Power Pop Review

So Sad About Jan

noreply@blogger.com (MrQwerty) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:21:00 +0000

We interrupt our long and protracted report back from the International Pop Overthrow Festival (yes believe it or not we're still working on it – life's been one hell of a bitch this year) to bring you some sad news.

Whilst away in the USA on our annual sojourn to visit Debra47's family and friends we learnt the shocking and devastating news that Gianfranco 'Jan' Pinto, who played keyboards with our friends, the mucho groovtastic psyche and pop band The June, died suddenly on October 26th.

Jan augmented The June when they appeared live, adding crucial keys and vocals to swell out the band's live sound to approximate the rich, multifaceted swirling atmosphere achieved on record.

Unbeknown to us, Jan, an unassuming figure who mainly conversed with us in his native Italian was not only a major figure on the Italian Rock scene going back to the late 60's/Early 70's, but also as an elder statesman of the Italian scene itself and was not adverse to helping out any number of contemporary artists in his native country, including Perdio, Shout, The Soul Busters Band and of course The June.

Best known (particularly to friends I have into deepest prog) for being the keyboard player/vocalist and composer in the remarkable (guitarless except for bass) Italian Prog Rock band Madrugada. The band made two fascinating albums for Phonogram in the mid 70's, although they began as far back as 1970 when Jan must have only been a teenager. The second side of their self named debut album stands as quite a beacon amongst prog fans, which I recommend you seek out. I have a shaky copy digitised from vinyl, but their 2nd album 'Incastro' can be found in pristine form as part of the gargantuan 'Progressive Italia' on Volume 5 (itself a 6CD set). Find more info on this volume and the rest of the vast collection here.

Not content with having founded one of the premier prog bands of the era, Jan went on to work with Adriano Pappalardo (Aphrodite's Child), Roberta Flack and Brian Auger to name but a few. Interspersed with these high profile gigs were periods of teaching, music programming, arranging and solo work.

The June recognise that a talent as big as Jan's cannot be replaced, so 'live' they will continue with their original core 3 piece line-up. On record the keyboard parts will be played by Chris Raven (as they always have been).

Jan's passing leaves a big gap in Italian Rock and the lives of his friends, nearest and dearest – he will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him.

Links
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Jan's own website: http://www.gianfrancopinto.com/

The June on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/thejuneband

The June on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-JUNE/288144107878461
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And Now The Magic Really Begins...

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:06:00 +0000

Onward for our second day at the Liverpool International Pop Overthrow Festival 2011 (and the fourth actual day of the festival itself) and things begin to heat up as we invade the weekend space with more choice acts in one day than you could shake a ridiculously large stick at.

We saw around 15 acts today, 2 of them twice and one we've omitted as some weeks on we've forgotten what they were like and failed to make any notes at the time. Oops...

We will combine reviews where we saw an artist more than once and indicate thus: (x2 ) - but we'll comment as though it were one performance, with some deviations, naturally.

We can heartily recommend Garcia's Restaurant on Victoria Street for a great breakfast and a good start to the day.

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Friday

Cardinal Jack – Things began much earlier than the previous day with a post brunch stroll into the Cavern Pub and a chance to have a look at a bunch of young upstarts from London who regale under the collective moniker: 'Cardinal Jack'. Whether this non de plume is due in part to some veiled repressed Catholic upbringing is never disclosed. This didn't prevent our enjoyment of the music however. One is first struck by their youthful energy and mettle, but more than that, and uncompromising sound which all at once both repels and endears you to their message of 'bang, bang, shout, fall over' (their words).

Their angular, stop/start motion, rhythmical song construction is often a front for attractive melody lines which waft in and out of consciousness and particularly come together on songs like 'Green Eyed Boy'. Even more so is the hit laying in wait, the insistent 'Moving' which is particularly enticing. Think frantic early new wave, with nods to Pere Ubu, Talking Heads, XTC and the Kaiser Chiefs and you're part way there, yet their own slant sets them apart from any convenient reference point I can summon your way.

It's worth mentioning that this band also sported the most impressive collection of guitar effects pedals I've ever seen, hence the accompanying snap says as much about them as any traditional representation might.

Cardinal Jack's debut album is imminent which you can pre-order from their website (address below) but catch them live too, for the complete experience.

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Charge of The Light Brigade – impressive name from these Canadian colonials who conjured visions of David Hemmings in Tony Richardson's 1968 film of the same name, all epic swashbuckling, psyche moustache and red tunic a flowing. In many ways you could level the same Charge (groan) at the the interesting musical furrow they have chosen to broadcast to an unsuspecting world.

Unfortunately stripped down to a mere two piece (Vocals, Guitar and Bass) I couldn't help thinking we were being robbed of the full experience that their multifaceted songs demanded. There are plenty of musical twists and turns, and lyrical recounts of fatalistic and predetermined desperate relationships, to keep the observer keen and interested, but in some ways this was way too demanding of their slightly relaxed and mixed lunchtime audience.

Yet, trying to interpret the basic presented sketch and imagine the full canvas, the attentive listener would be able to fill in some of the blanks.

Crying out for a drummer and more punctuation, but the best songs did manage to shine through, particularly the choppy/then smooth and most immediate: 'Young Love' but also:'Last Door Down' and closer 'Desdemona' (not the Marc Bolan song)

The band also chose a cool cover with a version of Springsteen's 'Atlantic City'. Although not a particular 'Boss' fan, Debbie enjoyed this reference to her home state and memories of her Mom, who loved the allure of the New Jersey playground.

We look forward to see COTLB in full regalia in the near future.
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The Spanish band The Seasongs were up next who we'd seen before but with a slightly different line-up. They cut quite a dash with tall guy Oscar Granero, all flailing arms, white Fender and chirpy tenor, augmented by his more regular sized compatriots, the rhythm section . There's a kind of ragged garagey quality to the trio's mix of psyche and angry punk, all fed through the Madridian metropolis.

Things are generally thrifty and sharp. For example, not outstaying it's welcome at all was 'Your Fun Is Coming To An End' which starts out like classic 1966 Who but has a gritty New Wave vibe which grabs the ear but is all over in about 2 minutes flat.

Changing the mood, the Gaelic lilt of 'She Was a One Eyed Girl' touches so many bases – we detected Bowie and Suede in the verses, set-off against the folky infectious “la-la-la” refrain.

We didn't nab the name of band's last song, but amid the air of fuzzy, squealing feedback came some nasty-but-nice tearing runs from Granero to bring the performance to a frenetic conclusion.
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All the way from Amsterdam, The Kik appear before you like the world simply froze in 1965. They light up the stage with cheeky chappy persona, infectious broken English quips and self effacing charm. Guitarist and lead vocalist Dave Von Raven wins over the assembled throng quickly, they seem utterly charmed by his personalty as much as the music that underpins it.

Like a slightly more dangerous Gerry & The Pacemakers they tell us 'It's Gonna Be Alright' and Ladies & Gentlemen – that turns out to be the case, with bells on!

They soon carry on with their new single 'My Eyes Are Still Dry' with it's totally seductive Hollies recalling chorus, it's an absolute winner!

Although they have their feet firmly planted in 60's Beat territory, and if that's your thing you will surely love it, yet there's a modern freshness which makes their sound and presentation as fresh as a proverbial daisy!

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The Jooles – are vivacious, young and groovy, like The Archies cartoon come to life. Even their names make you think you're flicking through the pages of a teen mag from pop's golden age – meet: Daria, Alex, Chris, Katha & Richie.

Charismatic, blonde, attractive vocalist Daria oozes a naive chutzpah which nimbly connects with every member of the audience, as she continually gestures and eyeballs everyone in turn – yeah she's talking to me, or maybe it's you – no but really it's me.

Visually striking they make you sit up and take notice but with the sound they make too. Kicking off impressively with wah-wah chuka guitar and fizzy hi-hats ala 'Theme from Shaft' you just know this is gonna be a groovy roller coaster ride – and it is!

Often funky, sure and connected, with a hint of cheesy exotica, they put everything into their performance and their half hour on stage goes by in a convivial whoosh.

Jooles are nothing but fun with no hint of the solemnity of life – a benign yet innocent wet dream for both sexes delivered straight from their home in Berlin - to your door.
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Night Parade – What is it about Night Parade that is so engaging? Well as one person said to me as the final chords of 'Demons' were fading away “It's The Voice”. Indeed she had hit the nail squarely on the head. Singer and songwriter Rob Vincent possesses that rare gift - a most unique and unusual singing voice – a sound that makes everyone who hears it, just stop whatever they are doing and want to listen – it's like we're all in trance – as if it was magic!

I'm not usually given to such flights of fancy or audacious claims – but “It's The Voice” basically says it all. Well that and the strength of the material.

No disrespect to the rest of Vincent's band, and this probably pisses them off no end, although they are the perfect support for his songs; without him they would be just another band from Liverpool, and they probably know it.

Having said all that, put Vincent with an orchestra or bunch of session players and you would most certainly lose something. Like when the late, great Gerry Rafferty entered his most successful but MOR bland period, it's so easy to ruin a good thing with an unsympathetic setting. So Night Parade as a collective should hang on to that Je ne sais quoi they own and don't mess with formula.

I first saw Rob Vincent last year when the band were a surprise addition to the Saturday IPO line up; I was mesmerised admittedly, but couldn't shake the image of Greek songbird Nana Mouskouri from my mind! Although Rob sounds nothing like the cosy 60's folk warbler – something about his signature horn-rims and perceptible tremolo conjured this image from my childhood watching the said superstar on my Gran's TV when we visited her and my Grandfather in sunny Hastings-by-the-Sea.

I think the band opened with wonderfully titled '50 Stone Lover' which has quite a lot of instrumental interplay, only the keyboard was missing from this live version. They continue on through 'Havoc' a superb piece which alternates half paced verses with a massive driving chorus as the song progresses to conclusion.

In between songs Vincent tells us nothing about their content or inspiration, most of which have single word titles. There's a hint of anthem in their panoramic demeanour as each tumbles forth like wrath or anger from some higher source. Particularly evident in the aforementioned 'Havoc' - it's exciting building repetition “I'm gonna wreak...” is a case in point.

Normally I don't go for a bundle of anthemic songscapes, but can forgive him somewhat as the strength of his songwriting and honest delivery is truly beguiling, the epic stamp seems not to offend not a jot.

Rob announces before they go, that should you want to find out more about Night Parade, that they can be found in all the usual places: MySpace, YourSpace, HisSpace, TheirSpace, FaceSpace etc.

The group finished with 'Demons', one of Vincent's strongest songs, leaving the audience somewhat spellbound and wanting more. We definitely hope to see them sooner, rather than wait another year.

Mr & Mrs Qwerty are indebted to Margi, superfan of the band, who introduced us to them last year and runs a website in celebration and to promote the combo at www.lovenightparade.co.uk
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Honeybug – One of the greatest highlights of the IPO around two years ago was seeing the magnificent Honeybug for the first time in all their glory – a 7 piece featuring guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, a 3 piece vocal trio, and at the helm: Nigel Frayling Kelly, a tour de force, piano playing, lead singer / composer / arranger throwing out one gleaming piece of lightly buttered soul infused soft rock song, after another.

This time Nigel was showcasing the stripped down economy sized edition of just himself and two of the three-piece backing vocalists. This was fine, I imagine they all fit compactly into one 4x4 with room to spare, rather than the articulated lorry required for the full 7 headed Monty.

Nonetheless, maybe this time they could have done with the heavy artillery as not only was the Cavern Pub packed to bursting at around 7.15pm, but there were a few folk in from the Loud Obnoxious Crew too, giving it plenty of heckle and vocal intrusion. Debbie and I were late so we didn't experience the full brunt of the broadside, but needless to say one thing a soft rock 3-piece with piano and harmony vocals don't require is input from the loud of gob and soft of brain.

By the time we got there it had mostly died down but was still extremely packed and pretty sweaty. There was standing room only and we weren't even able to get a clear picture of the stage, which is why we are indebted to Alan of Cavern Photos for the use of his picture (incidentally from a different show).

The thing we were struck by this time hearing Honeybug in this more transparent form, was not the excellent bob-on harmonies, of which were uniformly super-trouper, but how much Nigel sounds like a combination of Stevie Wonder and Neil Sedaka (particularly in his 10cc days). Only being able to hear and virtually not see the performance I was able to pinpoint the examples (in the links above) which most illustrate this realisation.

This is high praise indeed as previously I was more aware of the great soft rock parallels in arrangements, overall sound and larger ensemble effect which pointed towards Curt Boettcher, Sagittarius, Millennium, California, Association, Harpers Bizarre, Merry-Go-Around, Turtles etc.

All this is still apparent, but the aforementioned lead vocal parallels were a new facet, previously unrevealed.

But what of Honeybug themselves, after nothing more than the paired down Naked Songs EP release in two years, the next 12 months promises a heavy release schedule of all manner of goodies from all corners of the ensemble big and small. Debbie and I for one (or is that two?) cannot wait!
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The Suns - have at times a gentle wide-open-space west coast sound, not a million miles away from some of the Pub and Prog bands of the 70's. This is nicely demonstrated by the closing number 'Soul Desert'.

We particularly dug 'The New Normal' the title song from their latest album - it's a great melody with an expansive feel and nice memorable hook. Particularly with the feel, it reminds me of something else, maybe The Jam or The Teardrop Explodes, I just can't put my finger on it, so maybe its all theirs, as the references elude me – anyway I'm still singing it now some weeks on, for which they should be justly elated – I know I am!

Although the band are good, we were later disappointed to learn that having seen the band during an earlier slot, we missed their fuller and perhaps greater performance when they were to be joined by new lead guitarist Carl Phythain. For this reason we hope we get the chance to see them again next time at IPO or somewhere else on tour with this new line-up.
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The Breakdowns – meet: Joe, Matt, Adam & Owen Breakdown from downtown Nottingham, but their hearts and minds reach right across the Atlantic to the classic New York of the Dolls, the Ramones and any other kind of trashy pop bubblegum references you can think of, but most of all they put me in mind of Boston's own sublime Real Kids. Like The Jooles earlier these guys yearn to be two dimensional in a 3D world – hooray for cartoon pop!

We had almost forgotten we'd seen The Breakdowns once before at the IPO in 2007 when I guess they were still wet behind the ears, so it was an unexpected surprise to see them some four years on still chasing the trash aesthetic, but hitting the target pretty much every time.

Not since the 70's have a British band so embraced the sound of young America, and even then it was very much the West Coast sound, whereas the Breakdowns definitely take their lead from the East Coast and from the end of that decade.

Joe Breakdown certainly looks the part, all renegade rock'n'roll threads, low slung guitar and wasted physique.

They may resemble an Anglicised Johnny Thunders Heartbreakers but 'Don't Write Another Love Song' has more than a passing resemblance to the other Heartbreakers – Tom Petty's band' and their 'Anything That's Rock and Roll's Fine' with perhaps a nod to Green Day's Warning' itself a cop from the Kinks 'Picture Book'- all good points of reference though.

Affectionately known as Los Breakdowns (their new album is on Spanish Label Rock Indiana ) the band unashamedly wear their influences on their collective sleeves: 'Summertime Twist' is Ramones via trashy Beach Boys, whereas 'Roll Over Record Fair Blue' is a clear homage to grandaddy of them all Chuck Berry.

