Tag: Ryan Allen

Ryan Allen and Teen Creeps

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Emperor Penguin

Ryan Allen “What A Rip!”

Detroit’s Ryan Allen is back without his band Extra Arms, and his power-pop tendencies are more accentuated here. Starting with “Get To The Gig” it’s a rocking good time akin to The Velvet Crush and Sloan. “Already Gone” keeps the energy flowing with a rock and blues approach and “Feeling You Feeling Me” eases into a jangling rhythm, and those late sixties influences start to leak in. “On My Mind” is the catchy follow-up with an infectious hook that gets you right away and before you know it we are at the halfway mark.

Next, we have a slower tempo palette cleanser, “Election Night” which is highlighted with acoustic and electric overlapping leads. His love of ’70s rock (“VTO”) and late-era Beatles (“Only Son”) are also evident in the baroque “Shannon Cake” which has lots of sweet backing harmonies, minor chords, and quirky poetic lyrics. Although Ryan tries several styles, each song is carefully constructed. Overall a lot of stuff to love here, and that makes it a highly recommended album.

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Emperor Penguin

Teen Creeps “Forever”

Belgian trio Teen Creeps channel the late ’90s grunge and indie-rock effectively. Fans of Nirvana, Hüsker Dü, and Pavement will enjoy the pleasing fuzzy guitar textures here.  “Seeing Shapes” starts us off with a strong lead and percussive combination. The vocals are buried under this, but the energy is effective. “Signal Dream” is a little more laidback, with a compelling chorus.

While there are requisite punk tunes (“Fall Out” and “Tourist”) it doesn’t take over the album, and the grungy drones of “Brothers” are more commonly heard. “Hideaway” brings to mind The Replacements, and “Toughen Up” combines the mellow and adds in a strong chorus to make it a highlight. The title track follows a similar formula, making this an album that deserves to be heard.

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Dana Countryman and Ryan Allen

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Exploding Flowers

Dana Countryman “Come Into My Studio”

Dana Countryman is a true craftsman of retro adult pop, and for his latest album, he literally takes you on a “tour” of his musical menagerie with plenty of contributing guests; Brian Gari, Ronnie D’Addario, Dee Long, Probyn Gregory, Matt Tyson, Kai Danzberg, Chad Quist, Scott Bennett, Scott McPherson, Tricia Countryman and Kirkcaldy McKenzie.

This album is really for fans of glossy AM pop in the vein of The Carpenters, Captain & Tennille, and Christopher Cross. “Come Into My Studio” is a breezy intro, and then the catchy “Take A Little Chance” sparkles through the speakers, much like those boy-girl pop gems Neil Sedaka used to write. The hooks are all over highlights like “Ecstasy,” “Where Can My Baby Be?” And “Every Time You Break My Heart.” The early Beatle-isms are all over the gem “Better Let Her Go,” and “Same Old Dream” is like an old variety show routine, with a tap dance interlude!

Several tunes bring to mind TV themes, like “It Happens Every Time” and “You Gotta Love Jeanne Marie.” Dana’s music can sometimes be a bit too much treacle for some, but he’s controlled those impulses here. That makes it a highly enjoyable and recommended gem!

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Ryan Alen Extra Arms

Ryan Allen “Song Snacks Vol. 1”

Ryan Allen takes a page from the Guided By Voices playbook and create a bevy of very short songs bursting with energy and creativity. And like his hero Robert Pollard, Allen does a great job. “Inventing Sports,” “Luke Warm” and “Barking Up The Right Tree” are excellent power-pop tunes that maintain the Extra Arms sound with a touch of GBV lo-fi fuzz and they seamlessly flow together. Similar to Nick Frater’s 59 Vignettes these songs are no longer than one to 2-minute sketches, and with a bit more flesh on the bones. Ryan was also influenced by The Wrens and  Olivia Tremor Control in style and production.

Lots of fun to be had here, from the driving riffs of “Trash Mountain” and “Gem City” to the glam goodness of “You’ve Been Electrocuted.” The music alternates between these louder songs and softer acoustic rhythms on songs like “Raspberry Ghost,” which really deserve a longer treatment. While not everything is gold here, there is more than enough to recommend. This has been a banner year for short attention spans with Ryan Allen, Nick Frater, and 2nd Grade. It’s all music that deserves to be heard.

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Singles: The Cudas, Ryan Allen, Empty City Squares, Mike Daly, The James Rocket, The Starbems, Chris Church, Vanilla, Richard Turgeon

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A boatload of great new singles! Check these out… and some are FREE downloads!

This is some great power pop hero worship with strong riffs. The Cudas deserve kudos for this!

Fresh after working with Nick Puinti on his new LP, Ryan Allen gets to work on his own music for a cause. 100% of the proceeds for downloading these songs will go to the Black Lives Matter movement.

New Jersey band Empty City Squares describes a world that is spinning off its axis thanks to COVID-19. The band also has a single out exclusively with Big Stir Records called “Parmenides” which is quite good.

