A review from 2002.

ANDY PARTRIDGE Fuzzy Warbles Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 (APE)

As any card-carrying XTC fanatic will inform you, the Swindon-based band spent the better part of the 90s on strike from their record label Virgin, finally earning their freedom from a draconian contract sometime in 1998. The band then set up their own label – Idea – and proceeded to release two albums (Apple Venus & Wasp Star) in consecutive years!

So it certainly behooves the band to flood the market with as many XTC-related products as possible just to make up for lost time. So whilst ecstatic fans have been lapping up the demo and instrumental versions of the two latest albums and Virgin was kind enough to issue the Coat of Many Cupboards box set, the duo decided to begin releasing the voluminous demos (subject of legend and lore and much bootlegging) Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding amassed during that seven-year industrial action.

Alas, Moulding changed his mind and so we have volumes one and two of Fuzzy Warbles as Partridge begins an ambitious program to give his fans what they have been waiting for a long time.

And is it all worth the wait and the expense? Why most certainly! Here’s why…

From Volume One, Partridge includes the delightful “Dame Fortune” (inextricably left off Apple Venus One), the bouncy “Don’t Let Us Bug You” (written for Disney’s animated James and the Giant Peach – now that would have been something!), a fiery demo of “That Wave” (off Nonsuch) that surpasses the recorded version for sheer intensity, the folky “Everything” (excluded from Oranges and Lemons), the whimsical “Goosey Goosey” (also for Nonsuch), the chirpy “Summer Hot As This” (circa 1984 – with erstwhile member Dave Gregory on guitar, a bonus!) and the offbeat “Wonder Annual” (another that failed to make the grade for Nonsuch).

Slide in Volume Two and one gets the unusually stripped down and straightforward “I Don’t Want To Be Here” (recorded for a AIDS Charity disc), the domestic tirade “Young Marrieds” – ‘Love and marriage go hand in hand like horse and horse shit’ (meant for Wasp Star), the political “Obscene Procession” – a precursor of “President Kill” perhaps? (for Skylarking apparently), the jaunty “Ra Ra Rehearsal” & “Ra Ra For Red Rocking Horse” (not quite up to the rest of Psonic Psunspot, I wager), the McCartney-esque “Everything’ll Be Alright” (also for Giant Peach), the frenetic “Chain of Command” (a blast from the past, 1979 in fact!), a gorgeously cod-psychedelic version of Nonsuch’s “Then She Appeared,” the lovely enigmatic “It’s Snowing Angels” (circa 1990) and the vivid “Ship Trapped In the Ice,” written to reflect XTC’s Virgin dilemma.

And there you have it, not meant for the XTC newbie but once you picked up every single fantastic work released by this awesome band, then Fuzzy Warbles tend to become fairly indispensable items to have and to hold. For even if the discs did not contain precious XTC artifacts, the professional sound and overall amazing quality of the tracks here make Fuzzy Warbles important albums for any serious-minded music fan to explore and absorb. A+ (Vol. 1) & A (Vol. 2)

Buy

THE FORMAT – Dog Problems (Vanity, 2006)

There is a thin line between emo punk and powerpop.

What am I talking about?

Punk of course, was partly a back-to-basics revival of mid-60s powerpop ala The Who, The Small Faces, The Move et al.

Emo?

The current generation’s alt-rock with the likes of Dashboard Confessional, Jimmy Eats World, Get-Up Kids et al, have caught the imagination of teenagers worldwide.

With Arizona’s The Format, that line is totally blurred as Sam Means and Nate Ruess mixes a heady, eclectic brew from the ingredients of emo punk and powerpop with their sophomore effort, Dog Problems.

Ostensibly written about Ruess’ recent relationship breakup, Dog Problems is a rather joyful album with vibrant instrumentation, infectious melodies and bright harmonies dominating to create a shiny pop sheen.

No exaggeration to claim that Dog Problem might well be the emo generation’s own Pet Sounds, Spilt Milk (Roger Manning Jr. contributes to many tracks here) and A Wizard, A True Star. In other words, a pop masterpiece.

Songs like the whimsical “Matches,” the gorgeous “I’m Actual,” the dynamic “Time Bomb,” the catchy “She Doesn’t Get It,” the bip-bopping “Oceans,” the jolly “Dead End,” the sardonic “The Compromise” and the folky “If Work Permits” highlight the sheer mastery of the pop form that the Format is able to boast.

I love the Format! You will too! And… “emo sucks” but the Format sure does not!

Check the video of The Format live in performance with Time Bomb below.

(Nate Ruess is now fronting the hugely successful Fun.)

