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REDONDO BEAT

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Sep 142011

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German power pop band Redondo Beat is currently touring the USA. Check them out!

REDONDO BEAT US TOUR

Sept. 14th – Denton, TX

Sept. 15th – New Orleans
Siberia

Sept. 19th – Jackson, MS

Sept. 21st – Oxford, MS
Blind Pig

Sept. 24th – Memphis, TN
Gonerfest after party!!!
Buccaneer

Sept. 27th – Memphis, TN
Hi-Tone

Sept. 28th – Nashville, TN
Foobar

Sept. 30th – West Ashville, NC
The Get Down

Oct. 1st – Athens, OH
The Union

Oct. 5th – Columbus, OH
Café Bourbon St.

Oct. 6th – Milwaukee, WI
Quarters

Oct. 7th – Detroit, MI

Oct. 8th – Lafayette, IN
Black Sparrow Pub

Official Facebook Page

THE HEAD AND THE HEART

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May 212011

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THE HEAD AND THE HEART S/t (Sub Pop)

I really hate to be one of those cynical reviewers who accuse a band of bandwagon-jumping, but let’s face it: there’s no way Seattle-based outfit The Head And The Heart can avoid the Fleet Foxes comparisons. What do you expect when you ply your trade in rootsy, old-time Americana?

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THE SMITHEREENS

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Apr 252011

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THE SMITHEREENS Smithereens 2011 (eOne)

Amongst the power pop faithful, New Jersey band The Smithereens remain one of the standard bearers for the genre’s fading influence. In a modern rock scene where power pop is often mistaken for pop-punk (ugh!) – it’s vital for bands like The Smithereens to be recognized as the champions of power pop!

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FLEET FOXES

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Apr 042011

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FLEET FOXES Helplessness Blues (SubPop)

The eponymous debut album of Seattle-based Fleet Foxes was such a gorgeous work that it seemed like it could have easily gone on for two albums and nobody would have minded its prolixity. Three years later, Fleet Foxes return with its sophomore effort and the first impression is that it is simply more of the same. And is that necessarily a bad thing?

To these ears, the same qualities that made that first LP, Power of Pop’s album of 2008, are strongly in evidence. Robin Pecknold’s affecting vocal delivery, superb use of atmospherics and dynamics, mountain folk rustic majesty and melodies seemingly drawn from the early 1900s. Definitely, if like me, you adored the first album, there would be little difficulty in giving Helplessness Blues your undivided attention and ultimately, undying affection.

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MAN THE CHANGE

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Apr 042011

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MAN THE CHANGE Weather the Storm LP (Self-Released)

Punk rock band, Man The Change presents their first full-length album, Weather The Storm which is also free for download (Yay!).

The 5-piece band from Brooklyn is similar in musical blueprint to NOFX, The Misfits and Bad Religion. But the comparison stops there for this LP. Each track feels formulaic and generic as they blitz away with rapid drumming and tune-less vocals.

You have your usual barf-inducing emo lyrics on self-esteem and self-sabotage.

However, don’t fret! Put Steve At Second contains mature lyrics calling out for solidarity in a messy world. Definitely a good life lesson for the angsty. That’s Stormare is laced with infectious bass play reminiscent of ska band, Goldfinger. The ending track, Rambo Vs. Bas Rutten is a thumbs up just by its title alone. The tracks also make prime moshing material.

Weather The Storm isn’t horrible nor is it excellent. It’s no-frills punk rock made boring. You can find similar tunes with dozens of other bands. Considering that the band formed in 2009 and that they have graciously allowed their first album to be downloaded for free, it wouldn’t hurt to give it a listen.

Just not during a hangover.

(Hydar Saharudin)

BAMBI KINO

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Mar 122011

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BAMBI KINO Self-titled (Tampete)

Y’know sometimes music should be made for fun. We often forget that. This special project band call themselves Bambi Kino (named after the fledging Beatles’ original lodgings in Hamburg). Ah, got things a bit backwards. Consisting of various indie stalwarts viz. Ira Elliot – drums (Nada Surf), Erik Paparazzi – bass (Cat Power), Mark Rozzo – guitar and vocals (Maplewood) and Doug Gillard – guitar (Guided By Voices) – Bambi Kino played 4 sets at the Indra club in Hamburg (yes, he exact same club The Beatles played their first show in the Reeperbahn) in 2010 consisting of tracks the Beatles themselves performed at Hamburg 50 years before.

