PowerPop Overdose

THE ARTERIES “DEAD SEA” NOW AVAILABLE FOR PAY-WHAT-YOU-WANT ON BANDCAMP

2012-01-27T09:17:00.000-06:00

THE ARTERIES have put up their 2011 LP Dead Sea on Bandcamp for a price of pay-what-you-want. Fans of the U.K. punk band can download the album for free or give the band a donation in exchange for the record.
Dead Sea came out in October 2010 in the U.K. and a vinyl pressing became available on Paper + Plastick in early 2011. The band spent October and November of 2011 touring the U.S. with The Flatliners and played The Fest 10 in Gainesville, Fla. They then toured in their home country and the rest of Europe with Mikey Erg and The Slow Death.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://thearteries.bandcamp.com/album/dead-sea"&amp;gt;Dead Sea by The Arteries&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

The Arteries plan to begin writing again when their drummer, Rhys, heals from a hand injury.

The Riffbackers - The Curtain Shop And Alterations

2012-01-26T09:53:00.001-06:00

The Rifbackers are offering their brilliant album "The Curtain Shop And Alterations" as a free download from Bandcamp. GO GET IT, you wont be sorry.

The Curtain Shop And Alterations was released at the end of 2009 under their own label Rainbow Lane Records, with great acceptance by the critics, record labels and specialized power pop sites (Not Lame, Kool Kat Musik, Jam Records, Powerpopaholic, PowerPop Overdose, AbsolutePowerPop...) and the general public.

The Curtain Shop And Alterations by The Riffbackers

THE LAUREATES’ NEW VIDEO FOR “ROBBERS” UNVEILED TODAY

2012-01-24T11:07:00.000-06:00

After the release of Chicago favorites, The Laureates’ 2011 LP, Spells, The Laureates have a session up on Daytrotter and a brand new video for the track, “Robbers”. The video is a short story of the world of reality being overtaken by charming black and white animation, with a clever, vintage feel. As objects and their surroundings slowly morph into illustrations until they finally over-take the real world.

Robbers from The Laureates on Vimeo.

Directed and animated by Sara Jean Cough (www.ladylens.com) and illustrated by Joey Potts (www.joeypotts.com), the video for “Robbers” was shot in Chicago’s Rational Parka and at drummer, Peter Gray’s house. Born out of a narrative initially conceived by the band, Cough, Potts and DOP, Brian Keller tweaked the story to its whimsical result.

The band took a moment to elaborate on the video’s creation: “This was a new experience for us, so it took some time. From conceptualizing, organizing the production team, shooting, editing and animating, the whole process took a few months. Sara Jean Cough (Director) is a friend of the band and some of us have worked with her before in creative collaborations, so she was naturally a great fit to direct this project. Her boyfriend Joey Potts is an excellent illustrator and came up with all the awesome drawings that you see in the video. Brian Keller is a top-notch cinematographer and a friend of Sara Jean, and he made the shooting process a very comfortable experience, especially given that we've never shot a video before and we're not entirely sure how to act in front of the camera. Our actors are friends of the band and production team, and they were awesome to work with. We had a lot of fun shooting the robber scenes.

We wanted this video to play to the lyrics and feel of the song, but offer a little more than what you might interpret with a spin on the turntable. The concept is loosely based on the lyrics themselves, but I think we re-analyzed the song when we were thinking about this video to come up with a secondary concept that would work in the visual space. It wouldn't be enough to just have robbers lifting stuff from people's homes...it had to have an extra something, which is where the animation and surrealist ideas came into play. Everybody did such a great job on this video - the actors and production team were brilliant to work with, and we couldn't be happier with the result."

The Laureates, Spells Available for FREE download from Candy Dinner

Director / Animator / Compositing Artist: Sara Jean Cough (www.ladylens.com)

Illustrator / Animator: Joey Potts (www.joeypotts.com)

Director of Photography / Editor: Brian Keller (www.briankellerstudio.com)

Galaxie 500 - On Fire - 1989

2012-01-23T06:00:00.005-06:00

Having already made a fine account of themselves on Today, the three members of Galaxie 500 got even better with On Fire, recording another lovely classic of late '80s rock. As with all the band's work, Kramer once again handles the production, the perfect person to bring out Galaxie 500's particular approach. The combination of his continued use of reverb and the sudden, dramatic shifts in the music -- never exploding, just delivering enough of a change -- makes for fine results. Consider "Snowstorm," with Krukowski's soft-then-strong drums and Wareham's liquid solo and how they're placed in the mix, leading without dominating. Yang's vocals became more prominent and her bass work more quietly narcotic than before, while Krukowski adds more heft to his playing without running roughshod over everything, even at the band's loudest. Wareham in contrast more or less continues along, his glazed, haunting voice simply a joy to hear, while adding subtle touches in the arrangements -- acoustic guitar is often prominent -- to contrast his beautifully frazzled soloing. Leadoff track "Blue Thunder" is the most well-known song and deservedly so, another instance of the trio's ability to combine subtle uplift with blissed-out melancholia, building to an inspiring ending. There's more overt variety throughout On Fire, from the more direct loner-in-the-crowd sentiments and musical punch of "Strange" to the Yang-sung "Another Day," a chance for her to shine individually before Wareham joins in at the end. Again, a cover makes a nod to past inspirations, with George Harrison being the songwriter of choice; his "Isn't It a Pity" closes out the album wonderfully, Kramer adding vocals and "cheap organ." -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The future of PPO?

2012-01-21T07:48:00.000-06:00

With the fall of MegaUpload and SOPA/PIPA coming up in congress, I am a little concerned about the future of PPO. Thoughts or opinions? Alternatives?

Supremium - Tales - 2001

2012-01-20T06:00:00.003-06:00

Los Angeles' power-pop influenced rock quartet Supremium consists of singer /guitarist/ bassist Bruce Witkin, who moved to L.A. with Johnny Depp and played in Adam Ant's band; guitarist/singer Coz Canler, also a member of the Romantics; keyboardist/vocalist Doug Nahory, who has also worked with Alanis Morissette; and drummer/percussionist Rob Klonel. The group's inspirations span early '60s, late '70s, and early '80s pop, all of which are on display in Supremium's live shows and their 2001 debut album Tales. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Neon - Neon - 2005

2012-01-17T06:00:00.004-06:00

Australia has a long and proud history of power-pop bands, and you can see the lineage forming when you listen to Neon – from this band back to Automatic, then Ammonia, then Hoodoo Gurus. On their self titled debut, Melbourne three-piece turn up the fuzz.

Sure, they’re following in the long line of alterna-rock power chord heroes; from Big Star to Cheap Trick to Superdrag, but Neon still have a distinctly Australian bent to their sound. They’ve also got energy and bouncy pop-rock songs galore, which is what makes Neon a joy to behold. The likes of “A Man”, album highlight “Hit Me Again”, single “Dizziness” and the sludge-drive of “All I Want” are full of wicked little hooks, and supple bass from Britt Spooner (although it – funnily enough – sounds distinctively like that of producer Steve McDonald, from legendary power-poppers Red Kross, or at least it’s got his supple nature stamped all over it).

In addition to the steady drumming from Jamie Gurney and Josh Bitmead’s perfectly monotone sing-song voice, it makes for a damn enjoyable little nugget of alterna-rock. Only power ballad “Into Your Eyes” fails to hit the mark, coming off as ponderous compared to its boisterous rock counterparts. But that’s a rare lowlight on Neon – for the most part the thrills come fast and furious on this debut.

It helps that McDonald has done a bang-up job in the production chair, giving this self-titled debut a crisp, clean but still rockin’ sound. “Hit Me Again” aims for the stars, and there’s a plethora of material on Neon that’s gonna be just perfect for radio sing-alongs; Neon could be your new favourite band. With a long-time coming international deal now in the bag, it seems likely that this three-piece are set to embark on a long-term strategy to fame and fortune. -reocities.com

Mediafire

MultiUpload

George Burton - 1965 - 2006

2012-01-16T08:30:00.000-06:00

Uk import and a total surprise arrival here. We`re not sure who George Burton is but what we know and do here on the grooves on "1965" is that Burton is big fan of George Harrison and solo McCartney as the material here is filled with a gentle, laid-back-ish groove, a small army of great harmonies, lots of acoustic guitars driving the melodies w/ careful electric layering above that reminds us not only of aspects of Beatles-obsessed popsters, but more recent faves here like Charley Dush, Brian Jay Cline and a nice helping of David Grahame. -Not Lame

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Cheap Rewards Records releases "The Reactions - Saturday's Gone Wild"

2012-01-15T06:00:00.002-06:00

The Reactions emerged in 1979 amidst the budding South Florida punk scene that featured such revered acts as The Eat, The Essentials, and The Cichlids. Their rapid-fire songs, punctuated by driving guitar and anthemic vocals, foreshadowed the pop punk sound that gained popularity over the next several decades.

The Reactions self-released two limited edition 7” EPs during their brief tenure. Though both records failed to garner the commercial success the band craved, astute music lovers the world over have since discovered their undeniably catchy, hook-filled songs that captivated audiences across Florida for a brief moment in time. The current demand for the original vinyl records has turned them into sought after collector's items.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://thereactions.bandcamp.com/album/saturdays-gone-wild"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Saturday's Gone Wild by The Reactions&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

As its debut release, Cheap Rewards Records is proud to present Saturday’s Gone Wild, a collection of rare and lost recordings by The Reactions. The LP includes the songs from their two releases, 1980’s Official Release EP and 1981’s Love You EP, as well as previously unreleased demo and live recordings that capture the essence of the band’s sound and energy. These tracks were meticulously restored and mastered from deteriorating tapes and now, for the first time, music appreciators can enjoy these lost gems. The record is packaged in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with band photos and liner notes by South Florida legend, Charlie Pickett. All copies come with a free digital download card.

The 2010 Top 10 à la Eric Knox

2012-01-10T12:57:00.001-06:00

Once again great friend of PPO and "The Man With The White Jaguar", Axe-Man Eric Knox, is sharing his 2011 Top Ten again! I wait for his list from the minute January begins and it is always fun and interesting to see what his choices will be.

1) BRIAN OLIVE: two of everything
Go on easy
Traveling
2)The CONNECTION: New England
’s newest hitmakers
Stop talking
It’s allright
3)THE VAN BUREN BOYS : Up all night
Turn it up loud
Ain’t so bad
4)KURT BAKER GROUP: Cassette shaped usb
Don’t steal my heart away
Hanging on the telephone
5)The BLACK LIPS : Arabia Mountain
New Direction
Raw meat
6)REDONDO BEAT : meet Redondo beat
The spell I’m under
Full Moon child
7)The GREENHORNES: ****
Underestimator
Better off without it
8)THE CULTS : the cults
Go outside
Bumper
9)BLACK JOE LEWIS: Scandalous
Mustang ranch
She’s so scandalous
10)SMOKING POPES : This is only a test
Wish you were
This is only a test

Thanks Eric!!

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Rich Rossi gives PPO his Top 10 for 2011

2012-01-09T12:39:00.000-06:00

1) The Wellingtons - In Transit
highlights: Adamant, Baby's Got A Secret
Every song a gem.

2) Fountains of Wayne - Sky Full of Holes
highlights: Richie & Rubin, Action Hero
Will make you laugh and cry, even if you're not from Jersey.

3) The Records - Rotate
highlights: That Girl is Emily, Masquarade
3 bonus cuts plus improved mastering make this reissue one of the
best CDs of the year.

4) Meyerman - Who Do You Think You Are
Highlights: xray spex, living leash
Will make you laugh and play air guitar, even if you're not
from Jersey.

5) The Red Button - As Far As Yesterday Goes
highlights: Picture, Sandreen
More diverse than She's About to Cross My Mind, and even better.

6) The Breakdowns - The Kids Don't Wanna Bop Anymore
highlights: Hey Veronica, The Kids Don't Wanna Bop Anymore
Inconsistent but moments of greatness. Several cuts could be
considered best of the year.

