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power pop

A collection of 15 posts

222. THE LOST ALBUM by The Smithereens

222. THE LOST ALBUM by The Smithereens

This 2022 record of pretty much all new material from The Smithereens (previously covered here) comes to us by way of 1993. Wait, what? Well, it turns out that when the band was in between record companies back then, they had decided to make an album on their own. So,

211. WELCOME INTERSTATE MANAGERS by Fountains of Wayne

211. WELCOME INTERSTATE MANAGERS by Fountains of Wayne

Ever since Adam Schlesinger, co-founding member and co-songwriter for Fountains of Wayne, succumbed to COVID-19 early on in the pandemic I've been wanting to feature this 2003 record. This album was the third out of what ended up being a total of five put out by FofW, so it essentially

209. GREEN ALBUM by Weezer

209. GREEN ALBUM by Weezer

Let me preface this by saying that I don't listen to much Weezer anymore. In fact, the only record of theirs I can stand to listen to is this 2001 self-titled one. (Side note - quite a few of their albums are self-titled and go by the color of the

208. HEARTBEAT CITY by The Cars

208. HEARTBEAT CITY by The Cars

Having been on a bit of a new wave binge lately, I thought I'd feature The Cars again. About six years after releasing a near perfect debut record, Heartbeat City landed in 1984 and was pretty much the same thing - almost perfect. I was in 8th grade when the

164. GUV III by Young Guv

164. GUV III by Young Guv

This just released 2022 record comes to us from Toronto by way of the New Mexico desert. Young Guv is the moniker of Ben Cook who, believe it or not, used to be quite the hardcore rocker before transitioning to his current incarnation as power popper extraordinaire. Being stuck in

156. NEVER GIVE UP by Partner

156. NEVER GIVE UP by Partner

What do you get when you cross tongue-in-cheek lyrics from a band like, say, They Might Be Giants with riff heavy power pop along the lines of The Pursuit of Happiness (previously covered here [https://www.auditorymusings.net/love-junk-by-the-pursuit-of-happiness/])? Well, this guitar-laden 2020 record of course. This Canadian duo simultaneously

152. 11 by The Smithereens

152. 11 by The Smithereens

Released at the tail end of 1989, this record epitomized early 90's power pop, though with a heavier, crunchier guitar sound than what the band had previously incorporated in their music. You can hear Beatles and Beach Boys influences throughout the tracks, especially in the choruses and harmonies. Heck, there's

151. THE CARS (self-titled)

151. THE CARS (self-titled)

Continuing with the theme of debut albums that could be considered greatest hits [https://www.auditorymusings.net/play-deep-by-the-outfield/] in and of themselves, I'd like to take a look/listen at this 1978 record by that new wave/power pop band from Boston - The Cars. Growing up listening to this

130. WHAT WERE YOU HOPING TO FIND? by Vistas

130. WHAT WERE YOU HOPING TO FIND? by Vistas

I’ve always been a sucker for power pop bands (just enter that phrase in the search box on the website and you’ll see what I mean) and today’s post continues that trend. This just-released 2021 record by Scottish trio Vistas is full of 3 minute nuggets of

92. PLAY DEEP by The Outfield

92. PLAY DEEP by The Outfield

Those of us who came of age in the 1980’s surely have the Picasso-esque album cover of this 1985 record, along with lead singer Tony Lewis’ boyish voice and boyish looks, seared into our psyche. Sadly, Lewis died on October 19, 2020. So, I thought I would honor him

81. IT’S REAL by Ex Hex

81. IT’S REAL by Ex Hex

Power-punk-pop band Ex Hex’s second record, released in 2019, showcases the trio’s knack for addictive melodies admixed with crunchy guitar riffs and sharp solos. This is arena rock masquerading as power pop. The first three songs (‘Tough Enough,’ ‘Rainbow Shiner’ and ‘Good Times’) are a great introduction to

34. TELL NO ONE by Bad Moves

34. TELL NO ONE by Bad Moves

Washington D.C. quartet Bad Moves released this, their debut album, in 2018, generating a lot of buzz along the way. Described simultaneously as power pop and punk, they remind me of Green Day or even the Clash. Mostly uptempo tracks with melodic guitar riffs and loud vocals, this record

33. YOUNG ENOUGH by Charly Bliss

33. YOUNG ENOUGH by Charly Bliss

Upbeat, melodious songs about real downer topics seems to be all the rage these days. That holds true for this 2019 record from the Brooklyn-based band Charly Bliss (there is no band member with that name). This power pop group layers the songs on this album with synths allowing the

15. DEAR LIFE by Brendan Benson

15. DEAR LIFE by Brendan Benson

You may know of the White Stripes and Jack White. You may even know of the Raconteurs, but do you know who Brendan Benson is? His name doesn’t exactly roll off one’s tongue, but he’s the other ‘half’ of the Raconteurs - co-frontman with Jack White. His

4. LOVE JUNK by The Pursuit of Happiness

4. LOVE JUNK by The Pursuit of Happiness

This CD got heavy rotations during college. Released in 1988, it was the debut album of TPOH, a college rock/power pop band out of Canada. The mixture of catchy and melodic hooks, male and female vocals and edgy lyrics influenced me greatly and left a lasting impression. The album