Mark Bacino - Rare Tracks and Demos

I received several comments about the order of my Top 25 list for last year...and I started second guessing myself. So I went back and listened to my list. What a great year in Power Pop it was! I also confirmed my top choice.

For me the new effort by Mark Bacino takes top honors. Queen's English"" is simply the best written and fully realized Power Pop project of 2010. Mark successfully channels 1960s and 1970s American pop tradition into present day. I hear lots of Harry Nilson references. Lots of Beatles and Beach Boys influenced tunes. The album is beautifully arranged with nice brass and strings throughout. It also sounds great too. Mark has a business in music production and has turned it up on his own project. If you regularly check-in with this blog and don't have this album, stop right now and go get it!

Some of the highlights. "Queens English" is nice rocker recalling "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting". "Happy" is the first of three tracks influenced by Harry Nilson. (Harry seems like a big influence on Mark.) "Muffin in the Oven" sounds like Owsley's "Uncle John's Farm" (which always sounded like "Saturday in the Park" by Chicago to me.) "Camp Elmo" is the second of the Harry Nilson type tracks. "Angeline and the Bensonhurst Boy" is another of my favorites. A nice mitempo shuffle with a great Jellyfish-style refrain. "Bridge & Tunnel" is the third Nilson style track. "Blue Suit" a sleeper and another favorite of mine. It's an acoustic Bossa Nova number that sounds like some of the more recent efforts by Nashville band, Swandive

All and all a great album! Can't get enough. Here are some demos and commercial jingles from Mark that helped complete my collection: (Recently Re-Upped)

Every Night
In Colour
Down to the River
(Love Theme From) Shark
Camp Elmo (Live Acoustic)
Listening to the Band
For Real
Let's Go
Lighter Than Air
(Do the) Julie

Mark has posted liner notes for the compilation at his blog. Thanks Mark for letting us post this!

Top 25 Power Pop Releases of 2010

2010 had its share of bad news (the terrible loss of Will Owsley and the end of Not Lame). Even so, it actually ended up a strong year for Powerpop releases. Probably the best portfolio of great albums in years. My favorite 25 releases:

1. Mark Bacino - Queens English
   Finally Mark Bacino released the masterpiece I knew he had in him. Its a classic and the production is great (Mark has been working as a producer and it shows). More on the best release of 2010 later!
   
   
2. Buva - Not Scary! Friendly
   I've already written about this one. Great singer songwriter pop with clever hooks and stellar production. An unexpected treat!
   
   
3. Duncan Maitland - Lullabies For The 21st Century
   It sounds like a long lost XTC album. Great British pop from frequent Pugwash collaborator Duncan Maitland. This one has been a few years in the making and it shows.


4. Seth Swirsky - Watercolor Day
   Seth's a Power Pop genius and this is his Sunshine Pop concept album. I loved this one - though maybe not as much as his first effort.


5. Damien Lott - Damien Lott
   Didn't see this one coming. A great effort by Spanish singer Damien Lott. Lots of well deserved comparisons to Jason Falkner on this. A mix of Spanish and English songs. Cool songs. Great chord changes.


6. Jason Falkner - All Quiet on the Noise Floor
   It's Jason and a good one by him. More complicated arrangements this time. Two new arrangements of Jason classics and a nice Bill Nelson cover....maybe someday it will come out in the states! Whatever he puts out, I'll buy it.


7. Farrah - Farrah
   England's answer to Fountains of Wayne, Farrah put out yet another fabulous slice of cavity causing pop. The Archies got nothing on these guys...I look forward to every track.


8. Slumberjet - Slumberjet
   A big year for Irish Power Pop. Barry O'Brien and the boys sound like Jason Falkner mixed with XTC and that's a great thing.


9. Hans Rotenberry and Brad Jones - Mountain Jack
   Seems like everyone missed this one. A dream collaboration between Shazam lead vocalist Hans Rotenberry and Power Pop producer extraordinaire Brad Jones. I love the songs and the production. I do believe that this second effort by Brad Jones puts him in the same lofty company as Jon Brion.