7) The Bangles - Sweetheart of the Sun
highlights: AnnaLee, Ball & Chain
Annalee is an exceptional song and, if this were New Jersey,
it would be another hit.

8) Tommy Flake - Second Skin
highlights: Collapse, Miles From Over
Great songs from this former Beatific (and great cover art
from yours truly). Wishes he was from Jersey.

9) Jamie & Steve - The Next Big Thing
highlights: All of it, but especially Can We Start Again, Girl and Half a Mind
Only a 6 song EP, but every track a gem. If this were a full length
it might be the best record of the year.

10) Smithereens - 2011
highlights: Sorry, Turn It Around
Produced by the legendary Don Dixon (Arrogance, REM, Chris Stamey)
DiNizio & co. prove they are the best band ever from...where else. Jersey.

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Richard Rossi was born in Jersey to an old circus family, and began performing at the age of 6. While still in his teens he answered an ad for "blowing stuff up", hence his interest in the Smithereens. Now employed by an SEO company, he advocates non-violence in everything else he does (when not blowing stuff up).
Rich is known to go on long fasts, partially as a means of self-purification and social protest. But mostly because he needs to lose a few pounds before speedo season.

Three More EP's from 2011 that need to be heard.

2012-01-05T08:25:00.002-06:00

Top Ten on the way but for now listen to and then go out and get these three excellent EP's!

Oh yeah, what are your top ten EP's for 2011?

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://sallycrewe.bandcamp.com/album/transmit-receive-e-p"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Transmit/Receive E.P. by Sally Crewe &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; The Sudden Moves&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://motherschildren.bandcamp.com/album/are-you-tough-enough"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Are You Tough Enough? by Mother's Children&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://quarantines.bandcamp.com/album/zombie-army"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Zombie Army by Quarantines&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

The two Best EP's from 2011

2012-01-02T07:50:00.002-06:00

The year flew by mostly because it was a very, very busy one. I am going to post the PPO Top Ten shortly but until then I want to highlight the years two best EP's.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://kurtbaker.bandcamp.com/album/rockin-for-a-living"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Rockin' For A Living by Kurt Baker&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://queenelectric.bandcamp.com/album/queen-electric"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;queen electric by queen electric&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Additionally the Baltimore based band The Seldon Plan gave us my favorite song of the year that never made it to disc. Cant get enough of it.

Merry Christmas from friend of PPO Kris Rodgers!

2011-12-25T09:19:00.002-06:00

Kris Rodgers Music
Kris Rodgers Bandcamp

The Cowboys - How the West Was Rocked - 1982

2011-12-23T06:00:00.002-06:00

The Cowboys were part of a sizzingly, pre-grunge power pop scene that included such bands as the Moberlys and The Heats (originally the Heaters). One of the most popular bands of the era, the Cowboys opened for such national acts as the B-52s, Billy Idol, X, Split Enz and Tina Turner and performed at such clubs as Astor Park, Baby O’s and Hall of Fame.

In 1981, the Cowboys recorded the single “Rude Boy” and followed up with an EP in 1982. The band’s first full-length album, “How the West Was Rocked,” came out in 1985. But the group never found national fame it deserved. The Cowboys, also known for such songs as “Girls Like That” and “Jet City Rockers,” broke up in 1986. Fisher attributed the group’s demise to disagreements among band members and a reluctance to take out-of-town gigs that might have provided valuable exposure.

Ripped from vinyl @ 320

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Clark - Two Of A Kind - 2005

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-06:00

Clark sounds like the late-great Swedish pop band Beagle with a bit more edge. Also, bands like Avion/Tories, the first album from The Elms, Switchfoot and the commercial side of modern pop are were they slot nicely. Fans of occasionally pumping guitar pop and moving pop balladry, all with sparkling vocals and hooks tripping over each other will dig Clark. These are smashing rock-solid songs with deft and irrepressible charmvocals) -Not Lame

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Wellingtons - Keeping Up With The Wellingtons - 2005

2011-12-21T06:00:00.002-06:00

Australian import and boy is this going to have tongues wagging we hope. This one is classic Not Lame territory. Sounding like a squeeky clean version of The Shazam in many spots, but also a long list of classic pop sounds familiar to the Not Lamer: Bleu, the Churchills, Ike, The Argument and Sun Sawed In 1/2. There`s plenty of "Bellybutton"-era Jellyfish slipping in here, too. The 10 perfect pop nuggets here are ridiculously catchy throwing dream harmonies and hooks all over the place. Each song is melodic and memorable because they are sweetly wrapped up with arrangements that keep it all both fresh and accessible. "Keeping Up With The Wellingtons" is a stunningly well-rounded, consistently hook-driven affair, w/ power pop melodies exploding in every corner of each song. - Not Lame

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Holidays - The Holidays - 2001

2011-12-20T06:00:00.007-06:00

In 2001 The Holidays spent just one day was spent recording the instruments (2 guitars, bass and drums), another day spent with the voices, and a couple more mixing it. People in Portland began to hear the buzz about the band and later in 2001 The Oregonian wrote up a fantastic review of the album. Influenced by such acts as The Posies, Jeff Buckley, and Sunny Day Real Estate, The Holidays expand on the approach of alternative rock. The Holidays blend their influences with their original ideas to the point that they become an incredible mix of indie and classic rock with jazz inspired chord changes to create artful pop music.-CD Baby

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Ciao Bella - 1 - 1997

2011-12-19T06:00:00.005-06:00

Ciao Bella's self-titled album strikes a lovely balance between 60s pop touches and the semi-futuristic pop the March label usually deals in -- portions of the record do pretty much the same thing the Olivia Tremor Control's Dusk at Cubist Castle do ("How Low"), but the chirpy collages and Beatlesque harmonies of this aesthetic are tempered by big guitar sounds and modern organ usage that give Ciao Bella an entirely different tone. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

A little present from Herb Eimerman

2011-12-18T07:28:00.003-06:00

The Shoes Christmas comp "Yuletunes" came out 20 years ago this season....i just got around to doing a video for my track. peace...herb eimerman

Grab the rest of Yuletunes over at the great Power Pop Criminals site and be sure to thank Angelo!

James Michael - Inhale - 2000

2011-12-16T08:06:00.000-06:00

James Michael, who bases his fan club in Owasso, OK, really touches the epicenter of the working man's rock & roll soul. Inhale is a passionate, dreamy, uplifting, and gut-wrenching performance. With his first major release, Michael goes forward with his shimmering born-to-be-a-rock-star presence and uncanny songwriting craftsmanship. Critics in Los Angeles have dubbed his vocal harmonies and stage presence hauntingly similar to the late Kurt Cobain. Yet, it is Michael's sincerity and openness to creative expression both lyrically and melodically that make this debut album special. "Maybe I should cut us both some slack/Maybe I should cut me out completely and try to get you back," sings Michael as a statement of desperation and longing in the dense and dynamic "Slack." "January" is a poignant and colorful song of triumph, detailing Michael's triumph of life and musical success after experiencing many years of horrific bands that took him nowhere. While his music has now made it to mainstream record shops, he's certainly not going to wait around for success to come to him. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Cowboys - Jet City Rockers - 1998

2011-12-14T06:00:00.003-06:00

The Cowboys were, like The Heats, a fixture on the Seattle rock/pop scene for the first half of the 80`s and you can feel the sweat and the heat of the clubs as they bash out adrenaline-filled rockabilly and rock-fueled pop that`s like a Flying Color/Blasters meets The Moberly party! Or what The Clash might have sounded like if they grew up in the mid-West (even tho The Cowboys are from Seattle, they have more in common with The Suburbs than The Sonics!). A really cool collection -Not Lame

Mediafire

MultiUpload

SPECIAL HOLIDAY PROMOTION: THE HANDCUFFS PHYSICAL CDs ON SALE NOW FOR ONLY $8.99!

2011-12-13T06:23:00.000-06:00

Need a stocking stuffer or five? Need easy & fun gifts for friends, relatives, co-workers, babysitters, pet sitters, dog walkers, hair dressers, etc.? Want to support independent artists, while helping a fantastic animal rescue organization? Right now, all three of The Handcuffs' physical CD releases are on sale at CD Baby for only $8.99, including our brand new release "Waiting for the Robot!" Hurry, sale ends December 26, 2011.

PLUS, for every physical Handcuffs' CD sold between now and December 26, The Handcuffs will donate $1 to Elayne Boosler's Tails of Joy, a wonderful, nationwide, non-profit, pet rescue organization. Founded by comedian Elayne Boosler, Tails of Joy is staffed only by volunteers, so 100 percent of donated funds goes directly to help provide food, shelter, medicine, spay/neuter programs, emergency help and more. Help us spread the joy with music and a little help for our furry friends!

To buy CD's click here

Have a wonderful holiday season and a safe, happy and music filled new year!

Cheers,
The Handcuffs

www.thehandcuffs.com
www.facebook.com/thehandcuffs
www.twitter.com/thehandcuffs
www.reverbnation.com/thehandcuffs
www.youtube.com/thehandcuffs

Marvelous 3 - Readysexgo! - 2000

2011-12-13T06:00:00.002-06:00

Marvelous 3 is an absolutely killer slice of pop/punk/metal. Marvelous 3 are essentially Cheap Trick retooled for the 21st century, although these guys also have the sex-and-drugs misogynist attitude of mid-'80s hair metal bands (which may explain why Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx makes a cameo here on an answering machine message). High class musical references abound, such as Def Leppard and Queen in some of the choruses, Material Issue and Green Day in some of the guitar parts, plus hints of '70s glam (which may explain why "Cigarette Lighter Love Song," co-written with David Bowie, has a chorus which sounds suspiciously like "All the Young Dudes.")

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Butch Walker - Left of Self-Centered - 2002

2011-12-12T06:00:00.002-06:00

Singer, songwriter, producer and all-around rock & roll auteur Walker goes it solo for the first time, after his moderately successful fling in the Marvelous 3 and handling production for upstarts like SR-71 and Injected. He plays almost all the instruments except drums (handled by fellow Atlanta resident Kenny Cresswell), but brings in guests like Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx for a track and even Peter Searcy on cello. Although nothing here is a major departure from the snotty, riff-based '70s-styled catchy hard rock that powered the Marvelous 3, Walker acquits himself admirably with a handful of terrific songs and enough brash swagger to make the rest sound at least like quality filler. The booklet displays this album (or a non-existent vinyl version of it) strewn among various rock star-associated trash; half-eaten pizza, eight-track tapes, underwear, an old pair of headphones, and a fake Rolling Stone feature are all scattered on an orange shag rug. The photo not only typifies the music, but shows Walker's influences, which he proudly displays on these 11 frequently rockin' tracks. The album's first single and most immediately catchy tune is "My Way" (not the Sinatra song), which epitomizes Walker's crunchy guitar attack. Lyrics like "There's a right way/Then there's my way/There's a highway/If you don't like it you can take it" exemplify the artist's no-BS philosophy. At worst, although he energetically puts across a song, Walker's voice isn't particularly distinctive, and the closing track (which follows 15 minutes of silence) is a worthless goof. But when he works a hooky chorus like the Badfinger-styled "Far Away From Close," grabs onto Oasis' melodic sweep on the personal "Sober," uses subtle loops to infuse a slight contemporary feel on "Into the Black," or adds strings and female backing vocals on the punchy "Get Down," Walker walks on terra firma. With forceful playing, muscular production, and self-assured confidence, he plows through these tunes like the seasoned pro he is. It adds up to about 40 minutes of pretension-free classic rocking that never sounds dated or passé. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Records featuring John Wicks – A welcomed return by Rich Rossi

2011-12-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

We were all returning to campus, gearing up for another grueling semester, and the kickoff was the Labor Day weekend concert on the Quad featuring Syracuse’s own Flashcubes opening for the headline act, The Records. John Wicks, Will Birch, Phil Brown, and Huw Gower took the stage and my definition of pop music changed entirely.
Thirty years later Wicks is still going strong as evidenced by his latest, actually a reissue of his 2007 release entitled “Rotate”. Having bought and thoroughly enjoyed the original, I gave the reissue a listen and, well, it’s even better if that’s possible.
My music reviews are unorthodox so rather than subject you to my amateur observations I thought I’d site the review Dave Steinfeld did for Blurt. He’s much smarter than I. First, in the event that you’re even older and more memory challenged than I, let’s let Dave walk us down memory lane:

Many people remember only their biggest hit, “Starry Eyes,” but the fact is, these guys turned out three excellent albums (well, two and a half) between 1979 and 1982. Wicks wrote most of the melodies while drummer Will Birch contributed the lion’s share of the lyrics. The result was something like what The Beatles or Kinks might have produced if they had emerged in the aftermath of punk.

