Fugu "As Found"

powerpopaholic

A while ago I reviewed Fugu’s first album. Well e-music has picked up his entire catalog including “As Found” and it’s a wonderful follow up. This French power pop genius mines the Rundgren-McCarntey sound just perfectly here. The opener “Here Today” is similar to Emmit Rhodes with a classic Rundgren-styled mid-tempo chorus. “You Pick Me Up” is another bouncy piano melody with a great hook that reminds me of classic Left Banke. In fact, the following songs “Blackwall” and “Back to The City” comes even closer to The Stories, a later incarnation of The Left Banke’s driving force Michael Brown. The ballads here are pretty good, but come up a bit short compared to the other songs. “I Give Up” is a stronger effort mid way through and uses organ, guitar and shimmering harmonies to move the song along. One exceptional ballad here is “Parking Lots” which seems to end just as it gets good. “The Flow” is a great nod to John Lennon, but sometimes the vocals get lost behind the guitars. “She’s coming Over” has the right amount of baroque rock that it could fit fine on an Andrew Sandoval album. Then the pace picks up with “People” – a Jason Falkner styled rocker, complete with handclaps and layered vocals. Overall, this is an excellent album and if you have an e-music account, it’s a “no brainer” — included is a new single “Morning Sun” a great Beatlesque tune with drumming that would make Ringo proud.

MySpace | E music Fugu page | Fugu Homepage

Listen to “Here Today”

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Ken Sharp "Sonic Crayons"

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What can I say about Ken Sharp that has not been said many times before? This power pop fan/author/musician has produced a thrilling album that fans are sure to embrace. Vocally, Ken is similar to Seth Swirsky (Red Button) and Sean Lennon in tone and timbre. From the opening “Hello Hello” he lets the listener know what’s coming: hook filled riffs and melodic power pop. “The Man Who Couldn’t Be Wrong” has the perfect Beatlesque choral and guitar solos, and it pulls out all the stops, including harpsichord. A good mix of Jellyfish-styled melody with Raspberries layered guitars is featured on “Better Every Day” and it keeps getting better with each track. “Melody Hill” is a classic power pop tune, that reminds me of what The Dave Clark Five might’ve sounded like if Phil Spector produced them. Things get a bit funky on “Orange Cellophane” with soul-styled organs and a bit of a Lenny Kravitz groove. “So Simple Radio” sounds like an ELO/Abbey Road outtake (who doesn’t like that?) that fades out strangely. And for power pop fans, “Why Girls Cry” is the stuff we wished Todd Rundgren would do again. Better than his previous albums, it’s a power pop love letter, punctuated by “I Got Lost” a very Lennonesque finale. It’s Awesome stuff. With help from friends Ritchie Rubini (Caulfields), Rob Bonfiglio (Wanderlust) and Chip Z’Nuff and Donnie Vie from Enuff Z’Nuff, “Sonic Crayons” delivers the goods. Get it now and miss it at your own peril for it is part of my top ten list.

MySpace | Kool Kat Musik | Not Lame

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The Condors "Wait for it"

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Now here is a band that can rock with the best of them. If the Kinks and the Flamin’ Groovies met up with the DIY punk of The Godfathers, they might’ve sounded like The Condors. The songs benefit from producer Steve Refling and special friends who stopped by the studio to lend their musical and vocal talents; including Tony Fate (Bellrays), Jerry Koskie (Simpletones/Chiefs), and the ubiquitous Robbie Rist (too many bands to mention here). “She’s not the Girl for me” and “Don’t Talk about Love” are perfect bar band styled classics, and have a great Jam meets Dire Straits feel to them. “Expectations” sound similar to classic Elvis Costello circa “Armed Forces” with even more muscle. The Ray Davies comparisons are all over the classic “Something Better Coming Soon” and Pat “Pooch” DiPuccio does a great job of matching the energy and sound of those classic rock and roll riffs. The sharp Beatlesque guitar buzz on “Kiss That Girl Away” is what power pop is all about and “Spare Time” has a big Raspberries vibe with a Lou Reed-ish vocal. “Set Me On Fire” even has those great horn flourishes. Although a few of the songs didn’t win me over, this is a great album who’s time has come. This combination of old school punk and pop that makes the album a pure joy to listen to.

The Condors Website | MySpace | Amazon

The Lodger "Grown Ups"

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The Lodger are a melodic indie-pop group with a knack for throwback 80s guitar pop a la The Smiths and The Housemartins. And the album “Grown Ups” is full of jangly energetic pop nuggets. “Many Thanks for Your Honest Opinion” is the bouncy opener that groups like Belle and Sebastian would kill to have. This is followed by “Kicking Sand” a very Housemartins styled pop tune with all the proper hooks and quick riffs. If you enjoy the band Ok Go, you’ll flip for “Getting Special” which uses a great guitar dance beat. Every song here is catchy and mines the late 80s post-Smiths guitar jangle for all it’s worth. In most cases it’s loads of fun and and makes for excellent listening. “A Free Period” has a U2-styled baseline and clever chorus. The song “Simply left Behind” adds a bit of Squeeze and Zampano here, and is the winning single on this album, that elevates it above the average. Listen to this one first. It slums a bit on the last few tracks, but nothing too bad and it “The Story’s Over” would’ve been a fitting ending track here, but the ballad “Bye Bye” has a bit of Aztec Camera coolness as well. Check this microsite out to hear the entire album streaming.

The Lodger Website | MySpace | E-Music

Listen to “The Story’s Over”


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power pop reviews, power pop and rock and roll opinions. Power pop and even more power pop and rock and roll.