10. Saul Zonana - Phatso
    Saul Zonana is a genius and Phatso is a return to form. His last one "Blue Monkey" was a more prog effort. Don't know why this one didn't get more play. It is full of Saul's trademark Beatlesque pop.


11. Timmy Sean - Songs From & Inspired By Noisewater
    The former lead singer of rock band Luzer has put out a convincing tribute to both Jeff Lynne and the Beach Boys. A great and surprising solo effort. Timmy's new band "Sir Video" sounds great as well. Very much in the Cheap Trick vein.


12. The Candles - Between the Sounds
    Sounding like a cross between Rhett Miller and the Lemonheads, "Between the Sounds" is great driving music. Keeps sounding better with each listen...


13. Greg Pope - Blue Ocean Sky
This one just snuck in under the wire in December. Greg Pope obviously knows what he's doing. More than anyone recording today, he consistenly puts out Power Pop that really rocks. Another great effort by Greg.


14. The Davenports - Why the Great Gallop
    Not sure whether this one should be in here as a 2010 release. The Davenports have been working on this one since 2007 and it looks like this one may make it into broader release in 2011. Lots of Fountains of Wayne style pop songs with a slightly more serious side.
    
    
15. Taylor Locke - Marathon
Sophomore effort by Rooney guitarist Taylor Locke. Where does he find the time? Great one.


16. Joe Reyes - Worry Row
Another very nice effort by Joe Reyes. In the tradition of Jon Brion and Jim Boggia, its singer songwriter stuff with a debt to Harry Nilsson and the Beatles.


17. The Contrast - God of Malfunction
Whoa! The Contrast are back. The God of Malfunction may be the best album every by this British band. Lots of Smithereens and early REM influences however the songs are hookier this time around. A great direction for this great band.


18. The Posies - Blood/Candy
The Posies put out another strong effort in 2010. Nice variety. Great production... and its the Posies!


19. Three Hour Tour - Looking For Tomorrow
This Champaign, Illinois band is back with another rocking power pop effort in the style of Baltimore bands like Starbelly and Myracle Brah. This may be the hardest rocking Pure Pop effort of the year.


20. Edward O'Connell - Our Little Secret
Where did Edward O'Connell come from? He sounds very much like Richard X. Heyman... and that's not a bad thing. A really nice album full of Nick Lowe, Graham Parker influenced tunes. My favorite is the rocker "With This Ring" which sounds an awful lot like "See No Evil" by Television.


21. Bleu - Four
Bleu had a great year and you can hear it. "Four" has better songs than his previous "A Watched Pot". Features a nice cameo by Roger Joseph Manning.


22. Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
Teenage Fanclub contribute this nice effort. A more folky effort than ever..but its Teenage Fanclub!!!. They still have the magic...


23. Genuine Fakes - The Striped Album
The Genuine Fakes recall the glory days of 1990's Swedish Power Pop. A nice surprise to hear a new effort in this classic style. Great tracks!


24. Oranjuly - Oranjuly
A great debut recalling the Beach Boys and early Teenage Fanclub in equal measure. Lots of great music to come from these guys. Loved this.


25. Charles Jenkins - Walk This Ocean
This one is a broader rockier effort by the Ice Cream Hands vocalist. Love the track "Swing Bridge". One of the best tunes of the year.

Buva - Something That You Need to Hear!

Whoa! Sometimes listening to new music can really surprise you. I got such a surprise today. Just listened to the new album by Buva (the solo project by Pasadena artist Tom Wolfe) and I'm telling you that this album is in contention for best Power Pop album of 2010 (competing with "Queens's English" by Mark Bacino for that honor). It's a warm immediate effort that has the casual feel of early McCartney solo projects. The songs start in understated fashion but each one builds to reveal clever and sublime hooks. I am loving this! Its clearly a power pop must listen and it's easy to check it out for yourself. The entire album is streaming on the Buva website. Don't wait. Listen to this and let me know what you think.