So what about the new release? Here’s a short snippet of what Dave has to say about Rotate:

The arrangements on Rotate are crisp and Wicks proves himself an adept lyricist while remaining a top-notch melody man. All in all, this is a welcome return from a musician who is way more talented than his low profile would lead you to believe.

I’ve always thought of the Records’ genius as being a combination of Wicks’ incomparable ability to weave a melody that sticks with Birch’s sense of humor and ability to turn a memorable phrase. The rest was decoration. I’ve come to realize Wicks had the whole package all along. He’s just now getting a chance to show us.
Read Dave Steinfeld’s entire review of Rotate here. Buy the new Rotate with bonus tracks at Amazon.com or at Wicks’ site at johnwicksandtherecords.com.

Years ago while attending art school Rich spent many hours listening to XTC, The Records, The Heats, Plimsouls and other powerpop bands of that time. Many children's books, greeting cards and website designs later he finds himself (quite by accident) in the employ of a few powerpop artists. I'm not name dropping but they include, John Wicks, Paul Collins and many more.

Life has come full circle. You can find Rich at www.rossibook.com if your so inclined.

Nothing is happening on Bad Afro

2011-12-08T10:34:00.001-06:00

Nothing is happenin! If you feel like that nothing is happening on Bad Afro at the moment you are absolutely right! The fact is that all the planned 7”s are delayed at once for various reasons so all planning has gone down the drain. The Vambourines 7” has been delayed since the band (nor the label involved) really liked the mixes that Mike McHugh did and now they are re-recoding some parts of the songs as well as mixing them by themselves. Royal Baths recently signed to the US label Kanine (Grizzly Bear, Surfer Blood etc.) and relocated to New York at the same time so they have to find their own feet before recording the announced 7” on Bad Afro. The Cosmonauts 7” is just late in general and The Dolly Rocker Movement will record their upcoming 7” here in December to be released some time in the spring. Which leaves us with the Baby Woodrose album Third Eye Surgery due out in April 2012 and the above singles when they are ready. Stay tuned!

Bad Afro Records
Halmtorvet 29, Bygn. 12 A, 1
1700 Copenhagen V
Denmark
http://www.badafro.dk

Cone of Silence - Sixty-Grit Sandpaper And Other Delights - 2004

2011-12-08T06:00:00.005-06:00

With the release of the long awaited "Sixty-Grit Sandpaper and Other Delights," Cone of Silence has returned triumphantly to the power pop world! Vue Magazine's reaction to the album, a simple haiku, reflects much of the critical acclaim accorded the new disc:

"Pure Pop Genius Really, It's Embarrassing Just How Good They Are"

High praise indeed! With comparisons ranging from that of The Pursuit of Happiness and Odds, to The Who and even Cake, it's clear that as folks try to put a label on the Cones, "Sixty-Grit" definitely treads its own sonic ground. After playing a number of dates in Edmonton (including a show at the venerable Sidetrack Cafe recorded by CBC), Cone of Silence is looking forward to playing the International Pop Overthrow in Vancouver at the end of the summer of 2006, Mark Sander and Pat Strain both have new songs at the ready to be recorded.

Mediafire

MultiUpload

12 all-new astonishing Dwight Twilley songs!

2011-12-08T05:46:00.000-06:00

Just Released

12 all-new astonishing Dwight Twilley songs!

Dwight Twilley - best known for his iconic hits through the decades like “I’m On Fire” (1975), “Girls” (1984) and the classic ballad “Why You Wanna Break My Heart” featured in the motion picture Wayne’s World (1992)

Soundtrack is not an album with all the best cuts jammed at the beginning. It plays like a book that urges you to read from start to finish. The album is a masterful production with 12 all new astonishing Dwight Twilley songs.

Special guests on the album include Susan Cowsill (The Cowsills) who contributed her typically amazing harmonies on “Bus Ticket”, “God Didn’t Do It” and “The Cards Will Fall,” and fellow Tulsan Taylor Hanson (Hanson) who adds organ and magical keyboard sprinkles to "The Cards Will Fall” and “The Last Time Around.”

Track List:

1. “You Close Your Eyes”
2. “Bus Ticket”
3. “Tulsa Town”
4. “Skeleton Man”
5. “My Life”
6. “God Didn’t Do It”
7. “Out in the Rain”
8. “Soundtrack”
9. “The Lonely One”
10. “The Cards Will Fall”
11. “Good Things Come Hard”
12. “The Last Time Around”

Now available at dwighttwilley.com and Itunes

Grey Does Matter - How to Make Millions in Real Estate - 2004

2011-12-06T06:00:00.004-06:00

Press material for the latest rock band usually seeks to leave the reader with the impression that group X is the best thing since Elvis, the Beatles, the Sex Pistols, or whoever. The truth always comes, however, when the listener places the disc in the player and turns up the volume. Words like "lo-fi" and "power pop" decorate Grey Does Matter's press materials, but they only provide a partial clue to how catchy How to Make Millions in Real Estate is. The opener, "Sinking," and its follow-up, "Zero," are filled with enticing hooks, bitter lyrics, and walls of guitar. The sound is further ornamented with some bizarre synthesizer work and an intense layering of voices. Surprisingly, all of this beguiling noise seems to come from one man, Jason Crawford, who wrote, sang, and played everything on How to Make Millions in Real Estate. This is the type of infectious music that creates volume creep: the listener keeps turning it up until everyone in the house/apartment has to tune in or leave. If the program drops off a little over the course of 11 songs, that has less to do with quality than with just how good the early part of the album is. Crawford's album will not teach the listener anything about making money in real estate, but fans of power pop, lo-fi, and tuneful punk will want to check it out nonetheless. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Scamper - Leave Your Glasses On - 2004

2011-12-05T06:00:00.002-06:00

Scamper is a Boston based power-pop / rock band, formed in 2001 when upstate NY transplants and singer-songwriter-guitarists Keith Michel and Nate Rogers teamed up with Mike Mirabella (drums) and Marc Roderick (bass) in Boston, combining their collective pop sensibilities in their bid to win over New England with rock and roll. Marc and Scamper parted in summer 2004, and the band brought in bassist Brendan Clarke to fill the void.

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Grip Weeds - Under The Influence Of Christmas

2011-12-04T08:40:00.000-06:00

The Grip Weeds have delivered a very groovy Christmas album, featuring new yuletide originals alongside reworkings of classic rock and traditional holiday songs, all arranged in their own inimitable “sparkling, insanely catchy psych-pop” style that will make you hear the colors and see the sounds of Christmas. The band invited some special guest artists to help with the proceedings: Mark Lindsay (of Paul Revere & the Raiders), Myke Scavone and Gar Francis (The Doughboys) on the original “Santa Make Me Good”, Pat Dinizio and Jim Babjak (The Smithereens) on The Pretenders’ “2000 Miles”, George Cameron (The Left Banke) on “For The Holidays” (another new original), Vince Grogan (Third Of Never, Buzzed Meg) on a rocking version of Jethro Tull’s “A Christmas Song”, and Pete Horvath, Rob Farrell (The Anderson Council) on a very Who-like “Welcome Christmas” from "How The Grinch Stole Christmas"! The record is the anti-humbug for the discerning music fan who's looking for a hit of lysergic eggnog this holiday season.

Under The Influence Of Christmas will be available on CD and MP3 at all major music outlets including Kool Kat on Dec 6th but the band is already shipping it from their website as a download, CD or vinyl.

Arlo - Stab the Unstoppable Hero - 2002

2011-12-02T06:00:00.001-06:00

Combining the aesthetics of power pop, grunge, and hard rock, Los Angeles' Arlo has spawned a big album with big hooks, big harmonies, and an even bigger guitar attack that should endear them to the vast American teenage wasteland. Classic rock influences abound, especially when the band barely stops short of cobbling the all-too-familiar octave riff of the Knack's seminal new wave anthem "My Sharona" in "Runaround." Cuts such as "Culture," "Little American," and "Working Title" all explode with the most unflappable characteristics of modern rock radio currency, namely adolescent angst meshed with raging hormones and wandering spirits. The odd time signature in title track underpins a tale of despair that belies the infectious singalong chorus. Stab the Unstoppable Hero is an enjoyable and youthful romp that proves the kids are all right aftejavascript:void(0)r all. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Uptown Sinclair - Uptown Sinclair - 2001

2011-12-01T06:00:00.003-06:00

Cleveland rockers Uptown Sinclair capture the chills, thrills, peaks, and valleys of their explosive live show on this enjoyable self-titled debut disc. Guitar-driven, hearty on melody, heavy on harmony, and unabashedly descendent of the Hollies, Small Faces, Big Star, Brian Wilson, and Cheap Trick, cuts such as "Girlfriend," "Superman," and "Sentimental" are achingly familiar to anyone who came of age with ears pressed to a transistor radio in the 1970s or cheerfully endured the hair metal-meets-bubblegum revival of the late '80s. Lead voice Dave Hill is the consummate heartbreak hero. He loves, he lusts, he laments, and he hardly labors over lyrics that will never mount a challenge Bob Dylan, Bob Pollard, or Bob Thomas. But that's not the point here. With the exception of Lou Reed, who cares that these exuberant post-punk-pop pirates nicked the chords to "Sweet Jane" for "First Thing in The Morning"? It's only rock & roll. They like it, and you'll like it too. A guilty pleasure worth pandering to. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Tommy Tutone - Nervous Love - 1996

2011-11-30T06:00:00.010-06:00

Although it's credited as a Tommy Tutone record, Nervous Love is actually the work of Tommy Heath after the band's demise. There's nothing as instantly endearing as "Jenny (867-5309)" or "Angel Say No," but this is a fine collection of mainly working-class/bar-band rock & roll crossed with power-pop that isn't too dissimilar to Tommy Tutone's heyday. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Maple Mars - Welcome to Maple Mars - 2001

2011-11-29T06:00:00.003-06:00

Welcome to Maple Mars is a fine introduction to Rick Hromadka's prodigious and multi-varied talents as skillful songwriter and musician. The album started off as a Hromadka solo project in the summer of 2000, shortly after he'd dissolved his previous band, Double Naught Spies. Hromadka was by then ready to move on and ready to stretch out as a composer, knowing that Double Naught Spies weren't likely ready to make the same journey with him. And so he went, performing intimate shows in L.A., often playing just piano (although this multi-instrumentalist is adeptly talented on just about every instrument you can think of). This period of self-discovery led to him taking giants steps forward from his previous efforts -- the proof is this album, actually. Still, Hromadka missed the kinetic energy of having a live band with him on-stage and in the studio, which led him to invite a few of his friends to join him on this adventure, including drummers Mike Fletcher (credited as the only other member of Maple Mars here, although Hromadka has since assembled a full group) and Steve Berns, guitarist Phil Rosenthal (Twenty Cent Crush), and multi-instrumentalist Rick Gallego (Cloud Eleven). The opening track, "Welcome to Maple Mars," is a fine introduction and begins with a Sgt. Pepper-y crowd-noise intro before launching into a barre-chorded power surge of swirling guitars and hummable melodies. "I Thought I Knew You Well" is an excellent guitar jag, with warm-chorus harmonies that trade off with aspic-tinged verses. Gallego guests on the semi-psych pop "Fly," a high note with the album's hookiest chorus, and "Afterglow," a rich, head-bobbing soft rock explosion (it may remind some fans of his band, Cloud Eleven, at least in spirit). The sublime "Silver Spy Satellite" ambles on a loping acoustic guitar and percussion beat (it's similar to America's ghostly "Horse With No Name"), but there's a sleepy-eyed slide guitar that sells the tune. The album ends with "Wonderwalla"'s carnival-esque intro, leading into a moody organ outro, then a few seconds pass before a minute-long Monkees-esque hidden track slips in under the wire. The only negative comment overall is that a few of the songs tend to go on a bit too long after they've made their main point, but this is a minor complaint and shouldn't deter fans from seeking out this outstanding (and deep) pop wonder. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Mandrew - Mandrew - 2004

