It’s a hot, humid week in NYC and I am waving the white flag of surrender. Too much heat and too much music. I’m far behind on album reviews, but as far as singles and EPs we have a treasure trove of power pop goodies. I’m proud to start it off with the excellent Dan Israel single “The Hang of It,” which is a perfect highway traveling song, and he’s got a video too. The Glad Machine/Golden Richards split singles are catchy gems all on their own, and Kevin Robertson (Vapour Trails) has been super active recently, he’s got a new solo album, EP, and single. All great jangly treats. The Blendours are a duo from Iowa that resembles an acoustic Bowling For Soup, and they serve up some fun-filled folk punk. A new band Believe It, It’s Easy from Connecticut has its moments on the first 3 songs of this freebie. Robby Miller is another rookie with a hook-filled love song. Finally, The Foreign Films’ next LP ‘Starlight Serenade’ is almost ready, so here are 2 tracks early to keep you cool this summer.
Brent Seavers and Eric Bazilian
Brent Seavers “BS Stands For”
Brent Seavers (The Decibels) has written an impressive collection of songs for his debut album. “Play” is a bright upbeat tune, with a Beatlesque jangle and a solid hook about early video arcade memories. It’s followed by “My Little Girl,” a terrific power-pop single that sticks fast to your brain. Seavers style is like a combination of the DBs and Paul Collins, so he’s got a lot of versatility packed in here. The garage jangle of “Flatline” and retro style of ” Running Me Down” is similar to The Decibels sound, but Brent adds his own personal twist to many of these songs.
The goofiness on “I Wrote A Song,” is so engaging, it’s hard not to sing along to the “la-la-la-la-la” chorus. Many of the tunes are quick and designed to be danceable. The quirky “All the Better” is like They Might Be Giants on speed, with Brent’s offbeat lyric running similar to John Linnell’s narrative style about getting superpowers. This approach is also on “Unlike Superman,” and it makes for unpredictable fun. Without a single dud in the dozen songs here, you should definitely give this one a chance to make you grin. Highly Recommended.
Eric Bazilian “Bazilian”
In my interview last month with The Hooters lead singer Eric Bazilian, he hinted at a new solo album after nearly 19 years. Last year’s pandemic isolation has created plenty of anxiety and creative productivity for artists, and ‘Bazilian‘ feels very much like a product of that time. Eric is very reflective, even the high-energy opening “High Note” is about making the effort to succeed and “hit that high note again.” Hooters fans will really enjoy “Back In The ’80s,” a nostalgic romp back through the decades, but the question is “why can’t we hold on to all those things we love.” The song has a solid hook and if radio stations had any brains they’d make this song a top 10 hit on Adult Oriented Pop charts.
Next, “Heaven Ain’t Gonna Save Us” is very loosely based on The Beatles’ “Revolution” and it’s an enjoyable romp about the chaos in the world, and only humanity can fix it. “I Miss Everything” is very specifically about loss during this pandemic, and “Where Home Is” is a soulful rocker on “being stuck in the city.” Eric’s vocals have aged, but he’s not sounding like Bryan Adams yet. The melodies throughout are crisp and the instrumentation will be familiar with Hooters fans. While it loses a little momentum at the end, it includes a very Hooterized version of The Beatles’ “Help,” which is pretty cool. Overall, a very good album that feels like a visit from a long-lost friend. Hopefully, a follow-up is not as far away. Highly Recommended.
Underwater Sunshine and Richard X Heyman
Underwater Sunshine “Suckertree”
It’s safe to say this band isn’t named after a Counting Crows album, but it does sound like an amazing lost Posies or Sloan album. Underwater Sunshine is a Vancouver quartet from the ’90s that never got a proper shot at stardom. They almost got signed by a big label in 1997, but it never happened. Lead vocalist/guitarist John Nikolic preserved the tapes of the band’s songs and with the time afforded during the pandemic, had Evan Morgan Productions re-mix the songs and finally release them. Fans of similar Canadian power-pop bands like Sloan and Grapes of Wrath are sure to find a lot to like.
