Artigos com o marcador powerpop
The Greenberry Woods – Big Money Item (1995)
21/07/10
The Greenberry Woods’ instrumentation and yearning vocal style tend to the emotionally manipulative, heart-on-sleeve side, but lyrics often rise above the vacuous boy-girl stuff that defines the genre. “Love Songs” surveys the cliched landscape with a sly, knowing eye while working completely within the musical formula. At 18 tracks, most hovering under the three-minute mark, Big Money Item serves up a dizzying over-abundance of sugary riches. While some selections remain lightweight trifles, enough substantial moments overflow the cone to coat the listener in captivating sticky goo. “Invisible Threads” combines sudden gear shifts with a phased, baroque pop underpinning. There’s the stately soft-psych of “Parachute,” and a dew-eyed tip of the hat to Crowded House balladry in “For You.” “Nervous” pumps up the fuzz for some garage-y power-pop while “Go Without You” breaks into Bay City Roller handclaps. “Oh Janine”‘s soaring chorus recalls both The Beach Boys and Eric Carmen’s Raspberries. Even at its most superficial and derivative and unapologetically nerdy, Big Money Item is just so chock full of fatal hooks that…well…life almost starts to feel that fresh and innocent again. ~ Roch Parisien, AMG
My Rate: 9/10
Áudio de “Love Songs”
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The Scruffs – Wanna Meet The Scruffs? (1977)
21/07/10
Power pop bands who worship at the altar of Big Star are a dime a dozen today, but the Scruffs were doing that long before Alex Chilton became a cool name to drop, and Wanna Meet the Scruffs?, the sole album they released during their lifetime, is that late-’70s rarity, a slice of classic power pop that doesn’t sound “new wave,” unlike most of smart pop’s class of 1978. Using Big Star and the Raspberries as a starting point, vocalist and songwriter Stephen Burns blended an Anglophile’s sense of melody with a very American feel for crunchy guitars and the occasional power chord. And Burns‘ songs about dreams of rock stardom (“Break the Ice”), his vast array of romantic problems (“My Mind”), and his multitude of other anxieties (“I’m a Failure”) suggests the neurosis of the early Modern Lovers sides without Jonathan Richman‘s willful childishness; in a genre where aggressive cheerfulness or good-natured arrogance were the order of the day, Burns‘ intelligent angst was something new and distinctive. And the band, anchored by David Branyan‘s tough, concise guitar leads, made music that was bright and hooky but still had backbone and plenty of punch; this is pop that earns the prefix “power.” That so strong an album could slip though the cracks is both sad and puzzling, but the 1997 CD reissue of Wanna Meet the Scruffs? (augmented with two bonus demo tracks) thankfully restores a lost classic to circulation, and anyone who loves a good hook with an interesting idea behind it ought to seek this out. ~ Mark Deming, AMG
My Rate: 8/10
Vídeo de “Break The Ice” (audio only)
VA – Yellow Pills Vol. 3, More Great Pop! (1995)
19/07/10
The third volume of the newly-recorded power-pop anthology, Yellow Pills, is arguably the most interesting and best installment in the series, featuring gems for Paul Collins’ Beat, Material Issue, and Greenberry Woods. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG
TRACKLIST
1. Penelope Baker – Her Majesty’s Buzz
2. Do What You’re Doing – Michael Guthrie Band
3. Problem With Jill, The – Material Issue
4. Blunderbuss, The – Brad Jones
5. Nobody I Know – Martin Luther Lennon
6. Her Stars Are My Stars – John Wicks
7. SkyVue – The Finns
8. Taking Me Somewhere – John McMullan
9. Weird Sister – Gigolo Aunts
10. Just In Time – Black & Blonde
11. You Know The Real – The Greenberry Woods
12. Pt. 1 – The Blow Pops
13. Dear Prudence – Feet Of Clay
14. Skidmarks – Wonderboy
15. I’ve Always Got You On My Mind – Paul Collins’ Beat
16. This Can’t Go On – The Scruffs
17. Time Will Tell On You – The Rock Club
18. Blue Summer – Cherry Twister
19. Be The One – Something Happens
20. Nobody Knows – Scott McCarl
21. Let’s Take A Chance – Craig Pearman
My Rate: 8.8/10
Áudio de “The Greenberry Woods – You Know The Real”
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Bmx Bandits – Gettin’ Dirty (1995)
02/07/10
ALLMUSIC The fourth BMX Bandits album, 1995′s Gettin’ Dirty, breaks with tradition by finally establishing a fully fledged band who contributes to every track instead of gathering a nebulous collection of friends surrounding singer/songwriter Duglas T. Stewart. As a result, Gettin’ Dirty is the first BMX Bandits album with a consistent sound and feel. Stewart and guitarist Francis McDonald (moonlighting from his regular gig in Teenage Fanclub) wrote most of the songs together, with Stewart‘s lyrics complemented nicely by McDonald‘s Big Star-derived melodic sense. While none of the tunes are as completely swell as “Serious Drugs,” the highlight from the previous year’s Life Goes On, there’s also a refreshing lack of the half-baked filler that marred previous BMX Bandits efforts. Highlights include the title track, a downright sweet reverie about the joys of showering with your significant other, and the Phil Spector homage “Come out of the Shadows,” but Teenage Fanclub fans will be most intrigued by the McDonald-penned “No Future,” which is a companion song to “Tears” from Teenage Fanclub‘s Grand Prix: the two songs are musically identical, with two sets of lyrics written from opposing viewpoints of the same romantic situation, an interesting conceit that also works as a pair of great pop songs. ~ Stewart Mason
