Mr. Brady "She’s Relatively Sexy"

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The name conjures up nothing more than a 70’s sitcom dad with bright polyester leisure suits. But Mr. Brady sounds like a mix of Godley & Creme and UK power pop band Modesty Blaise. Rather than taking care of of six growing kids, Mr. Brady is an Aussie trying to get his name out here in the states. His songs aren’t quick little pop numbers, but ambitious songs that expand on some nice chord progressions. His EP “She’s Relatively Sexy” has 5 songs that display his quirky pop talents. The vocals could be a bit stronger but, you definitely see a major talent developing here. And for those power popaholics who liked the latest Cloud Eleven, you’ll enjoy this. His CD is self produced (he’s looking for a label here, folks) and available only through his site. A full length album is in the works so stay tuned! He may even do a version of “The Brady Bunch” theme song (just kidding)! To get the CD visit Mr. Brady’s site and to hear some samples and a video or two.

Listen to “Prime Time Princess”

Visit Mr. Brady’s Myspace Page for more samples.

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Passing the Torch: Pete Townshend with the Fratellis

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Pete jamed with Fratellis at Austin’s SXSW festival, playing a version of The Who’s “The Seeker” — it is a rare moment of power pop past being carried by power pop’s future. Pete is clearly just enjoying himself. Unfortunately this is only a preview video, Click here for the full version. Fratellis new album “Costello Music” is out and about, and a review is coming up very soon!

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Holmes "Stop Go"

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Sometimes you cannot dine on a single entree and crave a smorgasboard. In the same way you can listen to your power pop and want a variety of styles and influences. Holmes (aka Roy Shakked) has a feast here sure to please power pop fans (Okay, enough food analogies here). Using the basic structure of The Beatles, and Electric Light Orchestra, Holmes carves out lush orchestral/lounge pop. On the liner notes, he classifies the style categories as: Power Pop, Rock Ya Body, Rock Ya Soul, Heartbreak Ballad and Little Diddy. This is a good guide, but I’ll elaborate here – Holmes uses Cello, Saxophones and Accordian, to put together a beautiful series of ELO-styled ballads like “Nevermind” and “Nothing at All”. He has gathered a dream-team of quality players here, including Lyle Workman (Bourgeois Tagg) and eleven other musicians. “Be Alone” is pop via Fountains of Wayne type rock tune. “Another Week” has melodies that bounce along with a bit of quirkiness similar to Tally Hall (see below). Although the mid-tempo songs are good, they can’t compare to the ballads here. “Gray World” is my favorite tune here, and the ELO comparisons are more subtle homage, than the stylistic note for note copying of Bleu’s L.E.O. Seek this music out and your soul will be shaked and baked by these teriffic ballads (I knew shouldn’t have skipped dinner). Holmes will go on tour to support this album this June. Visit Holmes site to hear the entire album streaming and then order it directly!

Emusic | NotLame | itunes | Holmes Site

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Minibar "Desert After Rain"

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Thank goodness for Minibar. With The Jayhawks gone, it’s good to see another quality band continue to produce great alt-country pop music. Earlier albums like “Road Movies” and “Fly Below the Radar” established Minibar as a solid rock band with some country leanings. This albums is where the group matures and it’s a joy to listen to. Lead singer Simon Petty evokes Niel Young and Gary Louris with a vocal tenor and emotion that resonates similar to Eddie Vedder. The Byrds-styled guitar work from Tim Walker is also outstanding and would make Roger McGuinn proud. Great tunes here include “Things I left behind” and “Wide Open” with great melody and harmony similar to Del Amitri. “The Sight of You” has a nice West Coast styled flavor is my favorite song here. The mellow mood of the entire album seems to be just right, and until my Wilco album arrives later this month, I can get my fix here. Listen to some tracks on MySpace

Minibar Website | CD Baby | Not Lame


See the video to the song “Crime Scene Ribbon”

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The Satellite Program "Adoration in Retreat"

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The Satellite Program is a power pop-alt country styled group with real DIY spirit and feel to the music. Some really great guitar noodling and melodies that sound like a marriage of The Old 97’s and The Greatful Dead meets Kenny Howes. More than a few tunes are shining through here, notable are “Coin-Op Proxy” and “Inside Man.” Singer/songwriter Mark Malone does a good job of adding some feeling to his lyrics and it complements the guitar work nicely. My favorite here is “Wipeout by Decree” an energy filled song with hot licks that Enuff Znuff would envy. However I found many of the ballads a bit unrefined and not really doing it for me other than the song “Rollaway.” The song “Polychrome” starts out okay and evolves into a real mess as well. But there are still plenty of worthy tracks here like “Bed of Roses in the Snow” and if you like you can listen to the album streaming and judge for yourself.

CD Baby | Not Lame

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