A "Power Pop 15" Playlist

A playlist of fifteen power pop tunes for you to explore. This isn’t a complete overview of the genre or its artists, just a sampler of some personal favorites. Feel free to add comments or your own suggestions below:

1.    Matthew Sweet – I’ve Been Waiting. A wonderful ballad from his classic album Girlfriend (1991). A great record from start to finish; there's not a bad song on the disc.

2.    Cheap Trick – Come On, Come On. You could pick any number of songs from this band for a list like this, but check out this number from In Color (1977), which has turned up on a couple of power pop compilations.

3.    The Orange Humble Band – Down In Your Dreams from Assorted Creams (1997). A supergroup featuring Mitch Easter (a producer for bands like REM & Marshall Crenshaw), Ken Stringfellow of The Posies and Daryl Mather of The Someloves. The song is one of the highlights of this excellent album.

4.    Badfinger -  No Matter What from No Dice (1970). One of the best power pop songs from one of the greatest power pop bands ever.

5.    Jellyfish - All I Want is Everything. Queen meets Cheap Trick meets The Beatles on this track from the pop-tastic Bellybutton (1990).

6.    Nazz – Open My Eyes from Nazz (1968). Todd Rundgren’s early band rocks this track with some blazing guitar and swirling vocals and production. Recently covered by The Bangles on their 2011 release, Sweetheart of The Sun, which was produced by none other than Matthew Sweet.

7.    The Merrymakers - April’s Fool. These power pop masters from Sweden only released two albums, but they’re both fine examples of the genre. This song (featuring Abba-esque keyboards and Beatlesque harmonies) is a highlight of their 2nd release, Bubblegun (1997). Co-leader David Myhr just released his solo debut, Soundshine (for more on The Merrymakers & Myhr, see reviews elsewhere on this blog).

8.    Raspberries – Go All The Way from Raspberries (1972). Eric Carmen & the boys plead with their girl, to…well….go all the way on this classic tune.

9.    Will & The Bushmen – Book Of Love. Led by Nashville based singer-songwriter Will Kimbrough, this group has a nice alternative-ish, jangly 80s sound. This song can be found on 1989’s Will & The Bushmen.

10.  Big Star - When My Baby’s Beside Me from #1 Record (1972). Alex Chilton (a former member of The Box Tops) along with Chris Bell and Jody Stephens, practically perfected the modern power pop sound with this record.

11.  Brendan Benson - A Whole Lot Better. A member of the Raconteurs alongside Jack White, Benson has also been turning out wonderful pop/rock solo albums since 1996. This is the rocking first track from from 2009's fine album My Old, Familiar Friend. Benson just released his latest disc, What Kind of World, this past week.

12.  Fountains of Wayne - Someone To Love. These guys been making great music since they formed in the mid 90s,  and are best known for their Cars-influenced hit Stacy’s Mom. This fantastic tune is from 2007’s Traffic & Weather.

13.  L.E.O. – Distracted from Alpacas Orgling (2006). A group of indie music stars, including Mike Viola of The Candy Butchers, Andy Sturmer of Jellyfish, and singer-songwriter Bleu, formed this band to pay tribute to the sound & style of Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra. The album sounds like a cross between ELO & The Traveling Wilburys (crossed with a bit of rockabilly) and is a fun listen.

14.  Marshall Crenshaw – For Her Love from Field Day (1983). A standout song from Crenshaw’s underrated sophomore disc.

15.  Bill Lloyd – Lisa Anne. Best known as half of the country duo Foster & Lloyd, Bill has also recorded some fine pop/rock albums as a solo artist. This is one of the best tracks from Feeling The Elephant (1986).

The Hunger Games: A Heroine Emerges In A Bleak Future World

Bestselling books are often adapted into movies, and fans of the novels always await the film versions of their favorites with some trepidation. The literary success of author Suzanne Collins‘ Hunger Games trilogy virtually assured there would be a movie adaptation, especially after the box office hits in the Harry Potter and Twilight film franchises. The Hunger Games is set in a post apocalyptic future, where North America is now called Panem. The country is separated into 12 districts, ruled by the rich & elite from an area known as The Capitol. As punishment for a rebellion by the districts, an annual event called The Hunger Games is held. Each district must send one boy and one girl, aged 12-18 (chosen via lottery) to participate in a contest of skill & survival. The event is televised, and only one participant can emerge the victor of the competition. To win, you must kill or be killed.