Well, the band decided to record their afternoon rehearsals and now the result of these sessions will be released in the USA. Yes folks, it’s a tribute of sorts and Beatles fans will probably be intrigued but really, it’s a fun record and an album that should be listened in one sitting and enjoyed in the spirit it was made.

With uncanny authenticity, Bambi Kino has evoked the rollicking mood of those heady days and old-time rock ‘n’ roll faves like Some Other Guy, A Shot of Rhythm and Blues, Shakin’ All Over, Wild Cat mixed with standards like Besame Mucho, Soldier of Love and To Know Her Is To Love Her. Simply a blast!

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RED WANTING BLUE

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Mar 102011

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RED WANTING BLUE These Magnificent Miles CD/DVD (Fanatic)

I will shamelessly confess to the fact that there was a moment in the DVD documentary that I had to stop and basically broke down in tears. The culprit? The Red Wanting Blue track Finger In The Air, along with the band members talking about what that song was all about.

They say, “give up and go back where you belong/Dreaming’s for the dead, kid, the road is too long”/Middle finger in the air, I’m still here/Egging them on…

For every dreamer who’s ever had to fight for what they believe in, this song resonates powerfully and it fit perfectly with the story that unfolded on this simple yet touching documentary.

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POSTROCKOLOGY

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Feb 282011

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VARIOUS ARTISTS Postrockology (Deep Elm)

In the gospel according to Deep Elm Records, you have the corporate sell-out pseudo indie labels who work hand in hand with major record companies for distribution and publicity, and then you have the keepers of the true faith, as exemplified by Deep Elm Records themselves: untainted by commercial interests, true indie labels undyingly devoted to the music with a singular passion.

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THE STROKES

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Feb 082011

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The Strokes To Release First Single From Angles, Under Cover Of Darkness on February 9th

Song Available to Stream and Free Download for 48 Hours from TheStrokes.com

Under Cover Of Darkness Available to Purchase In The U.S. on February 15th

The Strokes are set to release their newest single, Under Cover Of Darkness, on February 9th via a stream on their website. The song will be available to download for free for 48 hours from www.thestrokes.com , and will arrive at radio on the same day. Under Cover Of Darkness will be available to purchase digitally in the US via iTunes on February 15th.

The song is the band’s first released track from their highly anticipated upcoming album Angles, out on March 22nd via RCA records in the US, and March 21st via Rough Trade Records in the UK.

DIRTY BEACHES

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Jan 112011

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DIRTY BEACHES Badlands (Zoo Music)

What a stage name this is. Dirty Beaches is Alex Zhang Hungtai, born in Taiwan and raised in Toronto, Honolulu, Montreal and Vancouver. His music style mingles minimalism with noise rock, popularly fitting into today’s indie/alternative scene, yet his voice cracks like a lost soul in this modern age of digitalism. On various occasions he lets out his indie Elvis persona and groove, as on Horses and Sweet 17, but the real gems come in subsequent tracks: he channels his best in A Hundred Highways, grooving like an established rock and roll legend; sounds like a timeless romantic on True Blue and a faithful believer on Lord Knows Best. That much said, all for a relative newcomer.

Catch Dirty Beaches live between January and March 2011 as he tours together with Crocodiles and Dum Dum Girls.

Myspace

[CJ]

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THE REDEMPTION CENTER

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Jan 102011

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THE REDEMPTION CENTER Land of Plenty (Blind)

Regular PoP visitors will be aware of my weakness for the gorgeous hybrid of country music and pop-rock that may be variously referred to as country-rock, alt-country, roots-rock, Americana or as the late great Gram Parsons defined it, “Cosmic American Music”. I personally believe that at its best, this country-rock hybrid is at its core, soul music. It’s basic and heartfelt, with words and music that tug at your heartstrings. What more could anyone want from good old fashioned popular rock music?

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BLURB-O-RAMA

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Jan 032011

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Sometimes I wonder if we do rock & pop music a disservice by defining albums according to a fixed period. In this respect, by the year of release. As usual, there are a few albums/EPs that I’ve overlooked for one reason or another in 2010. So let’s get through some of them right now, shall we?

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THE LONELY FOREST

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Dec 192010

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THE LONELY FOREST E.P. (Trans)

When the first song on an EP is titled Turn Off This Song And Go Outside, it’s hard to resist the temptation to call the band’s bluff: “Alright, you bunch of wankers, I have better things to do with my time to listen to your ironic hipster bullshit anyway!”