Completely unpretentious, the band carry no extraneous fat. Like the Ramones there are no guitar solos, no unnecessary drum fills or rippling runs from the guitar or bass. Save the odd blast of bluesy harmonica, there's no dressing, the Breakdowns are as lean as their leader Joe's gangly frame and as mean as his biker bandanna and trilby hat!

A note to the combo before we close, a cover of the Real Kids 'Common At Noon' would suit them like made to measure glove, please indulge me!
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Nigel Thomas (x2) from The Foxes was appearing solo as the band's drummer had sustained an injury which prevented him from being able to drum. Rather than cancel, Nigel hopped on a train and landed with guitar in hand ready to deliver his solo variation on the Foxes catalogue.

Nigel was one of the few artists we got to see twice. This can often happen with simultaneous events and the multiple appearance programme of the IPO at Liverpool.

As a consumer this can be a fine balancing act, choosing acts you definitely want to see at least once, avoiding a few you might prefer not to see at all (generally there are very few in this category) and catching the odd one a second time, either by accident or design. Things fell reasonably well into place this particular Friday allowing us a second chance to see the Foxes front man.

We arrived only knowing a smattering of Foxes songs, but it was clear that many of the elements present in the material transferred well to Nigel's sole presentation of the same. We did miss the harmonies and some of the subtle light and shade that make the experience rather sweeter, but the heartfelt honesty, cards-on-the-table intimate soul searching and lyrical pieces on offer connected very well with the audience in the small familiar club environment.

In recognition of the venue, rather than do a Beatles cover, Nigel chose to perform a song the Fab Four themselves had covered in the shape of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' 'You Really Got A Hold On Me'. Although his version was adequate, I felt it was an ill choice. Not only do the lyrics sound quaintly old fashioned in 2011, but the original song contains lots of musical space and vocal interaction from the Miracles, leaving Nigel's version sounding oddly empty and bereft.

By the time he got to his second set, he dropped the Miracles tune and replaced it with the Hard Days Night Song: 'Things We Said Today'. This was far more successful, even bringing one particular fan to her feet, who proceeded to dance around the floorspace much to the onlookers delight.

Performing with just vocals and acoustic guitar in a chiefly electric band environment is a tough call, yet it was visibly apparent that Nigel's clear, thoughtful and touching songs with the personality to match, easily moved his audience, both the tourists and the IPO faithful alike.

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David Reid – You wait for two front men with acoustic guitars who carelessly lose their drummers, then two come along at once . And so it was with David Reid, normally front of house, lead vocalist and songwriter with superb Peterborough combo The Contrast was also appearing solo, having lost his drummer to temporary but debilitating illness.

Ever the trooper, Reid turned up all black except for a fetching white sport jacket and only a nylon classical string guitar for companion. What was he going to do with this I wondered, not having seen a nylon string guitar in a rock context since the heady days of the 70's band Audience when the charismatic Howard Werth thrashed a similar instrument within an inch of its life with his deft finger-work?

Fans of The Contrast who've enjoyed their regular spirited and energetic sets may have arrived and been disappointed to find only David Reid alone on stage. Yet they needn't have taken umbrage, as those of us who enjoy his unusual voice and alternative view of the world, would have delighted in his interesting take on familiar Contrast songs.

Beginning with Underground Ghosts (from The Contrast's last album God of Malfunction) Reid delivers this and next song Pocketful of Fear as if they were fragile children being unleashed into an uncomfortable universe.

Much more restrained than the usual frenetic Contrast submissions, each song is accompanied by Reid's faintly picked nylon strings but are immediately recognisable, even in this alien form.

Debbie experiences a particular poignant moment when David introduces his next song, a cover of Jimmy Webb's 'Wichita Lineman'. Most people will recognise this as one of Glen Campbell's crowning moments. In David Reid's hands it takes on quite a different interpretation, but gives Debbie a lump in her throat as it was one of her late Father's favourite songs.

David trawls further back through some more from the Contrast back catalogue before finishing with a final cover of David Bowie's 'Heroes', a song that sits very well with Reid's special kind of delivery.

Although I don't think he does this kind of thing very often, for fans, it was fascinating to see the singer/guitarist out of his normal comfort zone, thrust into an unfamiliar environment delivering his music in this bare and intimate way. Based on the tunes strong melodic content and the uniqueness of his voice, the material transcended the stripped down presentation to reveal something intangible – a new shade of Contrast.
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The Dirty Royals – from Oxford, were punchy, lively and upfront. Their witty and intelligent in-between song patter was a breath of fresh air – we were most amused.

Apparently the line-up was one guitarist missing, as always, what you don't know, you don't miss, so for us leader Simon Williams carried both the evening and all the extra guitar solos just absolutely fine – Simon we didn't notice!

Their dry humour pervades even through the song titles, surely a band can't take themselves too seriously with titles referencing already established evergreens such as 'I'm in Love' (Beatles) 'Respect' (Aretha, Erasure) and even 'There's a Riot Going On' (Sly & The Family Stone). So their collective tongue is firmly planted in their collective cheeks.

Has there already been a song called 'Josephine'? I expect so, but it didn't stop our appreciation of the same. With lovely nur-nur opening riff and “put 'em up” refrain it's a great little memorable tune which stays with you long after catching for the first time.

It's difficult to succinctly sum up their music style in a nutshell, suffice to say it has most of the ingredients that will enthuse your average powerpop fan, so we say thank you to the Dirty Royals.
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Although a Friday we made it an early night in preparation for traditionally the big day, tomorrow. In so doing we missed a band I'd wanted to see for many years, but rain checked once again regrettably, the Sparkle*Jets UK.
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For Your Further Endeavour:

Breakdowns - www.myspace.com/thebreakdownsband
Cardinal Jack - www.myspace.com/cardinaljack
Charge of The Light Brigade - www.myspace.com/chargeband
Contrast - www.myspace.com/thecontrasttheband
Dirty Royals - www.myspace.com/dirtyroyals

Foxes - www.myspace.com/thefoxesband

Honeybug - www.myspace.com/honeybug

Jooles - www.facebook.com/thejooles
Kik - www.facebook.com/thekikmusic
Night Parade - www.myspace.com/nightparade
Seasongs - www.myspace.com/theseasongs
Suns -www.myspace.com/thesunsbanduk

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Trouble At Mill: Recent changes with the way Blogger implements its interface has given bloggers like ourselves a serious set of unfathomable obstacles and erratic unpredictable output.

This has resulted in not only in our latest post looking like its been in a nasty accident, but also a phenomenal waste of time and energy trying to fix the same. We will shortly be moving to a new address under our own domain name, with the level of control we need to bring you the best content in a consistent readable format. This has been your friendly neighbourhood PowerPopReview Team, slightly miffed and worse for wear but with yours and our collective interests at heart!
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Normal Service Will Be Resumed As Soon As Possible

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:41:00 +0000

You don't want to hear a bunch of excuses do you? No, so we'll apologise and say if you've visited this space in the last 12 hours and seen all kinds of strange appearances and then non-appearances and now this - you'll get the idea that we're experiencing one or two technical difficulties. Have no fear just as soon as they are resolved we'll return with our next installment of our review of the Liverpool International Pop Overthrow 2011. Thanks - don't go away now!

Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:26:00 +0000

My husband and I have never been disappointed when we have gone to the annual Liverpool International Pop Overthrow Festival and this year was no exception; indeed it would be fair to say that this one turned out to be probably the very best we have ever attended. This is due in part to the broad mix of bands and artists from all over the world, and the great friends and acquaintances we've made over the years at the event. This particular year was the 9th year running for Liverpool – kudos to promoter and all round IPO guru: David Bash – in a year that has seen artists possibly harder to contact (MySpace decomposing to some extent) he surely did his homework.

For those of you who have attended the event on a regular basis there was the return of many favourite bands in addition to quite a few new surprises. As in the past the ambiance of the three venues, Cavern pub and club (with its 2 stages) enhances the experience of hearing such wonderful music. You have the rich history of the Cavern plus the semi-fanatical music lovers of this festival combined with the worldwide tourists who have made the trip to see the legendary Beatles birthplace. We've been to the same festival in New York also, but none approaches the fun, diversity and draw of Liverpool.

In the past we've only been able to attend 1 to 2 days of the festival but this year we decided to spend as many days as we could due to the very rich bill being sported this year. Now having stayed for most of the festival, we know there is no way we will ever only attend for a short spell. In total we ended up seeing over 40 bands and although at the time it seemed like the merry-go-round would go on forever, in reality it was all over far too quickly.

Upon arrival, the sky was blue, the birds were chirping. I was practically running to Matthew Street in my excitement to get there. Mr Qwerty was close behind with his camera to capture the moment and beyond...

Liverpool International Pop Overthrow Festival Review 2011

We will combine reviews where we saw an artist more than once and indicate thus: (x2) - but we'll comment as though it were one performance, with some deviations, naturally.

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Richard Snow & the Inlaws (x2) - We were late to the Cavern Pub, the scene of our first concert. The room was uncharacteristically busy for the late afternoon and the IPO schedule, but we were pleased to see it so. Obviously our first artist Richard Snow was responsible for the healthy draw.

We had missed Richard at previous IPO's and Debbie in particular was familiar with his last album and we were both eager to see this talented singer/songwriter and his band. He was chiefly featuring songs from his forthcoming third album: Am I Really That Boring?

First song I remember was Middle Class Girl which was dedicated to Margi (audience member and fellow midlander). The recorded version is swelled out sonically with semi-lengendary figures: powerpop luminary and Brian Wilson Band member: Nelson Bragg, along with singer/songwriter and star ascendant Anny Celsi - quite a coup for Richard and delight for our ears. Not that the heavy friends were present on this occasion, but Richard and the two members of his band all sing and make a sound big enough you'd swear there was at least an extra phantom member or two! From it's catchy " GIRL/Girl" call and response intro it arrests the listener from the very beginning.

Richard songs are full of melody, ringing Searchers/Byrdsian guitars and beautiful pin sharp harmonies. His somewhat ironic tales of real life are often insightful and can hit a truism many of us can recognise – on 21st Century he sings “21st Century sucks and blows... - ...it's modern life I fear” – too true mate!

Next up is the pretty If You Don't Rescue Me, with its Paul Simon fingerpick and wonderful Beach Boyslike tag out.

Stop Your Crying echos a slight 'Don't Fear The Reaper' figure but takes it off in a different direction with another lovely call & response vocal so beloved by Snow and us fans of vocal harmony.
The past occurs again in Take Me Back Home Again where Snow explains the double edged sword of looking youthful “When I was 18 I looked like I was 10”.

Last and best, the show stopping number from the new album is title song “Am I Really That Boring?” with its infectious twiddlly opening riff, almost Claptonesqe, and Joe Jackson type shouty vocal. Snow then goes on to list a set of scenarios which I guarantee will have most of you nerdy/anal pop types identifying with 90% of them – Mrs Q & I exchanged several glances of recognition even on first listen. You can check it for yourself here.

Richard Snow has an intimacy and spareness of expression that captures common experiences and relates them with candid honesty, plus a rare gift for melody, harmony and hook. He connects well with his audience and sometimes you might think, we've found the British Marshall Crenshaw – Ladies and Gentlemen – this is a good thing!
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Sara Lowes - After some technical difficulties (yes unusual keyboard set-ups can be a pain in amongst a sea of predominant guitar bands in a festival situation) Sara's stunning songs came as a complete surprise – we had no idea what to expect.

A bit of piano noodling begins her set – I thought she was still messing about – suddenly this changes gear and gives way to a solid crunchy riff recalling early Steely Dan – turns out this is the leading track from her new album 'Back To Creation'. Later there's a suggestion of Chicago in the anticipation of some phrases as the drummer plays also some brass (how?). Listening to the album somewhat later, it becomes apparent that Sara dresses her arrangements with fabulous brass intervention a la Chicago/Blood,Sweat &Tears. Fans of this most creative period of pop/jazz grooviness will definitely enjoy Sara's twist on the fusion.

There's always a danger with female singers who practice open heart surgery about their life and loves to stick them in some cosy sub-folk category. Although we detected some strong traces of Renaissance in their airiest of phrases, there were also equal parts Andy Pratt, Ben Folds and even Traffic – very fine company indeed.

Onwards and Sara introduces 'Something I Don't Know' a song closer to classic white soul than anything else she has played thus far. I've always admired artists that are not tied by genre – great stuff.

It turns out that Sara is originally from Barnoldswick but based in Manchester and studied classical music, plus she has done quite a lot of session work for the likes of the fab Micah P Hinson, King Creosote, Jim Noir and The Earlies. Thus she's quite the seasoned pro, which belies her seeming young innocence and modest presentation – I hope she doesn't mind us saying?

IPO often surprises us – Sara was one of the first to make us sit up, take notice and appreciate the eclecticism. One to watch definitely.

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Eskimo Blonde (x2) – It may have been my imagination but there seemed to be a buzz in the air, an anticipation during the set-up period for these guys from Aberdeen, Scotland. An act that we were fortunate to get to see twice across two days. First time, on the Cavern big stage they prove that they are a force to be reckoned with – our second look later confirms that the intimacy of the Cavern Pub is far more comfortable, as the band relax and connect with their audience when they can see the whites of their eyes.

With no nonsense they are soon ready and kick off with Something for the Weekend a song that cops the riff from Bad Company's 'Feel Like Making Love' but far more puts me in mind of the excellent early 70's London hard rockers Stray.

Effortlessly, they soon slip into the next number 'Happy' where a great thump and grind riff starts things off as soon the chorus escalates to a soaring hook line. The band follow that enduring line of outfits influenced by the unfussy classic rock of the mantle laid down by Free but also encompass the now sadly defunct but brilliant Moke and the great Canadian band Cry of Love. Eskimo Blonde are our next great hope to occupy this space.

Lead vocalist Mike Laszek has a great edgy rasp to his voice; in the high points he elevates this to a controlled whine which soars above the back line to accentuate the all important hooks. Complete with blonde spiky hair, he cuts a fine outline against the Cavern backdrop; close your eyes for just one moment and you can hear a young Bryan Adams at his creative best.

Mike has strong support from the rest of the band, led by their slightly nerdy looking lead guitar player, but he belies his bespectacled demeanour and delivers a constant stream of interjecting rips and runs complimenting their sharp and infectious riffy tunes.

The band's penultimate song begins with a Talking Heads' 'Psycho Killer' bass line but develops into a full scale AC/DC style four on the floor rocker. Called Trip it's a definite stage high point. They finish with a new song harshly and ironically christened by their leg pulling home audience as 'Shit' but is in fact currently titled Heaven Almighty. It's a great finish to a great performance.

Eskimo Blonde deliver a very polished, confident and powerful set, chock full of bump and grind riffs and infectious choruses. Highly recommended and definitely one of the IPO highs in what proves to be an exceptional year!

