Absolute Powerpop

The 50 Best Albums Of 2011

2012-01-08T06:14:00.000-08:00

These lists drive me crazy. Since Christmas I've been frantically revisiting my favourite albums from 2011, trying to put them in some kind of order. The actual rankings are largely irrelevant. I love all of these, although I love the top 20 a tad more. Some of you will no doubt wonder where acts like Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes are. Firstly, I'd like to direct you to the name of this blog. Secondly, I find it incredibly pretentious to include artists I haven't featured throughout the year. Like certain shady fuckers I could mention. Anyway, here are my top 50 predominantly pop albums of 2011. Let me know what you think in the comments!

50. Femme Fatale - Britney Spears (US)

Must hear: "Til The World Ends", "Trip To My Heart" and "Criminal".

In 2011 Britney transformed into the world's first virtual pop star. The 30-year-old has never been particularly involved in her music but the people around her always did a good job of choosing songs that at least seemed to have a personal connection - be it young love ("Sometimes"), loneliness ("Everytime") or media harassment ("Piece Of Me"). This time around, they don't even bother. "Femme Fatale" is a disturbingly impersonal experience but there's no denying the quality of the songs. The Ke$ha-penned "Til The World Ends" stands toe-to-toe with the best of Brit's back catalogue, "I Wanna Go" boasts one of the year's catchiest hooks and the underperforming "Criminal" is something of a guilty pleasure if you ignore the vomit-inducing video. What you're left with is an eerily detached but ultimately accomplished pop album that has nothing to do with the person who allegedly recorded it.

49. Alexander - Alexander (US)

Must hear: "Awake My Body", "Bad Bad Love" and "Truth".

Alexander is better known as the man behind Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Their 2009 opus "Up From Below" is a huge favourite of mine and I was excited about this solo project. As it turns out, "Alexander" is something of companion piece to the band's last offering. It explores similar sounds and themes but doesn't quite match the psychedelic highs of that gem. Not that it's a total waste. The kooky songwriter's sun-drenched songs of love and loss are magical in their own right. This musical equivalent of watching a '70s road movie on acid.

48. Saxobeats - Alexandra Stan (Romania)

Must hear: "Get Back (ASAP)", "Mr Saxobeat" and "Show Me The Way".

I love this hot Romanian tranny and her dated saxobeats! Inna could never.

47. The Great Impression - Sparkadia (Australia)

Must hear: "Talking Like I'm Falling Down Stairs", "China" and "Mary".

While a much-deserved commercial breakthrough continues to elude Sparkadia, they won a lot of new fans with their excellent sophomore set. I think the band's problem is that they are essentially genreless. Their brand of darkly beautiful soft-rock/pop (for want of a better description) isn't exactly typical radio fodder but I can't get enough of it. From The Cure meets Hurts synth-adventure of "Talking Like I'm Falling Down Stairs" to the gloriously morose "China", Sparkadia has earned their spot at the forefront of Australian pop.

46. Oh Land - Oh Land (Denmark)

Must hear: "Sun Of A Gun", "White Nights" and "We Turn It Up".

My only problem with Oh Land's icily beautiful self-titled album is that it took five or six listens to fully appreciate. While I respect the subtle production and experimental flourishes, the Danish diva's less-is-more approach to pop demands a level of attention I would never usually show a new artist. And I really would have hated to miss out on the Oh Land experience. She somehow manages to walk the line between Robyn's commercial electro-pop and Lykke Li's depressed art-pop. The result is dreamy and magical. Start with singles "White Nights" and "Sun Of A Gun" before wading into the slightly muddier waters of "Lean" and "Break The Chain".

45. Too Cool To Care - New Boyz (US)

Must hear: "Better With The Lights Off", "Backseat" and "Meet My Mom".

I probably should be embarrassed to like this album as much as I do. New Boyz are the rap equivalent of LMFAO - a tongue-in-cheek duo, who appeal to the lowest common denominator with their unashamedly low-rent tunes about clubbing and fucking. But I'm on board as long as they keep churning out killer jams like "Better With The Lights Off" - Chris Brown's best song in years - and "Backseat" (Dev's finest feature of 2011). To get some idea of the Boyz's surprising versatility, check out the light-hearted "Meet My Mom" and gritty Sabi-assisted "Tough Kids". It's no "Watch The Throne" but I like it!

44. From Here To Anywhere - Sneaky Sound System (Australia)

Must hear: "Big", "I'm Not Leaving" and "The Colours".

For a master-class in pulling together a cohesive electro-pop album that manages to explore a variety of sub-genres without ever straying from its core concept, look no further than "From Here To Anywhere". There's not a bad song on this. It's just a shame that with the obvious exception of "Big", which should have been bifger than "Party Rock Anthem", and the poptastic "I'm Not Leaving", there aren't a lot of singles to choose from. I'm not even going to comment on "Really Want To See You Again" going to radio. What the fuck?

43. To The Horses - Lanie Lane (Australia)

Must hear: "That's What You Get", "What Do I Do" and "What Trouble Is".

I like to listen to Lanie's critically acclaimed debut when I'm stoned. There's not much else to say.

42. Unreleased - Nicole Holness (Canada)

Must hear: "Epic", "Pop Yo Bottles" and "Still The One".

I almost passed out when I saw "Unreleased" in Canadian record store earlier this year. Lead single "Epic" came to my attention on the Pop Panel way back in 2009 and means a lot to me for a lot of different reasons. I thought Nicole - an MTV host, as far as I can tell - was a one- or no-hit wonder, who dropped off the face of the earth after revolutionising pop music with the aforementioned synth-ballad but she finally got around to releasing an album in 2011 and it was worth the wait. The whole affair is let down by sub-standard production but the pride of Canada has a surprisingly warm voice and puts her own spin on slutty club-bangers ("Pop Yo Bottles" and "Watch Me") and pretty slow jams ("Still The One" and "Come Find Me"). I would love to see what Nicole could deliver with different collaborators but until then I'm going to cherish this underappreciated gem.

41. Nothing But The Beat - David Guetta (France)

Must hear: "Night Of Your Life", "Titanium" and "Repeat".

David Guetta makes me queasy but "Nothing But The Beat" is already a veritable greatest hits compilation. "Titanium" is easily the best song the French DJ has ever produced. "Without You" is Usher's best song in a decade. "Little Bad Girl" is more of the same from Taio Cruz but I'm not complaining. The scary thing is that there are at least two more killer singles waiting for release. Jessie J's "Repeat" is better than anything on her own album and Jennifer Hudson delivers a monster vocal on the divalicious "Night Of Your Life". I have a feeling this will date less gracefully than Madonna but for now it's a strikingly good snapshot of where dance music is at circa 2011.

40. En Vivo Desde Paris - Shakira (Colombia)

Must hear: "Hips Don't Lie", "Je L'aime A Mourir" and "Sale El Sol".

Missing out on Shakira's "Sun Comes Out" tour is one of my biggest regrets of 2011. Particularly after hearing this electric live recording of her Paris show. The Colombian superstar performs all the hits from her latest album as well as reviving old classics like "Whenever Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes". Other highlights include new French single "Je L'aime A Mourir" and finally hearing "Waka Waka" live. I love that the concert hasn't been doctored to sound better on record. This is raw and a little rough in places, which makes it all the more exciting to hear.

39. Two - Lenka (Australia)

Must hear: "Heart Skips A Beat", "You Will Be Mine" and "Everything's OK".

After making huge international waves with "The Show", Lenka was singled out by many as Australia's next big thing. Unfortunately for the pop veteran, her sophomore album sank without a trace. Which is rather shit because it's a big improvement on debut. The highlights come from super-producer Guy Sigsworth (Britney, Robyn and Madonna), who tries to direct the quirky diva towards a more commercial sound. "You Will Be Mine" is one of the year's best electro-pop songs, while "Heart Skips A Beat" is only slightly too understated for mainstream success. If you miss the relentless sunniness of "The Show", then check out "Everything's OK". It pretty much picks up where her breakout hit left off.

38. Pennies In A Jar - Nikki Jean (US)

Must hear: "What's A Girl Supposed To Do", "Rockaway" and "Mercy Of Love".

Remember when Nikki Jean was hailed as the next big thing? No? Don't worry, you're in the majority. Needless to say, things didn't really work out for soul singer, which is a shame because "Pennies In A Jar" is a quirky gem. A concept album of sorts, Nikki's debut had the plucky songbird travelling across America to work with legendary songwriters like Bob Dylan, Carole King, Jeff Barry, Carly Simon and Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil. If those names mean anything to you, chances are you'll love this Motown-inspired collection of sweet soul tunes. If not - then cut your losses and move on.

37. Victorious - Soundtrack (US)

Must hear: "Beggin' On Your Knees", "Best Friend's Brother" and "All I Want Is Everything".

Selena Gomez had better watch her back because Victoria Justice is coming for her wig! The 18-year-old Nickelodeon starlet's second soundtrack album is surprisingly strong thanks to contributions from Max Martin and Shellback. "Beggin' On Your Knees" is the best thing the super-Swede has written for a non A-Lister, while tracks like "Best Friend's Brother" and "You're The Reason" wouldn't sound out of place on an early Miley Cyrus album - a huge compliment indeed!

36. Take Care - Drake (Canada)

Must hear: "Doing It Wrong", "Look What You've Done" and "Hyfr (Hell Ya Fucking Right)".

Drizzy is the best thing to happen to hip-hop since Khia! I don't know what I expected from "Take Care" but it wasn't this surprisingly frank batch of songs that intimately document Drake's rise to and subsequent struggle with fame. There are tracks about family support ("Look What You've Done"), groupies ("Hyfr") and failed relationships ("Doing It Wrong"). Hell, the Canadian even manages to make Nicki Minaj sound good on "Make Me Proud"! Great stuff.

35. Ayer Y Hoy - Ninel Conde (Mexico)

Must hear: "Vivir Así Es Morir De Amor", "Chica Material (Material Girl)" and "Venus".

Mexican pop goddess Ninel delivered one of 2011's campest albums with her fabulous collection of '70s and '80s cover versions. The production is a bit rough in places but you haven't lived until you hear the diva's interpretations of "Venus", "Material Girl" and "Gloria" en español. Think of this as the Latin equivalent of Marcia Hines' legendary "Discotheque" album. Yes, it's that amazing!

34. Is The World Strange Or Am I Strange? - Cosmo Jarvis (UK)

Must hear: "Gay Pirates", "Blame It On Me" and "She Doesn't Mind".

I love Cosmo. The very heterosexual 22-year-old not only crafted the year's best gay anthem in the form of "Gay Pirates" but also managed to cover Kylie and share a beer with me at his industry showcase in Neutral Bay. Unfortunately, the Englishman's sophomore set drew mixed reviews - many critics had issues with his eclectic style and rapping - but I love that "Is The World Strange Or Am I Strange?" is a jarring melting pot of different genres and sounds. It's not a complete mess. There is an overarching theme (disenchantment and disillusionment) and Mr Jarvis knows how to knock out a memorable lyric better than most. Expect album number three to be an absolute corker.

33. Love CPR - September (Sweden)

Must hear: "Microphone", "Party In My Head" and "Resuscitate Me".

Petra continues to rule the Scandipop landscape with her tried and tested brand of upbeat pop. And while "Love CPR" doesn't quite hit the same heights as "Dancing Shoes" or "In Orbit", it's still better than anything else made in Sweden this year.

32. Love? - Jennifer Lopez (US)

Must hear: "Papi", "I'm Into You" and "Starting Over".

"Love?" is such a frustrating album. One the one hand it's an unforgivably lazy mess that mixes ancient demos with bottom of the barrel contributions from usually reliable producers. On the other, it delivers the odd hit of top-notch pop and serves as a reminder that Jennifer Lopez was an incredibly fun pop star in her hey-day. Highlights include mega-hit "On The Floor", the generic but frankly amazing "I'm Into You", "Papi" and the Wynter Gordon-penned mid-tempo ballad "Starting Over". It's not a perfect album by any means but I hope Jenny's comeback has done well enough to prompt a swift follow-up.

31. Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor - Caro Emerald (Netherlands)

Must hear: "Back It Up", "That Man" and "Stuck".

The Caro Emerald phenomenon hasn't reached Australia yet but the Dutch diva has already conquered Germany and England with her snappy jazz tunes. My first taste of "Deleted Scenes" was the swing-tastic "Back It Up" and while nothing else matches the commercial appeal of that killer anthem, the rest of Caro's debut is a classy delight. If people still threw dinner parties, this would be the perfect soundtrack.

30. Nightshades - Cobra Starship (US)

Must hear: "Disaster Boy", "Fool Like Me" and "Anything For Love".

This ranks as the year's biggest surprise for me. I've never been a particularly big fan of Cobra Starship and pretty much hated the album's generic lead single. So imagine my shock when I heard the rest of "Nightshades" and fell head-over-heels in love. There's so much going on here. From the New Order tribute otherwise known as "Anthing For Love" to the sublime retro-stylings of "Fool Like Me", the band's fourth offering is an almost flawless display. If you don't believe me, check out "Disaster Boy". This is the kind of nuclear-powered pop that Alphabeat briefly teased us with before becoming shit.

29. Brava! - Paulina Rubio (Mexico)

Must hear: "Me Gustas Tanto", "Heat Of The Night" and "All Around The World".

Paulina Rubio gets the RedOne songs J.Lo and Kat DeLuna rejected on her latest bi-lingual pop opus. That might sound like a diss but the Swedish super-producer always saves his best material for the Latin ladies and this is no exception. The rest of the album sounds a bit dated in comparison but fans of the Mexican diva will find a lot to love.

28. Selection - Ami Suzuki (Japan)

Must hear: "Love The Island", "Free Free" and "Delightful".

Japanese pop queen Ami Suzuki finally deigned to release a greatest hits package this year. I'm still crying and shaking!

27. Chief - Eric Church (US)

Must hear: "Springsteen", "Drink In My Hand" and "Hungover & Hard Up".

Ok, I admit it. I only bought this CD for the cover! But happily, Eric's testosterone-soaked country-rock anthems - about getting drunk and chasing women - are almost as hot as his face.

26. Gloria - Goria Trevi (Mexico)

Must hear: "Fuego Con Fuego", "Sobrenatural" and "La Noche".

The best Mexican pop album of 2011.

25. El Camino - The Black Keys (US)

Must hear: "Lonely Boy", "Gold On The Ceiling" and "Run Right Back".

I'm not going to pretend I'm a Black Keys fan from way back. I can usually take or leave them but "El Camino" has wormed its way under my skin mainly due to the fact that one of my best friend's has been playing it non-stop in her car since the day of release. While nothing has else the pop appeal of the awesome "Lonely Boy", I recommend checking out "Gold On The Ceiling" and "Run Right Back" for similar rootsy goodness. A total grower.

24. I Remember Me - Jennifer Hudson (US)

Must hear: "Where You At", "Gone" and "Everybody Needs Love".

"I Remember Me" is probably how "4" would have turned out if Beyoncé settled for generic mainstream producers and was half as talented. That sounds like a whopping insult but even the poor man's equivalent of King B's genre-defining masterpiece is a very good thing. I love that Jennifer serves up some old school soul with "Where You At" and "I Got This" as well as unexpectedly throwing in some disco in the form of the epic "Everybody Needs Love" and even going gospel on "Believe". The album is less successful when Jen tries to sound current ("I remember Me" and "Angel") and falls particularly flat with mid-tempo R&B dirge like "Don't Look Down" and "Still Here". The album's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but I like it. A lot.

23. Zoë - Zoë Badwi (Australia)

Must hear: "Freefallin'", "Relapse" and "One Step Behind".

Zoë Badwi flew the flag for homegrown dance music in 2011, pulling together twelve classy floorfillers on her hugely enjoyable debut. While "Freefallin'" towers above the other tracks in terms of commercial appeal, clubbers will find a lot to love on "Zoë". The Hi-NRG explosion that is "Relapse" pushes all my trashy buttons, while "One Step Behind" finds the diva in an unusually demented mood. At one point a re-release was in the works and I really hope that's still happening. This gem deserves a bigger audience.

22. Make A Scene - Sophie Ellis-Bextor (UK)

Must hear: "Starlight", "Cut Straight To The Heart" and "Bittersweet".

The depressing state of Sophie Ellis-Bextor's career is one of the world's great mysteries. This woman should be bigger than Madonna. Instead, she's been reduced to releasing Russia-only albums. What the fuck? On the bright side, "Make A Scene" is a typically flawless collection of understated pop gems that stands out as the second best album of SEB's career - just behind the criminally underrated "Shoot From The Hip". From the gorgeous "Bittersweet" to the synth-drenched, Sally Shapiro-pop of "Starlight", this is solid as a rock. Maybe it's time for Sophie to lower her standards and call RedOne. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

21. Watch The Throne - Jay-Z & Kanye West (US)

Must hear: "H.A.M.", "Lift Off" and "Made In America".

I'm going to be honest. I probably wouldn't have even bnthered listening to "Watch The Throne" if Beyoncé hadn't lent her exquisite vocals to "Lift Off". The quality of that trippy track peaked my interest and I was blown away by the album's raw ambition and seamless blend of featured artists and obscure samples. While I find it difficult to identify with the full-throttle rap of "Niggas In Paris" or "H.A.M.", I can appreciate the dizzying skill on display but the album really works for me when it veers into pop territory on killer tracks like the aforementioned "Lift Off", Mr Hudson-assisted "Why I Love You" and the beautiful "Made In America". Somehow it actually lives up to the hype.

20. Young Foolish Happy - Pixie Lott (UK)

Must hear: "You Win", "Birthday" and "All About Tonight".

Leave Pixie alone! The glamorous English songbird has become the most hated woman in pop (after Jessie J) - a situation I find completely baffling. She's pretty, has a good voice and doesn't pretend to be bisexual to sell records! Anyway, the haters can choke on the musical brilliance of her stunning sophomore album. Lead single "All About Tonight" is a dazzling floorfiller but it's not indicative of the rest of the album, which finds Ms Lott mostly in mid-tempo, retro-mode. That sounds vile but the material is consistently excellent. "You Win" is a swoon-worthy ballad, "Kiss The Stars" is upbeat pop at its cutest and "We Just Go On" is a genuinely touching break-up anthem. Admittedly, there are some fails - misguided second single "What Do You Take Me For?" and downright dire "Nobody Does It Better" - but this is a massive step in the right direction. I just hope they start choosing better singles before this ends up in the bargain bin next to "Talk That Talk".

19. Tell Me - Jessica Lea Mayfield (US)

Must hear: "Our Hearts Are Wrong", "I'll Be The One That You Want Someday" and "Blue Skies Again".

Jessica Lea Mayfield is my favourite clinically depressed singer-songwriter. Her debut made all the right people take notice but "Tell Me" is on another level entirely. There isn't a dud track on this brutally honest collection of ominous poems loosely set to music by Black Keys' frontman Dan Auerbach. The talented 's bleak opinion of love and relationships comes to the fore on such downbeat fare as "I'll Be The One That You Want Someday", "Nervous Lonely Night" and "Run Myself Into The Ground". A dark and moody treat for fans of morose alt-country.

18. No Boys Allowed - Keri Hilson (US)

Must hear: "All The Boys", "Lose Control" and "Beautiful Mistake".

I'm so embarrassed. I bought a Keri Hilson album and I (really) liked it! This bird-brained diva is the Jessie J of R&B - talented but delusional and completely unaware of her lowly position in the musical hierachy. Be that as it may, "No Boys Allowed" is all killer no filler. Strippers will be working that pole to sexy club-bangers like "Gimme What I Want" and "Drippin'" for years to come, while Miskeried unexpectedly shows her softer side on pretty ballads like "All The Boys" and "Hustler". Perhaps the biggest surprise is the pure-pop of "Beautiful Mistake" and "Fearless". Hell, the album even includes the trashy German remix of her international smash "I Like"! There really is a lot to love about "No Boys Allowed". If Skeri would just shut her mouth and sing, she might not be a complete joke. 2011's ultimate guilty pleasure.

17. With The Music I Die - Wynter Gordon (US)

Must hear: "Still Getting Younger", "Til Death" and "Buy My Love".

Wynter took Australia by storm last summer with her triple platinum smash "Dirty Talk" and kept the momentum going with "Til Death". Things seem to have died down a bit for her since then - I blame that hideous duet with Marvin Priest - but there's no denying that "With The Music I Die" is one of the most accomplished dance-pop albums of the year. Apart from the stellar singles, "Still Getting Younger" is an absolute triumph and "Rumba" single-handedly made Ace Of Base relevant again. There are a couple of songs that haven't held up particularly well ("Drunk On Your Love" and "Don't Stop Me") but this demands a re-release, even if Neon Records just tack on some of her fabulous leaked demos. "Wonderland" and "I Like Your Noise" pretty please!

16. My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1) - Mary J. Blige (US)

Must hear: "Mr Wrong", "The Living Proof" and "Need Someone".

Releasing a sequel to one of the most influential R&B albums of all time was always going to be a hard ask but the Queen of soul pulls it off. That's not to say that "My Life II" is perfect. I have issues with generic club-bangers like "Feel Inside" and "Next Level". They are clearly beneath a legend like Mary J and let's not even mention that embarrassing cover of Chaka Khan's "Ain't Nobody". The album comes into its own, however, with hot slow jams - "Mr Wrong" and "Someone To Love Me (Naked)" - and killer collaborations with hip-hop royalty like Rick Ross ("Why") and Beyoncé ("Love A Woman"). Even better are the stripped-back ballads. "The Living Proof" is gorgeous, while the almost country-tinged "Need Someone" is easily the best song on the album.

15. Metals - Feist (Canada)

Must hear: "The Bad In Each Other", "How Come You Never Go There" and "Bittersweet Melodies".

"Metals" is a tricky little album. It's not the easiest listening experience but Feist's languid tunes work their way further under your skin with each listen. The Canadian does self-reflection better than anyone and this time around she's really wearing her broken heart on her sleeve. Tracks like "The Bad In Each Other" and "Comfort Me" are the kind of songs Adele will be writing for "29" and "31" - you know, when she's lived a little and has learned to lower her expectations. Feist is touring Australian next month and I can't wait to hear how the songs evolve when she performs them live. Her best album to date.

14. Hurry Up, We're Dreaming - M83 (France)

Must hear: "Midnight City", "Reunion" and "New Map".

M83 is stage name of French electro-pioneer Anthony Gonzalez. He has been churning out amazing synth-drenched gems for over a decade but finally scored a much-deserved commercial breakthrough in 2011 with the glorious "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming". This is the prettiest piece of music released this year. Dappled synths mix with acoustic guitar and piano to create a dreamy sound palette that Air could only dream of. With the exception of the brilliant "Midnight City", there aren't a lot of stand-out tracks. This is one of those old-fashioned albums that demands to be played as a whole. M83's Australian tour can't come quick enough.

13. Here I Am (UK Edition) - Kelly Rowland (US)

Must hear: "Motivation", "Heaven & Earth" and "Turn It Up".