I loved the debut EP by Buva but was a bit disappointed by his 2006 sophomore effort "All This Humming". That album has some terrific moments but was a bit introverted and mellow for my taste. The new album "Not Scary! Friendly" is much better. Lot's of upbeat tunes. Great hooks. Subtle arrangements.

To celebrate, here is the sum total of my Buva rarities . Two compilation tracks, one instrumental and four solo acoustic tracks from an earlier version of Buva's website. Enjoy these but PLEASE go out and buy the man's album! More of this please Tom!

1. Something That I Need to Hear (Acoustic version)
2. Can I See You (Compilation track from the Smallville Soundtrack)
3. Crawling From the Egg (Instrumental from MySpace)
4. She Makes Me Fall Down (Acoustic version)
5. First Cut is the Deepest (Compilation track from the Heartbreak Kid Soundtrack)
6. Just Step Away (Acoustic version)
7. She Likes the Sound (Acoustic version)

Mike Viola - Radio Show Tracks

Here are some great rare tracks by Mike Viola and the Candy Butchers extracted from three radio broadcasts, one from WERS in Boston and two from WFUV in New York. The sessions span 2004 through 2008 and sound very good to me. Mike plays solo, in a duet with Kelly Jones and with a full band.

These tracks span his career, from the Blue Thumb album through Lurch, with one track not available anywhere else. He performs his own version of "Beautiful Ride" from Walk Hard, the Dewey Cox Story (Viola and Dan Bern wrote the music for John C. Reilly to sing in this 2007 mocumentary). Also of note is a band version of "Hair of a Dog", a great track that was only released as a solo acoustic version on "Just Before Dark".

1. Canned Hunt (Solo Guitar)
2. Girly Worm (Duet with Kelly Jones)
3. Not So Bad at All (Band Version)
4. Beautiful Ride (Solo Guitar)
5. Sparkle (Solo Piano)
6. Let's Have a Baby (Band Version)
7. I'm Not Over You (Solo Guitar)
8. What to Do with Michael (Solo Piano)
9. Hair of a Dog (Band Version)
10. A Way to Say Goodbye (Duet with Kelly Jones)

A huge thanks to Yoshi who had the foresight to archive these broadcasts and was nice enough to send them along to me. Really enjoying them. They're holding me over until Mike rereleases Hang On Mike on vinyl....looking forward to the bonus tracks coming with that release.

Let me know if anyone has any additional radio session from Mike.

Metro Jets - The Morning Show

The 1990's were great times for Swedish Power Pop. Bands like Popsicle, The Trampolines and the Wannadies were making terrific poppy records that mixed bubblegum hooks with punk attitude. With the exception of the Wannadies, many of these bands only produced one or two albums and by 2000, very few of the Swedish Power Pop bands were recording any more.

In 2004, the Metro Jets represented a minor Swedish Power Pop resurgence. They were a "Supergroup" of sorts featuring the talents of Magnus Börjeson , the leader of the prototypical Swedish Powerpop group "Beagle" as well as David Birde, the guitar player and sometime lead singer of the Malmo based band "Brainpool". The Metro Jets released three essential singles, some minor movie music and then promptly faded from view.

This compilation includes all of the Metro Jet's released material along with two late compilation tracks by Beagle . It starts with an overture of sorts by Brainpool extracted from Brainpool's 2004 rock opera entitled "Junk" called the "Metro Jets Permiere Concert". Evidently a fictional band called "The Metro Jets" were characters in that opera. (Must have been the origin of the Metro Jets name.) Rounding out the collection are some unfinished incidental tracks posted on the Metro Jets old website as well as some music recently posted by Magnus Börjeson.

I'll admit that the collection trails off at the end - however you have got to hear track number 2, The Morning Show. It's a Powerpop classic. If you like this, you should really pick up Favorita (another post-Beagle project from Magnus Börjeson ). Great stuff.