Advice: Take a trip and try to see It their way

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“We're the fill in band” announced besuited Corner Laughers (x2) singer/guitarist KC Bowman as he stepped up to the microphone. The first band I've ever seen at the Cavern proper not to be introduced by IPO head honcho David Bash or his partner Rina Bardfield. Indeed they were the fill in as they were unannounced on the programme. We later learn that the charmingly named Corner Laughers are an alter-ego of billed combo Agony Aunts, which are normally fronted by Karla Kane and Angela Silletto and augmented by various powerpop aristocrats such as Chris Von Sneidern. However tonight, all the way from the Bay area of San Francisco we get the Agony Aunts (albeit with Karla Kane at the helm) posing as the Corner Laughers.

Clear? No, OK never mind, what about the music? The Corner Laughers were not surprisingly, completely unknown to us. They seem to inhabit that narrow but delightful chasm left by the likes of the great Dan Hicks & his Hot Licks crossed with jug band appeal of The Lovin' Spoonful. Depending on your Point-Of-View, their brand of good timey western swing delivered with suitable quirkiness on ukulele & mandolin by the aforementioned waif-like bespectacled vocalist Karla Kane and her assembled bunch of equally whimsical similar sailors, is totally engaging. However, its fun and frivolity on the outside hides the lyrical underbelly, where we are recounted tales of myths, betrayal, ancient history and lets not forget: jerk-off boyfriends!

The second time we saw the band, later in the evening was as Agony Aunts (as billed). In many way the Corners although they are much more accessible to your actual Powerpop fan with their skew on Beatlesque melody and song structure, their inclusion of plenty of 7ths and diminished 5ths and all round R. Crumb & his Cheap Suit Serenaders references makes you realise just how very interchangeable the two bands are.
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We had seen The Anydays before but such was their improvement over the last time we had done so, we barely recognised the fact. Hailing from Oxford they completed the night for us by delivering a sharp concentrated set of mod-u-like crunchy songs in an assured and deliberate fashion. Leader Drew Atkins, every inch the rock star in Lou Reed shades, red wasp-like hooped shirt and Chelsea boots, announced songs in a nonchalant, sometimes unintelligible insolence, which went well with the territory.

The audience, at this time of the night, strongly represented by the tourist fraternity (The Cavern naturally attracts many unconnected to IPO visitors from all over the world) seemed to treat the band with an undeserved disinterested indifference, which frankly amazed this writer. Somebody was tired and it wasn't the band.

Nonetheless, they didn't allow it to affect their performance and continued with a great animated elan.Their best song blew off our socks, called Tambourine from their just released new album 'Move'.

You should buy it, and we look forward to seeing The Anydays again soon.

We'll be publishing our review of the next day at IPO (Friday) in a few days time.

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For Your Further Delectation:

Agony Aunts - agony-aunts.bandcamp.com/album/greater-miranda

Anydays - the-anydays.208records.co.uk/

Corner Laughers - cornerlaughers.com

Eskimo Blonde -myspace.com/eskimoblonde

Richard Snow – richardsnow.co.uk/

Sara Lowes - saralowes.co.uk

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The Best Albums of 2010

noreply@blogger.com (MrQwerty) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 02:00:00 +0000

Yes I know we're very late, but if the Brits, the Grammys and even the Oscars can hold out this long into the new year to spill their collective beans, why can't we?

For the first time we’ve actually included a best of the best. The albums featured in our jukebox above represent our solid gold favourites, and for one reason or another stand above the rest in 2010. However in keeping with previous years, the entire 116 hand picked albums are laid out in non competitive alphabetical order and we make no distinction between them. Simply, these are our 116 favourite albums of 2010 and we recommend all of them to any discerning fan of Power Pop, Alt Country and Essential Rock music of the final year of the noughties. Recognizing that you are seeing virtually all those mentioned in our blog for the first time, we are including a few mini-reviews where we think necessary, for your added appreciation. A number of Sub-Lists follow the main album run, but first here are our Best 116 Albums of 2010:

78 Saab - Good Fortune (There are reminders of REM, Hoodoo Gurus and The Church, but these Aussie guitar drangers take you in all kinds of spaces and never leave you without a proverbial paddle. Already on their 4th album, these guys must surely break through eventually?)
Aaron Fox & the Reliables - Late Too Soon (Perfect accompaniment to a day spent driving around in the car with the windows down. Songs encapsulate a yearning for times gone past. Singer Fox has the perfect voice for the mood of his introspective and infectious material)
Aberfeldy - Somewhere To Jump From (Token UK Folk/Rock entry #1)
Agony Aunts - Greater Miranda
American Hi-Fi - Fight The Frequency
Apples In Stereo - Travellers In Space & Time (Continued quirky grooviness)
Autumn Defense - Once Around (In common with a number of albums this year, this evokes another time and almost seems the very antithesis of the turbulent times we live in)
Backyard Tire Fire - Good to Be (Grade A+ Roots Rock)
Bellowhead - Hedonism (Token UK Folk/Rock entry #2)
Bellrays - Black Lightning
Ben Patton - Kaboom! Wow! Summertime! I Love You! ("I Paid For My Ticket I Expect You To Rock Me" - Ben nails it!)
Ben's Diapers - Up In The Mountains
Biters - Hang Around (Retro punky, but with gusto)
Bleu - 4
Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer Of The Void
Blue Giant - Blue Giant
Blue Van - Love Shot
Bodeans - Mr Sad Clown
Broken Promise Keeper - Poptimized (Wish we'd thought of that title)
Buckcherry - All Night Long
Butch Walker and the Black Widows - I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart
Cabinessence - Naked Friends
Candle Thieves - Sunshine & Other Misfortunes
Charles Jenkins And The Zhivagos - Walk This Ocean
Charlie Watts Riots - Long Story Short
Chatham County Line - Wildwood
Chris Corney - Sans Everything (Aching mournful melodies from The Ravines front man)
Contrast - God of Malfunction (A career best for this Glam/Prog/New Wave/Pop concoction)
Coral - 1000 Years
Coral - Butterfly House
Crowded House - Intriguier (Understated grower is elegant without being earth shattering)
Darker My Love - Alive As You Are
Decemberists - The King Is Dead (One good reason to wait till the year actually ends before you compile a best of list. Their breakthrough album)
Devo - Something For Everybody (Pleasant surprise from these hardy perennials)
Dom Mariani - Rewind and Play (Requisite purchase for fans of Someloves, Stems & DM3. Stripped down, alternative takes on stand out songs from his earlier career. One of the coolest CD covers featuring a reel to reel tape deck. Both of us owned these in youth for superior quality, when we bothered about these things, before the advent of the compressed digital sound.)
Doobie Brothers - World Gone Crazy (Deserved nostalgic mention for old time's sake)
Doug Powell - The Apprentice's Sorcerer
Drums - The Drums (Yes it's a little bit indie, but we won't hold that against it, will we? )
Dwight Twilley - Green Blimp
Dylan Leblanc - Paupers Field (Outstanding new talent)
Edward Rogers - Sparkle Lane
Eels - End Times (Phenomenally prolific, and consistently brilliant. 2 Albums this year)
Elephant Stone - The Glass Box
Elvis Costello - National Ransom
Elvyn - The Decline (We were particularly struck by the innocence of the lyrics which recall a simpler time. These are songs that linger for quite some time after hearing)
Ex Norwegian – Sketch (This is not an easy first listen and to the band's credit, the songs take time to grow. Repeated listening certainly pays dividends for this quirky eclectic bunch of tunes to fully sink in the consciousness. Strongest track is the excellent 'Seconds')
Family of the Year - Songbook
Farrah - Farrah ("My baby doesn't get it all"... nuff said)
Figgs - The Man Who Fights Himself
Gay Blades - Savages
Genuine Fakes - The Striped Album
Gin Blossoms - No Chocolate Cake
Goo Goo Dolls - Something For The Rest of Us
Graham Parker - Imaginary Television (Living proof that angry young men don’t always mellow with age, they often get angrier and can continue to deliver work as good as their best and earlier success)
Greg Pope - Blue Ocean Sky
Grip Weeds - Strange Change Machine
Guster - Easy Wonderful
Hanson - Shout It Out (Ignore at your peril as this is their most assured volume to date)
High Dials - Anthems For Doomed Youth
Hoodoo Gurus - Purity of Essence
Imperial State Electric - Imperial State Electric (Recalls glam and shouty 70's Powerpop like no one has before them and makes it theirs)
Joe Reyes - Worry Row
Joey Sykes - Joey Sykes
John Grant - Queen of Denmark (Quite remarkable, frank, sometimes brutal, brilliant and breathtaking)
John Hiatt - The Open Road
John Holk & The Sequins - If You See Her (Exquisite melodies, effortless delivery with a gorgeous lustre)
John Mellencamp - No Better Than This (You couldn't wish for a more authentic rootsy masterpiece - superb)
JP, Chrissie and the Fairground Boys – Fidelity (The pairing of the lovers works as their voices compliment each other. Chrissie retains that sublime voice so diehard fans will be satisfied)
June - Green Fields and Rain
Justin Currie - The Great War
Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues
Kula Shaker - Pilgrims Progress (As close to return to form as damn it )
Len Price 3 – Pictures (Surely world domination can't be too far around the corner for these noisy Londoners on their 3rd outing?)
Lloyd Cole – Broken Record (Pure Americana from this Ex-Pat Scot and here he finally finds his voice)
Lovetones - Lost
Magic Kids - Memphis (Don't be fooled by more than the occasional nod to Beach Boy innovation and arrangement, here beats a heart of pure nerdy dedication to multilayered pop on so many levels rewarded by repeated listens)
Magnetic Fields – Realism
Marc Cohn - Listening Booth 1970 (Finest covers album since Def Leppard's very different but unsurpassed 'Yeah!' in 2006)
Mark Bacino - Queens English (Mark takes us on a whirlwind tour of every classic pop singer/songwriter we've grown up without stealing from any of his (or ours) idols (apart from maybe Harry Nilsson, but nobody else does and maybe should?). However Mark very much makes this his own. This almost perfect pop album only narrowly missed our Jukebox Top 16, absolute best of the 2010)
Mt Desolation - Mt Desolation
Neil Young - Le Noise (The shaky master returns to delight on this minimalist but satisfying offering)
New Pornographers - Together (Contrary to popular opinion builds on past glories and surpasses them)
Nushu - Hula (Unashamedly retro but it couldn't be any other way, could it?)
OK Go - Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky (Where our Powerpop heroes breakout the straitjacket and embrace a kind of Prince meets Tommy James & The Shondells netherworld - refreshing & quite brilliantly seductive)
Oranjuly - Oranjuly
Outrageous Cherry - Seemingly Solid Reality
Parties - Coast Guard (A Jangle indulgence par excellence)
Paul Weller - Wake Up the Nation
Pernice Brothers - Goodbye Killer
Pete Molinari - A Train Bound For Glory (On paper it shouldn't work, but somehow it does, and wonderfully so)
Posies - Blood/Candy
Richard Barone - Glow (Kind of harks back to the 80's without being shameful about it)
Robyn Hitchcock - Propeller Time (One of two great releases this year)
Romeo Flynns - Masque of Anarchy
Rooney - Eureka
Sally Seltmann - Heart that's Pounding
Secret Powers - Lies and Fairy Tales
Seth Swirsky - Watercolor Day (Simply more greatness from Seth)
Silver Seas - Chateaus Revenge (Beautiful songs and arrangements)
Skeleton Staff - Solipsism (Cartoon Glam Rock, but so much more)
Smash Palace - 7 (Their Seventh is our Smashie favourite to date)
Solar Bears - She Was Coloured In (Somewhat sexy electronica)
Summer Fiction - Summer Fiction (The best summer album we ever got to hear in December)
Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
Taylor Locke & The Roughs - Grain & Grape (One of 2 releases in a 12 month - phenomenal)
Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
Thee Wylde Oscars - Right Yeah
Three Hour Tour - Looking For Tomorrow
Tim Lee 3 - Raucous Americanus
Trashcan Sinatras - In The Music
Treefight For Sunlight - A Collection Of Vibrations For Your Skull (Demands you sit up and listen)
Volebeats - The Volebeats
Well Wishers - Post Modern Romantic (Echoes of an urgent primitive Shoes vibration verging on classic status)
Winter Gloves - All Red
Young Veins - Take A Vacation
Zombie of The Stratosphere - Ordinary People

The Best Mini LP/ EP / Singles of 2010

Always a strange one, when is it a bit more than a single or slighty longer than an EP? What constitutes a Mini-Album, how long is a piece of string? Anyway, as it turns out the following also delighted but are in some way shorter in length than a recognisable LP duration.

88 - No One Here (EP)
Blackpool Lights - Okie Baroque (EP)
Elephant Stone - The Glass Box (Mini Album)
Fountains of Wayne - Song Of The Passaic (Single trackd download)
Hives - Tarred and Feathered (EP) (What happened to promised album?)
Jackdaw4 - Retrospectacles (EP) (For the title alone!)
Jim Noir - Zooper Dooper (Mini Album)
Jonny - Gloria (Free EP)
Kyle Andrews - Kangaroo (EP)
Luxury Liners - Believe (EP)
Pierces - Love You More (EP)
Parnetheon Huxley & Kyle Vincent -Dirty Girl (single)
Thea Gilmore - Teach Me To Be Bad EP (Title track is sheer bliss)
Two Wounded Birds - My Lonesome (single)
Winterpills - Tuxedo of Ashes (Mini Album)

The Best Reissue/Remasters of 2010 (must include new material to warrant mention)

Tom Petty - Damn The Torpedoes [2 CD Deluxe Edition] (1979)
Riley - Grandma's Roadhouse (1971) (Never got proper release at the time, blindingly, brilliant, crunchy, choogling and unpretentious Country Rock from the peak period)
Badfinger - The Apple Remasters (1969-73)
Monkees - Head (1968) (Deluxe)
Louie & The Lovers - The Complete Recordings (1970) (Released perhaps last year, but a fine archaeological discovery in any year, particularly 40 years ago when it first trickled out)
I See Hawks In L.A. - Shoulda Been Gold 2001-2009 (Packed with enough new material to entice even the biggest fan, from, along with Jayhawks, the best Country Rock band of last 2 decades)
Tommy Keene - You Hear Me: a retrospective 1983-2009
Church - Deep in the Shallows (30th Anniversary Singles Collection)
Black Crowes - Croweology (In fact more essential than the plugged in stuff)

Overlooked from 2009 (Not heard till 2010)

Plasticsoul - Peacock Swagger (A favourite amongst the cognoscenti but did not hit our collective eardrums till 2010, yes, now we know what the fuss was about)
Train - Save Me, San Francisco (Golden Gate Edition) (Not sure when this appeared but this band have been consistently excellent since their first appearance - this contribution is no exception)
David Nail - I'm About To Come Alive (Alt Country excellence)
Dog Eared Moonlight - Milk & Honey Band (Sometimes slight but completely engaging songs really hit the mark.The album seems to have reached a new level of maturity that earlier Milk & Honey Band records do not possess)
White Buffalo - Hogtied Revisited (Privately released, easy to miss, but impossible to ignore when once heard - brilliant)
Terry Adams - Holy Tweet (NRBQ Driving Force, delivers his best solo to date - superb songwriting, but what do you expect?)
The Pines - Tremelo (Understated, and quietly beautiful)
Luke Jackson - And The Some... (Luke Jackson rocks... but gently - Luke's 3rd & best to date is a collaborative and not unformidable effort between the man himself and his beloved Swedes Christoffer Lundquist and Robert Kirby (string arr). These gorgeous arrangements, the interplay and sumptuous dressing is never too lavish and beds in nicely especially in the more gentle tracks - and it's here where I feel Luke excels. Best songs are stunning opener 'Come Tomorrow', would be McCartney/Brian Wilson instrumental '1970s Kids TV Show', and my fave 'A Little Voice'.)