I'm here for Ms Kelly. I really am. Destiny's Child is my favourite musical act of all time and I've remained loyal to the girls - well, except for LeToya and Farrah but those bitter hoes don't deserve it. My point is, Kelly is one of my leading ladies and I was genuinely ecstatic when "Motivation" exploded in America. That song will go down as one of the hottest babymakers of all time and introduced the diva's super-moist vagina to the world. A body part that dominates "Here I Am". There are songs about being fucked in the club, gang-banged and fisted. So if you need a soundtrack to your next orgy - look no further! While I love Kelly in gangsta slut mode, I prefer the classy R&B of "Keep It Between Us" and "Heaven & Earth" (best song on the album). I'm also partial to her amazing dance output ("Forever & A Day" and "What A Feeling"), which makes the UK edition vastly superior to the slow jam-heavy US and Australian editions.

12. Unbroken - Demi Lovato (US)

Must hear: "Unbroken", "Fix A Heart" and "My Love Is Like A Star".

Demi Lovato's third album is a career-defining triumph. I was initially annoyed that the second coming of Madonna turned her back on the edgy rock of her early albums in favour of mainstream pop but I was misguided. The damaged Disney diva has finally found her niche. "Unbroken" effortlessly taps into the 19-year-old's status as the poster girl for teen angst with emotional ballads showcasing her powerful pipes ("Skyscraper" and "Mistake") interspersed among catchy club-bangers ("Unbroken" and "All Night Long"). While the album occasionally sounds like an inferior copy of Nelly Furtado's "Loose", Demi effortlessly makes the transition from teen phenom to bonafide pop star. In fact, the only thing that could possibly make "Unbroken" better is a cover of "The First Cut Is The Deepest".

11. Light After Dark - Claire Maguire (UK)

Must hear: "Burn", "The Last Dance" and "This Is Not The End".

Sounding like Sophie Ellis-Bextor with a pack-a-day habit, Claire Maguire attracted a lot of press early this year with her sublime debut "Light After Dark". If poetic pop served with lashings of wit and melancholy appeals to you, then look no further. I wish this album had done better because the English diva is now talking about recording a rock album. Which makes my head spin. One listen to the grandiose chorus of "The Last Dance" is confirmation enough that Claire has already found her calling.

10. Own The Night - Lady Antebellum (US)

Must hear: "Dancin' Away With My Heart", "Just A Kiss" and "Cold As Stone".

Not since the glory days of Shania Twain has an act walked the line between pop and country with as much grace as Lady Antebellum. This is another ridiculously enjoyable collection of melancholy-soaked odes to lost love and perky pop tunes about new beginnings. Just buy it.

9. Goodbye Lullaby - Avril Lavigne (Canada)

Must hear: "What The Hell", "Wish You Were Here" and "Push".

After taking an extended break from music to make a bad perfume and release a flop clothing line, Avril returned this year with the most personal album of her career. I love "Goodbye Lullaby" but I understand why fans were put off by the mostly acoustic set of songs about the end of her marriage to that douchebag from Sum 41. The power-pop that made her a superstar is all but absent and she replaces her usual angst with confusion and regret. It's all very unexpected but somehow comes together perfectly. Who cares if "Goodbye Lullaby" sold ten copies? Avril had the balls to try something completely different while your fave is still peddling the same old shit. She wins.
8. Torches - Foster The People (US)

Must hear: "Pumped Up Kicks", "I'd Do Anything For You" and "Houdini".

Sounding like a cross between The Killers and MGMT, Foster The People came out of nowhere to become 2011's hottest new band. I fell in love with "Pumped Up Kicks" in LA - it will always remind me of waiting in line at In N Out burger! - but the rest of "Torches" is equally impressive. Particularly the brooding "Helena Beat", quirky "Houdini" and unashamedly romantic "I'd Do Anything For You". There isn't a dud track on this album, which makes it a very rare animal indeed.

7. When The Sun Goes Down - Selena Gomez & The Scene (US)

Must hear: "Bang Bang Bang", "Hit The Lights" and "Like A Love Song".

Selegend emerged from Justin Bieber's shadow in 2011 to hammer the final nail in Hilary Duff's coffin by releasing the year's best American dance-pop album. Aside from housing a flawless collection of future pop classics, "When The Sun Goes Down" also heralds the 19-year-old's transition from TV star to hitmaker. "Who Says" and "Like A Love Song" both went Platinum in the US and the best is yet to come with the amazing La Roux rip-off "Bang Bang Bang" and fabulous excursion into Miley Cyrus-esque pop/rock on "Middle Of Nowhere" and "That's More Like It". This is proof that you don't need a big voice to be a great pop star - just a superstar boyfriend and a bunch of tracks Britney erroneously rejected from "Femme Fatale". Special props for the amazingly incompetent Spanish bonus tracks. "Fantasma De Amor", in particular, makes my life!

6. Inside Out - Kat DeLuna (Dominican Republic)

Must hear: "Push Push", "Dancing Tonight" and "Rock The House".

Since being exiled to Belgium, Kat DeLuna has gone from strength-to-strength artistically. RedOne's muse snatched Rihanna's wig on "Push Push", paved the way for J.Lo's "On The Floor" with the vastly superior "Party O'Clock" and took "Dancing Tonight" all the way to number one. On the Billoard club chart. Amazingly, the rest of the album is just as epic. "All In My Head" and "Rock The House" are full-throttle club classics, while the Dominican diva proves she's just at skilled at balladry by singing the fuck out of "One Foot Out The Door". I guess the Kat's out of the bag - "Inside Out" is the best dance album of 2011! Stay pressed, Lady Gaga.

5. 21 - Adele (UK)

Must hear: "Rolling In The Deep", "Someone Like You" and "Set Fire To The Rain".

There's nothing left to be said about this album. It's a gut-wrenching tour de force that changed the landscape of popular music forever. My problem with Adele is that she's a one trick pony. Nobody does brokenhearted better but can she mix it up and deliver the occasional upbeat track like Amy Winehouse did, for example? I guess we'll just have to wait for "23" to find out.

4. Stronger - Kelly Clarkson (US)

Must hear: "I Love You", "The War Is Over" and "I Forgive You".

I hate "Mr Know It All". I find "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)" slightly embarrassing. I would prefer to listen to Natalie Bassingthwaigthe's two hits on repeat for a week than hear "Einstein" ever again. They are my only complaints about Kelly Clarkson's fifth album. The rest is pretty much perfect. Kelegend is still the Queen of pissed off pop/rock and revisits familiar themes on "I Forgive You" and prematurely leaked gems "Let Me Down" and "Dark Side". Better yet are the tracks that allow the original American Idol to be vulnerable. "Breaking Your Own Heart", "Standing In Front of You" and "The War Is Over" are a revelation. Throw in her record-breaking country duet "Don't You Wanna Stay" and the best song of her career ("I Love You") and you've got one hell of a pop album.

3. Killer Love - Nicole Scherzinger (US)

Must hear: "Trust Me I Lie", "Say Yes" and "Don't Hold Your Breath".

How do you solve a problem like Nicole? She is the complete package as far as looks and talent are concerned and somehow managed to pull together the best mainstream pop album of 2011. Unfortunately, nobody seemed to care. At least outside of the UK. Why? I think it's a twofold problem. Bad single choices and the fact that she takes herself a bit too seriously. After meeting her in LA, I'm convinced Hitzinger is just misunderstood. She is very earnest about her profession but isn't that a good thing? Anyway, that's all beside the point. "Killer Love" is a scarily good pop album. The kind of once-in-a-career opus that Lady Gaga wanted "Born This Way" to be. If you pretend that "Poison" and "Wet" don't exist, this is a near flawless listening experience. "Don't Hold Your Breath" is a modern pop classic, "Right There" was one of the hottest urban jams of 2011, "Say Yes" would have been massive, "You Will Be Loved" is ridiculously beautiful and Nicky even makes Sting bearable on "Power's Out". When you add on the amazing UK bonus tracks, you're left with the unshakeable knowledge that Nicole Scherzinger quietly scalped your faves without breaking a sweat.

2. Starting Over - La Toya Jackson (US)

Must hear: Every track.

Three reasons why this was the second best recording of 2011:

- It's the official soundtrack to La Toya's second New York Times best-selling autobiography.

- The title track is a reworked version of a jingle the Pope of pop used to promote an alcoholic beverage.

- Most of the tracks were recorded in 2002.

Sorry but I have to ask. Could your fave?

1. 4 - Beyoncé (US)

Must hear: The whole thing from beginning to end. Repeatedly until it clicks and you accept Beysus into your heart.

I've already reviewed Beyoncé's game-changing masterpiece, ranted about it incessantly on Twitter and debated its virtues with Cameron Adams at a random pub in Melbourne - so I'll keep this short and sweet. "4" is the best album of 2011 because it had the audacity to turn its back on what's hot now and focus on making music that will stand the test of time. King B and her cannily selected team of experts returned to the roots of R&B to create something innovative yet strangely old-fashioned. Bey wrote what is essentially a love letter to Jay Z with heavy percussion, driving drums and staccato horns, while your fave waited for Dr. Luke to boot his computer. Take a fucking seat.

The 20 Worst Singles Of 2011

2012-01-02T00:35:00.000-08:00

I don't know if it's good luck to kick off a new year of blogging by wallowing in the worst that the previous 365 days had to offer. But fuck it, here goes. Most of the usual suspects are present but a couple of my faves like Vanessa Amorosi and Chris Brown also made the cut. I guess it just proves that everyone makes a shit song occasionally. The following twenty artists just did it better than most. Let me know what you think of my picks in the comments. I'm sure I forgot a bunch of stinkers but these are plenty bad enough!

20. Club Rocker - Inna Feat. Flo Rida (Audio)

I love Inna's Eurotrash anthems and quite like the original version of "Club Rocker" but tacking on a phoned-in Flo Rida rap in a desperate bid for American success drags this cheap and cheerful floorfiller into the dusty dumpster of popular music. Better luck next time, bitch.

19. When We Stand Together - Nickelback (Video)

It's easy to hate Nickelback. They make middle-of-the-road rock that hasn't evolved in a decade and boast the ugliest frontman in musical history but I'm not going to pretend I don't have a couple of their tracks on my iPod. However, their latest single is fuel for the haters. Trite lyrics and a cheesy chorus that Train would roll their eyes at make this a stinker for the ages.

18. S&M - Rihanna (Video)

The world's most famous victim of domestic violence records a song about the joys of being whipped and chained, putting feminism back 30 years. Thanks, RiRi.

17. International Love - Pitbull Feat. Chris Brown (Video)

Pitbull joining forces with Breezy should have been a good thing. At least in theory. So why does their collaboration basically consist of the duo yelling city names against a generic club beat that sounds like it was stolen from an Adrienne Bailon demo?

16. Oh Oh Oh Oh - Anthony Callea (Video)

Time to re-release "The Prayer" and hope for the best.

15. Let's Go To Vegas - Doll Phace Feat. Snoop Dogg (Video)

I love this mess for all the wrong reasons. Doll Phace makes an even less convincing pop star than she did a music mogul, the song sounds like something Mya rejected in the late '90s and Snoop's bored rap makes his legendarily awful contribution to "Get 'Em Girls" sound like Kanye West on "American Boy". Cult status awaits this memorable flop.

14. It's Alright - Kim Wilde (Video)

Poor Kim. Menopause has clearly fucked with her brain.

13. Hold It Against Me - Britney Spears (Video)

Why would you release this embarrassment to popular music when you had "Til The World Ends" and "I Wanna Go" in the can? From Britney's comatose vocal to the bad pun in the chorus, everything about "Hold It Against Me" is tired and pathetic. The album might have actually stood a chance if this ended up on a Kristine W album - where it belongs.

12. Fight For You - Jason Derulo (Video)

Jason Derulo rapes Toto's "Africa" in the year's most inappropriate bastardisation of an '80s classic. I guess someone forgot to tell JR Rotem's meal ticket that his latest upbeat club-banger is built around a song about starving children. Classy.

11. Born This Way - Lady Gaga (Video)

I don't really care that Lady Gaga stole the whole concept of "Born This Way" from Madonna. I can almost forgive Mother Monster for appointing herself the official spokesperson for GLBTI rights. But I can't overlook the fact it's a poorly constructed pop song with a tepid chorus, clumsy production and cringe-worthy lyrics. The beginning of the end.

10. Get It - Havana Brown (Video)

I got into all kinds of hot water when I reviewed "Get It" back in September. Which is stupid because I'm down with Havana. I just don't think shouting "get it, get it, get it" over the cheapest Eurobeat this side of Kiev constitutes pop music. Neither did radio or the Australian public, as it turns out.

9. Fly - Nicki Minaj Feat. Rihanna (Video)

In 2001 Gwen Stefani and Eve landed a knock-out punch for girl power with their still killer "Let Me Blow Ya Mind". Ten years later Onika and Rih-fund wandered around a crashed plane like a pair of low-rent clowns singing a clumsy self-empowerment with shit lyrics like "I wish today it would rain all day". I can't think of a more shocking illustration of how far the bar for urban/pop collaborations has been lowered.

8. Champagne Showers - LMFAO Feat. Natalia Kills (Video)

I guess it was only a matter of time before a song about taking a truckload of cum on your face hit the mainstream.

7. Gossip - Vanessa Amorosi (Video)

"Can't find my phone" is the single most embarrassing moment in Australian music history. What the fuck was Ness Ness thinking? My fave was on such a roll after "Hazardous" but this career-killer has kicked the poor bitch back to the RSL circuit. I hope the person responsible for choosing this travesty as a single is now working at McDonalds.

6. The Day You Went Away - Delta Goodrem (Live at ARIAs)

That cunt from Neighbours ruined Wendy Matthews' signature tune at the ARIAs with her sub-par vocals and then had the nerve to release it as a digital single to pay for her latest nose job. Avoid at all costs.

5. The Hardest Ever - will.i.am Feat. Mick Jagger and Jennifer Lopez (Video)

With a combined age of 375, the likelihood of these sad has-beens delivering something relevant was slim but I don't think anybody expected "The Hardest Ever" to be this terrible. On the bright side, will.i.am's latest bid for solo glory is over before it began. Maybe he can finally get cracking on Fergie's next album. You know, something that people actually want to hear.

4. Wet The Bed - Chris Brown Feat. Ludacris (Audio)

This song is not about incontinence. Think about it.

3. Hurt - Leona Lewis (Live on X Factor)

I almost feel sorry for the Sphinx. Her time is up and she knows it. "Glassheart" is destined for bargain bins - if it gets released at all - and a future of catering to the gays for pocket money awaits. This horrendous destruction of "Hurt" is a final bid at appealing to the housewives that bought "Bleeding Love" in droves but unfortunately they have moved on to Adele. Ciao, Leona! It's been real.

2. Just (The Tip) - Plies Feat. Jeremih and Ludacris (Audio)

Oh joy. A romantic slow jam about pressuring your lady into anal sex. Don't worry, girls - Plies just wants to use the tip! I wonder if they'll play this on Love Song Dedications With Richard Mercer.

1. All We Have - Natalie Bassingthwaigte (Below)

"On The Floor" as covered by a senior citizen with the help of the worst production team Australia has to offer.

The 10 Worst Albums Of 2011

2011-12-28T01:59:00.000-08:00

Putting together a list of the year's worst albums was a daunting task. It involved re-listening to a bunch of aural abominations on the off-chance I was too harsh the first time around. Like last year when I included Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" and then had egg on my face when I re-visited it a couple of months ago and decided that Tay Tay's mega-seller was actually a triumph. However, I'm confident that I haven't made the same mistake this year! All ten of these albums give music a bad name and should be avoided at all costs. If you think I've forgotten anything let me know in the comments. And for the record - there is no "Born This Way". It's not brilliant but I'll take 4 or 5 good songs over none any day.

10. Soy La Mejor - Malena Gracia

Malena is the Spanish equivalent of Samantha Fox - only with no hits. That doesn't stop the former Playboy model applying (unsuccessfully) to represent Spain at Eurovision every year or her ability to churn out inane dance music at an alarming rate. I usually worship the ground this icon walks on but "Soy La Mejor" is so horrendously bad that even I have to draw the line somewhere. This entire album sounds like it was recorded in one take on Malena's busted iPhone. Avoid at all costs.

9. Siberia - Lights

Sometimes I hate bloggers. Along comes a pretty girl with a canny stylist and a couple of decent electro-pop songs and suddenly she's the next Robyn. Wrong. I simply refuse to join the frenzied circle jerk over this dire Canadian flop. With the exception of "Toes" and "Banner", Lights' debut album is as pretentious and mind-numbingly boring as her name. Come back, Annie. All is forgiven!

8. Wonder World - Wonder Girls

This makes me sad. The Wonder Girls were always my favourite K-Pop act and I was pulling for them to make it big in America. But if you want to be a success outside of Asia, then you need to leave the gimmicks behind and make music that matches (or preferably exceeds) the current international standard. Instead, the Korean stunners release a bunch of songs that Girls Aloud would have rejected in 2007. There isn't a fresh or interesting idea to be heard on this stilted mess. Give me "Spice World" any day.

7. Secret Codes And Battleships - Darren Hayes

While "Bloodstained Heart" is undoubtedly one of 2011's better singles, the rest of this meandering mess is Rufus Wainwright-lite for tiresome homosexuals of a certain age that don't know better. It's not too late for that Savage Garden reunion...
6. Vows - Kimbra

Kimbra is the real deal. I know it and so does anybody else with ears. She has a great voice and knows how to write a killer pop song (see "Settle Down"). So can someone please explain why I can only make it through the Kiwi's much-hyped debut with the aid of Valium and half a bottle of wine? "Vows" reminds me of Bic Runga's "Birds" - only without the melodies and raw emotional connection. What you're left with is pretty enough but ultimately unengaging and completely forgettable.

5. Cinderella's Eyes - Nicola Roberts

A stinking pile of fake hipster shit that makes Nadine Coyle's Tesco-only smash sound like "The Fame". Give up while you're behind.

4. Snapshots - Kim Wilde

I love Kim. She is a legend and I'll keep importing her stunning German releases until she throws in the towel but there's no excuse for "Snapshots". This abomination finds the English diva destroying classic pop songs by the likes of East 17's ("It's Alright") and Tasmin Archer ("Sleeping Satellite"). The thing that annoys me the most is that this could have been enormous fun. Instead, the weird arrangements and sombre mood make this a truly depressing experience.

3. + - Ed Sheeran

Who anointed this ginger cunt the new James Blunt?

2. Lulu - Metallica & Lou Reed

I was forced to review this insane mess for my day job and the task still haunts me. If Lou Reed mumbling bad poetry over Metallica songs is your cup of tea, then knock yourself out. The rest of us will just pretend that "Lulu" never happened.

1. Talk That Talk - Rihanna

The She By Shereé of pop albums.

Jumpstart 2012 With New Luciana

2011-12-28T01:26:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I posted Luciana's new anthem and now the undisputed Queen of clubs has dropped the visual for "Jump" - just in time for your new year's eve party! I really love the song and think it could be the next "We No Speak Americano", so I'm happy the video is something of a blockbuster. Buildings receive major structural damage from a football and Luci appears on a vintage TV screen. That's about it but the finished product is a lot more exciting than I made it sound. I promise! To be honest, the concept is a bit of a mystery to me. Some choreography would have been nice but I guess clubbers would prefer to see CGI soccer balls while pinging these days. Anyway, check it out and download "Jump" from iTunes now. This is the perfect summer anthem!

La Toya Conquers Mexico

2011-12-19T23:28:00.000-08:00

Forget Beyoncé at the Billboard Music Awards. Ignore Adele at the Brits. The most accomplished live(-ish) performance of 2011 belongs to La Toya Jackson! Janet's prettier sister brought Mexico to a standstill last night when she graced the finale of La Academia - think X Factor on acid - with her legendary presence and raised the bar for popular music to previously unimagined heights by delivering a flawless mimed rendition of her 2004 top 20 US club smash "Just Wanna Dance".

I feel like I have been waiting my whole life to see empress Toy mouth the lyrics "shaking my ass with lots of class". And it was definitely worth the wait. Living up to her title as the world's sexiest woman, the ageless beauty drew gasps of adoration from the crowd when she appeared on stage with her gaggle of semi-competent dancers. The next four minutes flew by in a blaze of finger clicks, hip-shaking and exquisite miming that basically ended Britney' career then and there.

Make sure you stay tuned for the amazing post-performance interview in which La Toya claims to be the creative force behind Michael's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". I think we can all agree that Mexico got well and truly rocked!

The 20 Worst Videos Of 2011

2011-12-19T05:48:00.000-08:00

Now this was hard. 2011 was a great year for really, really bad videos. I feel like people have just given up and either recycle something that took their fancy on YouTube or go for shock tactics by stripping off. Or both if you're Kelly Rowland. To make matters worse, Australia appears to be the world leader in shitty clips. If it was hot ten years ago in America, chances are you got the local equivalent this year. Yay? Admittedly, it's not all doom and gloom. Some of these efforts are hilarious and I think the winning/losing clip is a work of comedic genius. Let me know what you make of my choices in the comments!

20. Collide - Leona Lewis (Video)

Nobody wanted to see this horse-faced cunt in a bikini.

19. Unicorn - Pattyboy (Video)

New Zealand's King of Pop/self-proclaimed male Lady Gaga has polluted YouTube with some truly shocking videos. However, he is trying harder to be less rubbish and "Unicorn" is a step in the right direction - albeit not a big enough one. The toilet-paper outfit, bad choreography and ridiculous marriage to himself earn Pattyboy a spot on this list.

18. What Do You Take Me For? - Pixie Lott Feat. Pusha T (Video)

I know that it's fashionable to hate Pixie but I think her album is stunning. Haters are clearly intimidated by her powerful pipes and flawless beauty. Or perhaps they just saw this stinker. Who decided it was a good idea to turn Miss Lott into the prissy, white Beyoncé - complete with pussy-poppin' hood video? Possibly the least convincing urban transformation of all time.

17. The Edge Of Glory - Lady Gaga (Video)

And the award for the year's most disappointing video goes to "The Edge Of Glory". This is perhaps the only song on "Born This Way" that really lends itself to a meandering, over-the-top production. Everything about Fernando Garibay's anthem is epic - from the massive chorus to the now iconic sax solo. I wanted to see Lady Gaga drive off a cliff on a pink motorcycle and then use the pearly gates as a stripper pole when she landed in heaven. Instead, we get the Germ dancing on a fire escape. That's it. Literally.

16. Super Soaker - Bombs Away (Video)

A boat full of rough bitches shake their tits for attention in this desperate bid to attract the lowest common denominator. Imagine the "Home Girls" section of Picture magazine come to life.

15. When I Think About Sex - Osvaldo Suppino (Video)

Osvaldo is to Italy, what Pattyboy is to New Zealand ie. an epically untalented homosexual, who has spent far too many hours watching Lady Gaga videos on YouTube. The result is a showcase of bad fashion - a bedazzled Lakers singlet? - and worse choreography. The lowlight is when the budding pop star has sex with himself. Gross.

14. Get Together - Marta Sanchez (Video)

I stan for Marta. The Spanish Madonna has been a desperate publicity whore since before your fave was born, so she deserves our respect. But she's not going to get it when she's dancing around the club like a mutton-dressed-as-lamb stripper in some of the least flattering outfits ever captured on film. The Catwoman mask kills me. Marta, it's not hiding those wrinkles. It just makes you look like a victim of early onset dementia.

