The Spinanes - Strand - 1996

Although Gates and Plouf still play almost everything on their second outing, they make things more interesting by fooling around with a greater variety of instruments (adding more keyboards particularly) and getting outside guest vocalists to harmonize on a few songs. The songwriting (now handled by Gates exclusively) gets more penetrating as well, and the production is more imaginative (but does not approach slickness). At their most morose they recall "sadcore" groups like Low and Spain, but the Spinanes have more diversity than those acts. -AMG


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Lucky Bishops - Lucky Bishops - 2000

Boasting a big, highly melodic psychedelic sound, the Lucky Bishops' debut shows a very ambitious and talented group of artists. Almost sounding like a British equivalent of an Elephant 6 band, the Lucky Bishops' craft texturally dense compositions that show off their excellent group harmonies as well as their proficiency in an impressive array of instruments. Opening with the whirling organs of the anthemic "Stratosphere," the album quickly switches gears into the acoustic Lennon-esque intro of "Right Direction," which soon melts into being a sunny, uptempo, psychedelic pop song. Certainly, elements of the Beatles are heard frequently enough, as well as touches of the Beach Boys and the Who circa The Who Sell Out. The schizophrenic tempo changes of "I'm Convinced" fit well with the more straightforward Brit-pop of "Ashtralia," which, when added to the more progressive elements of their music, amounts to a very challenging and listenable debut. Overall, a very sonically pleasing album which shows considerable promise. -AMG
 
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Stag - Paper Crown [EP] - 2011

Stag is the kind of band that formed for exactly the right reason: because the five members found joy in making music together. If that seems simple, and old fashioned in a way, there was once a time when that was the only reason music was ever crafted by any rock band. It was that reason that inspired bands in dank clubs of Liverpool, beery barrooms of Cleveland, or in the tiny taverns that made up the Seattle music scene back in the day.

On their new EP, Seattle-based Stag accomplish the hard task of making music seem entirely joyful and easy. Even when the lyrics are sharply dark, as on the title track here “Paper Crown,” the guitars and vocals soar with an exhuburance that evokes the “High Numbers”-era Who, or the best seventies power pop.



Stag's EP is now available at Sonic Boom as well as iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby.

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Fellow Power Popper Needs Help

Can any one help with the name and artist of this song?





Here are the lyrics

you left on a later train
i saw you
i called your name
there's a lot of the time ahead
and a whole new life
we had such good times together
we fought forever
they all thought we were brothers
we didn't care

and we live in different ways
just too many loose absent friends

how i want you home again
won't you ride back home
how i want you home again

it's funny how when you look back
it's always the road so sad
it's funny how we can't see that
it's human right
maybe we're scared to turn back
to live on, and move on
maybe we even have some right
to cover up tracks

and we live in different ways
just too many loose absent friends

how i want you home again
won't you ride back home
how i want you home again

Answer!! Thanks to reader Powerpako

The Clarks - Let It Go - 2000

Critics normally prefer an album to contain both good songs and bad songs -- it makes the album easier to review, since you can compare and contrast. So the Clarks' latest effort is kind of irritating. How can all 12 songs be such perfectly formed slabs of emotional power pop? And for that matter, how can a band this good have remained largely a Pittsburgh-area phenomenon for so long? No matter. What's important is that from the huge and cathartic "Snowman" that opens the album to the gently soulful "If Memory Serves" that closes it, Let It Go just moves from strength to strength: "I'm a Fool" is a confession of romantic helplessness that veers from spare funk to roadhouse country-rock; "Born Too Late" name-checks various historical heroes over a shimmering bed of 12-string guitar; and "Flame" juxtaposes looped drums with jazzy guitar chords and a subtlety brilliant bassline. No, the lyrics aren't very deep; songs with titles like "Chasin' Girls" and "Better Off Without You" don't offer any surprises. But who needs surprises? There's enough pure pleasure in this album to make you give up sophistication for good. -AMG

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The Britannicas - Talkin' 'Bout Summer - The 3 sided single

The Britannicas are very much 21st century men… fully embracing technology and a DIY attitude to make classic pop music. They’ve dispensed with the idea of being a traditional band allowing them to completely by-pass the music scene in their respective cities and go straight to the world.
Every note and every scene in “Talkin’ ‘bout Summer” was produced by the band members from three different countries - Sweden, United States and Australia.





Summer is here…. enjoy!

Herb Eimerman...Joe Algeri...Magnus Karlsson...The BRITANNICAS

The Finkers - Double Back & Go - 2000

The Finkers were a powerpop four piece from Sydney, Australia. Formed in 1998 around the nucleus of powerpop drummer/collector Mickster and pop producer Michael Carpenter. Their debut live show (July '99) was also the album launch for their debut album "Fresh Set-o-Prints", and within 12 months they had released a followup in 2000's "Double Back & Go". In 2001 The Finkers toured Spain, France and Germany to promote the double 12" re-issue for the 2 albums. In 2002 Japan's Wizzard in Vinyl label released a Finkers compilation titled "Whole Lotta Fun", and 2003 saw THE FINKERS final recordings released as the "Stance".