Honourable Mentions

Willie Nile - The Innocent Ones (Almost great)
Steve Miller Band - Bingo (A guilty pleasure in 2010?)
Brothers Streep - Suitable For The Whole Family (We mentioned them last year and their album delivers the promise we heard in their 'off the wall 'Anna Paquin' single we loved from back then.)
Jason Falkner - I'm OK, You're OK (Of course it's Jason and, we love you, it's brilliant, but this really dates from 2007, so why these erratic releases and odd territory restrictions?)

Disappointments

Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown (Faves who have let us down. Touring with U2 seems to have produced an unnecessary merging of KOL with the aforementioned band's anthemic stadium blandness to produce something we already have and don't require any more of thank you.)

Ali Campbell - Great British Songs (A great voice undermined by a karaoke wander through the classics, shouts desperation.)

The End Rant
We may publish very infrequently, but that's not to say we don't spend a lot of time and put a lot into what we do choose to put here. This article hasn't appeared till the last day of February 2011 but a good solid four months has gone into its preparation.

The main intention of this year’s best of list is not to simply demonstrate our impeccable taste in music, and this fact whilst unavoidably true ;-), we are happy to reveal that our primary purpose is that in parading a cavalcade of interesting and perhaps new titles into your radar, is the hope that you might be sufficiently motivated to investigate further, both those you may already know and those less familiar in the pursuit of something new and excitingly different. Today's music industry is in a horrible mess, we don't have to tell you that, you know, and if what we laughingly used to call The Majors (although nobody selling records in the first 100 years of its existence, still is doing so today) aren't gonna do it any favours then it's up to you and us to support the artists we love by supporting them directly by buying their music through their own websites, and the likes of Reverbnation, eMusic, CD Baby and independent record retailers (whatever's left of them).

Some bands even ask their fans to help fund their next recording venture by pledging their support in advance for some exclusive kick-back on the records eventual release, such is the difficulty of the cashflow situation in some rock 'n' roll camps. However if this works and can help to keep your faves afloat, why not?

In addition to direct support you might want to add your muscle to the few remaining music magazines that are still in existence. Big Takeover always turns out a quite remarkable review and article laden magazine, several times a year. We recently discovered a UK magazine 'Shindig' that focuses primarily on garage rock which we both quite appreciate.The magazine reminiscent of the short lived and now much defunct 'Strange Things Are Happening' has the same deluxe feel and attention to detail and presentation.

Lastly, as well as purchasing the music and magazines we highly recommend joining the recent music network for veteran rockers: Rock and Roll Tribe If you value intelligent discussions that take in all manner of genres and occasional fun leading questions, then this site should interest you. There are now over 1,200 members from all kind of backgrounds including some musicians themselves, industry shakers and mere mortals like ourselves.

This finale piece to our Best of 2010 has been a bit of a rant, and I imagine
we are mainly just preaching to the converted, but you know that we simply care about the continuation and the further exploits of this thing we all love, so take heed and put your money on the nose of the music we adore.

End Of Summer Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 11:55:00 +0000

No one likes seeing the end of summer especially in England where sunny days are never at a premium.With the ending of one season comes the dread of the shorter gray days and the unending rain.On a positive note due to my lack of posts lately here is another play list of songs which happen to come from all the bands I've discovered in the past few weeks. The songs might not fall under the aegis of powerpop like other music reviewed here in the past but nevertheless my intention is that some of you discover some new bands that you wouldn't have otherwise found.

For those who are possibly wondering where the review of Liverpool's IPO Fest is it will still be posted even if it's a bit late.

Enjoy the play list! For those who don't have access to Spotify my apologies.

August Discoveries 2010

Here's a brief overview of some of the bands whose songs appear on the play list.

The Blue Van hail from Denmark.Their sound seems to be more reminiscent of a gritty blues sound from the 70's. Those of you who were fans of Free should like this track which comes from the CD Dear Independence which was released in 2006.

Not sure how I could have missed the music of Baby Woodrose who coincidentally come from Denmark also! This particular song could have come from a best of garage mix from the late 60's. Those of you who favor that particular genre should thank me for this gem.

Next is cover of I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night originally done by The Electric Prunes. So impressed with Davie Allen and the Arrows that I've included 2 tracks here.

If you enjoy pristine harmonies and songs that only improve with age like a good bottle of wine next track by the Straw Dogs will satisfy. One can always wonder how such a good band with 5 albums to their name can fall under the radar but many of us have exposure to such a plethora of music both old and new, some overplayed and undiscovered.

Last 2 songs on the play list from Josh Pyke and Or, The Whale also fall under the category of alt-country.

Feel free to leave comments if you particularly enjoyed any of these songs and please above all support these musicians.

Sizzling Summer Powerpop Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:21:00 +0000

Ages since our last appearance; real life has gotten in the way again. Until the next post which will be our review of Liverpool's International Pop Overthrow Fest in May here's a playlist of some favorite tracks from 2008 - 2010. Apologies to those who don't have access to Spotify.

1. Let's Go - Stephen Lawrenson
2. Pray For Delay - Anne Soldaat
3. Couldn't I Just Tell You - Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs
4. Twice If You're Lucky - Crowded House
5. Up Against The Glass - Botticelli's
6. Quit - Benjamin R
7. I'm Not A Kid Anymore - Sloan
8. Close To the Sun - Grip Weeds
9. She Revolves - Quarter After
10. Second Scene - Gurus
11. Here We Go Again - The Galaxies
12. Don't Ask Me Love - The Madd
13. A Whole Lot Better - Brendan Benson
14. If I Could Break Your Heart - Oranjuly
15. Change - Young Veins
16. The Sun's Gonna Shine In the Morning - Dennis Diken with Bell Sound

Sizzling Summer Playlist

God of Malfunction - The Contrast Come Back To Life

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:48:00 +0000

What's it like in a few words? The Searchers meet Smithereens whilst Prog meets Pop

The Contrast can always be relied upon to provide the listener with an album chock full of great ideas, signature harmonies and sonic goodies without any particular quirks other than maybe singer/writer David Reid's downbeat vocal and affected pronunciations (moon becomes m'herne for example) which sits suitably at odds with the confectionist appeal of his opulent hooks. Although the pick and mix is changeable from one album to another, with gems dotted here and there, there's no doubt that the highpoint to date was 2005's 'Forgot To Tell The Time' where the band had finally made the record they'd been threatening for the previous five years since their debut in 2000.

Five years on the band has reached somewhat of a career hiatus with only 2007's less distinguished 'Underground Ghosts', a label change to Steve Van Zandt's Wicked Cool, plus an excellent but really (for fans) water treading compilation 'Perfect Disguise' to occupy. What's important now is whether in 2010 their new album builds on the promise of that career high of five years past or are they merely languishing in the skids?

We commence with a laugh, a hollow reedy synth arpeggio echos Rattus Norvegicus IV period Stranglers as an insistent chorus rams the catch right home and seriously connects by the time you give the opener its third airing.

Next, the first and correctly chosen single 'Coming Back to Life' says Blondie so much I can almost hear the Debbie Harry cover haunting us impossibly from 30+ years ago - Underground Ghosts indeed. Definitely one of the strongest tracks on the album - a Farfisa-ish poppy organ drives a groovy short little mover to its logical conclusion enough to make you want to press the repeat button in an instant.

The third slice 'Take Me Apart' is classic new wavish 2 1/2 minute pop single material, but also takes in an early 60's Gary U.S. Bonds vibe. Beautifully dressed, this has got all the important ingredients in one glorious concoction - a lovely, wobbly short sharp guitar solo, fab bop-bop-shoo-wop backup vocals and great drumming as is customary on all Contrast records. Undoubtedly, this should be the next single.

Elsewhere on our imaginary side 1 'I Am An Alien' betrays some Prog allegiance as the distinct application of the antique theremin apes the same in Uriah Heap's prominent whistling howl in 'Sweet Lorraine', whilst 'Gone Forever' has the Searchers written all over it with guitars all a-jangle and amazingly this screams "This should be the third single!"

Turn your iPod over and with title track 'God of Malfunction' we are right back in Prog land. Harmony guitars open, giving in to riffy lurches which seem to musically check Aqualung era Jethro Tull in a multitude of characteristics - only the flute is missing - even the subject matter is right on target. Nice one.

Moving along, 'Better Than They Seem' visits the Beatlesque psyche period somewhat via XTC and all who sail in her. 'She's A Disaster' sports nice synth/guitar interplay a-la-raga rock and majestic, controlled, crushed drum fills from the incredible Thorin Dixon, who comes on like a caged Keith Moon.

Tussling between the Prog and the Pop 'Thought You Were Strong' emerges as a late favourite all riff heavy but more light alloy than heavy metal - thankfully!

I've not commented on David Reid's lyrical content - I may be doing him a disservice here but I think he'd be the first to admit that he uses language for its sound and effect rather than its meaning, so I've long since tried to figure out what he might be trying to say to us - if anything.

However, the grand finale piece 'False Admission' grabbed my ear first time around more for a little lyrical trick before the music gripped on subsequent plays. We start with a nice dragging walking pace - an attractive guitar figure introduces the song and each verse. Impending drama is hinted as the song grows into moderate movie epic proportions, returns to walking pace and peters out to subdued feedback. As you begin to appreciate the song construction overall the lyrical trick staged around the title which rhymes 'False Admission' with both 'badly written..' pause and then also 'fiction' becomes less apparent, as do the lyrics themselves.

In my introduction I posed the question of whether the band was hitting greater highs or merely resting on past glories. After 10 years and 6 albums and little commercial feedback, it must get more and more arduous to keep pulling rabbits from hats. Well, I'm glad to report that the break, the move to a new label and the superb CinemaScope production of strong advocate and mentor Little Steven have made a difference. It's very much evident that on this album the Contrast's strengths have been expanded, highlighted and squarely aimed into a record which will prove to be their most polished, accessible, and best yet.

Finally, there's gonna have to be a hundred or so better albums this year for 'God of Malfunction' not to end up on the Powerpop Review Best of 2010. You owe it to yourself to invest and give this hardworking band a well deserved place in the first division. Get 'God of Malfunction' - Out this Tuesday 13th April
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Cover: The album cover particularly recalls the prog sleeves of Roger Dean with its spindly long legged elephants not a million miles from their large eared flying cousins which adorned Osibisa's first 2 or 3 albums from the early 70's. Perhaps David Reid harbors some deep rooted Prog pretensions from his youth as do these two writers?
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In our reviews I = We - where we basically both listen, inwardly digest, write separate reviews, then merge the two in the first person.
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Hear the first single 'Coming Back To Life' on the band's own website.

Discography:

God of Malfunction - Wicked Cool Records 2010
Perfect Disguise:Introducing the Contrast - Wicked Cool Records 2007
Underground Ghosts - Rainbow Quartz Records 2007
Forget to Tell the Time - Rainbow Quartz Records 2005
Fade Back In - Rainbow Quartz Records 2004
Wireless Days - Rainbow Quartz Records 2002
Mystery #1 - Rainbow Quartz Records 2000

The Best Albums of 2009

noreply@blogger.com (MrQwerty) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:15:00 +0000

With a mere 3 posts in 2009 (and even now - still fashionably late) you'd be forgiven for thinking we wouldn't be in a position to list our favorites of the year. Well, despite some major upheavals in our personal lives which definitely impacted our ability to appear here on a regular basis, our ears have not been shirking their honeyed duties. As a result, we bring you a bumper round-up of what we believe to be not only one of the best years of the decade, but also the perfect end to one of the best decades since Rock 'n' Roll first flickered into existence.

In a year where the mainstream music industry on one hand is piling the dung heap higher than ever with evermore glossy karaoke TV talent shows and on the other still failing to address the licensing and territory issue which threatens to drag it even further into the mire, choosing to have governments and clod-hopping authorities turn music fans into criminals rather than provide the download culture with a comprehensive reasonable, universal and fair solution - which surely is within their power alone to provide - the alternative/real music industry is turning out better and better music in greater numbers than ever before.

Hundreds of great albums were released this year, making it difficult to keep up with the onslaught. Quite a few appearances from old faithfuls were mostly welcome: Superdrag, Tommy Keene, Von Bondies, Cheap Trick, Terry Anderson, Green Pajamas, Ian Hunter, Mother Hips, NRPS, NGDB, Parallax Project, Mother Hips, Willie Nile, Kyle Vincent, and Naomi Star amongst them, but overwhelmingly, the majority of names were brand new (or almost new) to us - long may it continue.

In keeping with previous years, genres blur and it's hard to say what's pop and what's not. So we present a variety of lists which cover our chief area of taste but also others which for one reason or another, beg inclusion. As usual, these-are-some-that-we-have-loved, so we can't put them in any kind of order, except alphabetical. However, we have numbered them for convenience sake.

