Powerpopholic

The Grip Weeds "House of Vibes Revisited"

August 15, 2007April 1, 2018 powerpopaholic

The Grip Weeds have been one of my favorite bands (they were amazing as the last power pop act to play at the legendary CBGB’s last year) and so now we go back to the future with the album that started it all – “House of Vibes.” This was a great album when it was originally released in 1994 and now they’ve gone back and meticulously reworked and remixed each track. Now you have a superb classic ready to be re-introduced to power pop fans who never heard The Grip Weeds. It includes tons of bonus tracks, demo tracks and live tracks. A whopping 25 tracks of music to wade through. This is classic power pop and deserves to be heard again. “Salad Days” is a seemless transition from the energy of the Who and the melodic prowess of The Beatles. The sixties style is both comfortable and timeless on “Realize.” The sound is a blend of Revolver-era Beatles, Byrds and Clapton. Every track is classic here, thanks to songwriting brothers Kurt Reil (drums, vocals) and Rick Reil (guitar, vocals), Kristin Pinell (guitar) and Michael Kelly (bass). The Grip Weeds were a premiere DIY band and now with digital technology it sounds polished with lush harmonies and expert musicianship. Don’t miss this one.

Grip Weeds Homepage | MySpace | Kool Kat Musik | CD Baby

Listen to the amazing single “Salad Days”

Why did they revisit this album? The answer is here.

VHS or BETA "Bring on the Comets"

August 12, 2007April 1, 2018 powerpopaholic

Okay, then here is a non-power pop album that caught my attention last week on You Tube. VHS or Beta have a few catchy tracks on their latest album “Bring on the Comets”. “Love in my Pocket” is a great dance tune with a cool hook and pounding beat. Sounding alot like an 80s dance band with a bit of The Strokes guitar crunch. Another gem is “Can’t believe a Single Word” – and unlike recent hits by Scissor Sisters or Mika, this music will not inspire androgyny or the ghost of Freddy Mercury. The Liverpudlian synth pop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Echo and Bunnymen, The Cure and U2 are huge influences here. And by the mid point the album drifts into a case where tracks begin to resemble each other and blend into boredom until the excellent “Time Stands Still” wakes you up with a hot guitar riff that drives the entire melody to a great Cure-styled chorus. It’s worth a spin on the ipod if you’d like to workout or dance. Also a pretty in depth “behind the scenes” for the band is posted below. The album is due to come out August 28th.

MySpace | itunes | Amazon

Listen to “Love in My Pocket”

Part Two is over here.

Farrah "Cut Out & Keep"

August 10, 2007October 27, 2024 powerpopaholic

Ever since Farrah came out with “Moustache” in 1999, they have been a nicely evolving power pop band. After the hard sounding “Me Too” they matured with the new “Cut Out and Keep.” This is an excellent album, and does a great job starting with the corny “Dumb Dumb Ditty” a term referring to a clever homonym (the song itself is a dumb ditty). The lyrical and musical content has improved to the level of Fountains of Wayne and Weezer, and will definitely please fans of either band here. The gentle ballad “As Soon As I Get Over You” has wonderful lyrical rhyme like “As soon as I get over you, I’ll change the name on my tattoo.” The very energetic “Awkward Situation” has all the hallmarks of a power pop classic. “Fear of Flying” tells a great story in the lyric and the most Adam Schlesinger sounding tune of the bunch. “No Reason Why” is a Jellyfish-like a song filled with trumpet trills and rocking guitars that is my favorite here. The tracks are all killer and no filler. This is a no-brainer if you have e-music.com and a good excuse to open an account if you don’t. Bottom line here is that this is a top ten album for 2007. Take a peek at the cool video for “Fear of Flying”

Farrah Site | MySpace | E Music | Kool Kat Musik | Amazon

Back by popular demand, Lee Hazlewood

August 8, 2007April 1, 2018 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

Lee Hazlewood sings ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin”

Okay, the above track sounds like some studio tomfoolery. Below is the real hit song with the smoothest bass line ever written. Nancy Sinatra sings ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin”

Pelle Carlberg "In A Nutshell"

August 8, 2007April 1, 2018 powerpopaholic

Swedish songster Pelle Carlberg has a good sense of humor. In his self-titled opener “In A Nutshell” starts with two minutes of bleak boring piano, then two minutes of silence before the “pop” song begins “They say I need a hit song…” And the hilarious lyrics continue “I’d rather wear a leather thong.” Not bad. Pelle has a kind of soft pop approach similar to Belle and Sebastian or early Sondre Lerche. “Showercream and Onions” has a bouncy chorus that contradicts the distrubing lyrics “I like you, despise you.” Most of the album is low key and mellow, and fans of Nick Drake styled pop will enjoy it. “Middleclass Kid” has a bit of Billy Bragg styled storytelling with a great beat and a catchy hook. Pelle’s clever lyrics are easy to overlook, but they are brilliant and filled with sardonic wit. Other gems here are “Crying all the Way to the Pawnshop” and “I Love You Imbecile” – each with memorable chorus and rhythms. He kind of overreaches with the choir on the overly dramatic anthem “Pamplona” and the ballad “Why Do Today What You Can Put Off Until Tomorrow?” didn’t really impress me. But overall a solid effort that pop fans will enjoy. Stream the entire album here or get a free download at the Labrador site (Swedish).

Pelle’s Website | MySpace | itunes | Amazon

Listen to “Clever Girls like Clever Boys much more than Clever Boys Like Clever Girls”

Listen to “I Love You Imbecile”