The Power Popaholic Top 25 Albums of 2020

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  1. Joe Giddings “Better From Here”
  2. Ice Cream Hands “No Weapon But Love”
  3. The Szuters “Sugar”
  4. Joey Molland “Be True To Yourself”
  5. Rick Hromadka “Better Days”
  6. Drake Bell “The Lost Album”
  7. The Weeklings “3”
  8. Nick Piunti and The Complicated Men “Downtime”
  9. Gary Ritchie “Head On A Swivel”
  10. The Bye Bye Blackbirds “Boxer At Rest”
  11. The Overtures “Onceinaworld”
  12. Keith Slettedahl “You Know You Know”
  13. The Lees Of Memory “Moon Shot”
  14. Emperor Penguin “Soak UpThe Gravy”
  15. Diamond Hands “III”
  16. Kurt Baker “After Party”
  17. Disq “Collector”
  18. The Empty Hearts “Second Album”
  19. Coke Belda “4”
  20. The Explorers Club “The Explorers Club”
  21. Goodman “Goodman Versus The Nostalgia Machine”
  22. Timmy Sean “A Tale From The Other Side” Part I
  23. Successful Failures “Pack Up Your Shadows”
  24. Mo Troper “Natural Beauty”
  25. Brendan Benson “Dear Life”

Overall, a really good year for power pop and the pandemic has allowed many artists to write themes about love and hope (Rick Hromadka and Ice Cream Hands). The differences in ranking from 1 – 25 are very, very small. There was also a strong return to “traditional” power pop this year, meaning sounds that emulated The Beatles’ style and spirit (The Szuters, Weeklings, Gary Ritchie, The Overtures). Some albums that were not rated a “9” grew as I listened to them again and others did the opposite. Emotionally charged debuts from Disq and Keith Slettedahl broke through for me. I spent a lot of time on a video giving snippets of each artist, so you can get a quick listen to each.

The best of the rest… I will not spend time ranking them, but everyone here could have squeezed into my top 25 easily.

Biggest disappointments of 2020

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Just let me start by saying this isn’t a “worst albums” list but a collection of mediocre albums that I will likely not listen to again. I tend to pick on established stars who should’ve known better. Let the hate mail flow…

 

Billy Bremner

Billy Bremner “Rockfiles: A Tribute to Rockpile”
Bremner paying tribute to his old band Rockpile (with Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds) sounds like a decent idea, but he can’t pull it off. Musically it sounds like a lame cover band, and Bremner’s vocals just aren’t up to snuff — it’ll have you reaching for the original almost instantly.

 

Kevin Godley

Kevin Godley “Muscle Memory”
Godley was an integral part of 10cc, one of the most innovative rock bands of the ’70s. Unlike his counterpart, Graham Gouldman who’s done a great job this year with a new album, Godley’s work is as non-melodic and experimentally boring as can be. Godley’s vocal is still impressive, and it makes the experience listenable. Barely. “Periscope” is the only tolerable tune here.

 

Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello “Hey Clockface”
Many critics fall over to the “master craftsman” who mixes styles and moods “brilliantly.” This scattershot mess feels like a series of loose demos. He goes for weird moody Arabic instrumentals, ballads he croaks out (his vocals are shot), and tin-pan alley pop that seems better suited to Randy Newman or Leon Redbone. The song “Radio is Everything” has him doing narrative poetry. Maybe he thinks he’s Bob Dylan now? His one “angry old man” song “No Flag” is pure cacophony compared to his last album Look Now.

 

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney “III”
Sir Paul figures he could just indulge himself, playing lots of loose jams and sketches. But unlike McCartney which was a home-tooled response to The Beatles, and McCartney II which was an attempt to incorporate new music trends, “III” feels like he’s noodling around and bored. The septuagenarian multi-millionaire pop star still has legendary talent, as “Seize the Day” proves he can still fart out good music whenever he wants to. But after all that promotional build-up, he’s just taking it easy here. Ho hum.

 

The top 25 best power pop of 2020 is coming soon…

The Empty Hearts and The Midnight Callers

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The Empty Hearts

The Empty Hearts “The Second Album”

The Empty Hearts is a supergroup full of veteran musicians; Wally Palmar (The Romantics) on lead vocals, Elliot Easton (The Cars) on lead guitar, Clem Burke (Blondie) on drums, and Andy Babiuk (The Chesterfield Kings) on bass. The band’s sound is rooted in 60s classic rock and blues, and it’s delivered with high energy.

