The Dolly Rocker Movement – Your Side of Town 7”

It has been a little quiet around the Australian band The Dolly Rocker Movement since they released their third album Our Days Mind the Tyme in 2010. Main man Daniel J. Poulter moved to the US for a while and when he returned to Australia he started a new band called Kill City Creeps.

But Poulter has not completely forgotten about The Dolly Rocker Movement which is why Bad Afro is proud to present a brand new 7” EP. The title track is a slightly melancholic psych pop song with vibrant guitar licks and cool organs while Silently We Sung has a more quirky beat miles away from the usual garage thang.

The 7” single is featuring a bonus track compared to the download version in shape of “Girl of the 13th hour”, a cover of the obscure Texas garage band Chaz and the Classics from 1967.

Artist: The Dolly Rocker Movement
Titel: Your Side of Town
Format: 7”/Download
Barcode: 5709498209975
Cataloug number: BARINT003
Release: 01.04.2013
Label: Bad Afro Records – www.badafro.dk



www.myspace.com/thedollyrockermovement
http://www.badafro.dk
http://www.facebook.com/badafrorecords

The Market Squares - Afternoon Tide b/w Inside My Mind

The Market Squares, is a one-off side project featuring UK based singer-songwriter Paul Messis alongside Calvin Laporte and Evan Smith (both from Nashville group The Sufis), recorded over a few hours during the Summer of 2012, Afternoon Tide and it's b-side are pretty much the most crudest psych cut's you'll hear all year.

Released on February 4th 2013, the 45 will be limited to just 300 copies housed in a cool pic sleeve, each copy is hand-numbered and will be released on Messis' own label 'Market Square Records'.  You can get a copy on Paul's Bandcamp or at Kool Kat




www.paulmessis.com
www.paulmessis.bandcamp.com
www.marketsquarerecords.blogspot.co.uk

The PPO 2012 Top Ten

Every year I think about the great music that has been presented to us and I find it difficult to come up with just 10!!

So many talented artists and groups, It is hard to make a decision! I am basing my list on the fact that most of these discs were in heavy rotation at home, work and in my car.
Well, here you are... Sorry it took so damn long!

10) The Well Wishers - Dreaming of the West Coast - Based on a solid foundation of melody, songcraft, and the ever important "musical hook", the Well Wishers' deliver a warm, full-bodied sound and engaging take on the typical power pop formula. In addition to five full studio albums,

9) Jeremy - Love Explosion - You can call him Mr. Consistency. Jeremy (Morris) is a lot like Steely Dan. Not in music style, but in terms of consistency and having a pretty good idea of what you can expect to get with each release. And you know, that can be a good thing indeed. Think in terms of high-end musical "comfort food" and you should get a real good idea of what we're getting at.

8) Fay Hallam & The Bongolian - ‘Lost In Sound’ the very first collaboration between Fay Hallam (Makin’ Time, The Prime Movers, Phaze) and Blow Up Records’ The Bongolian. Both share a serious passion for 60’s Hammond Beat and Soul. A variety of styles are covered here: Bossa Nova, heavier 70's grooves and a strong Northern Soul influence.  Not just a rehash of old grooves, Lost In Sound mixes in a good amount of the new with the old.  Always good to hear. Get ready to get Lost In Sound . . .

7) Shoes - Ignition - Self-produced and released on the band’s own Black Vinyl Records, The Shoes have gathered the remnants of their former band, and produced a first class album. Inspired by late 70’s Power Pop, Ignition is loaded with jangly riffs and hook-packed pop vocals. The Shoes craft great pop music that hits you from the first note to the very last.

6) Seven Long Years - Chained To Your Love - The opening moments of "Don’t Break My Heart In Ink" make it very clear that Seven Long Years, the first solo project of Eric Knoxx  , is a Psychedelic/Dream Pop explosion . Layers of sound are stacked one by one until the songs are so full they have nowhere to go but outward in all directions. It's percussive, but pleasingly melodic cover to cover. It's not "all-sound-all-the-time", though. Song writer Eric Knoxx does however leave a little breathing room throughout the entire album, which is good. You'll need to catch your breath.

