Power Pop News 'n Tunes
FALL 2022
your (now)monthly fast-track summary to
what's happening now in pop
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Welcome to Issue #19!
(because of the length of this issue, if you are reading this in your desktop email browser, it will cut off half way through.
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Hey, Hey, Hey Friend!
There's a lot of information that I've gathered up for you from the past three months - so this is a big one! Remember, if you have troubles scrolling through it all - just click on the link right below this message and you'll be able to see it all.
A Heads Up: I'm doing another print run of John Borack's "Shake Some Action 2.0: An Updated Guide To The 200 Greatest Power Pop Albums - 1970-2017", which I do every year(or so) and now is that time. If you've missed out on the absolute best book on the subject of...power pop. Period. Look for that opportunity on Monday(along with a few other things).
Let's get to it. There's a lot of new releases and some really interesting articles in this issue. There's something for everyone - and a lot of music to click on and listen to, as always. ENJOY.
Rawk, no Roll,
BRUCE
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REMEMBER: If viewing on your phone or browser you can CLICK HERE to view ALL of this newsletter in a new tab
When the browser stops displaying, it usually says,
("message clipped, view entire message") - then has has a hot link
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KEN SHARP - I'll Remember The Laughter
50 SONGS! "Exceedingly inventive, majestic and melodic, offering the impression that this is indeed an album for the ages. And in that regard, given both its quality and quantity, (this album) is hardly a laughing matter." Lee Zimmerman, Goldmine
Read more
kensharp.bandcamp.com
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Songs About Girls, by The Wilmas
"Not only an invigorating listen, but will appeal to all aging jangle-pop fans..it acts a synopsis of many of the predominant jangle-pop sounds of the late 80s-era...(and) naunces of the anglo & US jangle-pop"-JanglePopHub
Read more
thewilmas.bandcamp.com
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SCOTT WARREN - Shadow Bands
Latest solo from ex-SIGNAL HILL TRANSMISSION leader. “Overall, a terrific album that gets better with each listen. It makes my top ten list for 2021. Highly Recommended. 9/10."
- Powerpopaholic
Read more
scottwarren.bandcamp.com
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Jim Basnight with The Moberlys - Early Years
Latest digital release from Power Popaholic Productions. A rare collection of songs from early in Jim Basnight's musical career. Click on each song link to learn a little history about the song.
Read more
powerpopaholicproductions.b...
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FROM JEM RECORDS...
THE CYNZ
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The Cynz are steeped in classic NYC influences like The Ramones, Dead Boys, Alice Cooper and Patti Smith. Anytime, anywhere, their energy and
‘tudes rev up the crowd.
Lead singer Cyndi Dawson is a visual on-stage tsunami, who leads the band through
shamanic rock & roll rites of passage. Her raw, emotional stage presence along with the band’s edgy, powerful vibe is truly an experience. Their songs are hard-rocking tales of heartbreak,
survival, determination, redemption, joy and sometimes unbridled joy at break-neck speed!
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An Interview with Ken Stringfellow, Formerly of The Posies
Power-pop auteur, Ken Stringfellow’s impact on indie music over the last 30 years is evocatively everlasting. Though initially born in Hollywood, California, Ken Stringfellow’s musical roots can be traced back to a bustling Seattle scene.
Read more
vwmusicrocks.com
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Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners (one of '22's very best)
The spirit of the music that we all collectively love, from childhood to the present day. Little Feat, Allman Brothers, Wilco, The Band, Creedence, Jason & the Scorchers, Georgia Satellites, Status Quo..rootscountry to rock n roll & Americana.
Read more
gingerwildheartwcr.bandcamp...
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Sloan Celebrate Thirty Years with Smart Power Pop Songs...
Okay, it's always been evident - after 13 albums, I can barely remember a release from SLOAN that I can recall as being merely ''meh', even okay. This new one stands tall alongside the whole catalog.
Read more
glidemagazine.com
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JANGLEPOPHUB
Just came across this one - looks like up the alley of many us as it's "Dedicated to all jangly indie/guitar/jangle-pop". Lots of heads up, happening and released 'right now' news and releases! Have fun!