2011-11-28T06:26:00.000-06:00

Mandrew is the latest local offering from Martin Devaney's all things Americana imprint Eclectone Records. Featuring First Prize Killer guitarist Mike Andrew sliding into the front man role with backing from his FPK bandmates (and additional contributions from Twin Cities indie-rock stalwarts like Work of Saws' Brock Davis and Walker Kong's Jeremy Ackerman), Mandrew is a laid-back summertime pop record not too far removed from FPK's Powdery Parade, which means that it will be this year's perfect backing soundtrack to back porch beer swilling. That being said, the record is still surprisingly varied and ambitious for being the product of a relaxed home recording project. "Pick Up Your Floor" is a convincing spin on the kind of slight yet insidiously catchy indie-pop the Shins are riding to mass success. Elsewhere the band tries its hand at spacey country waltzes ("When Charity Fails") and fuzzed-out stomp rock ("The Classic Clues") with great success. In the end Mandrew is yet another instantly enjoyable yet surprisingly durable roots-flavored pop album from the Eclectone Records stable. -City Pages

Mediafire

MultiUpload

V/A - xo for the Holidays - 2011

2011-11-27T06:25:00.001-06:00

When is it the right time to start pushing holiday music… WHEN Justin Bieber’s holiday album is charting top 20 on itunes! YIKES!

Christmas is almost here and I am sure there will be no shortage of gift ideas placed in your path during the next few weeks. Newspapers, Radio and TV will be filled with ads offering novel, interesting, compelling, and occasionally useful gifts for those on your list!

Home of the fabulous Backsliders, xo publicity offers up their forth installment of "xo for the Holidays"! Best of all, this one is free! Ho Ho Ho! Happy Holidays from xo!

V/A - xo for the Holidays - 2011

xo-kaytea
www.xopublicity.com
http://xopublicity.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/xopublicity

The Motels - The Motels - 1979

2011-11-25T06:00:00.001-06:00

1979's self-titled debut release from the California band the Motels comes across as what a less pretentious Doors might have sounded like had they emerged during the new wave era. The Motels is a fairly cold, almost robotic affair which trades in lyrics that explore the darker side of life in Los Angeles. There are a few tracks that bear repeated listens like the frantic "Kix" and "Celia," a warning to a woman involved with the wrong guy. "Total Control," a big hit for the band in Australia and later covered by Tina Turner, is the album's standout with its menacing lyrics of possession delivered by Martha Davis. She is the one consistently redeeming attraction of this dated record. Although she tends to over-sing at times, Davis is a riveting and sensual vocalist and her vocals hint at the potential in the band. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Green Beetles - The Basement

2011-11-23T13:36:00.003-06:00

Here is a good one from friend of PPO Herb Eimerman!
Check out the Power Pop pedigree for this one.
Recorded in our respective homes and mixed by Joe.

Our Xmas gift to you. Also available on the ROCK Against Bullshit Vol.6 CD.

www.facebook.com/pages/ROCK-Against-Bullshit/247467691935617

rockagainstbullshit@hotmail.com

Joe Algeri...Guitar and lead vocal...Australia
Dom Mariani...Lead Guitars and background vocals...Australia
Herb Eimerman...Bass Guitar...12 string acoustic guitar...background vocals...U.S.A
Stefan Johansson...Drums...Sweden

&amp;lt;a href="http://joealgeri.bandcamp.com/track/the-basement"&amp;gt;The Basement by GREEN BEETLES&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Thanks Herb!

Protones - Not That Difficult - 1998

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-06:00

A power pop band from Spain, Protones debuted with the release of an EP attached to the first issue of a fanzine called Rock Indiana, followed by their first album, Cartunes. After issuing Nothing to Say in 1996, the Plimsouls' Paul Collins teamed up with the band, producing their following record, Not That Difficult. Protones moved to California to participate in the International Pop Overthrow soon after. In 1999, guitarist Octavio (aka Octavio Vinck) and bassist Tato (aka David Tato) joined the band. In 2001, the Spanish group returned with Come Out and Play, including "Now That I Think of It," a song featured in the movie No Te Fallaré. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Oranges - Teen Rock - 2006

2011-11-22T06:00:00.001-06:00

Japanese import at a great price from a long-time Not Lame fave. Why? Well, pull up a chair and listen, my dear friend. This purely entrenched in 1975 pop band that pulls of glammy pop cum Bay City Rollers quite wonderfully. The best power pop band to come out of Japan, The Oranges produce incredibly pure, hip, catchy, Japanese bubblegum-power music. So if you like the idea of a pure power pop, bubblegummy extraganza of Bay City Rollers, glammy T. Rex and Sweet, then you have heaven here. The best power pop band to come out of Japan, The Oranges produce incredibly pure, hip, catchy, Japanese bubblegum-power music. With their Bay City Roller "look" and Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods haircuts, this foursome display catchy riffs and power guitars, while singing of love and dreams. But disclaimer,xenophobes: they sing in Japanese. But, trust me...while some may not dig that, with the Oranges, it could not be less of a tripping pop lovers! -Not Lame

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The CRY! needs your love

2011-11-21T10:59:00.001-06:00

The CRY! is a music sensation emerging from the eclectic arts scene of Portland, OR. With heavy pop influences like The Beach Boys, The Who, Nick Lowe and The Sweet, the band has re-crafted the 2 min. pop song for a new generation. The CRY! effortlessly merges 50's style vocal harmonies and the jangle of 60's pop hooks with the raw punkish emotion of the PDX street culture.

While its members are young (18-21), The CRY! motto: “Don't Suck” has produced a professionalism, work ethic and sense-of-purpose typically seen in older well-seasoned acts. In a few short months The CRY!’s rare musical chemistry, upbeat energy and hooky songwriting have garnered over 6,000 “plays” and earned the band #1 and top #25 on Reverb Nation’s local and national charts respectively! Additionally, after a recent a live performance at the International Pop Overthrow (IPO) Festival in Seattle WA, The CRY! was the only act to receive an “A+” rating

Head over to their website and get yourself a copy now!!

Revernation: thecrypdx

Facebook: the cry pdx

Website: www.thecrypdx.com

The Shamrock - The Mods Are Alright - 2004

2011-11-21T06:00:00.004-06:00

This was THE power pop band in Japan in the 80`s..they were huge. This collection documents a good part of this story gathering up a bunch of studio demos(great sounding!) and live trax. The sound is classic early Jam, Beatles `64 and The Undertones, as well as The Vapors.....mix up The Who, The Smal Faces and you have some pure pop joy. This Japanese release is very reasonably priced so it`s well, well worth more than a casual sniff. The first 8 songs of this 23 song affair are worth the price of admission. The singing is classic late 70`s skinny tie mod-power pop and they mix Japanese and English lyrics throughout, amusingly. -Not Lame

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Silicon Ballet - Sunglasses

2011-11-20T08:11:00.000-06:00

If you haven't managed to catch anything by Silicon Ballet yet, I'd really encourage you to have a listen to their new single, available via our the Rainboot label (and all the big evil places like iTunes too) - four and a half minutes of your time well spent!

The single is out ahead of the band's mini-album Utopia which will be out next February.

The Onoma/Two label presents... TODD AID

2011-11-20T06:00:00.005-06:00

Todd Dillingham

A message from the excellent Terry Burrows.

As some of you may know, our dear friend and collaborator Todd Dillingham is currently undergoing some heavy duty cancer surgery in Florida.To help him with his medical expenses, we're offering two download albums from our Bandcamp.com site, which we launched last week. The albums are Yukio Yung's "Goodbye Pork Pie Brain/Hello Pulsing Vein" and Chrysanthemums' "The Baby's Head".

Todd made guest appearances on both of these albums. They originally appeared in the late 1990s variously on vinyl and CD issued by record labels in Germany, and this is the first time they have been available online. Individual tracks are priced at .99 GBP or for 6.99 GBP you can get the complete album. ALL OF THE INCOME, ONCE ONLINE FEES HAVE BEEN DEDUCTED, WILL GO TO TODD - WHICH SHOULD BE SOMETHING LIKE 6 GBP/ALBUM.For those of you who don't know Bandcamp.com, it's hugely preferable to iTunes as a download site. You can listen to streamed versions of the *complete* songs (not just 30-second clips), and downloads are of much higher sound quality (mp3s are 320Kb rather than 192Kb,or you can have lossless FLACs). Paying is very straightforward – click on "Buy Now" and pay using Bandcamp's secure system using the likes of PayPal, Visa or Mastercard.So we invite you to take a listen to what we (and Todd) were doing at the end of the last century.And, of course, any contributions to Todd Aid! will be gratefully received.Thanks for your time.Onoma Research

http://onomaresearch.bandcamp.com/

Maybe Dolls - Propaganda - 1991

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-06:00

Maybe Dolls were an Australian pop/rock band that released one album, “Propaganda,” in 1991. The band’s core was brother and sister duo Chris and Annalisse Morrow, who had previously performed as The Numbers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The band scored regional hits with the singles “Nervous Kid” and “Cool Jesus.”

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Thanks to friend of PPO David!

Trolley - Things That Shine And Glow is now available

2011-11-17T10:00:00.002-06:00

Perennial PPO favorites Trolley has a new album out now! The new album feels fresh and current while still maintaining the energy and vibe of the 60's. "Things That Shine And Glow" is pure power pop and a delight to your ears and it sounds amazing. Follow the link below to download your copy now or you can get the physical CD at www.cdbaby.com/trolley12! Highly recommended.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://trolleymilwaukee.bandcamp.com/album/things-that-shine-and-glow"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Things That Shine And Glow by Trolley&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

You can "like" Trolley on facebook and tell them you heard about the new album from PPO!

The Numbers - 39.51 - 1982

2011-11-17T06:00:00.004-06:00

Over the course of 3 years, The Numbers released one E.P., six singles and two LP's. Many will remember them from their numerous Countdown appearances and their first two singles, the hits: 'The Modern Song' and 'Five Letter Word' and their self-titled debut LP. However, there's a whole lot more to their story. Although The Numbers reached their commercial peak early ('Five Letter Word' was their last charting single), they continued to release excellent material - four more singles and a neglected second album: 39.51 (the title was a curt response to the criticism of their debut LP's 28 minute length). The core, and only constant during their five year career, of The Numbers was the brother and sister team of Chris and Annalisse Morrow. In Chris, they had an excellent songwriter and inventive guitarist and, in Annalisse, an equally accomplished musician and a striking focal point.

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Thanks to friend of PPO David.

The Numbers - The Numbers - 1980

2011-11-16T06:00:00.007-06:00

Between 1978 and 1984, Sydney group The Numbers plied their trade on the basis of the very smart and snappy songs of guitarist Christian Morrow and his younger sister, bass player and vocalist Annalisse. Two albums, seven singles and roughly a hundred drummers later, the group were dropped by their label and split up.