The film follows Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar nominated for 2010’s Winter’s Bone) as she volunteers to take the place of her younger sister in the games.  Along with Peeta Meelark (Josh Hutcherson), the boy chosen from her district, she travels to The Capitol and is prepared for the games by a previous winner, Haymitch Abernathy (well portrayed by Woody Harrleson) as well as an assortment of other advisors. The reality TV genre is pointedly satirized, as each contestant is interviewed prior to the start of the games, and competes for “sponsors,” who will provide them with supplies during the competition. There’s also a healthy amount of bets placed on the contestants during the show, based on their skills, likability and the ratings they’re given during training.

Once the competition begins, Katniss must face the fact that she may have to kill to win the day. Peeta reveals that he has feelings for her, which further complicates her decision about how to proceed. We follow her and the other contestants, as some form temporary alliances in order to survive longer, and others are killed outright. Katniss even befriends a young contestant named Rue. Those running the games also throw several extra challenges in the way of the contestants during the games. While trying to stay alive and avoid needless killing, Katniss becomes something more than a mere competitor. But her choices may have long ranging consequences.

Director Gary Ross (Seabiscuit, Pleasantville) and cinematographer Tom Stern (with the rest of the crew) do a wonderful job creating the look of the bleak future these characters inhabit. This is an unflinching, brutal world, and little choice is left to the “have-nots” but to do what the wealthy ask of them. There’s a real emotional resonance to Katniss’ journey, captured in the excellent screenplay by Ross, Billy Ray and author Collins. Lawrence fully embodies the Katniss of the novel, and the supporting cast is perfect, including Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman, the TV interviewer and host of The Hunger Games, and Donald Sutherland, smoothly evil as The President.

The story has true depth & emotional resonance amidst the action elements, and there are well-drawn characters & interesting situations. While the film can’t quite capture Katniss’ inner monologue (which is such an integral & evocative part of the novel) the movie truly is an effective adaptation of the book. Jennifer Lawrence is a star to watch, and deserves all the fame the success of this film is bringing her. In fact, I also recommend Winter’s Bone, if you haven’t seen it; that film is also well worth watching, and Lawrence is excellent in it. As for The Hunger Games, there are already plans to film the second & third novels in the trilogy, and I look forward to seeing them. Even if you’re not a fan of science fiction or fantasy, I think you’ll enjoy The Hunger Games.

Time Traveling With Stephen King

What would you do if you could change horrible events that occurred in the past?  That’s the intriguing premise behind Stephen King’s excellent novel, 11/22/63. Jake Epping is a high school teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine. He’s teaching a GED course, and one of his students, Harry Dunning, writes a heartbreaking essay about “the day that changed my life,” for a class assignment. Harry’s a learning impaired janitor who works at the high school. His essay talks about night his father killed his mother and siblings with a hammer and wounded Harry.  Jake is touched by the story, and befriends the man.


One night, Jake is having dinner at a local diner, when the owner, Al Templeton, shares a secret with him. Back in the diner’s pantry, there’s a portal that leads to 1958, and Al’s been traveling back in time. The portal always takes you to the same moment in 1958, and when you return to the present, only two minutes has passed. Al, who has cancer, had been planning to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy by killing Lee Harvey Oswald. He’s even lived in the past for a while to gather information. But his illness is preventing him from completing the mission, and he wants Jake to do it for him. Al believes this is a pivotal moment in time, and stopping Oswald will fix a lot of things that are wrong with the world today.