5) Marty Graveyard - Summer Holiday - The Madd's former drummer /songwriter gave us his first solo album, Summer Holiday on V2 Records ! Filled with relentlessly catchy vocals and hook-laden guitar power pop, this album deserves some many repeated listens! It’s a great pop album which doesn’t get boring, or overcomplicated. There’s loads of fun to be had with this one.

4) Paul Bertolino - Where The Buildings Hit The Sky - Presenting 11 tracks from Brooklyn's finest "unknown" artist! Paul Bertolino, the talent behind the curtain, intermingles psychedelic pop, classic production and some well placed baroque melodies into an appealing blend of Beatles meet Burt Bacharach, constructing a most enjoyable album. Another winner from Paul! As if we expected less.


3) The Trashed Romeos-Where Dreamers Never Go - The Trashed Romeos, led by Greg Roberson (Tiger High, Reigning Sound, Arthur Lee’s Love, Compulsive Gamblers), hail from the very epicenter of rock- n -roll, Memphis, Tn. Roberson has a pretty straight forward mission with his bands debut record Where Dreamers Never Go, to pay homage to his late friend Jim Dickinson (Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, Big Star, The Replacements, Ry Cooder) and to focus attention on some of his hometown heroes and the obscure psychedelic garage rock 45’s they released in the mid 6o’s.  

2) The DomNicks - Super real - Their debut album Super Real marks a coming of age for The DomNicks. Forged by Perth based Dom Mariani and Nick Sheppard, the band is a powerful blend of swagger 'n' roll rock, soul and pop smarts. Among the 12 tracks you'll find the Exile era Stones' sound of Reconcile, the brazen brass and swing of Let's Go Baby, soul flavours in I Wonder What You're Doin' Now, the straight ahead rollicking of Miracle and tantalising twists and turns of the electric sitar driven Winter. It's bound to cause the head and heart to shake.

1) Kurt Baker - Brand New Beat - This is what a Power Pop Album should sound like! Part time librarian and full time Ass Kicking Power Popster Kurt Baker  has bestowed upon us an unquestionable pearl of Power Pop goodness. Baker and band does not disappoint on their sophomore release. 10 addictive songs, each better than the last, it is difficult to put this album down, even more difficult to wipe the smile off your face when you are finished listening to it. Thank you Kurt Baker!

The PPO Top Ten Power Pop Albums of 2012/rs
or
The PPO Top Ten Power Pop Albums of 2012/zs

1. Escape the Light / The Well Wishers
2. Gotta Find A New Love / The Trashed Romeos
3. Don't Break my Heart in Ink / 7 Long Years
4. Do You Really Wanna Dance / Marty Graveyard
5. Where the Buildings Hit the Sky / Paul Bertolino
6. Freefall / Fay Hallam & The Bongolian
7. The Joke's On You / Shoes 3:05
8. I Wonder What You're Doin' Now / The DomNicks
9. Rise Above The Clouds / Jeremy
10. Don't Go Falling in Love / Kurt Baker
11. Black Eyed Girl / The DomNicks
12. Lost In Sound / Fay Hallam & The Bongolian
13. See Me Now / Paul Bertolino
14. Honoree / The Well Wishers
15. Stop What You're Doin' / 7 Long Years
16. Weekend Girls / Kurt Baker
17. Working Man / Marty Graveyard
18. I Thought You Knew / Shoes
19. My Way Of Thinking / The Trashed Romeos
20. Not Of This World / Jeremy

New Releases from Cheap Rewards Records!