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Thanks to friend of PPO David!

Spy vs Spy - A.O. Mod. TV - 1986

2011-11-15T06:00:00.004-06:00

A.O. Mod. TV. Version is the second studio album by Australian rock band Spy vs Spy, produced by Leszek Karski (Boys Next Door, Midnight Oil, Nauts) and released through WEA on 8 December 1986.
The title is an abbreviation of 'Adults Only Television Version' which used to appear at the bottom of late night movies in Australia at the time. The album peaked at #12 on the Kent Music Report and went gold. For this album Spy vs Spy recorded as v. Spy v. Spy, and the line-up was the original trio Craig Bloxom on bass guitar/lead vocals, Cliff Grigg on drums/percussion and Mike Weiley on lead guitar/vocals.

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Digital Download Derby

2011-11-14T06:47:00.000-06:00

The Yep Roc Store is offering fans a chance to stock up their digital music collection with unbeatable deals on some of Yep Roc's best releases. Now through Friday 11/18, they have reduced the price on 100 titles from the Yep Roc vault to just $3.99 each.

Don't miss your chance to save on amazing releases from Chuck Prophet, Dave Alvin, John Doe, Los Straitjackets, Jukebox the Ghost, The Sadies, Peggy Sue, The Minus 5 and more!

Art in America - Art in America - 1983

2011-11-14T06:00:00.002-06:00

begins as delicate, somewhat elegant album with a pleasing mix of harp, guitar and keyboard that slowly changes to a more arena rock sound with progressive touches that make the band sounds like Asia meets Breathe. A pretty and slightly mystic album with hints of album rock and pop, Art in America was overlooked upon its release.- AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Eric Marcos - Disposable Friend - 2005

2011-11-11T06:00:00.002-06:00

The long awaited follow-up disc from Eric and his band features support from most of the Boston music scene, including Bill Janovitz, Todd Thibaud, Mike Gent (The Figgs) and many others. But all I can say is this one helluva power parade of pumping pop with balls! A few of you may remember a band from LA called Code Blue, a few songs on this fabulous debut remind me of that band, at the their best. But, generally, what the Boston Globe says below is dead-on...they sound like early Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers. It`s just a tour-de-force of rock `n roll spirit---what a blast this must have been to make? That energy and vibe is on full display here, that`s for sure. Extremely Highly Recommended! -Not Lame

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Connells - Old-School Dropouts - 2001

2011-11-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

Like 1998's Still Life, Old-School Drop Outs continues the Connells' move away from the more experimental nature of Weird Food and Devastation. This album, self-released after their long, fruitful relationship with the TVT label finally came to an end, finds the Connells building on their classic sound, a world of wistful lyrics, strong guitars, and gorgeous melodies -- a world where the childhood dreams of Boylan Heights are only a heartbeat away. Fans of the brand of guitar pop this North Carolina group has been harvesting since the Athens-to-Raleigh frenzy in the mid-'80s will find themselves in comfortably familiar territory. Mike Connell and George Huntley's guitars still have just enough bite to keep things out of saccharine territory, and Doug MacMillan's boyish timbre still sounds as sincere as it did all of those years ago. Highlights include the driving stomp of "Put Down" and the pretty sentiments and soaring guitar leads of "Gladiator Heart," while the bittersweet romanticism of "Rusted Fields" is up there with the Connells' most beautiful work. This represents the group's first effort since the departure of longtime drummer Peele Wimberley. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Daryll-Ann - Happy Traum - 2001

2011-11-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

Though the album's title is named after a famous folk musician who authors instructional guitar books and videos, has recorded several solo records, and collaborated with Bob Dylan and Maria Muldaur, Happy Traum is an aural trek back to the breezy, organic pop/rock of the late '60s and early '70s. Happy Traum, which translates as happy dream, brims with infectious melodies, jangly guitars, and vocal harmonies reminiscent of solo Paul McCartney, Badfinger, and the Kinks. Considered to be among Holland's best pop exports, Daryll-Ann romps through this collection of rockers ("When You Cry"), folksy ballads ("Money or Love"), cosmic country honky tonk ("Feelings," "All By Myself"), and emo rock ("Riverside") with a blithe spirit. Though not essential, Happy Traum is a well-crafted, enjoyable collection of ear candy. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Sparkle*Jets U.K. - In, Through and Beyond - 1998

2011-11-03T06:00:00.005-05:00

In, Through, and Beyond, the debut effort by L.A.'s Sparkle*Jets U.K., was the irreverent antidote to snoringly classicist late-'90s power pop acts. While Sparkle*Jets are a power pop band by virtue of their influences, exhibited here in their wonderful choice of covers (Electric Light Orchestra's "Above the Clouds," Big Star's "Thirteen," and the Beach Boys' "Girl Don't Tell Me"), they steer clear of clichés and remember that pop music is fun by design. While many modern pop revivalists play guitar pop like it belongs in a museum, Sparkle*Jets rock with abandon through these 15 tracks, smirking all the while. Sure, the songs can be goofy; there's a song about "Surfing Monkeys," and "Oh Poor Me" is more or less the female answer to the Smiths' "Girlfriend in a Coma," in which the girl doesn't mind that her narcissistic boyfriend dies in a fiery car wreck while trying to change CDs. And it doesn't stop there -- "My Internet Love Song (To You)," which crams computer jargon into a bouncy love song, is easily one of the most clever geek rock anthems ever written. Sure, the album sags a little toward the end, but the humor doesn't wear thin after a few listens because the hooks are strong and the two frontpersons are appealing. Mike Simmons and Susan West are like polar opposites -- Simmons' boyish, innocent voice provides the ideal backdrop for the album's more typically power poppy moments, while West is a little more prone to let loose with her very rock & roll set of pipes. The end result is a relentlessly energetic, delightfully cheery, and thoroughly entertaining debut record. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

See you in a couple of days

2011-10-31T10:55:00.001-05:00

Sorry folks, but I have to do a lot of running around for the next couple of days, and so, new stuff here will be spotty at best. I'll be back very soon. Try to hold back your tears.

Curty Ray

Kurt Baker - Rockin' For A Living now available...

2011-10-30T06:00:00.002-05:00

The brand new record from Kurt Baker.. "Rockin' For A Living".. Out NOW on Oglio Records. Vinyl released by Stardumb Records and Torreznetes Entertainment!

Whatcha waitin' for, get it now!

1. Just Forget About It
2. Don’t Steal My Heart Away
3. Can’t Have Her Back
4. Kiss Me
5. Why You Gotta Lie?
6. The Problem

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://kurtbaker.bandcamp.com/album/rockin-for-a-living"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Rockin' For A Living by Kurt Baker&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Produced by Kurt Baker & Wyatt Funderburk
Executive Producer: Carl Caprioglio

Kurt Baker - "Don't Steal My Heart Away" from Tasty Dude Films on Vimeo.

Personnel:
Kurt Baker - Lead & Background Vox, Bass Guitar, Electric Guitar

Kris “Fingers” Rodgers - Background Vox, Rhodes, Hammond, Farfisa,
Piano, Privia-tone

Josh Malia - Rhythm Guitar/Lead Guitar, Backing Vox

Geoff Useless - Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vox

Wyatt Funderburk - Bass Guitar, Lead/Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vox

Craig Sala - Drums, Percussion

Additional Musicians:

Mike Byrne - Lead Guitar
Michael “Miek” Rodrigue - Lead Guitar

The Wind - Where It's At With the Wind - 1982

2011-10-28T07:06:00.001-05:00

Playing exuberant power-pop with abundant talent and a solid grounding in '60s AM radio — from Merseybeat to folk-rock to summery soul — this Miami trio made a wonderful debut with the winningly unpolished Where It's At. The marvelous 14-song collection of beguiling originals not only re-creates the sound of a simpler time, but captures the giddy innocence of musical self-discovery, as if this were all new. -trouserpress.com

Mediafire

MultiUpload

This is your last chance to get "Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide "

2011-10-27T08:50:00.001-05:00

Just a brief note to let you know "Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide" - is now available again after being out of print for three years!

The book is an in depth look at the power pop genre and features a rundown of the top 200 power pop albums of all time. Every copy also comes with a 24 song CD featuring rare and/or previously unreleased songs from a variety of artists, including Shoes, Rubinoos, Chris von Sneidern, Tommy Keene, 20/20 and many more. There are also tons of previously unpublished photos included.

There is a limited supply of books available - around 225 - and around 70 of these have already been sold, so you might want to act fast if you'd like to grab one. The cost is $49.95, but don't forget that it also comes with what is basically a double CD filled with music and it's sure to increase in value as the years go by. Plus, it'll make a great holiday gift for the discriminating music fan on your shopping list. ;-)

Here is the link to order and to find out more information:

http://www.goodmusicguy.com/shake-some-action-book/

The Black Watch - The King of Good Intentions - 1999

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

It hasn't been easy for the Black Watch. This makes five records on five different labels. But like wandering the desert in an endless search of bountiful waterholes instead of mere drops of cactus juice, such wayward struggles have just made this fledgling band more determined. Each album, three years apart, has been better than the last, and if the quantum-leap The King of Good Intentions finds a spot in the stereos of discerning pop fans, the Black Watch will have found their oasis at last. For this release, they've pared down to the two essentials: singer/songwriter/guitarist John Andrew Frederick and multi-instrumentalist J'Anna Jacoby. They're aided by a phalanx of L.A. underground musicians playing the other parts, and together the assemblage has made a minor masterpiece. Enjoying by far the best production of his career, Frederick seems to have a Go-Betweens jones on such beguiling, handsome, fertile pop as "The Wrong People," "Hey Hey Hey," and the more organic, skipping "Obligatory Blues." Jacoby's exceptional violin used to save the group's weaker work; now it adds translucent sparkle to a freshly painted canvas. And the multiple times a piano drops in for coffee in the background, it's the sort of ageless pop moment you spend hours in CD stores looking for. As a result, the poet Frederick finally has a backdrop to match his abilities. Always a cutting wordsmith, he's full of acerbic disregard for those whose lives have crossed his. "I suppose she'll go upstairs with anyone that mumbles that he cares" he gibes at one point, typical of the austere subject matter. Nothing happening in pop? No talent, no craft, nothing to say in pop today? Buy this, then. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Mood Elevator - Listen Up! - 2000

2011-10-26T06:00:00.004-05:00

Falling squarely into the category of power pop bands that don't take themselves too seriously, the Mood Elevator crafted a jovial and lively debut album in Listen Up! In the course of 11 tracks, the band runs through a few rave-ups ("Leisure Time Provider," "Day of Renee") pure pop ("Butterfly Net"), ska -- sort of ("Cool Nights") -- and a ragtime-based piano rocker ("Better Than That.") For a debut, the diversity in songs is surprising and refreshing, as the album doesn't tire after a few listens. The downside, really, is that the lyrics are often too silly, detracting from the rest of the picture, and the hooks are not nearly as interesting as those written by their peers. Still, it's too easy to point out what's wrong with a pop album rather than what's right: And what's right here is that this band has managed to craft an engaging debut album that manages to be diverse and adventurous while still maintaining the band's pop roots. And that's more than most can really hope for anyway. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Swirl 360 - Ask Anybody - 1998

2011-10-25T06:00:00.003-05:00

Borrowing from every pop band from the Beatles to Oasis, Swirl 360 may be a little hard to pin down, but that's part of the reason why their debut album, Ask Anybody, is so enjoyable. Favoring the sweet pop of McCartney over Lennon's brittle rock & roll, Swirl 360 augment that melody with crackling modern rock production. If they get a little too slick -- and let's face it, anyone who collaborates with Desmond Child is bound to get a little slick -- they make up for it with sharp collaborations with Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne) and Ken Stringfellow (Posies), a crisp attack, and uncluttered arrangements. Denny and Kenny Scott, the twin masterminds behind the band, still need to find their own voice, but Ask Anybody remains a cheerful, pleasing debut. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Chris Von Sneidern - Sight & Sound - 1993