13. Not My Daddy - Eva (Video)

Eva must have the hottest mouth in LA. That's the only explanation I can think of for her amazing ability to get a record deal in the first place - let alone a song written by Ke$ha and a remix featuring Gucci Mane. Unfortunately, the plus-sized diva didn't get quite enough cash for the video. Bad special effects combine with cheap outfits and Eva's nasty feet to make this offering memorably awful.

12. Marry The Night - Lady Gaga (Video)

The time has come for Lady Gaga to take a year off. She is starting to suffer from diminishing returns both commercially and artistically. If you need proof look no further than "Marry The Night". It flopped miserably around the world and boasts perhaps her worst video yet. This self-indulgent vanity project is almost unwatchable. I enjoy the choreography towards the end but until someone edits it down to 5 minutes, I can't be bothered sitting through it again.

11. Lay It On Me - Kelly Rowland (Video)

You know, if Ms Kelly needs to act like a prostitute to sell records - then so be it. I love "Motivation" and think she looked incredibly sexy in the video. But let's just say lightning didn't strike twice. This scene-by-scene remake of Livvi Franc's "Now I'm That Bitch" is embarrassing. Kelendria looks like a man from certain angles and the onslaught of phallic imagery turns the clip into a parody. On the bright side, it's still a hot song.

10. The Reckoning - The Getaway Plan (Video)

You know your career is running on empty when you have to murder children to get attention.

9. Hold It Against Me - Britney Spears (Video)

What an horrendous way to launch a new album! This tragic mess highlighted everything that's wrong with Britney circa 2011 - the dead look in her eyes, her seeming inability to move and a palpable desperation to remind fans of former glories. No wonder "Femme Fatale" is yet to go Copper in most territories.

8. Radioactive - Brandon Hilton (Video)

If you thought Pattyboy and Osvaldo were sent straight from the bowels of hell, wait 'til you get a look at Brandon Hilton. The aspiring web celebrity turns delusion into an artform on "Radioactive". From the Gaga-lite fashion to Brandon's unfortunate facial expressions, everything about this video is cheap and overwhelmingly nasty.

7. Raining Diamonds - Ricki-Lee (Video)

Why are Australian videos so atrocious? "Raining Diamonds" is such an anthem and deserved an epic video to showcase Ricki-Lee's sexy new figure. Instead, she looks like an admittedly thin fool in this tacky trainwreck. The Barbarella-on-a-budget costumes are as ridiculous as they are unsuited to the lyrics - which I interpret as a mantra not to settle for second best in relationships. Don't even get me started on that cheap set and the plastic guns. This clip is so bad it momentarily made me long for Ricki-Lee's underrated fat phase.

6. 25/8 - Mary J. Blige (Video)

Speaking of great songs with shit videos, here's Mary J. Blige's hot mess "25/8". I honestly don't know what the director was thinking. Did he or she even listen to the song before deciding to stick the iconic diva in a room full of broke-down dancers in a twisted bid to re-create Kelly Rowland's awful "Commander" visual?

5. We Love - Sneaky Sound System (Video)

I wonder how the pitch for this national embarrassment went: "Imagine Miss Connie on a pedestal dressed as Marilyn Monroe - only we'll make her up to look like a sweaty mess, complete with a shiny face and smudged make-up. Then we'll have a couple perform random sex acts, you know, classy shit involving anal-beads. Only when the lights come on they're doing really innocuous things like cleaning the house! Amazing, right?"

4. Inescapable - Jessica Mauboy(Video)

Poor Jessica. I really don't understand how someone so pretty in real-life always looks like the before photo on What Not To Wear in her videos. And this lazy effort is heinous even by her low standards. What's with that fucking turban? "Inescapable" is probably the best Australian pop song of 2011 but the only nice thing I can say about this clip is that's an improvement on "Get Em Girls".

3. Fly - Nicki Minaj Feat. Rihanna (Video)

Onika and Rih-cycle wander around a plane crash in couture outfits looking like Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee on the set of Lost. The only this missing is Tyra Banks demanding more broken doll poses in this horrendous four minute episode of America's Next Top Model for low-rent whores.

2. All We Have - Natalie Bassingthwaighte (Video)

"All We Have" will go down in history as the Australian filmmaker's guide for what not to do in a music video. Everything about it is embarrassing. I could go on about the lame concept and bad lighting but the clip's biggest sin is making the star of the show look ridiculous. Natalie Bassingthwaigthe resembles an extra from Cocoon squeezed into a dress Lady Gaga rejected during The Fame era. It's not flattering and made worse by the fact she's surrounded by dancers young enough to be her grandchildren. American directors still make Madonna look good and she's a couple of minutes older than Nat - so why can't local talent do the same?

1. Liar Boy - Cindy and Sheila Rhyme (Below)

This was tough. I couldn't decide whether to crown "Liar Boy" the best or worst video of 2011. On the one hand, I'm here for these iconic divas and immediately downloaded their future pop classic from iTunes after seeing the clip. On the other hand, words cannot adequately describe how awful this is. Bad teeth, worse outfits, shocking dance moves and the dodgiest editing in recent memory make "Liar Boy" the most heinous (and hilarious) clip of the year.

The 25 Best Videos Of 2011

2011-12-17T05:14:00.000-08:00

In 2011 music videos can be separated into three distinct categories - big budget extravaganzas, cheap label-funded clips and do-it-yourself efforts. Not that price is an indication of quality. You can spend millions and still end up with an unforgivable turkey like "Marry The Night". For me, it's all about coming up with something original that suits the song. That could be a coked-up secretary dancing in front of a filing cabinet or a superstar made to look like an extra from Cocoon. The common factor being that I got the urge to go back and watch that shit all over again - obviously for very different reasons. Listed below are my 25 favourite videos of the year. Let me know what I overlooked in the comments.

25. Put Your Hands Up - Kylie (Lyrics Video)

I'd rather read Kylie's stunning lyrics than see your favourite basic bitch strut her stuff in a glossy video. The end.

24. Chinese Walk - Amanda Lear (Video)

Want to see an almost 70-year-old disco legend transform into a young Asian beauty? Well, look no further than "Chinese Walk"! Amanda Lear nailed this half-animated visual extravaganza. It's effective and extremely pretty. Proof that a good idea and competent execution can overcome the smallest of budgets.

23. I'm Still Hot - Luciana (Video)

Luciana told me this high-camp clip was inspired by '80s drag/pop sensation Divine and I'm sure John Waters' favourite gal would approve of the end-result if she were still alive. Basically, the Queen of electro wakes up from a bender and walks around the desert carrying a boombox on her shoulder. We've all been there.

22. Sexy And I Know It - LMFAO (Video)

What can I say? I like watching Redfoo shake his junk!

21. God Sent Me Here To Rock You - Naomi Elizabeth (Video)

Naomi Elizabeth's exquisite self-made visual is better than Lady Gaga's entire videography. From the diva's stunning choreography in front of the filing cabinet she clearly spends her days maintaining to the not-quite-couture outfit she wears in the garden, this is pure gold.

20. Cherubino's Aria - Adya & Geisha (Video)

I'm pretty sure the director of this clip took way to much LSD in the '70s.

19. Gucci Gucci - Kreayshawn (Video)

Kreayshawn and V Nasty make a spectacle of themselves on the street. That's it. Literally. The thing is - "Gucci Gucci" is so full of life. There's no stupid set-up or styling. It's rough and real and better than anything Onika will make in her entire career.

18. Party - Beyoncé (Video)

Sometimes Bey has a tendency to over-think things. Unlike your gutter-ho fave, she's always trying to lift her game to previously unimagined heights and that can backfire on her. This time around she kept it simple. After Googling "poor people pool party" on her diamond encrusted laptop, King B knew what she had to do - hire a trailer park, let Solange out of the dungeon and call up her girl Kelly. The rest is YouTube history.

17. Friday - Rebecca Black (Video)

The most successful viral video in history is a work of unintentional comedic genius. You couldn't have scripted this epic trainwreck. From the hilariously bad graphics to the dumb look on Becky's face and a cameo from the world's shadiest rapper, everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Only instead of making it unwatchable, those flaws made "Friday" an instant cult classic that will enjoyed by drunk internet-users for decades to come.

16. Lonely Lisa - Mylène Farmer (Video)

Ballet dancers, sunbeds in the desert and France's answer to Madonna make "Lonely Lisa" an unforgettable experience. Great song too.

15. Big Bad Wolf - Duck Sauce (Video)

The protagonists in this warped masterpiece have a second head where their reproductive organs should be. I still can't decide if I'm turned on or disgusted.

14. Drop It Low - Kat DeLuna (Video)

Queen Kat brings the choreography - and safety helmets - in one of the year's best dance videos.

13. Midnight In Berlin - Barb@zul (Video)

Spain's hottest bear-band finally got around to releasing the sequel to their 2010 internet hit "I Don't Care". That blockbuster was something of a gay soap opera, which ended with Laz dumping Juan for messing around with another man. In the sequel the boys move to Berlin and enter the adult entertainment industry. I think.

12. Pon Pon Pon - Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (Video)

Japan's hottest Harajuku girl dresses up as a toddler, dances around like a possessed oompa loompa in a room full of creepy toys and vomits eyeballs. Could your fave?

11. Wonderland - Natalia Kills (Video)

I had such high hopes for Natalia Kills when I saw her dark and twisted "Wonderland" video. She cleverly re-imagines a bunch of classic fairytales with a distinctly gothic twist. The cinematography and styling is spot on and I love the use of extreme gore in a pop video. How did she morph into such a pathetic Gaga wannabe? Sad.

10. White Nights - Oh Land (Video)

Charming isn't an adjective I'd use to describe a lot of music videos but that's the first word that comes to mind when I think of Oh Land's lovely "White Nights" visual. The Danish singer presents us with a quirky dreamscape in the clip, deftly jumping between surreal scenarios. I particularly love that the former ballerina finally gets to show us her graceful dance moves. Light up a joint and watch this on repeat.

9. Shake It, Shake It - INY (Video)

Korea's hood girlband leaves your faves for dead - literally - in this disturbing masterpiece. The riveting set-up finds the edgy beauties stealing iPods from unsuspecting schoolgirls. Unfortunately, they cross a gangster and spend the rest of the clip being chased around Seoul by a bunch of rapists. Thug life!

8. Move Your Body - Beyoncé (Video)

When she's not running the world, Bey is making sure your kids don't get fat by teaching them how to Dougie. You're welcome.

7. When The Night Falls - Chromeo Feat. Solange Knowles (Video)

Chromeo always deliver the goods but this kooky effort is one of their best. The Canadian dance pioneers spend the clip getting women pregnant with their magical instruments. That is until the ladies revolt and come after the hapless musicians. It's well-conceived, original and stars a Knowles. What more do you want?

6. The One That Got Away - Katy Perry (Video)

Here she is. Shady Katy. I'm surprised the video isn't jam-packed with subliminal messages instructing viewers to download the song from iTunes but maybe she's saving that for her seventh number one. As for the actual clip, I can't fault it. This is beautifully written, directed and acted. Most importantly, it's touching and effortlessly taps into the sentiment of the song. Well done.

5. Play With Me - Chloe Lattanzi (Video)

As a huge fan of her unreleased material, I almost fainted when I heard Chloe Lattanzi had finally unleashed her debut video. After almost a decade of false starts, Olivia Newton-John's amazingly talented but certifiably insane daughter introduced herself to the world by snorting drugs, self-mutilating and repeatedly committing suicide in "Play With Me". I have never been so proud!

4. Sure As Hell Not Jesus - Cosmo Jarvis (Video)

Cosmo stars as a pedophile priest with a Justin Bieber poster above his bed in this mini-movie. Need I say more?

3. Blow - Ke$ha (Video)

While Lady Gaga made 14 minute snoozefests and Rihanna tried to turn Trainspotting into a musical, K$ did something revolutionary. She had fun. "Blow" stands out like Khloe Kardashian's erection at a day spa with its irreverent dialogue and crazy special-effects. I love James Van Der Beek's cameo and the unicorn heads. Someone needs to offer Ke$ha a movie deal!

2. Midnight City - M83 (Video)

Just when you thought that the music video genre was all but dead M83 drop this achingly beautiful clip. "Midnight City" follows a group of kids with special powers who escape from their school/prison and wreak havoc. It's incredibly well done and suits the song perfectly. Make sure you check this out if you haven't already.

1. Run The World (Girls) - Beyoncé (below)

From the moment Bey rides past with her immaculate lacefront blowing in the wind like strands of freshly spun gold, you just knew that this was going to be epic. "Run The World (Girls)" might have used up the entire "4" era video budget in one hit but it was worth it. One minute it's a post-apocalyptic episode of America's Next Top Model, the next it's an African dance showcase. I love the emphasis the clip places on choreography. Who else but Beyoncé would dare to bring the Pantsula to the masses? Re-visit the video of the year below.

The 20 Shadiest Music Moments Of 2011

2011-12-16T05:02:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or was 2011 shadier than usual? It seems like every ho with a record deal was caught doing something underhand this year. Perhaps we're just more observant and unnecessarily criticise artists for playing the game. Or maybe the music business is so cut-throat at the moment that you need sticky fingers and a Teflon conscience just to get ahead. In any case, there were no shortage of examples to choose from when I put together my list of 2011's shadiest moments. I'm sure I forgot some essential acts of thievery and bad behaviour - so feel free to remind me in the comments.

20. Kylie's pop-up book debacle

Kylie announced the $199 "Goddess Edition" of her album way back in June. It's now December and still nowhere to be seen. It can't have been easy for Dannii to cut and paste each copy herself between takes on Australia's Got Talent but this whole debacle is starting to feel shadier than a rain forest.

19. Britney's tweets

And the award for the most obviously ghost-written Twitter belongs to Britney. Who do they think they're kidding? We all know Brit is too high on Xanax and Vicodin to stand without assistance, let alone regularly update her social media platforms with tightly-scripted content. Many artists have admin staff running their Twitter - I met the guy being paid to write Taylor Swift's tweets when I was in New York - but Britney's lack of involvement is so obvious that it crosses into shady territory.

18. Lady Gaga inventing Madonna's support

Now this was awkward. At the height of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" controversy (ie. that it's a blatant "Express Yourself" rip-off), the deluded one went on the Jay Leno Show and proudly announced that Madonna sent her an email declaring her love for the song. Unfortunately, the 97-year-old pop icon's publicist denied the exchanged ever happened. How embarrassing!

17. Madonna's mad YouTube skillz

Madonna is the Queen of shade - probably because she sleeps in a crypt and only comes out at night to feed on male models. In the year's shadiest click of a button, the once popular singer rubbed more salt into Lady Gaga's wounds by uploading "Express Yourself" to her YouTube account - a move that was interpreted as a clear jab at Mother Monster.

16. Lady Gaga thanks Whitney Houston

The not-so-subtle feud between Madonna and Lady Gaga continued at the Grammys when the latter thanked Whitney Houston for inspiring "Born This Way" - despite the fact that it sounds like everything Madge recorded in the '80s thrown into a blender. Acknowledging the pop legend's biggest rival was a particularly shady touch.

15. Kelly Rowland releases a greatest hits album - with no hits

Girl, please.

14. Rihanna's bargain bundles

While Katy Perry's price-rigging on iTunes generated loud criticism across the blogosphere, Rihanna's "buy my last album, get my new single for free" deal was inexplicably given a pass. By everyone but me.

13. Beyoncé's "Countdown" choreography

King B stole ten seconds of a dance routine from a random Belgian ballet in her iconic "Countdown" video and faced the wrath of the original choreographer. While I'm usually down with Bey's stunning homages, this particular example was more specific and detailed than usual. It's a clever reference and works brilliantly in the clip but someone could have cleared it with Teresa before the ungrateful bitch went ballistic.

12. Rico Love's beat recycling

It's a common dilemma - a song blows up and everyone wants a piece of the action - but how many times can Rico Love recycle Kelly Rowland's "Motivation"? First came Melanie Fiona's awesome "4am" and now Mary J's equally good "Mr Wrong". Ryan Tedder and RedOne have been doing it for years but this shit is still super shady regardless of the original's quality.

11. Britney's body double

Anyone with eyes can tell that Britney didn't dance in "Hold It Against Me" - I'm convinced her stand-in was actually a man! - but she vehemently denied it. The same accusations were made about Brit's "Til The World Ends" video but this time she was proven to be a shady liar when photos of her body double performing choreography surfaced online. Worst yet is using a body double to make out with her real-life boyfriend in her aptly-titled "Criminal" video. That goes beyond shady into the realm of totally fucked-up.

10. Onika's age

Nicki Minaj is possibly the oldest person nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy in the Award's history. Earlier this year, her cover was blown when a police report outed her as being 28 years old. Until then the poor man's Lil Kim had listed her age as 26. Whoops.

9. Lana Del Ray's entire career

I love Lana Del Slay. She is my new obsession and I still play "Video Games" on repeat. But all this crap about making her own videos and being discovered on YouTube is hard to swallow. This has been a carefully orchestrated exercise in record label shadiness from the beginning. And you know what? It worked. So now she can stop pretending that she does everything from catering to injecting her lips with filler between takes on her self-funded, self-directed and self-styled videos. Something in the tea ain't clean!

8. Flo Rida and Leona Lewis rip off Avicii

Avicii really needs to get a copyright lawyer on retainer. First Leona Lewis steals the Swede's hit instrumental "Penguin" for her gigantic flop "Collide" and then Flo Rida pilfers "Levels" for "Good Feeling". If nothing else all this shadiness has raised the DJ's profile and made him the go-to producer for singers that can't afford David Guetta

7. Jeff Bhasker trashing "Motivation"

Everyone should be able to express their own opinion on Twitter but there was something distinctly shady about the producer behind some of the hottest cuts on Beyoncé's "4" trashing Kelly Rowland's "Motivation" - particularly when Rico Love's production was riding high at #1 on the R&B chart at the time and Bhasker's efforts were getting a lot less love.

6. Kelly Rowland's recycled videos

Sarah Chatfield proved to be the music industry's greenest director when she recycled two videos for Ms Kelly. "Lay It On Me" was a scene-by-scene remake of Livvi Franc's "Now I'm That Bitch", while "Down For Whatever" re-visited Wynter Gordon's "Believer". I'm not sure where the blame lies but this is seriously shady. It's one thing to take an idea and make it better but this was just lazy.

5. Beyoncé's BBMA performance

I have never seen anything like King B's 2011 Billboard Music Award performance. That was next level shit that made your tired fave look like a dusty typewriter in comparison to Bey's shiny, new laptop. But it doesn't change the fact that elements were taken from a previous performance by Lorella Cuccarini. As it turns out the Queen of soul, pop and probably country (if she put her mind to it), hired the Italian singer's producers to re-create the technology - so she can hardly be accused of stealingit. The shadiness results from tarnishing such an iconic moment by using an old idea - regardless of whether she improved on it (she did) or not.

4. Lady Gaga's "Judas" debacle

Mother Monster's sticky fingers worked over time this year. Not only did she blatantly steal "WannaBE" from Loli Lux - using the sexy DJ's exact beats on "Judas" - but she then stole the video concept from Brandy! The similarities to that diva's "Afrodisiac" clip - also choreographed by Laurieann Gibson, funnily enough - are uncanny.

3. Rihanna rapes David LaChappelle's artistic legacy

In a bid to spread her creative wings Rihanna decided to co-direct her "S&M" video. So the Barbadian bonehead flipped through a book of David LaChappelle's photos and basically stole his entire aesthetic. He had the last laugh when she had to cough up the big dollars to keep it out of court. You would have thought Rih-cycle would have learned from stealing M.I.A.'s "Boyz" video concept for "Rude Boy". Shady lady.

2. Katy Perry's price-rigging

I kind of love Katy Perry's creative antics (iTunes discounts, celebrity videos and completely unnecessary remixes) to rack up number one hits in America but it is shady. Can't she just be proud of landing six top 10 hits from the one album? That's an insane achievement! I'm not sure if losing all credibility to squeeze out another couple of chart-toppers is really worth it. Having said all that, I really hope "The One That Got Away" makes it to number one just to annoy everyone!

1. Lady Gaga's 99 cent album deal

The majority of these entries have been tongue-in-cheek. I don't care that Nicki Minaj is a couple of weeks away from menopause and Bey can copy as many Belgian flops as she likes. However, Mother Monster's 99 cent album deal crossed all kinds of lines. At a time when illegal downloading has all but killed the music industry, Lady Gaga gave the year's most highly-anticipated album away for free. Or near enough. If people didn't think mp3s were worthless before, they sure do now. And for what? To get a bogus first week sales record? So lame, so shady, so Gaga.

What Elen Levon & Israel Cruz Did Next

2011-12-14T04:50:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since we heard new music from Elen Levon and Israel Cruz. The rising Australian pop stars, who previously collaborated on "Naughty", have joined forces again for a new track called "Save My Life". Only this time Israel takes the lead, while Elen lends her powerful pipes to the chorus. The 17-year-old diva's management was quick to point out that their hard-hitting hip-hop anthem is just an interim single. It will only be serviced to The Edge (Sydney's leading urban radio station) and I'm not even sure if there will be a video. Both singers have official second singles due in late January/early February, so I guess this is just a little treat for patient fans. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from "Save My Life" but it's a great little song that showcases the pair's versatility and vocal prowess. The inspirational track hits iTunes on December 29. After the belated success of "Party Up" - and a second wave of "Naughty" promotion on the way - it will be interesting to see how it does. Listen to an unmastered demo below and let me know what you think.

30 Best Album Tracks Of 2011

2011-12-13T07:07:00.000-08:00

Is 2011 really almost over? I feel like it flew by at double speed! Anyway, it's time to let my OCD run wild and put together my annual 'best of' lists. I thought I'd begin with something a bit different this year. Listed below are my 30 favourite album tracks - songs that really should have been released as singles but weren't either due to bad timing, lack of interest or sheer stupidity. I shied away from including gems from recently released triumphs like Kelegend's "Stronger" or Mary J's epic "My Life II" because I'm still hopeful my faves will be sent to radio. Instead, I focused on albums that have more or less finished their run or, in some cases, are awaiting a re-release. There's no real science to this, so take it with a grain of salt. Here goes!

30. Starting Over - Jennifer Lopez (Listen)

Album: Love?

The words "uneven mess" spring to mind when I think of Jenny's comeback album but it does harbor a couple of gems. My favourite non-single has to the Wynter Gordon-penned mid-tempo ballad "Starting Over". This is the perfect fit for J.Lo's restricted vocal range and the lyrics bring an unusually adult perspective to the end of a relationship. Kudos to Danja for actually trying to make the song sound like it was recorded after 2007 - unlike the vast majority of the album!

29. What's A Girl Supposed To Do - Nikki Jean (Listen)

Album: Pennies In A Jar

For someone who was briefly hailed as the next big thing, Nikki Jean came and went with little fanfare. It's a shame because her quirky debut is jam-packed with great tunes. Any number of songs could have made this countdown but I keep coming back to "What's A Girl Supposed To Do". This breezy piece of retro-pop perfection was co-written by the legendary Jeff Barry (Ike and Tina's "River Deep, Mountain High" and The Monkees' "I'm A Believer" to name but two) and it's not an embarrassment to his legacy. High praise indeed.