1. Metro Jets Premiere Concert (From Brainpool rock opera "Junk")
2. The Morning Show (Metro Jets single)
3. Love Grows (Late Beagle track covering Edison Lighthouse from "Right to Chews" bubblegum compilation)
4. Boat (Incidental music posted by Magnus Börjeson on Sound Cloud)
5. The Midas Touch (B-side of Metro Jets single)
6. Lady Gwendoline (Metro Jets single)
7. Aluminum (Demo posted on old Metro Jets website)
8. Well, It's Only Pain (Late Beagle track from International Pop Overthrow Vol. 4)
9. Fish (Incidental music posted by Magnus Börjeson on Sound Cloud)
10. Jingle Jangle Christmas (Metro Jets Christmas single featuring Helena Josefsson & Vibeke Saugestad)
11. Glasgow (Demo posted on old Metro Jets website)
12. Grand Desert (Incidental music posted by Magnus Börjeson on Sound Cloud)
13. Neon (Incidental music posted by Magnus Börjeson on Sound Cloud)
14. Robbie W's Best (Demo posted on old Metro Jets website)
15. Metro Jets Premiere Concert Part 2 (From Brainpool rock opera "Junk")
16. Candle (Incidental music posted by Magnus Börjeson on Sound Cloud)
17. Pastis & Petanque (Incidental music posted by Magnus Börjeson on Sound Cloud)
18. Woman and Gramophone (Incidental music posted by Magnus Börjeson on Sound Cloud)
19. Metro Jets Permiere Concert Live (From live performance of Brainpool rock opera "Junk")

The Grays - Live at the 40 Watt Club

I found it! I've been looking for this rare Grays show in my archives for years and finally found it this weekend. It's from a show from the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia and includes songs culled from "Ro Sham Bo" as well as solo tracks from Buddy Judge and Jason Falkner. There are also covers of "He's Frank" by the Monochrome Set and "Blessed" by Simon and Garfunkel.

A great concert by a great (if short lived) band. Track listing as follows:

1. Everybody's World
2. Same Thing
3. Eloquence
4. Very Best Years
5. Oh, Nevermind
6. He's Frank
7. Nothing Between Us
8. Nothing
9. Not Ready Yet
10. Both Belong
11. Is It Now Yet?
12. My Home Is Not a House
13. Not Long For This World
14. Spooky
15. Blessed

...however now that I have a chance to listen to it again, this show doesn't actually sound that good. If anyone has a better copy, please contact me.

For a better listen, you may also want to download a slightly earlier concert uploaded to this blog (posted in the comments, thanks Jay) back in 2008. It's an audience recording but a pretty clear one.

KC Bowman - Pioneer Playfaire

Here is another compilation by one of my personal favorites, KC Bowman. KC is one of the "leaders" of a loose confederation of artists based in Oakland known as Preoccupied Pipers . The Pipers are political, satyrical and often just plain silly. Even so, they've been putting out great albums since the mid 90's. In my opinion, KC's tracks are more polished and accesible than other members of the Pipers. They are tuneful, nicely arranged and adopt a beatleseque vocabulary in suprising ways.

This is my second collection of KC tracks extracted from Piper's albums. Two of the tracks were contributed directly by KC Himself (thank you KC!) You may also want to check out my first collection and don't miss KC's first solo record "Fresher Tin Villages". It is a masterpiece and KC has released it free on his Facebook page.

Be forwarned that KC's world is inhabited by strange characters behaving in suprising ways. The word play is clever. The world view is somewhat left of center. You may already live there but if not be prepared to be drawn in:

1. Pioneer Playfaire
2. The Dulcolax
3. Clown Torture
4. Sorting Out the Rules
5. The Prom King
6. The Lusty Horn
7. Wo Larry 3
8. Night-Circling Sharks
9. Linus's Fists of Death
10. Winter and Rough Weather
11. Down Boy Down
12. Reap the Plains Sown
13. Stumblin' In
14. Birthday Joel
15. History One
16. For Fear of Boring Laius
17. Pretty Ringtime
18. Pop Glass Ceiling
19. Night-Circling Sharks II
20. History Two
21. Sense of Reason
22. Lunkhead
23. You Should Be Sober
24. San Rafael in Love
25. History Three