2011-10-24T06:00:00.002-05:00

The first solo album by ex-Flying Color singer/ songwriter Chris Von Sneidern is a terrific slice of '90s power pop, roots and ruefulness division. Von Sneidern's slightly rough voice isn't particularly suited to chipper material, and so the better tracks here are the darker ones like "Bad Black Lonesome" and the downright bleak closer "Never Again My Love." Von Sneidern is capable of his lighter moments as well, like the sweetly jangly "Annalisa" and the lighthearted homage "Hey Nino Tempo," but the best parts of this album, which features guest appearances by fellow Bay Area luminaries like John Wesley Harding and American Music Club guitarist Vudi, have an emotional depth and richness not often associated with the sometimes facile world of power pop. At 16 tracks, Sight & Sound is a little overstuffed and could use some pruning, but minimal use of the skip tracks buton will turn this CD into something special. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Second Saturday - Here`s The Deal - 2002

2011-10-21T06:00:00.002-05:00

GREAT power pop band - hard to find 2002 debut album. Imagine(go with us here) The Beach Boys(but not literally) playing Fountains Of Wayne, The Argument, Jetpack and Ben Folds. Or Jeffrey Foskett teaming up with new up and comers The Blakes, The Rentals, Light FM or Adventures Of Jet. Huh? What`s all this? It`s spiffy, up-beat lightly tinged new wave power pop for modern made to splash water on stiff, established pop contributions of late. Second Saturday`s music is a fine-woven blend of catchy, energized, and powerful sugar-pop tunes with beautiful melodies, up-beat tempos, rip-rocking guitars, infectious synthesizer, and four-part harmonies that can be matched by the likeness of only Brian Wilson. Every song a winner! -Not Lame

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Big Hello - Orange Album - 2000

2011-10-20T06:00:00.003-05:00

After neo-power pop group the Elvis Brothers disbanded, drummer, songwriter Brad Elvis formed a new outfit in late 1994, which he dubbed Big Hello. Despite a rash of early personnel changes, the band built a following in its hometown of Chicago and around the Midwest through extensive touring. The remainder of the lineup eventually settled on vocalist Chloe Orwell, guitarist Johnny Million, and bassist Tom Atteberry. In addition to contributing to several power pop compilations, Big Hello gained increased exposure through hosting Chicago Pop Mondays, a highly successful series of concerts at the Beat Kitchen. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Doug Powell - More - 2000

2011-10-19T06:00:00.004-05:00

For his third outing, Doug Powell follows much the same formula as with his first two albums: straight ahead rock songs with a definite, pronounced pop leaning. Powell's influences are plastered all over this, from Jellyfish-like vocal harmonies to Todd Rundgren's brand of smooth pop and Cheap Trick-style guitar crunch. But thankfully, Powell does manage to mold the record into more than just a sum of its parts. The album's best songs -- the uppity rock of "Dinah Might," the soulful pop of "The Scent of a Rose," and the hard rock of "Empty V," amongst a few others -- are extremely well-crafted modern pop. While not exceedingly commercial or adventurous, the devotees of verse-chorus-verse song structures and gooey background vocals will agree that not only is More catchy and memorable, but it manages to steer clear of potholes of derivation. With that being said, there are a few flaws that keep More from being a classic. The production is appropriately crisp but strangely tinny, and on the requisite mainstream music rant "Empty V," Powell appropriately gives the musical finger to MTV and their ilk. But the problem is that the listener is torn between believing whether it's appropriate commentary or a cranky old man who is upset that he never got his commercial due. Maybe it's a little of both, but that assessment is probably a bit too harsh given the songwriting expertise displayed by Powell here and with his band, SWAG. And something does seem wrong if a song as infectious as "Rise" isn't all over mainstream rock radio. The true assessment, then, is that More is very much music by a pop fan who hates MTV, for pop fans who hate MTV. It can't be fairer than that. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Sun Sawed in 1/2 - Bewilderbeest - 2000

2011-10-18T06:00:00.004-05:00

St. Louis' Sun Sawed in 1/2 made a major departure from their flexible, inventive power pop on Bewilderbeest. Recorded partially in the Ukraine, Bewilderbeest tries to make world music a palatable influence in power pop; of the disc's 14 tracks, three are world music-styled instrumental tracks. The remaining tracks sound heavily influenced by Eastern European rhythms and music, and it makes Bewilderbeest an admirable and ambitious affair. The album's highlights include "Kiss Her Like You Mean It," an excellent up-tempo rocker that sounds like a lost Jellyfish classic, the moving ballad "Shining Knight," and Ken Kase's "Song No. 11." While it's not quite as solid of an album as the defining Fizzy Lift, the ambition alone of this album makes it a worthwhile listen for both fans and the curious. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Save Pluto - Age of Lowered Expectations - 2007

2011-10-17T06:00:00.002-05:00

Their debut album, Age of Lowered Expectations, is reminiscent of Barenaked Ladies meets Matthew Sweet. It’s fun, it’s smart, and it rocks. The group’s musicianship shines through on the album, with all three band members sharing lead vocal duties on various songs.
Shawn Moynihan (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Alan Miller (guitar, vocals), songwriting partners since high school, have been recognized by Billboard Magazine's National Songwriting Contest, and were commissioned to write the theme song for the New York Yankees' minor league team on Staten Island. Miller's guitar skills, displayed prominently on the album, have also been featured in Guitar One Magazine. Gautam Peri completes the lineup on bass and keyboards. -CD Baby

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Another album, another band, another name.

2011-10-16T06:53:00.000-05:00

Matthew Bannister has made numerous records under different names, with different people - first Sneaky Feelings in Dunedin in the 80s, then the Dribbling Darts of Love in Auckland in the 90s, a solo release as One Man Bannister - Moth (2007) - and another band effort -The Weather’s Aroha Ave (2008). And now the Changing Same.

Why so many names? Why not just use your own? “I’ve never felt comfortable being a solo artist. Music to me is something you do with other people. That’s what makes it fun. When I get new people, it’s a new project. Of course it’s a bit of a disaster from a publicity/career point of view.”

Since 2008 Matthew has been living in Hamilton, where he works at Wintec, who also support his music activities. “I make a CD, and it counts as research!” The album was mostly recorded at the studios in the Music Dept there. “But I have the same software at home, so I could take away live backing tracks and overdub in my own time. You get live feel, but also lots of time to fiddle with additional parts - the best of both worlds.”

&amp;lt;a href="http://powertoolrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-changing-same-1-2011"&amp;gt;The Changing Same- 1. (2011) by PowertoolRecords&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

The Changing Same are:
Matthew Bannister: guit./bass/vox
Nick Johnston: keys
Stan Jagger: drums

The Changing Same’s CD is available through Powertool Records, or can be downloaded at the bandcamp site. They’re also on Facebook.

The Jigsaw Seen - My Name Is Tom - 1991

2011-10-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

This is the Jigsaw Seen's 1991 EP for the now-defunct New Jersey-based Skyclad label. The mini-CD featured an early version of "Persephone Again" (the track was later re-recorded for release on the Swedish-released Pop Under the Surface, Vol. 1 compilation and the band's own self-released Zenith from 2000) and a cover of Love's "The Daily Planet." -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Rumble Strips - Girls and Weather - 2007

2011-10-12T06:00:00.002-05:00

The Rumble Strips don't take any chances on Girls and Weather, but that's because they don't need to. If the Devon foursome's fun, innocent, and refreshingly light tone -- not to mention their eschewing of guitars in favor of horns -- isn't enough to make their debut album stand out, then their musicianship and wry lyrics certainly are. It takes a few listens to discern the Rumble Strips' technical proficiency, because it's all too easy to get caught up in the fun that they're having instead. There's no build-up to the revelry -- Girls and Weather gets off to a rollicking start with "No Soul," a tune that sounds a bit like a Kaiser Chiefs tune that replaces synthesizers with a deliberately off-kilter brass section. It's immediately followed by "Alarm Clock," which tells the story of a young slacker through the use of an infectious melody, singalong chorus, and cheery self-deprecation. Happy melodies coupled with bittersweet lyrics are a running theme throughout the album, but it's a formula that works well for the Rumble Strips, especially when they're poking fun at the Walter Mitty-like fantasies of average Joes. The best example of this on the album is "Motorcycle," a riotous take on the "cars and girls song" that alternates between the mundane reality of a 10-speed bike and the sunny fantasy of a motorized chick magnet. There are times when the band's giddiness is a little too overwhelming -- the repetition of the chorus on "Clouds" quickly goes from endearing to annoying -- but it's a minor complaint in the end. Girls and Weather loses neither steam nor charm throughout; it's an album for adults who want an excuse to behave like kids again. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Zumpano - Look What the Rookie Did - 1995

2011-10-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

The title says it all. This debut effort from Vancouver's Zumpano is an astounding piece of infectious, guitar-driven pop. The group's original material is outstanding, but the lone cover proves to be one of the album's highlights -- a compelling version of Jimmy Webb's "Rosecrans Boulevard" (previously recorded by the Fifth Dimension and Johnny Rivers). With Webb as an influence, it's no wonder Zumpano end up crafting such sophisticated yet melodic compositions of their own. In the '60s, tracks like the Zombies-esque "I Dig You" would have been all over the charts and the radio, but in the 1990s, there seems to be less of an audience for such inventive, intelligent pop. However, the freshness of Zumpano's sound, combined with adventurous melodies and rhythms, makes this an essential piece of work. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Parthenon Huxley - Mile High Fan - 2005

2011-10-10T06:00:00.003-05:00

Parthenon Huxley had a pretty sweet job between 1987 and 1993 -- he was a contact songwriter with MCA Music Publishing, and he got to spend his work days writing tunes, recording them with first-rate musicians and getting paid for the privilege. Best of all, it appears no one was riding herd over Huxley regarding what he should be writing about, judging from Mile High Fan, a 15-song collection of Huxley's demos from the period, which includes catchy songs about heroin addiction, soaring real estate prices and urban sprawl. According to Huxley's liner notes, a number of his MCA demos became basic tracks for his first album, 1988's Sunny Nights, and the recordings collected here sure don't sound like songwriting demos -- the combo Huxley put together for these sessions evolved into his band P. Hux, and they sound professional as all get out, especially guitarist Rusty Anderson, whose Eddie Van Halen-esque Stratocaster gymnastics are certainly impressive if more than a bit overstated on several cuts, and drummer Rob Ladd, who pounds with conviction. Huxley's material here walks a tightrope between witty power pop and muscular hard rock, and the two sides don't always get along, with the guitar shredding often getting in the way of the melodic side of these recordings. But there are some good tunes here that work just fine with the band, especially "This Isn't Yesterday" and "Bazooka Joe," and Huxley's smart-ass wit is welcome throughout. Mile High Fan isn't perfect, but it's as polished and satisfying as any of Huxley or P. Hux's "real" albums, and this certainly deserved better than sitting on a shelf at some publisher's office for 13 years; Not Lame are to be commended for finally giving this music the public hearing it deserves. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

True Believers - True Believers - 1986

2011-10-07T06:00:00.003-05:00

Legend has it that the True Believers' pre-production process with producer Jim Dickinson before they began sessions for their first album consisted entirely of a conversation in the car as the band picked him up from the airport and drove to Austin's Arlyn Studios. While Dickinson has a splendid track record producing maverick rock bands, for this project money and time were in short supply, and the True Believers album suffers a bit accordingly. The sound is thin and lacks the punch that the group's three-guitar lineup demanded, and the gated snare sound on Kevin Foley's drum kit is such a mid-'80s cliché that it sounds almost comical more than a decade down the line. But if True Believers captured a great band under less-than-ideal circumstances, it leaves little doubt that this really was a great band; Alejandro Escovedo, Javier Escovedo, and Jon Dee Graham all sing, write, and play guitar well enough to lead fine bands on their own, and together they were a guitar army in the truest sense of the phrase, thinking and performing as one and leaving behind some inspired music as a result. (Bassist Denny Degorio also helped write a number of the album's best songs, and drummer Kevin Foley holds down the backbeat with smarts and precision.) True Believers was the only album this group would release during their lifetime, and while it doesn't get the full impact of their live show on tape, it gets just enough of it down to prove that this band's reputation as one of America's greatest roots rock bands wasn't just talk. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Shore - The Shore - 2004

