The Electric Soft Parade - Demos and Radio Performances of Idiots

It has been 6 years since Brighton's Electric Soft Parade has released a full length album.  That album came out earlier this summer.  It is called "Idiots" and it is a masterstroke. Perhaps the most consistently brilliant release I've heard this year, the album hits hard with clever hooks and never lets up.   It features co-leaders Thomas and Alex White particular brand of prog influenced pop.   Lots of hooks, lots of key changes, some strange instrumental breaks and brilliant production.  This time the brother's White have found expression for their alternative sides on the solo releases they put out over the last few years.   They have pulled all of their pop material into Idiots.    I really can't recommend this release enough.  Simply brilliant!

For the lucky owners of the release, I've pulled together some recent radio performances, a couple of demos and a bonus track that didn't make the album.  Consider this a set off extra bonus tracks.   For the uninitiated, listen to these tracks as a taste of what the real release is all about.   Idiots is out everywhere.  No excuse to not pickup one of the finest releases of the year.

1 Summertime in My Heart (Live on BBC)

2 Idiots (Live on BBC)

3 Number One (Live on BBC)

4 Lilly (Demo)

5 1969 (Bonus Track)

6 The Corner of Highdown and Montefiore (Live on BBC)

7 Brother, You Must Walk Your Path Alone (Live on BBC)

8 One Of Those Days (Live on BBC)

9 Welcome to the Weirdness (Demo)

10 We Don't Have to Fight Anymore (Older Demo)

David Myhr - Live at PDOL

Lots of signals telling me that summer is running down in the northern hemisphere and I'm going to miss it.  For me the Power Pop soundtrack of the summer has been the new one by The Electric Soft Parade, called Idiots.  Idiots is truly a pop masterpiece and an easy contender for the best Power Pop release of the year.   Though I'm collecting rare tracks to complement that album (and could use any help you could offer), I've been trying to keep summer alive by spinning tracks from one of last summer's favorite release Soundshine by David Myhr.  I've been listening quite a bit to the soundtrack to a live concert that David released last year entitled "Live at PDOL".

I don't post a lot of live shows because I tend to appreciate a professionally mixed set.  This concert fits the bill.  Its immaculately recorded and features some of the best tracks from SoundShine, my favorite Power Pop release from 2012. Enjoy.

1 Cut to the Chase
2 I Love The Feeling
3 Don't Say No
4 Never Mine
5 Looking For a Life
6 Get It Right
7 Got You Where He Wanted
8 Wanderlust
9 Loveblind

Adam Daniel - Songs From The Wilderness

Lots of justifiable excitement about the new release from Adam Daniel.  After a 14 year hiatus, Daniel has put together a worthy follow up to 1999's touchstone Power Pop album "Blue Pop".   Coming out of nowhere "Blue Pop" was an instant classic exercising a 3 minute pop sensibility (similar to Fountains of Wayne) in a more melancholy singer songwriter setting.  

This years effort "Pop, Baby" is a long awaited return to form.   It features a mix of smart rockers and AOR ballads.   A very nice album and  a surprise after 14 years.   During that time,  Adam put out two official releases, "The Adam Daniel Frequency" and the "Where You Are EP".  Both were collections of rough sounding demos.   Some great material on these however neither was ever rerecorded and mixed  professionally.

During his time "in the wilderness", Adam occasionally featured a stream of a fully mixed track on his website.   I've collected some of those tracks in the compilation here.  The compilation features two tracks left off, of the classic "Blue Pop" album,  a b-side rocker and a number of AOR style tracks that represented a direction that Adm was exploring during that time (many of them quite nice). 

Enjoys these tracks but be sure to pick up "Pop Baby".   It's sure to end up on lots of best Power Pop lists this year..