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Urge Overkill - Saturation - 1993

When they hit the major labels, Urge Overkill followed through on their promise with the blistering Saturation. It's stadium rock by clever post-punkers who are smart enough to not let their carefully crafted image interfere with the music. Every one of the 12 songs is a killer, from the outlandish menace of "Stalker" to the moving ballad "Back on Me," as well as the tongue-in-cheek "Woman 2 Woman" and the radio hit "Sister Havana." -AMG

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The Meows - At The Top Of The Bottom - 2005

Third album from The Meows (Spain). Rock and roll with a heavy blues touch, a twist of punk spirit and atmosphere like recorded in 60's or 70's. Songs are presented very fresh and loose but still are made with eye for detail. Lot's of rocking guitarriffs and leads. The rhythym section keep up the tempo while melodies cross now and then. Vocals are both firm and bluesy with a lot of variation. A lot of nostalgia but nevertheless interesting and uplifting between all fake-ass (pop)rock nowadays.......


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The Badge - ...Digital Retro... - 1998

Formed in 1997 by Jeff Slate, The Badge was immediately recognized amongst the throng of mod-leaning bands as the one to keep an eye on. Slate recruited three musicians he’d played with over the years and with whom he shared a musical and aesthetic bond and crafted The Badge’s spectacular debut, “…digital retro…” Slate knew he was onto something, but as happens in the world of musicians the band soon headed in separate directions; with Dido, Jewel, They Might Be Giants, and such.

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The Connection - Stop Talking "EP"

The Connection are a band from Portsmouth, NH/Boston Ma. Four Rock N Roll veterans (of The Guts/The Queers/Rydells/Red Invasion/Jonee Earthquake Band) have combined to form your new favorite band!
They play stripped down '60s influenced Rock N Roll!.





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Marc Teamaker - Lust For Wanda - 1998

Marc Teamaker's gentle vocals and consummate guitar playing often draw comparisons to Todd Rundgren, Matthew Sweet and James Taylor. Although a relatively unknown artist outside of the East Coast, fans of melodic pop would do well to seek out the recordings of this highly articulate singer/songwriter. -AMG


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Asteroid No. 4 - King Richard's Collectibles - 2001

Introducing... may have represented Asteroid No. 4's trip into druggy space rock, but its sophomore release is the band's ode to '60s garage. The "Psychedelphia" quintet's rock is stripped down from its effects-laden guitars, drawing from the likes of the Kinks, Nick Drake, and the Who. Several tracks, such as the upbeat "Monday Morning Gloom," are closer to traditional rock & roll, while "Poor Man's Falls" avoids electric guitar altogether, opting for flute-assisted folk. Of course, there are still psychedelic elements in the band's agenda (perhaps encouraged by the production of the Lilys' Kurt Heasley). These constants come in the form of gleeful harmonies, Byrds-esque guitars, and Mellotron. Surely enough to fulfill the needs of the psychedelia enthusiast. -AMG

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Squat the Condos - We Should Be Together

A fun EP from Chicago's Squat the Condos.  Give it a listen!
Curty Ray

Ed James - Big Time - 2004

Let's get one thing straight right off the bat...Ed James is the total package; a singer/ songwriter, and performer that grows leaps and bounds with each new release! His latest,"BIG TIME" leads off with the killer track "You And Whose Army",that is why we made it "Single Of The Week" AT POPBANG RADIO.This cd will appeal big time to fans of Nick Gilder,The States(remember them?)and The Rubinoos,as well as the fans of huge hooks and harmonies.A very welcome return to the scene from one of the top acts in power pop today!Great stuff without question! -Popbang Radio

Tommy 16 - Rockin' Big Budda - 1997

Born under the original moniker Hardy Nilsson, Tommy 16 brought on their influences of Teenage Fanclub and Big Star to their home country of Sweden. Consisting of Urban Holmberg (vocals/ guitar), Lars Hall (guitar /vocals), Jan Pettersson (guitar), Niclas Marklund (guitar), Mikael Eriksson (bass) and Patrik Sundqvist (drums), Tommy 16 soon found themselves being heard on the radio with the release of their first single appropriately titled "#1 single." After signing to the local indie label A West Side Foundation, Tommy 16 soon established themselves as Swedish pop icons with their first album Shauna. Followed by the singles "Racerboy" and "Come on, Come on (Please Let Me See It)" in 1997, their follow-up album, Rockin' Big Budda, came out that same year around the time of their first full-fledged Swedish tour. -AMG

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The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Origin, Vol. 1 - 2005