28. Run - Jessica Mauboy (Listen)

Album: Get Em Girls (Re-Release)

J. Malley hooks up with the producer behind Heidi Montag's "Superficial" album. Lightning strikes twice.

27. Trip To Your Heart - Britney Spears (Listen)

Album: Femme Fatale

With the exception of the heinous "Hold It Against Me", Britney got the singles right this time. The rest of the album is as vacant as the heavily-medicated diva's stare but I have a soft spot for "Trip To Your Heart". This sounds like a reject from "Oops!... I Did It Again" and I mean that as a compliment. It's nice to hear Brit return to the innocent, bubblegum-pop of her hey day. A late fifth single maybe?

26. I'm Not Leaving - Sneaky Sound System (Not uploaded to YouTube)

Album: From Here To Anywhere

I love Sneaky's new album. It's a master class in constructing a cohesive electro-pop opus but - apart from the exquisite "Big" - there aren't a lot of viable singles. That makes the decision not to release "I'm Not leaving" all the more perplexing. This is the big gay anthem that could set fire to the clubs and actually be played on the radio. Think Whitney meets Kylie for some idea of the track's greatness.

25. You Will Be Mine - Lenka (Listen)

Album: Two

Australia's indie-pop princess embraced synths on her sophomore album. She couldn't give it away with a free copy of "21" but I fully approved of her move towards the dancefloor. Particularly, the icily beautiful "You Will Be Mine". Guy Sigsworth (Madonna, Britney and Robyn) knows how to craft a killer pop song and Lenka's quirkiness brings out the best in him. Perhaps the album would have shifted plastic if this was sent to radio instead of the title track. Who knows? It's a chart-topper in my book.

24. Springsteen - Eric Church (Listen)

Album: Chief

Apart from being the sexiest man in music, Eric Church also delivered one of the best albums of 2011. "Chief" is the country equivalent of cock-rock. You know, songs about drinking too much and get getting into trouble with the law. It's great from beginning to end but "Springsteen" stands out as the highlight. Given the snail's pace of country music releases, I'm still hopeful this will be a single. The nostalgic anthem is the crossover track that Eric needs to mix it up with the likes of Lady A and Jason Aldean. I can't recommend this highly enough.

23. Cut Straight To The Heart - Sophie Ellis-Bextor (Listen)

Album: Make A Scene

This delicately crafted synth-ballad reminds me of Sophie's 2003 anthem "Nowhere Without You" - AKA the best single she never released. Unfortunately, history repeated itself and the song is destined to be forgotten by everyone except the handful of desperate MAGs that bought her album. How depressing.

22. Heartbreak Down - P!nk (Listen)

Album: Greatest Hits... So Far!

There was a time when I would cut a bitch for bad-mouthing P!nk. "Try This" ruled my world for most of 2003-2004 and I stayed loyal until she re-released "I'm Not Dead" under the new title of "Funhouse" in 2009. Anyway, my point is that I was pretty much done with Alicia until I heard "Heartbreak Down" on her GH. Butch Walker beats Dr Luke at his own game with his slick production and the lyrics pack a deceptively strong punch. I hear you, sister!

21. The Moon's A Harsh Mistress - Rumer (Not uploaded to YouTube)

Album: Slow (B-Side)

I avoided Rumer for as long as I could but eventually gave in and listened to "Seasons Of My Soul". The English chanteuse sounds eerily similar to Karen Carpenter - so I was basically sold immediately. Any number of tracks should have had Adele-esque success but the balladeer stayed underground. At least in this country. I put it down to the fact that she looks like an extra from Cell Block H. As for "The Moon's A Harsh Mistress" - the B-Side to single "Slow" - Karen is resting her bony arse on a cloud in heaven, listening to this gorgeous cover on repeat.

20. Relapse - Zoë Badwi (Listen)

Album: Zoë

A little birdie told me that "Relapse" is far from Zoë's favourite track on her stunning debut but it pushes my buttons. Sounding like something Sirens could have recorded after putting the finishing touches to their classic Sara-Marie duet, this shot of Hi-NRG pop is more infectious than athlete's foot on a hot summer's day. It's also more radio-friendly than most of the album and would have lent itself to any number of risque video treatments - such as Zoë lounging around in a white latex straight-jacket in a mental asylum. See, I thought of everything!

19. Fuck Him He's A DJ - Ke$ha (Listen)

Album: I Am The Dance Commander + I Command You To Dance: The Remix Album

Everything K$ touches turns to gold - including this three-year-old demo she rescued from the recycle bin on her laptop to pimp out "I Am The Dance Commander". Could your fave?

18. Everybody Needs Love - Jennifer Hudson (Listen)

Album: I Remember Me

Jennifer Hudson's sophomore effort is one of 2011's most perplexing albums. It was bogged down by generic filler and ultimately doomed to failure by some of the craziest single choices in recent memory. BUT the misunderstood opus also boasts flourishes of unmistakable brilliance. Take this sublime Alicia Keys-penned disco anthem. Think of "Everybody Needs Love" as the fabulous sequel to Whitney Houston's "Million Dollar Bill". The song has everything - uplifting lyrics, gargantuan vocals and a funky groove that Loleatta Holloway would have been proud to call her own. Prepare to swoon.

17. Bad Kids - Lady Gaga (Listen)

Album: Born This Way

"B`d Kids" is the kind of music Lady Gaga should be making. It's experimental without sounding like a SNL parody and expertly taps into the near universal theme of teenage alienation. The splashes of '80s rock work surprising well against Fernando Garibay's cute beats and the chorus is something of a triumph. Most of all, I buy this Gaga. I'm sure people hated her at school (probably for being a pretentious cunt), so this track actually feels authentic. A rare commodity on "Born This Way".

16. Mama Hold My Hand - Aloe Blacc (Listen)

Album: Good Things

This is the "Someone Like You" for mama's boys with deep-seated emotional issues. As such, it pretty much destroys me every time I hear it.

15. I Love You - Avril Lavigne (Listen)

Album: Goodbye Lullaby

It boggles the mind that Max Martin and Shellback can churn out a seemingly endless stream of generic radio-hits for Britney but also manage to craft something as simple, pared-back and intrinsically Avril as "I Love You". There's not a bad song on "Goodbye Lullaby" (AKA the "4" of whiny guitar-pop albums) but this is definitely my favourite non-single. It's sweet, honest and just kind of washes over you in a very pleasant way with a minimum of fuss or bother.

14. Miles - Christina Perri (Listen)

Album: Lovestrong

I still can't decide if I love or hate Christina Perri. That stupid blond streak makes me want to slap her and "Jar Of Hearts" is absolutely ridiculous but I loved "Arms" and latched onto this cut from her uneven debut. "Miles" benefits from the guidance of the ever-reliable Greg Kurstin, who reigns in her love of bad metaphors and tendency to ramble. The result is an unusually perky mid-tempo love song with a suitably depressing twist. Please let this be her next single.

13. Dancin' Away With My Heart - Lady Antebellum (Listen)

Album: Own The Night

Country music made a huge impact on my iPod this year, with the all-conquering Lady Antebellum leading the charge. Not since the glory days of Shania Twain has an act walked the fine line between country and pop so effortlessly. I love every song on "Own The Night" but this nostalgic gem makes me melt. It was released as a pre-album promo single but surely a full release beckons? "For me you'll always be 18 and beautiful and dancin' away with my heart". Sigh.

12. Unbroken - Demi Lovato (Listen)

Album: Unbroken

As one third of this generation's holy trio of teen-pop icons (along with Selena and Miley), expectations were high for Demi's post-breakdown comeback. I missed the edgy pop-rock of her earlier albums at first but eventually came around to "Unbroken" and now recognise it as a future classic of "When The Sun Goes Down" proportions. It's hard to pick a favourite but the Leah Haywood-penned title-track definitely stands out as a future hit. This towering synth-pop anthem reminds me of Ricki-Lee's stunning "Raining Diamonds" - only with meaningful lyrics and an even better chorus.

11. Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Miley Cyrus (Listen)

Album: Can't Be Tamed

I know this was released in 2010 but I developed a whole new appreciation for "Can't Be Tamed" after her Australian tour in June. There were a lot of potential singles on that album but her cover of Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" could have been massive. This is such an improvement on the original and leads me to believe that a collection of '80s hair-rock anthems should be high on her 'to do' list.

10. All The Boys - Keri Hilson (Listen

Album: No Boys Allowed

How do you solve a problem like Miss Keri Baby? She is an embarrassment to the human race but I can't help but like her music. Take "All The Boys". This is one of the prettiest ballads in recent memory. I love the romantic sentiment and understated production. It's perfectly tailored to Keri's half-octave vocal range and ranks as a career highlight alongside "Knock Me Down" and "I Like".

9. Gone - Jennifer Hudson (Listen)

Album: I Remember Me

J Hud teams up with openly homophobic super-producer Polow Da Don for an epic re-make of Beyoncé's "Halo". There's no excuse for this not being a single. The mid-tempo ballad is irresistible radio fodder that shamelessly yanks at your heartstrings with its emotional lyrics and soaring, synth-drenched chorus. The line "Can you picture yourself getting older dear with someone else?" is particularly devastating. If Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson ballads float your boat then check this out.

8. I Care - Beyoncé (Listen)

Album: 4

Speaking of King B, you didn't think I'd forget the 16-time Grammy winner/most successful artist of the millennium did you? I had to restrain myself from including every track from "4" and focus on the absolute highlights. One of the songs that grew on me more with each listen is the Jeff Bhasker-produced gem "I Care". This is a downright eerie pop song. The subject matter is unusually dark and destructive yet completely relatable. "I know you don't care too much but I still care" howls Bey against ominous beats and the year's quirkiest guitar solo. I feel her pain.

7. Still Getting Younger - Wynter Gordon (Listen)

Album: With The Music I Die

Wynter Gordon teams up with Australian electro-pop band Pnau for one of 2011's best dance anthems. This really is a marriage made in heaven. Winnie channels her inner-Donna Summer, while the producers take inspiration from "Fever"-era Kylie to deliver a knock-out punch. I know this was considered for the album's third single but was overlooked in favour of the admittedly fabulous "Buy My Love". Surely, there's still time for "Still Getting Younger" to have its moment in the sun? Discerning pop fans need this on their iPod.

6. Superman - Taylor Swift (Listen)

Album: Speak Now

"I watch Superman fly away, you got a busy day today" chirps Tay Tay annoyingly in this ridiculous piece of country-pop fluff. Listen, I'm not proud that this stunning bonus-track got lodged in my brain and refused to leave. After all, I have fully-formed boy parts and remember the '90s. But after months of fighting the urge to play this trash on repeat, I finally gave in. And you know what? I'm no longer ashamed. Team Taylor for the win!

5. Say Yes - Nicole Scherzinger (Listen)

Album: Killer Love

How many singles did my best friend Nicole release in 2011? 4 or 5? I've lost count. Most of them were solid choices but there's still no excuse for overlooking "Say Yes" - AKA the best RedOne song not stolen by Lady Gaga in 2011. Everything about this is epic. From the pleading chorus to Hitzinger's soaring vocal, this is top-notch pop and would have been massive.

4. End Of Time - Beyoncé (Listen)

Album: 4

I could, and probably will at some point, write a thesis about Beyoncé's bizarre choice of singles this era. The world just wasn't ready for next-level pop like "Run The World (Girls)", while "Best Thing I Never Had" was a tad too safe by comparison but nothing sticks in my craw like the shocking failure to release "End Of Time". This was the album's big radio hit. A glorious pop anthem with a monster chorus drenched in brass and interesting beeps and bleeps courtesy of Diplo and Switch. I really hope Bey makes a video for this triumphant masterpiece after giving birth to baby Jayoncé - from her vagina because she's really pregnant, haters! - in the same way she knocked out a last-minute clip for "Why Don't You Love Me?" This game-changer deserves to be heard.

3. Hair - Lady Gaga (Listen)

Album: Born This Way

It really pains me to say nice things about Lady Gaga but "Born This Way" was worth the $0.99 for this song alone. "Hair" shits all over rubbish like "Marry The Night" and "Judas". RedOne's best non-Kat DeLuna production of 2011 should have been the lead single, followed by "Edge Of Glory" and then "Bad Kids" or that lame (but secretly amazing) song about unicorns. That would have made this era bearable. But back to "Hair". The craziest thing about this anthem is that people still think it's about follicles. Gaga is clearly using hair as a metaphor for freedom and identity - two themes that make the track both powerful and uplifting.

2. Burn - Clare Maguire (Listen)

Album: Light After Dark

Sounding like Sophie Ellis-Bextor's earthier, chain-smoking cousin, Clare Maguire made a lot of people sit up and take notice with "Light After Dark". Unfortunately none of the singles made a huge splash on the charts, which probably has something to do with the fact that the best song on the album was relegated to bonus track status. "Burn" is - hands down - one of the best pop songs of 2011. It's a beautifully written synth-pop anthem with an unusually wistful chorus that showcases Clare's powerful pipes. I've had this on repeat all year and still love it as much as the first time I heard it. Very highly recommended.

1. Schoolin' Life - Beyoncé (below)

Album: 4

The best album track of 2011 - by quite some margin - is "Schoolin' Life". Bey's educational anthem sums up everything I love about "4". It cleverly mixes influences from pop giants like Prince, Michael Jackson and La Toya to create something completely untamed and original. Which other major pop diva would dare to release a meandering retro-pop tune that hands out life advice against a bed of synths not heard since 1984? It's brave, different and completely uncommercial. Every line is quotable and I love the rich vein of humour that runs through the song. When all is said and done, I don't care that "4" is only the 7th highest selling album of 2011. My fave guided the masses to happiness and fulfilment in five incredibly catchy minutes. Yours had to run around naked in a field, singing generic trash to get a hit. I win. Bye.

Korean Pop God Covers Beyoncé

2011-12-12T04:01:00.000-08:00

King B is on something of a tear at the moment. The Grammys might have snubbed "4" but it has been praised in every year-end 'best of' list I've had the pleasure of reading (from Rolling Stone to MTV and BBC) and "I Was Here" has already bulleted to #168 on the iTunes pop chart in Australia. Could your fave? If you need further proof of Bey's world domination, check out this epic cover of "I Miss You" by Korean superstar Taeyang. The K-Pop god, who is better known as the hottest member of boyband Big Bang, uploaded his version of the Frank Ocean-penned ballad to YouTube earlier today and won immediate praise from fans. To be honest I was expecting the worst after witnessing the massacre of "Halo" at the hands of these K-flops in Sydney recently but this is great. Taeyang sounds amazing. His pronunciation is spot on and he gets that less is more with this composition. It's clear that Beyoncé runs Korea too. You will deal.

Ke$ha Revolutionises Hip-Hop With Sleazy Remix

2011-12-12T03:40:00.000-08:00

Ke$ha has been quiet for the past couple of months but she's gearing up to squirt her glitter gun all over your Christmas lunch with an era-defining remix of "Sleazy". The hard-hitting urban hitmaker has roped in some of her equally edgy friends to give the track a radical makeover. Lil Wayne, T.I., Wiz Khalifa and Andre 3000 have all shot their loads over the future Yuletide classic - so expect lyrical bliss. Some fans are not impressed but I think this is a genius move. K$ has already conquered pop music, so she might as well steal Nicki Minaj's bargain-basement wig while she's at it. The 30 second preview (below) doesn't give much away but it's clearly a game-changing anthem and I know you will all be online at midnight to download "Get Sleazier" from Aus iTunes on Decemeber 14. Make sure to gift the track to your nearest and dearest. This is the flawless gem your niece, nephew, children and/or grandparents have been waiting for!

EDIT: Listen to the full version below. AMAZING!!!

International Diva Update

2011-12-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

With the end of the year looming and my annual 'best of' festival on the horizon, I thought I should try to cover as much music as possible before being completely swamped. So here are three posts rolled into one! And happily, there's even a common theme - all of these exquisite divas sing in a foreign language and were born some time around the discovery of electricity. The first track that you need to hear belongs to 50-year-old pop icon Mylène Farmer. "Du Temps" is the lead single from her latest greatest hits compilation and, as you would expect from the French Madonna, it's completely age-inappropriate dance trash. I am still obsessed with Mylène's "Bleu Noir" album but I feel that this is something of a disappointment. Don't get me wrong. It's a lot of fun but the darkness and beauty of her recent work is missing. I guess a bitch can't be deep and meaningful all the time! Anyway, the video finds the ageless Queen of clubs struggling to do bad choreography - so it's completely defining. Please tell me this will be released physically in France because my Mylène collection needs a new addition.

Next up is Mexican pop icon Paulina Rubio. I really can't believe I haven't featured this stunning goddess on my blog before now. After all, she's been one of my faves since "Don't Say Goodbye" became an unexpected top 20 Australian hit way back in 2002. Since then she's been busy ruling the Latin pop scene and took some time out to start a family. The 40-year-old stunner clearly has her eye on Belinda's Mexican pop crown because she roped in the big guns for her new single. "Me Gustas Tanto" was produced by RedOne and sounds like something Kat DeLuna recorded in 2007. Yes, it's that amazing! I love every second of this hot mess and think it should be a worldwide number one smash. If only she spent as much money on the video. Basically, Pau wears a couple of really bad wigs and looks like she fell into a vat of glitter. You just know Thalia is currently watching the clip on repeat in a jealous rage!

Last and least, is flawless Ukrainian pop diva Kamaliya. Her biggest claim to fame is winning the 2008 Mrs World contest - basically a flop beauty pageant for middle-aged married women! I'm sure she slayed the field. After all, she bears a striking resemblance to Stifler's mum. But I digress. "Crazy In My Heart" was supposed to Kamaliya's all-conquering UK debut but something tells me it didn't work out because I'm yet to see her on any chart. Her website proudly boasts that the song was remixed by Digital Dog and Buzz Junkies, so hopefully it becomes a club smash. To be honest, I kind of love it. Most Eurovision contestants would draw the line at releasing something this camp! The video is even more over the top. She rolls around in water and wears the rattiest black wig this side of Bankstown. In other words, it's an era-defining masterpiece. Watch in awe below.

I Can't Believe I Love A Band Called Snakadaktal

2011-12-10T06:18:00.000-08:00

My favourite song at the moment belongs to a five-piece band from Melbourne called Snakadaktal. Ok, let's just get this out of the way - WORST NAME EVER. To make matters worse, it's apparently an amalgamation of the words snake and pterodactyl. Which is just stupid because snakes have two doodles and pterodactyls only had one hole. I think. So how are they supposed to reproduce? While you contemplate that mind-bending dilemma, let's return to their music. "Air" is one of the best songs of 2011. A delicately constructed indie-pop anthem that deftly borrows elements from fellow aural LSD-purveyors MGMT and Empire Of The Sun, the hypnotic track is an atmospheric triumph. You can almost feel the sunshine poking through a canopy of trees in an enchanted forest full of snakadaktals during the chorus. It's a brilliant debut that deserves to be massive. Make sure you check out the simple but effective smoke-filled video (below).

CD of the Day, 11/22/11: David Mead-Dudes

2011-11-22T09:22:00.000-08:00

Longtime readers of this site know that I'm a big David Mead fan, but his last release, 2009's Almost and Always, left me a little cold. It was an admirable effort as Mead's songwriting skills continued to shine, but musically it was a bit too subdued (no pun intended). So I was excited to hear that he enlisted the help of Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger (who produced his 2001 release Mine and Yours) for this record, hoping he'd return to a more upbeat - dare I say - power pop sound. And for the most part my hopes have been fulfilled, as Dudes may be Mead's most consistently engaging album since his audacious 1998 debut The Luxury of Time.

When he's at his best, Mead can seamlessly transition from a power pop gem to a brilliant ballad that sounds like a standard to what almost seems a showtune and back again. "I Can't Wait" opens the disc, and it's a fine midtempo number with a rolling melody that's reminiscent of the style found on his 2004 album Indiana. "King of the Crosswords" follows, and it's a rousing pop tune (complete with sax) about a crossword puzzle prodigy. Another standout is "Guy on Guy", which finds Mead at his lyrical best about a man who finds himself attracted to other men and features an old-time melody and a playful trombone. "Bocce Ball" is a quick 2-minute ditty with a Latin lilt that's insanely catchy (try getting its "bocce, bocce, bocce ball" chorus out of you head). The title track is another highlight; although the word "dude" begs not to be taken seriously, the song itself is a mature, melodic track and one of Mead's best.

The second half of the disc starts off in power pop mode with "Happy Birthday, Marty Ryan", probably Mead's most electric guitar-centric song in years, and also features "No One Roxx This Town No More", a R&B-inflected, ultra-catchy pop number that's of a piece with "Chatterbox" off 2006's Tangerine. And the holiday-themed "The Smile of Rachael Ray" is the kind of "instant classic"-sounding tune that seems to come second nature to him. The album closes with another winner: "Knee Jerk Reaction", a Paul Simon-like number reminiscent of "Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard". Dudes is a welcome return to form for Mead, and without a doubt one of 2011's best.

iTunes

Also, it's highly worth your while (especially if you're relatively new to David Mead) to pick up this free 25-song sampler from Noisetrade, which features many of his classic tracks, some fine unreleased material, and the title track and "I Can't Wait" from Dudes.

Two for Tuesday, 11/15/11

2011-11-15T10:45:00.000-08:00

Greg Pope-Monster Suit (Original Soundtrack). The pope of power pop (or should we just call him the "power pope"?) is back with another collection of top-drawer tracks, but this time with a twist. Not only has he taken the world of independent power pop by storm, but now his creative energies have been turned towards independent film as he's on the verge of releasing "Giant Monster Playset", a short film he wrote and directed. Monster Suit is the soundtrack to the short film, but it's not a collection of incidental music with a few songs scattered among it. Instead, it's a full-length disc that stands on its own and fits right in with his previous releases. There's a lot to like here, from the heavy, cascading guitar rock of "Modern Plaything" to the melodic pop of "Soulless Heart" to the anthemic "Hero". The acoustically-strummed "The Chance You Don't Take" harkens back to Pope's Edmund's Crown days, and "Place on the Hill" sounds like a lost classic rock gem. Pope's been on quite the creative run the last few years, and we're all enjoying the ride.

CD Baby | iTunes

The Liarbirds-Allegedly. This Greek band caught my attention in 2008 with their debut EP Second Quartet, and three years later they've emerged with an impressive full-length followup. They have an easy, melodic sound that brings Teenage Fanclub, The Byrds and Cosmic Rough Riders to mind, and opener "Chewing Gum" is an impressive statement to this end, as it merges laid-back verses with an intense power pop chorus. "Running Mind" is another breezy wonder, and "Fortune Tells May Tell You" will have you thinking you're listening to Daniel Wylie's latest. "Soul Keeper" has a retro-60s vibe, while "Disarray" finds them in good form on a slower number. An impressive record, and it's nice to see good news out of Greece for a change these days.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

New music Friday.