1 These Shy Things (Early Version) - Folky version of new album track (I like this version better than the new album's)
2 Always All About You - B-side from "Dream Out Loud"
3 Finally Asleep - Bonus track from "Blue Pop".  Recently featured on SoundCloud.
4 Everywhere - Bonus track from "Blue Pop"
5 Downhill Racing - Folky track
6 Scarred - R and B Track
7 She's Elegant - Folky Track
8 Home To You - Folky Track
9 Come Alive - Track from Adam's side project the Flutterbies
10 When It's Over - Folky Track
11 These Shy Things - Solo acoustic demo of new album track

The Grapes of Wrath - B-Sides and Bonus Tracks

There has been quite a bit of buzz in the Power Pop world about the new Grapes of Wrath album "High Road" and for good reason.  The Canadian band has reformed after a 13 year hiatus and have delivered a compelling power pop effort that's strong throughout.  Co-leaders Tom Hooper and Kevin Kane have again buried past differences (they had a brief reunion in 2000 for the album Field Trip) and have come together with an effort that leverages the best of the Grapes trademark jangle sound.   As I write this, High Road has only been released in Canada but non-Canadians can still get the album.  We can stream the effort from the CBC here.....but you will like what you hear and can buy downloads here.

In honor of the effort, I've assembled a collection of B-sides and bonus tracks.   The collection features a number of tracks from the rare bonus EP that accompanied 2000's  album "Field Trip".  A number are rearrangements of previously released Grapes tracks from the 1990's.   A few are covers.  Three of the tracks are from the album "Suddenly I Came To My Senses" by Ginger.   Ginger was Tom Hooper's effort after Kevin Kane left the band the first time.   I've included the most "jangly" from that effort. 

1 All the Things I Wasn't - Alternate Version from the "Field Trip" Bonus Disc

2 Down So Close - from B-Side of "You May Be Right"

3 See Emily Play - Pink Floyd Cover from the B-Side of "All The Time"

4 Misunderstanding - Alternate Version from the "Field Trip" Bonus Disc

5 All The Time - B-side of "I Am Here"

6 What I Need - From Ginger LP "Suddenly I Came To My Senses"

7 99 Miles from LA - Albert Hammond Cover from the "Field Trip" Bonus Disc

8 Let Me Roll It - McCartney Cover from the B-side to "What Was Going Through My Head"

9 Everything's Funny - From Ginger LP "Suddenly I Came To My Senses"

10 What Was Going Through My Head - Alternate Version from Field Trip Bonus Disc

11 FID's Theme - 1990 Demo

12 Summertime - From Ginger LP "Suddenly I Came To My Senses"

13 Backward Town - B-side from "Do You Want to Tell Me"

14 Porpoise Song - Monkee's Cover from the "Field Trip" Bonus Disc

Enjoy the compilation but I recommend getting the new album.   Great effort.

Plasticsoul - Demos of the New Album

Just like everyone else, I've been digging into the terrific compilation "Drink A Toast To Innocence: A Tribute To Lite Rock".    What a great album!  Certainly one of the highlights of the year so far.   While listening to the Fleetwod Mac track "Sentimental Lady" covered by Plasticsoul, I started wondering where Plasticsoul leader Steven Wilson was towards completing his new album.   

For the unitiated, Plasticsoul released one of the best Power Pop releases of 2008.  "Peacock Swagger" was a broad ranging album exploring mid-period Beatles territory similar to Cotton Mather.   Wilson and producer Brandon Schott have been trickling out demos of their new album for the last couple of years.  Here is a compilation of those tracks.  They sound great,  but I'm looking forward to the finished versions.

1 Kicks Like a Mule
2 Everything's Green
3 Good For Me
4 Tough Priest
5 Beth
6 Round She Goes
7 The Western Lands
8 Get Along
9 My Heavy Soul
10 That's When It All Goes Down
11 Angel, You're Right

Pillbugs - Marikesh "Love Is What You Want"

I'm a recent Pillbugs convert, largely due to the tireless efforts of Power Pop blog guru Mick Dillingham. The Akron, Ohio based band has a trippy Power Pop meets Psychodalia sound approximating XTC's "Dukes of Stratosphere" side project.  Some great songs in there. All of the Pillbug releases are well worth your time.  Highly recommended. What follows is an anonymous guest post of an early Pillbugs side project. Thanks friend for sharing this rare find...