Cheap Rewards has released the great San Francisco powerpop bands The Rockers (EP) and The Finders (LP)

THE ROCKERS formed in 1977 by longtime songwriting team John “Rock” Perga and Phil Schraub. They wanted to put a live act together to showcase their pop sensibilities, so they added Bryan Allinsmith and Carl Jeppesen to the line-up and began perfecting melodies that incorporated two and three-part harmonies. The Rockers primarily played shows in the bay area and built a significant local following. At the end of 1979, they went in the studio and recorded four of their original songs. Trying to emulate the sound of their favorite British Invasion recordings, they succeeded in producing a highly polished and remarkable sounding 7" EP that was released on their own Alcatraz Records in 1980.

Regarded by many power pop enthusiasts as one of the top records of the genre, Cheap Rewards Records is proud to offer this fully authorized reproduction for a budget price so that fans new and old can enjoy this timeless masterpiece.

Pre-Sale Begins: January 3, 2013
Ship Date: January 7, 2013
Pressing Details: 100 copies Red; 400 copies Black

THE FINDERS continued the power pop path set by their previous incarnation, the Rockers. After solidifying a new line-up consisting of John “Rock” Perga, Phil Schraub, Bryan Allinsmith and John San Filippo, the band began working on a series of demos before entering the studio to record their first single featuring “It’s So Insane” and “Which Way.”

The tapes from their last recording session sat in the Mobius Studios vault for over 20 years before Phil and Dennis rescued them. Now for the first time ever on vinyl, Cheap Rewards Records is honored to deliver the best recordings from those session along with quality studio and demo material in one great package.

Pre-Sale Begins: January 3, 2013
Ship Date: January 7, 2013
Pressing Details: 100 copies Blue; 400 copies Black



You can get more info about the bands at cheaprewards.net

Livingstone Daisies: Don't Know What Happiness Is

Popboomerang is very excited to announce the first for 2013 & the very first ever vinyl album with new Melbourne band “Livingstone Daises” (the members will be no stranger to fans of Australian pop/rock)

Livingstone Daisies are a band are already well known for overdosing on harmony, jangle and fuzz and who made a grand and ambitious statement by recording two albums before even playing their first gig.

The band members - Van Walker (Vox, Guitar, Scotch & Coke) Liz Stringer, (Vox, Guitar, Scotch & Dry) Michael Barlcay (Vox, Drums, Cheap Red) Cal Walker (Vox, Bass, Expensive Port) will be no strangers to fans of discerning Australian Rock’n’roll and have teamed up as the Livingstone Daisies to create of Australia’s most formidable and exciting pop/rock bands.

With the release of their debut album Don’t Know What Happiness Is, The “Daisies” have crafted a record that is truly Australian yet tips it’s hat in appreciation to the members influences and inspirations (such as Teenage Fanclub, Tom Petty, Wilco, Bob Dylan, Big Star, Neil Young etc.)

As a listener you will work your way though the lush jangle of Wednesday, the honey coated gravel of Redhead, the powerful pop of Blue Solitude, the dusty country roads in Safety In Numbers, the rumbling and rambling Die On The Vine and the sun scorched melodies of Everything Has Got To Go and Keep Searching. Just when you think you have the band pegged they close the album with the mournful and epic “I Still Believe In You,” the perfect way to keep you guessing and (the album is 8 tracks long), keep you wanting more.

The Replacements - Songs For Slim

On February 19th, 2012 former Replacements guitarist Slim Dunlap suffered a massive right brain stroke, exacerbated by a fall which caused a hemorrhage in the left brain and was further complicated by extensive brain swelling. He was hospitalized for nine months and his recovery has been slow – hindered by pain, paralysis of the left side and the inability to swallow. He is currently at home being cared for by his family and a team of aides, nurses and therapists.
His sharp intellect, wit and photographic memory are all, thankfully, intact.
Insurance does not pay for long term care and the general prognosis for Slim is that he will likely need around-the-clock care for the rest of his life.  He needs our help.
Songs For Slim was devised to raise money for Slim and his family by having various artists cover his songs, pressing them as a limited edition series of split 7” vinyl 45s in beautiful, numbered picture sleeves and putting them up for auction.
Commencing with the special edition Songs For Slim 10" vinyl EP by The Replacements, the series will include other friends and fans of Slim including:

• Steve Earle
• Lucinda Williams
• Jakob Dylan
• John Doe
• Joe Henry
• The Jayhawks
• Frank Black + The Suicide Commandos
• Craig Finn from The Hold Steady
• Tim O'Reagan & Jim Boquist
• The Minus 5 (Scott McCaughey, Peter Buck, Nate Query & John Moen) featuring Curtiss A
• The Young Fresh Fellows
• NRBQ
• You Am I
• Tommy Keene
• Deer Tick
• Ramblin' Jack Elliott
• Lucero
• and more to be announced!

All songs will be available for purchase digitally following their respective auctions.
The Songs For Slim series is administered by New West Records, with assistance from Motivation Music Management and Manifest Destiny Music.  
Jewlicious Festivals is serving as fiscal agent for the eBay auctions.
If you'd like to contribute to Slim outside of these auctions, his old friend Dan Baird has set up a FundRazr account that accepts donations on his behalf.

In September 2012, Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson reunited and entered Flowers Studio in Minneapolis (with Kevin Bowe on guitar and Peter Anderson on drums) to record Slim’s song “Busted Up.”  Knocked out by the result, they roared through a few more numbers including Leon Payne's (by way of Hank Williams) "Lost Highway," Gordon Lightfoot’s (by way of Nico) “I’m Not Sayin',” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from the Broadway show Gypsy.  Original Replacements drummer Chris Mars had already recorded a scorching one-man-band version of Slim’s “Radio Hook Word Hit,” and all 5 tracks were combined onto this EP to launch the series.
This is the first new Replacements release since 1990's All Shook Down.  Only 250 numbered 10” vinyl EPs are being made.
Additional features include:

• Cover autographed by Paul Westerberg, Tommy Stinson & Chris Mars
• 4 glossy prints of never-before-seen band photos
• Collectors’ poster of Slim
• Print of the full Chris Mars cover painting on the inner sleeve
• Digital download card of entire EP
• 180g vinyl

Tracklisting
Side A:
1. Busted Up (Slim Dunlap)
2. Radio Hook Word Hit (Slim Dunlap)
Side B:
1. I'm Not Sayin' (Gordon Lightfoot)
2. Lost Highway (Leon Payne)
3. Everything's Coming Up Roses (Stephen Sondheim/Jule Styne)

OTHER VERSIONS

All tracks will also be made available for digital purchase worldwide on March 5, with a commercial 12" vinyl version hitting stores in April 2013.  There may also be an album compilation of the tracks later in the year.

Stephen Lawrenson - OBSCURiOSiTY

Stephen makes quite a pop splash here on his 2013 Kool Kat debut! And to drive home this point, the crack "Pop Squad" of Kool Kat insiders / contributors cheerfully chime in! "Playing every note on the record, he proudly wears his pop influences on his sleeve. Tell me 'Small White House" wouldn't pass for a Brian Wilson-penned song. His inner Jeff Lynne pops up on both 'Pale Yellow' and the 12-string laced 'Words To Say'." - Count Keef "It's intelligent, well written, and completely catchy. Awesome, just awesome power pop, with loads of great hooks, melodies and harmonies. It rocks. It moves you. A masterful melange of 60's, 70's, and 80's guitar rock mixed and matched with no concern for the namecheck. That's how good this is. Five stars isn't enough. Six, maybe!" - MR Gomez "What do you think would happen if you threw The Goldbergs, The Beatles, Three Hour Tour, Teenage Fanclub (in their fuzzy period), Big Star, The Posies (circa 'Frosting On The Beater'), 'Pet Sounds' period Brian Wilson, and the Electric Light Orchestra into a giant pop blender? You'd get Stephen Lawrenson, that's what!" - Max Humphries Well guys, you've summed Stephen up quite nicely we must say!


New album now available at Kool Kat, Amazon, iTunes and CDBaby.

Jacco Gardner's Feb 2013 LP 'Cabinet Of Curiosities' and Euro/US Tour Dates

Yes, psychedelic music has had quite a renaissance of late. The past year saw all manner of variations on the theme gain rave reviews, chart placements and accolades.

The 24-year-old maverick artist Jacco Gardner however is something else entirely, both light years ahead and 45 years behind his contemporaries. Syd Barrett was the initial flame that set the mind of this young Dutch native alight. In Barrett’s winsome arrangements and surreal wordplay he saw the possibilities of being able to recreate the shimmering childish delight and nightmarish fear of old 70's fairytale-like films like the Czechoslovakian masterpiece Valerie A Týden Divu by Jaromil Jires, the Swedish Bröderna Lejonhjärta and the sweet yet surreal patina of Studio Ghibli in music. Curt Boettcher, the similarly tortured American sunshine pop legend, is cited equally. And indeed, it is the disparate combination of the pastoral Lewis Carroll vision of London’s Middle Earth club combined with frighteningly complex Californian pocket symphonies that are signature in Gardner’s impressively detailed pieces. Cabinet Of Curiosities’ instrumental title track is certainly reminiscent of the best of Curt Boettcher's projects like The Millennium and Sagittarius with its playful baroque arrangements whilst ‘Puppets Dangling’ has a steely retro futurism, part Broadcast, part United States Of America, but with a far more delicate approach that recalls Nirvana or teenage Immediate signing Billy Nicholls. A toytown popsike feel is resplendent in ‘The Ballad Of Little Of Jane’ which has been rarely heard since Mark Wirtz did his thing at Abbey Road, Jeff Lynne was learning his craft with The Idle Race and Klaatu were being mistaken for The Beatles.



Recorded and engineered at his "Shadow Shoppe" Studio in Zwaag, The Netherlands, Cabinet Of Curiosities features Jacco playing every instrument (save the drums, deftly played by Jos van Tol) and was pre-mastered by Jan Audier – famed engineer of Dutch garage/psych heavies Q65, The Golden Earrings and The Motions on his vast array of authentic ’60s analogue gear. Of his treasured items Jacco says: “I own a couple of Hohner Pianets, the same ones The Zombies used. I also love my cheap Dutch Philips transistor Philicorda organ a lot. Another keyboard that I’m really glad to have is my Optigan organ, which is similar to the Mellotron and makes use of recorded samples on a disk that sound really spooky and lo-fi. When using very mechanical instruments, like the Hohner Pianet, it will always beat using a virtual plugin version on your computer.”

Distinctly Dutch, marked by the damp, chilly air and melancholic longing of ’60s masters Group 1850 but also utterly 2013, Gardner is on par with the finest new artists, yet somehow more honest and in awe of the source material with a keener ear for a strong tune than many of his peers. He’s definitely an emerging talent unafraid to follow his own unique path.

After two strong singles last year that caught the attention of everyone from Shindig! to Pitchfork and NME the next step in Baroque pop has arrived. Jacco Gardner’s Cabinet Of Curiosities is a box of delights of intricately crafted melodies guaranteed to conjure visions of sugar plum fairies and fireside stories from even the dullest imagination.