2011-10-06T06:00:00.003-05:00

The Shore's full-length Maverick debut offers enthusiasts of the AAA radio format a palette-pleasing aggregate of spacy Britpop and dusty American rock texture. It's a fashionable, well-appointed album, impeccably designed for the leisuring iPods of listeners who like their music furiously in the moment. Ben Ashley -- songwriting brains and frontman of the Shore -- channels Richard Ashcroft brazenly, particularly the cheekboned one's more dramatic solo work. But that won't matter to those swooning over the Shore's sun-spackled piano ballad "Take What's Mine," or the dusky, loopy, string-laden opener, "Hard Road" -- the sound might be shockingly derivative, but since three out of five Americans have either forgotten or never knew of the Verve and Ride, the Shore's lapping pace and gentle waves will wash forth as fresh and new as a watercolor daydream. "Waiting for Sun" plays soft pop verses off a chorus melody worthy of Embrace's grandeur (more keening strings, stat!), while "It Ain't Right" and "Firefly" do nice things with tensile electric guitar dynamics and changes into fluttery vocal harmonies. In its weaker moments ("Everything We Are"), The Shore drifts into middling alterna-pop. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Sweet Apple Pie - Between the Lines - 2004

2011-10-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Pitched somewhere between Sloan, the Apples in Stereo, and Club 8, France's Sweet Apple Pie provide a sound much like their name: warm, sweet, and wholesome. Between the Lines is their second album, and it is a huge step forward from their first. In fact, it is one of the better indie pop records you will hear in 2004. The songwriting is tight, the arrangements are fully realized, and the group vocals are large and lush, sometimes coming close to Polyphonic Spree proportions. Songs like "Harder Than We Thought," "Pray Before," and "Oyster" reflect a '70s influence, sometimes sounding like Squeeze, sometimes like a more flexible ABBA. Always sounding good and hooky, Between the Lines is full of laid-back charm; it's the kind of record that radiates warmth from beginning to end. Playing it is like hanging out with the kind of friend with whom you don't have to say anything; you just have to be there. Add Sweet Apple Pie to the list of bands making adult pop (Walker Kong, the Heavy Blinkers, Young and Sexy) drawn from the '70s and '80s but sounding completely modern and completely fabulous. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Rick Parker - Wicked World - 1991

2011-10-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

Parker's dynamic voice allows him to sound like three very different vocalists on the same album. On tracks such as "Cause Your Mine" and "Sally's Home" his voice bears a striking resemblance to that of Mark Knopfler. When the music slows, however, his sound metamorphoses into something more akin to Corey Hart. He rounds out his range with some INXS/Michael Hutshens style vocals. But with strong, consistent backing vocals bi guitarist Josh Blake, the album flows nicely. - L.A. Times

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Hellacopters - Payin' the Dues - 1999

2011-10-03T06:00:00.003-05:00

The Hellacopters reconvened for a second album in 1998, churning out a platter that retained the raw ferocity of their debut while featuring even better songs. Payin' the Dues is a winner from start to finish, but special kudos go out to "You Are Nothin'," "Hey!," "Where the Action Is," and "Soulseller." One has to wonder how huge these guys would be if they were American instead of Swedish. The record did so well in Europe that vocalist/guitarist Nicke Andersson (aka Nicke Hellacopter) decided to quit the security of his day job on the drum stool of death metallers Entombed to concentrate on the Hellacopters full-time. Unfortunately, co-leader Dregen chose to carry on with his main band, Backyard Babies. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

A Gift From John Wicks and the Records!

2011-10-02T07:13:00.002-05:00

With Fall comes change. And, thanks to a new Records' Facebook promotion, you can keep yours in your pocket while getting some FREE music
to listen to. John Wicks, lead singer of The Records and co-writer of the hit songs Starry Eyes and Hearts In Her Eyes, has decided to post
a complete live set via his Facebook fan page found right here. Starting
October 2, each week John will be posting one of nine live songs from a set that was recording earlier this year. With guest appearances
from Debbi Peterson of The Bangles and Andy Qunta of Icehouse, this recording is truly one of a kind.

Just "like" the page, and the mp3 is yours.

We'll post one track per week, leading up to the re-release of Rotate due out Noverber 8, this time with three bonus tracks and an all new, pedal
to the metal version of The Records' classic hit "Starry Eyes".

Starting October 2, go to www.facebook.com/TheRecordsFeaturingJohnWicks and click "Like", refresh your browser, and the mp3 will be available
to you...FOR FREE. Check out The Records' main website at www.johnwicksandtherecords.com for news, tour, or any other additional information
about The Records or the new version of "Starry Eyes".

The Feedbacks - Nothing A Little Pop Won't Cure - 2002

2011-09-30T06:00:00.005-05:00

The Feedbacks began to play in Mieres (Asturias) at the beginning of 1995, when Adolfo, (singer, guitar player and composer), his brother Carlos, and two friends, Diego y Javi, with nearly no experience with bands, gathered together to kill the time and also to emulate their idols, ancient melodic punk rock and power pop bands. On this excellent third installment of the Asturian Feedbacks, they expand thier horizons with more sedate but equally strong and vigorous songs.

Mediafire

MultiUpload

POP GEEK HEAVEN - Arrives This Friday! (special beta for Power Pop Prime buyers)

2011-09-29T06:14:00.002-05:00

Bruce from over at Pop Geek Heaven sent us this little reminder.

I've been working on the Pop Geek Heaven project in my extra time for a good part of 2011. The dream of it, a lot longer.

It's finally ready - but before the 'rest of the world' can see and enjoy POP GEEK HEAVEN, I wanted to give you the first look at it.

Think of it as your Backstage Pass to a new kind of experience for the power pop fan.

This V.I.P. Access is one way for me to say "Thank You So Much!" for picking up my "Power Pop Prime" book this summer! (by the way, my digital gifts that I promised are going to be sent out in a few weeks so they are coming - and news on two other books coming next week, too!)

On Friday, you'll be ushered through the back door to check it all out first. Before anyone else!

So, when does Pop Geek Heaven launch?
Answer: Just go to this link on Friday at 1 p.m. M.S.T.

Please Understand: THIS IS A BETA TEST phase. There could be some issues and weirdness. If so, let me know what you're seeing - and be patient.

This is important - to enjoy everything at PopGeekHeaven when you go there on Friday, you must become a member of PGH (which costs you nothing so don't stress on it!).

I mention this so you are clear PGH is not some big company, corporate thing - it's a 'free'/gratis project that one person has been working on and will be supported by sales at the Pop Geek Heaven Store.

Everything with PGH has been a BIG vision in my head for years - and it's just been one person(me) working on the development of this(and I'm no techie so I've been limited with the resources to pull this all off).

But PGH is all about us, the fans - and the artists making the music.

Our passion for music and our interest & devotion to 'power pop' is what will make it work.

It's that simple. I really hope you dig it......

It's Live
RIGHT HERE on Friday!

Peace 'n (good) Pop,

Bruce Brodeen
(Just Another) Pop Geek

The Pyramidiacs - Nobody's Fools - 2001

2011-09-28T06:00:00.007-05:00

Characterized by a upbeat power-pop feel, the Pyramidiacs sound has remained consistent since the group's 1988 origins. Based in the Sydney suburb of Fairfield, Australia, the original line-up of Eddie Owen (guitar/ vocals), Bob Susnjara (bass/ vocals) and Mickster Baty (drums) took upon a musical idolization for the Replacements, Teenage Fanclub, Big Star and Matthew Sweet. With the 1992 addition of guitarist Mick O'Regan, the Pyramidiacs would eventually release a slew of singles and compilation tracks before their 1993 full-length debut, Don't Wish It. The following year saw the Pyramidiacs' second album, All You Want, released through Pink Flamingo Records before their 1995 European tour. The group's third album, Teeter Totter, came out in 1996 courtesy of Ranezz Records -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Silver Seas - Starry Gazey Pie - 2004

2011-09-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

Daniel Tashian (vocals, guitar) was already an established solo artist when he enlisted the help of producer/keyboardist Jason Lehning to fashion the '70s-inspired classic pop/rock of the Silver Seas. Formerly known as the Bees (U.S.), the group formed in Nashville, TN, with John Deaderick (bass) and David Gehrke (drums) rounding out the lineup. The band's self-pressed debut disc, Starry Gazey Pie, was released in 2004 and received support from such influential radio stations as Boston's WFNX and L.A.'s KCRW. This, coupled with a national tour alongside Guster, enabled the group to release a follow-up, 2006's High Society. Cheap Lullaby signed the Bees (U.S.) in April 2007, and the Nashville band changed its name to the Silver Seas that September, citing a legal conflict with the British outfit A Band of Bees. The following month, Cheap Lullaby re-released High Society. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Moods for Moderns - Loud & Clear - 2001

2011-09-26T06:00:00.004-05:00

Stealing more than a few pages out of the power pop handbook, Moods for Moderns has officially arrived as a veritable force with Loud & Clear. Big guitars, lush harmonies, and incessant energy mark this reverent, yet altogether refreshing, arena pop. Whether channeling Big Star influences on "Lust for Luster" or cavernous Left Banke-ish sounds on "Long Distance Dedication," Moods for Moderns is overwhelmingly on target with its decidedly backwards-looking pop confections. While the Zombies, Elvis Costello, and the Rolling Stones are all evoked at different moments, it's quite obvious that this band's loyalties lay in classic '70s rock. As this dedication has supposedly manifested itself in the band's members refusing to listen to any music recorded after 1979 during Loud & Clear's recording sessions, as well as only using recording equipment from that period, the result of their devotion is undeniably rewarding. Fairly predictable and obviously derivative, Moods for Moderns nonetheless succeed in presenting straightforward rock at its most undiluted. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

True Love - Wings - 2005

2011-09-23T06:00:00.006-05:00

Power pop torchbearers True Love deliver a gutting slab of melodic rock on their third studio release, Wings. If the title and cover art are meant as a humorously ironic allusion to Paul McCartney's post-Beatles group, the music therein also takes a similarly opposing direction from Macca's soft rock/AOR. Much like their guitar-heavy self-titled sophomore release, True Love rip through a series of über-melodic and somewhat emotionally pyrrhic mini-rock epics that bring to mind such icons of the genre as Cheap Trick, the Replacements, Elvis Costello, and others. This is pretty great stuff that will obviously appeal to the pop underground faithful, but deserves a much wider audience. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Stands - All Years Leaving - 2004

2011-09-22T06:00:00.003-05:00

U.K. quartet the Stands traffic in gentle jangle pop rooted in the Byrds and the '60s West Coast sound, the mid-'60s Beatles, country Dylan, and in their missing and missed countrymen the La's. Their debut album, All Years Leaving, is coated in honey-sweet vocal harmonies, rollicking tempos, gently strummed guitars, and a general sense of easy nostalgia. Many, many bands have treaded this leaf-strewn, autumnal path and the Stands don't do much to distance themselves from the pack, nor do they stumble significantly. Middle of the packers then and that's not so bad. In fact, it is unfailingly pleasant. The tunes tend to blend together in a sepia-toned wave of gentle melancholia, but there are worse ways to spend 40 minutes. There are even a few that you will want to throw on mixtapes, like the dreamy opener, "I've Waited So Long"; "The Love You Give," which has a languid beat, slow-motion guitar plucking, and fine la-la-la backing vocals; and the album's crown jewel, "Here She Comes Again." It's definitely a cousin to the La's' "There She Goes," with a lovingly similar melody (and an almost direct lift from the Cars' "My Best Friend's Girl"), but it adds some Byrds-y 12-string and an emotion-packed bridge that does what a bridge should and jumps the song's intensity up a notch. It's the kind of song that you will want to listen to about five times in a row every time you hear it, the kind of song that would make you want this album even if the rest stunk. If they can come up with a couple more like it on their next record, they might take a giant step to the front of the pack. Until then, All Years Leaving is a fine, solid debut. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Bill Popp & The Tapes - Popp This - 1989