Sweden's the Soundtrack of Our Lives have been swinging for the rock fences for a decade. Origin, Vol. 1, the band's second stateside-issued full-length, offers close, up-front proof of the inspiration for perseverance. These tracks are drenched with unabashed homages to TSOOL's heroes from rock's family tree, from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Love, pre-Tommy Who, the Doors, the Stooges, Barrett-era Pink Floyd, etc. And while it is true that TSOOL have dipped into the well before, on Origin, Vol. 1 they immerse themselves in it. The set opens with "Believe I've Found," a midtempo rocker. Echoes of psychedelic music from the ages waft through its mix, as Ebbot Lundberg traces through the wasteland of his past and underscores his new sense of mental and emotional equanimity without saying what it is. With a great hook, a roaring electric guitar and organ chorus, and poignant lyrics, it's one of the best tunes in the band's catalog. "Transcendental Suicide" comes right out of TSOOL's obsession with the Who, with a dramatic, tight-wristed strummed acoustic six-string flourish that gets eclipsed by an anthemic electric thrum and a propulsive bassline that rings above it all, driving the tune out of the groove and into the backbone of the listener. Lundberg spits his words, doing his best garage band wail à la Rob Younger from Radio Birdman. "Bigtime," the album's first single, is a bit more problematic. There isn't a riff and the song's hook is skeletal at best. Endlessly repetitive, it is also drenched in cheesy sequenced keyboards that are thankfully overshadowed by the electric guitars in the refrain and then eclipses itself in an orgy of noisy distortion in the bridge. Why it was chosen as a single is puzzling, to say the least. "Heading for a Breakdown" is a layered psych rock tapestry with a barely disguised riff from Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth," while its overdose bass pummel displaces the hook and turns it over into a beautifully textured heavy pop song. The whomping "Mother One Track Mind" comes right out of the band's longtime Stooges worship -- and it works. Snarling, razor guitars overshadow Lundberg's vocal until the chanted distorto-groove chorus. "Midnight Children" features a guest duet vocal by Jane Birkin. Underscored by a minimal organ that threads the melody, Lundberg references Lou Reed as Birkin wafts and winds her way around his words and croons sweetly in the refrain. The Serge Gainsbourg influence on the cut is pronounced, but doesn't carry it off into parody. The hook feels organic and the duet is seamless. Ultimately, Origin, Vol. 1 is a look back through the past -- musically, personally, poetically, and culturally -- as a way of moving toward the future, celebrating its influence and shaking free of its baggage. TSOOL have arrived after a decade of carefully and meticulously crafting a passionate and compelling rock music that incorporates everything it finds genuine and necessary in pursuit of a music and lyricism that powerfully and beautifully articulate that which is less than obvious. -AMG

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CHICAGO FAVORITES, THE LAUREATES ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF THEIR 2ND FULL-LENGTH ALBUM, SPELLS, DUE OUT JUNE 28TH, 2011

Chicago rockers, THE LAUREATES announced that their second full-length album, Spells, will hit the streets June 28, 2011 on 12” vinyl on the band's own imprint, Funambulist Recording Company. In 2010, while the band recorded and released a cover every month as part of their “Year of The Covers” experiment, they also wrote and recorded another 10 original tracks with all the passion and grit expected of these Chicago favorites. Spells’ basic tracks were recorded by Johnathan Crawford on an 8-track tape machine at Catalyst in Chicago, and finished at Clown Town during the summer and fall.

The songs on Spells combine the crystalline, modern-pop sensibilities of their first album, There Are No More Gentlemen with the more echoed, vintage analog acoustics of the No Kontrol EP, producing an electrifying amalgam of the energies of their previous recordings. The new album finds the band straying from the 3-minute pop song formula on tracks such as “Life of Leisure” and “Moon Bitch,” the former starting out as a bouncy strut of sunshine-y pop before veering into darker psychedelic noise, and the latter closing out the album as a slow-burn vamp that brings to mind a marriage of Ziggy Stardust and Doolittle. The narrator on the menacing track, “Robbers” slips in and out of paranoid nightmares of both the sleeping and sleep-walking varieties while the drums shuffle along in concert with a Velvets-inspired guitar riff. But the record still retains The Laureates’ signature blasts of pop on songs like the anthemic “Changes, Etc.”, the angular “Don’t Lose Your Cool”, and the weary but bright-eyed “Oh, Delusion.”

Sorry! Wrong links!

I posted the wrong links for The Wake Ups. The links have been corrected . I apologize for any inconvenience.

Curty Ray

The Wake Ups - Wanna Meet the Wake Ups - 2002

With feel-good power pop and snappy songwriting, the Wake Ups follow in the footsteps of acts like Big Star and Cheap Trick, but never make the mistake that many of their contemporaries fall prey to -- pop/punk. Nope, the Wake Ups maintain a crunchy, Beatles-loving, retro sheen, and while not as original as, say, Brendan Benson, songs like "Can't Believe My Luck" recall Big Star's "September Gurls," while "Second Time Around" resonates with a '70s countrified flavor. The Wake Ups can do a little glam rock, too ("Nobody Slows"), but they never seem to simply be rehashing old territory. By the end, despite all the different influences, the sound of Wanna Meet the Wake Ups can come off a little homogenous, but this record is a substantial debut that forecasts good things to come. -AMG
 
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