Power Pop

New single: Friends of Cesar Romero || Summer Melts Faster b​/​w Spector In Technicolor

By / / Indie Rock, Power Pop / 1 Comment

J. Waylon Porcupine is synonymous for prolific. By now, his back catalogue exceeds 300 songs and it’s not like he started simultaneously with Dylan, Springsteen or Prince. Rather, his career started in the latter half of the ’90s as a teenager with The Reddmen – make sure to check out that band’s anthology, there are so many gems on that one.

After The Reddmen collapsed, Porcupine released (at least) 11 full lengths with Friends Of Cesar Romero and a train load of singles. His latest release (surely not his last) is installment #30 in his ongoing Doomed Babe series and it’s another example of Porcupine’s craft. Porcupine seems incapable of writing crappy songs, and his upbeat and poignant powerpop hits come across as effortlessly written. And yet, they never feel like throwaway songs. The only proper response is to sit back, enjoy the tunes and be grateful.

“Is there a song that hasn’t been already written about you yet? Or one you’ll soon forget?”



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: KMES || King Mike Entertainment System

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Mike Abbate is best known as the bass player of Screaming Females and co-founder of State Champion Records (New Jersey), but he also gets creative as a solo artist under the moniker KMES. King Mike Entertainment System is his first record as KMES and it’s a thing of beauty. That is, if you are a fan of punchy powerpop that makes up what it lacks in polish with a strong sense of melody. Not that I’d count the unpolished scrappy sound as a negative by any means. KMES reminds me of two bands I love: Laika’s Orbit and Tenement. Like both those bands, KMES sounds essentially as a punk outfit, but with a record collection that includes many other styles and genres.

KMES is very much an Abbate project. He wrote everything on the record and the bass, guitar and synth work (and singing) is all his. Jenna Fairey helped out by providing drums on all the tracks, and Marissa Paternoster and Quinn McDonald make an appearance on the excellent closer Algorithm & Blues. With songs like that one, and Ended Up Dumb, It’s Nice and Just Another Mike, it’s easy to fall for King Mike Entertainment System. Purchase the record on tape now through State Champion Records.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || State Champion Records

New album: The Veras || V For Veras

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop / 1 Comment

Band name, artwork, sound, style – everything matches and everything fits, how nice is it that the songs also convince. UK four-piece The Veras have infused influences from 70 years of pop and rock history into the cocktail shaker, but the proportion is different with every song they pour. And that’s cool: whether it’s 60s psych, 70s power pop, 80s glam rock or 90s Britpop that predominates, every tune radiates infectious fun. The band members – Matt Bond (vocals, guitar), Neil Runalis (bass), Jon Gray (organ, vocals) and Dan Taylor (drums) – have previously played with various rock legends, and through that experience they know exactly when a touch of handclaps, cowbell or vocal harmonies should be added for optimal effect. Their full-length debut album V For Veras features 12 hook-packed hits that are a victory over any bad mood. Cheers!

V For Veras is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Spinout Nuggets.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Spinout Shop || The Veras Shop

New single: Natalie Sweet & Brad Marino || Second Time b/w Over My Head

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop, Punk / 1 Comment

When I found out Natalie Sweet would join forces with Brad Marino for a two-song single on Reta Records and Rum Bar, I was already a fan before hearing any of the music. The single is out now, and it’s even better than expected. Boy, is the Sweet-Marino partnership a match made in heaven.

Both artists operate in the same corner of the musical universe. It’s a spot where melody, bubblegum, punkrock and rock’n’roll are in a complementary relationship. The dual boy/girl vocal attack and sweet harmonies are a natural fit and only further add to the success.

I sure hope this won’t be the last Sweet Marino team-up. Make it a series please!

By the way, ICYMI both artists were featured in a Gimme 5 on our site; read here and here.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp (Reta) || Bandcamp (Rum Bar)

New album: The Wimpy’s || Lookin’ Westward

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Kevin Aper’s Sweatpants Party is not the only great release on Monster Zero Records this week. Here’s Osaka (Japan) pop punks The Wimpy’s! The band has a history going back to the late ’90s. They are not the most prolific band though, and that makes it all the more valuable when they do releases new music.

Lookin’ Westward is full of pop punk hits, not super fast ramonescore per se, but smooth and sunny mid tempo punk boppers informed by early rock’n’roll and doo wop, with some bubblegum and surf influences as well.

Make sure to grab this record together with the Sweatpants Party in your next Monster Zero order.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Monster Zero Records

New album: The Kryng || Twelve Hymns to Syng Along

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Idiosyncratic and as cool as a cucumber, Dutch garage rock / nederbeat trio The Kryng expand their oeuvre without paying too much attention to what’s hip and happening. Mark Ten Hoor (guitar, vocals), Peter Kroes (bass, guitar, mellotron, backing vocals) and Arjan Spies (drums, guitar, piano) write original songs rooted in the 60’s, timeless songs that constantly put a smile on your face. Twelve Hymns to Syng Along is their 6th full-length album in as many years, Dave Von Raven guests on 3 tracks. The new LP features – you guessed it – 12 lo-fi tunes that are more pop-oriented than their previous work, but just as catchy and appealing. The Beatlesque stamp suits them well though (the musicians are involved in other projects with wantlist-worthy output, so we already knew what styles and genres they’re up to, but the quality of their productivity never ceases to amaze); regardless of the sound they conjure out of their instruments, everything is always about creating the perfect song, and they’ve done it again here, 12 times.