Mike Daly is releasing a somber song for these troubled times. A bit depressing, but “I guess this is my life now, I hope that it lasts.”

NY based The James Rocket does it all right; wearing a mask, washing your hands, social distancing, and getting freakin’ frustrated with the whole thing,

Japanese power-pop-punk band The Starbems are part Knack and part Ramones. This single kicks ass all over the place.
Frank Burns was a band in the mid-90s that existed just long enough to record two songs. North Carolina’s Chris Church was part of that effort and delivers these rare artifacts. But why name your band after the most annoying character from M.A.S.H.?

Jayson Jarmon from Vanilla has a knack for tasty power pop. I love both the catchy “Easy As Pi” and the Western-styled pop of “Easy.”


West coast rocker Richard Turgeon keeps cranking out material for his new upcoming LP.

Jeff Lynne’s ELO and Extra Arms

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Jeff Lynne's ELO

Jeff Lynne’s ELO “Out Of Nowhere”

As a lifelong ELO fan, it’s a wonderful thing that the 71-year-old, semi-retired Jeff Lynne is still churning out enjoyable music. Like 2015’s Alone in the Universe, this is Jeff’s solo as ELO again (although keyboardist Richard Tandy assists on one tune) and playing every instrument. And while it’s a solid outing, please do not compare it to the highs of the band from 30 years ago. But this version of ELO is like comfort food on a cold night, and we should all savor each note.

The title track is a little a simple melody that recalls those Beatlesque days, but it doesn’t really stick. “Help Yourself” is a bit better, with its layered chorus and Jeff’s timeless mantra “You never change/you just keep on being you/you’ve got to help yourself.” The next few tunes feel like Jeff’s coasting a bit. But “Losing You” is gorgeously composed, it’s slow tempo is reminiscent of “Strange Magic.” Then Jeff comes to life with the rocker “One More Time,” and with it a neat series of synth, piano and guitar breaks. The futuristic fast tempos of “Sci-Fi Woman” and “Time of Our Life” both boast solid verses, hooks and sound like outtakes from the Time album. I have no doubt that some will compare this to the fuller sound and production of the past and come away disappointed. But as a Jeff Lynne fan, it grows on you, like most everything he does. Highly Recommended.

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Extra Arms

Extra Arms “Up From Here”

Ryan Allen makes this a full band effort by removing his name from the headline, and the band is simply Extra Arms. It’s first-rate punk-pop that fans of Green Day or Superdrag will embrace quickly. The first few tunes are barely scraping a minute and a half each. “F.L.Y.” is a joyous middle age piss and vinegar rant that opens things up quickly. “Secret Friend” churns out the fuzz chords and its another winner that you can sing along to.

Extra Arms heavy and fast riffs layered with Allen’s rough vocal are what power pop bands can aspire to, “Comes In Waves” and “No Enemies” keep the driving guitars and pounding rhythm flowing. The thick bass slows the tempo on “Space Jam,” which buries its jangle under reverb and finishes with a sweet acoustic coda. “Up From Here” is another winner, with the biggest, catchiest hooks on the album (maybe this should’ve been the first track?). This slim 8 track LP has no filler and it’s highly recommended. Play it on a loop for the full effect!

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Extra Arms and Stephen Chopek

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Extra Arms

Extra Arms “Headacher”

Formerly known as Ryan Allen & His Extra Arms, the band has transformed from a solo project to a full-fledged rock band. The group has moved from the raw garage sound of Basement Punk to a polished indie-rock vibe similar to Nick Piunti. Ryan still knows how to craft killer hooks, like the amazing riff-driven “Done To Death.”

The heavy rhythm guitars still layer songs, so “Under Surveillance” and “Why I Run” sounds like the Foo Fighters, Oasis and Squeeze partying together. The variety is due to the new band dynamic with Ryan joined by bandmates Michael Gallacher (guitar), Ryan Marshall (bass) and Sean Sommer (drums). It’s also consistently great with lots of highlights including “Old Heads” and “Push The Button” being power pop standouts. Highly Recommended.

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Stephen Chopek

Stephen Chopek “Begin The Glimmer”

Stephen Chopek was originally trained as a drummer. After touring with major acts (John Mayer, Jesse Malin, Marc Broussard) he decided to learn how to play guitar and write songs. And after busting his hump in New York City he’s already on his third album.

Chopek is somewhere between folk-pop and power pop on Begin the Glimmer. Starting with the careful strum and steady beat of “Make of Puzzles” the shimmering chorus and layered guitar notes fit comfortably together. The catchy “Radio Caroline” is written about UK pirate station in the early ’60s defying the BBC. The layered strumming continues with the solid “Places and Things.”

Things eventually slow to a more folk speed, but it picks up with “The Ballad of Cash & Dean” a Paul Simon-like song about two iconic men in black. He does break out a hard riff for “Thoughts Are Thinking” and overall this is a very good album that deserves to be heard.

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