Powerpopholic

Maple Mars "Beautiful Mess"

June 21, 2007July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

I was not keen on Maple Mars’ “Circular Haze” which I thought got too trippy and tried a bit too hard. So I wasn’t sure what to expect four years later with “Beautiful Mess” and I was pleasantly surprised. Guitarist Rick Hromadka (formally of the LA based Double Naught Spies) has done an excellent job here balancing the power pop and the psychedelic sound that he does so well. The opening song “Beautiful Mess” is equal parts Mick Ronson and Queen with a little Beatles thrown in. “Listen” is an awesome mix of the psychedelic and lush pop orchestration, sounds like it belongs on Badfinger’s “Straight Up.” A lighter touch on tracks like “Breathe Deep” make this release so enjoyable. The guitar work on “Fell Of The Cloud” rivals The Cloud Eleven for smoothness and laid back California style. This approach works beautifully to a cover of 10cc’s “I’m not in Love” that will give you goosebumps for sure. The ballad “Between Two Worlds” shimmering guitar solo is similar to a lost ELO tune sung by Todd Rundgren and will demand repeat listens. There are other ballads here “Apology” and “Sweetest Dream” do an amazing job of establishing an atmosphere and the vocal overlays and chords in “Sweetest Dream” remind me of classic Cyrkle. With no misses and so many hits, this easily makes it a Top Ten contender of 2007.

The Bye Bye Blackbirds “Honeymoon”

June 19, 2007July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

The Bye Bye Blackbirds are a wonderful new pop band from Oakland, CA. “Honeymoon” is a light and cheery EP without being sappy and will appeal to fans of The Byrds, Beach Boys and classic Wilco. The choruses come flying at you with gorgeous pedal steel guitar on “In Every Season.” The Pet Sounds vibe comes across on “After Work” very nicely. “Weekend Folks” reminds me of the gentle crooning of Teenage Fanclub and Pete Ham era Badfinger. “Needle-in-a Haystack Girls” have a real Richard X. Heyman sense of melody and hooks. It’s obvious that songwriters Ian Robertson and Bradley Skaught are huge power pop fans here. The influences are prominent but The Bye Bye Blackbirds still have a unique sound and the songwriting is top notch too. Every song here is a power pop gem and will not disapoint. The mood gets a little somber on “How I Knew It Wasn’t Love” but does an amazing job with the Rubinoos-like “Suit & Make Up” If only this was a regular album and not an EP it would be on my top 10 list. Don’t miss this one.

Bye Bye Blackbirds Website | CD Baby | Itunes | My Space | Not Lame

Listen to “Quiet Confusion”

John Wicks and The Records "Rotate"

June 19, 2007July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic 1 Comment

Going through the backlog of CDs, several Kool Kat artists were released recently. If you like your power pop in a vintage 80’s mode, you couldn’t do better than John Wicks new album “Rotate.” Wicks picks up with the classic Records sound and starts right away with the catchy “Oh Yeah!” a sure-fire classic single. Another standout is “That Girl is Emily” – a great rock and roll song with a bit of Cheap Trick styled guitar theatrics. “Rotate” is another mid-tempo guitar jangle-fest with a highly enjoyable melodic chorus that reminds me of a classic REM song. Wicks vocals have barely aged and sounds as good as he did twenty years ago. “Rising Stars” and “Desert Sky” both have some great moments, but wander on a bit too long. Another great song is “The Lost Years” an autobiographical account of The Records troubled past. “Come on Round” is another catchy riff filled piece of jangly goodness with a touch of alt. country. Also a great cover of the Beatles’ “We Can Work it Out” rounds out this excellent release. For Records fans, this is a must-have CD and for other pop fans it is highly enjoyable listening. My fellow blogger, Kid Charlemagne has a detailed history of The Records and this release here.

Video: “Starry Eyes” – The Records big hit from 1980.

Shake Some Action "Live at the Crocodile"

June 19, 2007April 1, 2018 powerpopaholic

These guys are a great power pop band and now they have a full live album coming out on June 26th. Recorded live at Seattle’s legendary Crocodile Cafe on December 23, 2006 – just their third show – this live performance shows why Shake Some Action! has been steadily building a loyal fan base throughout 2007. Catchy pop songs with gorgeous harmonies and instantly hummable melodies, all performed with tremendous energy and enthusiasm. As a special preview, the band is making the tracks available streaming from their site.

Streaming Live Tracks! | Shake Some Action Review

Great Northern "Trading Twilight for Daylight"

June 18, 2007July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

Great Northern has the kind of Oasis-styled pop dramatics that draw you in and take hold of you. The opening track “Our Bleeding Hearts” starts with a nice piano melody and slowly builds to a chorus that reminds me of The Smashing Pumpkins in their prime. “Just a Dream” follows as a kind of pastoral power pop, like The Olivia Tremor Control fronted by Enya. This is followed by “Home” – a terrific single with a beatlesque vibe that lingers long after the final note plays. Lead singer Rachel Stolte’s voice is awesome, reaching highs that leaves Gwen Stefani in the dust with the song “Telling Lies.” Each song is thick with great wall of sound-styled production and like Enya, builds a sonic soundscape that starts great but can easily get overly bombastic. Mid way through the album “A Sun a Sound” seems like a good Coldplay styled track that changes the mood a bit. “Into the Sun” and “The Middle” then switches gears and gets more aggressive with the guitar work. This starts to sound a bit like Blur and ends the album on a positive note. It’s alot to take in one album, but it’s done really well. Great Northern is shining example of ethereal and soothing power pop.

Great Northern Website | My Space | Amazon | Itunes

Other bloggers have been discovering that Bryan Scary and The Shredding Tears are so far the best power pop band this year (even though technically this came out end of last year). My original review from February is here. The Obscure Sound blog has some downloads and a really great review. I could not agree more with it. Essential reading and listening.