The Knack "Live In Los Angeles 1978"

Record Store Day 2012

I picked this up today. Although an official release, the quality is pretty much bootleg.

Only for completists. 

Let Me Out

My Sharona

Romeo Eyes

Art War

DangerMaker "Black Dreams"

It's with pleasure I recommend to you the new Indie release from DangerMaker. "Black Dream" fits in nicely with anyone's power pop collection. While probably not technically 'powerpop', the melodies and instrumentation sometimes remind you of the feel of 60's pop. This is not a retro group, however, by any means. A modern rock foundation with pop sensibilities.

The instrumentation is intriguing. It pulls you in and keeps you listening. There is a cohesive sound, yet the sound is not redundant. This is an album I can listen to from start to finish without skipping a track. My only complaint is that it ended too soon......

The release date is in just a few days, go by and preorder yours now!

Visit the band's Band Camp page and pick this one up! PowerPopulation recommends!

DANGERMAKER BAND CAMP

The Bopp "Paisley Underground"

I highly recommend this album from French group, The Bopp. It's as though you've stepped into a time machine back to the mid 60's and turned on the radio as you're driving with the top down on some sunny day... Authentic 60's sound all the way down to the production of the album. Drums recorded to give that 'roomy' sound of a band in a garage feverishly rehearsing with the hopes of hitting it big some day.

The songwriting is solid, and my personal favs are "Paisley Underground", "Over And Down", and "Think Twice". Although this is one CD that you can listen to without a skipping a track.
This gets the Power Population "gold star" rating! Pick it up at the following link:

CD BABY THE BOPP.

And check out the band's Myspace page here:

MYSPACE THE BOPP

REVIEW: Scott Brookman "A Song For Me, A Song For You"

Recommended for fans of the Beach Boys and/or piano based pop


While done on an indie budget, Scott Brookman has created some memorable melodies on this release. I'm betting there are a few Beach Boys/Brian Wilson albums in his record collection somewhere.
There are only a few guitar based tunes on this album, but they are expertly inserted just when you need them.
While Scott doesn't overdub background vocal after background vocal, his inflection is reminiscent of Brian Wilson, or his brother Carl at times. He's got a very pleasant voice, which is sometimes elusive in the indie-pop genre. (there are lots of great songwriters out there who would benefit from someone else singing their songs, but Scott is not one of them.)
So if you're looking for something to spin with your feet up one Sunday afternoon, you could do worse than "A Song For Me, A Song For You".

Standouts for me include: "The First Assault On My Day", "Lemon Lane", and "Monday Shirt"

"Monday Shirt" is available for free download HERE.

Scott's Website: Scott Brookman Bandcamp

REVIEW: The Cars "Move Like This"

Cars’ New Album: Good, but Falls Short of Band’s Former Glory

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By Joe Lynch

The Cars, 2011

At first listen, the Cars’ first album of new material since 1987 seems to pick up where the band left off a couple of decades ago. Move Like This is nicely reminiscent of the band’s best work, but unfortunately it lacks something essential. The opening sounds of “Blue Tip,” for example, hearken back to a time when melody was still infused in pop music and the artists that sang the songs did so without the aid of software to correct their vocal missteps.

The opening measures, however, also expose what is missing from the album: the band’s bass guitarist and alternate lead singer, Benjamin Orr, who died in 2000 of pancreatic cancer. It is obvious, and painfully so, that the opening bass notes are provided and sequenced by Greg Hawkes on keyboard.

In a recent interview, Ric Ocasek spoke of there being a good deal of tension between Orr and him during the recording and songwriting process. I gather that Ocasek wanted full and complete control, but Orr, being a creative artist in his own right, pushed back, and thus the tension. However, out of such tension often comes great music, as was the case with The Cars late-’70s and early ’80s efforts.

Without someone to create that tension for this new album, what we have here is basically a Ric Ocasek solo recording that just happens to have the remaining Cars on board for the ride. This new release suggests that the tension between Ocasek and Orr provided for more melody and more background vocal harmony, as both of those elements are lacking here. They’re not entirely missing—there are some background vocals and some melody—but they’re not at the level of the previous albums.

Also missing here are the well-crafted guitar solos from Elliot Easton. Easton is all but castrated on this release, only managing to wrangle one solo, and a brief one at that.

Although Ocasek’s lyrics on the Cars albums were rarely political, this time he apparently couldn’t resist the opportunity to take advantage of the current political climate and score a few points with the left, by including a line like “they’re stroking all the gun-heads to the ninth degree,” an unsubtle reference to any conservative politician the liberal listener may insert to fit their stereotypical views.

I don’t want to sound completely negative about this new release. There are several very enjoyable tracks, and it’s a welcome alternative to just about anything else current to the market today. “Too Late”, “Sad Song”, “Soon”, “Free”, and “Take Another Look” are fine alternative pop songs. (“Take Another Look,” however does beg for Benjamin Orr’s vocals.) Unfortunately, there is no place on today’s radio for such songs.

All in all, Move Like This is an effort that I will listen to and mostly enjoy from time to time, when the mood strikes. But as often happens when artists try to reclaim their former glory, it falls just short.

Works In Progress....Joe Lynch

I've been working on a follow up to my last CD "Taking My Time", (which is here on the blog if you want to search for it) and thought I'd post one of the demos here for you guys/gals to check out. The song is called "Be Myself (All The Time)". Check it out, and comments welcome.

Cars New Album Released Today

Support the Cars new album, pick up your copy today!!