Two Four for Tuesday, 2/18/14

To make up for no new posts last week, I'll double the usual two featured discs with a quick look at four:

Shake Some Action!-Catch the Sun. James Hall is back again with another collection of top-drawer jangle-pop with Catch the Sun, his fifth full-length as Shake Some Action!. "Colors Exploding" is just as groovy as its title implies,
"Wait for the Summer" is the kind of 60s/70s power pop that Hall does best, and "Moonlight Mind" jangles so hard it would make Roger McGuinn jealous. You know what you're getting with an SSA album, and you're getting more of it this time around.

CD Baby | iTunes



The Rationales-Dream of Fire EP. Also back with new material are The Rationales, who bring us a strong 5-track EP this time around. As before, they offer up a mix of power pop and Americana with leadoff track "Drunk All the Time" a great Tom Petty-esque raver with a memorable chorus and the Replacements-styled "Last Words" the standouts here.

CD Baby | ITunes



Ryan VanDordrecht-Beast of Love. Upon the release of his debut EP in 2009 I wrote the usual "can't wait for the full length" comment, and lo and behold five years later here it is. This Portland musician specializes in tuneful pop/rock with a touch of Americana and the top tracks here are the anthemic Jayhawks/Gin Blossoms-like "Great American Life", the jangly "Wild Ones" and the 70s-styled rocker "You Got a Hold on Me". Good stuff here.

CD Baby | iTunes



Preston Cochran-Waiting for the Day. This is the third album for Virginia's Preston Cochran, but the first that caught my ear. Cochran has a slick yet tuneful adult-contemporary sound that brings the likes of Matt Nathanson and Graham Colton to mind. My favorites here are the laid-back "Shoes in the Sun", the melodic title track, and the midtempo gem "Footnotes", which reminds me of Josh Rouse. A bit more "pop" than "power pop", but definitely worth a listen.

CD Baby | iTunes

Monday Roundup.

Let's start the work week off with a couple of old friends here at AbPow.

The Riffbrokers-Every Pilot's Blinded by the Sun. Seattle's Riffbrokers are back with their fifth full-length, and it's more of the same no-nonsense power pop/classic rock that they have become masters at. Their sound is equal parts Tom Petty and The Replacements with a dash of Exile-era Stones thrown in, and the rocking "Better Angels" is the definitive proof of this amalgam. Nick Millward has just the right voice for this style of rock, and his bandmates provide a killer rhythm section. No bad tracks here, but more equal than others are the rocker "Mindset", the soulful "Calling All The Charlatans" and the catchy album closer "Thank You". No, thank you, Riffbrokers, for keeping the rock flame burning.

CD Baby | Bandcamp (free download) | iTunes



The Rationales-The Distance in Between. We last heard from this Boston band a few years ago with their fine EP The Going and the Gone, and here's their equally impressive full-length debut. Once again David Mirabella & Co. straddle the line between power pop and Americana, and if you like bands such as, say, I don't know...The Riffbrokers? you'll love this one. Opener "Real Life" builds from its rootsy verses to an anthemic ending, "Braedon" packs more punch in its sub-2:00 running time than most songs do in 4, and the rocker "Jaded" recalls Being There-era Wilco. And don't miss the chiming, jangly "Tongue Tied", the latest and greatest entry into the fellowship of "summer is over" songs. You won't have to rationalize picking this one up.

CD Baby | Bandcamp | iTunes

Holiday Weekend Roundup.

3 discs for a holiday weekend - at least in the US, where Monday is Memorial Day:

Vic Kingsley-These Frequencies. Vic Kingsley is a Miami band that takes its name from the stage name of its frontman, Vic Garcia, and These Frequencies is a quality debut that fuses power pop, indie rock, alternative rock and BritPop. Fans of The Crayons, The Churchills, Supergrass and Oasis will eat this one up. Opener "Last Satellite" is a potential hit in the making, as is "Undercover", possibly the disc's best track. Other standouts include the anthemic "You Are" and the power ballad "Singing It Out Loud". It's nice to see Miami's good for more than Latin music.
CD Baby | MySpace

Felix Van Dijk-Tumbling Years. Those of you who enjoyed last year's Steve Robinson disc (like me) will definitely want to check out this debut release from actor-turned-musician Felix Van Dijk, a winning combination of pop and folky pop with a British sensibility. Notable is that none other than Paul McCartney added a chord or two to "This Lullaby", the kind of heartfelt ballad with which Sir Paul is more than familiar. But with or without a Macca contribution, this album stands on its own with quality tracks like the uptempo "Barefoot In The Sand", the breezy "Heart of Your World" and the wonderful ballad "Forever In My Heart". If your tastes run in this subgenre at all, you'll love this disc.
CD Baby | MySpace

The Rationales-The Going and the Gone. Longtime readers of this blog know I have a soft spot for bands that bridge the divide between power pop and alt-country, and this Boston band has done just that on their debut EP. "No Guarantees" is the track that hooked me in, and it manages to fit influences as varied as Wilco, The Old 97s and Big Star into its 2:14 running time, and it reminds me as well of Signal Hill Transmission, another similar band who I've championed here at AbPow. Also worth the price of admission are the instantly catchy "Far Away", the jangly "Cliche" and the pedal steel-drenched closer "Ruby Covered Halo". If this sounds like it's up your alley, it would be downright ir-Rationale to pass on this EP.
CD Baby | MySpace