BMX BANDITS Down At the Hop (Shoeshine, 2003)

With seven years between Down At the Hop and preceding release – 1996’s Kim Fowley-produced “Theme Park” – it’s comforting to know that the Bandits are still able to deliver sun-kissed Beach Boys-obsessed pop like they’ve never been away.

Now reduced to the core of Duglas Stewart, Francis MacDonald and Gabriel Telerman, it’s a great pleasure to see the Bandits carrying the flag of Scottish pop high in the absence of the late great Eugenius and the AWOL Teenage Fanclub.

And it’s a terrific comeback as the trio with the assistance of, inter alia, David (Pearlfishers) Scott and Norman (Teenage Fanclub) Blake produces an album of witty and melancholy sunshine pop songs that never overstays its welcome.

The Landy-era Brian Wilson-channeling “I’m In Such Great Shape” where lines like “She gets naked, I go ape” get the attention, the hilarious over-the-top “Miss Nude Black America,” the wistful “Love At the Hop,” the wry jaunty Bacharach-evoking “Death and Destruction,” the breezy cautionary “The Road of Love is Paved with Banana Skins,” the widescreen Spector-ian “Back In Her Heart” and the lovely Sunflower referencing “Back in Your Arms” confirm Down At The Hop as the vibrant pop treat every like-minded enthusiast can only ignore at their grave peril.

SPLITSVILLE Incorporated (Houston Party, 2003)

Discounting the Beatles-Beach Boys pastiche cum tribute that was The Complete Pet Soul, Incorporated is actually Splitsville’s first album of all-new material in close to five years (since 1998’s Repeater in fact).

On the personnel front, Matt and Brandt Huseman and Paul Krysiak have recruited guitarist Tony Waddy to “fill-up” the Splitsville sound and the results are terrific! Unlike Repeater, which came across too much like vignettes of the band’s favourite albums, there is a mature assurance, an originality about Incorporated that marks Splitsville’s return as a quantum leap.

This sophistication is never more evident than in the country-poppish “The Mentalist” where wistful melodies, trembling guitars and melancholy tone almost make Splitsville sound erm adult.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a putdown but the highest compliment as Splitsville takes its place amongst the greats in the history of rock and pop music.

Take the opening “White Dwarf” with it’s soft-rock power chords and ruminations on black light particles, dead stars and heaven as metaphors for love. Waddy turns in a virtuoso solo that will have you pressing ‘repeat’ incessantly.

Speaking of guitar heroes, “Heart Attack” actually communicates an acid rock meets power pop vibe, like Hendrix playing guitar for the Raspberries! Very cool.

“Headache” is a bit of a throwback, evoking the Huseman’s time with the seminal power pop outfit, Greenberry Woods. “The Next One” is a flight of big ballad fancy Splitsville style with epic guitars and throaty vocals detailing a ‘cold turkey’ experience of addiction withdrawal. “Sasha” channels the Zombies and John Lennon simultaneously, a love story gone horribly wrong. “California” is the Knack dancing with XTC, polar opposites of libidinal excesses as the boys deconstruct the West Coast fantasy.

Where’s the punk-pop you’re wondering? Well, “Brink” and “Trouble” should sate that urge quickly before “I Wish I Never Met You” comes on sounding very much like a Pet Soul outtake as heavenly 12-stringed acoustic guitars and an angelic tune lifts us into Byrdland.

A complete and perfect album that begs to be heard from start to finish, Incorporated, is a testament to Splitsville’s belief in the power pop ideal that you can still touch hearts and intrigue minds with music that is melodic, vibrant and texturally dense.

Let me just say that if you had to listen to one power pop album this year, it would have to be Splitsville’s Incorporated.

Official Site

ALVA STAR – Down Escalator (Princess, 2006)

John Hermanson is perhaps best known as one half of Storyhill, a folk duo that has achieved minor commercial success – the press release boldly proclaims that Storyhill has sold more than 35,000 CDs. Personally, I am not sure if such a statement is a pro or con in respect of promoting Alva Star. Whatever.

Alva Star is to all intents and purposes, not Storyhill. Alva Star is a rock band, which has already released a solid pop-rock debut in Alligators in the Lobby (2001).

Down Escalator is Alva Star’s sophomore effort and certainly qualifies as an undiscovered gem of 2006. Together with Erik Appelwick, Darren Jackson and Ian Prince, Hermanson has concocted an intelligent work of pop-rock art that also serves as a scathing commentary of the fickle music business.

In that sense, much of Down Escalator bears the strong influence of The Kinks in its delivery and outlook. On tracks like the opening atmospheric “Escalator” where Hermanson complains, “I was confused/And then abused” and the pleasing “Comeback,” Hermanson rather sardonically remarks, “Everyone loves the new sound/And everyone needs a new soundtrack for the record.” Could Hermanson be referring to anyone specifically?