Jake tries a sample trip to the past, and is amazed to find Al’s story is true. He goes on a test mission to prevent Harry’s father from killing the family, and partially succeeds. But there are consequences to his actions in the present. Still, he agrees to kill Oswald, but will have to live in 1958 under an assumed identity and await his arrival in Texas. We follow Jake as he takes a job as a teacher in a small town named Jodie, and begins a romance with a fellow faculty member. Meanwhile, the specter of Oswald, and the murder he will have to commit to change history, haunts Jake. And what if killing Oswald changes the present for the worse?

That’s the basic plotline of this well-paced, interesting and suspenseful novel. It features King’s usual well-drawn characters and realistic dialogue. It’s a bit of a change of pace for the author, though there are a few cameos from other characters from the King universe for fans. In his afterword, King cites the novel Time After Time by Jack Finney as one of his inspirations, and if you’re familiar with that classic time travel story, you’ll find much to enjoy in this book. King and his researcher, Russ Dorr, did exhaustive work looking at books, historical documents, newspaper archives and ads from the period, and King also met with historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to discuss the novel, and the implications on history if Kennedy had lived. The details all feel right, and make the story that much more believable.

This is an engrossing “What If?” story about one of the most tragic events of the 20^th Century. King’s usual flair for telling a fast-paced, engrossing story with relatable characters is intact. The author has received some of the best reviews of his career for the novel, and The New York Times selected it as one of the top five fiction books of 2011. Even if you’re not a fan of King’s usual horror fare, 11/22/63 is worth reading. All the monsters here are real, and in some ways, that’s a lot scarier than Pennywise the Clown from It, or the vampires of ‘Salem’s Lot.  Highly recommended.

Myhr's “Soundshine” Swirls, Pops & Crackles Brightly

In my last post I wrote about the power pop genre, and extolled the virtues of Sweden’s The Merrymakers, and their 2^nd and final album, 1997’s Bubblegun. The former co-leader of that band, David Myhr, has now released his first solo record, Soundshine. It’s a joyful, unabashed love letter to the pop & rock of the 60s, 70s and 80s. Starting with the Beatlesque opener Never Mine, you’re awash in hummable melodies, great hooks, and sparkling arrangements. Looking for A Life, Get It Right and Cut To The Chase have an 80s flavor, with a touch of New Wave. Then there’s I Love The Feeling, which sounds like it time warped off a 70s AM radio station, and the Jeff Lynne-ish Got You Where He Wanted, one of my favorite tracks on the album.

Myhr’s love of these eras of music really pours forth on the disc. He’s not just paying tribute - he’s working his own magic on these genres and creating wonderful new music. There’s not a bad song on the record;  Don’t Say No is another 70s style song; it's an upbeat “things aren’t so bad” number. Loveblind is a joyful paean to love that practically begs you to sing along. The One is a beautiful ballad that wouldn’t sound out of place on a McCartney solo album.

The album wraps up with a trio of tunes: we go back to the 80s again with the poppy, guitar driven Wanderlust, and the alternative-ish Icy Tracks, which comes complete with a psychedelic-style fadeout. Then Myhr ends up in back in Fab Four territory with Ride Along. These are melodic, charming and most of all fun songs, played with energy, charm and joy. This is a power pop classic, and I hope Myhr will tour in the US to support the release, so we can see this material performed live. Soundshine is shimmering, catchy, summer-y pop and I highly recommend it.

Here are links to the music videos for Got You Where He Wanted  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqoCxXs9FTQ and Looking For a Life http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud9k1LPyz14&feature=share from Soundshine.

Power Pop Lives….In Sweden?

Power pop is an enduring musical style that still has many loyal fans, including current acts like Fountains of Wayne, Tinted Windows, OK Go & The Smithereens. It draws its influences from the 1960s sound of groups like The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks, The Beach Boys and The Byrds. The initial wave of power pop occurred in the 1970s and early 80s, when acts like Big Star, Cheap Trick, Badfinger, The Cars and Todd Rundgren were in their heyday. And for every well known group like The Raspberries or The Knack, there were many one hit wonders & cult favorites like The La’s, The Plimsouls, The Records or The dBs. There was even some crossover with the burgeoning punk & new wave movements, with musicians like Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, The Romantics, Squeeze and The Jam releasing music with at least one foot in the genre.

