Tag: Top Ten of 2018

Power Popaholic Top 40 for 2018

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Top 40 albums of 2018

This year was an abundant one for power pop, as it was very difficult to sort out the top 25. And I expanded my list to 40 artists. As it has happened in the past, my #1 is the same as absolutepowerpop.com (I swear this list is compiled without looking or collusion!) Overall I heard a trend towards heavier guitars, like on Caddy, Dot Dash or The Well Wishers. I also heard more male-female harmonies like on Parks and The Grip Weeds. While the power pop genre no longer has the broad reach it did ten years ago, it has become a more prominent part of the indie/alternative rock scene.

    1. Starbelly “Four”
    2. David Myhr “Lucky Day”
    3. Sloan “12”
    4. Rob Bonfiglio “Trouble Again”
    5. Caddy “Ten Times Four”
    6. Bill Lloyd “Working the Long Game”
    7. Bird Streets “Bird Streets”
    8. Danny Wilkerson “Wilkerson”
    9. Parks “Parks”
    10. Lisa Mychols “Sugar”
    11. Linus Of Hollywood “Cabin Life”
    12. Valley Lodge “Fog Machine”
    13. The Grip Weeds “Trip Around the Sun”
    14. Nick Piunti “Temporary High”
    15. Caper Clowns “A Salty Taste To The Lake”
    16. The Genuine Fakes “Issues”
    17. Chris Richards & The Subtractions “Peaks and Valleys”
    18. Oberon Rose “Tell Me About It”
    19. Kai Danzberg “Pop-Up Radio”
    20. Greg Pope “A Few Seconds Of Fame”
    21. Chris Price “Dalmatian”
    22. Paul Collins “Out of My Head”
    23. The Supahip “The Two-Sided Face”
    24. The Innocents “Teardrop Kiss”
    25. The Beths “Future Me Hates Me”
    26. Creamer “Creamer”
    27. The Well Wishers “A View From Above”
    28. Tony Molina “Kill The Lights”
    29. Michael Simmons “First Days of Summer”
    30. Mark Lane “New Memory”
    31. The Incredible Vickers Brothers “Torch Songs for Swingers”
    32. Dot Dash “Proto Retro”
    33. Tommy Lorente “Stupefaction”
    34. Paul Steel “Carousel Kites”
    35. The Davenports “Don’t Be Mad At Me”
    36. The Connection “We Wish You Success”
    37. Everet Almond “Everet Almond”
    38. Vegas With Randolph “Legs & Luggage”
    39. Matthew Sweet “Tomorrow’s Daughter”
    40. The Magic Gang “The Magic Gang”

Top EPs of 2018

  1. Magpie “Picasso on a Log”
  2. William Duke “Quatro”
  3. Nick Frater “Goodbye Kayfabe”
  4. Jackie Daytona “She’s So Hot” 
  5. Cupid’s Carnival “Clapham Junction”

Top Compilations of 2018

  1. Various Artists “Altered Sweet: A Tribute To Matthew Sweet”
  2. Various Artists “International Pop Overthrow Vol. 21”
  3. Assorted Artists “White Lace and Promises: The Songs of Paul Williams”

The Blank Pages and Mark Lane

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The Blank Pages

The Blank Pages “Before The Summer Fades”

New Jersey native Greg Potter and bandmates have been making great music for over 25 years. It’s the perspective of middle age that drives the lyric here, “Take The Stage” shows both eager enthusiasm and the trepidation that a band on the stage won’t be playing forever, so leave your mark. “She’s Got The Knack” is a great song with the bouncing melody, with some wonderful guitar work on the edges of the chorus. Blank Pages’ sound is a unique blend of old school (Big Star) and modern pop (Sloan) highlighted by clean harmonies and sharp guitars.

Potter’s self-doubts are put to music on “It Is What It Is” and “Make Up Your Mind.” The jangling guitars are prominent on “High Flyer,” but a lyrical narrative takes a while to reach the chorus. Other themes are about losing friends, lovers, and memories to father time. “That’s Too Bad” has a great Andy Partridge vibe to it. Not everything resonates but most of it does, making it one of The Blank Pages best efforts. Highly Recommended.

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Mark Lane

Mark Lane “New Memory”

It’s been almost five years since LA artist Mark Lane has delivered a new album. Unlike his early works, these are longer and more fleshed out. ”Takin’ That Ride” has a dense 80’s style guitar hook, then the piano-based “Something Grand” is a slow-burning gem with great guitar flourishes like Steely Dan mixed with Harry Nilsson. “After The Comma” keeps this style as it all leads to more brilliant riffs. A more traditional power pop guitar is up-front on “Too Far Into You,” with a steady bass rhythm.

“Greet The Day” is another solid tune that resembles Tom Petty a bit with a sing-along chorus. The stylistic changes here are subtle from song to song but so smooth as not to distract from the listening experience. In an album full of standouts “Bend the Strings” and “Open Road” have an epic folk-rock feel, but overall there is no filler here. Happy to say this is my first top ten album for 2018, so savor it.

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