The Best Power Pop Albums of 2009

All Star United - The Good Album
American Suitcase - Pillowsky
Andy Lehman & The Night Moves - Lowcountry
Anne Soldaat - In Another Life
Ben Folds Presents - University A Cappella
Benjamin R - The Other Side Of Nowhere
Bigbang - Edendale
Biscuit - Cinnamon Fade Out
Bishop Allen - Grrr...
Black Hollies - Softly Towards The Light
Blame Ringo - Lucky Number 9
Bob Evans - Goodnight, Bull Creek
Bob Mould - District Line
Bobby Emmett - Learning To Love
Brendan Benson - My Old, Familiar Friend
Campbell Stokes Sunshine Recorder - Makes Your Ears Smile
Cass McCoombs - Catacombs
Casper And The Cookies - Modern Silence
Cheap Star - Speaking Like An Elephant
Cheap Trick -The Latest
Chris Richards - Sad Sounds Of The Summer
Cornershop - Judy Sucks A Lemon For Breakfast
Creede Williams - After The Letters
Dashboard Confessional - Alter The Ending
David Brookings - Glass Half Full
David Mead - Almost And Always
Deleted Waveform Gatherings - Ghost, She Said
Dennis Diken With Bell Sound - Late Music
Dexateens - Singlewide
Dolly Rocker Movement - Our Days Mind The Tyme
Duckworth Lewis Method - The Duckworth Lewis Method
El Goodo - Coyote
Eric Knox - Top Ten
Everclear - In A Different Light
Fate Lions - Good Enough For You
Films - Oh, Scorpio
First In Space - This Is Not Here
Fun - Aim And Ignite
Glenn Tilbrook And The Fluffers - Pandemonium Ensues
Gourds - Haymaker
Greater California - All The Colors
Howie Day - Sound The Alarm
Humbugs - On The Up Side
Ian Tanner - Things Never To Say Out Loud!
Jason Falkner - All Quiet On The Noise Floor
Jeff Litman - Postscript
Jeremy Miller Band - Way Too Fast
Jet - Shaka Rock
Johan - 4
John Brodeur - Get Through
June - Magic Circles
Junior League - Smile Shoot Smile
Kyle Vincent - Where You Are
Leftovers - Eager To Please
Lovetones - Dimensions
Madd - Are Pretty Quick
Madness - The Liberty Of Norton Folgate
Marc Carroll -Dust Of Rumour
Mark Cronk - Playing Katchup
Martin Carr - Ye Gods & Little Fishes
Matt The Electrician - Animal Boy
Meat Puppets - Sewn Together
Michael Carpenter - Redemption #39
Miles Nielsen - Miles
Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Minky Starshine - Unidentified Hit Record
Minster Hill - Capturing Clouds In A Bottle
Mockin' Birds - Spread Your Wings
Morningwood - Diamonds And Studs
Naomi Star - Through The Eyes
New York Dolls - Cause I Sez So
Official Secrets Act - Understanding Electricity
Orange Peels - 2020
Parallax Project - I Hate Girls
Passports - Is It True
Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey - Here And Now
Pogo Pops - Where The Action Is
Pronto - All Is Golden
Pugwash - Giddy
Reno Bo - Happenings And Other Things
Research Turtles - Research Turtles
Resonars - That Evil Drone
Riverdales - Invasion Usa
Riverwinds - Riverwinds
Roger Klug - More Help For Your Nerves
Secret Powers - And The Electric Family Choir
Scott Warren - Quick Fix Bandage
Shazam - Meteor
Sheer - Here And Now And Long Before
Solly - You Know What You Should Do
Sons Of Great Dane - Why Ramble
Spiral Stairs - The Real Feel
Spongetones - Scrambled Eggs
Spongetones Present Jamie & Steve - English Afterthoughts
Stephen Lawrenson - Somewhere Else
Stereophonics- Keep Calm & Carry On
Stellastarr - Civilized
Strangefinger - Into The Blue - Remarkable?
Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Communion
Summer Set - Love Like This
Surrogate - Popular Mechanics
Taylor Mills - Under The Surface
Telepathic Butterflies - Circle Man
Tody Castillo - Windhorse
Tommy Keene - In The Late Bright
Tomorrows - Jupiter Optimus Maximus
Train - Save Me San Francisco
Tripwires - House To House
Two Hours Traffic - Territory
Valley Lodge - Semester At Sea
Von Bondies - Love Hate And Then There's You
Webstirs - So Long
Wheels On Fire - Get Famous
Wild Bores - Wild Bores
Willie Nile - House Of A Thousand Guitars
Wiretree - Luck
Yeah You's - Looking Through You

The Best Alt Country/Roots/Organic of 2009

1220 - Killin' For A Livin'
Andy Lehman & The Night Moves - Lowcountry
Avett Brothers - And Love And You
Ben Folds Presents - University A Cappella
Ben Harper& Relentless 7 - White Lies For Dark Times
Blue Rodeo - All The Things That Are Left Behind (2cd)
Boo Hewerdine - God Bless The Pretty Things
Bottle Rockets - Lean Forward
Brad Peterson -The Ductape Album
Brian Jay Cline - Nashville Tracks - Maybe
Brother Trucker - The Flyover
Calico Brothers -Tell It To The Sun
Carbon Leaf - Nothing Rhymes With Woman
Chris Isaak - Mr. Lucky
Chris Knight - Trailer II
Chuck Prophet - Let Freedom Ring (2009)
Clarks - Restless Days (2009)
Cracker - Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey
Cross Canadian Ragweed - Happiness And All The Other Things
Deadstring Brothers - Sao Paulo
Dinosaur Jr - Farm
Don Gallardo - Sweetheart Radio Revolution, Etc.
Elvis Perkins - Elvis Perkins In Dearland
Gilded Palace Of Sin - You Break Our Hearts We'll Tear Yours Out
Gloriana - Gloriana
Gomez - A New Tide
Grand Atlantic - How We Survive
Hot Dogs - Nothing But A Bad Day
Ian Hunter - Man Overboard
Ike Reilly - Hard Luck Stories
Jason Isbell - And The 400 Unit
John Fogerty - The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
John Wesley Harding - Who Was Changed And Who Was Dead
Jon Allen - Dead Mans Suit
JTQ - New World
Karima Francis - The Author
Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson - Rattlin' Bones
Kings Of Convenience - Declaration Of Dependence
Kingsbury Manx - Ascenseur Ouvert!
Leaving Tx - Late Gettin' Started
Lemonheads -Varshons
Levon Helm - Electric Dirt
Locksley - Be In Love
Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
Maplewood - Yeti Boombox
Megafaun - Gather Form And Fly
Michael Martin Murphey - Buckaroo Blue Grass
Minus 5 - Killingworth
Mother Hips - Pacific Dust
Nanci Griffith - The Loving Kind
New Riders Of The Purple Sage - Where I Come From
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Speed Of Life
Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up
Pines - Tremelo
Pinto -Short Songs About Konging
Quantic And His Combo Barbaro - Tradition Intransition
Refreshments - A Band's Gotta Do What A Band's Gotta Do
Rhett Miller - Rhett Miller
Roger And The Rockets - Walking Band
Sam Baker - Cotton
Scott Miller - For Crying Out Loud
Sister Hazel - Release
Statesboro Revue - Different Kind Of Light
Stereo Deluxe - When The Party's Over
Terry Anderson & The Olympic Ass Kickin Team - National Champions
Thea Gilmore - Recorded Delivery
Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
Timothy B. Schmit - Expando
Tom Caufield - The Times Are Never So Bad
Train - Save Me San Francisco
Uncle Kracker - Happy Hour
Webb Wilder - More Like Me
Western States - Bye & Bye
White Lies - To Lose My Life
Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
Wrinkle Neck Mules - Let The Lead Fly

A Dozen & 1/2 Fab EP's From 2009

Chris Richards - That Covers That
Codaphonic - Edison's Rival
Cobbwebs - Demos
Greg Pope - Pete
Honeydogs - Sunshine Committee
Jeremy Nail & the Incidents - EP
John Brodeur -Slutty Nurse
Josh Abbott Band - Brushy Creek
Joshua James - Sings Songs
Leisure Society - A Product Of The Ego Drain
Mini - Must Try Harder
Paul Westerberg - The Ghost Gloves Cat Wing Joy Boys
Riffbackers - Sometimes
Rooney - Wild One
Sloan - Hit and Run
Syrups - Hear Here
Tearaways - Knackered
Whiskey Dawn - Dear Nashville

Special Mentions for 2009
Big Star - Keep An Eye On The Sky [Box Set] - Essential Box Set Of The Year for the brilliant but unappreciated Archie Bell support set alone - a 1000 musicians smile in ironic recognition!
Brothers Streep - Anna Paquin - Greatest Comedy Song With A Power Pop Flavor from these young gifted South African satirists
Bruce Springsteen - Working On A Dream - Bruce's single is perhaps the Most Pop Thing he's done Since 'Hungry Heart' - more like this please Bruce.
Clay Broome - Sunscreen Secrets - Clay, I love this! - When does it get official release?
Clem Snide - Hungry Bird - Consistently Great Singer/Songwriter still delivering the goods
Noel Gallagher - The Dreams We Have As Children - Fave Live Album
Prince - Crimson & Clover - Fave Bubblegum Cover of the Year
Jayhawks - Music From The North Country - Most welcome Anthology of the Year
Jon Boden - Songs From The Floodplain - Best UK Folk Album of the Year
Chris Smither - Time Stands Still - Best US Folk Album of the Year
Sadies & John Doe - Country Club - Great New Partnership
Avenues (From Leeds UK) - The Saddest Demise Of A Brilliant Band
Booker T Jones - Potato Hole - Best Fabulous Return
Graham Coxon - The Spinning Top - Massive Change Of Direction Award goes to Graham for his embrace of something like Nick Drake bedsit country
New York Dolls - Cause I Sez So - Favorite Re-Emergence
Spinal Tap - Back From The Dead - Welcome Re-serving of the Year
Richard Lloyd - The Jamie Neverts Story - Best Hendrix Covers We've Heard all Decade
Tragically Hip - We Are The Same - Favorite Canadians of the Year
Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg - Best Trad Hard Rock Album

We've largely sidestepped tributes, compilations and reissues - not that there weren't some great examples of each, bur we had to draw the line somewhere. Looking forward to more great music in 2010.
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Going Down To Liverpool To Do Something

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:31:00 +0000

Yes it's been a while, but we're back again, after some period spent on the non blog life for a while - apologies, we won't let it happen again!

One of the advantages of being able to attend Liverpool's International Powerpop Overthrow Festival is experiencing a plethora of powerpop bands from a pool which is truly international (as the name implies) encompassing musicians the whole length of Scandinavia, many parts of Southern Europe, regions of Asia, the USA and the UK etc, in intimate, cosy surroundings like the Cavern. Any serious music fan will already know how important the Cavern was in terms of rock music history and that musical heritage is still being carried on by the 175 bands that performed last week or so at the IPO Fest.

Since we could only attend the festival on Saturday, Mr Qwerty and I will be highlighting the bands that impressed us the most that day. This particular year the festival took place not only on the back and front stages of the Cavern but also across the road at the Cavern Pub, and round the corner at the Beaconsfield and the Grapes. Since the last 2 places mentioned are fairly close it wasn't impossible to catch the bands that we wanted to see, but a bit hectic, not helped by some skewed scheduling at the further venues, which resulted in us endlessly catching the last song by one band or another for the first two hours we were there.
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One such band was Slumberjet (think a little XTC, a little Neil Finn but like neither really other than that knack with an adventurous melody) who we caught for two and a half numbers at the Beaconsfield where the Irish 3-piece were delighting an audience of 2 or 3 interested parties and possibly the pub pooch. This embarrassing turnout must have been due to the crazy scheduling. We'd actually turned up to see the Romeo Flynns, but they didn't even leave the airport owing to some UK entry faux pas. Anyway Mr Q was very impressed with Barry O'Brien's slighty off-centre take on hooky, sometime pastoral psyche pop, and managed to catch them for a few more songs later when they played the Cavern main stage. Recommended is Barry O'Brien's own EP Spark, the 3 songs on the bands MySpace. Can't wait for a fully fledged Slumberjet Record. Soon I hope! More information on Slumberjet here: www.myspace.com/slumberjet
 The first band to send our collective thumbs aloft were the Edinburgh ensemble Honeybug. This 7 piece fit into an unusual and select niche only previously reserved for the likes of Curt Boettcher (Sagittarius, Millennium California, & Association), Harpers Bizarre, the Merry-Go-Around, the Turtles and Yellow Balloon.

Their harmony drenched soft pop, the level of sophistication and interweave is an awfully rare beast, even in the phenomenal world of powerpop. Thus it was truly a delight to experience their aural brilliance for the first time, from the delightful first song 'Time' which featured just Ni's piano and the bands glorious voices, to 'Anything For You' from their Naked Songs EP.   Although their own material is very strong, it's arguable whether the real highlights were their crowd pleasing rendition of Jellyfish's 'That Is Why' and later and even better known, the Buggles 'Video Killed the Radio Star.' Both were nigh on perfect, particularly the Jellyfish cover which was frankly awe inspiring.

We are indebted to Debbie's Twitterfriend, Anne Marie for the recommendation and an introduction to main man Nigel Frayling-Kelly. Explore more at www.myspace.com/honeybug

You wait for years for new, well crafted soft harmony pop, then two come along at once.

Piano led by Yani Martinelli, Navy Blue too have a level of sophistication and command of the medium that impresses immediately. The material often recalls the mini symphonies and welded multi-strand short pieces of the Smile-era Beach Boys, the experimental touches of Harper's Bizzare, Ben Folds and Todd Rundgren. I even hear references from as far afield as Harry Nilsson and amazingly, Stereolab. But Madrid's Navy Blue make it all their own, in a rich melle of gorgeous flavours.

The band possess two excellent lead vocalists in the charming Yani Martinelli and lead/back-up singer/percussionist Angel Gago - a finer set of pipes than you could ever wish to meet. Their new album 'At Home' is as charming and seductive as they are. Investigate more at www.myspace.com/navyblueproject

Mini moved through the club like a clean waft of fresh air, delivering a tight set of dynamic, twisting, turning songs of love lost and unrequited, set to flawless and tasteful, inventive instrumentation.

The material flowed smoothly and effortlessly for half-an-hour of relentless entertainment. The band connected well with the audience and lead singer (and drummer) had oodles of charisma, with bags to spare. Also, great to see a band with two lead singers plus strong vocal harmonies and back-ups - all band members sing - and perform like their life depended on it. Their cover of Cliff Richard's 'We Don't Talk Anymore' was a showstopping demonstration of just how great a powerpop song this was. Mini did the 1980 #1 Alan Tarney penned hit total justice and didn't shortchange us at all when they included all the vocal pyrotechnics of the original, delivered with stunning and appropriate acrobatics!!

Mini were new to us but we will go away with nothing but admiration for their standout song 'Since Yesterday' - a tremendous showcase for the incredible vocal performance and quality of lead singer Scott Richardson and guitar of the Gary Davies. The song has an expansive sound which takes in both Macca (Circa 'Band on The Run') and Stevie Wonder (Circa 'Innervisions/Believe When I Fall In Love') with a dose of psychedelia to tag out with. Unmissable.

Mini's EP with a nice self-depreciating title of 'Must Try Harder' should be purchased immediately - find out more about Mini: www.myspace.com/soundofmini

If memory serves, almost one week on, I believe Smash Palace opened with the superb career high 'Steal Her Thunder' from their 'Over The Top' album. A wickedly perfect soaring slice of pop psychedelia that recalls both fellow New Jerseyites 'The Grip Weeds' and (of course perfect PP reference) the Byrds

Although the crowd wasn't huge, Smash Palace can't realise their almost legendary status as the wonderful 'Juliet To Me' (from both the 1st album & the fully realised/rounded version which graces 'Over The Top') was requested by audience member. Leader Stephen Butler seemed genuinely humbled by the fact that some people in England might know their stuff when he asked "How do you know that song?". "Cos I bought the album when it came out" replied the English guy. Yeah Stephen that makes at least of two of us - and I'm sure many more!

The band (formerly the main shakers from the obscure, rare & underrated 'Quincy') continued with 'She' (From the last album 'Everybody Comes & Goes') and a very nice cover of the Beatles 'Hey Bulldog' in recognition of their being at the Cavern. Personally I can't believe how far they've come from that now passe sub U2/New Romantic sound of 1985's 'Living On The Borderline'. www.myspace.com/smashpalace and www.smashpalacemusic.com/

Unfortunately due to switching from one venue to another we were only able to catch 2 songs by Peter Parker, which was a real shame. His break speed guitar work welds Chuck Berry to Marc Bolan, and chugs and splutters like no other. An arresting spectacle, Parker jerks and quirks like a man who’s eaten tourettes tablets for breakfast. He’s only one man, and although great, I think fronting a band would serve him well. The songs available at www.myspace.com/peterparkerrocks and MySpace Vids are gloriously hooky and blew these writers away.

Radio Days, an Italian band from Milan, made a visual statement soon as they appeared - all clad in all black, thin ties, skinny frames and a front line of white guitars. The Band had fabulous stage presence and unstoppable energy! Their set was over way too quickly for us.

