Two for Tuesday, 2/7/12

Minky Starshine-Womanity. Boston's Minky Starshine is back with the followup to 2009's excellent Unidentified Hit Record, and they may have topped themselves with Womanity. They've worked in the past with Ken Stringfellow and Chris Manning, and there is a Posies-meet-Jellyfish element to their classic power pop sound. The buoyant, ultra-catchy opener "Hard Times" (replete with horns) will shake you of whatever funk you happen to be in at the moment, "Cinematic Mojo" (video below) adds a Motown bass line to their power pop mix, and "Beautiful Girl" is a power ballad done right. Elsewhere, "Straight Hip" channels the aforementioned Posies and "What I Want" makes nice use of its boy-girl vocals in service of a radio-friendly tune. Another example of 2012 being off to a great power pop start, and to paraphrase the famous Hindenburg announcer, "Oh the Womanity!"

CD Baby | iTunes | Listen




The Backpeddlers-Songs of Guilt & Revenge. Back in 2007, I gave these guys a brief mention when they were known as Mark Norris & The Backpeddlers. Back then, I had alluded to them being described as "The Basement Tapes recorded with Ray Davies instead of Bob Dylan", and on the followup with Norris still in charge but no longer top-billed it's more songs in this vein, with a bit of a harder edge. Opener "Turn the Tables" is a raucous rocker that recalls Guided by Voices, "It's All True" does the Pixies-like quiet/loud thing, and the late 60s Nugget-sounding "We Know (Who We Are)" earns them the Kinks komparisons. While this might not be the sweet-sounding power pop usually featured here, those who want something a bit different and bit crunchier will want to give this one a shot.

CD Baby | Bandcamp | iTunes

We're back!

Didn't plan on 2+ weeks of blogging inactivity, but things have been quite a bit chaotic for me recently, on many levels. Anyway, to play catch-up, I've going to mention a bunch of discs that caught my fancy in the meantime (or just before) in a "blurb-o-rama"-type fashion (apologies to the Power of Pop guys), along with some other tidbits.

First of all, one reason I haven't at least had an eMusic "filler"-type post up in this period is that they really haven't added anything compelling from a power pop perspective lately, save for the new Crowded House disc, Time on Earth.

Now, on to the discs:

Adam Bernstein-Dust Off The Timeless Night. Great singer-songwriter pop, with great melodies and thoughtful lyrics. Somewhere in between Mead/Rouse/Johnston, Ben Folds (more in the manner of sensibility rather than piano) Steven Mark, Paul Schneider and Joe Ongie. Highlight track: "The Poets of Avarice". This one has serious year-end list potential. CD Baby | iTunes

John P. Strohm-Everyday Life. The ex-Lemonheads guitarist/drummer and entertainment-lawyer-by-day has an excellent, midtempo batch of tunes here with hooks galore and a wry outlook on life. Highlight: "Waiting for the World to End". Kool Kat | MySpace

Knit Delicate-Pressed. I could make a joke about the fabric of their sound, or how they weave great tune after great tune, but I won't pull that thread. Instead, I'll just tell you that his Milwaukee band has come out of left field with a disc full of rocking, melodic tunes with a just a hint of poppier alt-country (think Summerteeth-era Wilco, or Fight Songs-era Old 97s) that fits just right. Highlight: "Redline". CD Baby | MySpace

Mark Norris & The Backpedalers-Stranded Between Stations. The Buffalo News described this disc as "The Basement Tapes recorded with Ray Davies instead of Bob Dylan", and they do have something there. To me, it's quality roots rock that will appeal to fans of Walter Clevenger, Brian Jay Cline, and Bill Lloyd. Highlight: "To Old Relations". CD Baby | MySpace

Stepsonday-Little Light. Here's some excellent indie pop that puts melody before quirk or attitude. Think Nada Surf or The Shins, but a bit different. And all I can say is that "1234" is one of my favorite songs of the year. CD Baby (only $8!) | MySpace | eMusic

Third of Never-Moodring. If I told you there was a new band featuring members of The Grip Weeds and The Smithereens, and asked you to imagine their sound in your head, then you'd come up with Third of Never. A mix of classic rock, jangle, psych and power pop that won't surprise you, but won't disappoint either. This one's been on my iPod for a while, and isn't wearing out its welcome. Highlight Track: "DJ". (also features a nice cover of "Let My Love Open The Door") CD Baby | MySpace

Tom Caufield-Mystic Chords of Memory. Bruce at Not Lame featured this one last time out, and with good reason. There's something here for everyone, which kind of makes sense as this is a sampling of songs he's written over the years rather than for a single album. So you get a mix of regular power pop, singer/songwriter material, soft pop and roots rock, all in one disc. Plus, Brad Jones produced the title track. What more can you ask for? Highlight: "First Girl on the Moon". CD Baby