This sense of bitter betrayal (not to mention the shattering of dreams) colours the rest of Down Escalator even as the music gets more polished. “Downsides” is blissful chill-out soul that almost comes across like a lament whilst “Curtain Drops” is a gorgeous soft-rock ballad that is a wistful study of life’s disappointments.

So Down Escalator is a bittersweet pill of sorts, you just have to admire the potency of the melodies and performances but there are times that the melancholy vibe can be a turn off. Not by too much, mind you, to make Down Escalator an essential modern pop-rock purchase.

BOBBY SUTLIFF – Bitter Fruit (Not Lame, 2000)

After going MIA for almost a decade, Bobby Sutliff returns with a spiffy new album of prime jangle pop. Sutliff did the bulk of his music-making in the 1980s releasing several albums under his own name (viz Another Jangly Mess, Only Ghosts Remain) and with partner Tim Lee as the Windbreakers (viz Terminal, At Home With Bobby & Tim and Electric Landlady).

Bitter Fruit is rough in parts (Sutliff is noticeably straining to hit the high notes) but the guitar work is outstanding. No complaints vis-à-vis the songwriting department as Sutliff more than proves that he can still deliver the goods where it matters.

Sutliff’s main strength lies in his ability to evoke the pioneering folk-rock spirit of the classic Byrds line-up. Songs like Warning Bells, One Way Ticket, Griffin Bay, Pushed, No More, Sorry If and Bitter Fruit will certainly make the listener do a double-take on those excellent Rickenbecker 12-stringed arpeggios and those uncanny Clark-Crosby-Hillman-McGuinn harmonies. Even better are the numbers that channel the rough and ready magic of Buffalo Springfield, with the spectral Change the Way (a even ghostlier version is featured as the unlisted 15th track) reminiscent of Neil Young’s contributions and the hyper kinetic Fall nailing the analogues perfectly. Add to these fine examples the Forever Changes era Love tribute You Don’t Have To Go and the ELO inspired epic piano ballad Days of Summer (which naturally includes sublime Beatlesque touches).

Rough at the edges, these homemade demos (often with the assistance of ace producer Mitch Easter) cannot hide the obvious talents that Sutliff no doubt still possesses in abundance. Pop fans can only hope that more from Sutliff are in the offing.

*****

Sadly, Bobby was involved in a serious car accident in June and is still recovering. Power of Pop wishes Bobby all the best and if you’d like to express similar sentiments, you can find Bobby on Facebook.

*****

WISELY – Parador (Not Lame, 2006)

Wisely returns with a rustic snapshot of arch powerpop that (largely) eschews orchestration for a more earthy flavour. Gone is the lush soft pop Wisely has long been associated with and in its place a pleasing sinewy melodic folk-rock that grabs hold of your heart from track one and never lets go.

Wisely is backed by a crack band consisting of some of L.A.’s finest viz. guitarist Paul (Mr. Big) Gilbert, keyboards player/co-producer Linus of Hollywood, bassist Bruce (Supremium) Witkin, guitarist Ben (Sugarplastic) Eshbach, multi-instrumentalist Petur (ex-Naked) Smith, Probyn (Wondermints) Gregory amongst others.

Wiseley’s music on Parador is comparable to the erudite powerpop being churned out by the likes of Jason Falkner, Rusty Anderson, David Mead, Jon Brion and Brendan Benson. Which is another way of saying that Parador is highly recommended to Power of Pop readers and then some!

By and large, the muscular guitar pop-rock of “Stayin’ Home Again,” “Altitudes,” “Joke” and “Drink Up” dominates Parador but good variety is provided by the country-folky “Too Quick To Love,” the pastoral “Erase Me” and the jazzy “Who Blew Out The Sun?”.

Bright Californian pop that balances the sunshine and melancholy moments to sheer perfection. A

WENDY IP Fan Favorites So Far (Self-released) www.wendyip.com

“She wants to be Peter Pan/But she will always be just Wendy/She can only fly in the back of her mind/In her heart she will find the time”

Ip is an aspiring young singer-songwriter of Asian descent. Born in Manitoba, Canada and currently residing in New York. All interesting factoids, no doubt, but most crucially, in this age of Britney Spears wannabes – here’s a lady who models her musical ambitions on emulating Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Todd Rundgren & Ray Davies. Meaning: Ip specializes in pop music that is intelligent, mature, melodic and yes, fun. Add to the list the intricate stylings of Laura Nyro, Carole King, Rickie Lee Jones, Sam Philips & Joni Mitchell and the result is indeed pleasing.

This is most evident on material like the erudite “At the Seams,” the autobiographical “Just Wendy,” the wistful “Our Little Room” and the affecting “Can’t Get Mad” where Ip utilizes the piano to outstanding effect. Ip’s debt to the British Invasion becomes apparent in the powerpop inflections of the jumping “So This Is My Life” and the jaunty “Elaine” where tried-and-tested popcraft collides with Ip’s feisty exuberance.

Based on the evidence presented on Fan Favorites So Far, Wendy Ip has every chance of living up to the high standards she has set for herself in the years to come. (A)

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS Rings Around the World (Sony) www.superfurry.com

What is there to say anymore about the genius of these Welsh art-poppers? Ever since their fascinating debut Fuzzy Logic blazed its path through the fag ends of the Britpop movement (circa 1996), this prolific genre-bending collective has been releasing consistent and challenging pop music with almost military discipline and wild flair, as previous albums (viz. Radiator, Guerilla and Mwng) bear out.

This time round, the band seems to have cottoned to the heady joys of the Electric Light Orchestra! Doubt me? Listen carefully to the jubilant title track and convince me otherwise. With trademark ‘ringing’ samples suggesting modern sounds, the boogie guitar rhythm, helium-addled backing vocals and that orchestral pop sound evoke the glory days of Jeff Lynne and co when perms and mullets ruled the airwaves! The following “It’s Not the End of the World” brings the equation further by adding ELO founder Roy Wood’s Wizzard to the mix in a lovely celebration of Spectorian teen symphonies.

You want more? How about a direct melodic quote off Lennon’s “Oh My Love” on the opening “Alternate Route to Vulcan Street” or more Jeff Lynne formula on the Travelling Wilburys-evoking “Receptacle for the Respectable” with a dollop of Bacharach’s horns thrown in for good measure?

As you can gather from those song titles, the SFA’s sense for the ridiculous has not abated – how else do you explain the fact that the lead single is called “Juxtaposed With U”? A jaunty bossa nova nugget with tongue firmly embedded in cheek as vocoder vocals and string arrangements suggesting the Charlie’s Angels theme rather than alt. rock – with a message to boot!

Always surprising, always exciting – the SFA have never failed to amaze for the last five years and one gets the distinct feeling that the best is still to come! (A)

Buy Rings Around the World at Amazon

JUMPROPE Suitcase and Umbrella (Planting Seeds)

Jumprope is a unique quartet parlaying jazz and pure powerpop influences into pleasing confections. More than that, on a personal note, browsing through the band’s website, I realized that lead singer Cindy Goh hails from Singapore and what’s more, has a cousin who studied at the same school and is an acquaintance of mine! Small world, eh?

That said, I hope that little piece of trivia doesn’t taint the positive impression I have of this interesting band. Suitcase and Umbrella is Jumprope’s second album and fans of The Cardigans, the Go-Betweens, Beat Happening, Heavenly and Marine Research will thoroughly enjoy this satisfying disc. Goh shares songwriting chores with Ad Boc and there is much to savour here, amongst them, the charming Smiths-like “The Glamour Snare,” the Broadway-themed “Disappear,” the jaunty “Grandpa’s Lament” and the bossa nova-inflected “Holiday in Brazil.”

Probably the most refreshing ‘twee’ pop you likely to hear in 2001. Check it out. (B)

******

STARFLYER 59 Leave Here a Stranger (Tooth & Nail)

Jason Martin, who essentially IS Starflyer 59, is one of indie-pop’s best-kept secrets. This singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist has, with this latest album, released 10 albums under the Starflyer 59 moniker and it may just about his best work yet.

If one word comes closest to describing Starflyer 59’s sound, it would probably be “pop-gazing.” Meaning that Martin has managed a successful hybrid of the British “shoe-gazer” movement of the late-80s and early-90s viz. My Bloody Valentine, The House of Love, Ride, Chapterhouse and the nascent Blur AND the classic (fragile) powerpop of the Byrds, Big Star, Teenage Fanclub & the Posies.

Leave Here a Stranger, recorded in MONO, jumps straight out of the blocks with the music-themed trilogy of “All My Friends Who Play Guitar,” “Can You Play Drums” and “When I Learn to Sing.” Using the band scenario as an analogy for life, Martin narrates in hushed Colin Blunstone tones the experience of fame-seeking (‘so this is what we did for a name, we took a taste of life in our country’) and wishful thinking (‘when I learn to read, I’ll change my ways on everything.’)

Charged with acoustic reveries, Americana inflections and infinitely chiming guitars, Martin and band a times recalls the chamber pop of the Pernice Brothers, especially on the melancholy textures of “Give Up the War,” “Things Like This Help Me” and “This I Don’t Need.”

A fascinating effort that gets better with each play from a master craftsman who deserves more recognition that he currently receives. (A)

******

Buy Leave Here a Stranger from Amazon