In the late 1970s Mark Mikel and two childhood friends, Scott Tabner &; Ian McCormack formed a neighborhood garage band that eventually became Marikesh.  Marikesh released two singles prior to the 1985 release of their only lp, “Love Is What You Want,” which was recorded & produced in Mikel’s home studio.

Over the next few years Mikel continued recording in his studio, occasionally able to pull together the other band members, but new Marikesh material was not forthcoming.  At some point Marikesh ceased to exist and Mark, along with another friend, Mark Kelley, formed a new group: the Mark Mikel Hallucination – which also included Dave Murnen & Dan Chalmers.  The home recordings continued.  After a series of lead guitarists, the Hallucination added Scott Tabner and The Pillbugs were born.

This post contains the “Love Is What You Want” lp (no cd re-issue yet) one side of one of the pre-lp 45’s (Crazy on Cristmas (sic)), and several unreleased home recordings.  For comparison’s sake, much of the Marikesh material tends to the heavier side of the Pillbugs (similar to the first, self-titled, Pillbugs cd), but their flower-power popsike would fit comfortably on “3-Dimensional In-Popcycle Dream.”  Best of all, as it was recorded at home with Mikel producing, there’s no attempt to approximate the Steve Lillywhite-drum sound so prevalent at the time.  If anyone has the other three 45 sides (Rock Garden/The Sky and Look) please let me know.

1 The Dr. F's Creation
2 Onto the Sea of Sound
3 Love is What You Want
4 Taking On a Day
5 Sam The Computer
6 Frogtown
7 The Policeman Can
8 When I Grow Up Ill Be a Spy
9 Mother's Eyes No. 1
10 If Someday Was Tomorrow
11 Standing Still
12 Lend Me a Flower
13 Everybody's Driving in the Rain
14 Mother's Eyes No. 2
15 Judy's Aquarium
16 She's The Girl
17 Capitol L-O-V-E
18 Don't Be Afraid
19 Where Have You Been
20 I'm Sorry Bad About You
21 Together
22 The Drive
23 Crazy on Christmas

Blinker The Star - Truly Back

Last year year Blinker the Star leader Jordon Zadorozny came back with his first album in 9 years "We Draw Lines". The album was a fine effort and made my top 25 of the year, a partial return to the Power Pop sound he debuted in the the classic album "August Everywhere", one of the best single releases of the 90's. Also in 2012, Zadorozny finally released his long standing duo project with fellow Canadian singer Sofia Silva entitled Abbey. The Abbey effort sounds very much like Blinker the Star featuring a female singer and is well worth checking out.

This year, Blinker the Star has already released yet another album though this one is actually a set of new and old b-sides. The album, "Songs From Laniakea Beach" mixes b-sides left off of last year's "We Draw Lines" with older demo tracks from as long ago as 1999. Many of these were available for download on an earlier version of the band's website. I compiled many of these tracks in an earlier compilation and they still stand up extremely well. I recommend that you pick up classics like Persia, The River and Flex Your Little Claws. The new mixes sound great in high bit rate downloads from Bandcamp.

Here is a collection of even more rare b-sides not on any official release. Let me know if you have any rare tracks I'm missing and go out and support Jordon Zadorozny. He's truly back.

1 Take Your Love - Unreleased demo from "We Draw Lines"
2 By The Light of a Magical Moon - T-Rex Cover
3 Brown and Furry - Demo with guest vocals by ex-Medicine vocalist Brad Laner
4 Last Night's Parade - Demo by side project Abbey, using similar chord changes to "Take Your Love"
5 Sous Les Portes Coulisantes - B-side. A French language version of "Below the Sliding Doors"
6 Misunderstanding - Genesis Cover
7 Crazy Eyes - Demo of "August Everywhere" track
8 Transona 5 - B-side from 1996. Stereolab cover.
9 Strange As They Say - Live version of "Below the Sliding Doors" track
10 Live By The Gun - Live version of track from "Still in Rome"
11 Below the Sliding Doors - Live version
12 Protection - Dance track from a recent Jordon side project