Read more
janglepophub.home.blog
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THE WELL WISHERS - Blue Sky Sun
18 years & 12 albums in, Jeff Shelton remains a mainstay for well-crafted, hook-laden power pop. “The focus, freedom and sheer thrill of the ride while absorbing the beauty of the natural environment really informed a lot of this record.”- Shelton
Read more
thewellwishers.bandcamp.com
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FROM JEM RECORDS: The Airport 77s
11 perfect, late 70s style power pop new wavey gems. "Perfectly retro late ‘70s style
power pop songs... Killer party record all the way through.” NYMusic Daily. Forays into atmospheric indie rock, hair metal, synth workouts, & breezy lounge pop.
Read more
theairport77s.bandcamp.com
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THE AMPLIFIER HEADS - Zombie Moon
Latest song from Sal Baglio, leader of the legendary The Stompers is a homage to...well, you can see. Get in there and get thumping with this slow burning rocker.
Read more
theamplifierheads.bandcamp.com
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The Inside Story of the Beatles' Long-Awaited 'Revolver' ...
While The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album has garnered reams of critical acclaim as a milestone in the group's recording career, the album that preceded it, Revolver, is the groundbreaking album that changed everything, marking a pivotal moment when...
Read more
rockcellarmagazine.com
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ANNOUNCING REVOLVER SPECIAL EDITIONS
Revolver: The Beatles' 1966 album that changed everything. Spinning popular music off its axis and ushering in a vibrant new era of experimental, avant-garde sonic psychedelia, Revolver brought about a cultural sea change and marked an important...
Read more
www.thebeatles.com
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Revolver Super Deluxe - A Critical Opinion
AGREE OR DISAGREE, Bob Lefsetz presents a interesting take on this latest in the reissue projects. "This is a cash grab. Just in time for Christmas... Let's start with the new stereo version...."
Read more
lefsetz.com
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This Is Rock 'N' Roll Radio Vol. 5 |
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Marc Jonson & Ramirez Exposure |
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The Bishop's Daredevil Stunt Club |
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NEW VIDEO FROM
GAVIN GUSS
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MICHAEL SIMMONS - Happy Traum EP
Hot on the heels of his recent collection of cover songs, Singing in my Heart, this EP does something unique in that it only features songs from the late 90’s Dutch powerpop band Darryl-Ann. “These songs immediately hit me when I heard them."
Read more
bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com
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Primary Wave Music Founder Larry Mestel on the Booming...
Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan selling their catalogs for $600 million, Genesis and Phil Collins for $300 million, Stevie Nicks for $100 million - over the past few years dozens of artists have sold the rights to their music catalogs for eight...
Read more
variety.com
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ROOFTOP SCREAMERS Featuring Tim Smith of Jellyfish |
THE FLASHCUBES w/ PALEY BROTHERS - Come Out And Play
2 bands getting together with their fellow pop legends to re-introduce a true classic of the form.“The 'cubes knocked 'Come Out and Play' outta the park. Wonderful to work with The Flashcubes! They have real class and a great sound!”
Read more
bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com
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John Waite - The Hard Way - Coming December 6th!
In lost and rare archival music videos, photos, and very personal and candid lock-down interviews, the film finds 80s rock icon John Waite reflecting back on his 5-decade career.
Read more
www.johnwaitefilm.com
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INSANELY RARE & COOL VIDEO COMMERCIAL FROM....THE BABYS!
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JESSE MALIN - Glitter in the Gutter
"Truly is a consistent, workable vision, full of memorable tunes and images and should serve to cement Malin’s reputation as a tunesmith with a true grasp of what shakes and moves real people through their real lives." PopMatters
Read more
jessemalinwcr.bandcamp.com
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Monsters + Angels, by The Nervous Eaters
DUE NOVEMBER 11th but preview 3 songs from one of Boston's 70s classic bands torpedoing into the 20's! That's a lot of years but there's no slips in these musical steps.
Read more
thenervouseaters.bandcamp.com
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CHRIS LUND - Indian Summer
ONE OF THE BEST RELEASES OF 2022!! The lead off track, "Every Thing Is Fine" sets the tone perfectly. It's all about having a nice car, loud rock and roll on the stereo, a great girl and a long hot Indian Summer! LISTEN TO THIS NOW!
