Powerpopholic

Deleted Waveform Gatherings "Complicated View"

July 2, 2007April 1, 2018 powerpopaholic

This came out last month to much fanfare by the other blogs, including Bruce at Not Lame and I wanted to hear what all the fuss is about. The Deleted Waveform Gatherings is a project of Dipsomaniacs leader Øyvind Holm. Those crazy Norwegians! Like a mix of The Go! and Robert Harrison, “Morgue Itch” and “Complicated View” start off the album with quirky psychedelic rock. This is catchy stuff and great fodder for your inner hippy. Holm’s vocals are similar to Harrison, formerly of power pop fave Cotton Mather, with a high Robert Schneider (Apples in Stereo) styled vocal twists. Nods to late 60’s Beatles and Faces are here with the requiste nods to the early Kinks and modern production tricks a la Guided by Voices. This is an excellent release overall and most of the songs will stick in your head for days. “While You consider this” and “Ramshackle Paranoid Stomp” get very trippy in a Harper’s Bizarre kind of way, with tamborines, mandolins and guitar solos. “Walk on Glass” and “Ride Pillion” are very, very John Lennon solo-styled tracks that sound like they could’ve come from a Plastic Ono Band album! And this coming later on the album will give fans shivers of pleasure. The last two tracks “Minefield Baby” and “Drawing Moons” are a bit of a letdown from the rest of the album, but they are not bad either. The worst critique I can say is the liner notes are very hard to read: small dark brown lettering on black? I’ll go blind… You can buy this one almost everywhere.

Santa Dog "Kittyhawk"

June 29, 2007July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

Who says females can’t do power pop? Led by female vocalist Rowena Dugdale her group Santa Dog has released 2 nicely done EPs (at CDBaby and E-music). But here is the first full length by this group. Beautiful arrangements and sweet hooks dominate throughout on “Kittyhawk.” It starts off with “Big Bang” a fantastic shimmering guitar tune. Rowena has earned comparisons to Debbie Harry, and they really are appropriate on the next song “Are you hot enough.” Rob Williams does an amazing job all over the album with a ton of detailed strum and jangle rhythms, notably on “Belle De Jour” and “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”. The group also channels a bit of classic Pretenders meets 10,000 Maniacs in the rockin’ “Lucky Me.” This is one of those rare albums that can be enjoyed on many levels. If you just want to casually listen to some jangle pop that has a sunny sound this will please you, and if you pay attention to the intelligent lyrical themes (addiction or lack of control in relationship) you’ll appreciate this album even more. Enjoy this excellent album like you would a fine meal and allow the repeat listens to really satisfy your power pop hunger.

Unsigned talent: "Maren"

June 29, 2007April 1, 2018 powerpopaholic

Normally I seek out power pop artists that are seldom heard. Occassionally I find an artist that may not be in the category, but sends me a demo that I like and I figure, why not let other people know about it? Well here is “Maren” and she’s another talented rocker-type that falls into the Avril Lavigne meets Joss Stone-styled category. From the bio I read she’s doing alot to stay busy and get her name out. Her songs have made it on MTV’s “Laguna Beach” and “The Hills” and you can hear for yourself why she’s getting this attention.

Maren’s website | Another Maren website | My Space

The Format "Dog Problems" FOR FREE!

June 27, 2007April 1, 2018 powerpopaholic

Now this is what I’m talkin’ about, FREE MUSIC – legally! The Format is offering last year’s smash album “Dog Problems” as a free download til July 16th. This is an opportunity to get your friends and enemies hooked on power pop excellence as this album was in almost everyones top 20 of 2006. If the Beach Boys styled harmonies don’t win you over the awesome hooks will. If you don’t already own this album, you have NO EXCUSES anymore. Then pass the link over to the next guy. Don’t you wish all new power pop bands would promote themselves like this? It’s called building a “buzz” and gaining new fans.

The Format “Dog Problems” FREE album

Emerson Hart "Cigarettes and Gasoline"

June 25, 2007July 6, 2024 powerpopaholic

Former Tonic frontman Emerson Hart has released his new solo album “Cigarettes and Gasoline” – a very personal album that touches on Hart’s personal struggles with the unsolved murder of his father as a child. Hart’s reminders of his childhood past include the sights, sounds and smells – and that’s where the album title comes from. The lyrics and songwriting are heartfelt and revealing here. “If You’re Gonna Leave.” is a melodic soaring ballad that paints a perfect picture of reget for “what might have been.” “I Wish the Best For You,” is another soaring alt-rock ballad and touches on the memories of a friend’s divorce. These songs are tailor made as a great Father’s Day gift for your dad’s new ipod. “I Know” hits more power pop territory along the lines of Fastball. Hart has a gift for writing these great pop hooks, like in “Vanity” – a mellow mid-tempo brooding song that shows Emerson is near the cream of the alt-rock heap. That being said some songs are a bit non descript (like “Flyin”) and too similar to other Tonic ballads. As a personal statement, Hart has done an very good job when it comes to his theme. As a power pop album it’s also good and slick enough to appeal to mature audiences who are looking for more than a happy pop recording. Hart spent several years in Nashville, soaking up the scene and it shows on tracks like “Green Hills Race For California” with it’s delightful acoustic strum. Athough it sounds like a major label release, Hart has opted for the small Manhattan Records label to release “Cigarettes and Gasoline.” For me, it beats the new Bon Jovi album hands down. Listen to the album samples to see what I mean.

Emerson Hart Website | Album Samples | Itunes | My Space | Amazon

An overview of Emerson Hart’s “Cigarettes and Gasoline”