Tag Archives: power pop

THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #149

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Welcome back to the Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. This time around, there’s an amazing ballad from a veteran singer-songwriter, some really cool retro vibes from a brand new rock act, a slab of almost perfect shoegaze, and a metal oriented number that flaunts a massive 90s riff with an industrial edge. You’ll also find a piece of Americana tinged pop-rock that shows massive promise, and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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Watch: Modesty Blaise share video for ‘Coral Mountain’ ahead of deluxe reissue

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A quarter of a century ago, Modesty Blaise released a self titled album full of retro pop gems that took cues from various touchstones from the past, including The Beach Boys and The Zombies, and recycled them with love. A second record, ‘Melancholia’ improved on the formula, and at its best, the record flaunted a huge budget and equally big hooks. In terms of that kind of musical pilfering, Jellyfish became absolutely worshipped in the power pop community, and by comparison, Modesty Blaise have sort of become also-rans. That deserves to change.

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DONNIE VIE – Plain Jane / Instant Karma

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For power pop fans, singer songwriter Donnie Vie will need no introduction. With Enuff Z’Nuff, he lent his vocal and songwriting chops to a string of great albums, released at a time when a blend of Cheap Trick obsessions crossed with a 60s inspired, flower power cool was decidedly uncool. Their first three albums (‘Enuff Z’Nuff’, ‘Strength’ and ‘Animals With Human Intelligence’) are cast iron classics which still play brilliantly, decades after the fact. During the second half of the nineties and beyond, the band’s tendency to take a cut ‘n’ paste approach to making albums could be frustrating, but for the more patient fan, there was always a little more gold to be mined, and an on-form Vie continued to show his very natural melodic gifts on tracks like ‘There Goes My Heart’, ‘Believe In Love’ and ‘What Can I Do?’

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #144

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Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the last few weeks. This time out, we’re pleased to share an absolutely cracking debut from some Scottish indie rockers, an uncategorisable recording that fuses at least three different genres, and even find some old favourites taking a massively unexpected approach. There’s also a slab of garage rock, some synth imbibed pop and a different approach to power pop to be found along the way. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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THE MORNING LINE – 90s Pickup / This Lens

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Across two enjoyable releases, ‘North’ (2019) and ‘Scene’ (2022), San Francisco’s The Morning Line celebrated a very 90s brand of pop rock, with an array of songs driven by jangling guitars and harmonious vocals. Often sounding like a cross between peak Connells and the lighter elements of Soul Asylum circa ‘Candy From A Stranger’, their best songs had the power to uplift, and in the case of ‘Looking Right At You’ and ‘Make Believe’ (very much highlights from ‘Scene’) even shared a nostalgic quality, despite being newly written.

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