The Silver Seas 2010 album ‘Chateau Revenge!’ not only raised the bar in terms of what they were capable as a band, but the release also came with a strong sense of cult adoration, with the UK’s Danny Baker becoming one of the band’s most outspoken supporters. For those who were there, the band’s September [...]
In the summer of 2012, Finnish power pop musician/singer-songwriter Esa Linna released the ‘She’s Not A Human Being’ EP, gaining a few positive notices from genre-specific websites. On the plus side, Linna more than proved himself in the musical department by playing a variety of instruments himself, while the presence of ex-Jellyfish man Roger Joseph [...]
Somewhere behind the retro childrens’ book artwork and drab brown packaging, Stephen Lawrenson delivers ten pieces of relatively sunny adult power pop on his debut release for Kool Kat. Fans of the genre will undoubtedly have fun in spotting the dozens of influences this particular singer-songwriter has twisted into his own vision, but while, by [...]
Appearances can be deceiving. Despite the presence of a guitar, one look at Lyn Saga’s debut full-length album and you may be forgiven for thinking it is an album of shiny pop aimed at the teen market. Her love of the pop-sock and the list of “fun facts” on her website [such as “Lyn’s favourite [...]
‘Brand New Beat’ is the first full-length release from The Leftovers’ frontman Kurt Baker. Following a handful of EPs issued between 2010-12 (‘Got It Covered’, ‘Rockin’ For a Living’ and the excellent ‘Want You Around’) and a brief stopover with Wimpy & The Medallions, this album felt long overdue by the time of its arrival. [...]
In the mid 00’s, Wise Girl’s frontwoman Abby Weitz was the vocalist with pop punk band The Lookaways. Although that band never achieved great mainstream success, they performed on the 2006 Vans Warped tour and even played at the legendary CBGBs in New York. On Wise Girl’s 2012 EP, Weitz sounds more settled than before, [...]
Originally formed as The Flirt in 1979 but quickly renaming themselves True Hearts, this Texan band released a largely overlooked EP on Counterfeit Records in 1980. Eleven songs were recorded with the intent of releasing a full-length LP, but that never actually came to fruition. Over the next couple of years, True Hearts suffered personnel [...]
Recorded during the same sessions for their second EP, this third release from Dutch power poppers Sunday Sun finishes a trilogy of EPs released throughout 2012. While that second EP wasn’t quite as strong as the first, this final part makes up for any previous minor disappointments, delivering the band’s strongest set of songs. Those [...]
On the surface, ‘Mr Blue Sky’ masquerades as yet another Electric Light Orchestra compilation featuring most of the usual suspects. There’s more to this 2012 release than just mere “greatest hits” however, since Jeff Lynne has succumbed to artistic licence. Although many ELO records remain beloved by a cross section of pop, pomp and prog [...]
Back in the early 2000s, an acquaintance gave me a CD-R of tracks by undervalued power pop/melodic alt-rock bands he loved – bands he felt deserved more attention. While the exact contents of the homemade disc are now just a fuzzy memory, it introduced me to Far Too Jones and Sugarbomb – two sadly missed [...]