2011-09-21T06:00:00.002-05:00

A unique and unconventional veteran of Manhattan's Lower East Side club scene, Bill Popp has often combined unapologetically Beatlesque power-pop with elements of punk and new wave. By the time his debut album was recorded in 1989, Popp and various editions of his band, the Tapes, had been playing live for eight years -- often getting a favorable response playing "Eleanor Rigby" for punk rockers at CBGB! Listening to the strong hooks and powerful melodies of "Don't Hold It Against Me," "She's in the Sky," and other gems on Popp This, it's impossible to miss the influence not only the Beatles, but also, other British Invasion icons like the Yardbirds and the Zombies. One could easily assume that the undeservedly obscure singer/composer (whose last name really is Popp) is British himself. But in fact, Popp was raised in the blue-collar College Point section of Queens. He consistently comes across as someone who is determined to play exactly what's in his gut -- and darn the consequences. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Summercamp - Pure Juice - 1997

2011-09-20T06:00:00.005-05:00

The alternative rock quartet Summercamp first began to take shape in 1987, when vocalists/ guitarists Tim Cullen and Sean McCue first met in high school in their native Santa Barbara, CA; another fellow student, bassist Misha Feldmann, joined after graduation, and with the 1994 addition of drummer Tony Sevener, the group's roster was complete. After signing with Madonna's Maverick label, Summercamp issued their 1997 debut LP, Pure Juice. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Bristols - Tune In With - 2001

2011-09-19T06:00:00.003-05:00

Fabienne Delsol & Liam Watson's garage supergroup featuring amongst it's ranks Bruce Brand (Milkshakes/Headcoats) Owen Thomas (Graham Coxon Band/Cee Bee Beaumont) Parsley (The Adventures of Parsley / Dutronc / Dee Rangers) and the glorious vocal talents of Miss Fabienne Delsol they released two full length albums on Damaged Goods and three singles.
They released their first single on Hangman's Daughter in 1994 followed by a split single with Japans Thee Michelle Gun Elephant a year later on Vinyl Japan.

Then they released two singles and albums on Damaged Goods before calling it a day in 2003.

After the split Fabienne Delsol has gone solo and released two albums so far 'No Time For Sorrows' (produced by Liam Watson at Toe Rag) and "Between Me And You" released in 2007

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Music of Note

2011-09-18T06:48:00.004-05:00

Kris Rogers has played in a lot of the bands with (Kurt Baker, The Connection) and his new album is out this week called "Kris Rodgers and The Dirty Gems". It's old school piano rock n roll/pop featuring some cool doo-wop harmonies and tons of keyboards. Kurt Baker plays bass and sings a few back ups as well. For more information go to krisrodgersmusic

Kris Rodgers: Piano, Organ, Rhodes, and Vocals
Kurt Baker: Bass, Backing Vocals
Wyatt King: Drums
Tyler Johnson: Electric Guitar
Zach Uncles: Pedal Steel
Meg Doherty-Scannell: Backing Vocals

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://krisrodgersmusic.bandcamp.com/album/kris-rodgers-the-dirty-gems"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Kris Rodgers &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; The Dirty Gems by Kris Rodgers&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

E.D. Sedgwick just put out a new record "Love Gets Lovelier Every Day" on Dischord. The limited edition 3-song single, released August 22, 2011, includes a full-length (11-song) MP3 download.

Customers who purchase the 7 inch in stores will get a coupon to download all 11-songs. If you buy the 7 inch from dischord.com the songs are automatically added to your personal account to download.

The Power Pop Trio "The Perms" from Winnipeg are set to release their 5th album"Sofia Nights" this fall. In an industry where bands are lucky to last past their first single, this group has stood the test of time and continued to find success in creating stick-in-your-head songs. Their friendship and shared passion for making music that matters has been the motivation that drives this band forward.

When The Perm's started writing for the new album, it became clear that the band wanted to push the boundaries of their songwriting while keeping the hooks and energy...
For more Information go to thepermsmusic.com

Fresh out of Sheperdstown, West Virginia RoZwell Kid has arrived on the scene with his self-titled debut release. RoZwell Kid is the stage name of Jordan Hudkins, drummer for his hometown act The Demon Beat. He's taking a little break from his gig as a drummer to step out on his own with this eclectic, electro pop effort that is decidedly different from the genre of music that he's accustomed to playing, and finds a common balance between the two that shows his ability to branch out in different genres with remarkable ease. -Music Box Pete

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rozwellkid.bandcamp.com/album/the-rozwell-kid-lp"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Rozwell Kid LP by Rozwell Kid&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Red Planet - Let's Degenerate - 2001

2011-09-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

The second Gearhead full-length from California's Red Planet finds the boys adorning the cover in coordinated black and red outfits that immediately conjure up preconceptions that the music inside will sound like those other fashion plates the Hives and the White Stripes (which wouldn't seem like too much of a stretch, since Gearhead also served as home to the Hives). Thankfully, looks can be deceiving. Red Planet's crunchy guitar attack and big choruses owe far more to power pop than garage rock, and, odds are, the band's members own more Cheap Trick live albums than Velvet Underground bootlegs. The vocals show traces of the playful snottiness of Robin Zander, but this record has the fingerprints of outfits like the Knack, the Nerves, the Flamin' Groovies, the Raspberries, and the Cars all over it. Although the album hardly changes the group's formula, it's a suitable follow-up to 2000s Revolution 33 and is sure to go over well with fans and select newcomers. This is a fun slab of straight-up, guitar-driven power pop with big vocals for those who find the Loch Ness Mouse too syrupy, Supergrass too British, and Superdrag too indie. It's also a surprising foray into power pop for Gearhead, a label normally associated with punks and garage throwbacks. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Cloud Eleven - Cloud Eleven - 1999

2011-09-15T06:00:00.002-05:00

Rising from the ashes of the L.A. retro-pop group Jiffipop, Cloud Eleven is the meisterwork of Rick Gallego, who wrote all but one of the tunes on here and plays almost all the instruments. There's a 60s retro vibe, all swirly and psychedelic, with a strong pop base to everything on here, recalling Sgt. Pepper era pop pastiches. Highlights are numerous, but "Spiral (Come Way Down)," "Tokyo Aquarium," "Take Control," "Rainbow Station" stand out as lush, vibrant tunes with production values equally as forceful. Most clever songwriting award goes to "Look Of Sky," a pastiche of Left Banke lyrics and titles inspired by that group's leader Michael Brown. Light, trippy power pop that really hits the spot, this is one charmer of an album. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Colin Clary and the Magogs - Her Life of Crime - 2004

2011-09-14T06:00:00.005-05:00

Simplicity and subtlety are combined with solid songcraft and pristine arrangements to create an achingly poignant album of considerable emotional and lyrical depth all wrapped up and disguised as a sunshine pop record. If you like to make out to the Beach Boys and have ever fallen in love or had your heart broken then we consider you among our peers and this album is about someone like you. You know how Pet Sounds can sound beautiful and break your heart at the same time as it sticks in your head and wraps you in melody and harmony? Well, Colin Clary & the Magogs have taken that template and done their own thing, creating a pop album about small town life and the universal themes of heartbreak and forgiveness. This proves to be a fresh look at the problem of love in the modern era. This album allows the Magogs to apply their studio mastery and knack for mouth-wateringly simple and buoyant arrangements to Colin`s song cycle and the playful vocal interplay of Clary/Wall. The result is 12 tracks that make up one of the most listenably catchy and thought-provoking records of this year. -Not Lame

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Chewy Marble - Chewy Marble - 1997

2011-09-13T06:00:00.005-05:00

Chewy Marble's self-titled debut is a sparkling power-pop effort spotlighting founder Brian Kassan's versatile songwriting skills, which touch on influences ranging from Badfinger ("Loneliest Man") to the Zombies ("Peculiar") to even contemporary chamber-pop revivalists like the High Llamas ("Teacher's Pet"). -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The Millions - MIllion Dollar Rock - 2003

2011-09-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Chicago's Millions turns in a chunky, fizzy, and promising set of glam-tinged modern rock on the band's self-released debut, Million Dollar Rock. Every inch of these songs that isn't filled with vocalist Dan Edwards' energetic if a bit workmanlike vocals is jammed with the roaring and screeching of Millions' twin guitars. This inescapable rattle puts the record in line with the smirking, anthemic alt.rock of acts like Lit or even Goldfinger. With just a bit of tweaking, "No Good Without You" could be a hair metal stomper in the vein of Mötley Crüe's "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)," and that's a good thing. These guys happily seize on the same mantle of enormous, slightly goofy rock held aloft by the Crüe -- but this being the 21st century, their cock rock is cut with a healthy shot of modern rock mojo. Standouts include "Today Is the Day" and "Gimme Gimme," where fun, studio-tweaked harmonies ooze all over a cool Cars chord progression. The impossibly huge metal soloing of the title track is pretty spectacular, too. Overall, Million Dollar Rock is painted with the same broad strokes and primary colors as the comic book superheroine depicted in its artwork. But it's equally as fun and curvaceous, content in its two-dimensional sugar high. -AMG

Mediafire

MultiUpload

Stag – Don’t Lead With Your Heart 7″

2011-09-11T06:56:00.001-05:00

You can order the new vinyl 7″ right now at Fin Records, also there is a bunch of cool shows coming up this fall including:

Sept 24th- w/ Daniel G. Harman & the Trouble Starts, Western Haunts, In Cahoots- The Comet

Oct 22- City Arts Festival – Capsula, Whalebones – The Comet

Don’t Lead With Your Heart –

Ides of March –

BUY the 7″ directly from Fin Records – limited to 500 on pink vinyl !
Stag – Official Website
Stag on Facebook

Amateur Lovers - Virgin White Lies - 1997

2011-09-09T06:00:00.002-05:00

With their sugary harmonies, sophisticated song structures and fiendish hooks, Amateur Lovers filters '70s gloss like Billy Joel, Supertramp and 10cc through the raggedy ethos of post-grunge Seattle. After working the Seattle club scene, Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard signed them to his Loosegroove Records label. Released in late June, "Virgin White Lies" brings back the halcyon junior high school days of teacher crushes and first love blushes in 12 delightfully hummable tunes.- Dave Ford

Mediafire

MultiUpload

The New Fidelity - The New Fidelity - 2005

2011-09-08T06:00:00.002-05:00

Debut album from The New Fidelity sound like a power pop version of Green On Red, The Connells, early Teenage Fanclub and The Dream Syndicate. There`s some Pixies and lots and lots of New Zealand pop sounds from the early/mid 90`s with bands like The Bats and Straightjacket Fits. Like some of these bands, there`s a mid 80`s desert rock sound that step alongside this pop bands` sound, making it sound fresh, vibrant and exciting, not cut from the loin cloth of just any generic band. "Aside from their masterful harmonies, the New Fidelity sound nothing like The Beach Boys and everything like the soundtrack to an 80`s movie that was never made"-Calender. That is a apt and amusing statement, actually..and accurate(we`re going for the `a` motif with our descriptives it appears!). Each listen reveals something new, some new vibe to latch onto that listen earlier did not even hint at. Layers of sublime nuance and easy-to-enjoy, hard driving guitar melodies. Extremely Highly Recommended! -Not Lame

Mediafire

MultiUpload