Tag: Andrew Taylor

Too Many Treats: The Blakes, Emperor Penguin, Trip Wire, Andrew Taylor, AJ Rosales, The Dowling Poole

powerpopaholic

It’s a Motherlode of FREE Music!

Before the New Jersey power pop band Readymade Breakup emerged in 2003, Paul Rosevear and Gay Elvis were part of a band called The Blakes. The pandemic allowed the group to rework some demos, and here they are; readymade with plenty of guitar crunch, jangle, and strum.

Emperor Penguin is back with an impressive third EP, lots of different style elements here; prog, new wave, and power pop. Slick production and melodies that stick! Each of the three EPs is a FREE download.

San Francisco’s Trip Wire was in the middle of an album when the Pandemic turned it into an EP. Love the mid-tempo ballad “Maps” and the psyche-pop jangle of “Hazel.”

Andrew Taylor continues his musical therapy during the lockdown. Mostly acoustic guitar ballads, with some greatness in the album’s second half starting with “Before I Go,” “Just Let It Happen,” and “The Blue.” And a new album from The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness is coming soon.

SINGLES:

Willie Dowling’s commentary on the hysteria that surrounds and consumes us all via social media, and the seemingly endless sensationalist news. The Dowling Poole never disappoints.

Chicago singer-songwriter AJ Rosales has a catchy single to start his upcoming album.

Nick Piunti and Andrew Taylor

powerpopaholic
Nick Piunti

Nick Piunti and The Complicated Men “Downtime”

It’s no surprise that Detroit-based singer-writer Nick Piunti is one of my favorite power pop musicians. His music has always managed to get in my yearly top ten and Downtime is no exception. Nick is joined by a new backing band, The Complicated Men; Jeff Hupp (bass), Ron Vensko (drums), Kevin Darnall (keys), and guests Ryan Allen (Extra Arms) and Chris Plum (Brendan Benson). Piunti’s distinct vocal recalls a less grizzled Bryan Adams crossed with Mike Viola.

Downtime plays a little glossier and cleaner than previous entries, and Nick’s ability to craft a hook remains formidable with the opener “Upper Hand.” The guitar riffs of “Bright Light” are further boosted by a thick bed of rhythm, piano, and percussion. Next, the tone becomes wistful on the mid-tempo “Every High” where each high is measured against life’s low points. Nick’s ballads are just as impressive, with “All Over Again” and “Good Intentions” both looking back wistfully at the past. The energy is kicked up a notch on “Going Nowhere” and “Gonna Be Good.” The band sounds like it’s having fun here too, and there isn’t a note of filler within these ten tracks. Did you expect anything less? Super highly recommended.

Amazon


Andrew Taylor

Andrew Taylor “The Lockdown Session: April 2020”

Andrew Taylor (Dropkick) had a bunch of songs written from unused audio clips he’d been saving up over the past year and with the COVID-19 lockdown in April, he started recording and mixed them in his garage in East Lothian, Scotland.

Some of these tunes are simply amazing, like the gentle opener “Life Is Good” with its easy strum, fans of Teenage Fanclub will love it. Other highlights include “Not Running Out,” “Older,” and “When All I Have Is You,” is pure magic. While other songs don’t quite have the hooks to grab you, this is a surprisingly good addition to the Dropkick catalog. Plus it’s a “name-your-price” download, so no excuses to check it out! Highly Recommended.

Kool Kat Musik