Twelve Hymns to Syng Along is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Soundflat Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Emily Jane Powers || Always

By / / Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop / Leave a Comment

Earlier this week, Dennis shared a 50 song (4LP) record. That’s insane – not by Dennis but by the artist. For a blog trying to strike a balance between sharing as much great new music as possible but also spending sufficient time with said music, a record of that size is close to a nightmare. Here’s one that is more like a dream: Always by Emily Jane Powers. Listening to the record will take less than 13 minutes and you get 10 songs in the time spent. That’s great! Even better, Always is a treat to the ears. Inspired by the songwriting of Tony Molina, the spontaneity and straightforward nature of Always works really well. There is a natural flow to the songs, which are meant to be experienced in sequence and in one sitting.

Expect short and sweet upbeat indie rock songs which Powers infuses with ’60s girl group melodies. It’s hard to beat the feeling of stumbling on songs like I Don’t Miss You Much When You’re Around, I’d Love You More (If Only You Want Me), Will You Call Me Over and I Changed My Mind. Always is out on Tape in a small run of 50 pink cassettes with handmade artwork, most of which are sold already.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Ken Sharp || I’ll Remember The Laughter

By / / Power Pop / 1 Comment

Looking at his resume, you can only conclude that Ken Sharp leads an enviable life. He writes best selling music books, contributes to music magazines, works on music documentaries, and has done liner notes for music releases, in all cases together or about artists and bands that you and I can only dream about. Somehow he also manages to make some pretty good music himself. Lots of pretty good music. His new (7th) album I’ll Remember the Laughter contains no less than 50 songs – thanks to extra time and an inspiration boost during the pandemic, but even more so thanks to unbridled creative intelligence. Quantity and quality go hand in hand. Sharp is responsible for the relatable lyrics, the versatile vocals and most of the many instruments, assisted by Fernando Perdomo with whom he co-produced the LP.

In essence these are classic, radio friendly power pop songs, but Sharp knows how to incorporate countless influences from other genres – the whole spectrum between Big Star and Beck. The vast majority of the 50 tracks are originals, but you’ll also hear well-chosen covers of The Kids are Alright (The Who), Girl (Davy Jones), Mr. Make Believe (Gene Simmons), and Comic Book Heroes and I’m Your Superman (Rick Springfield, who guests here). Appealing, warm and catchy. I need some more time to take it all in, but we can already put the label Very Impressive on it.

I’ll Remember the Laughter is out now digitally, on 2CD and 4LP through Jet Fighter Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Joey Joesph || Do You Bongo?

By / / Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Power Pop, Psych, Punk / 1 Comment

Joey Cook used to play in psych indie pop outfit Pomegranates, but currently records and performs as Joey Joesph – which I keep reading as Joey Joseph. Despite several releases preceding Do You Bongo, it is the first post-Promegranates work I’ve heard from Cook/Joesph. The record is hard to overlook though. Opener Bellezebub immediately grabs your attention with its Warm Sodaesque retro powerpop. From there on out, Do You Bongo is a delightfully weird mesh (mess?) of sounds and styles. There is proto punk, glam, power pop, synth pop, rock’n’roll, psychelic rock, and new wave. Psychedelic Baby Magazine sums it up as “rock & roll through a lens shaped by Saturday morning cartoons, half-remembered AM pop, and home-recording hero worship,” and that makes totally sense once you’ve listened to the record.

As such, you probably won’t like all of the songs on Do You Bongo, but the gems here (like Bellezebub, Little Brother, Rock & Roll Music, I Feel Nervous and Bongo 3) make the trip worthwhile nonetheless. Cool concept, cool execution.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Liquid Mike || A Beer Can And A Bouquet

By / / Indie Rock, Power Pop / 2 Comments

Back to Marquette we go! Liquid Mike returns with their third full-length, and it’s everything I could’ve hoped for. Liquid Mike is fronted by Mike Maple who frequently pops up on our site with his own music and contributions in the work of the extremely talented circle of musicians from Marquette. Cody Marecek of Yard Waste (drums), Monica Nelson (synths), and Raymond Little (guitar – make sure to check out his excellent solo record) round out Liquid Mike on A Beer Can And A Bouquet.

Liquid Mike have kept all the good parts about their previous record Stuntman. They still very much sound like a punchy and energetic indie rock/powerpop hybrid in the vein of Midtown, Piebald, Laika’s Orbit and The Promise Ring. Liquid Mike pour their heart and soul in these nine new recordings. The band calls it their most collaborative effort to date and had a blast creating the record. It shows. Songs like Lease Agreement, Elmer’s Glue, Snoozer, I’ll Get Back To You all stand out, and the quality throughout the record is consistently strong. There is a bittersweet element to the record though. Drummer Cody Marecek moved away recently, and the future of the band is unclear. Will it mark the end of Liquid Mike? Will they continue with a different drummer? Will the band become a recording project exclusively?

The final song on A Beer Can And A Bouquet is called There’s No Rock and Roll No More // Death to Liquid Mike. It starts out as a melancholic campfire acoustic track, and finishes as a loud instrumental track. The song kinda hurts and hits hard, even though I’m sure the people involved with or without each other will continue to create music worth our ears. I cross my fingers that this is not the last thing we hear from Liquid Mike. But whatever happens, thanx for burning bright Liquid Mike!




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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