“Coat Tailer” is a sweet anthemic opener with the beautiful riff leading the main hook. It also helps that all four band members know Ringo Starr, who plays on “Remember Days Like These,” which has a bit of Wilburys vibe. The band’s cool cannot be denied with the horror-themed “Jonathan Harker’s Journal” and the hooks are all over “If I Could Change Your Mind” and “Come On And Try It.” The mood shifts with the smooth harmonies on “The World As We Know It Moves On,” and again on “Death By Insomnia” which feels like a sequel to The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.” The finale “Indigo Dusk Of The Night” goes in a Fab-like psychedelic direction too. The production is pristine, without a wasted note. It also makes my Top Ten nominee list. Highly recommended, don’t miss it!

Amazon

The Midnight Callers

The Midnight Callers “Red Letter Glow”

The New York-based  Midnight Callers boasts a pile of diverse influences and occupies a space within power pop that puts more emphasis on the “power” and it will knock you over if you’re not ready for it. Fans of Meatloaf, Sweet, Cheap Trick, Kinks, and Buffalo Springfield will really grow to love this excellent debut.  The band is comprised of Chris Paine (rhythm guitar), Martin Stubbs (lead guitar), Julien Budrino (drums), and Marley Myrianthopoulos (bass). 

The fast tempo on “41 Miles To Roscoe” delivers those fantastic riffs right away, and “Down On Luck” bring those classic rock harmonies to the forefront. “I Need You” has a great driving riff that would’ve made the song a massive hit if it was released in 1978. The styles are diverse enough to keep you engaged throughout the entire album. “River Rise” is another gem with a bed of guitars supporting a soaring lead vocal, and “State of Mind” has a jangle and energy similar to The Grip Weeds (no coincidence, since Kurt Reil is listed as a producer.) The band doesn’t slow down until the plaintive “Do We Need It.” The production is great and most of the songs hit their mark. Highly Recommended!

Amazon

 

Mike Viola and Drake Bell

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Mike Viola

Mike Viola “Godmuffin”

Mike Viola (Candy Butchers) returns to a more conventional rock and pop sound, but the years of producing others and his own experimentation have left their mark. Written and recorded alone in Viola’s home studio his songwriting remains in top-notch form starting with “USA Up All Night” a slice of life that brings to life the stress and isolation (“…all of the bars are closed”) of the time. “Creeper” (in response to the passing of friend Adam Schlesinger) adds menace to the story, and “Drug Rug” is a catchy look back at his early days in the music biz and the parties where you “get lost.” 

Viola has an air of tragedy that swirls around each song as he dives into fatherhood, “We May Never Be This Young Again” but the pain of loss on “All You Can Eat” is palpable. The introspection gets more impassioned on “People Pleaser, You’re The Man of The House” and some hope is expressed on “Ordinary Girl.” A downer of an album, but also very well done. Highly Recommended!

Amazon

Drake Bell

Drake Bell “The Lost Album”

Early in 2007 — Drake Bell delivered a debut pop album It’s Only Time and it blew me away at the time. But for the follow-up — Drake lost the computer hard drive where all the new songs were stored. “I thought the songs would never be heard again,” the now 33-year-old says. So he started over, writing and recording the rockabilly-influenced Ready Set Go! in 2014. But then one day he found that damaged hard drive, and recovered all those songs. For Drake, it was like opening up a time capsule.

Bell’s follow up to that debut continues his melodic mastery and it’s brilliantly upbeat. “You Want Me” is soul-inspired power pop with horns supporting his layered vocal harmonies. The piano flirtation “On To You” and “It’s Never Over” are comparable to Wyatt Funderburk for pop bounce and sly humor. “Sail On” is a grand epic ballad in the Brian Wilson mode, and “Nowhere Else To Go” injects ‘70s pop-funk akin to the Jackson 5. He adds a few country-pop tunes as well. Every song shines bright, and it’s a contender for this year’s top ten for sure. Better late than never and Highly Recommended.

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Merry Christmas, Power Popaholics!

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Here is my 20 min. Christmas show from 11L Radio New York International that aired last week.

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