My Rate: 8/10
Áudio de “Hello Again”
VA – Yellow Pills Vol 2: More of the Best of American Pop! (1994)
09/06/10
Tracklist
1. Thing of the Past [Electric Version] – Shoes
2. Nothing at All – 20/20
3. Something’s Happened to Catherine – Material Issue
4. Bazooka Joe – Parthenon Huxley
5. Little Bird Told Me So – Brian Stevens
6. Situations – The Sighs
7. Tonight – Jim Basnight
8. Just Kidding – Randell Kirsch
9. Saying Sorry to Myself – The Posies
10. You’re Gonna Save Me – Nicoteens
11. Just a Matter of Time – Kyle Vincent
12. Sisters – Gladhands
13. Carnival of Souls – The Wondermints
14. Switchblade Sister – Redd Kross
15. There’s a Lot of Love in This Room – Bill Lloyd
16. Call Out My Name – Chris Von Sneidern
17. Bovine Connection – Matthew Sweet
18. Empty Boy – Lane Steinberg
19. Head First – Underground Cartoons
20. Watching the Headlights Burn – 20/20
21. Stop Before We Start – The Rubinoos
My Rate: 8.7/10
Grass Show – Something Smells Good In Stinkville (1996)
30/05/10
ALLMUSIC Never mind the title. Grass-Show’s debut album Something Smells Good in Stinkville is an infectious fusion of stylish Brit-pop, quirky new wave, punchy ’70s power-pop and breezy Euro-pop. The band’s strength is their melodic sensibilities, and while their clever lyrics can come across as smug, the light, frothy hooks and melodies are positively effervescent. [by Stephen Thomas Erlewine]
My Rate: 4.5/10
Vídeo de “Freak Show” (audio only)
VA – Yellow Pills Vol. 1: The Best of American Pop! (1993)
28/05/10
ALLMUSIC A dynamic power-pop collection featuring new and old tracks by some of the leading groups of the last ten years, including Dwight Twilley, the Shoes, the Rubinoos, and Tommy Keene. The music on Yellow Pills is strong enough to convert casual fans into hardcore power-pop fanatics. [by Stephen Thomas Erlewine]
Tracklist:
1. Dwight Twilley – Remedies
2. Shoes – I Miss You
3. Adam Schmitt – Speed Kills
4. The Cowsills – Is It Any Wonder
5. 20-20 – Song Of The Universe
6. Enuff Z’Nuff – Fingers On It
7. Devin Hill – Stars
8. Critics – You Can’t Lie
9. Jim Basnight – Rest Up
10. Chris Von Sneidern – Open Wide
11. The Spongetones – Skinny
12. The Rubinoos – The Girl
13. Tommy Keene – Disarray
14. Ken Sharp – Break Down The Walls
15. The Flashcubes – It’s You Tonight
16. Elliot Kendall – No Romance Today
17. The Vandalias – Get To Know You
18. Wallop featuring Wally Bryson – When Is Your Dreams
19. Buddy Love – Why Can’t We Make Believe We’re In Love
20. Three Hour Tour – Love Sick Trip
21. Mark Johnson – I Like The World
My Rate: 9.8/10
Áudio de “The Cowsills – Is It Any Wonder”
The Posies – Dear 23 (1990)
27/05/10
ALLMUSIC Ken Stringfellow and Jonathan Auer, the leaders of the Posies, expressed genuine big-league pop ambitions with minor-league budgets on their early releases, so it’s not especially surprising that their first album for a major label, Dear 23, found them laying on all the baroque textures that they couldn’t afford on their own dime. Sounding a bit like a modernized version of the Hollies with a studio sound that crossed The White Album with Big Star 3rd, Dear 23 kicks off with two pleasing slices of glossy power pop, “My Big Mouth” and “Golden Blunders” (the latter of which was covered by an actual Beatle, Ringo Starr, doubtless a major thrill for these guys). But by the time track four rolls around (“Any Other Way”), power has taken a cigarette break, and the album drifts into a mid-tempo dreamland where everything is either pretty and contemplative or pretty and a bit morose. (Though in all fairness, the rocking “Help Yourself” does pop up in the later innings to punch things up). Dear 23 is packed with too much good stuff to escape the notice of any true pop obsessive — Auer and Stringfellow write great songs, their harmonies are nothing short of superb, and the arrangements and production (by the band in collaboration with John Leckie) are imaginative and flawlessly executed. However, for all the craft, there isn’t a lot of passion or heart in this music; the long hours in the studio getting the sounds right seem to have squeezed out the soul of the music. Dear 23 offers all the proof you could ask for that the Posies were major talents. [by Mark Deming]
My Rate: 9.5/10
Vídeo de “Golden Blunders”
Neverever – Angelic Swells (2010)
24/05/10
One of the best records of this year! Oh yeah.