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ELECTROLIGHTZ

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Dec 142010

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ELECTROLIGHTZ It Happened Over Night (Self-released)

It should be understood and made clear to musicians that we, humans, do not feel the need to dance all the time. So stop – stop with this current trend of making all possible tunes out there as danceable as possible. Humans, as we are, have different sides/moods at different phases of our lives, different times of the day.

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PoP10 - HELEN EARTH BAND

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Sep 242010

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(Answers by Adam Allen – Vocals / Guitar & Marc Allen – Vocals / Guitar)

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PoPTV: TALKIN' THE LINE

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Sep 232010

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First in a new series of video interviews brought to you by Power of Pop and Walk On Music. We interviewed US singer-songwriter Dion Roy who is performing at TAB from 21st to 26th September 2010. Video produced and edited by Patrick Chng.

DION ROY

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Sep 202010

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Dion Roy rolls into town tomorrow and will begin his week long residency at TAB. Whilst we await his arrival, let’s take a quick peek at music that Dion has released thus far in his short career.

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LIVING IN THE PAST

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Sep 192010

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I’ve been ranting and raving about how music fans nowadays don’t bother about the past. So, I’m gonna the push the past in your face – like it or not!

POWER POP!

When Power of Pop was first set up in 1998, my main concern was to promote the power pop genre and/or the Pop underground scene.

Power pop?

Yes, the term was originally coined by The Who’s Pete Townshend when asked to describe the band’s then new single – Pictures of Lily – to the NME.

“Power pop is what we play—what the Small Faces used to play, and the kind of pop the Beach Boys played in the days of ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ which I preferred.”

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DION ROY @ TAB

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Sep 162010

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Dion Roy is a young, emergent singer-songwriter – based on NYC – with an album (2009′s Gallery) and an EP (2010′s The Nearest Light) to his name thus far. His original repertoire consists of modern pop-rock with folk inflections but always with an infectious hooky appeal. Still rather raw but Dion’s potential is not in doubt.

Dion will be in Singapore and performing at TAB as its Artist-in-Residence from 21st to 26th September. Power of Pop hopes to interview Dion when he’s in town so look out for that.

Official Site

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LOU BARLOW

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Sep 162010

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LOU BARLOW + MISSINGMEN = sentridoh III (Merge)

Indie rock legend Barlow has covered many bases in his career – the proto-slacker rock with Dinosaur Jr, the lofi indie of Sebadoh and the early anti-folk of the Folk Implosion – and usually with pleasing results.

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THE PRETTY RECKLESS

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Sep 082010

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THE PRETTY RECKLESS Light Me Up (Interscope)

So will this review be about the music or Taylor Momsen? Who?

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PoPTV

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Sep 052010

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On this wet and cold Sunday morning, PoPTV goes Symphonic Metal!

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FIERY BLUE

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Sep 032010

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FIERY BLUE s/t (Doubloon)

The self titled debut of Fiery Blue, an indie folk rock band sparkles with its soft edges yet evocative lyrics. Created by the efforts of songwriter, Paul Marsteller, vocalist Simone Stevens and producer/multi-instrumentalist Gabe Rhodes (alongside the legendary Hunt Sales and Quinn Vogt-Welch), the album seems perfect for a lazy afternoon. Its aural harmonies of folk, rock and indie are easy on the ear.

The eighteen tracks of the album flow and blend into the other, telling a complex story with very simple words and soulful music. The vocals are solid and provide an effective picture to the artistic intentions of the band. With the tracks Magic and Hide Away, one slips into daydream easily and relaxation is achieved.

Official Site

(MJ)

LAKES

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Sep 022010

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LAKES The Agreement (Self-released)

I found Watashi Wa’s Love of Life album to be one of the best of its kind when it was released in 2003. Memorable tunes with the requisite punk energy – it remains one of my favorite albums of all time.

Seth Roberts was the main man in Watashi Wa and Lakes is his latest venture, in the wake of Watashi Wa’s demise. And although the tunes and Roberts’ Sting-channeling vocals are retained, the entire musical approach has been revamped somewhat.

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THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

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Sep 022010

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THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA Zombie EP (Ferret)

When it comes to rock ‘n’ roll – from my perspective, it is all about the final product delivery: the guitar riffs, the drum beats, the ability to inspire the audience to lose control and lose themselves, either through crazy sing-along screamfest sessions or non-stop moshing.

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