2011-11-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

Michael Oliver & The Sacred Band-Yin & Yanxiety. Boston's (by way of Buffalo) Michael Oliver has an interesting resume that includes time in a 90s power pop band (Buffalo's Go, Dog, Go!) and a graduate degree from Harvard. So it's no surprise that his latest effort with The Sacred Band, Yin & Yanxiety, boasts both a clever title and intelligent lyrics. But what makes it potentially one of 2011's best are the great tunes and consummate popcraft that he displays here. Oliver displays a variety of pop sounds here - the Matthew Sweet meets Tom Petty opener "Complicated", the Brian Wilson-inspired "Neverlast", and the twee indie pop of "Tell Me What You're Dreaming". But where Oliver finds his most consistent mark is when he goes with straight-up, melodic mid-tempo pop in the vein of Michael Penn, Cliff Hillis and David Grahame with tracks like "Love While it Lasted", "Little Miss Oblivious" and "Stranger from Another Planet". And the best part of all is that there isn't one clunker among the 13 tracks here. I'll close by saying that you should be yanxious to get this one added to your collection.

CD Baby | iTunes

Sam Hawksley-Somewhere in My Mind. Aussie Sam Hawksley has been a consistent purevyor of catchy folk/pop/rock for several years now, but his fifth and latest album might be his best. This may be the result of much of the album being recorded in Nashville, and at times it's reminiscent of another Aussie-gone-Nashville, Bob Evans. The bright, engaging "Thinking About You" is an excellent opener that fits Hawksley's strengths, and "Flying High in the USA" has a bit of a Jayhawks feel to it. Meanwhile, "She's Out Breakin' Hearts" is a fine Tom Petty-style rocker, "Save My Life" boasts a great guitar hook in the chorus, and "Stranger to You Now" and "I Wish" feature some excellent harmonies from Kim Richey and Hillary Lindsey. If you haven't been familiar with Hawksley's fine catalog until now, this is an excellent place to start.

CD Baby | iTunes

Friday Roundup.

2011-10-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

The Farewells-Litterbug EP. The Farewells are a Massachusetts husband/wife duo who produce some wonderful folk-infused indie pop a la The Pernice Brothers and The Autumn Defense, and they're back for the first time in nine years with the Litterbug EP. The gentle "Beehive" kicks things off with some "Because"-like harmonies, and the title track is a slow burner that will stick in your brain. But the real highlight here is "Nightlight", a buoyant pop tune that builds to an swelling chorus and has turned out to be one of my favorite tracks of 2011.

iTunes | Bandcamp

Litterbug by The Farewells

Vie-Noises from the Cat Room. Vie (not to be confused with Donnie Vie) is a California pop-rocker with a sophisticated pop sound not unlike artists such as Linus of Hollywood, Ken Sharp and Neil Traynor. "Oh Carly" is a power pop nugget with some fine guitar work, and the acoustic guitar-heavy based "Oh Christine" is another winner (he even throws in a cover of Cheap Trick's "Oh Caroline" to complete the "Oh-girl's-name-that-starts-with-C" trilogy). The Beatlesque piano ballad "My Love" shows his facility with the slower stuff, and the strings and harmony vocals give "Anyway" a melodic urgency. Vie says he's been writing these songs for 14 years, and it was worth the wait as just about every track has something to recommend it. It's overlooked gems like these that keep me looking.

CD Baby | Stream at Official Site | iTunes

Mike and Miles.

2011-10-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

Mike Viola-Electro de Perfecto. Mike Viola needs little introduction for readers of this site. From his power pop band Candy Butchers to his work with Bleu (in LEO & The Major Labels) to a budding solo career, the one constant has been great pop songs. On his latest solo effort, Viola steps back a bit to create his most assured, mature recording to date while continuing to deliver the tunes. You might not realize this from the opener, the frenetic "Columbus Day Parade", but "Get You Back" (with Semisonic's Dan Wilson on harmony and FoW's Adam Schelsinger on bass) is magical midtempo pop, and "Soundtrack of My Summer" will be the soundtrack of your autumn with its clever, easygoing melody. Elsewhere, "Inside Out" is catchy as hell, and the closer "When the Stars Against You" is a wonderfully moody take on dealing with life's adversities. You probably don't need me to tell you to buy a Mike Viola album, but if you had the slightest hesitation my advice is to just do it.

iTunes

Miles Zuniga-These Ghosts Have Bones. It's hard to believe that this is Miles Zuniga's first proper solo album (although he did release a record in 2006 with his side project The Small Stars), but at long last the guy responsible for my most of my favorite Fastball tracks ("Fire Escape", "Airstream", "Mono to Stereo") gets the stage to himself. And These Ghosts Have Bones is worth the wait as Zuniga's pure popcraft is on full display. The Lennonesque opener "Marfa Moonlight" is wonderful, one of 2011's most unforgettable tracks and its lyrics are the source of the album title. "Rock Paper Scissors" is an excellent rocker that would have easily fit in on a Fastball record, while "Feel it in Your Kiss" displays a faint 70s R&B influence. Elsewhere, "Working on a Love Song" is a catchy number filled with irony (the writer of the song finishes it just in time to find its subject left him), and "Junkie Hands" finds Zuniga in a late-period Beatles state of mind. A great solo debut from one of my favorite pop songwriters, and a strong candidate for 2011's top 10.

iTunes

Midweek Roundup.

2011-10-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

An American Underdog-Always on the Run. While you may not recognize the band name, you should recognize the man behind the band - in this case, Michigan's Andy Reed, who has followed up his excellent 2008 release Fast Forward with a backing band this time around. So while the circumstances may be different, the general sound isn't as Reed & Co. continue to mine the Jon Brion/David Grahame/Emmit Rhodes/Elliott Smith pop territory. The bright power pop of "Your Reign is Over" channels Brendan Benson, "Portland" makes nice use of keyboards in a poppy Elvis Costello-meets-Jason Falkner track, and the whimsical title track is a tour de force, sprinkling bits of McCartney, Jellyfish and Jon Brion into a pure pop confection. Reed keeps getting better with each release, and might be ready to take his place among the David Grahames and Michael Carpenters of the genre. This one's a must for my regular readers.

CD Baby | SoundCloud | iTunes

Buttonjaw-Things You Should Know. It was a pleasant surprise stumbling upon this Portland band, who have given us a fine debut disc that brings to mind The Posies and The Gin Blossoms. "Polly Nearly" is nearly a perfect album opener, a catchy, guitar-driven number with hooks to spare, "One-Track Mind" has a twisting melody and some great guitar work, and the midtempo "Breakdown" sounds like it just came off a rock-radio station from the 90s. These guys know their way around a tune, and the best part is that the proceeds from the album are going to help build a safe house in Ghana for trafficking victims. Good music and a good cause, can't argue with that.

CD Baby | iTunes

Things You Should Know by buttonjaw

Mike Barnett-Bigger Than This. Have no fear - your FDA-required minimum daily supplement of jangle is about to be filled once again by Missouri's Mike Barnett, who's back to the solo path after his excellent 2009 album with Dennis Gurley. In case you're not familiar, the touchstone for Barnett's sound is Wilbury-era George Harrison, and opener "The Love I Have for You" is a catchy, jangly gem. "Motorcycle" treads somehwere between the 60s and 70s and recalls Bobby Sutliff, and "Life's Better" sounds like a lost Roy Orbison classic. Jangleheads, this one's for you.

CD Baby | iTunes

Monday Roundup.

2011-10-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

Making up for my recent absence with 3 reviews today:

The Ditchflowers-Bird's Eye. Brian Merrill (ex-Barely Pink) and Ed Woltil are back with the followup to 2007's excellent Carried Away, and Bird's Eye is another triumphant collection of sophisticated adult pop. "Sunshine Lifetime" blasts out of the speakers with some horns and Stones-style swagger, "You Could Hurt Someone" is alternately bouncy and brooding, and the ballad "Rainout" is a melodic winner with background vocals from fellow Tampa Bay rocker Steve Robinson. Also of note is the frenetic power pop of "Pictures of You", and the shuffling "Love, The Conqueror" which features ex-Wilco drummer Ken Coomer. A magnificent record.

CD Baby | Listen at Official Site | iTunes

Bird's Eye by The Ditchflowers

Mozley-S/T. My Google skills have really been put to the test by the mysterious Mozley. As best as I can tell, he's from Arkansas and that may or may not be D.B. Cooper on the album cover. Nevertheless, you don't need his life story to enjoy his self-titled debut, and fans of The Replacements and Big Star will want to check this one out. The shambolic rocker "Never Meant to Be" has a Westerbergian edge to it, "Earthquakes" has a brooding yet melodic feel, and "Leave Tonight" recalls Ryan Adams when he's serious about classic rock while "Wake Up" is a jangly mid-tempo rocker with a Tom Petty vibe. A nice slice of Mid-South rock from out of nowhere.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

The Phantom Six-Plastic Rain. The Phantom Six is a West Virginia garage rock band led by singer-guitarist Mark Poole, and along with his bandmates (who include AbPow favorite Clint Sutton) has crafted a fun, energetic collection of late 60s-styled rock nuggets. "Corianna", full of reverb and stop-start guitars, and "ahhhhh" harmonies sets the tone, and "Inspiration" doesn't suffer from a lack of it. The piledriving "About Love" and the title track recall Dinosaur Jr., while "Lose Control" comes across as Foo Fighters with more gravitas. With one kick-ass rocker after another (even the jangly "Shades of Sunday"), Plastic Rain will appeal to fans of melodic rock, including those of us who loved the Clint Sutton disc even if his contributions here are as a sideman.

CD Baby | Listen | iTunes

Hello

2011-09-21T08:28:00.001-07:00

hello

CD of the Day, 9/20/11: Meyerman-Who Do You Think You Are?

2011-09-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

It's easy for me to become complacent about all the power pop (as broadly as I definite it on the site) I listen to, to the point where it can kind of fade into the background. Don't get me wrong - just about all the music I listen to and review on this site is music I really like, or even love, and is worthy of your listening time (and dollars). But a few times a year I get shaken out of my complacency when I get to hear a record that makes me say to myself "this is why I listen to power pop". Who Do You Think You Are?, the debut album from New Jersey's Meyerman, is one of those records.

This is classic Power Pop with 2 capital P's. It's also very "meta" - a power pop album which is mostly about being in a power pop band and a band's relationship with its audience. So while it has the sound of a number of power pop bands running through it like Cheap Trick, The Raspberries, Butch Walker, The Shazam, it has the looking-at-it-from-the-inside sensibility of The Replacements or Local H. Opener "Intro Tonight" basically thanks you for listening, and rewards the favor with an infectious, melodic tune that all but invites you to handclap along. They continue this "opt-in" request with "Permission to Rock You", another throat-clearer that still rocks, and finally get down to business proper with "Get to You", one killer hook and riff after another that you'll swear you heard before but sounds fresh and new.

Elsewhere, "Seconds" is a tough rocker that's wistful yet crunchy, and if "Immaculate Mansions" gives you a 60s/70s classic rock vibe, it's probably because the album was mixed by The Grip Weeds' Kurt Reil, another feather in its cap. "Tour of Japan" continues the self-referential theme with an ode to how our kind of music is more appreciated overseas than in the USA while its "teenage symphonies" line is a nod to Brian Wilson (and by extension, Velvet Crush). Meanwhile, "New Direction" is a footstomping number that explores the tension that occurs when a band offers a new sound which risks alienating its fans while trying keep from sounding stale, and "Indecision & Inertia" honors its title by being a halting, midtempo number, yet still works.

If anything, Who Do You Think You Are? could be considered the "Community" of power pop albums. Like the TV show, it's very much about itself while still delivering the goods, ironic but not sardonic. On the one hand, it rewards you for being in on the joke while on the other it's still an excellent representative of its genre if you'd rather not think too hard about it.

CD Baby | iTunes

CD Single of the Day: Peter Baldrachi-In the Dead of Night

2011-09-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

Boston's Peter Baldrachi is back with his first new material since 2007's Solid Ground, and it's a teaser 2-track single download-only release in advance of his forthcoming full-length Tomorrow Never Knows (that title sounds familiar, eh?). Normally I don't review singles, but these two tracks are so good I've made an exception. "In the Dead of the Night" is Grade-A power pop, all loud guitars, hooks and harmonies. And the non-album B-side "Picture on My Wall" is so good that it makes me wonder how there could be 9-10 better tracks that beat it out to make the upcoming album. Get these on your iPod or music player of choice right away, you won't regret it.

CD Baby | iTunes

Two for Thursday, 9/8/11

2011-09-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

Baby Scream-Secret Place. Juan Pablo Mozzolla & Co. are back again with their third full-length in three years, and Secret Place finds Baby Scream branching out from the (mostly) mellow Lennonesque pop they've become known for. There's a reggae track ("Cold Weather Reggae"), some neo-soul ("Patiently") and a T. Rex cover ("20th Century Baby") to spice things up, and the opening track "The Last Call" has a rootsy, Band-like feel. But those who come for the languid, melodic pop of the previous releases won't be disappointed either - "Hit and Run" and "London Sun" are standouts in this regard. Mozzolla continues to refine his craft, and we're the better for it.

iTunes | MySpace

Former-The Kids Deserve Cable. Since the release of 2008's And Nothing But the Truth, Former's Denny Smith has been busy with The Great Affairs, releasing 2 full-lengths and an EP. But here Smith puts his alter ego aside for another turn of hard power pop that has more in common with Butch Walker and Cheap Trick than the mellow roots pop of his other band. The frenetic "Head Light" lets you know where you stand right off the bat with a driving hard pop beat that recalls the Foo Fighters. "How Does it Feel?" steps off the accelerator a bit but still rocks out in a Steve Bertrand/Rob Bonfiglio fashion, while "Sister" has that Walker's kind of swagger. And "Lie to Me" is a flat-out classic (see video below). For those who want to emphasize the "power" in "power pop", this is your disc.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Friday Roundup.

2011-09-02T07:16:00.000-07:00

JoDee Purkeypile-October House. If the name sounds familiar to you, it's because JDP was the frontman of The Alice Rose, a Texas band who put out a pair of outstanding Jon-Brion-meets-Squeeze indie pop albums in the last 5 years. The obvious parallel here is Greg Pope; like Pope, Purkeypile plays all the instruments here, and in the same manner as when Pope left Edmund's Crown, the solo flight has allowed Purkeypile to distill the essence of the sound he first forged in the band setting. So this is more Jon Brion than Squeeze, and that's a good thing here as "Disappear from Here" is among the best songs he's written, a swirling pop gem in a minor key. "Your Days Ends as Mine Begins" is first-rate guitar pop, and the rollicking "Company Man" has a Jellyfish by way of Michael Penn vibe. Elsewhere, "Summer Sunday" is a lovely slice of mellow indie pop, and the propulsive "Autumn Mind" channels Neil Finn. I could see this one ending up in 2011's top 20.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Marshall Holland-Statistically I Should Say. San Francisco's Marshall Holland put out an overlooked gem in 2004 titled Don't Jettison the Memories, an album of first-rate power pop in the style of Brendan Benson and The Posies. He re-released it last year, and has followed that up with Statistically I Should Say, an EP of new material. Don't miss him this around, as this might be the best power pop EP of 2011. From the urgent opener "Your Lies" to the perfect power pop of "I'm OK (for Now)" - the album's best track - to the buoyant, synth-happy "Meet Me by the Blue Balloon", Holland give us a welcome return. So after you've digested this confection, make sure you go back and get Don't Jettison the Memories.

iTunes | MySpace

Two for Thursday, 8/18/11

2011-08-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Wiretree-Make Up. The career of Kevin Peroni (a/k/a Wiretree) has coincided with the existence of this site; his debut EP was one of the first reviewed here. So it's been interesting to follow him these past 5-6 years and see how his sound has evolved. He's gone from the Tom Petty/Wilburys sound of the debut and Bouldin to more of an indie rock sound with Luck, and has completed the transition here with Make Up. The one constant has been the songwriting, and whatever the subgenre, Peroni has consistently given us fine tunes. This time around, it's the ringing guitar chords of "Make Up", the catchy heartland rock of "Broken Foot" and the rollicking "The Shore", which is reminiscent of Green Day's "Holiday". The disc even closes with the Jayhawks-like country ballad "Josephine". But there are a few remnants of the classic Wiretree sound here with "Tinyhearts" and "Tonight". Overall, it's nice to see him branch out without sacrificing the quality of the tunes, and I look forward to what comes next.

CD Baby | iTunes

Third of Never, Kurt Reil & CJ Grogan-Life Saver (Three Fifths of a Third EP). Grip Weeds alert! Fans of that longtime power pop band will want to grab this split EP, which features lead singer Kurt Reil's Third of Never side project, two tracks from Reil himself, and two others from CJ Grogan (also in Third of Never). Third of Never's title track is excellent (and leads us to hope a followup to 2007's Moodring is the offing), Reil's catchy "Gonna Find My Way" is another standout, as well as his psych-rocking "Wake Up Time". Grogan's "Tracer" is an energetic rocker, but his piano ballad closer "Margaret" meanders a bit. Still, 4 out of 5 ain't bad.

CD Baby | iTunes

New Well Wishers on the way.

2011-08-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

Jeff Shelton's at it again. Perennial site favorite The Well Wishers are due for another new album. It's called Dreaming of the West Coast (where else?), and should be out by year's end.

As a sneak peek, here's "Escape the Light", which I'm sure you'll agree is vintage Well Wishers:

Two for Thursday, 8/11/11

2011-08-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

Tony Cox-On the Way. After a successful and well-received debut in the power pop community with 2009's Unpublished, Tony Cox is back with On the Way, and he's topped himself in the process. As with Unpublished, Tony enlists pop utilityman Nigel Clark (who can be heard with Dodgy, The Offbeat, and his own solo disc) on vocals, and the combination is another winner. Opener "We'll Get High" is a perfect pop confection, a slice of 60s-pop with a hint of soulfulness. "Hold Me Angeline" is reminiscent of Clark's work in The Offbeat, while "The Way" evokes The Association with a Nuggets-styled sheen. And "Curse of Love" could pass for a lost Zombies classic. This could the album of the year for those who love 60s-styled sunshine pop.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Rollo Time-Victims of the Crown. It's Rollo Time again, as this Chicago-area band returns with the followup to their 2007 self-titled debut. Once again, they show a great facility for melding classic rock and power pop, and that's apparent right off the bat with "You Can Talk" and "Sick and Tired", a pair of tracks that will appeal to fans of bands like The Shazam and Superdrag. "Eyman Prison" tells the story of a frustrated prisoner (of a real Arizona prison) to a power pop beat, while the midtempo janglers "Madeline Says" and "I Can't Believe This Day" are also standouts.

CD Baby | Facebook | iTunes

Two for Thursday, 8/4/11

2011-08-04T09:48:00.000-07:00

Vegas With Randolph-Above the Blue. This Washington, DC band lets no moss grow under their feet - after they released their self-titled debut in 2009, they've issued a series of singles, and here they're collected on Above the Blue. If you missed them the first time around, the singles are really good: "The Better Part" is a punchy pop-rocker, the title track is Secret Powers-styled power pop, and "Some Time to Love" is very reminiscent of Fountains of Wayne. What they add to the singles collection is another of their "song suites", this time called "Double Play". Going from horn-based rave-up to acoustic interlude to straight-up power pop, Vegas With Randolph remain masters of the medley, and the Abbey Road-style album experience is not to be dismissed in the era of the iPod.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

The Quags-Priceless Grains of Sand. It's great to have this Oregon band back for the first time since 2005's Devil's Music. The Quags are on the Paisley Pop label and for those unfamiliar it means classic rock-infused power pop, in this case reminiscent of bands like The Kinks and The Figgs. The opening 1-2 of "Human Thing" and "Favorite Parasite" drive this comparison home, and the laidback "Beautifully Insane" is another treat. Elsewhere, "It Takes Heart" is a Rockpile-styled delight, "Going Through the Convulsions" rocks out, and "Do Yourself a Mischief" closes things on a wonderfully jangly note with a hint of The Who. Here's hoping we won't have to wait six years for the next one.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Two for Thursday, 7/28/11

2011-07-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

Honeywagen-Atomic Cafe. This Kansas City band is back from a near decade-long hibernation with Atomic Cafe, and it's a jangly delight of Midwestern power pop. "Throw it All Away" is a gem of an opener, kind of like Ray Davies fronting the Plimsouls, while "Go Someplace" sounds like a lost Byrds classic. "Lust" brings the Rutles' classic "I Must Be in Love" to mind, and "My Virginia" wouldn't be out of place of on a Gin Blossoms record. It's great to have these guys back, so janglers of the world, unite - you have nothing to lose but $14 or so. And Kool Kat is offering up a kool bonus disc - frontman Mike Penner covering A Hard Day's Night (the album) in its entirety.

Kool Kat | Official Site

Brian Hoffer-Into the Boulevard. I was pleasantly surprised to have stumbled upon this Milwaukee singer-songwriter's debut album, which has traces of Brendan Benson, AC Newman and Fountains of Wayne running through it. The upbeat, catchy "Good Day Now" is a near-perfect opener, and the clever "Psychoanalysis" reminds me of Dan Bryk and Lamar Holley. Other highlights include the raved-up "Keep Each Other Cold", the piano-and-guitar-based melody of "Superman Somehow" and the sardonic "When They Drop the Bomb". Hoffer really has a songwriter's ear for lyrics and melody here, and a nice sampling of the disc is below for your listening pleasure.

iTunes

Catcing up with some more old friends.

2011-07-20T06:12:00.000-07:00

Here's another round of artists previously featured here who have new material out:

Artist: The Great Affairs
Last Seen on AbPow: November 2010 with Ricky Took the Wheels.
New release: Happy Ender EP.
A few words: fORMER's Denny Smith is back with the third Great Affairs release in about 18 months time, and this EP is more of their laid-back, tuneful best. Happy Ender was recorded over two days in the studio and it has a loose-limbed feel, with the peppy "Bird on a Wire" the highlight. Smith also advises there's a new fORMER album in the works, always welcome news.
Links: CD Baby | iTunes | ReverbNation

Artist: Michael Gross & The Statuettes
Last Seen on AbPow: August 2010 with Telepath.
New release: Imaginary Signs EP.
A few words: Gross & Co. have been quite busy these days, and the new EP is a continuation of their heartland rock sound. The one departure here is "A Revelation", which reminds me of Bends-era Radiohead.
Links: Bandcamp | iTunes

Imaginary Signs EP by Michael Gross and The Statuettes

Artist: The Brigadier
Last Seen on AbPow: November 2010 with The Secret of No Success.
New release: Holiday Special EP.
A few words: Matt Williams returns again with a seasonally-themed EP, this one summer-related. The standout here is the leadoff track "When the Sun Comes Out", which captures summer's optimistic, carefree nature while being a damn catchy tune.
Links: CD Baby | Bandcamp | iTunes

Holiday Special E.P. by The Brigadier

Artist: Radio Days
Last Seen on AbPow: October 2008 with Midnight Cemetery Rendezvous.
New release: C'est La Vie.
A few words: This Italian band is back with another disc of their Paul Collins Beat (with whom they shared a 7" release)-styled power pop. The followup to their debut EP is an excellent one, from the Beatlesque "Sleep it Off" to the Teenage Fanclub-influenced "Enemies for Friends" to the jangle pop of "Sweetest Lullaby".
Links: Bandcamp (two tracks) | iTunes

C'est La Vie by Radio Days

Stream the new Matthew Sweet!

