Catching up with some old friends.

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

Another freebie (and some drama) from Shake Some Action!

The day of freebies continues....

As mentioned earlier, Shake Some Action! is unveiling their new album as it's recorded, and track #3 (Fire and Ice) is now available at their blog.

But apparently frontman James Hall and Gary Miller have decided to go their separate ways from this point forward, as Hall explains:

It’s fair to say that the last song, Fire and Ice, triggered some fundamental changes in this project.

Firstly, Gary and I came to the realization our musical ideas weren’t as compatible as they once were, so SSA has reverted to a solo project again, as it was for the first record.

Secondly, it occurred to me that my contributions so far had a recurring theme of elements - Touch the Sky, Fire and Ice - that I wanted to explore further as some sort of theme throughout the record. What came to mind was exploring the idea of people’s apparent indifference to climate change - that maybe by the time everyone’s satisfied it’s actually happening it’ll be too late to do anything about it.

Maybe human civilization has come and gone many times before and on some deeper level we know that if climate change wipes us out, human life will always re-emerge through evolution. Or maybe we’re all just narcissists . . . .

How do I take those ideas and make power-pop songs out of them?

Stay tuned.

Freebie of the Day II.

The indefatigable James Hall, already with two power pop classics to his name in the space of three years as Shake Some Action!, is busy at work on his third album and he's opening up the sausage-making to us all on his new blog.

The plan is for Hall (along with bassist and power pop renaissance man Gary Miller) to set out in detail the recording of their new disc, song-by-song, as they work in the (virtual) studio. They have one finished product to their credit now, and it's an auspicious beginning: "Touch the Sky", a tune as good as anything on the first two albums.

Touch the Sky mp3

You can go in for the full details or just listen to the finished product, but either way it's a fascinating fly-on-the-wall look into the recording process.

CD of the Day, 5/27/08: Shake Some Action!-Sunny Days Ahead

Theyyyyy're back. James Hall & Co. have brought us Sunny Days Ahead, the long-awaited (OK not that long - the first one came out about 16-17 months ago) followup to Shake Some Action's eponymous debut which placed at #27 on last year's Top 100. All of the things that made the debut great are here again on Sunny Days Ahead: the retro late 70s-early 80s sound that nevertheless doesn't seem dated, the Rickenbackers, the great tunes, and of course Hall's vocals, which fit the material and the sound perfectly.

But there a few differences. There is a bit of a harder edge to the tunes, evident right off the bat in the Kinks-ish "Get It Together" and "Looking for Someone", the former of which has a "You Really Got Me" vibe to it. In fact, "You Don't Care", which appears about midway through the disc, rocks harder and louder than anything on the first disc. Which is not to say that all the amps are turned up to 11 - "Hurry Up" and "I Don't Want to Talk About" have a great Merseyside jangle to them, while "Draw The Line" displays a real swagger. Meanwhile, "Curtain Call" has just that sort of Nuggets-style feel to it that Green Day captures on their Foxboro Hot Tubs release.

So while Sunny Days Ahead might be a semi-ironic title for a band that hails from Seattle, it's an apt descripton for power pop fans who take the time to pick this one up.

CD Baby | MySpace