These guys had definitely done their powerpop homework. They performed brilliant covers of both the Rubinoos "I Want To Be Your Boyfriend" and a sublime Paul Collins' Beat: 'Rock 'n' Roll Girl'. These covers perfectly placed their own songs which revisits the best in the short sharp shocks of bands like the Romantics, the Ramones, Green Day and of course, the Beat. www.myspace.com/radiodays

  My husband and I were pleasantly surprised to find out while doing research for this article that the origins of Irwin Starr from Denmark date back to the excellent Shiner 22. Who? I hear you say, but we had discovered the music of Shiner 22 many years ago (one and a half brilliant albums in 'Mint' and 'Where's The Catch') and often wondered what had happened to them.

Amazingly they still have a web site www.shiner22.net/ but main man Fjeder (aka Pete Shiner) now leads Irwin Starr, who were superb BTW. Their song 'Sally Can't Wait' is as solid a gold piece of powerpop if ever you heard some and remained the high point of their hot and sweaty set in the bowls of the Cavern Pub. The audience was a little thin on the ground but was frequently peppered by streams of scantily clad young women on a night out, a sight which thrilled the band enough to make up for the paucity of numbers and provided a few laughs for us in the audience and the band at the irony of the whole thing. See Irwin Starr's Facebook page

Peter and the Penguins are able to capture the essence of Beatlesque harmonies, melodies and song structure without sounding totally derivative of their idols. The exception might be the infectious 'Surprise' which is such a dead ringer for 'Please Please Me' it may as well have been a Rutles song!

However the band more than redeem themselves with very original spin given on their song 'There Goes Pete Best' which tells the story of how the writer is about to get Pete Best's autograph, but has a change of heart when he questions why he'd want the autograph of "...the unluckiest bastard in the world".

The Penguins went down a storm with more than a sprinkling of dedicated fans amongst the throng. Their nifty cover of the Spongetones "She Goes Out with Everybody" was another highlight and prompted our purchase of their latest album 'How To Choose A Sweetheart' at the gig as a souvenir of a great concert. Go to www.myspace.com/peterthepenguins to find out how to get your copy.
  Mellowmen were initially the band that compelled Debbie to pick Saturday for the day that we would attend IPO as we'd seen them twice before - again, they were our favorite band of the day.

Their songwriting, musicianship and performance makes one wonder why their name isn't better known. The sheer energy of the show had the audience as much engrossed in the music as the band members were themselves transfixed by something outside our immediate vision (see photo below for evidence). The men of Mellow began with Out Of Shape Part I from their 2004 EP of the same name, a crowd pleaser to the anointed as many of us sang along about just how 'Out of Shape' we were. From beginning to end these guys give their absolute all and by end of the performance are completely hung out to dry. When they come off stage they resemble the MC5 in that classic cover shot from their second album 'Back in the USA'(pic) - although musically they are not at all alike - they certainly capture that energy and commitment.

This time the Men had a surprise for us all when lead guitarist Anders Lofgren came over all Pete Townshend like and suddenly smashed his guitar into splinters in 60's pop-art style. It was certainly a great end to a terrific day!

Best personal surprise of all, Debbie got an advance promo of 4 new tracks of the band from hunk bassist Jonas Lofgren - the contents of which indicate that their projected fall second album promises to be brilliant - can't wait! www.myspace.com/mellowmen
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It seems churlish to complain, the IPO is a free festival and although he seems a little more aloof than when I first met him 5 years ago in New York, there's no doubt that it's the enthusiasm and drive of David Bash that flies the powerpop flag so large and so high, but I feel that a 7 day festival and 175 bands, while admirable is spreading the goods a little thin. For me, the influx of indie and other extraneous styles sometimes dilutes the artist mix a little too much.  

Posted by Mr Qwerty & Debra47
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Happiness is a Warm Fuzz

noreply@blogger.com (MrQwerty) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:05:00 +0000

Here's another record that failed to make our best of the year only by virtue of the fact that it was released too close to the end of 2008 for us to place it in our catchment. Certainly, it would have featured in our top 5 EP's of the year as it's as solid a pink piece of prime modern bubblegum as one could ever wish to find.

The great thing for 'Gum aficionados like me, is that each generation brings something fresh to the genre without taking something important away, unlike the Heavy Metal genre for example which seems intent on removing essential elements piece by piece, dimension by dimension to end up with some ghastly one dimensional shadow of its original reference. By contrast, this fine EP has pedigree which reaches all the way back to Kasenetz Katz & The Archies, thru Chinn & Chapman, Fizzy 80's Electronica, Betty Boo, Hanson, right up to today's Ting Tings.

The Warm Fuzzies hail from the rich musical heritage that is Athens, Georgia, but apart from maybe the odd minor nod to Pylon, buck the lineage completely and serve up their very own slab of delicious dessert.

Their 6-song EP specially packaged in an eco-friendly "arigato pak" comes complete with a comic-style liner (like Bazooka Joe's did) and topped with a scratch-n-sniff (ala Raspberries 1st) that smells just like bubblegum!

As soon as your player hits binary you're up and grooving to the Warm Fuzzies infectious concoctions. References abound, Weezer and The Rentals are obvious pointers, but I hear reaches back to 'Gums' mid 60's inception, plus the idiosyncratic influence of Devo, Cheap Trick, TMBG & that nerdy cool of The Feelies, Presidents of the USA, Wheatus and Bowling For Soup.

So what do you get for the price of your Chewy Chewy few dollars:

'Hey Milunka' opens with a 'Pictures of Matchstick Men' incessant high pitch guitar crochet riff, followed by a run on something which sounds like a resident arcade one arm bandit, then a flutey Casio picks up the gauntlet and gives in to off-the-wall lyrics with a nursery rhyme melody in the classic 'Gum tradition. 'Hey Milunka' is a great opener sitting exactly where the strongest track should - be at the helm.

Gotta mention that the Casio sounds like the classic VL1 Tone model (circa 1980) - the same synth as used famously on Trio's 'Da Da Da' and the Human League's 'Dare'. This tiny hand held instument was an innovative little beast which doubled as a calculator - I used mine at school back in those early electro days.

'Space Invaders' opens with fizzy Moog and toy fuzz guitar and addresses that very serious issue of encroaching on your colleagues space in the office. In fact, this could have been the soundtrack to Ricky Gervais' "The Office", later personified by Steve Carell in the US version of the same. "Disorder, ...border, ...space invader".

'Your Dairy King' - employs the band's knack of including great puns in both their song titles and lyrics, plus (in fine 'Gum tradition again) the all important confectionery link. 'Your Dairy King' features brand loyalty in a song which raises the ad jingle way above its usual disposable status.

'Why Do Girls Wear Big Sunglasses' - is perhaps the bands best song other than the hit starter. This manages the stupendous feat of recalling for this writer, both XTC's 'I'm Bugged': "You're all look like insects, in your brand new sun specs" and John Fred/Playboy band 'Judy in Disguise' - all top notch 'Gum references.

There's an infectious cheesiness that pervades the whole Warm Fuzzies experience. A fact not overlooked by the band themselves as they celebrate with their collective tongues in their cheeks, when they promote their love for cheese in their sign-off 'Queso Love'.

The band may not have intended it, but for this writer, this is not a million miles away, in concept, from another grand trash aesthetic & artistic project: 'Groovy Neighborhood' by Pianosaurus, produced by the dBs/REM/Continental Drifters shaker Peter Holsapple, where all the songs were performed with vigor and enthusiasm on toy instruments with wonderful aplomb.

The Warm Fuzzies hook-laden guitars, cheesy cheapo synths, grunge pop and magnetic melodies are 'bob-on' fantabulous. However don't go to your local record stores (not that there are any left anymore, anyway) - take a magic swirling trip to your local candy store (although in the UK we call them sweets and we would buy them at Tuck Shops). Anyhow, it's in the Tuck Shop where you'd find the Warm Fuzzies, right next to Swizzlers Love hearts, Penny Arrow Bars and Chocolate Firemen in the box labeled 'Happiness is a Warm Fuzz' - indeedy! Buy, buy, buy.

We've secured a fine interview with the band to accompany this review, which we'll feature very shortly.

Buy Bubblegum at CD Baby
Hear them from our link (above) or at their MySpace site

Criminally Overlooked But Not Buried Underground

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:38:00 +0000

With the phenomenal amount of music released these days from every corner of the industry, it isn't surprising for a band or two to get lost in the shuffle - in fact in this business it's a downright certainty.

The Ravines is one such example of a criminally overlooked record from recent years. As a duty, we felt we should seek it out, dust it down, give it an airing and make you feel as ashamed (as we were) when the proverbial needle hit the groove.

The Ravines first CD Manifesto of a Broken Heart was actually released back in 2005 on the C-Side Records label and harks back to a simpler time musically (ie: somewhat earlier than 2005!). Singer/Songwriter Chris Corney and drummer James Crossley originally met back in 2000 when they played in Peterborough band the Contrast.

Their sound encapsulates Americana crossed with an inherent Britishness. My favorite track is title track Manifesto of a Broken Heart which features a rootsy Keith Richards' guitar and the stuck-to-roof-of-your-mouth catchy riff.

The harmonizing, the jangly guitar, and rumbling bass on the third track Supersize is infectious. Fifth song Best Friends also grabbed me; the harmonies in particular recall the Contrast's greatest song Caught in a Trap, to which of some of these guys contributed, of course

Overall The Ravines material reflects an experienced world weariness of angst and hope dashed with buzzword modernity in the use of language like 'downsize' and 'supersize'. Much of this feeling culminates in the closer The Getaway. A great and sure way to end the album.

If you looking for references you may already know, try these for size: Gin Blossoms, Goo Goo Dolls and Scottish bands the Silencers and Diesel Park West. All decent and seminal in their own way.

It is hard not to fall in love with this album, and it will only improve on repeated listens. Roll down those windows when you are listening to this once spring comes and make sure you drown out those hip-hop monkeys at the traffic light.

For full length tracks check out their page here. If you love the bands music as much as us you can purchase their CD at CDBaby .

Best Albums of 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:08:00 +0000

It is never easy to simplify and boil down all the greats from one 12 month period into one finite list of the very best for a particular year. However, this is what we've attempted to do. Here is a list of my favorite albums of 2008, in no particular order. I've also included favorites from my husband (Mr Qwerty). Most of the time our taste in music is quite similar but there are some genres that he prefers more than me and vice-versa. It's an eclectic list and also includes our favorite compilations, acts outside our remit and other goodies. Hope that there is an artist or band on this list that encourages you to look further and seek out their music. In 2009 I will be looking forward to discovering many more, new powerpop bands and the next International Pop Overthrow Festival in Liverpool.

Powerpop Albums of the Year
1 Adrian Bourgeois - Adrian Bourgeois
2 Sloan - Parallel Play
3 Third of Never - Moodring
4 Gurus - Now
5 Roger Joseph Manning - Catnip Dynamite
6 Junipers - Cut Your Key
7 Liam Finn - I'll be Lightning
8 Julie Ocean - Long Gone and Nearly There
9 Galaxies - Here We Go
10 The Quarter After - Changes Near
11Explorers Club - Freedom Wind
12 Class Three Overbite - Horses For Courses
13 Feeling - Join With Us
14 Ike - Where To Begin
15 Presidents of the USA - These Are The Good Times People
16 The Major Labels - Aquavia
17 Raconteurs - Consoler of the Lonely
18 Scott Murray - Vinyl Generation
19 Greg Pope - Popmonster
20 Lund Bros - Songbook IV

Honorable Mentions Which Might Be Outside Of Our Remit
1. Counting Crows - Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings
2. Mark Kozelek - The Finally LP
3 Winterpills - Central Chambers
4 Black Francis - Svn Fngrs
5 Dexateens - Lost and Found
6 Brent Cash - How Will I Know If I'm Awake
7 Boo Hewerdine - Toy Box No. 1 (e.p.)
8 Jeff Hanson - Madam Owl
9 Black Crowes - Warpaint
10 Killers - Day & Age
11 Duffy - Rockferry
12 Kings of Leon - Only By the Night
13 Lindsey Buckingham - Gift of Screws
14 Dwight Twilley - Singles
15 Envelopes - Here Comes The Wind
16 All American Rejects - When The World Comes Down
17 Greg Laswell - How The Day Sounds

Legendary Comebacks of the Year
Famously, the likes of Glen Campbell and Neil Diamond and other legendary old timers have put out substantial albums this year to equal (in some cases) their finest work. Less trumpeting and flags were erected for Beau Brummels' mainman Sal Valentino's contribution this year. His album, Every Now and Then quietly appeared to no particular fanfare. Understated, unassuming - Sal even revisits past glories, but it makes me happy that guys like Sal are still marking worthy statements which are vying for attention in the crowded marketplace.

Reissue of the Year
I bought it on vinyl in 1977 and when it first came out on CD in the 80's/early 90's but I'm still happy to lay out a third time for Dennis Wilson's sublime Pacific Ocean Blue, this time including his unfinished follow up Bambu. Often overlooked, even by Beach Boys fans, Dennis in any other band would be the major songwriter and central talent. This release proves beyond any doubt that we lost one of our finest musical contributors back in 1983

Compilations
Goo Goo Dolls - Greatest Hits Volume 2
VA - International Pop Overthrow Volume 11
Gripweeds - Infinite Soul (Best of The Gripweeds)
Linus of Hollywood - Attractive Singles

Holiday Recommended Books For The Music Lover

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:07:00 +0000

At this time of year many of us look for the perfect book for the
serious music lovers on our Christmas list. That person may indeed
be us as it is so tempting to purchase this type of gift for oneself.

This Is Your Brain On Music - Daniel J. Levitin - Plume, 2006
Extremely well researched book that delves into the mysteries of how
our brains and other receptors are affected by music

Music Lust - Nic Harcourt - Sasquatch Books, 2005
Written by KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. Book is broken down into
various themed chapters that describe bands and/or musicians that
fall into that particular category. For example the chapter for Good
Enough to Eat lists bands that have names describing food. The
individual who loves music combined with an obsessive love of lists
needs this book!

Lost In The Grooves - Kim Cooper and David Smay - Routledge, 2005
This is one of those books you can get lost in. Described on the
cover as a capricious guide to the music you missed this is the type
of book that fanatical music collectors love. Here's where my husband
found that the James Gang and Martin Mull were worthy of re-evaluation
and discovered Fool's Face for the first time. If this kind of thing
sets your heart racing, then this is the book for you.

Listen To This - Alan Reder and John Baxter, Hyperion, 1999
Musicians from different genres recommend their favorite artists and
recordings which gives this book an original outlook. For fans of
Peter Buck of REM you will gain insight into the bands and influences
that impacted his music. Highly recommend the book because of the
unusual music that is mentioned but also for the depth of the research
done.

The Green Book of Songs by Subject, 4th Edition - Jeff
Green,Professional Desk References, 1995
This is the book that all disc jockeys would have loved to have gotten
their hands on in the days of early 70's free form radio. The book is
divided into all types of categories and songs that fit into those
categories are listed. The categories range from Africa - world. I
myself used to make up playlists of the 3 perfect songs that would go
together thematically if I were a DJ. At the time I purchased the
book I hesitated due to the price but in retrospect I am glad I made
the acquisition as I haven't seen it since.

