Mid April Roundup.

Eric Barao-Obsolete EP. The long wait is over as Eric Barao returns with his first new music since 2013. You might be forgiven if you've forgotten about him in the meantime but his self-titled debut was #4 on my year-end list then, and once again the ex-Cautions frontman has enlisted the help of the Boston power pop mafia with Mike Viola and Ducky Carlisle playing on the record among others. Also appearing is Roger Joseph Manning, Jr., the self-styled "Prince of Power Pop" who's become as ubiquitous on indie power pop releases these days as Michael McDonald was on the soft rock scene of the late 70s/early 80s. But enough of the CV, how are the songs? "Nothing to See" kicks things off in grand Beatlesque fashion with an melodica/wordless vocal opening before settling into swirling psychedelia and some fine keyboard work. The title track is a piano-based pop/rocker with vocals from Viola and would have fit nicely into one of his Candy Butchers albums, "Unhappy Ending" rocks steady, and the goofily-titled "My Pussy-Puss" finds Manning joining Barao on vocals in a Queen homage while closer "New Lifestyle" is breezy, melodic pop. This one's going to be tough to beat for EP of the year.

Bandcamp



Nick Eng-Long Shot. The polar opposite of Eric Barao when it comes to time between releases, Nick Eng is back with his second alubm in a little over a year. His early 2018 self-titled debut placed at #15 on my year-end list, and Long Shot recaptures its 60s-influenced pop sound. The difference here is that the lyrical content is a little less feel-good than the debut but you'll likely be too busy humming along with the catchy tunes to notice. Top tracks: "For Tonight", "Too Good for Anyone", "Between You and Me" (which jangles like nobody's business) and "Maybe Tomorrow". No sophomore jinx here.

iTunes



Supraluxe-Sweet and Sticky. Also back is Supraluxe, the band whose debut inspired me to start this blog back in 2006. They've been a bit up and down in my estimation over the years but I enjoyed their previous release and their latest captures their classic Big Star-meets-Elliott Smith classic sound quite often here. "The Answer", "Over the Sun" and "Rainbow on My Shoulder" in particular make me want to party like it's 2006 and bring the "sweet", while other "sticky" tracks like "You Got the Jam", "Honey Attraction" and "Chocolate Gravy" find themselves stretching out a bit (with the latter almost downright funky) to fine effect. If you want something different but still with sweet melodies, the 'luxe will make a fine dessert.

iTunes

Two for Tuesday, 4/2/13

Eric Barao-Eric Barao. If you're familiar with Eric Barao, it's most likely due to the fact that he was the frontman of The Cautions, a Boston-based power pop band which gave us the fine 2006 album Proceed With...The Cautions. Barao was also involved the L.E.O. project around that time and has been a staple of the Boston power pop scene. On his solo debut Barao enlists the help of Bleu, who co-produces, and it's reflected in the style of the album, which is more reminiscent of Bleu's eclectic pop stylings than the straight-up Weezer/Rooney-styled power pop of The Cautions. There's a lot to like here, beginning with frenetic piano pop of "On Holiday", which recalls Bryan Scary and is quite the nifty little tune. The power balladry of "Trying Too Hard" and "In Love With a Broken Heart" bears Bleu's touch, and the midtempo "New Earth" has a Jon Brion sensibility. Elsewhere, the jaunty pop number "Alive (But Barely Breathing)" is another standout, as is "Scratch Ticket" which is catchy enough to be theme song for the Massachusetts Lottery, but probably won't. And the tracks not mentioned here are exquisitely well-crafted, immaculately crafted pop tunes as well, making this an early contender for the power pop album of the year. Take a listen through Bandcamp below and I'm pretty sure you'll agree.

CD Baby | iTunes




The Incurables-The Fine Art of Distilling. Jimmy Griffin and the boys are back with the followup to 2007's Songs for a Blackout, which was one of my favorites of that year but seemed to be largely overlooked in the power pop community. The Fine Art of Distilling is a worthy successor for this St. Louis band, boasting a further refinement of their Wallflowers-meet-del Amitri sound buoyed by Griffin's endearingly raspy vocals. Opener "16 Lives" starts things off in an interestingly melodic fashion, veering from slow verses to a catchy chorus backed by stacatto guitars. Meanwhile, any disc this year will be hard-pressed to match the 1-2 punch of "Famous Last Words" and "F M". The former is an outstanding Tom Petty-styled rocker with jangly guitars, and the latter is an earworm of the first order with its "is there anyone alive/on the other side of my radio" chorus hard to shake in a good way. Also of note is the barroom noir of "I Will Burn", the hook-laden "Break the Heart of the World" and the lovely, largely acoustic romp "A Proposal" that closes the disc. This is the kind of pop/rock that actually made the radio Griffin refers to in "F M" as recently as the late 90s, and thanks to the internet we're no longer reliant on the FM dial to find music of this quality.

Amazon | iTunes