Tag: Lannie Flowers

Lannie Flowers and Cheap Star

powerpopaholic
Lannie Flowers

Lannie Flowers “Flavor Of The Month”

During the recording of Lannie’s masterful Home album, he would drop a free single each month through the Sypderpop website through 2019.  These finely produced demos were designed to lead us straight to Home and were much more power pop in style. Lannie had the entire COVID year to remix these songs to perfection. The hooks here are massive and make it the “missing” piece between Circles and Home.

Every song hits its mark, and the quality of songwriting isn’t a surprise either.”Don’t Make Me Wait” is a great opener, Lannie’s emotional ache comes through in the verses, and the harmony drenched chorus. The brazen psychedelic Beatle-isms are all over the Peppery “Lost In A Daydream” and “Good.” Next, “Summer Blue” has a smooth tempo suitable for the beach, and it’s an easy radio-friendly single.  “Where Did All The Fun Go” is a sweet tune about getting back to living for today, and the title track is just as infectious. Another standout is “Anything But Love,” which channels Lannie’s soulful vocal. Since each song was carefully curated as a single, there is no filler here. A quick and easy pick for 2022’s top ten. Very highly recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

The Cheap Cassettes

Cheap Star “Wish I Could See”

Power pop band Cheap Star boldly ups its game with its latest release. Lead singer Remi Vaissiere and drummer Brian Young (The Posies/Fountains Of Wayne) are joined by Jon Auer (The Posies) and a collection of superstar guests; Brendan Benson (The Raconteurs), Gary Louris (The Jayhawks), Matthew Caws (Nada Surf), Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (Jellyfish) and Mitch Easter. The sound overall is very much in the vein of The Posies, with potency and crisp production style. 

The production starts with the understated “Lifetime,” but quickly impresses with its dynamic indie-pop style on “Flower Girl.” Next, a transcendent “You Don’t Want To Change” is a nod to Louris and his style, while “Wish I Could See” is a catchy as hell rocker with fabulous harmonies thanks to Benson. Other highlights include “Holding On,” “Under The Synapse,” and the cool sadness of “What It’s Like.” Vaissiere and Auer’s vocals match well, and the collective musicianship is worth multiple listens. Highly Recommended.

Kool Kat Musik

Big Deal: Spyderpop Records partners with Big Stir Records

powerpopaholic

 

Arlington, Texas-based Spyderpop Records, the home of Lannie Flowers, Danny Wilkerson, The Pengwins, and Bill Lloyd announced a new partnership with California label Big Stir Records. It makes good sense to help spread more good music through Big Stir’s distribution. To celebrate the event, on the new Lannie Flowers page, they are offering up a SpyderPop Records Starter Kit (4 vinyl 45s, 5 CDs, and more) and plenty of downloadable music. Now that’s a great deal.



Lannie Flowers and Empty City Squares

powerpopaholic
Lannie Flowers

Lannie Flowers “Home”

Lannie Flowers is an amazing talent and despite not having a new LP since his Live In NYC album, he’s been very active. Worth the wait, Home boasts Lannie’s strongest songwriting to date. It starts quietly with the upbeat and catchy “Running.” The layered guitar hooks are familiar to Lannie fans, and the title track is a comforting mid-tempo rocker that encompasses the album’s main theme, which is that “home” is where the heart is, and wherever you are in life.

The album is very introspective, as Lannie lightly strums “My Street.” The observational lyrics are sweetly endearing, and the follow up “Anyway” is another brilliant bit of songwriting that recalls Paul Simon or Adam Schlesinger. The Texas-style comes through on “Free To Dream” and “I Got A Secret,” with its mellow verses and slow rhythms. Thankfully the rockers come back with the melodic bliss of “Just Go To Sleep,” the Lennonesque “Shine A Light,” and the wicked bass-driven melody for “It’s All Over.” And Lannie wears his heart on his sleeve with each of these songs of heartbreak and doubt, like on “Missing You Tonight” and “He’s Got Himself.” Every song here is fined tuned to resonate with emotion. Highly Recommended and earns a spot on my top ten list for 2019.

Amazon | CD Baby


Empty City Squares

Empty City Squares “337”

New Jersey’s John “Yanni” Fotiadis is the main songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of Empty City Squares. This artist has been mostly under the radar, but now he should be getting a little more attention. Fotiadis has a gift for composition and production, his influences point directly to the mid 70’s peak of post-McCartney rock (Wings, Andy Pratt, Gilbert O’ Sullivan, David Essex).

The opener “Neighborhood Van Gogh” is a shimmering example of power pop, with handclaps, layered percussion, and a driving beat. The technique is very compelling, “A Big Sunset” and “Sometimes You Need To Look Back (When You Look Ahead)” reminded me of 70’s pop oddity Brian Protheroe, but with Abbey Road like ambitions. I found “Campaign Song” especially rang a lot of those melodic bells with terrific musicianship and dramatic lyrics. “Overly Sentimental” is another big highlight with a boogie-woogie guitar rhythm that’s simply infectious.

However some songs weave in more than one style during a chorus, and while interesting, it loses melodic hooks in the process. John packs many musical ideas into each song and often the songs run over 5 minutes. Another issue is that his vocals don’t always rise to the material written. For example, “Just Play” proves a great tune that simply falls short without an aggressive rock vocal. Despite these flaws, most of the songs are worthy of repeat listens. This is music that deserves to be heard, and I can’t wait to hear what John does next.

Amazon

Concert Review: Spyderpop Showcase ’19

powerpopaholic

The Bowery Electric in NYC was host to Spyderpop Records on Friday, Sept. 13, 2019. An array of talented artists came together for an excellent night of amazing live music. The evening started with girl band Slyboots as they introduced a new lead singer, Tiffany Lyons. Tiffany has a powerful voice and what followed was a selection of soulful pop, rock, and even a Stevie Nicks cover! This was followed by long-time favorite Lannie Flowers as he played selections off his new upcoming LP Home looking to hit the shelves in November.

This was followed by Danny Wilkerson (Pengwins) and songs from his self-titled LP which ranked #8 from my top power pop albums of 2018. The band really stepped up here, filling the room with layers of sound, and then for the finale, we had one of the most talented power pop artists ever, Bill Lloyd take the stage. Bill played from his LP, Playing The Long Game #6 ranked in my 2018 albums list. Plenty of guest musicians were in the audience and at the end of the night all the performers took to the stage with a rousing version of Elvis Costello’s “(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding.” Suprise guest Paul Collins joined the gang on stage at the end. See our Facebook post for a full photo gallery!

Compilation Fridays: More bands! More music!

powerpopaholic

Power Popaholic Fest is coming on June 16, 17 (next week) at Bar Matchless in Brooklyn, NY. Each year we have a soundtrack made with songs by some performers and like-minded artists. Your purchase helps fund the continuation of this long-running music festival dedicated to power pop artists. This year’s soundtrack features Somerdale, The Successful Failures, Lisa Mychols, Lannie Flowers, Cirrone, The Brittanicas, Jose Estragos and The Pop-Coop. Note: Limited time! Some tracks will only be available during the month of June.

Another compilation that we promote regularly is the Coop Communique, championed by artist/writer Dw Dunphy. This is the third and most impressive volume yet. With an array of favorites including Josh Fix (!!), The Ravines, Greek Theatre, Son of Skooshny, Brandon Schott, Andy Klingensmith, Vegas With Randolph and much more. Best of all its a FREE download!  Between Dunphy and Ice Cream Man, you can fill up the old music player on my phone really fast!