The Encyclopedia of Record Producers - Eric Olsen, Paul Verna & Carlo Wolff, Billboard Books, 1999
As essential as directors of movies are the legendary producers of
records. Here are the visionaries behind the stars,the ones twiddling
the knobs, sliding the sliders and dishing out the direction and
advice. Pretty thorough and gives discographies which feature their
misses as well as their hits. As a companion to this volume, can we
also recommend the BBC book The Record Producers which accompanied
their radio series of the same name, where fuller accounts and
interviews are conducted with a number of classic producers. Not all
are obvious with some surprise entries.

Shake Some Action - The Ultimate Power-Pop Guide - John Borack,
Not Lame, 2007
Essential for any fan of the genre, this book lists the top 200 power
pop albums and discusses each record. But this book is a variable
feast for the fan and additionally contains another 14 riveting
chapters that none of us can afford to be without. Seasoned powerpop
hack veteran Borack has pretty much rounded up every important
commentator, musician and mover/shaker on the jangly genre that is
worthy of a sniff and nailed a comment, a top ten or other important
fact for us ever grateful servants of this thing we love. Unfortunately this
book is now out of print but was originally available from the Not Lame
site.

Old Rare New: The Independent Record Shop, Barry Seven, Black Dog
Publishing, 2008
Although a rare experience now - this book recreates the feeling and
experience of finding that unusual record shop in a new town that has
you salivating beyond control. It panders to those of us of a certain
age, but lets face it, unless you remember the record shop of
yesterday then this book will probably not appeal in the first place.
Well researched and contains a couple of stores that are our
favourites too.

All books listed above with the exception of Shake Some Action are all
available at Amazon. There are even reasonably priced used copies of
many of them. Hope this list has been an inspiration for this holiday season.

Bopp Till You Drop

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:30:00 +0000

Andy Bopp, lead singer, guitarist, and main songwriter with the band
Myracle Brah shocked fans last month with a radical departure from the
norm. First make a solo album, and then make it an all acoustic affair
with eight stripped down versions of previously released songs, then
add four new songs to the package to keep the fans happy.

Andy highlights material mostly from his early career with songs from
Life From Planet Eartsnop, Bleeder, Plate Spinner and both Love Nut
albums (Andy's Pre Myracle Brah outfit). If you don't know Love Nut
- their two albums on Merkin are also worth checking out.

Entitled This Guitar Kills Singer Songwriters the solo album was
released on October 21 on the Rainbow Quartz label.

It was interesting to hear the acoustic versions of songs I'm already
very familiar with and to hear the new material. In general I think
if you have never heard Myracle Brah's music you need to go back to
their extensive catalog to truly appreciate this solo album by
listening to the original Myracle Brah versions first. Personally, I
prefer the crunchier sound of the electric guitar vs. the acoustic.

For those of you not familiar with Myracle Brah, their music is
defined by extremely short, under 3 minute powerpop gems that have an
immediacy and passion that grabs you. Perhaps one of the reasons
there is a rawness to their sound is due to the fact that Andy Bopp
does all of his recording in the garage of his home; when the mood
strikes him he can just meander down to his studio and capture his
inspiration.

I was fortunate to see Myracle Brah in the fall of 2004 when they
performed at Arlene's Grocery in NYC for that particular year's
International Pop Overthrow Fest; their performance far surpassed my
expectations.

Back to 'This Guitar Kills...' - The album begins with a favorite of
mine in its original format Whisper Softly- This version is
stark, but it's catchy, haunting melody pervades. Other favorites on
the album include "Broken" , Good Day To The Night and "Hearts on Fire".
I believe Lennon and McCartney would have been quite chuffed to
have come up with these melodies.

All in all an album for committed fans rather than a new audience, but
as a sketch before the full canvas of another Brah album, this will do
just dandy.

Some interviews with Andy Bopp are found here:

I nterview With Andy Bopp of Myracle Brah

Solo Acoustic Set and Interview on WFMU dated October 23, 2007.

Discography

Love Nut

Bastards of Melody - (Merkin) 1996

Baltimucho (Merkin) 1998

Myracle Brah

Life on Planet Eartsnop (Not Lame) 1998

Plate Spinner (Not Lame) 1999

Myracle Brah (Not Lame) 2000

Bleeder (Not Lame) 2001

Super Automatic (Rainbow Quartz Records) 2002 - 14 song compilation

Treblemaker (Rainbow Quartz Records) 2003

Can You Hear the Myracle Brah (Rainbow Quartz International) 2007

The Vinyl Resurgence

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:39:00 +0000

While back in the U.S. for my Mom's funeral I was able to return to a favorite record/CD shop in New Jersey. In the past my husband and I have spent many long hours combing through the used CDs and albums there. How many of you have fond memories of hunting through the browser for that rare album? I'm sure many readers have favorite record shops from their youth?

When I was a teenager I used to look through the import and the alphabetized sections hoping to come across an unusual album. My husband also had the experience of being able to visit over 30 record shops in his adopted home town, tramping miles to hunt through the sale bins for imported and cut-out albums. It was not unusual on some occasions to come home with 30+ albums tucked under his arms.

Since the introduction of the CD in the 80's and more recently the explosion of the MP3 (and similar) there is now a generation of young people who didn't experience firsthand the discovery of new bands as a result of perusing through vinyl. There are many who opine that the sound of vinyl is warmer than the digital option. Also with album covers being much larger you end up with a much bigger visual treat, a greater package and some genuine works of fine pop culture and yes, art!

When I was back in the U.S. I saw an ad for turntables being sold in 2 separate record/CD shops. This is the first time that I had seen a renewed interest in turntables despite the fact that the one shop has always sold new and used albums. The second shop where I saw turntables being sold was in the university town of Ithaca. While there (at 'Volume') I had a conversation with one of the co-owners of the shop in regard to the sale of vinyl. He said there was definitely a strong interest in the black plastic way of listening to music and that the college students wanted the artwork, the lyric sheet, the inner sleeve and moreover: 'the real thing' when it comes to purchasing music.

Vox Pop on Twitter
On Twitter recently I asked a few people if and why they purchase vinyl. Reasons ranged from "I like the warmer sound of it. Nostalgia, maybe?", "There's also the cover art and the cool gatefolds. Artists were able to do some great things with the larger canvas." Other responses included "there's something about the depth and warmth of sound on vinyl that I really like." and "I'm purchasing vinyl because I like the feel, the big cover art and the sound and it will be more durable and valuable than a CD."

Commercial Rise
Amazon's recently launched vinyl store now has over 250,000 titles in stock. In the next few months Oasis, Kings of Leon and Bob Dylan will be releasing new vinyl titles. U2 and Van Morrison will also be re-releasing their back catalog on vinyl. On September 2, 2008, Capitol Records released the first in a series of vinyl reissues of albums from some of their biggest artists, featuring classic releases from the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" and Steve Miller "Greatest Hits 1974-78" alongside more recent blockbusters from Coldplay "Parachutes" and Radiohead "OK Computer". Subsequently, Capitol followed up these 13 launch titles with the September 30 release of Jimi Hendrix' 1970 album "Band of Gypsies" and John Lennon's popular "Imagine", and on October 28, the iconic label will release albums from The Band, Megadeth, Roxy Music, and Paul McCartney & Wings.

L.A. indie label HackTone Records, will issue its first vinyl release, "Ready for the Flood," from former Jayhawks Mark Olson and Gary Louris this fall. The Pretenders new release called "Break Up the Concrete" came out recently on October 7. The vinyl version of the album, to be released on September 23, features two 10" discs with a gatefold, die-cut to shape and debossed with concrete texture with a full Album CD in Mini Jacket.

In addition to old material appearing on vinyl, 180 gram releases of new material are being marketed too. Ben Folds new album "Way To Normal Package" will contain: a CD, 180 gram vinyl, 24 page booklet, bonus DVD and Bonus CD with live 9 live songs.

Despite the fact that the 12 inch vinyl record was in decline for the past 20 years, worldwide sales of LP records doubled in 2007 after an all-time low in 2006. Turntable sales in the U.S. have increased more than 80% from 2006-2007 and are expected to rise again this year according to the Consumer Electronics Association.

One of the great things about the new vinyl movement, it's an independent phenomena - so far the big corporates have not climbed on the bandwagon and stomped all over it with their ugly size 13's - to much extent so far!

The Hunt
For those of you who are just now discovering vinyl you may wonder where the best place is to find those obscure vinyl treasures. I highly recommend the following places:

Used record shops
Record shows
Garage sales
Flea markets/car boots
Thrift stores
Ads in local newspapers
Ads in magazines such as Goldmine or Record Collector -UK
Gemm
Ebay
Internet forums
Library sales
College radio stations
Craigslist

For new and older vinyl:
Amazon , Rhino , and Sundazed are recommended.
This author has compiled a fabulous list of worldwide vinyl retailers.

Innovative?
If you need a creative solution for your new acquisitions once you start collecting vinyl here are directions for making a record holder

Experiences
Recently I read Vinyl Junkies by Brett Milano. Not only does he delve into the reasons for obsessive hunts for vinyl but he also did extensive research into the habits of serious music collectors such as Peter Buck of REM and Roger Manning of the band Jellyfish. I highly recommend the book.

Further Reading
Vinyl Gets Its Groove Back

We're Having a Vinyl Revival
Vinyl Revival: How A Dead Format Came Back for Another Spin
Vinyl Gets Another Spin
Vinyl Records Make a Return
Vinyl En Vogue

Cut Outs in the UK - Many shops were seasonal and set up just to sell American imports which came into the country as ballast from freight ships. The albums were supposed to be junked after they reached the UK's shores, but of course many of them were not, and were sold to unscrupulous wholesalers who would then sell them on to retail outlets for very little. Lucky for us collectors here, they were - a good proportion of my collection of American material is made up of these cut-outs - containing rarities and fabulous albums that soldin tiny amounts which have since allowed me to discover great
artists which would have otherwise be lost. MrQ

High On Stress: A Mini Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:31:00 +0000

On Saturday we reviewed High On Stress's new album "Cop Light Parade". Today (slightly later than advertised) we have an interview where I was fortunate enough to be able to direct some questions to the four members of High on Stress.

They all come from the Twin Cities, Minnesota and initially got together five years ago. Their first CD "Moonlight Girls" was released to great acclaim in July 2005 and their second "Cop Light Parade" officially released this month, we reviewed a couple of days ago (see below).

If you could have recorded your CD in any other decade when would it be and why? If there is a collective view that is similar discuss that decade. If it varies greatly from member to member please put forth separate opinions.

Nick – I would say the early 70's would have been a pretty sweet time to record music. There were a lot of great records put out back then "Sticky Fingers" and "Plastic Ono Band" for example.

Jim - I would be particular to the New Wave sound because it wouldn't matter what kind of crazy ass thing you'd do. It would be creative. I would also love to make a Cure record. That stuff just has a vibe that gets to the sad bastard in you.

Mark – '70s. I think a lot of our music is rooted in the rock bands and singer/songwriters of that era. The more recent influences we have drawn from the 70's primarily, so that seems to be the most compelling time in music for us directly and indirectly.

Chad - I would say the '90s. I really love the drum sounds on the records during that time period.

Nick - I think I just found out why it took us three years for our follow-up. It took us that long just to agree on how our record should sound!

What was the first album purchased by each member of the band?

Nick – Prince Purple Rain
Jim - Miley Cyrus Breakout
Mark – Beatles Red" Album
Chad - Nirvana Nevermind

How do you find the music scene in the Twin Cities?

The music scene in the Twin Cities is fantastic. There are a lot of different kinds of music that are accepted across the board. You should check out the Glad Version, the Red Flags, the Snaps, Tuesdays Robot and the Small Cities. There really is some great music coming from here.

Many thanks for the recommendations guys, we shall have a look and good luck with the success of the new album.

Interview: Debra47

The majority of the time this blog will only focus on powerpop music, but sometimes there will be a slight deviation. This is one of those times. Bands like High On Stress whose music loosely falls into the alt country genre will be more fully explored on my husbands blog: Hot Licks, Cold Steel and Cosmic Skies due to be launched in the next few weeks.

High On Stress: That Difficult Second - Or A Brave New Voice?

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:13:00 +0000

Something about High on Stress's new album 'Cop Light Parade' makes me think of Wilco's 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'. Maybe it's the similar corporate building detail cover shot, maybe it's the sometime throwaway delivery present on some songs, maybe it's the feeling that like Wilco's album, nothing really hits you square between eyes on first listening. Maybe too, there's some kind of irony at work that I've completely missed? Anyway you look at it, there ain't no doubt that this album is what we used to call 'a grower'.

That's no bad thing - you won't be over this baby in one play. Its tantalizing intrigue will keep you coming back for more - ensuring repeat playability. Vocalist Neil Leet leads the band into slight Anglophilia with his playful swagger and Jaggeresque dulcet tones, particularly on the third track "White Sugar". Then again I even detect a little Graham Parker in this laidback blusey country honk, reminiscent of Parker's similarly titled "White Honey". However maybe that's because Parker's dominantly ex-'Brinsley Schwarz' back up band evoke the same kind of understated instrumental interplay Nick Lowe's old crew gave their taste challenged audience (raised on Prog and Space Rock) back then.

The title track gives way to the wryly named "Abby Rose". However the first track to force this writer to wake up and take notice is #5 - "Table 8 in Queens" which begins with a familiar Neil Young type lope, but soon shifts to a short shuffle-like chorus. Great lyrics about divorce, in an understandable moment of near despair, Leet utters the classic immortal line: "Rock 'n' Roll can kiss my ass, it never saved anyone" Now, that's down, Neil - I hope you're over the hump that inspired that piece of ironic perfection?

"We Could Have Been Nobody" has a lovely harmony in the chorus which stays with you long after the album is over. Much of "Cop Light Parade" recalls one of Rock's other great hard-to-categorize-misfits 'Green On Red' and track #7 "Rhode Island" is no exception. For me it suggests the legacy of those LA troubadours most strongly than anything else here.

"My White Pages" (another cool rock pun) most recalls fellow Minnesotans 'The Replacements'. This is one of the best tracks on the album and grows with each play.

"Trample With Care" (yes, another groovy rock pun!) has a nice call and response chorus that further seems to occupy that Jayhawks/Wilco, sometimes WhiskeyTown vibe that pervades the whole album.

"Partner in Crime" most closely resembles that 'Gram Parsons/Stones' "Wild Horses" influence and is one of the definite stand outs of the entire album.

The final song, a postscript almost anonymously overlooked as "Track 12" or "Awakened By The Night" as it really should be called, draws a picture of a disappearing America swallowed up by endless out of town shopping malls and disaffected youth. For me, this is one of the best songs on this sophomore effort and should be elevated to greater prominence - however it is an excellent closer, so maybe not!

"Cop Light Parade" certainly veers towards the indie side of Alt-Country Rock. Sometimes I yearned for the cry of a pedal steel or the hint of a blue yodel but this isn't where these guys are coming from. The music is stripped down, bare and honest. Nobody could accuse them of ELO/Queen/U2 over indulgence - there's a truth, a blue collar, workman-like delivery that requires repeated plays to settle in the conscious.