TOUR DATES

JANUARY

10 Eurosonic, Groningen (NL) w/ Temples

12 Noorderslag, Groningen (NL)

24 VPRO filmnacht IFFR, Rotterdam (NL)

30 Subbacultcha! @ OT301, Amsterdam (NL) w/ Silhouettes + Earth MK II

FEBRUARY

02 Manifesto, Hoorn (NL)

08 Subbacultcha! @ dB's, Utrecht (NL) w/ Earth MK II

09 Merleyn, Nijmegen (NL) w/ traumahelikopter

13 Trix, Antwerpen (BE) w/ Cosmonauts

14 Prinzenbar, Berlin (GE) w/ Zulu Pearls

15 TBA - Cologne (GE)

16 Supermarkt, Den Haag (NL)

18 013, Tilburg (NL) w/ Dignan Porch

21 Monsieur Moustage, Brussel (BE) w/ Cosmonauts

22 La Mécanique Ondulatoire, Paris (FR) w/ Dead Ghosts

23 De Klos, Emmeloord (NL)

MARCH - US

01 Wesleyan University - Middletown CT

02 Death By Audio - Brooklyn, NY

03 Middle East Upstairs - Boston, MA

06 Golden West - Baltimore, MD

07 The Pinhook - Durham, NC

08 Savannah Stopover Festival - Savannah, GA

10 E.A.R.L. - Atlanta, GA w/ Turbo Fruits

12 till 17 – SXSW, Austin, TX

18 The Bishop - Bloomington, IN

19 Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL

20 Case Western Reserve University - Cleveland, OH w/ Dirty Ghosts

23 Mercury Lounge, New York, NY (Early show)

UK

31 - Le Beat Bespoké, London (UK)

APRIL

04 Haldern Pop Bar - Haldern (DE)

05 Metropool - Hengelo (NL)

06 Motel Mozaique festival - Rotterdam (NL

JACCO GARDNER
Cabinet Of Curiosities

 Cat. No:  TIM047

Formats: LP/CD/Download
Release Date: February 2013

Greetings from Popdose.com!

When Benevolent Power Pop Overlord (and generally righteous dude) Curty Ray asked me to contribute some titles for a Best Of 2012, I had a lot of thinking to do. There were plenty of records I appreciated this year, but I wanted to make sure to offer up a shortlist of things guaranteed to make the listener happy, or at least not want to hunt me down in retribution...so here we go.

1. Brendan Benson - What Kind Of World: It would be petty to say this record asks and answers the question, "Jack who?" Benson, the "other guy" in The Raconteurs not only nailed it with this release, he recorded what may be his finest moment thus far, the killer track "Bad For Me." Seek this out!

2. Bill Lloyd - Boy King Of Tokyo: This is probably the album I have shared with people the most this year. Has Bill Lloyd ever let us down? No, never, and of the releases from 2012 this is the one I wish was on vinyl because it is such a warm, fuzzy throwback to the best pop of yore. I dare you to not hum along to "Up In The Air" or to laugh at the dark humor that surfaces in "Com-Trol."

3. Imperial State Electric - Pop War: Nicke from The Hellacopters has captured '70s power pop in a concise bottle called Pop War without sounding like a rip-off. It's a little glam, a little Cheap Trick, but it never is little in the hooks department. It's crunchy, it's tasty, and it demands to be played ever so loudly.

4. David Myhr - Soundshine: The album that is most like the title of the album, this disc is designed to put a big old stupid smile on your face from ear to ear. To crib a line from Mike Viola, this was the soundtrack to my summer with windows rolled down all the way. For anyone who wishes the Merrymakers would reunite, I don't know how that would be possible, but the overall joy of this recording helps one to forget the prospect (if temporarily).

5. Calexico - Algiers: Okay so it isn't technically a power pop record, but when you need a disc to chill out with, the band co-founded by Joey Burns and John Convertino make a truly international flavor of Americana. The song "Fortune Teller" is easily one of their best out of a sterling career of bests.

Best reissue(s): Has to be Jellyfish landing on vinyl via Omnivore Records. The label released the band's two classics Bellybutton and Spilt Milk with the respect we always knew they deserved.

Biggest disappointment of 2012: This kills me to say it, as there are a few really good cuts on it AND it appears to be a huge hit, but Some Nights by fun. is nowhere near the majesty that was their debut Aim & Ignite. Just sayin'.

There are plenty more great records from the year, but they don't quite fit the power pop mode, so I'll leave it here. But remember, folks. If you like what you're hearing, go out and buy it. That's how we keep this thing going. Have a happy holiday, whatever yours may be, and be ready to rock in 2013. We're counting on you, so don't let us down!