In the 90s and early 2000s, power pop had something of a renaissance: Artists like Matthew Sweet, Jellyfish, Fastball, The Rembrandts and Marshall Crenshaw recorded great retro pop records during this period. One of the best albums from this era is 1997’s Bubblegun, the second album by Sweden’s The Merrymakers. The duo of Anders Hellgren and David Myhr write songs that sound fresh, but would fit comfortably into the eras of their many influences. It's an excellent release, following up their 1995 debut No Sleep Til Famous, another great power pop record.

There are great melodies and killer pop hooks here, with wall-to-wall jangly guitars & sweet harmonies. Songs like April’s Fool (with it’s almost Abba-esque keyboards), the Squeeze-like A Fine Line, and the beautiful ballad Adore (which sounds like a Crowded House outtake) are some of the highlights. Superstar is swirling, fast & percussive; Troubled Times is another sweet love song with excellent lyrics; the McCartney-ish Monkey in the Middle and the bouncy, upbeat Under the Light of the Moon are also standouts. This is an album that demands repeat spins on your CD player, iPod or music system, and grows on you with each listen. You can hear influences in their sound from bands as diverse as Queen, R.E.M., The Hollies, The Beatles and XTC.

While The Merrymakers didn’t make much of a splash in the U.S., they did have their fans, including Andy Sturmer, best known as the leader of power pop masters Jellyfish. Sturmer had heard & liked some of the bands earlier music, so he offered to collaborate on songwriting and production work for the album. He plays drums on the record as well. In a way, Bubblegun became kind of a summit meeting of the power pop elite. If you’re a Jellyfish fan, you’ll appreciate the record even more. Sadly, the album is the last release to date by the band, but David Myhr has just released his solo debut, Soundshine, and if the single Got You Where He Wanted is any indication, it will be another retro pop classic.

Bubblegun is available at online outlets like Amazon and the iTunes store. Some versions of the album come packaged either with a few bonus tracks or an additional disc containing 5 songs from No Sleep Til Famous and they are also worth a listen. Stay tuned in the future for more coverage of classic & current power pop, and thanks for reading.

Here are links to April's Fool https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbOp3QQW4-U and Monkey in the Middle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_3NZF9A2As from Bubblegun.

The Descendants: Family Loyalty, Life & Love in Hawaii

George Clooney has had a remarkable run of performances in recent years, in films like Michael Clayton, Up In The Air and The Ides of March. He’s added another fine acting job to that list. In 2011’s The Descendants, he plays Matt King, a Hawaii-based lawyer whose wife Elizabeth is in a coma after a boating accident. This leaves Matt to take care of their two daughters, Alexandra and Scottie. He’s been something of an absentee father, and now has to cope with their behavior (they’re both acting out at school), and deal with them as a parent in ways he didn’t previously.

He is told Elizabeth will never wake up, and he’ll have to make a decision regarding unhooking her from life support. In an emotional conversation with Alexandra, Matt learns his wife was having an affair. He’s shocked to find his family life & his world was not as well ordered as he thought. Matt decides to track down the man she was sleeping with, to confront him, and to give him a chance to visit Elizabeth. He’s also dealing with a larger family issue: he’s the trustee of a large portion of land the family owns, and the group is trying to make a decision on whether to sell it and make a huge profit.

As the story unfolds, we see all the emotions come to life in Clooney’s face, as he deals with these issues. You really feel this character’s journey as he comes to a new understanding about his family, and his life. It’s a quiet, understated performance, quite unlike the cool characters we’re used to seeing in movies like the Ocean’s films and Out of Sight. The rest of the cast is superb as well, with Shailene Woodley a standout as the older daughter, Alexandra. There’s also good work from Robert Forster, Judy Greer and Beau Bridges in supporting roles.

The film is directed by Alexander Payne (Sideways, Election) and he unfolds the story slowly, focusing on the characters and their relationships. The Oscar winning screenplay is by Payne, Nat Raxon and Jim Rash, based on the novel by Kari Hart Hemmings. The beautiful Hawaiian locations and authentic music score add a great deal of atmosphere to the movie. This is a sincere, well-acted comedy drama that is truly one of the best films of 2011. It’s a movie that sneaks up on you a little, and will resonate with you after you watch it.