2011-07-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

Here it is, in all its glory. Haven't had a chance to listen yet myself, but note how meta Track 7 appears to be.

Two for Thursday, 7/14/11

2011-07-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

Brandon Wilde-Hearts in Stereo. I first came upon this Brooklyn singer-songwriter thanks to his fine 2006 debut Songs From the Deep Sleep, but it didn't prepare me for how brilliant his new followup is. Wilde will appeal to fans of Paul McCartney, David Grahame and a host of other melodic popsters. The moody and haunting "Dayglow" opens in the vein of post-Crowded House Neil Finn, while the frantic "Time Bomb" sounds as if it came from a Brendan Benson album. The jangly "Candy Apples" channels Grahame and Emitt Rhodes, and it's all prelude to the album's best track "Ooh La", which takes all these influences to another level, sounding not unlike Elliott Smith if he were actually a happy person. This is first-rate pop, and another that will be ranked highly upon year's end.

CD Baby | iTunes

Richie Reinholdt-Night and Day. Here's some excellent roots pop straight outta Missoula, Montana (also home to AbPow favorites Secret Powers) that will catnip to those who like Marshall Crenshaw, Walter Clevenger, Bobby Sutliff and the like. "Lucky Stars" is an absolute gem, and "Home Now" has a bit of Dylan in it. Elsewhere, "Soft Hearts" is the Everly Brothers gone rockabilly, "Opium" is a hard-edged rocker that adds some depth to the proceedings, and "Dream Noir" lives up to its title. Reinholdt's sound might be retro, but quality roots pop like this never goes out of style.

CD Baby | Bandcamp | iTunes

Night and Day by Richie Reinholdt

CD of the Day, 7/8/11: The Red Button-As Far as Yesterday Goes

2011-07-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

In 2007 Seth Swirsky & Mike Ruekberg, establish power poppers in their own right, teamed up as The Red Button to give us one of the top power pop albums of the decade with She's About to Cross My Mind. It was our #1 album of that year and came the closest to capturing both the sound - and more importantly, the spirit - of an early-to-mid period Beatles album. It wasn't a Rutles-style pastiche but rather a collection of a dozen or so extremely strong tunes that evoked the era without aping it. And what propelled it to the next level is that you had two distinct singer-songwriters bringing their songs to the table, with Ruekberg playing Lennon to Swirsky's McCartney.

So needless to say, expectations are high for the followup, and for the most part the expectations are met. There's a little bit less Beatles here, with an element of 70s-styled singer-songwriter sound in its place, but the end result is bound to please anyone who loved the first album. Things start strongly in the vein of the first album with Ruekberg's excellent and insanely catchy "Caught in the Middle", right out of the Help!-era playbook with Rickenbacker and harmonica galore. (His "I Can't Forget", which appears later in the album, is another great Beatles '65 homage.) Following is the sophisticated pop of Swirsky's title track, a moody midtempo number that compares favorably to some of the debut's standout tracks like "It's No Secret" and "Floating By". Speaking of "Floating By", the piano-based "Picture" is this album's closest cousin with its Bacharachian feel.

The passionate Ruekberg rocker "Girl, Don't" ups the jangle factor, while his lovely "Easier" evokes "Something". Swirsky meanwhile pines for a pair of ladies named "Genevieve" and "Sandreen", with the former the subject of a string-laden pop confection, and the latter a very 70s-sounding tune that's just as much breezy Stevie Wonder as breezy McCartney. Elsewhere "On a Summer Day" lives up to its title with its carefree melody and some great vocal interplay between our two principals, and the vaguely funky "You Do Something to Me" draws its inspiration from Paul Simon's early solo career. And like the debut with "It's No Secret", the album closes in strong fashion with "Running Away", a piano and guitar number that shifts the focus from the girls-of-their-dreams to an inward look that casts all that came before it in a different light, a well-played turn that grounds the album nicely.

Part of what made the debut a power pop phenomenon was that it came as a revelation; followups by definition in these cases always come without this advantage. But if it were possible to "unhear" the debut, As Far as Yesterday Goes would be just as much a jaw-dropper. and coming up with 12 near-perfect pop songs is never as easy as it sounds. For that, this album will rightfully earn its spot at or near the top of my 2011 list, and should earn an immediate spot on your music player of choice.

CD Baby | iTunes | sample at Official Site

Two for Tuesday, 6/28/11

2011-06-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

The Big Sweet-Ultraviolet Rain. It was almost a year to the date we looked at this Ohio band's debut album, Shot of Bliss, and they haven't wasted any time with the followup. Once again, these (now) 17-year-olds have produced a confident, assured mix of power pop and indie rock that belies their age. Whereas last time they covered Big Star's "September Gurls", here they assimilate their sound in "Laces" (while the skittish "In and Out of Style" recalls solo Alex Chilton). Also of note are the pop/rocker "N-O", which doesn't quite go where you expect it to, and the jangle of both "As You Wake" and "Ancient Psych". With enough winding turns and crooked alleys, Ultraviolet Rain isn't cookie-cutter power pop - but in this case, the journey is a much fun as the destination.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Justin Nault-It's Just Me. This Nashville piano popper has styled an impressive debut that should appeal to fans of Josh Fix and Ben Folds. "I Would" and "Addicted" are a killer one-two punch of upbeat melodic piano pop, and the kinetic title track ain't no slouch either. "Smile" is another standout, with its anthemic chorus, and the piano pyrotechnics of "Puppet" recalls Folds' debut as the Ben Folds Five. Have a listen for yourself:

It's Just Me by Justin Nault

CD Baby | iTunes

Two for Tuesday, 6/21/11

2011-06-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

Dropkick-Time Cuts the Ties. I've been listening to this prolific (9 full-lengths plus a handful of EPs in the last 10 years) Scottish band for several years now, had their records in my top 100 lists, but until now had not featured them on this site. I'm remedying this oversight with their latest, Time Cuts the Ties, as it's emblematic of their body of work and a damn good listen. Dropkick specialize in the melodic pop of bands like Teenage Fanclub and Daniel Wylie-era Cosmic Rough Riders with a touch of alt-country, suffused with Pernice Brothers-like harmonies. The standouts here are "Bad Line", an uptempo number augmented by piano that wouldn't have been out of place on the Pernices' Overcome by Happiness album, the stately power balladry of "Home", and the lovely, waltzing title track. Have a listen below, but set aside some time - once you introduce yourself to them, you're going to want to delve into that deep back catalog.

Official site (with lots of downloads) | iTunes

The Janglemen-5 by The Janglemen. Hey, sometimes the reviews write themselves. In this case, the band name and the title do a great job of summing things up. If you like this NYC band's full-length debut in 2007 or just like jangly power pop, this EP is for you. "Missin' Kissin' Kristen" is worth the price of admission alone, all Rickenbackers and catchy melodies. Also of note is the merseybeat of "XO XO", and the almost Knack-like "Weather Girl". Jangle on!

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

New Wiretree on the way!

2011-06-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

Kevin Peroni a/k/a Wiretree has been an AbPow favorite over the years, with 2 full-lengths and an EP placing highly on our year-end lists. So I'm glad to report that Wiretree's latest full-length, Makeup, is due to be released August 1. And as a preview, here's the leadoff track "The Shore", a tight pop song in the Wiretree style:

The Shore by Wiretree

Monday Roundup.

2011-06-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Let's start the work week off with a couple of old friends here at AbPow.

The Riffbrokers-Every Pilot's Blinded by the Sun. Seattle's Riffbrokers are back with their fifth full-length, and it's more of the same no-nonsense power pop/classic rock that they have become masters at. Their sound is equal parts Tom Petty and The Replacements with a dash of Exile-era Stones thrown in, and the rocking "Better Angels" is the definitive proof of this amalgam. Nick Millward has just the right voice for this style of rock, and his bandmates provide a killer rhythm section. No bad tracks here, but more equal than others are the rocker "Mindset", the soulful "Calling All The Charlatans" and the catchy album closer "Thank You". No, thank you, Riffbrokers, for keeping the rock flame burning.

CD Baby | Bandcamp (free download) | iTunes

Every Pilot's Blinded By The Sun by The Riffbrokers

The Rationales-The Distance in Between. We last heard from this Boston band a few years ago with their fine EP The Going and the Gone, and here's their equally impressive full-length debut. Once again David Mirabella & Co. straddle the line between power pop and Americana, and if you like bands such as, say, I don't know...The Riffbrokers? you'll love this one. Opener "Real Life" builds from its rootsy verses to an anthemic ending, "Braedon" packs more punch in its sub-2:00 running time than most songs do in 4, and the rocker "Jaded" recalls Being There-era Wilco. And don't miss the chiming, jangly "Tongue Tied", the latest and greatest entry into the fellowship of "summer is over" songs. You won't have to rationalize picking this one up.

CD Baby | Bandcamp | iTunes

The Distance In Between by The Rationales

Bandcamping it.

2011-06-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

More and more artists are using Bandcamp, which allows for full streaming of tracks, downloads (many free or name your price), etc. Here are a few that caught my eye recently:

A free download of Plasticsoul & Brandon Schott covering Big Star? You don't have to drag me screaming to that.

Thank You Friends by Golden State Music

Chris Richards with another vault-clearing collection? Always good stuff if you recall his previous Pathetic History.

Historia Pathetic Dos by Chris Richards and the Subtractions

Daniel Person is a UK artist whose sound falls somewhere between Elliott Smith, Ryan Adams and Jesse Malin, and he's offering up "Wishing Well", the first single from his new album as a free download. It's a quality tune.

Wishing Well by Daniel Pearson

Nick Piunti of The Respectables brought Ryan Allen & His Extra Arms to my attention and I'm certainly glad he did. Some of you may know Allen from his work as frontman of The Friendly Foes, and this is crunchy power pop par excellence. Best part is that most of the songs clock in around 2:15, and the slower ones sound like Paul Westerberg:

Ryan Allen & His Extra Arms by Ryan Allen and His Extra Arms

Oh, and it's not on Bandcamp, but here's a free download of the new single from Fountains of Wayne, Richie and Ruben.

Two for Thursday, 6/2/11

2011-06-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

Phil Angotti-People and Places. In my power pop travels over the last several years, I've seen Phil Angotti's name show up here and there but I never got around to hearing his music. If his newly-released People and Places is indicative of his larger body of work, I've really been missing out. Trading in Beatlesque pop (especially the McCartney strain), Angotti has crafted a pop delight here that will appeal to fans of David Grahame and similar artists and serve as a nice complement to the recently-released Smith & Hayes album. There's quite a lot to like here, from the shuffling opener "My Ol' Records" to the jangly "You Were Right (Probably)" to the exuberant pop of "I'm Yer Man". But what sets this album apart from the typical Beatle pastiche is Angotti's facility with the slower numbers, some of the album's best: "I Guess" is one McCartney probably wishes he wrote, and "Me and Donnie Vee" is a lovely midtempo number in which Angotti reminisces about playing with his longtime friend Donnie Vie from Enuff Z'Nuff. A real treasure, and if you go to the CD Baby link below you can get his thoughts on each of the tracks.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Draz-Blaring in the Stillness. This New York band manages the feat of being indie enough to impress your hipster friends and melodic enough to appeal to power poppers. I was drawn in my opening track "When the City Burns", which seemed to find the middle ground between The Shins and Squeeze, and was happy to stick around for the rest with the standouts being 90s college radio-styled midtempo rocker "Heaven Sent", the Smiths-inspired "One of the Boys", and the fab "Love Letters". These guys know their way around a pop hook (see also the infectious "Astor Place"), and they should find their way into your mp3 or CD player.

CD Baby | Reverb Nation | iTunes

CD of the Day, 5/25/11: Shout With Grass-Will of Man

2011-05-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

If you're a big fan of Sloan you know that the Canadian band has four singer/songwriters of nearly equal ability, a key to their greatness. I've always thought they should each release solo albums (maybe simultaneously a la KISS), and among the four my favorite has been keyboardist Jay Ferguson, who seems to write the purest pop songs of the bunch. But until that day comes, the closest thing we're going to get to a Jay Ferguson solo album is the full-length debut of countryman Max Sensini, who records as Shout With Grass.

Will of Man builds on the promise of his 2009 EP And Then Again and is a pop delight. Like Ferguson (whom Sensini also resembles vocally), his songs are piano-based but not overly showy as many other piano-based poppers tend to be. "Hey Bird" opens things in a low-key Lennonesque fashion, reminiscent of "Imagine" or his solo piano version of "Free as a Bird", while "With the Queen" is a bouncy slice of pop that swings to the McCartney side. The lightly orchestrated "Think of Me" is another standout, as is "Walk the Tightrope" a carryover from the EP that earns its encore on the full-length.

The best thing I can say about this disc, though, is the uniformity of quality among its 10 tracks, and it closes as strongly as it finishes with the catchy "Woman", the dreamy "Hole in the Sky" and the majestic title track. Sensini has emerged as a real pop talent here, and if I leave this one off this year's top 20 feel free to shoot me an email reminding me to listen to it again.

CD Baby | MySpace | eMusic | iTunes

Three for Thursday, 5/19/11

2011-05-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

Since posting has been light lately, we're going with three for Thursday today instead of the usual two.

John Amadon-Seven Stars. At long last, here is the Elliott Smith album you've all been waiting for and thought you'd never get. Hailing from Smith's hometown of Portland, Oregon, Amadon channels that late singer-songwriter's XO/Figure 8 period, which means things lean to the Beatlesque side of Smith's sound than his earlier, folkier releases. And that's a good thing around here. The standout tracks here are "Let's Talk Without Talking", the soft/heavy dynamic of "All Patched Up" and the lovely "Bitter Tears". A real treat.

CD Baby | Bandcamp

Tim Culling-Goodbye Western Sun. It's hard to pigeonhole singer-songwriter Tim Culling's sound without resorting to generic categories like "adult alternative pop/rock" as he offers up a little bit of pop, a little bit of rock, a little bit of soul and a little bit of alt-country in his sound. It all adds up to a winning mixture on this 7-track EP, led by the outstanding title track, which has an insistent piano hook that will bury itself in your subconscious, "So With That Aside", its bookend, is another brilliant number with an upbeat melody, and in between the Wilco-esque "This Much I Can See" and the bluesy "I Got a Friend" are the highlights. Possibly 2011's top EP to date.

CD Baby | MySpace | eMusic

Khalid Quesada-On the Verge of Context. New Jersey's Khalid Quesada is a singer-songwriter sound who has a way with a pop hook, and he demonstrates that clearly on his debut EP. Coming in somewhere between the aforementioned Elliott Smith and Rivers Cuomo, Quesada is equally at home with both the power pop ("Radio Silence", "Proverbial Knives") and more introspective numbers ("Angel in the Dark", "World Without"). It's all melodic, and has me looking forward to his full-length debut promised for later this year.

CD Baby | MySpace

CD of the Day, 5/12/11: Smith & Hayes-Volume II

2011-05-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

Clay Smith and Bill Hayes burst upon the power pop scene in 2007 with Changed by a Song, a classic steeped in the sounds of The Beatles and Jeff Lynne that has to be on the short list of top power pop albums of the previous decade. Four years later, the followup is ready. And while Changed by a Song is a tough act follow, Volume II is a solid, worthy successor.

The main difference this time around is that they go for a more direct Beatlesque sound rather than the Beatles-via-Lynne style on the debut. This becomes apparent right off the bat with "Learning How to Love", which owes a debt to "Instant Karma", but doesn't slavishly imitate that track, offering a wondefully melodic chorus that's all their own. After the ballad "All the Love in the World" comes the midtempo McCartneyesque "All Your Life", which mines Macca's late 60s/early 70s sound. Also a treat is the breezy "Wake Up to Now", which fills the George Harrison change-of-pace role.

The album's standout is the uber-catchy "Turn it Up", a direct Beatle homage that starts off with the line "It was 40 years ago today", and name drops Murray The K and refers to various points in Beatle history. Other highlights include the lovely ballad "Save the Day", the Eastern sounds of "The Road to Bodhicitta", the "Honey Pie"-like "Fab", and the rocker "For a Chance" which draws on "I've Got a Feeling". And in case you were still wondering about the extent of Beatle influence, they throw in a slowed-down cover of "You Won't See Me". Once again, the sheer joy of their love for Beatlesque music shines through, making this a must-have for anyone who loved the first album.

CD Baby | Samples at official site | iTunes

Friday Roundup.

2011-04-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

Bryan Estepa-Vessels. Our favorite Aussie this side of Michael Carpenter is back with his third solo album, and Vessels is another mark of excellence for Bryan Estepa. Like his buddy and countryman Carpenter (who helped mix), Estepa has the knack of making pop songs sound easy, and he infuses them with a bit of a country-rock style. The beguiling, laid-back "Won't Let You Down" opens things nicely, and "Hard Habits" draws on The Band. But Estepa is not afraid to tackle purer pop as the bouncy beats and handclaps of "Tongue Tied" and "Alone" will attest. And the soulful ballad "Pull Ourselves Together" might be the prettiest song I've heard this year. Another first-rate effort.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Frozen Relics-Uncovered. A nice EP debut from this Minnesota duo, who feature a straight-ahead power pop sound that's heavy on the hooks. Leadoff track "Beautiful Girl" mines the classic power pop subject matter with a Fountains of Wayne/Weezer flourish, while the peppy pop of "No Second Chances" has almost a Motown-like feel to it. The anthemic "Burnin'" tackles environmental concerns without being too preachy and while giving a nod to short-term concerns. "One Step Closer" is more pleasing power pop, and "Hymn for Our Children" is a quality instrumental number and is backed by their promise to donate $1 from each full album purchase to the Children’s Miracle Network – Gillette Children’s Hospital.

CD Baby | iTunes

CD of the Day, 4/27/11: Supraluxe-The Super Sounds of Supraluxe

2011-04-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

Things always get a little sentimental at Absolute Powerpop when Supraluxe is concerned, since they were the first band reviewed on the site and had an impact on the the creation of the site as well, all of which is well-chronicled here if you want to check out the archives. More pertinent to you the reader is the fact they've released their third disc, The Super Sounds of Supraluxe. While their first album was a pop masterpiece, they made their AOR move with the followup, Wake Leave Home Sleep, which had its moments but didn't sound very much like the debut. The message here for those who loved the first album is "come on in, the water's fine" as Super Sounds marks a return to the Elliott Smith meets Brendan Benson sound we've known them for.

Things start off strongly with the gentle "Every Little Piece", which namechecks Fleetwood Mac and has a feel of solo Lindsay Buckingham, and the catchy mid-tempo rocker "Setting Sun". But they really hit their stride with "Lester Bangs", not quite a paean to the legendary rock critic but a celebration of the love of playing music that hews to his spirit. The song may be a bit meta, but it's a gem and captures that "Supraluxe sound" we all came to appreciate on the debut.

There are plenty of other quality tracks here as well: "Go Nowhere" has a loose-limbed vaguely-country vibe that makes it sound like came off Wilco's Summerteeth; "Sunday's Not So Bad", a leftover from the sessions for the debut, has that E.Smith feel, and "New York City's Not Alright" finds them in rock-noir mode. And not to be overlooked are the 70s SoCal-sound homage "Back to the Land" and the strange but lovely "Nail Biter" which runs with its title metaphor and some spry synths. All in all, a welcome return to form for this Minneapolis band and a must for those who fell for the debut.

CD Baby | Bandcamp | iTunes | eMusic

Two for Tuesday, 4/19/11

2011-04-19T10:05:00.000-07:00

Steve LaBate-The Dead Art of Letter Writing. Atlantan Steve LaBate is an interesting guy. He's a writer/editor for Paste Magazine, and is best known musically as "Christie Brinkley" in the punk-comedy band Attractive Eighties Women. He goes solo here, and it's apparent his real idol is Paul Westerberg as The Dead Art of Letter Writing might be the best Replacements record to come down the pike since Pleased to Meet Me. 'Mats fans will immediately identify with this record from the opening guitar riff of "Reckless Hearts", which comes right out of Westerberg's "Knockin' on Mine". There's also a Stones influence evident, as well as early Wilco ("Wind-Up Toy" is a cousin to tracks like "Outta Site Outta Mind" and "Monday"). Other standouts include the midtempo "Channel Surfer", the raucous, Clash-like "Cops in Alley", and the "Rocks Off" rock of "Ratskellar". This is power pop/rock 'n' roll for true believers, and LaBate speaks the truth.

CD Baby | iTunes | eMusic

The Genuine Fakes-The Genuine Fakes. The Fakes have been billed as Sweden's Fountains of Wayne, and they do share that American band's brand of effervescent power pop if not their oh-so-clever lyrics and character studies. On their Kool Kat debut (also known as "The Striped Album") they do open things with a FoW touch, a self-titled track which serves as sort of a theme song for the band. From there on out, it's one well-constructed power pop track after another, complete with hooks and melodies galore. The standouts here are "The Promise", "Something New" and "If You Then I", but all of the tracks are of a uniform high quality. The only drawback is that there is a bit of sameness from track to track (even the cover of Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" is done in their frenetic power pop fashion), making them the perfect band to put in shuffle mode with your other favorites. As always, Kool Kat is offering up an exclusive bonus disc with the regular disc purchase, so make sure you stop there for a copy.

Kool Kat | Listen at Bandcamp

"THE STRIPED ALBUM." by The Genuine Fakes

Catching up with some old friends.

2011-04-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

As Absolute Powerpop has been going for five years now, we've built up quite a list of artists that have had music reviewed on the site, and I don't always have time to do full reviews for everything they do in the future. So as a service to those who enjoyed their previous releases, here are some words about new music from some artists we've featured before.

Artist: Bob Collum.
Last Seen on AbPow: October 2009 with Twisted Lines & Mixed Up Rhymes
New release: The New Old Thing (EP).
A few words: This Englishman has always mixed pop with country, and here he leans on the country a bit more. Still quality stuff, though, and fans of his previous work will want to check this one out. The rockin' "Crawford County" is the highlight here.
Links: Buy at official site | MySpace

Artist: Shake Some Action!
Last Seen on AbPow: May 2008 with Sunny Days Ahead, although they released the decent Fire and Ice in the interim.
New release: White Lies and Bloodshot Eyes.
A few words: This is a kind of odds-and-sods collection for James Hall & Co., with a bunch of b-sides, demos, etc. But for the most part it sounds like a cohesive album, and might even be better than the previous proper release. "I Get Tongue Tied" (left off Fire and Ice) and "One Way Ticket" are two great tracks. This is a digital-only release.
Links: iTunes | eMusic | Listen at official site

Artist: Danny Echo
Last Seen on AbPow: March 2009 with his self-titled debut.
New release: Rock Bottoms Up.
A few words: The debut reminded us of Cheap Trick/Oasis, and this one goes one step further into harder rock territory. A fun disc to get your rock on, with the "whoos" of "Your Breaking Down" reminding me of Andrew W.K. and "Better You Than Me" firmly in AC/DC territory.
Links: CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Artist: Jesse Sprinkle
Last Seen on AbPow: January 2009 with Surrounded by Lights.
New release: Streamstory
A few words: This new release runs to the folkier side of Sprinkle's folk/pop but is a must for those who enjoyed his previous work. "Your Touch is Gold" and "In Loving Memory" are the highlights here.
Links: CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Two for Tuesday, 4/12/11

2011-04-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

John Laprade-World Class Faker. Brooklyn's John Laprade follows up his 2008 EP Blind with his debut full-length, and he shows all the makings of a budding pop craftsman. He masters a variety of styles, from the bright power pop of "Soul Shaker" and "Blind" (yes, he's re-worked a few tracks from the EP), the Popicana of "Last Time" and "Tennessee" (which is "right next to Arkansas"), to the expert balladry of "Anything at All" and "Infinity". Also of note is the appearance of legendary guitarist Richard Lloyd (Television, Matthew Sweet) on the rocking "Knock You Down". I've had this disc for a couple of months in advance of its release, and listening to these tracks again for this review felt like reuniting with old friends, a real indication there are some quality tunes here.