Read more
chrislund.bandcamp.com
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Kurt Baker "Electric Fire" (Official Music Video)
Kurt Baker "Electric Fire" Directed and filmed by Thibault Bouznad-Villena Single out now on Wicked Cool Records! orcd.co/electricfire
Read more
www.youtube.com
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Lost In This Moment (ft. Jason Falkner) by Paul McCann
In the power pop traditions of the Beatles, Wings, Jellyfish, Brendan Benson and the Raconteurs, Lost in this Moment charges a melodic pop tune for 4 minutes with no messing around. “Power pop at its finest. Truly magnificent”- Bayview Sounds
Read more
soundcloud.com
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Big Star's '#1 Record' At 50
Modern power pop artists discuss the lasting influence of this mythic debut album. The ballad of Big Star is an epic tale filled with unbridled talent, artistic ambition, commercial failure, tragedy, obscurity, resurrection, and, ultimately,...
Read more
bigtakeover.com
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COOL ARTICLES FROM
POP GEEK HEAVEN:
REVIEWS FROM
MIKE BARON
Peruse, read and enjoy the last 6+ months of columns
(click on image to read)
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COOL ARTICLES FROM
JANGLE POP:
REVIEWS FROM
ERIC SORENSEN
Peruse, read and enjoy the last 6+ months of columns
(click on image to read)
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LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS
“For anyone out there who may still, for some unfathomable reason, question the power and the glory of the three-minute four-chord p-o-p song done right, “Black Velvet Dress” will in no way fail to raise you off your settee and shove things direct towards the nearest Volume UP knob,” opines Gary Pig Gold of The Rock and Roll Report. “Nostalgic? No. The word would be timeless.”
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POPULAR CREEPS
“If The 'Mats, Buffalo Tom and Television got into a bar fight, it might sound like us... maybe?” Generationally sandwiched between two iconic Detroit rock scenes -- the Grandpa Grunge era of The Stooges and The MC5, and the Gold Dollar garage revival -- Popular Creeps flex their Michigan muscle in a more melodic direction... maybe Heartland Punk? Or Northern Jangle?
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CROSSWORLD SMILES
The record, and the band, finds a pair of power pop veterans exploring new sonic textures and lyrical landscapes and applying them to the kind of perfect pop-rock song structures and melodies at which they excel. It's a winning combination of inspiration and songcraft that makes PRESSED & IRONED one of the most refreshing records of 2022.
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JOY BUZZER by Jed Becker
Just got this in my inbox before sending this out. Debut song from a new NYC band - a power pop confection chock full of big harmonies, big guitars and a huge chorus with a classic late 70s NYC edge
Read more
soundcloud.com
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Michael Des Barres & Prima Donna - Ain't Nothing You Can Do
We take it slow and we make it last There ain't no future and they're ain't no past We gotta clarify this cynical world We just make love me and my girl We fell in love the day we met That's a night I will never forget.
Read more
michaeldesbarreswcr.bandcam...
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GLADHANDS frontman returns - NEW from DB EDMUNDS
A founding member of late 90s guitar pop cult favorites, Gladhands, and lead singer/songwriter/guitarist for Chapel Hill- based The Stars Explode (2007-2017), DB Edmunds begins a new chapter in his musical journey, this time as a solo artist.
Read more
dbedmunds.bandcamp.com
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Interview with Eytan Mirsky - Neighborhood Weekly Radio
Interview indie power poppin' and always writing and creating pioneer for over 20 years, EYTAN MIRSKY. Warning; Baseball talk (briefly) discussed. That's a positive but I've been chastised by Yankees fans that there is talk about the Mets.
Read more
neighborhoodweeklyradio.com
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Why the YouTube vinyl community is music collecting's...
By TONE Scott. Somewhere around a decade and a half ago, a small group of passionate and avid music collectors from various parts of the world began speaking about, sharing, and documenting their enthusiasm for maintaining and curating their...
