Research Turtles free download!

That Research Turtles disc I reviewed last week can now be yours free to download, if you pay a visit to their new official site. Best deal of 2010 to date!

Midweek Roundup.

Huw Jacob-Higher Every Day. Manchester's Huw Jacob was probably destined to be a pop/rocker, what with his father attending Pete Best's school and working with John Lennon's uncle. Thankfully fate's hand is our gain here, as Jacob has crafted a wonderfully melodic debut disc that falls somewhere in between Crowded House and Teenage Fanclub. Opener "Howdoyaknow" has a Rubber Soul feel to it, while the easygoing "Ice Lemonade" recalls Daniel Wylie and the Cosmic Rough Riders. Other highlights include the TF-like "Abide", the poptastic "This Life", and the jangly "Find You as a Friend". A real standout.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

The American Professionals-The Specialist EP. This California band is back for the first time sine 2004's Faking It, and it's a welcome return. Purveyors of crunchy guitar pop that could be described as The Replacements meet The Smithereens, this EP will appeal to fans of those discs as well as Cheap Trick and Weezer. The driving title track makes sure of this, while "Jump This Train" will have you playing air guitar in no time, and "Yet Another One More Time" recalls Foo Fighters' more melodic moments. An early contender for best EP of 2010.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Gamilons Freebie

Ray at Kool Kat is making The Gamilons EP which I reviewed the other day free with any purchase. So pick up one of the fine discs I've reviewed recently (or any other of your choice), and get The Gamilons throw in for free. Too bad Billy Mays isn't around to pitch this.

Two for Thursday, 1/28/10

Research Turtles-Research Turtles. Classic rock lovers, here's your band. Louisiana's Research Turtles (a literal band of brothers) manage to capture the art of the riff (one track is even titled "The Riff Song") while remaining tuneful enough to appeal to power poppers. Opener "Let's Get Carried Away" is the epitome of this balancing act, mixing heavy guitar riffs with an indelible melody. "Mission" is another winner, a raveup with cojones that has another chorus that'll stick in your head. Elsewhere, "Kiss Her Goodbye" is the kind of power ballad that's de rigeur on albums like this, but it works; the aforementioned "Riff Song" recalls Zeppelin, and "Tomorrow" is another display of their pop smarts. One could call them a Southern-fried Oasis, and like those Brits did in their 90s heyday, they manage to make the old sound new again, and that's no easy feat.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Research Turtles

Dino-Fool's Gold. Here at Absolute Powerpop, we scour the globe for power pop artists that deserve recognition, and our latest international power popper of mystery is Sweden's Dino. He remains a bit of a real mystery since I can't find a MySpace or a bio, but the album speaks for itself, a mix of ELO with 70s pop sounds not unlike similarly-minded artists like Pop Is Art! and AlternativA. "I Don't Believe in Love Anymore" bears the Jeff Lynne influence (in fact, it reminds me a bit of Kelly Groucutt's solo minor hit "Am I a Dreamer"). "Love is the Drug" is not a Roxy Music cover, but he does borrow from ELO again with the lyrics "do ya, do ya want my love" with another driving pop melody, and "The World Where You Live" (not a Crowded House cover) is another pop gem with bombastic backing. Other highlights include "California Blue Skies", which sounds as ebullient as its title, "Mrs. Frost", which has a bit of Fountains of Wayne about it, and the Lynnesque (or LEO-esque) ballad "Someone by Your Side". With a nondescript moniker like Dino, he's hard to Google, but easy on the ears.

CD Baby | iTunes

Fool`s Gold

Another Best of 09 Power Pop List.

The Brazilian site Power Pop Station has unveiled its Top 100 of 2009 (and its top 10 EPs). My only quibble is that Plasticsoul's Peacock Swagger is completely absent.

Dig in here.

Two for Tuesday, 1/26/10

The Gamilons-Blue Whispers EP. Had it come across my desk upon its fall 2009 release date, this Delaware band's debut EP would have made the year-end EP list. As it stands, better late than never for this Cliff Hillis-produced 3-song gem. Fans of Hillis and his work in Starbelly will be at home here, from the hook-filled Beatlesque opener "Blue Shadows" to the acoustic-based "Whisper in a World" to the sublime and sweet melodies of "Summer Surfer Girl". We always say "bring on the full length" in these instances but I'll gladly settle for an EP with more tracks if they're going to be this good.

