powerpop: Downbeat 5 - Victory Motel - 2006
Victory Motel is a gritty, powerful, no-frills rock n roll rampage that hs no boundaries. Taking it’s cues from ’60’s Beat and Soul and 70’s inspired Punk and Garage, The Downbeat 5 create their own wall of sound filled with…
92 DEGREES - MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ‘ROUND (1990)
Hailing from the Illinois area just like their labelmates Material Issue, 92 Degrees released in 1990 this little known mini LP full of catchy power pop hooks produced by the fabulous Adam Schmitt…
powerpop: Fierce Creatures: The Sequel
Longtime readers may recall the saga of Something Fierce, the brilliant and brilliantly funny band I first wrote about here back in August of ‘07.
Well, I’m happy to report there’s some big news on the band front — to wit, an…
powerpop: Big Star Box Set and Book
Big Star inspired a fevered allegiance among fans of power pop, giving rise to a cult of believers who spent decades spreading the gospel. Their enthusiasm turned this obscure Memphis pop band-one that got little airplay, sold few records, and…
One of the first things I ever did on this blog was anoint this EP the best of the decade. I still stand by that proclamation. “Make it Right” just popped up on my iPod, and since we didn’t have…
In the mid-’70s, British singer/songwriters like Graham Parker and Elvis Costello launched careers with music that tempered the onslaught of punk to a more melodic rock sound reminiscent of mid-’60s Beatles music and its many followers, and, while retaining punk’s…
powerpop: Talk to the Wool Hat!
From 1972, Mike Nesmith invents psychedelic country rock with this quite remarkable twelve-string and pedal steel version of the venerable cajun classic “Bonaparte’s Retreat.”
All of Nesmith’s post-Monkees RCA albums are worth checking out — his unplugged And The Hits Just…
DWIGHT TWILLEY - MOON SHADOW (1984)
This show, recorded in 1984 for the King Biscuit Flower Hour, nearly a decade after the success of his first hit single (”I’m On Fire“) delivers on the promise that he writes and performs some of…
Originally issued on Lookout Records in 1999, the Lillingtons’ pop-punk classic Death by Television has been remastered by Mass Giorgini (who produced the original album) for this 2006 reissue through San Francisco-based Red Scare. Burnt out from covering girls and heartbreak…
powerpop: Roger Klug "More Help For Your Nerves"
I noticed this year so far is a banner year for Power Pop, with more “Top Ten” quality albums coming earlier this year than ever before. The new, and greatest release from Roger Klug— ten years in the making, is…