Singles galore!

A whole bunch of artists featured on the site have released singles over the past month or two, so it's time to catch up.

Reno Bo-Smile Across the Universe. Rather than release a new album, Reno Bo's released several singles this year, and his latest is another melodic gem, with the A-side backed with the anthemic "Be the Change" and a mono mix of the A-side.

iTunes



The Zags-A World Away/Icy Red. Another two-sided single, this time from The Zags, who deliver their classic power pop in bite(or byte)-sized form this around.

iTunes



Wiretree-You've Got Tonight. Kevin Peroni has been releasing EPs and albums since this site began in 2006, but this a rare non-album single release for him. It's a catchy, piano-based number that's of a piece with his full body of work.

iTunes



Coke Belda-Operator (That's Not the Way it Feels). Fresh off an album covering the Bee Gees, Coke Belda mines the 70s once again with a power pop version of the Jim Croce folk/rock classic. Belda said when hearing the original it was a "clear power-pop song disguised as an acoustic piece" and he does a fine job of proving it.

Bandcamp



The Shazam-It's Doomsday, Honey! I missed this when it came out this summer in honor of the total eclipse, but this is the first new music we've heard of Hans Rotenberry & company since 2009's Meteor so it definitely bears mentioning. It's apparently from an upcoming album called Doomsday Hotel that's been in the works for a while so hopefully we see that soon. Meanwhile, enjoy this track which compares well with their classic power pop output of the 2000s.

iTunes



The Weeklings-Revolution Wonderland. In which these Beatles-loving popsters answering the question of what would a mashup of "Winter Wonderland" and "Revolution" sound like. So you get the Revolution guitar riffs backing the Winter Wonderland lyrics and melody and some Revolution 1 "shooby-dooby" backing vocals. Power popping holiday fun.

iTunes

Two for Thursday, 3/3/11

Hans Rotenberry & Brad Jones-Mountain Jack. I really fell down on the job here, as I missed this brilliant collaboration that came out last November. Especially as I've gone on record gushing over what a genius Jones is, and I'm a fan of Rotenberry's group The Shazam. Anyway, better late than never, and this is a rare case where the whole exceeds the sum of the parts when two talents get together. This isn't straight up power pop by any means, but a more rustic, laid-back affair that has an early 70s Small Faces/pastoral Kinks vibe. Lots of standout tracks, from the genial opener "Count on Me", the hands-down-best-track-on-the-disc "A Likely Lad", the sounds-like-a-Band-classic "Ain't Gonna Hunt Anyone" and the Stonesish "Greef" (get it? "grief" spelled like "Keef" Richards). There are a lot of things I'd do if I had a time machine, but one of them would be to go back and put this in the top 10 of my Best of 2010 list.

iTunes | eMusic

D.C. Cardwell-Some Hope. Melbourne's D.C. Cardwell is a singer-songwriter that should appeal to fans of Neil Finn and David Grahame, and he has the ability to excel on both the slower, acoustic numbers as well as the up-tempo pop gems. You'll only need to go a few tracks into Some Hope to realize this as the beautiful, gentle opener "I Am Still the Same" and the lovely, spare "Birthday Present" are followed by the catchy power pop of "Peace and Love". Aside from these three, there are plenty of instant classics to go around like the breezy "Way With Words", the harmonica and handclaps of "A Minute of Your Time", and the jangly "Tom is Everybody's Friend". 16 tracks in all here, so it's quality and quantity.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes | Listen/Buy at Bandcamp

CD of the Day, 8/4/09: The Shazam-Meteor

News like this doesn't get any better for a power pop fan. Not only is The Shazam back with a new disc, but it's the first new release on the Not Lame label in over two years (not counting the IPO comps which bear their imprint). Of course the wait has been longer for Shazam fans - Meteor is their first since 2002's Tomorrow the World. The Shazam is Power Pop with a capital "P" (or "PP"), and it's all here: crunchy guitars, power chords, hooky melodies, a touch of glam, and just enough attitude.

The disc opens with "So Awesome", which aside from serving as a two-word condensed version of this review, is the calling card to let you know that The Shazam is truly back. Frontman/Guitarist Hans Rotenberry (great name) pulls out all the rock-star moves on this killer track, and the sound behind the track can be traced all the way from T. Rex to Sloan. The midtempo "Don't Look Down" follows, a winner with its psychedelic flourishes and Beatlesque feel and "NFU" (which stands for "Not F----d Up - enough") rocks with the attitude its title implies. "Disco @ the Fairground" isn't quite what its title implies, but it's a refreshingly goofy glam number that recalls Queen in its mid-70s heyday.

"A Little Better" kicks off the midsection of the album, and its acoustic guitars and early 70s vibe make it sound like a lost classic rock tune from the bastard child of Led Zeppelin and The Move. "Always Tomorrow" features an easygoing melody in support of some rocking moves and recalls Big Star, and "Let it Fly" is the power pop equivalent of those quiet/loud tunes that the Pixies and Nirvana were well known for.

The final third of the disc sees them go in a Ramones-with-more-melody direction ("I Got the Bomb"), the glam rock theme for an imaginary superhero ("Latherman") and the double-entendre rock of "Time 4 Pie". All in all, it's the perfect return for a long-lost power pop staple and a long-lost power pop label. A definite year-end contender.

Not Lame | MySpace | iTunes

Meteor [album] by The Shazam