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KISS N RIDE My Vanity (Self-released)
www.kissnride.com
Recorded by Million Yen's Andy Gerber, this EP favors the hard rockin'
pop flavors that distinguished the likes of Cheap Trick & KISS.
There is also a noticeable nod to the drone rock antics of the Velvet
Underground and JAMC. High on the grunge quotient but not in a negative
way. (C) |
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THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH Solid
Bronze - Great Hits (Mercury) www.beautifulsouth.co.uk
A 2nd 'Greatest Hits' collection to the Beautiful South's name is
certainly warranted enough now that eight years has elapsed since the
best-selling Carry Up the Charts. An excellent introduction to
the sophisticated, mature & well-crafted work of this British pop
institution and in particular to the solid songwriting of Paul Heaton
and David Rotheray. (B) |
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PET THE PIG! Mothman &
Other Twisted Tales (Jam) www.petthepig.net
Okay, so what exactly are these jokers ON? Pet the Pig are Grunt, Oink
& Squeal and they utilize classic pop-rock soundscapes to narrate
tongue-in-cheek (at least I certainly hope so!) conspiracy tales that
would set X-Files junkies' pulses racing. With songs like "Pig In A
Porsche," "Roadkill On the Information Highway" &
"Alien Psychics From the Final Frontier" Pet the Pig! are in
great danger of sacrificing potentially fine music for the sake of
parody - The Rutles syndrome, anyone? (C) |
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VARIOUS ARTISTS Lost Weekend
(Pure Pop) www.lostweekend.com.au
As the blurb states - this CD is "a snapshot of powerpop in
Australia now." By all accounts the music is in great shape
whatever its mainstream visibility might be. Much of Oz powerpop takes
its cue from the Scottish pop scene - Teenage Fanclub, BMX Bandits,
Pearlfishers, Eugenius etc - and this compilation features premium stuff
from P76, Pyramidiacs, Finkers, DM3, Michael Carpenter & more. (A) |
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OCEAN COLOUR SCENE The Best
of (Universal) www.oceancolourscene.com
OCS bore the brunt of NME's "Dadrock" diatribes but that tag
does little justice to this competent working band who's only 'sin' is
being faithful to their musical roots without dressing it up with angst
and the cool factor. This collection is a testament to their craft -
songs like "The Riverboat Song," "The Circle,"
"You've Got It Bad" and "Hundred Mile High City"
will stand the test of time, mark my words. (B) |
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VARIOUS ARTISTS Meet the
Scene (Rhythm Barrel) www.geocities.com/rhythmbarrel
The Swedish pop scene is well known enough but what about its Finnish
counterparts? Well, this examination of the Finnish powerpop underground
boasts stellar contributions from The Sugarrush, Ben's Diapers, Kevin,
Big White Monkees, Spokane and others - choice slabs of pure pop with
obvious West Coast inclinations. 18 bands that will surprise and
delight. (A) |
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SMOOTHY The Shock of the
Smooth (PopGun) domblaaz@hotmail.com
Smoothy, to its immense credit, fails to live up to the NZ indie rock
tradition of emotional folk-pop (think: Neil Finn, Mutton Birds).
Instead, Smoothy relies on the good old fashioned rock 'n' roll
influences of the Rolling Stones, Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds &
the Flying Burrito Brothers. Meaning songs like "Stoners,"
"Ear Honey" and "Can't Trust Myself" are bluesy,
twangy, tuneful, rockin' and oh yeah smooth. (B) |
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COLONEL KNOWLEDGE Reconnaissance
(Self released) www.colonelknowledge.com
The complexity displayed on the material here belies the band members'
conscious decision to present themselves as a group of secret agents!
Seriously, folks, there is considerable pop craftsmanship going on here.
The kind you associate with Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood, Todd Rundgren, Andy
Partridge, Jason Falkner & Jon Brion. Check out "You Can
Tell," "The Mother Song" and "Sex Is Boring
Anyway" to see what I mean. Jazz, pop, funk, rock melded together
into a pleasing whole. Good music! (A) |
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VARIOUS ARTISTS Team Mint
Volume 2! (Mint) www.mintrecs.com
Canadian indie label Mint Records specialize in pop with a distinct punk
edge which accounts for bands like Operation Makeout, New Town Animals
& Duotang. That said, bands like Corn Sisters, Neko Case & Her
Boyfriends and Carolyn Mark & Her Room-mates are decidedly
country/western in focus. Pop-rock is stoutly represented by I Am
Spoonbender, The New Pornographers and The Smugglers. A solid mix! (B) |
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ROMAN EVENING Together Now (Bitter
Stag) www.bitterstag.com
Describing an album as "a meditation on dissolution and
transformation" tends to conjure images of morose dirges to slit
your wrists to. Thankfully, this debut album by SF-based Roman Evening
(consisting of folks from Glasstown, AMC, Black Lab & The Sleepers)
is at its core, thoughtful rather than angst-ridden, filled with ghostly
ruminations of the nature of love, life and yes, death. Entralling. (B) |
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THE
SECRETS
Time Will Come (Self released) www.secretdeals.com.au
Pop music is a secret dream for many not fortunate enough to be able to
live the life of a full-time musician. *Sigh* - I know this well. The
Secrets (viz. Peter Rechter and Graham McCoy) started out as a ‘60s
cover band about six years ago and since then their confidence has grown
sufficiently enough to produce a 11-track CD of original material.
Fundamentally, the Secrets specialize in early ‘60s fare and recall
easily the work of Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, the Beatles and the like.
The stilted drum machine is a little problematic but the duo’s honest
to goodness vibe papers the cracks pretty decently. (C) |
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FANTASTIC
IDEA PROJECT
(demo) www.fipmusic.com
Lo-fi, math rock with fragile girl/boy harmonies doesn’t sound like an
exciting prospect for pure powerpop fans but this 19-track demo will
surprise many. Soulful and pretty in parts, twee and acoustic in others,
the songs presented by Liz Moyer and Matt Wagner (from Portland, OR)
definitely need a whole lot more polish but as a statement of potential,
it works. (C) |