CD Baby | Listen at official site | iTunes

Eliot Bronson-Blackbirds. Bronson is one half of The Brilliant Inventions, a duo who put out one of 2009 best folk-pop albums, Have You Changed. Flying solo here, Bronson leans more to the folk than the pop, but there are a number of understated gems here and his gift for melody remains intact. Those who lean to the pop side of things will love "Everywhere I Go", a beautiful midtempo number that has the kind of chorus that will burrow its way into your brain, and the buoyant "If You Need to Be Free", which will appeal to fans of the Shane Lamb disc I recently featured. And the folkier tunes are not without their charms either: Leah Calvert's wonderful harmony work on "Old Car" and "Black-Eyed Susan" recalls the Caitlin Cary/Ryan Adams dynamic of Whiskeytown. In other words, Bronson has of the best folk-pop albums of 2011.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

CD of the Day, 4/6/11: Cirrone-Uplands Park Road

2011-04-06T16:44:00.000-07:00

In the 90s it was Oasis who took the sound of 60s and 70s rock of The Beatles, the Stones, The Who and others and brought it into the present day. In the 00s it was Jet who found success with this template. And now picking up the torch in the 10s is Italy's Cirrone (originally known as Apple Scruffs), a band of three brothers who are making the old sound new again in what's my favorite discovery of 2011 to date.

The lovely Beatlesque "Here is My Song" announces their arrival, while the title track mixes Oasis-style swagger and Big Star-like guitars and song structure. The quiet/loud dynamic of "I Still Remember" recalls Sloan, and "Let the Wind Blow" melds the McCartney of "Here, There & Everywhere" with the McCartney of "I've Got a Feeling". By about the fifth track rolls around, the Chiltonesque power poppin' "All I Know", you get the feeling these guys can do no wrong.

"Brand New Life" is another impressive piece of work, starting out as a pretty ballad that builds to a rocking 2-minute crescendo of guitar outro, something you don't hear a lot on power pop albums these days. "How Does it Feel?" is a piece of cheerful, "Good Day Sunshine"-styled pop with all the attendant bells and whistles, and "Your Eyes Are Wide Open" has that Lennon-by-way-of-Noel Gallagher feel.

The back half of the disc is no letdown, either, no mean feat in an age when so many discs peter out around this time. "Just Tell Me" is a moody, midtempo rocker that could be the best track on a lot of other albums, and the boys prove proficient at psych-pop with the trippy "You're Not Alone". "Here We Will Go" earns points for being different than the rest, an assertive rocker with some horn help, and "In the Sun" is a "Because"-styled ballad with ethereal harmonies. Again, there isn't anything here you haven't heard before in some form or another, but like the best power pop it makes it all seem fresh again. It'll be criminal if these guys don't find a wider audience like their forebears mentioned at the beginning of this review.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes } eMusic

UPLANDS PARK ROAD by cirrone

Midweek Roundup.

2011-03-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

Shane Lamb-Better Here. Nashville's Shane Lamb is back with the followup to his excellent 2009 release Disengage, and damned if he didn't come up with another roots-pop gem. There's plenty to like here, starting with the opener "Adrenaline as Medicine", which has a strong Tom Petty vibe. Speaking of Petty, the outstanding title track is reminiscent of "Yer So Bad". "Can't You See" is a driving, pulsing rocker that's still melodic, and "It's True" has a Jayhawks-like pop sheen to it. But the real highlight here is the midtempo "I See Now", in which Lamb's gift for melody and angelic voice combine for a great rootsy pop tune. An easy top ten of 2011 to date.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes | eMusic

The Insomniacs-Just Enjoy It! Aside from Detroit, the first place that comes to mind for garage rock is New Jersey, and this Elizabethtown band does their state's tradition proud with Just Enjoy It!. From the cover, you can get a pretty good idea where these guys are coming from, with one backbeat anthem after another. So yeah, you've got catchy rocking numbers like "Yeah Yeah Yeah", the title track, and "Good for Nothing". But they show another side on the jangly "For the Last Time" and the dreamy "Hang in the Air", proving they're not one-dimensional garage rockers. A real breath of fresh air.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Monday Roundup.

2011-03-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

Snowbirds-Snowbirds. This Wisconsin four-piece has released what is possibly my favorite debut of 2011 to date, a highly melodic and heartfelt slice of pop-flavored Americana that fans of The Jayhawks, The Autumn Defense, and last year's find Elvyn will immediately want in their music collection. "Current State" has that Big Star meets The Jayhawks sound that hits the sweet spot, and the pensive "Old Wall" is a beauty. Other standouts include the Ryan Adamsesque "First in Line", the honky-tonk rock of "Shakedown" and the Westerbergian "So Long". All in all, an early line favorite for "Popicana" album of the year.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

The Respectables-3. This Detroit-area band continues to deliver the power pop goods, following up their impressive first two-full lengths featured on this site with a 3-song mini-EP that's all killer and no filler. The real gem here is the third track "B Side", which simply - as it's put these days - owns. It's a rocking track that's truly what power pop is all about, right down to the line "I stole my hooks from a Beatles book". Check out the video below. The other two tracks ain't too shabby either: "Check Your Mind" rocks with abandon and melody, and "Wore Me Out" is a bluesy treat. But meanwhile I'll keep playing the "B Side".

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Party like it's 2006.

2011-03-10T16:01:00.000-08:00

New releases from two bands that are back with their first new music since they were reviewed on this site's early days in 2006:

Barnacle Bill-Barnacle Bill. As alluded to above, we first made our acquaintance with this NYC band some five years ago with their excellent debut Towards The Pebbled Shore. In the time that's passed, they show they haven't missed a beat on their self-titled followup. The one-two punch of Yianni Naslas and Stu Klinger alternate tracks again, and fans of Fastball and Fountains of Wayne will want to give this disc a spin. Lots to like here: the "yeah-yeah-yeahs" of "Like You're Supposed To", the midtempo "The Things I've Done", the catchy power pop of "Running Away", and the FoW-esque "nth Street Girl". Let's hope album #3 comes sooner than five years.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Onestop-Labor of Like. We head down the east coast to catch up with Onestop, whose debut Pop Shop owed a lot to the sound of Barenaked Ladies. This time around, they have more of their own pop sound and "Treats Her So Bad" is a rock-solid opener, touching all the power pop bases. "Right Beside You" is another winner that has more in common with a different Canadian band, Sloan. Other standouts include the manic "On Your Mind", the hook-heavy "Out of Touch", and the shuffling "What Went Wrong". A true leap forward from the debut, and a labor you'll like.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Two for Thursday, 3/3/11

2011-03-03T10:18:00.000-08:00

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

New single from David Myhr (ex-Merrymakers)

2011-03-02T07:15:00.000-08:00

I plan on resuming normal blogging later today, but I didn't want to wait on this one.

After years of absence from the power pop scene, David Myhr (known to most of you as one-half of legendary power poppers The Merrymakers) has released a new single in advance of his forthcoming album Soundshine titled "Got You Where He Wanted", and it's a gem, the kind of track that reminds you why you're a fan of power pop. Here it is:

Got you where he wanted (.mp3) by davidmyhr

Listen to it here, and download it at the link above.

mp3s and such.

2011-02-24T16:45:00.000-08:00

I've been quite busy with work and family obligations the last week, hence the lack of new posts (I haven't even tweeted much). To tide you over, here are a couple of mp3s available for free from longtime favorites with new albums on the way.

First off, Sloan needs no introduction, and their new album The Double Cross comes out in a couple of months. The first single, Chris Murphy's "Follow the Leader", can be downloaded here.

Aussie rockers Grand Atlantic are also set to release their third full-length soon, and they're offering up "Poison to the Vine" as a free download at their special album-centered site.

EP of the Day, 2/18/11: Derby-Madeline.

2011-02-18T10:50:00.000-08:00

Portland Oregon's Derby has been a personal favorite going back to their brilliant 2005 debut This is the New You. It was my #1 album of that year (although in retrospect I'd give the nod to Valley Lodge's debut), and made a nice splash in the power pop community. Posters Fade, the followup, didn't quite make the same impact but it still made my top 10 in 2008. Now they've released Madeline, a 4-song digital-only EP that drifts away from the indie-influenced power pop of the debut and more toward some of the darker, moodier sounds that made up Posters Fade.

"Don't Believe in You" opens with some snaky bass lines and rock guitar before frontman Nat Johnson begins a call-and-answer verse with the band. A lot of Derby's appeal apart from the songwriting is tied up in Johnson's voice, which recalls a less breathy Joe Pernice, and it lends Derby's songs extra gravitas. All in all, the track is an effective and interesting rocker, leading into the midtempo title track. This might be the most "Derbyesque" of the four tracks here, a passionate power ballad.

"Creeping Climbing" finds Dave Gulick and Johnson on vocals, and it's another moody and meandering track that will eventually get under your skin, and Gulick goes it alone on the lovely acoustic closer, "One's a Lonely One", reminiscent of Big Star's "I'm in Love With a Girl". It's a fine EP, and if you're a Derbyhead like me, a must-have. The uninitiated should start with This is the New You, however.

CD Baby | iTunes

download "Madeline" at their official site

Two for Tuesday, 2/15/11

2011-02-15T16:10:00.000-08:00

Alan Bernhoft-Beatlesque Three. Bernhoft is back with the latest installment in his "Beatlesque" series. The first two primarily mined the early Beatles sound, so he's moved on to the Sgt Pepper/Magical Mystery Tour/White Album era on this batch. The results are engaging, with the McCartney side of things represented with "Sunny Sky", which doesn't have a direct Beatles counterpart, and "Honey Love", which does recall "Honey Pie" with its old-timey opening. Lennon is given voice with "Bored", which draws on "I Am the Walrus" for inspiration, and "Say in Silence", which has a "Dear Prudence" vibe. And is "Chun Li" Bernhoft's answer to Yoko Ono? Finally, no nakedly Beatlesque effort like this is complete without a song titled "Colliding Circles", the name of a supposed long-lost Beatles track. It's all fun, in a Rutles-esque kind of way.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Poplord-Poplord vs The Universe. Also back with a new disc is California's Poplord, whom we last heard from in 2008's Full/Filled. Here they continue with their bright power pop influenced by the likes of Squeeze, XTC, and Elvis Costello. "Flower Bomb" is the kind of clever, catchy track those three artists have been known for, as is "Death", probably the happiest-sounding song to bear that name. "Save the Monkey" is possibly the best thing here, with its wisecracking lyrics, playful synths, and amusing falsetto chorus. It sounds like a lost college radio track from the 80s, back before the hipsters took over. Elsewhere, "Mr. Wesley" has the feel of a Kinks' character sketch, and "CD Closer" serves nicely as a cd closer and a meta-commentary. A fine return, and I for one welcome our new Poplord album.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

The "recently played" widget.

2011-02-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

I don't know how many of you actually pay any attention to the last.fm "recently played" widget over to the right, but it actually has some use. It updates every few days (after I've sync my iPhone) and usually there will be several tracks from artists that I may never get around to writing about but are worth checking out. After all, if I didn't like their music in the first place, they'd never find their way into my iTunes collection so if you're on the prowl for even more new music, Google anyone who looks unfamiliar. Odds are their discs can be found at CD Baby, and if you decide to buy any of them and want to support this site, add "/from/absolutepowerpop" (without the quotes of course) to the end of the CD Baby address as I belong to their affiliate program.

And while I have the floor, Adrian Bourgeois has a new single out, "Time Can't Fly a Plane", which is just as catchy and melodic as his 2008 debut album. Hopefully this means a new full-length is in the offing.

Links: CD Baby | iTunes

Here's a live version:

Some quick takes.

2011-02-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

Brett Mitchell-Falling Apart at the Seams. Mitchell's third album is a great leap forward from his still-fine previous work, buoyed by help from fellow Michigander Andy Reed (a name that should be familiar). This is first-rate singer-songwriter power pop, from the rollicking title track to the insanely catchy "I Used to Think of Her" to the rocking "Dead End Lover" to the clever "You Could Be My Hat". CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Acquiesce-Patiently Waiting. This NYC band takes its name from an Oasis b-side and shares that band's sound as well. Patiently Waiting is their latest EP and all 5 tracks are winners, and aside from the Oasis influence there's some Superdrag and Stereophonics in here as well. CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

David G. Moore-Never the First to Jump. Debut EP from this Massachusetts singer-songwriter will appeal to fans of David Mead, Neil Finn, Jon Brion & the like; "All I Have is Time" is a pop gem, and "Alive" is a driving rocker that will stick in your head. CD Baby | iTunes

Rollo Time-"You Can Tell" and "Sick and Tired". I featured this band's self-titled debut back in 2007, and they're back with a pair of singles from their forthcoming album Victims of the Crown. If you enjoyed the debut, you'll want these, especially considering "Sick and Tired" is currently a free download at CD Baby. iTunes

RIP Gregg Swann.

2011-02-07T17:42:00.000-08:00

It's with great sadness I found out that Gregg Swann passed away last week after a four-year bout with colon cancer. A NYC musician, Gregg had my #11 album of 2006, the excellent Everybody's Got to Be Somewhere. I reviewed his album in the infancy of this site, and I remember how nice he was in corresponding with me, even sending along an extra autographed copy of the disc. We'll miss ya, Gregg.

Friday Roundup.

2011-02-04T11:07:00.000-08:00

Longplayer-Longplayer. Attention ELO fans: The self-titled debut from the Swedish band Longplayer might be the closest thing to a new ELO album since Bleu's LEO project five years ago. Like LEO, the songs here represent different styles and phases of ELO's sound: "Won't Let You Down" channels ELO's latter-day rockabilly sound a la "Hold on Tight"; "The Messenger" has a little of "Don't Bring Me Down" in it; "Silicone Sue" has their mid-period (New World Record/Out of the Blue) feel; and "Cool Cat Walk" might be a gender-reversed "Evil Woman". While not the classic that Alpacas Orgling was, this is still a lot of fun and a must for fans of Jeff Lynne & Co.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Your Gracious Host-Sleepers Awaken. Tom Curless is back with his third disc in a little over two years as Your Gracious Host, serving up more of the indie-flavored power pop we got on the first two discs. The standouts this time around are the Posies-esque "Decision Tonight", the dreamy midtempo "Episode in Contrast", "Surrender Me", which has a Well Wishers/Spinning Jennies vibe, and the Teenage Fanclub-influenced "Reach the Shore". Let's not keep this one a "sleeper".

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

CD of the Day, 1/31/11: Secret Powers-What Every Rose Grower Should Know

2011-01-31T17:43:00.000-08:00

Usually I post a review after I've listened to an album over a period of a couple of weeks. However, I was so stoked to see Secret Powers was out with a new album that I decided to experiment and live-tweet a review on Twitter while listening to it for the first time. So here are my initial reactions to their fourth album in four years (the verbatim tweets):

* Holy crap, Secret Powers is out with another album (4th in 4 yrs). First 3 were classics, and digging the first track

* It's called "Generation Ship", sounds like a demented outtake from ELO's Time. Maybe I'll just live-tweet my first listen to the album.

* Next up is "Tarantula", a rollicking 2:16 tune about being afraid of them. It's so catchy I almost want to find a tarantula to sing it to.

* "What Every Rose Grower Should Know", the title track, follows. With most bands this would be a metaphor. Not with these guys.

* Track #4 is "Candy". Straight-up power pop, melodic if unremarkable. Still might be the best song on a lot of other bands' albums.

* Next is "The Desert". I knew these Montana boys had a quasi-Morricone Western in them, complete with Jew's harp and portentous whistling.

* "Crocodile" follows. Unlike "Tarantula", this is not a literal title. Instead, it's a pleasing mid-tempo love song.

* Next track: "I'll Be Home". Solid, if unspectacular, followed by "It Should Have Been Me", a classic SP-sounding track w/fun piano backing.

* "Queen of Bizarre" not as bizarre as its title or some of their other stuff, but another quality tune.

* "In The Way" a decent track, "Blue Thing" is classic Schmed, and closer "My Idea" returns to the ELO motif a la Side 3 of Out of the Blue.

* All in all, sounds like a top 10 contender (albeit a bit front-loaded). Thanks for putting up with my first ever live-tweet album review.

Depending on how many Twitter followers I lose, I might do this again in the future for a disc I'm eagerly anticipating and/or surprised to discover. Here are the usual links:

CD Baby | Facebook | iTunes

Thursday night Link-o-Rama.

2011-01-27T16:17:00.000-08:00

I have a bunch of new releases I want to spread the word about but don't have the time or motivation to write about them at length, so I'll just briefly summarize and provide the pertinent links.

The Hard Way-Tell Me When You Can't Breathe. Remember back in 1977 when the Klaatu record came out and people thought it was the Beatles under an assumed name? Well, substitute 2011 for 1977, The Hard Way for Klaatu, and Superdrag for the Beatles and you get the picture here. CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Eric Bay-Pair Shaped. Fine debut EP from this British singer/songwriter who has a McCartneysque flair. Absolutely love the track "Cheer Up". CD Baby | Facebook | iTunes

The Test Dream-Shades of Love. Full-length debut from a band whose EP I featured a couple of years ago (did that lead them to send me a copy of the new one? No, I had to find it on my own. Hmph). Dreamy indie pop that meets the promise of the EP. CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Dan Kibler-Capsule. How ironic that I feature a disc named Capsule in a blog post consisting of capsule reviews? OK, not that ironic. Anyway, Kibler (when not making cookies with elves) is a Pennsylvania guitarist who's played with Parallax Project and has this album produced and engineered by Shoes' Jeff Murphy. And the tunes match the pedigree, so give it a listen. CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Marco Joachim-Hidden Symphonies. When we last visited Marco Joachim, he was releasing Songville at the end of 2007. That disc found Joachim channeling Wilburys-era Bob Dylan; this one finds him switching Wilburys to Jeff Lynne as he's gone for a more ornate and hooky sound. Verdict: it worked. "Those Days" has that late-period ELO sound down and "Things You Do" is bouncy Beatlesque pop. A very pleasant surprise. CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

CD of the Day, 1/24/11: Scott Gagner-Rhapsody in Blonde

2011-01-24T16:13:00.000-08:00

San Franciscan Scott Gagner is back, and if the name doesn't ring a bell it might be because he's known to readers of this page as Cartographer, who released an excellent EP right about three years ago. With other acts using the Cartographer moniker, Gagner decide to go with his own name on the full-length and it's a disc anyone would be proud to put their name on. With more room to breathe, Gagner expands his sound on Rhapsody in Blonde to encompass psychedelia, folk/rock and Americana in addition to power pop.

However, it's power pop that grabs you out of the gate here with "I Hate to Say", an effervescent number that adds a bit of that famous Motown bassline into the mix. The quality jangle-pop of "Speak & Spell" follows, and "Laura No. 1" recalls prime Marshall Crenshaw. Elsewhere, "Ride" and "Take Two" are fine rockers with a 70s sheen.

As alluded to, Gagner isn't afraid to change gears. The spare "Right Before My Eyes" is a gorgeous acoustic number, and "Love You More" is almost in Roy Orbison territory with its pedal steel and emotional falsetto chorus. "Houdini" manages the trick of bringing the Pernice Brothers to mind, and "Laura No. 2" is haunting dream-pop. "Golden Mean" is 7 minutes of psychedelia that serves well as an album closer, but Gagner decides to add a coda, a hushed acoustic cover of Guns'n'Roses' "Sweet Child O'Mine" that shows Axl Rose for the folkie he may be at heart.

Rhapsody in Blonde is the work of a real talent and although it's extremely early, Gagner is the leader in the clubhouse for top album of 2011.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

The David Bash Best of 2010 Lists, Part 4

2011-01-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

And finally here is the top half of David Bash's Top 100 of 2010:

1. Secret Powers-Lies and Fairy Tales (Self-Released
2. Agony Aunts-Greater Miranda (Big Cinnamon)
3. The Royalties-The New Royalties (Music For Records)
4. The Grip Weeds-Strange Change Machine (Rainbow Quartz)
5. Nushu-Hula (Cactus Boy)
6. Jeremy Messersmith-The Reluctant Graveyard (Self-Released)
7. The Above-The Above (Self-Released)
8. The Lovedays-House Of Cards (Self-Released
9. Taylor Locke and The Roughs-Grain & Grape (Self-Released)
10. The Uncoventionals-Flower To The People (Western Songs)
11. Bastards Of Melody-Hurry Up And Wait (FDR)
12. Seth Swirsky-Watercolor Day (Grimble)
13. Fitz and The Tantrums-Pickin Up The Pieces (Danger Bird)
14. Laurie Biagini-A Far Out Place (Self-Released)
15. The Len Price 3-Pictures (Wicked Cool)
16. The Mayflowers-Red Balloon (Rooster)
17. Ben Jones-Echobox (Self-Released)
18. Timmy Sean-Sounds From & Inspired By Noisewater (Self-Released)
19. The June-Green Fields And Rain (Rainbow Quartz)
20. Smash Palace-7 (Zip)
21. Moon Safari-Lovers End (Blomljud)
22. Radio Days-Cest La Vie (Tannen)
23. Oranjuly-Oranjuly (Self-Released)
24. POPFILTER-Pop This! (Self-Released)
25. The Genuine Fakes-The Genuine Fakes (Self-Released)
26. The Offbeat-In Love Field (Self-Released)
27. The Sunchymes-Shifting Sands (Self-Released)
28. The Passports-Is It True (Self-Released)
29. Lucky Soul-A Coming Of Age (Self-Released)
30. Duncan Maitland-Lullabies For The 21st Century (Indigoctagon)
31. Dom Mariani-Rewind and Play (Spider Music)
32. The Like-Release Me (Geffen)
33. The PondHawks-Have Landed (Self-Released)
34. The Well Wishers-Post Modern Romantic (thatwasmyskull)
35. Farrah-Farrah (Rock Indiana)
36. Maple Mars-Galaxyland (Kool Kat)
37. Bleu-4 (The Major Label)
38. The Ugly Beats-Motor! (Get Hip)
39. The Rubinoos-Automatic Toaster (Self-Released)
40. Elvyn-The Decline (Little Wagon)
41. Taylor Locke & The Roughs-Marathon (Self-Released)
42. The Scruffs-Conquest (Scruffsville)
43. Gavin Guss-Mercury Mine (Obsolete Media)
44. Garfields Birthday-More Sense Than Money (Pink Hedgehog)
45. The Shamus Twins-Garden Of Weeds (Shamussongs)
46. The Third Men-Boost (Speed!)
47. The Slingsby Hornets-Something OldSomething New (Expedition Hot Dog)
48. SMASH Fashion-Dont Pet The Sweaty Things (Electric Pudding)
49. The Posies-Blood/Candy (Ryko)
50. Deadbeat Poets-Circus Town (Pop Detective)

The David Bash Best of 2010 Lists, Part 3

2011-01-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

It's now time to get into the main list. Here's the bottom half (51-100) of David Bash's 2010 full-length list. Tomorrow we'll have the top half.