John Wicks - Works In Progress now at Kool Kat

John Wicks is currently taking a break from live Records' shows for a while to concentrate on his songwriting activities, and also to resume recording brand new Records' songs. In the meantime, this 12-song collection of demos, rare and unreleased recordings from 1982-2012 is the perfect conduit between The Records of yesterday and tomorrow and is a must have for any fan! Features track by track annotations and insight by John. TRACK LISTING: "Cry A Million Tears" ("Rock-Ola" demo), "Her Stars Are My Stars" ("Rock-Ola" demo), "Union Jack" ("Rock-Ola" demo), "Holding On To A Dream", "Every Word We Say" ("Rock-Ola" demo), "The Heroes", "She's All I Need", "Forever Blue" ("Rock-Ola" demo), "Golden Sunlight", "Liverpool" ("Rock-Ola" demo), and "Nowhere Left To Run". EXCELLENT!!

This is a special CDR release priced to move at $12, so order it while you can. You can hear audio clips here or ORDER YOUR COPY HERE.

xo for the Holidays

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 fifth 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 - 2012

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

No Secret Saturday this week, but it will return next week

Sorry

Green - Green - 1986

In the mid-'80s, Chicago's music scene was dominated by muscular, hard-edged punk-inspired acts like Naked Raygun, Big Black, and the Effigies, and in this context Green stuck out like a sore thumb, as Jeff Lescher and his bandmates wrote smart, tuneful, and energetic pop tunes and played them with the appropriate degree of spunk communicated through simple, well-crafted arrangements. Listening to Green's first full-length album years after the fact, it often seems as if Green were pushing the aggressive factor of some of their songs in order to better fit in with their peers; the anger of "Hurt You" and the snarky attitude of "Big in Japan" and "I'm Not Going Down (Anymore)" feel forced, and while these guys could rock out when they wanted, they were always at their best when they were willing to fly their flag for the hooky stuff they loved. And there are some top-shelf pop tunes on Green's self-titled debut; the nervy "Gotta Getta Record Out" is an anthem for every band with more ambition than experience, "Curry Your Favor" is full of heartfelt romantic yearning, the mostly acoustic "For You" shows off a folk-rock influence that fit this band nicely, "I Don't Wanna Say No" does the same for rhythm & blues, and "I Play the Records" is a irresistible rocker with a snaky guitar line. Lescher's guitar and vocal work is strong throughout, bassist John Diamond and drummer John Valley fill in the empty spaces and keep the music moving forward at all times, and if the production is a bit thin in spots, it captures the essence of the band very well indeed. Green may not have been the hippest band in Chicago in 1986, but the album they made that year shows they could write a great song and make it work on tape, and that's a skill to be appreciated whatever the time, place, or fashion. -AMG

George Usher - Dutch April - 1998

They just don't write pop songs like George Usher's anymore -- jangly, sparkling and effortlessly irresistible, his music is a throwback to another era, with rich melodies and sugar-sweet arrangements harking back to the glory days of the Beach Boys and the Left Banke (with a considerable tip of the hat to the Byrds as well). Dutch April is a small treasure, a virtual primer in pop craftsmanship -- highlights like "You Better Let It Go" and "Begging for Rain" possess a timeless quality that's all too rare, being instantly memorable but also fresh upon each repeat listening. -AMG

The Pencils + bonus disk available this week at Kool Kat

Available for the first time ever on CD is the self-titled, ridiculously rare, previously vinyl-LP by 80's British power poppers The Pencils! And, in true Kool Kat style, we've fleshed it out with an additional two discs worth of previously unreleased material! The Pencils were a band that were never even a blip on the radar of power pop experts and aficionados, but once you hear them I think you'll agree that a true "lost gem" of a band/record has been unleashed upon pop fans everywhere! COMES WITH AN EXCLUSIVE BONUS DISC - "EARLY SKETCHES" - AN 8-SONG COLLECTION OF EARLY "HOME DEMOS" RECORDED BY THE BAND IN 1981.  To order, simply click here ! If you're a fan of Squeeze, The Kinks, The Pinkees, The Romantics, Elvis Costello, and Sire Records-period Searchers, then you're gonna LOVE this!

