The Breakup Society "Nobody Likes a Winner"

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Breakup Society lead singer Ed Masley sings about something we all have thought about. The fear of a life wasted as a “failure” and an obsession with celebrity envy. Sounding a lot like the Vandalias meets Michael Shelley, “Nobody Likes a Winner” stretches the theme around 14 songs. And most of the tunes are upbeat with great power pop hooks and layers of harmonies. The title track opens with the energy of a classic Replacements song. This is followed by a real nice standout “How Failure Saved Me From Myself,” which emerges as a repeatable dirge that shows how we are defined by our failures even more than our success. The anthemic “Strictly Biological Heart” has pleasing orchestral touches that compliment the hopeful lyrics. The “13th Angry Man” doles out some Cheap Trick meets Elvis Costello energy about an angry guy who blames everyone for his lifes troubles, including a suffering wife. Some of the songs aren’t always that memorable, and some editing may have made this album a little better. Thankfully, there are plenty of gems here, like “By a Thread” a tale of a high school reunion and eternal optimism. Included is my favorite track, “I Didn’t Mean to Wreck Your Day” – with a killer hook and amazingly clean arrangement. This is definitely worthy of your ipod list.

The Breakup Society site | My Space | Kool Kat Musik


Listen to “This Little Tragedy”

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Static of the Gods "Cycles Follow Signs"

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[Editors Note: I’m proud to have the help of “Mike Z” as a guest reviewer for Powerpopaholic. Here is his first review.] Good news! This album is a great example of power pop: three chords and nice hooks are the rule for this Massachusetts trio. Bad news! If it is true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then this act is going to be waiting a long time for its thank you notes from Juliana Hatfield, No Doubt, Liz Phair, and Veruca Salt, et al. Still, itʼs a decent effort. This might be a band to keep your eye on. In the meantime, you won’t regret it if you throw this CD in your car stereo on the highway with a friend.

– Mike Z

[For the most part I think Mike is right, but some standouts tracks are here too. “City Is Closed” has a pretty decent hook that will keep your attention. “The Offering” has some good buzz guitar along with it’s harmonies and is another highlight. “Between Us” is a a lost Liz Phair track if ever there was one. If you enjoy any of the female lead bands above, this will tide you over until those artists actually put out something new.]

Static of the Gods Home | My Space | Mind Heaven
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Grace Potter & The Nocturnals "This is Somewhere"

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Full of heavy rock bluster and power ballads, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals are an impressive outfit. Potter’s gritty strong vocals are the natural successor to Ann Wilson of Heart. Like the best female performers, she’s honed her craft on the road, touring upstate New York jams and clubs. A great breakout performance with a lot of passion and energy make this debut worth the spin. The opening “Ah Mary” provides a rousing start, with buzzing guitars and strong keyboard chorus, all topped by Graces’ vocal. Followed by “Stop the Bus” it provides an impressive guitar solo. When we get to the ballad “Apologies” – a classic break-up song, the feel is closer to recent Sheryl Crow. “Lose Some Time” has a slight jazzy taste, and the lyrics are pretty strong here too. Toward the second half of the album, the group slows to a rock country tempo, shown in the song “Here’s To The Meantime.” Overall this is a great CD that could spell stardom for Grace Potter. It appeals to a wide audience, and given some airplay – Grace will increase her fan base in no time.

GracePotter.com | My Space | Amazon | Itunes

Listen to “Ain’t no Time”

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The Resonars "Nonetheless Blue"

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Since we’re in the psychedelic pop section, we might as well mention another great band with the field. The Tucson, AZ based Resonars are singer/songwriter Matt Rendon and friends, who can fashion a perfect psyche-pop tune with ease and authenticity. It opens with the title track, a perfect British Invasion-era pop/rock (circa 1964-1966) nugget with a decidedly more garage-y feel than most. The tracks “Your Concern” and “Places You Have Been” deliver Mod styled power pop complete with jangling guitar and harmonies similar to the early Who. “Games OF Fear” is a good hybrid of The Monkees and The Dave Clark Five. This is easily the strongest Resonars album, as the song writing has gotten stronger and the musicianship is perfect. Every song is under three minutes and catchy as hell, no fillers here either. It’s very hard to highlight a single song here, but “Sinking is Slow” mixes the right amount of rock, harmonies similar to The Choir (a proto version of the Raspberries). Great stuff here, as the other songs on the albums second half (“No Problem At All” and “Soar Snippet”) gets more garage sound, and owe more to The Kinks/Pretty Things than the “Sgt. Pepper-isms” present in The Pillbugs CD I reviewed last week. Things get downright acid on “Three Times Around” and if you’re like me, you’ll get this album and turn on the lava lamp. Dude, it’s like so groovy!

My Space | Not Lame | Kool Kat Musik | E-Music | Get Hip Records

Listen to “Three Times Around”

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The Pillbugs "Monclovia"

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I’ve always been aware of the Pillbugs, as a good retro band and in the past I’ve heard a few songs here and there. Shame on me that I never really gave this band a proper listen. After hearing “Monclovia” I have become an instant raving fanboy. Other than The Oohs, I can think of no other group that melds every pysch-pop influence into each song with the expertise of a gourmet chef. This album is a perfect introduction to the band, by selecting some of the best tracks from previous releases and a few new ones. Similar to Outrageous Cherry or The Resonars, The Pillbugs bring you a pristine psychedelic experience in sound.  Only these guys don’t just use one set of influences from the era. They use all of them. The opener “Here’s to The End of Time” revives Beatles Magical Mystery Tour era pop. Followed by “Faceless Wonder,” a mix of classic Moody Blues and The Zombies.  Gorgeous hooks are all over each song. The production techniques are absolutely flawless here as well. The Sitar lead “Good To Be Alive” blows away George Harrison’s “Within You Without You” from Sgt. Pepper. “All in Good Time” is a perfect single, like The Left Banke meets Brad Jones. The whimsical “Make Like Arthur Lee” even has a touch of Jethro Tull. “Charlie Blue Car” has a rousing Moodies meets Monkees vibe. Then “Hold Me So Near” brings us a gentle Gene Clarke meets Beau Brummels sound. Other influences include, Traffic, Cotton Mather and early Pink Floyd. I could go on forever, as this is the best retro sounding album since XTC’s “Dukes of The Stratosphere.” If you like any sixites psyche-pop, this is essential listening. 

The Pillbugs Site | My Space | Emusic | Kool Kat Musik | Not Lame

Listen to “Spaced Out”

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