Goldigger.” On the other hand, with over $500 million in net worth he’s not exactly playing “Blackbird” in the Subway.

Next it’s Macca impersonator Stevie Riks with a version of “Lady Madonna” – really funny!

Powerpopaholic’s Power Pop Reviews now syndicated in Italy

March 20, 2008July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic 5 Comments

Some select reviews are now going to be made available through the Italian rock magazine/web site Rockit. This is a great way to spread the good news of power pop bands to the Italian audience. This blog was selected as part of a group of reviewers for the site. If you know how to read in italian, check out our power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.

The Jet Age is an energetic indie rock band with a very contemporary sound, front man Eric Tischler sounds a little like Ray Davies if he joined The Lemonheads. The indie press seems to love them, from Wired to Pitchfork. This is less power pop, but more a standard rock band with good harmonies and a wall of sound style of production, where layers of guitars fill the audio space completely. A highlight is “Dance” – where a special nod goes to drummer Pete Nuwayser, who does the best Keith Moon impression I’ve heard this year. Other songs bring to mind The Odds or early Sloan (“If I Had You Then, I’d Still Want You Now” has that plus the Kinks thrown in for good measure). Another highlight for me was the mesmerizing “O, Calendar” throwing drum and guitar at you much like Guided By Voices. The flowing, ever repeating guitar rhythms tend to take over many of the songs (“Dumb” is an example of this). The theme of the album is of political nature and the lyrics are pretty insightful in “I Said Alright.” Things get a bit shoegazer on “Now We Are Three” but get a bit punky on “Maybe Love’s A Transmission.” Listen to the streaming album “What Did You Do During The War Daddy?” You can buy the album directly from the band’s website.

The Jet Age Webpage | My Space

Listen to “O, Calendar”