51. The Sails-A Headful Of Stars (Rainbow Quartz)
52. The Young Veins-Take A Vacation (One Haven)
53. John Lindsay-Escape From Plaza Midwood (Chocolate Lab)
54. The School-Loveless Unbeliever (Elefant)
55. Lannie Flowers-Circles (Aaron Ave.)
56. Chris Corney-Sans Everything (White Wall)
57. Huw Jacob-Higher Every Day (Self-Released)
58. Sunrise Highway-Sunrise Highway (Songheads)
59. Geoff Smith-That’s Gravity (Self-Released)
60. The Malibooz-Queen’s English (The Pier Group)
61. Slumberjet-Slumberjet (Broken Lullaby)
62. The Silver Seas-Chateau Revenge! (Self-Released)
63. The New Pornographers-Together (Matador)
64. Paul Collins-King Of Power Pop! (Alive)
65. Matt Purcell & The Blessed Curse-Matt Purcell & The Blessed Curse (Other Tongues)
66. Mark Bacino-Queens English (Dreamcrush)
67. William Duke-…Presents The Sunrise and The Night (Kool Kat)
68. Blake Jones and The Trike Shop-The Underground Garden (Whisper-Ma-Phone)
69. The 88-The 88 (Rocket Science)
70. La Fleur Fatale-Silent Revolution (Killer Cobra)
71. Spygenius-Red Lounge (Whammo)
72. The Hot Rats-Turn Ons (Fat Possum)
73. Michael Pink-Michael Pink (Self-Released)
74. Skeleton Staff-Solipsism (Swizzlestick)
75. The Contrast-God Of Malfunction (Wicked Cool)
76. Zombies Of The Stratosphere-Ordinary People (Self-Released)
77. The Brigadier-The Secret Of No Success (Self-Released)
78. Dino-Fool’s Gold (Holy Cow)
79. The High Dials-Anthems For Doomed Youth (Rainbow Quartz)
80. Teenage Fanclub-Shadows (Self-Released)
81. Buva-Not Scary! Friendly (Hi-Fi In Motion)
82. Chapa-Creation Room (Self-Released)
83. Dave Rave-Live With What You Know (Bongo Beat)
84. The Paparazzi-Rococo (Self-Released)
85. Square Root Of Margaret-WYSIWYG (Marpy Menkle)
86. Joe Adragna-Fall Back (Green Leaves)
87. Steve Barton-Projector (Self-Released)
88. Horizontal Ladies Club-Galloping Into The Western Hemisphere (Songgram)
89. The Jigsaw Seen-Bananas Foster (Vibro-Phonic)
90. Rooney-Eureka (California Dreamin’)
91. The Gurus-Closing Circles (Rainbow Quartz)
92. Neil Nathan-The Distance Calls (Pirate Vinyl)
93. Bad Love Experience-Rainy Days (Mabel)
94. Thousands Millions-Rock Days (Tannen)
95. Casey Curry-Tidal Tales From The Other Side (Self-Released)
96. The Parties-Coast Garde (Rainbow Quartz)
97. Van Duren-Resonance Road (Three Cool Cats)
98. Jen Olive-Warm Robot (Ape House)
99. The Romeo Flynns-Masque Of Anarchy (What’s Left)
100. Susan Hedges-Kiss My Attitude (Self-Released)

The David Bash Best of 2010 Lists, Part 2

2011-01-17T19:30:00.000-08:00

Before we start his main top 100 list tomorrow, here are the remainder of his various miscellaneous category lists:

Top Compilations-Single Artists

1. Why Isn’t Chris von Sneidern Famous?-Music Soundtrack From The Feature Film (Mastromonia)

Top 4 Compilations-Various Artists

1. International Pop Overthrow Vol. 13 (Not Lame)
2. Sweet Relief II-Hearts On Fire (Jam)
3. *It’s Happening: Volume 2 (Shindig!)
4. Staring At The Sun Vol. 8-A Compilation Featuring San Diego Music (Blindspot)

Top Christmas Discs

1. Kool Kat Kristmas (Kool Kat)
2. Rockin’ The Mistletoe (SideB)

Favorite Song Of 2010

*The Heath Robinson Five-Don’t Like To Say

Other Reissue Categories

Top 10 Two-Fers, Three-Fers, and Four-Fers: Proper Albums

1. The Guess Who-Wheatfield Soul/Share The Land/Canned Wheat (T-Bird)
2. Amazing Blondel-England/Blondel (BGO)
3. Walter Egan-The Collection: Fundamental Roll/Not Shy/HiFi/The Last Stroll
4. Jet-Jet/Even More Light Than Shade (RPM)
5. Middle Of The Road-Chirpy, Chirpy Cheep Cheep/Acceleration/Drive On (7T’s)
6. The Main Ingredient-Tasteful Soul/Bittersweet (SuperBird)
7. Paper Lace-And Other Bits Of Material/First Edition (7T’s)
8. Honey Cone-Take Me With You/Sweet Replies/Soulful Tapestry/Love, Peace & Soul (Edsel)
9. Clouds-Scrapbook/Up Above Our Heads/Watercolour Days (BGO)
10. The Hondells-Go Little Honda/The Hondells (T-Bird)

Top 20 Compilations, Single Artist

1. The Beatles-1967-1970 (Apple)
2. The Beatles-1962-1966 (Apple)
3. Paul Revere & The Raiders-The Complete Columbia Singles (Collector’s Choice)
4. John Lennon-Gimme Some Truth (EMI/Capitol)
5. Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin-Broken Records: The Singles (Broken)
6. The Knickerbockers-One Track Mind: The Garage Pop Sound Of The Knickerbockers (Grapefruit)
7. Sandy Denny & The Strawbs-All Our Own Work: The Complete Sessions Remastered (Witchwood Media)
8. The Jetset-Swings & Roundabouts: The Very Best Of The Jetset (Cherry Red)
9. The Mindbenders-A Groovy Kind Of Love: The Complete LPs & Singles 1966-1968 (RPM)
10. The Poppees-Pop Goes The Anthology (Bomp)
11. Tracey Ullman-More Over Darling: The Complete Stiff Recordings (Salvo)
12. The Drifters-First Loves: The Complete Drifters Singles 1972-1980 (Sony)
13. Bob Dylan-The Best Of The Original Mono Recordings (Sony Legacy)
14. Curved Air-Retrospective Anthology 1978-2008 (Repertoire)
15. Dee Long-1,2,3,5: Longevity Vol. 4 (Bullseye Songs)
16. Dave Berry-Picture Me Gone: The Decca Sessions 1966-1974 (RPM)
17. Carnival Season-Misguided Promise: Carnival Season Complete 1984-89 (Arena Rock)
18. The Chessmen-Collection 1964-1966 (Regenerator)
19. Jackie Lomax-Lost Soul: Lomax Alliance & Solo Singles & Demos 1966-1967 + Badger (RPM)
20. The Goodees-The Complete Goodees Condition Red! (Ace)

Top 20 Compilations, Various Artists

1. Fading Yellow Volume 10-The Better Side: A Collection Of Euro, UK & Australian ‘60s/Early ‘70s Pop/Sike and Other Delights (Flower Machine)
2. Book A Trip: The Psych-Pop Sounds Of Capitol Records (Now Sounds)
3. Piccadilly Sunshine: Part 4-British Pop-Psych and Other Flavours 1967-1969 (Past & Present)
4. Piccadilly Sunshine: Part 3-British Pop-Psych and Other Flavours 1967-1970 (Past & Present)
5. Rockin’ With The Pirates: Big Hits, Classic Tracks & Lost Gems From The Golden Era Of Off-Shore Radio (EMI)
6. A Cellarful Of Motown Volume 4 (Tamla/Motown/Universal)
7. Come And Get It: The Best Of Apple Records (Apple/EMI)
8. Fairytales Can Come True Volume 5-Steppin’ Through An Empty Time: 20 Slices Of British & European Pop-Psych Confections (Psychic Circle)
9. P.F. Sloan & Steve Barri-You Baby: Words And Music By P.F. Sloan & Steve Barri (Ace)
10. Lovers From The Sky: Pop Psych Sounds From The Apple Era 1968-1971 (RPM)
11. Mixed Up Minds: Obscure Rock and Pop From The British Isles 1970-1973 (Past & Present)
12. Hey Beach Girls!: Female Surf ‘N’ Drag 1961-1966 (Ace)
13. With Love A Pot Of Flowers: The Wild Flower Harbinger Complex Euphoria The Other Side (Big Beat)
14. Do You Dream?-UK Pop and Psychedelia 1965-1970 From The Angel Air Catalogue (Angel Air)
15. That Driving Beat-‘60s & ‘70s Northern Soul Stompers (Harmless)
16. Lee Hazlewood-Califia: The Songs Of Lee Hazlewood (Ace)
17. Bless You California: More Early Songs Of Randy Newman (Ace)
18. Open Up Your Mind-The Psych Pop World Of Rembrandt Records 1966-1967 (Cicadelic)
19. You Heard It Here First!-Volume 2 (Ace)
20. Looking Towards The Sky: Progressive, Psychedelic & Folk Rock From The Ember Vaults (Fantastic Voyage)

Top 10 Box Sets: Single Artist

1. Sandy Denny-The Complete Studio Recordings (Universal)
2. Rick Nelson-The Last Time Around 1970-1982 (Bear Family)
3. John Lennon-Signature Box (Capitol)
4. Bruce Springsteen-The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story (Columbia)
5. Caravan-The World Is Yours: The Anthology 1968-1976 (Decca)
6. Camel-Rainbow’s End: An Anthology 1973-1985 (Universal)
7. Syl Johnson-Complete Mythology (Numero Uno)
8. The Fourmyula-The Complete Fourmyula (EMI New Zealand)
9. The Who-Live At Leeds: 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition (Polydor)
10. The La’s-Callin’ All (Universal/Polydor)

Top 5 Box Sets: Various Artists

1. The Apple Records Box Set (Apple/EMI)
2. A Complete Introduction To Tamla Motown (Motown Universal)
3. A Complete Introduction To Chess (Universal)
4. Cave Of Clear Light-The Pye and Dawn Records Underground Trip 1967-1975 (Esoteric)
5. The Perfumed Garden: 82 Rare Flowerings From The British Underground 1965-73 (Past & Present)

The David Bash Best of 2010 Lists, Part 1

2011-01-14T10:40:00.000-08:00

For the third year running, Absolute Powerpop is proud to present the year-end lists of the inestimable David Bash, Mr. International Pop Overthrow. As usual, not only does David have a top 100 and top EP list, he has lists for compilations, reissues, etc. Today we'll start with the reissues and work our way to the main list proper. There's so much to check into with these lists (even on my end) that it's best not to unveil them all at once. So without further ado, here are his comprehensive Best of 2010 Reissues lists:

------------------
Reissue Categories

There are still some reissues I haven't heard which would probably make the list, but there's only so much time and $$.ok, mainly $$; I'll always somehow find the time. J

I. Top 50 Proper Albums

1. The Monkees-The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees: Deluxe Edition (Rhino Handmade)
2. Jan & Dean-Carnival Of Sound (Rhino)
3. Paul McCartney & Wings-Band On The Run: Deluxe Edition w/book (MPL)
4. The Association-Birthday: Deluxe Mono Edition (Now Sounds)
5. Badfinger-Magic Christian Music (Apple/EMI)
6. Tages-Studio (RPM)
7. The Jam-Sound Affects: Deluxe Edition (Polydor/Universal)
8. Sorrows-Bad Times, Good Times (Bomp)
9. Jammë-Jammë (Now Sounds)
10. The Monkees-Head: Deluxe Edition (Rhino Handmade)
11. The Rubettes-Where It’s ‘At (7T’s)
12. Badfinger-Straight Up (Apple/EMI)
13. Chris Rainbow-White Trails (Vivid Sound)
14. Gary Lewis-Listen! (Now Sounds)
15. Clifford T. Ward-Mantle Pieces (Cherry Red)
16. Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin-As Far As Dreams Can Go (Broken)
17. Supertramp-Breakfast In America: Deluxe Edition (A&M/Universal)
18. Tommy James & The Shondells-I Think We’re Alone Now (Collector’s Choice)
19. R.E.M.-Fables Of The Reconstruction: Deluxe Edition (Capitol)
20. The 13th Floor Elevators-The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators (Charly)
21. Katrina and The Waves-Katrina and The Waves (CGB)
22. Badfinger-No Dice (Apple/EMI)
23. Twinn Connexion-Twinn Connexion (Now Sounds)
24. Nick Heyward-North Of A Miracle: Deluxe Edition (Cherry Red)
25. The Cowsills-On My Side (Now Sounds)
26. Dexy’s Midnight Runners-Searching For The Young Soul Rebels: 30th Anniversary Special Edition (EMI)
27. Clifford T. Ward-Escalator (Cherry Red)
28. Barnaby Bye-Room To Grow (Wounded Bird)
29. Mandy More-But That Is Me (Sunbeam)
30. Squire-Get Smart! (Vivid Sound)
31. The Jackson Five-Looking Through The Windows (Motown/Universal)
32. Nervous Rex-Nervous Rex (Renaissance)
33. The Holy Mackerel-The Holy Mackerel: Deluxe Expanded Edition (Now Sounds)
34. Skip Bifferty-Skip Bifferty (Grapefruit)
35. The Jackson Five-Skywriter (Motown/Universal)
36. Aphrodite’s Child-End Of The World (Esoteric)
37. Paul Williams-Someday Man (Now Sounds)
38. John Lennon & Yoko Ono-Stripped Down (Capitol)
39. Four O’Clock Balloon-Four O’Clock Balloon (Killer Music Group)
40. The Alan Bown-The Alan Bown (Esoteric)
41. Nick Garrie-The Nightmare Of J.B. Stanislas: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Elefant)
42. Carl Wilson-Youngblood (Iconoclassic)
43. Rick Springfield-Wait For Night (Wounded Bird)
44. David Bowie-David Bowie: Deluxe Edition (Deram)
45. The Candymen-The Candymen (Darby Pop)
46. The Guess Who-Artificial Paradise (Iconoclassic)
47. Katrina and The Waves-2 (CGB)
48. Aphrodite’s Child-It’s Five O’Clock (Esoteric)
49. The Tradwinds-Excursions (Rev-ola)
50. The Pretty Things-Parachute (Snapper Music)

Two for Tuesday, 1/11/11

2011-01-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

Wild Bores-Welldone and Charred. John Whildin continues to maintain an almost Robert Pollard-like level of prolificacy with his third full-lenghth (on top of an EP) in approximately three years as Wild Bores. It's more of the fine power pop we've come to love on the previous releases, with maybe a bit more of a rock edge. In fact, the Pollard comparison applies to the music as well as "Expect Me Now" has a Guided by Voices feel to it, while "Biology" has hooks galore to go with its start/stop guitar riffage. Other standouts include the 80s-inspired "Forward is Backwards", the bright pop of "Freake" and the Matthew Sweet-like "All Fall Down". Never a Bore, Whildin has proved he's good for 10-12 fine tracks a year.

CD Baby | MySpace | Listen at official site

Marc Danzeisen-Released. LA's Marc Danzeisen has been an accomplish studio drummer for a couple of decades now, and has been at the fringes of the power pop scene in the band Powerslide and as a solo act with 2004's Absorbent. He's back now with Released, a late entry onto my 2010 top 100 list which deserves more than a mere year-end listing. Danzeisen is reminiscent most of Rob Bonfiglio as he brings a "professional" power pop sound to the proceedings. "No Me Without You" has the sheen of a classic power ballad, "See Yourself" recalls Cliff Hillis-era Ike, and "Love Till it Hurts" boasts mood and atmosphere in addition to melody. And "'68 Chevelle" is just plain fun, a rework of a Powerslide tune that captures the near-universal male lament of why one's woman can't be as reliable as his car. A pleasant surprise, and Absorbent is worth a listen as well.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Monday roundup.

2011-01-03T16:24:00.000-08:00

To kick off 2011, here are a pair of Northeast bands who aren't into soft pop or Popicana, but good old fashioned guitar-heavy rockin' power pop:

Watts-On the Dial. The boys from Boston named after the legendary Stones drummer are back with another set of kick-ass yet melodically rich tunes. Songs like the title track, "Chaperone" and "Afterburn" are begging to be turned up to 11, and the boogie-rock of "Dancehall Days & Nights" brings to mind a Northern version of Terry Anderson & The OAK Team. You're not going to find any sensitive ballads here, and the closer "Sweethearts of the Radio" is most definitely not a Byrds homage. Instead, to paraphrase their namesake's frontman, it's only rock 'n' roll, and I like it.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Readymade Breakup-Readymade Breakup. It doesn't get more rock 'n' roll than Asbury Park, New Jersey, which is from where Readymade Breakup hails. Their third album is a must for those who loved their first two, and uninitiated will want to check in here. It rocks harder, as opener "Inside All Along" proves, and "Waiting for You" might be radio-friendly enough to grab some market share from the likes of Jimmy Eat World. The kinetic "Good Things" is another standout, and "Not Through With You Yet" is a quiet, fetching ballad. And "Erased" is an excellent Stones/Crowes-type closer with depth.

Buy & Listen at Bandcamp

The first of many 2010 oversights.

2010-12-30T11:46:00.000-08:00

I'm sure I'll have many oversights from 2010 list, and here's one that comes to mind right now: Truth Is from Nick Young. Young's name may not be familiar, but the band he went solo from may be - Burning Daylight. Their 2007 Whiskey & Romances was a Popicana delight, and so is this album. I don't have time to give it a proper review, so just trust your own ears and give it a listen below:

CD Baby | iTunes

The Absolute Powerpop Top 10 EPs of 2010.

2010-12-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

As promised but a little late, here is our Top 10 EP list for 2010. Also I'm proud to announce for the third straight year, David Bash's exhaustive year-end lists will be featured on this site. Look for 'em by mid-January.

10. The Young Tremors-Very Nice, Very Nice
9. Will Reid-Promises and Failures (This year's example of someone doing the Ryan Adams sound better than Ryan Adams himself)
8. Misfit Kid-Hellway to High
7. Creighton Doane-Pilot Error
6. Baby Scream-Identity Theft
5. Jared Lekites-Looking for Diamonds
4. The 88-No One Here
3. The Foreign Films-The Foreign Films EP
2. Justin Kline-Triangle
1. Beight-B8.

My #1 came out late in the year, so I didn't have a chance to get a review in. It's the followup to 2005's File in Rhythm for Brad Senne's side project, and it's excellent indie pop that has power pop elements to it. I can still hear "Cecilia" in my head as I type this. Here's an iTunes link as well:

The Absolute Powerpop Top 100 of 2010, #50-1

2010-12-24T06:30:00.000-08:00

Without further ado, here's part two:

50. The Candles-Between the Sounds
49. Orange & Atlas-Euphoria
48. Brady Harris-Year of the Pug
47. Archie Powell & The Exports-Skip Work
46. Leo London-Leo London
45. Chris Abad-No Glory
44. Marc Danzeisen-Released
43. The Moving Parts-State Lines
42. Kurt Hagardorn-Leaves
41. Ian Olvera & The Sleepwalkers-The Reckless Kind
40. Marc Clayton & The Lazy Suns-Marc Clayton & The Lazy Suns
39. Smash Palace-7
38. Butch Walker-I Liked it Better When You Had No Heart
37. Buva-Not Scary! Friendly
36. Pernice Brothers-Goodbye, Killer
35. Joel Streeter-Matador
34. Neil Nathan-The Distance Calls
33. The June Gloom-Wonderland
32. The Great Affairs-The Great Affairs
31. Brother Slade-No Relation
30. Justin Currie-The Great War
29. Gin Blossoms-No Chocolate Cake
28. Oranjuly-Oranjuly
27. Joey Sykes-Human, Being Human
26. Huw Jacob-Higher Every Day
25. Aaron Fox & The Reliables-Late Too Soon
24. Graydon-Graydon
23. Brett Harris-Man of Few Words
22. Secret Powers-Lies & Fairy Tales
21. Farrah-Farrah
20. Title Tracks-It Was Easy
19. Taylor Locke & The Roughs-Grain & Grape
18. Joe Adragna-Fall Back
17. Sunrise Highway-Sunrise Highway
16. Dino-Fool's Gold
15. Seth Swirsky-Watercolor Day
14. The June-Green Fields & Rain
13. Eric Crugnale-Carol Was Here
12. John Holk & The Sequins-If You See Her
11. Slumberjet-Slumberjet
10. The Posies-Blood/Candy
9. Joe Reyes-Worry Row
8. Lannie Flowers-Circles
7. Bastards of Melody-Hurry Up and Wait
6. Billy Goodrum-Weightless
5. Timmy Sean-Music From & Inspired By Noisewater
4. Elvyn-The Decline
3. Edward O'Connell-Our Little Secret
2. Duncan Maitland-Lullabies for the 21st Century
1. The Autumn Defense-Once Around

A few words on my choice for #1. First off, it may come as a surprise to many of you since I never actually reviewed it on the site (although those who follow my Twitter feed saw me praise it more than once). The reason for this is that The Autumn Defense, being a relatively well-known act featuring two members of Wilco, don't exactly need a review from me to get noticed. Generally I spend my time on this site bringing to light the obscure and the overlooked and the independent, DIY pop artist.

Having said that, though, I'd be remiss not to point out what I loved so much about this album. It's the ultimate distillation of their sound - they finally embraced their folk/rock leanings and combined them with the melodic, 70s soft-rock sound they've cultivated over the last decade. Previously they had leaned too fair in one direction (folk/rock 2001's The Green Hour) or the other (2003's Bread-inspired Circles) or forgot the distinctive tunes altogether (I cannot recall one song from 2007's self-titled album). Here, they start off strong with possibly my favorite song of the year, the Beatlesque "Back of My Mind", continue strong with "Tell Me What You Want", the rare song where relatively unmelodic verses strengthen the powerful, propulsive chorus, add the Pearlfishers-like "The Swallows of London Town", the mellow and inviting "Step Easy" and the perfect chamber pop of "Every Day", which favorably recalls their all-time best track "Bluebirds Fall" (from a split EP with Hem). For 11 songs, John Stirratt & Pat Sansone finally live up to their potential.