Powerpopholic

The Foreign Films "Distant Star"

October 30, 2007July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

Earlier this month www.absolutepowerpop raved over this artist and I wanted to confirm this amazing find. Bill Majoros is a fixture of Hamilton Ontario’s music scene having been in many local bands, including The Cloudsmen in 2003. After he hooked up with Carl Jennings, they started this new project. This newest creation is The Foreign Films and if you’re into Robert Harrison’s Future Clouds and Radar or any Cotton Mather this is manna for your soul. The Foreign Films stylistically sound like John Lennon meets Guided By Voices with a bit of 10cc thrown in. The opening track “Remember to Forget” draws you in and the rest of the album won’t let you go. Rather than a group of disconnect songs, you get a sense of the epic themes of lost love, and alienation throughout the two disc set. “Invisible Heart” is the cool psych-pop tune that the Lonely H did well with a bit of Todd Rundgren thrown in. Like classic albums of the past – the Who’s “Quadrophenia” or The Beatles “White Album” – this is a classic double album. During the three years he worked on it Bill put his heart and soul into this and make no mistake, it sounds like it. The entire arc of 22 songs hits it’s stride with Badfinger-like “Lonely #1” and picks up tempo and steam with the poppy Beatles influenced “Smoke and Mirrors.” Not a bad track here either, amazingly the album continues to get brighter in tone and better the longer it plays. My one of my favorites here is the amazing “Polar Opposites” complete with Beach Boys inspired “ba-ba” vocal flourishes. “Cinema Light” is another winner with lush harmonies and great hooks. Blistering guitars take over on “Arcade By The Beach” and it ends with the baroque and complex suite “The Snowglobe.” This makes my top ten list (which is now turning into a top twenty). If ever an artist deserves to be “discovered” outside his native Canada, Bill Majoros and The Foreign Films is it. Order this from CD Baby and you will not be dissapointed.

Foreign Films Main Site | My Space | CD Baby

Collective Soul "Afterwords"

October 29, 2007April 1, 2018 powerpopaholic

Once in a while, a mainstream album comes along that deserves attention from me. Collective Soul are back with their 7th studio album in 13 years. The public stopped paying attention to this band after “Blender” in 2000 and it’s a damn shame. With “Afterwords” Ed Rolland and the band have come full circle back to the sound and style that put them on the map. It’s those big clean hook-filled rock anthems that they did so well in the late 90s. Things kick off with the blistering “New Vibration”, a powerhouse tour de force that is anchored by new drummer Ryan Hoyle and a killer guitar riff. Next up is “What I Can Give You” a catchy tune with layers of guitars, a pounding backbeat, and smooth vocals. “All That I Know” continues the hit parade, and although it’s very good, it’s nothing new for this band. “I Don’t Need Anymore Friends” tries a new vocal here and Joel Kosche does a decent job. “Good Morning After All” has steady rhythm section and inspiring lyrics (“But you swear there’s always hope/Always hope from above/Now everything starts to fall into place”) and it is my favorite track. If you are a Collective Soul fan, tracks like this feel like a favorite pair of comfortable old sneakers. The next track “Hollywood” is a very Cars inspired track – it’s pretty good, but ultimately sounds like a throwaway tribute track. “Adored” and “Georgia Girl” close the album nicely as inspirational ballads. No tunes here are really throwaways (unless you count “Hollywood”). Overall it’s good, solid power pop that isn’t heard much nowadays. Go to the band’s site to hear the whole album streaming.

Collective Soul’s Main Site | My Space | Itunes

Listen to “New Vibration”

Listen to “Hollywood”

The Bollywood Beatles

October 27, 2007October 27, 2007 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

Some typical strangeness from India. Obviously they take “I wanna hold your hand” and add new lyrics. Does everyone have to shake their head so violently? I was waiting for the Beatle-wigs to fly off! More new reviews coming Monday!

Willie Herath "Cohgie Never Landed"

October 26, 2007July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

If you’re into something quirky, Willie Herath may be your poison. Taking a cue from alternative punk-pop group, The Presidents of The United States, Willie starts the album with a pair of acoustic riffed simple songs with an absurdist edge, “Sticky Flip-Flop” and “Electric Sun.” Both songs tread on the same goofy ground and are catchy as well. But it’s not as hard edged as The Presidents and closer to Weezer in spirit and tone. The ballad “Come Home” proves to the listener that Willie’s got a real voice with a soaring chorus, it also proves to be the best ballad here. “Drive” mixes the two styles with a very Red Hot Chili Peppers mid-tempo beat. Sometimes the melodies work, other times they feel like filler toward the latter half of the album. There are some good songs here, “Shake it Up Baby” makes good use of Herath’s vocal range and “Dig it on” has some good energy and is very enjoyable in a Southern Culture On The Skids kind of way. More consistency would help, but his style is organic and a lot fun. Fans of Weezers’ blue album will find a lot to like here.

Willie Herath’s website | My Space | CD Baby | Itunes

New Artists: Stealing Jane and Ian Walsh

October 25, 2007July 27, 2024 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

Sometimes I hear some new talent worthy of some attention. Stealing Jane is a alternative rock/pop/ska band with more than a passing resemblance to Maroon 5. It’s got the latin beats, impressive vocals from Bryce Larsen and a sharp horn section that moves things along. The energy of this band is excellent and will carry it a long way. However, I feel some of the lyrical content and melodies are not always that catchy, and the horns and Larsens voice often compete for your ears attention span. But on the mid tempo number “Take it Easy” – it all jells together and the song is excellent. Check it out.

Stealing Jane Website | MySpace

Ian Walsh is a new stand-out singer/songwriter in the the alternative rock genre. Similar in vocal stylings to Tonic frontman, Emerson Hart, mixed with Goo Goo Dolls Johnny Rzeznick, Ian’s got the chops and the melodic sense to do great things. The songs are strictly by-the-numbers alternative rock, but some great guitar work makes itself evident in “Supposed to Be” and the excellent ballad “Goodbye” is well written and performed with gusto. The other standout song is another ballad “Familiar Place” with some interesting melodic turns in the chorus. This song really shows great potential. I look forward to more songs with a harder edge from Ian. This is a perfect example of real talent that goes unheard and those clowns on American Idol don’t deserve all that PR exposure. Ian Walsh does.

Ian Walsh Website | My Space