Opening with “Verse 2” it’s a dead ringer for ‘Frosting on the Beater’-era Posies, with a killer chorus “When you come in with this song, you rock and roll” and the follow up “It’s You” keeps the same layered guitar and dense drum rhythms. “Baby Blue” (no relation to the Badfinger classic) slows the tempo a little, paints an expansive picture about mediation and projection with a wicked guitar break. There are elements of grunge not-so-hidden in a few songs, but the hooks are there and they stick more often than not. Despite the four-minute plus running time for most songs, it goes by quick as there are plenty of recommended tracks; “Who You Are,” “Rusty Crown” and “Listen To Reason.” The similarity between the aforementioned bands might have kept them from getting signed before, but it’s great to hear them now. Highly Recommended.
Richard X. Heyman “Copious Notes”
The prolific DIY rocker Richard X. Heyman is back with familiar pop themes and musings on his 14th(!) album. Opening with a choral harmony, “Nearly There” is everything we love about RXH – a melodic gem about hope and happiness that is “nearly there.” The jangling acoustic guitars and horns on “Choices We Make” showcase Richard’s adept skills as a songwriter with a Motown soul, as he also does for the songs “Sink or Swim” and “The Greater Good.”
The gentle bounce on “Tell Me When” is another magical tune that will put you in a good mood, and RXH sounds like he’s having a ball playing it. Additional standouts include “The Oval,” and “Return To You.” However, like past recent work, some ballads (“Cedarbrook Park,” “Ransom,” and “But Our Love”) are bathed in nostalgia or dour mood and it slows the album’s momentum. It’s just my opinion, but I would like to hear a little more of Richard’s wild side solo, or does he only save those songs for The Doughboys albums? Still, a very entertaining collection of songs that deserve to be heard.
Francis Lung and The Mergers
Francis Lung “Miracle”
It’s a rare thing when you get a bedroom pop album that cuts really deep emotionally, as well as melodically. Wales UK artist Tom McClung aka Francis Lung’s new LP ‘Miracle’ accomplishes this with both simplicity and layered atmospherics that help give the songs an immediate quality but also keeps you coming back for repeat plays. Influenced by early Emitt Rhodes and Todd Rundgren, Lung’s style is more akin to Elliot Smith vocally, and Field Music musically.
The stilted intro gives way to the confident “Bad Hair Day” then the fast tempo guitar riff suddenly cuts to a slow choral in the bridge. The ballad “Blondes Have More Fun” is a powerful story of depression, then “Miracle” is another quiet song that grows in dense sound before it’s again cut short. The centerpiece “Don’t Call Me Baby” is a brilliant single that reflects on growing abuse and the driving hook and rich arrangements bring it home. “Want 2 Want U” is another compelling tune and “Uncommon” boasts a melody with experimental key changes all over the place. While mostly melancholic, this is a lush personal statement that should not be missed. Highly Recommended.
The Mergers “Three Apples In The Orange Grove”
Liam? Is that you? Just kidding. German quartet The Mergers is very much influenced by British ’60s rock, with huge guitar riffs opening up on the frantic “Outta My Way,” combining the best of The Who and Oasis. The excellent “Herman” has an echoing retro psych-pop feel, but with even more power and hooks, and it’s a big highlight here. It slows the tempo for the dream-like “Seekin’ For The Light” and a few other songs, but we love those big hooks and deep bass. The band is happy to out-rock Oasis on “Till You Get Me,” “Better Days,” and “End of The Day.” The reverb-drenched sound creates a really awesome party vibe.
In some sense, the mid-tempo gems “Right As Rain” and “Maybe All You Need Is Time” feel more like lost hits similar to Outrageous Cherry. The addition of jangle and harmonies are very inviting, but here is where they should have lowered the reverb volume, so we can hear those vocals better. While not every song sticks, more than enough do, and it makes this a highly recommended album.
The Power Popaholic Interview: Wanderlust
Wanderlust
During their years together from 1992 to 1998, Wanderlust had a chart-topping single “I Walked,” opened for The Who, and were critically acclaimed by the London Sunday Times, declaring the album ‘Prize” “one of the greatest rock records of all time.Wanderlust returned to the studio this year and recorded an 11 song album packed with gems! I talked with Rob Bonfiglio and Scot Sax, the band’s two main songwriter-musicians. We talk about the band’s history and how this new LP came about.