SLUMBERLAND Jihae and Wallace Meek are a couple with a keen ear for POP who’ve travelled the world together in search of the perfect tune. Having met in Glasgow while Ms. Meek was the singer for pop phenoms The Royal We and Mr. Meek helmed the excellent Bricolage, they eventually relocated to LA to soak in the sunny vibes and pop history. Surrounded by stacks of dusty 45s, crack musicians and dinette counters lined with hopefuls and has-beens, they set about on the next stage in their musical journey. Neverever is their new band, a tough group with a flair for echoey three minute symphonies, marrying classic pop melodies with punk-informed crunch and glam-infused 70s stomp.
Angelic Swells is the their debut album, and it’s a remarkable effort that takes in 50s rock ‘n roll, 60s girl-group sounds, the 70s glam heyday of Slade and Suzi Quatro and 80s power-pop on its way to creating a bang-up-to-date idea of what pop should sound like in 2010. It’s a timeless sound: fuzzy riffs, pounding rhythms and tales of teenage love and lust. In other words – classic POP. From the epic, widescreen opener of “Here Is Always Somewhere Else” to the breathless tale of adolescent sexual awkwardness that is “Coconut Shampoo” to the slow-dance swoon of “16th Wonder,” every tune could be a lost hit echoing from a crackly AM radio. Not that there’s anything lo-fi happening here; the band worked hard with Jeff Ehrenberg at famed LA studio Infrasonic (No Age, Beck, Peter Case) to give Angelic Swells that warm, technicolor sound that marks so many great records.
First single (under the name The Champagne Socialists) “Blue Genes” is here in freshly recorded form, its catchy guitar riff and rama-lama drums literally jump from the speakers and head straight for your feet, sure to pack the dancefloor and get you hand-clapping along with the chorus. “Young Runways” and “Teardrop Tattoo” go for a Shadow Morton vibe, updated slices of girl-group goodness that re-imagine the Shangri Las as they might have sounded playing at CBGBs in 1976: brilliant power-pop for the ‘00s with nods to Blondie and Shop Assistants along the way. The power-pop connection is made explicit by Neverever’s cover of The Plimsoul’s “Now,” which fits in so well with the rest of the songs that you’d think it was an original. The albums end with a bang with “Underwater Ballet,” two and a half minutes of glorious pop stomp that accelerates to a cacophonous finale.
Neverever know their pop history, but they also know how to write great songs and Angelic Swells provides ample evidence of that. It is a an ambitious, iconoclastic record packed with rambunctious riffs, rumbling drums, ear-nagging melodies and, most of all, timeless tunes.
My Rate: 9/10
Áudio de “Blue Genes”
Teenage Fanclub – Shadows (2010)
20/05/10
PREFIXMAG.COM Released shortly after the untimely death of power pop’s reluctant prince, Alex Chilton, Teenage Fanclub’s Shadows couldn’t have arrived at a better time. This, the 10th full-length of the band’s career, offers the perfect salve for mourning aficionados of smart shimmering pop in the vein of the Beach Boys, the Beatles, and, of course, Big Star. Shadows was handled by the Fannies’ own PeMa label in Europe and the U.K. and by Merge in the United States. [by Nate Knaebel]
DOWNLOAD (removed by request) | BUY
Tracklist:
01. Sometimes I Don’t Need To Believe In Anything
02. Baby Lee
03. The Fall
04. Into The City
05. Dark Clouds
06. The Past
07. Shock And Awe
08. When I Still Have Thee
09. Live With The Seasons
10. Sweet Days Waiting
11. The Back Of My Mind
12. Today Never Ends