Drink A Toast To Innocence: A Tribute To Lite Rock

Longtime friend of Power Pop Overdose , Andrew Curry, is putting together an album that pays tribute to the Lite Rock classics of the late '70s and early '80s. Scheduled for a spring 2013 release, "Drink A Toast To Innocence: A Tribute To Lite Rock" will spotlight those songs originally made famous by the likes of Robbie Dupree, Randy VanWarmer, Ambrosia, Rupert Holmes and many more, and features an artist roster that includes Mike Viola, Bleu, Linus of Hollywood, and David Myhr, among others. Join the Facebook page devoted to the project to learn more about the album, the participating artists, and the songs they'll be covering (https://www.facebook.com/DrinkAToastToInnocence).

Here is a quick teaser for the album featuring Michael Carpenter's contribution of Cliff Richard's classic, We Don't Talk Anymore.

The Condors - Tales of Drunkeness and Cruelty - 2001

With jumping rhythms and catchy guitar figures running throughout the album, the Condors find a comfortable sense of energy; it's the link between rockabilly, classic R&B, mod and first-wave punk. With a slightly dirty sound, the band cranks out down-home rockers smacking of fun times. Songs like 'Got No Reason,' sparkling with the spice of mod-pop guitar work, or the chicken-pickin' country-rock guitar of 'Drinkin' Myself to Sleep,' offer nothing but good, clean rock'n'roll fun. -Matt Schild, AVERSION.com 

The Lightning Seeds - Cloudcookland - 1990

Taking what he learned from his days in Big in Japan and his '80s production work with A-listers Echo & the Bunnymen, Ian Broudie created the Lightning Seeds project to better serve his cravings for shameless, lush pop. Even in these early days, with singles like "Pure" and "All I Want," you can hear why comparisons to a less burlesque Pet Shop Boys or a Matthew Sweet synth tribute band didn't have to be unpleasant criticisms. Ian Broudie has always had an evident love for freshly squeezed, exquisitely produced conservatism, but as in the decidedly odd "Control the Flame," not without the awareness of discovering it with well-constructed unsophistication. For some, Broudie destroyed his subsequent career by trying to recreate the gelatinous flavor of Cloudcuckooland without its flaws, relying too much on its John Hughes sonics, and mistaking his very strengths for hard and fast rules that would not and should not be deconstructed again. -AMG

Kurt Baker live on BreakThru Radio

Serious Business on BTR is hosted by Travis Harrison, head of Serious Business record label, and each week he invites a new band to his studio for exclusive interviews where anything goes. This week's episode features Portland singer/songwriter, Kurt Baker. Check it out.

The Men - The men Return - 2006

The Men is a Mod outfit from Lund, Sweden, and something of a small “supergroup” since they formed out of four already established Swedish garage bands, The Sinners, The Girls, Thee Expression and Colubrids. They got together a few years ago to form the ultimate live-band; explosive, stylish, tight, groovy, cool and fun (No shoegazers!) – a band the members themselves would love to see. For their first album The Men picked their songs from the same sources The Stones, The Who, The Action and The Small Faces did when they started. Simple, gutsy and groovy black R&B and soul, delivered in a white guitar group-style with high three-part harmony vocals, á la spring 1965 in London. This album was recorded quickly in a two-day session and released in Sweden by Border Music in 2002 and by Pure Pop Records in Australia 2003. Fans as well as critics both home and abroad overwhelmingly received the album. The record received great reviews in Rolling Stone and Scootering to name a few. The Men were rapidly becoming one of the most interesting up and coming acts on the Swedish music scene. -CD Baby