The Descendants is alternately funny & heartbreaking, and has some real truths to impart about life & family. It’s one of my favorite films of 2011. In this writer’s opinion (with all due respect to the other nominees and winner Jean Dujardin), Clooney deserved the Best Actor award for his role. The film is now available on DVD and Blu-ray with an assortment of extras that include interviews with the cast & crew, though the Blu-ray features more extra content. Highly Recommended.

Covers Gallery IV – Tribute Album Edition

The latest set in my series honoring covers is drawn entirely from tribute albums:

1.    Opelousas (Sweet Relief) – by Maria McKee from Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams. McKee’s transcendent version of singer-songwriter Williams’ song is one of the highlights of the album.

2.    #9 Dream – by R.E.M. from Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. The alternative rockers do a nice, dreamy cover of John Lennon’s solo hit.

3.    Poor Poor Pitiful Me by Jackson Browne & Bonnie Raitt - from Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon.  Browne & Raitt pay tribute to the late, lamented Zevon with this energetic reading of a song made famous by Linda Ronstadt’s version.

4.    Yesterday Once More - by Red Kross from If I Were A Carpenter. The power poppers re-do The Carpenters hit, emphasizing the melancholy inherent in the song's lyrics.

5.    Raining in My Heart - by Graham Nash from Rave On Buddy Holly. Pretty, stripped down version of the Buddy Holly tune by Nash. From one of two star studded Holly tributes released in 2011, the other being Listen To Me: The Songs Of Buddy Holly.

6.    You Won’t See Me - by Dar Williams from This Bird Has Flown: a 40^th Anniversary Tribute to The Beatles’ Rubber Soul. One of the best songs on this tribute to a classic Fab Four album.

7.    Tush - by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. Grace & the boys get the groove right on this cover of the ZZ Top hit, from ZZ Top: A Tribute From Friends.

8.     Deuce - by Lenny Kravitz from Kiss My A**: Classic Kiss Regrooved. Fantastic version of the Kiss song, also featuring Stevie Wonder.

9.    Girls Talk - by Dave Edmunds from Songs Of Elvis Costello: Bespoke Songs, Lost Dogs, Detours & Rendezvous. Edmunds’ hit cover leads off this eclectic album of Costello classics by a variety of artists.

10.  Washable Ink - The Neville Brothers - from Love Gets Strange: Songs of John Hiatt: There are several Hiatt tribute albums, but this out of print disc from Rhino has an excellent lineup of musicians and songs, including The Neville Brothers funky take on this tune.

11.  Encomium: A Tribute To Led Zeppelin: Tangerine - by Big Head Todd & The Monsters. Moody, folk-inflected version of the Led Zeppelin III track.

12.  I Want You from Inner City Blues: The Music of Marvin Gaye. Madonna’s smooth, sensual reading of the Marvin Gaye hit.

13. Gypsy Woman – Bruce Springtseen’s excellent take on the Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions classic, from All Men Are Brothers: A Tribute To Curtis Mayfield.

14. You Got Me Floatin' - P.M. Dawn’s psychedelic/r&b version of the Jimi Hendrix tune, from Stone Free: A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix.

15.  Burn Down the Mission - Phil Collins' emotional cover of the early Elton John tune, from Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs Of Elton John & Bernie Taupin.

16. The Chain by Shawn Colvin, who does right by this Fleetwood Mac classic on Legacy: A Tribute To Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours.

17.  Fat Bottomed Girls - by Antigone Rising from Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen. The all girl rockers get it on with their version of the hard charging Queen hit.

Bonus Track: Sugar Sugar - by Mary Lou Lord & Semisonic from Saturday Morning Cartoons’ Greatest Hits. One of the best tracks on this wonderful collection of cartoon themes & songs from shows like The Archies, Scooby Doo & The Flinstones. A real treat for baby boomers.