Tag: Top Ten Power Pop albums

Power Popaholic Top 40 for 2018

powerpopaholic

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 Top 30 Power Pop Albums for 2012

powerpopaholic 17 Comments

This was a banner year for power pop as my list expanded to 30. Without a doubt this was the year of “the comeback” with new albums from many old bands looking to reconnect with fans. I also had enough EPs this year to make a top 5 list. Some bands that made the list I never got to post a review for and others I rated very high didn’t make the list due to heavy competition (See Notable Mentions). Hopefully I didn’t miss one of your favorites, and if I did then comment below and tell me.

The Top 30 of 2012

  1. Shoes – Ignition
  2. Kurt Baker – Brand New Beat
  3. David Myhr – Soundshine
  4. Redd Kross – Researching The Blues
  5. Cliff Hillis – Dream Good
  6. Chris Richards – Get Yer La La’s Out
  7. Sunday Sun – I, II, III (really 3 EPs that I count as a full LP)
  8. Sweet Diss and The Comebacks – Emerald City Love Song
  9. 8×8 – The Anatomy of An Apricot
  10. Lannie Flowers – New Songs Old Stories
  11. Kenny Howes – Tornadoes Here and Past
  12. Wes Hollywood – Fantasy Arcade
  13. Smash Palace – Do It Again
  14. The Well Wishers – Dreaming Of The West Coast
  15. Bill Lloyd – Boy King Of Tokyo
  16. Eytan Mirsky – Year Of The Mouse
  17. Throwback Suburbia – Shot Glass Souvenir
  18. Jay Gonzalez – Mess of Happiness
  19. Eytan and The Embassy – Everything Changes
  20. The Secret Powers – More Songs About Her
  21. Corner Laughers – Poppy Seeds
  22. Ruby Free – Introducing Ruby Free
  23. Explorers Club – Grand Hotel
  24. Sitcom Neighbor – Charm
  25. Brad Brooks – Harmony Of Passing Light
  26. Honeymoon Stallions – Moonlighting
  27. Hidden Pictures – Rainbow Records
  28. Bryan Scary – Daffy’s Elixir
  29. Paul Rocha – Crayons
  30. The DBs – Falling Off The Sky

Notable Mentions: The Lemon Clocks – Now Is The Time, The Sunchymes – Let Your Free Flag Fly, Mike Keneally & Andy Partridge – Wings Beat Fantastic, Grahame Steinberg (no longer available), Conceptus – Trebly Feelings, Air Traffic Controller – Nordo, The Breakups – Running, Jumping Falling Shouting.

Top 5 EPs of 2012

  1. Two Sheds Jackson – The Collaboration Series, Movement One
  2. Spirit Kid – Happiness
  3. The Wellingtons – Hey Hey
  4. The Jellybricks – Suckers
  5. The Connection – Seven Nights To Rock

Top 5 music compilations of 2012 

  1. The New Sell Out
  2. International Pop Overthrow Volume 15
  3. The Power Popaholic Fest Original Soundtrack Vol.1
  4. Elvis Costello – In Moving Pictures
  5. Jellyfish – Stack-A-Tracks

Next up: My favorite Alternative/Indie albums of 2012, Best reunion album of 2012, Biggest disappointments of 2012.