Powerpopholic

Herb Eimerman "Just Barely Famous"

October 3, 2007September 5, 2024 powerpopaholic

Herb Eimerman was the other half of the power pop duo, the Nerk Twins. His collaboration with former Shoes bandmate Jeff Murphy created an excellent album in the late 90s. On his own he has shown his skills on several solo albums, the latest being “Just Barely Famous.” Like Dwight Twilley, Herb has a fine easy going vocal – perfect for romantic pop rock. The expansive clean production, similar to Frank Royster’s “Thru The Years” with a slight echo across all tracks. Some tracks here are true hidden gems – like the George Harrison cover “Stuck Inside a Cloud” and the Byrdsian “Unbreakable.” In the opener “Inside Joke” lyric and melody recalls The Shoes tight pop arrangements. “The Attraction” is another cool song with great hooks. However the album is missing a hard edge – the closest we get is the haunting “Our Fate Was Signed” but most of the tunes here are light. Herb does it all here, writing every song, multi-tracking his voice and playing all instruments. Other classic hook-filled influences come up all over the album. “Make a Wish” has a Beach Boys vibe and “Vanished Shadows” has the Beatlesque vocal touches that make it memorable. Lots of Gene Clark-like guitar mid-tempo ballads like “Be Home Tonight” do an very good job. Others like “I leave it all up to you” didn’t really work for me, but there is enough in the 16 tracks to enjoy for most power pop fans.

MySpace | CD Baby | Emusic | Not Lame | Kool Kat Musik

Radiohead’s new album for FREE?

October 2, 2007April 1, 2018 powerpopaholic

Radiohead fans waiting patiently for the band’s next album will not have to wait too much longer. “In Rainbows” comes out October 10. So what, you say? What makes this event amazing is the fact that YOU the user can set the price. If you order the download only, you can pay what ever you want for it. Much like a free museum with a donation box at the front door. This is only available through the Radiohead website.

A special “discbox” will be released on December 3, 2007, and will contain the physical album on both CD and two 12″ heavyweight vinyl record with artwork and lyric booklets. The discbox will also include a bonus Enhanced CD which contains 8 bonus tracks, as well as digital photos & artwork. The overall set will be packaged in a hardcover book and slipcase. But this will cost about $82 — for the hard core fans only.

I guess this is the first free self-released LP by a major label alternative band. Pay-what-you-want is a pretty common for unknown artists trying to get their name out. Jonathan Coulton has been really sucessful at self promotion with free music. Read his opinion about this on his site. Or you can listen to Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Rezor talk about record company greed. It reflects many artists’ own conflict between wanting the listening public to hear their work and needing to earn enough money to continue making music for a living.

Radiohead album download

The Orchid Highway "s/t"

October 1, 2007April 1, 2018 powerpopaholic

When I got the The Orchid Highway based on other online reviews, I expected a pretty good CD. What I found was a potential top 10 CD. Every song on the self-titled debut rings with a classic Badfinger vibe throughout the album. The opener “Sofa Surfer Girl” is a legit killer single that recalls Beatles and Fastball with it’s hook-filled chorus and blistering guitars. “Medicine Tree” lives up to the rep the band has as the Vancouver version of Sloan, with bouncy ringing guitars, harmonies and fast-paced melody – in fact they sound better than a lot of newer Sloan material. “Let’s Stay In Instead” has a dreamy Pink Floyd playing “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” quality. “Next World” and “Ballad On Plain E” has a neo-psych flavor and reminds me of The Go’s latest CD. The retro love fest continues with a very Doors-like “Opiate.” Another great single is “Pop Tart Girl” with it’s shimmering guitars and very Rubinoos-like chorus. And the Jellyfish references won’t be missed in the closer “Legion Hall.” Overall a brilliant album that power pop fans will not want to miss. The last EP “Fourplay” is also another Beatlesque stroke of brilliance, so get that one too. Sometimes listening is believeing.

Orchid Highway Website | MySpace

Listen to “Opiate”

Listen to “Let’s Stay In Instead (acoustic version)”

Greg Summerlin "All Done in Good Time"

September 28, 2007April 1, 2018 powerpopaholic

Indie favorite, Greg Summerlin joined producer Ed Ackerson (The Replacements, Golden Smog, Brian Setzer, Juliana Hatfield) in a Minneapolis studio to produce the latest album “All done in good time”. It’s an ambitious and grandiose 50 minute symphonic melodrama that tells a somewhat linear storyline. It comes with a booklet that describes the plot, but I was more interested in the music. Summerlin’s sound is a mix of U2 and The La’s with a dash of Brit-pop thrown in. After a sleepy intro, it rocks hard in the opener “Shine on Where You Want” and really delivers the goods. The hook-laden, ringing guitars here really grow on you. It follows with “Redemption,” a epic of post-punk pop that remind me of The Sundays a little. Ackerson’s guitar work here is amazing throughout the album. Janey Winterbauer’s supporting vocals recall Susanna Hoffs sweetness, and she does an excellent job here. Also helping out is John P. Strohm (The Lemonheads, Blake Babies). Hints of The House Martins meet The Bangles flow through “Just Listen Tonight.” The narrative really works on “Please Don’t Tell” with Greg and Janey’s intertwining chorus, a song that is closer to a real stage musical number than the other tunes here. Almost every track here shines and the problem is that it’s alot to absorb. This would’ve been a truly great 10-track album. But with 14 tracks, trying to follow the story with the tunes may take more effort than you expect. It’s easier here to enjoy great melodies like “Atmosphere” and the epic theme from “Shine on Where You Want” reprises in the closer “The Final Plan.” Summerlin is also the founder and owner of Superphonic Records and has amazing talent that should not be ignored.

Greg Summerlin Website | MySpace | Superphonic Records | Emusic

Listen to “Unlucky in Love”

The Thrills "Teenager"

September 27, 2007April 1, 2018 powerpopaholic

The Thrills third album is sure to please fans of it’s laid back alternative California style. The songs are nice three minute jangle gems with lead vocalist Conor Deasy warbling away. The Beach Boys inspiration from the first album has been replaced by a mash up of the Cure and the Byrds. “The Midnight Choir” is a good example of this, with a killer hook in the chorus. The following tune “This Year” is a great little jangle number and the catchy “Nothing Changes ‘Round Here” will have you bobbing your head up and down to the beat. They also recall the poppier moments of Limbeck here as well. If you love jangle pop you’ll be perfectly happy with this album. For some, it takes time to get used to Deasy’s vocal style that sounds like the bastard child of Nick Drake and Kim Carnes. Unlike the last effort of the Thrills, the melodies here are very sharp and the band sounds tighter than ever before. It seems like this is a push for more commercial success and “I Came All This Way” sums up what the band feels at this point “I came all this way just to say that’s not what I want… now I know I’ll never be someone else.” It’s a subtle statement of defiance that rings true in the harmonies here. The album has three ballads all toward the end, and the sweeping “I’m So Sorry” does an excellent job wringing out the emotion. So far this is the strongest effort from a major label I’ve heard in months, so give it a chance.

The Thrills | MySpace | itunes

Listen to “Nothing Changes ‘Round Here”