Tag: Pseudonym

Bleu and Pseudonym

powerpopaholic
Bleu

Bleu “Six Tape”

Bleu McAuley returns with another much-anticipated studio album. Of course, Bleu remains inspired by ELO, Prince, Dire Straits, and Carl Carlton(!) but ever since 2013’s “To Hell With You,” he’s gravitated more towards hip hop and disco influences than power pop. That mentioned, the album is a full on mash-up of styles, and Bleu approaches it with the same enthusiasm and skilled production work as past albums.

The fun begins with the single “I Wanna Write You a Symphony,” a great self-deprecating ballad that goes down a winding musical path. “A Crazy Life” is bold hip-hop-influenced tune with a deep beat and a catchy chorus. But where is the power pop? Well, Bleu can still rock better than most with the fantastic “Baby By Your Side” guaranteed to give goosebumps with its ELO-styled bridge. Also the enthusiastic “Love You So” blends old and new pop to great effect.

Included is the acoustic gem “Kid Someday” and “Snakes” piano melody channels Randy Newman. Not everything here works, but enough does to merit highly recommended status. One thing Bleu does well, he offers lots of bonuses and collectibles for fans, but this is a pricey album at $27, so newcomers may want to start with earlier efforts.

Bandcamp


Pseudonym

Pseudonym “Before The Monsters Came”

San Franciscan Paul Desjarlais continues his journey of trippy pop with Pseudonym. While it starts slowly, Pseudonym ramps up and crafts a psych-pop gem comparable with Elephant 6 bands, like Olivia Tremor Control. Recorded during the pandemic lockdown, Paul is helped by a crew known by their pseudonyms; Cliff Notes, Waylan Solo, Gil Gulible, and Dr. Rhythm.

“Anonymous Sources” weaves vocal harmonies and buzzing guitar riffs, across a layered chorus. “Tell Me” is another brilliant tune about confiding in losing out. While it gets trippy beats on “Shadows in the Rain,” Paul is at his best when the hooks take hold like on “Astronaut” where the dry lyric “having a space heater doesn’t make you an astronaut” sticks in your brain. The textures on “Stare Down” and “Thought you would know” are both fuzzier than a peach and work well with the compositions. Overall, a highly recommended album, that’s also at a “name-your-price” point. So get it now!

Bandcamp

The Connection and Pseudonym

powerpopaholic
The Connection

The Connection “Just For Fun”

A sweet holiday gift from The Connection – this new set of covers is Just For Fun, as the band paying homage to their musical heroes. Some of these tunes are right up the band’s alley, like using the Johnny B. Goode template for Bob Seger’s “Get Out Of Denver.” Some classics including “Teenage News” (Sylvain Sylvain), “No Expectations” (Rolling Stones), and “Southern Girls” (Cheap Trick) make for a great listen. Even oldies like “I Can Read Between The Lines” by Gary Lewis and The Playboys have a distinct Merseybeat feel, and because many songs aren’t automatically familiar, there’s little predictability. Like the title says, these guys are just having a good time and after listening to these tunes you will too.

Amazon


Pseudonym

Pseudonym “Pack Of Lies”

California Musician Paul Desjarlais with his friends (aka Pseudonym) deliver one of the better LPs this year with Pack of Lies.  Each track is a reminiscing on a painful breakup, guitarist Waylan Solo offers up an interesting story in the “liner notes” on the Bandcamp page related to it. He knows what we power poppers will gravitate to right away, but listen through the entire album to get a better understanding of the story. Its a slow build from the first isolated vocal track of “I’m Fine” to the jangling guitar on “All The Little Things.”

The combo of fuzz bass and harmonies work great on “I Don’t Care About Love,” plus the easy going melody on “Victimless Crime” is super catchy. Then a trio of slow tempo ballads starting with “Don’t Leave Me This Way” show the isolation of the songwriter, but things go back to rocking mode on “Lorraine” and “Round and Round.” On “Foreign Talk” the beat quickens even more, reminding me of The Cure. Overall an excellent album, and on top of all this its a FREE download until Jan. 1st (then buy it on Amazon). Highly Recommended.

Amazon

Taylor Locke and Pseudonym

powerpopaholic
“Taylor

Taylor Locke “Time Stands Still”

This year we find Taylor Locke (Rooney) going in a slightly different direction with his solo album, as opposed to his work with The Roughs. We hear a more of a singer-songwriter vibe than the colorful rocker of the past. And Locke still has that amazing talent for melody, plus his guitar prowess just keeps getting better. With that, “Burbank Woman” is an understated opening with an early ‘70s acoustic flavor and it follows the albums theme about a crumbling relationship with a distant partner.

“The Game” follows that musical template, so fans of America, The Eagles and Firefall will definitely enjoy this. The big single here is “Running Away From Love” and it showcases Taylor’s tight composition and brilliant songwriting. The swirling guitar riffs that lead “So Long,” recalls his previous work with The Roughs. “Call Me Kuchu” has a bluesy pop riff, reminding me of Ian Lloyd a little and the sweet storytelling on “The Art of Moving On’ goes into what it takes to get over a fresh break-up. Then the gentle ballad “No Dice” dovetails right into this picture. This is a quality album that stands as more a personal statement from Taylor, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Amazon


pseudonym

Pseudonym “Revolving Door”

Pseudonym is a band consisting of Paul Desjarlais, and his imaginary bandmates (Cliff, Gil and Waylan). He’s got an interesting bio on the Bandcamp page of Revolving Door. The album features a variety of musical styles from new wave to indie rock. “Art School Lady” is very much in the 80’s style of Game Theory with its strong bass under a jangling rhythm. Paul’s light vocal works well on the harmonious “Long Goodbyes,” and “Better” really sounds like a lost early 80’s chart hits.

A few tracks feel more like demos, but they’re good demos. Another highlight “Caught On Fire” has those sweet backing harmonies and lyrics of a long lost relationship. The last few songs feature more of a rock sound, as heavy guitar fuzz and echo features on “There Can Be No Doubt” and “Overrun.” A very solid cover of Paul Simon’s “The Only Living Boy in New York” rounds things out, and this is one Pseudonym who should make a name for himself.

Amazon