Not Lame | MySpace

The 88-This Must Be Love. LA's The 88 have a higher profile than most acts I review on this site - their songs have been featured in countless TV shows and films (see here), and they had their 2008 album Not Only...But Also released on Island Records with big-name producers Matt Wallace and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds in charge. This came on the heels of their brilliant self-released album Over and Over (which placed #6 on my 2005 year-end list) and there was quite a bit of expectation associated with the followup. Not Only...But Also turned out to be a decent album, but lacked the sharpness and cohesion of Over and Over, another example of an indie band losing its identity on a major label. So it was a pleasant surprise to see them back, without fanfare and barely a year later, with a self-released digital-only album that doesn't quite match Over and Over's peaks, but sounds like The 88 again.

True to its title, This Must Be Love's main theme is L-O-V-E, and their pop smarts are on full display here. "Go to Heaven" opens the disc with what might be the power pop equivalent of "You Can't Hurry Love"; the title track is pop goodness; "Love is the Thing" is a 2:19 blast of slinky hooks; "One of These Days" recalls "Hide Another Mistake", their all-time greatest tune; and "Let Me Go" is one of those tearjerker ballads that stays with you. It's good to have The 88 back.

MySpace | iTunes

Two for TGIF, 1/22/10

Andy Lehman & The Night Moves-Lowcountry. Lehman's 2007 debut Landline was a Butch Walker-styled power pop disc, but on his followup with The Night Moves, he opts for a more atmospheric pop sound that comes down somewhere between Steven Mark and Coldplay. Lowcountry is a loose concept album about a South Carolina boy who falls in love with a girl, can't commit, loses her, stalks her, and then kills her new boyfriend. But despite the Southern Gothic subject matter, the concept is done with a light touch, allowing the songs to stand on their own. Highlights include the midtempo "You Can Leave The Light On", the poppy "Million to One", and the absolutely gorgeous "All Along the Roads We Walked", which takes on added resonance once the album's concept is grasped. A rewarding listen.

MySpace | iTunes

Prattle On, Rick-Communion Bread. This amusingly-titled act consists of Nashville singer-songwriter Patrick Rickelton and whoever happens to be backing him at the moment. His debut EP is a folk-pop delight, evoking Elliott Smith and Simon & Garfunkel in equal parts. "My Holiday" is gracefully tuneful, "Lift Up" does just that, and "Lately" sounds like an instant classic. Prattle on all you'd like, Rick.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Two for Tuesday, 1/19/10

Chris Abad-No Glory. This NYC rocker and ex-member of Dough has given us the first great power pop disc of 2010. Mixing in influences from Elvis Costello to Squeeze to Weezer, Abad has cooked up 8 tracks of power pop goodness from the rocking "All in My Head" to the clean midtempo melodies of "Downer". Others standouts in this lean all-killer/no-filler collection include the title track power ballad, the anthemic "Living Without You" and the irresistible "Trouble", perhaps the disc's best track. Stop what you're doing and give it a listen below.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Anny Celsi-Tangle-Free World. Anny Celsi's new disc may be a "tangle-free world" but it's certainly not a jangle-free one as she evokes a Byrds-by-way-of-Beach-Boys sound here. The LA jangle-pop mafia is out in full force on this, with Nelson Bragg producing and the likes of The Wondermints, Robbie Rist and Adam Marsland contributing. The opening title track captures the sound here, 12-string guitars and sitars galore, with Celsi's voice a perfect match for the proceedings. "Thanksgiving in Hollywood" has just the kind of noir-ish jangle feel that recalls "King of the Hill", Roger McGuinn's team-up with Tom Petty. Bragg steps out from behind the mixing board to contribute vocals to Celsi's tres cool cover of Nancy Sinatra's "One Velvet Morning", making Sweet & Hoffs sound like kids by comparison, and Evie Sands joins for a cover of the 1963 Jaynetts classic "Sally Go Round the Roses" that sounds completely in place here. Retro yet original, this disc is one world in which there's nothing wrong in getting tangled.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes