Category: Power Pop (Page 14 of 17)

Dexter Freebish: The Best of (The Other Side)

March 13, 2009 / Mike Farley

Dexter Freebish was one of those dot com-era bands that bridged a gap between alt-pop powerhouses that were slowly fading (think Toad the Wet Sprocket or Hootie) and those that were embracing their independence like never before (The Clarks, Better Than Ezra). There simply isn’t ever a place on any musical timeline where good, melodic pop/rock doesn’t have a place, and this five-piece Texas band is proof of that. Dexter Freebish released two albums beginning with 2000’s A Life of Saturdays, which included their John Lennon Songwriting Contest entry, “Leaving Town.” But after breaking up in 2005, lead singer Kyle (who mysteriously has no last name) and the rest of the band got back together for some shows, and found out there is still a market for their catchy fare. EA Sports, along with a publishing arm of Nettwerk Music, decided to release this greatest hits collection, The Best Of (The Other Side), including four new tracks, and history is being made before your very eyes, or something. The big “hits” are all here, including “Leaving Town,” “Prozak” (which actually WON the John Lennon contest) and “Higher,” and some of the newer stuff is pretty decent, in particular the stunning piano ballad “Walk on Water.” For the most part, Dexter Freebish is a decent band with nice, hooky songs, but they aren’t going to keep tastemakers up at night figuring out who heard them first. (LABEL: Electronic Arts)

Dexter Freebish MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Power Pop, Rock

'90's rock Best Of Dexter Freebish Better Than Ezra Dexter Freebish Electronic Arts Hootie and the Blowfish John Lennon Songwriting Contest modern rock The Clarks Toad the Wet Sprocket

Little Man: Of Mind and Matter

February 13, 2009 / Captain Capm

I admit that when I first saw the cover art for this disc I was prepared for some sort of bad hippie holdover bullshit from the past. But upon hearing the music, it’s obvious that Little Man has his head squarely in classic glam, pop, bubblegum, and just plain old great rock and roll. “Tarots and Arrows” sounds like a lost “Nuggets” classic, while “Everyone on the Floor” hits on a super Beatles/Raspberries groove. “Talisman” finds Little Man putting on his best T. Rex hat and is actually better than most of the classic tracks from Electric Warrior. On “Get it to Ground,” we finally have a true successor to early ‘70s Bowie that sounds impeccable – both a tribute, but also its own wonderful entity. “Not Quite So High” is good solid rock an “Together on the Long Way Around” hits upon the greatness of Spacehog. That Little Man can do all of these things while making it sound his own is nothing short of spectacular. This is one of those albums you’ll love upon first listen and keep listening to over and over. Absolutely essential. (self-released)

Little Man MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Power Pop, Rock

Beatles David Bowie Glam Little Man Little Man CD review Of Mind and Matter Of Mind and Matter CD review Raspberries T. Rex

Dylan Connor: Breakaway Republic

January 30, 2009 / Jeff Giles

A Latin teacher turned indie pop road dog, Dylan Connor sounds like a vocal cross between David Mead and Guster’s Ryan Miller, and fans of both acts should find something to love in Connor’s latest release, Breakaway Republic. Eleven tracks of tightly written pop-rock with a classic feel and a dash of postmodern humor, Republic isn’t going to win any awards for flashiness, but it’s still probably one of the sturdier collections you’re liable to hear from an unsigned singer/songwriter this year, and it’s to Connor’s extreme credit that he manages to avoid focusing on the tried-and-true boy/girl dynamic for at least part of the album, spreading his focus to less-trod subject matter like bomb shelters (“Blood Like Fire”) and mortality (“Had a Little Dream”). It’s to Republic’s extreme credit, too, because when Connor does focus on relationships, the results can be a little weak. Case in point: “I Want Everybody to Know,” which tells the story of the night Connor set aside front-row passes at one of his gigs for a girl, only to watch her making out with another guy, and makes all three of them seem pretty shallow and annoying. Still, on balance, Republic is an easy listen, and even at his worst, Connor displays a tighter grasp of songcraft than your average guitarslinger. A worthy diversion for fans of the genre. (self-released 2008)

Dylan Connor MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Power Pop

Breakaway Republic CD review David Mead Dylan Connor Dylan Connor CD review Guster Ryan Miller