Gone are the hooks, bigger instrumentation and instant appeal of songs like "Cash Machine" and "Harris County" from the first album. Yet this isn't a typical second album career flat-spot, just a brave alternative voice. Maybe a little fairy dust here and there will not go a miss next time, but for now "Cop Light Parade" will do just fine.
Review: Mr Qwerty

Sample High On Stress here with title track from the new album "Cop Light Parade" and a choice track from their first album 'Moonlight Girls' called "Eyeliner Blues"

More can be found on their MySpace site
Short samples of each track from their first album can be found on their old official website here

Our last 2 part post seemed an unpopular move, but we imagine this was because there was a week between Part 1 and 2. Not so this time. We have an interview with High On Stress, it's already to go, but we'll publish in a couple of days to avoid blogpost overload!

I Didn't Mean To Leave You This Way

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:54:00 +0000

Apologies to all readers of the Power Pop Review who've noticed our absence this last couple of weeks. First, an already hectic schedule and then the shock of the sad news of losing my Mother a week ago has conspired to give me and my husband no time to devote to the blog. Currently we are in the process of arranging a flight to the USA to attend the delayed funeral.

Our next piece has been in preparation for well over a week and despite continuous delay will be posted tonight. Whilst we're in the States we'll be taking a much needed break, but through the miracle of wireless a quarter way around the world we'll still try to maintain a presence here.

Thanks for all the support and messages of condolence - it means a lot.

Debbie & MrQ

If I Was a DJ And You Were a Gentleman

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:40:00 +0000

After a departure from my review of LA's IPO Festival, I'm back to looking at the bands I would have liked to have seen if I had gone. I had initially intended to do an extensive overview of all the artists that really impressed me. However, as a result of checking out so many bands, I have decided to take a different approach this time. I imagined if I was a DJ/Producer showcasing the festival on a little college station that these are the tracks I'd single out for my radio show.

All of these bands are from California with the exception of the Armchair Oracles who are from Norway.

We Go On - Galaxies Everything that a great powerpop song should be; it grabs you from the very moment it starts and doesn't let you go until the end. In fact the entire CD Here We Go is highly recommended as like a brimming jewelry box, every song reveals another surprise gem.

You'd Rather Be - Service Group Has that soft gentle appeal that reminds those of us with long memories of classic 'Shoes'. Only the 70's nondescript wah-wah middle eight tells you it's not those Murphy boys from Illinois.

But You - The Holliston Stops Straight away it makes you think:Jellyfish. The song has all those gargantuan 'Fish hallmarks, but close your eyes a little more and what's that? The unmistakable grandiose suggestion of a Jeff Lynne production visiting Queen.

Never Enough - Armchair Oracles This Norwegian band is unsigned at the moment but should get snapped up by a record label very soon if there's any justice in the world! There's a definite whiff of Beatlesque pop, but with George dominating the proceedings. I also hear the Los Angeles band Love. Overwhelmingly though, they recall the classic powerpop originals, Ardent recording artists, Cargoe. This is high praise indeed!

Tiny Slivers - The New Fidelity At first you think primitive Brit Invasion, but really this very much recalls early British New Wave, complete with Clash white reggae references. The vocal call and response breakdown is really nice, then builds to a satisfying end - a rounded contribution.

Imaginary Girls - Teenage Frames Unashamedly retro: think New York Dolls guitar, the early Greg Shaw Bomp era and the late 70's Boston movement. The band exhibits such energy and fun in their music.

Law of Attraction - The Automatic Music Explosion This brilliant gem demonstrates class and polish and not surprising when you realize it was produced by Mike Chapman. The lead singer gives off that classic tough girl rock stance like Suzi Quatro, Westworld (remember Sonic Boom Boy?) or Joan Jett. This is grade A Rock 'N' Roll.

Golden State - Brandon Schott An evocative pedal steel introduces an acoustic guitar which in turn places you somewhere in LA, then suddenly baroque cellos? While it seems we're in the vaguely familiar company of maybe Jackson Browne or the Eagles, there's a hint of Ian Matthews, something less Californian and something that isn't ordinary. The run out is pure 20/20 Beach Boys. A masterful mix of styles and influences.

This is an expensive sound. A beautiful rendered piece of country tinged pop. Why isn't it on the radio instead of that other nonsense?

To hear more from these bands here are their Myspace links:

• The Galaxies • The Service Group
• Holliston Stops • Armchair Oracles
• The New Fidelity • The Teenage Frames
• The Automatic Music Explosion • Brandon Schott

Part Twos for the Gurus

noreply@blogger.com (MrQwerty) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:56:00 +0000

We left the Gurus a week ago having just released their first album. We rejoin the story with a look at their discography. At first it would appear that the band have quite a confusing discography, three record labels: Universal, Bip Bip Records (Barcelona) and Rainbow Quartz (USA). But after many hours research, we chipped away at the fat, dumping all the spurious Gurus, record labels, and seemingly over active thyroids in the mid 2000's (thankyou AMG) to reveal a steady drip of maturing releases over the last decade.

The 1998 debut was followed two years later with looser 'Maqueta'. This has more than a whiff of rarity about it. It's Gurus' second all Spanish speaking album and appears to have received next to no promotion by the record company (Bip Bip) or the band themselves. It's well worth tracking down if you can find it, as it does pay dividends, However, it seems that a change of heart must have been discovered sometime before the recording of the next album, as the band open up to the language of Rock N Roll: English and fired 'All the Children Sing' on the world in 2002 which is somewhat of a breath of fresh air.

This reinvention of band was finalized when sometime in 2003, they were signed by Powerpop supremos Rainbow Quartz and in 2004 put out a repackaged version of the album and retitled it 'The Gurus' signifying a rebirth.

The Gurus in English makes the Beatles/Anglo Psyche comparisions even stronger. The language shift is a good move as can be seen from opening track Good Morning through the captivating second 'Fly So High' to the closing 'Gerdundula'. This last track all the more interesting for being a reworking of Status Quo's song from their career changing (and best ever) 1971 album 'Dog of Two Head'. Despite the title, I've always thought this to be a most English song with its traditional 'jig' leanings. The Gurus turn it on its head and create some kind of weird, swimming, psyche mash-up making it almost unrecognisable from the original.

Their second release on Rainbow Quartz in 2006 'The Swing of Things' consolidates the promise shown on the self-named album. There seems to be a better feel for both the language and the idiom.

Track 2 'Tears On The Wardrobe' features hooks, harmonies and a melody I can't imagine appearing at any time before this 2006 album. I've only just got hold of 'The Swing of Things' so it's not that familiar, but I'm looking forward to living with it over the next few months. Give opener great 'Flats & Jobs' an airing with this video here.

Which brings us up to date. For me, the new album 'Now' is the culmination of the band's growth since their move to Rainbow Quartz. On 'Now' the anglophilia, the Beatles brush and pulstating psychedelia come together in a sound which gives the guys more identity. They stop sounding like all their influences, and end up sounding like the Gurus. Stand-outs include: Second Scene, I Don't Know How Crazy I Am, Why Why, In The Queue and Jokes. Another 'Dog of Two Head' Status Quo cover (oh alright The Doors, then) completes the album (except for the post finale 'Slowdance'). Like with Gerdundula, the Gurus very much make the cover their own.

This song and few of the other originals make the band much more garagey and loose and making them really exciting to watch live as they (and we) totally lose ourselves in the music. It's quite an experience which we both heartily recommend.

Album Discography (Researched by Debra47 & MrQwerty)
1998 En La Oscuridad
2000 Maqueta
2002 All the Children Sing By
2004 The Gurus [Big Sea] [Silver Rain]
2006 The Swing of Things [Flats & Jobs] [Tears on The Wardrobe]
2008 Now [Yer Space Rocket] [Second Scene]

The Gurus' label Rainbow Quartz has generously provided two tracks each from their last three albums for you to download and enjoy. These pretty representative tracks should give you a good idea whether you're gonna be diggin' these guys or not. We are pretty confident, having come this far - you will!

¿Hablas Español?

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 23:02:00 +0000

I had previously mentioned three bands that impressed me when I was at the International Pop Overthrow Festival in Liverpool earlier this year. I had intended to continue with my review of current bands at Los Angeles IPO Festival tonight but upon listening to the Gurus most recent CD this evening, I recalled what an engaging performance they had put on back in May and had to make them the subject of my next post.

The Gurus, from Barcelona, have a large following in their native Spain and this was in evidence when they performed that night. Their latest album ''Now" has recently been released and is their third on the USA label Rainbow Quartz.

Although I didn't realise it when I began this piece, they have actually been around for ten years. In 1998 they released their debut 'En La Oscuridad' on Bip Bip where all the songs were sung in their native Spanish. The CD captures the freshness and vitality of the first Beatles records and might remind one of the Spongetones who have also tried to capture the essence of the Beatles in their music.

"Seras parte de mi" could have been recorded back in 64 but then again there were no Spanish groups back then that so accurately encapsulated that Merseybeat sound! Despite the fact that they are singing in Spanish one hears the obligatory "yeah yeah yeah" in their song "Escaparme" which captures the Beatles sound before the Rubber Soul /Revolver era. "Palabras Para Ella" makes me think that they were trying to capture an early love song that could have been sung by McCartney perhaps Michelle? Or they heard the track sung by Gilbert O'Sullivan "Clair". I love the intro of "Cuando tu no estas" which is very catchy. The song features hand clapping which was so common in early Beatles songs and one so rarely hears that in many songs anymore. "Hotel Codorniz" sports a trumpet a la Penny Lane and has the feel of Beatles music that would have been released between 65 and 66. "Deja Que Te Arrastre Junto a Mi" could have been written by Ray Davies and is quite brilliant! One of the standout tracks for sure on this CD is "Dias De Lluvia" which has a melody that reminds me of "And I Love Her". The melody in "La Calle" brings to mind the Raspberries who attempted to capture the freshness and vitality of the Beatles but at the time weren't fully appreciated. After familiarizing myself with the Gurus earliest music I wish they had played a few songs from this early period when I saw them in May. This first CD of theirs is truly a gem but it may be difficult to find but it's worth the hunt.

[Due to the amount of research undertaken to rectify some inconsistencies with the bands' discography, this longer than usual post will be split into two parts. Here endth part one.]

IPO - An early lead from the Bright Young Things

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:28:00 +0000

Since July 25 the International Pop Overthrow Festival has been happening in various clubs in the Los Angeles area. For those of you close enough to attend it's not too late as it will continue until August 9.

I'm not fortunate enough to be attending this one in person so I've been checking out as many bands as I can online to get an idea of what I missed. There are close to 100 bands playing in less than 2 weeks so it has taken quite a bit of time to plow through and decide which ones really impress. If any readers out there were lucky enough to have attended any of the shows I would appreciate feedback in the comments section.

The first band that caught my attention, 'Nushu' are reminiscent of the Go Gos, Veruca Salt and an early, looser, Bangles. One song called 'Spill' has the manic energy of the Ramones crossed with the Go Gos. Another, 'Pop Sound' is almost a Radio Jingle for the genre we love. If I was DJ somewhere on the airwaves, I'd certainly use it. This band made IPO festival organizer David Bash's top 100 albums of 2007 and was actually number 11 on that list! The band has released one CD called 'Nevermind Lullaby' and you can hear 4 of the bands tracks on their MySpace site.

Damn Automatics are a harder edged power pop band that bring to mind the Foo Fighters. There's also an element of that studio buffed Green Day sound, but that's not a terrible association. However, for power pop lovers that prefer a punkier sound these guys could be for you. Their absolute runaway best tune is 'Kill Your Radio' which intros with a dose of Brit Glam Rock, a gaze in the direction of 'Red Kross' and also says to me, a little 'Rooney. Love the sentiment and refrain: "Yeah, we almost made it, yeah, but we're overated" - a philosophy that manages to cater for 99% of bands that ever trod the rock n roll boards. Second favorite, 'The Other Kind', has a frenetic beat and the song clocks in under 2:30 minutes - magic!

Define Powerpop in 140 Characters or Less

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:00:00 +0000

In two separate instances yesterday I was asked about powerpop on one of the microblogs that I use. One individual asked me to define powerpop in 140 characters. Due to the late hour and the difficulty of describing the term in so few characters, I might not have given the best description.

I was then asked today by a different person if I thought the Wikipedia entry on power pop was a fair summary. I don't - it's inadequate. How can you describe powerpop with such a lack of passion and emotion? It is the type of music that makes you want to roll down the windows when you are in your car and makes one feel like a teenager again.

Powerpop could be defined by a song that is somewhere between 2:30 and 3 minutes, with a remarkable hook or two, sublime harmonies and a great opening riff. Good openers might include: "A Million Miles Away" by the Plimsouls; "Another Girl, Another Planet" from the Only Ones and who can forget "There She Goes" by the La's.

So many bands have tried to capture the pristine catchiness of the early Beatles. Groups that attempt to do this try to find that perfect catchy hook that the listener will not be able to shake from their head.

In the course of this blog I will sometimes delve back into the past to review a classic, overlooked powerpop gem. I will also endeavor to track down new powerpop bands that aren't getting enough exposure. This is a serious mission!

Many Avenues To Cross

noreply@blogger.com (Power Pop Review) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:18:00 +0000

You wait for ages and then two come along at once! In the last few months I've heard two bands, both called the Avenues, both different, both great.

The first outfit called the Avenues - I can't remember where I first heard of them, but I knew I had to see them, which we did at the Liverpool 2008 IPO show that Debbie mentioned in yesterday's blog entry.

This band was one of the most outstanding groups of the whole festival and quite exceptional. Both their superb music (harmony/lead vocals and songwriting was impeccable) and a dexterous knack of connecting and entertaining the audience - which by some sleight of hand made the act seem effortless. All this was a tremendous joy to behold and we were suitably blown... - away, that is! The ability to evoke the sound of classic harmony bands of the past like the Association, The Turtles, Brooklyn Bridge, Orpheus, Harmony Grass, and the Beach Boys whilst injecting something contemporary and quintessentially English was uncanny.

They have an EP at the moment which you can download from 7Digital. This includes one free taster track 'Should've been Sarah' (georgeous harmonies with a nice jazz chord thrown in here and there for exotic effect). Additionally, you can hear more at their MySpace website. There's promise of an album, which frankly, we can't wait to hear.

The second I heard via the LastFM social music site - where you can download 2 EP's and 1 album track for free - yes, true and rather amazing they are too!

They've been around for a big fat 7 years, but I could find virtually nothing about them on the 'net. Why such anonymity I can't fathom? It's an absolute travesty of course, but there you are - the music industry in naughties is a place of devastating unfairness.

What do they sound like? There's an alt country/rootsy vibe - one the singers reminds me of Michael Stipe from REM. Some of it's very accessible like 'Empty Bottles' and evokes the Jayhawks, possibly. Other songs are more edgy and put me in mind of Wilco/Uncle Tupelo side of the Alt Country movement.

Anyway get them for free while you can and be a devil, buy their album.

Downloads: - The Avenues (Nashville)
These Years Come To Rest EP
When It Was Me EP
Avenues, Streets & Boulevards (Album)

This has been the first of an occasional contribution or two by Debbie's husband, also known sometimes as Mr Qwerty