Your favorite band sucks: bands and artists the Bullz-Eye music writers just “don’t get”

January 20, 2009 / David Medsker

Every music lover has been there – in front of the television or a set of speakers, listening for the first time to the work of a critically revered artist whose songs are supposed to change the way you look at the world…only to come away wondering what all the hype was about. For the iconoclastic among us, these moments are opportunities to prove what independent thinkers we are; for everyone else – a group that often appears to include virtually every name-brand music critic on the planet – they’re opportunities to turn off your ears, nod your head, and smile. What kind of self-respecting music writer doesn’t love the music of Bruce Springsteen? U2? Elvis Costello? A total hack, right?

Maybe. Or maybe we tend to forget that one of the most wonderful things about art is the utterly objective way we respond to it. One establishment’s treasure can be one lonely listener’s source of constant befuddlement, consternation or outright rage – and with that in mind, your Bullz-Eye Music staff put its heads together and drew up a list of all the bands and artists we’re supposed to love…but don’t. Each of the writers who contributed to this piece is speaking solely for himself, and you’re sure to disagree with some of the names mentioned here – and, of course, that’s sort of the point. But enough of our introductory babble – let’s break down some critical idols!

The Doors
“…don’t even think about describing their sound as “timeless”; you’ll be hard pressed to find music as trapped in time as these peyote-fueled dirges, and no one summed up the life and legacy of Jim Morrison – whose death was as brilliant a career move as you’ll ever see – better than Denis Leary: ‘I’m drunk, I’m nobody. I’m drunk, I’m famous. I’m drunk, I’m fucking dead.'”

Bruce Springsteen
“Perhaps Jello Biafra put it best when he referred to Bruce Springsteen as ‘Bob Dylan for jocks.’ But I can sum up what I dislike about the majority of the Boss in one word: Glockenspiel.”

Pink Floyd
“If you’re 14 and discovering pot, Pink Floyd’s a must. Hell, Dark Side of the Moon is practically a gateway drug in and of itself. If you’re out of high school and still into ’em, you’ve got a problem.”

Conor Oberst
“…his songs are duller than a steak knife in a prison cafeteria. I’ve tried repeatedly to ‘get’ Oberst’s work, but each time, I come away further convinced that his music is an elaborate prank hatched by the editors of Pitchfork.”

To read the rest of the bands Bullz-Eye doesn’t get, click here.

Alternative, Americana, Artists, Dance, Folk, Lists, Pop, Power Pop, Punk, Rock, Songs

artists and bands the Bullz-Eye music writers don't get Beastie Boys Beck Bruce Springsteen Bullz-Eye Coldplay Conor Oberst Elvis Costello Frank Zappa Lou Reed Nine Inch Nails Oasis Pearl Jam Perry Farrell Pink Floyd Radiohead Talking Heads The Doors The Hold Steady Tom Waits U2 Your favorite band sucks

Cash Cash: Take It to the Floor

January 16, 2009 / Jeff Giles

For most music fans, a band name like Cash Cash probably provokes mental images of DJs, bling-flashing MCs, and bangin’ beats – and even though this New Jersey quartet delivers on that last front, and got its first big break from the DJs who turned “Party in Your Bedroom” into a dance hit, they’re actually a pack of power pop-dealing honkies whose sound has more to do with the Click Five than Lil Wayne. Obviously, wrapping rock guitars in a hard candy shell is nothing new; bands from Cheap Trick to New Jersey’s own Fountains of Wayne have tried to make a commercial go of it for decades, with spotty results (to say the least). But to their credit, Cash Cash manage to avoid a lot of the pitfalls that recent like-minded acts such as Swirl 360 and the aforementioned Click Five have stumbled into; their songs are pretty uniformly solid, for one thing, and although they rely heavily on programmed beats and trendy, analog-sounding synths, their sound isn’t quite as brightly colored as it could be – which is a very good thing, because it staves off ear fatigue long enough for the album to draw you in. The whole thing is decidedly lightweight, but it’s a lot of fun, and it bridges the gap between power pop, dance, and New Wave more successfully than, say, the Killers. During the dead of winter, relentlessly sunny tracks like “Your Love” should provide reason enough for plenty of repeat listens. (Universal Republic 2009)

Cash Cash MySpace page