Read more
www.goldminemag.com
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Strawberry Sherry, by Danny Wilkerson
Produced by legendary studio maestro BLEU. This delightful slice of bright, slightly trippy updated chamber pop is the first hint of big things to come from Danny.
Read more
bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com
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A STORY, with a happy, 'cool music' ending, if yr up for it: A good mountain or two of really good music got lost and I just missed during the Not Lame Years. Many hundreds. So below this box, here is a project never heard which I'm able to share with you. The Back Story: In the mid-00s, there was a band in the printed catalogs and in the online store called MILLICENT FRIENDLY, a really, really good power pop band from that decade, which as I recall, we sold many dozens of copies of - rightfully so. The album was called, Downtime(see below).
Back in 2005, the leader of MF Chris Machart telling me about a project he did some years before, 'way back in the 90s' called "Outer Space Love Project" and he sent me a CD-R of it. I was always so insanely(and blissfully) overwhelmed with the amount of music sent to me, in need of evaluation for the label and the web site, I listened to OSLP with partitioned attention, I attached a mental note in the manner of, "Hmm, sounds really, really interesting but it's nothing I can do anything with *now*".... and then put in a pile to listen to when time would eventually avail. (Yeah, call me a dreamer...)
You know what happened. Lost. Forgotten. Until 2021, when long time Not Lame/Pop Geek Heaven friend, Jay Dravenstadt, mentioned the project to me and asked if I knew about it. "Doesn't sound familiar off hand, Outer Space Love Project...whaaat? Terrible name, sounds vaguely familiar, though." Well, Jay is a passionate, intrepid music soul. Once he bites down to find something he's heard a sniff or rumor about...well, it's a matter of time, there will be a positive outcome.
Long story not so short, let's just get to the music as Chris and Jay hooked up and Chris and I re-hooked up...and below you'll find links to bring this dosing of 90s indie power pop into your world, if you so choose. It's not earth shattering but it IS very much a sound fans 90s power pop will immediate recognize and this project has really not been heard but by, well, pretty much no one. Until now. For you to listen and hopefully enjoy.
Sure, as I said above, it's not a lost classic, MUST-HAVE release but it sure is a lot of fun, especially if you were around the genre and the Not Lame World in the 90s and early 00s.
Also, below, a link to Millicent Friendly's Facebook page(the band this project evolved into 10 yrs later), where you can pick up a VINYL copy of their 2005 release, it's gorgeous. I have a copy and the music is excellent still. Reach out Chris, say hello.
So THANK YOU to Jay Dravenstadt and, of course, the talents of Chris Machart and his fellow musicians. ENJOY.
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HERE ARE THE LINKS:
"Downtime" on YouTube(scroll down) -
Purchase "Downtime" on vinyl, reach out on Facebook - CLICK HERE
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GORDON MICHAELS
Here's what I wrote on the YouTube site:
"Still, after all these so many years, one of the most beautiful, deeply touching songs I heard in the 70s...and it still hits the heart the same way in 2022. Epic in its ability to combine the emotions of mournful and celebration."
But also find a copy of his late 70's release STARGAZER on Discogs - thank me, after you listen.
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This Band Has No Past: How Cheap Trick Became Cheap Trick
TOTALLY DIFFRENT TAKE ON CHEAP TRICK - focused purely on the early years, up until 1976! I've not read it YET...but very much will be picking this up once I knock off a few of the 8 or so book I'm reading presently in my ADD-addled brain activity.
Read more
www.amazon.com
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THE SILOS - 35th Anniversary Special Edition - (2LP)
Named Best New Artist Rolling Stone magazine critics' poll in 1987 after the release of Cuba. Album has since been considered a stone-cold classic, hugely influential in the so-called Americana or alternative country scene that followed in its wake.
Read more
hankypankyrecords.bigcartel...
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The Rallies 2022-23 Release - Sneak Preview
A pre-release preview of four songs on our upcoming 2022-23 album, singles coming out soon!
Read more
www.youtube.com
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Vanishing Point, by The Bishop's Daredevil Stunt Club
A Rocktober special, a tribute to the B-movie horror genre as suggested by each track title, the plaintive vocal approach and contemporary guitar/synth drive contributes urgency that will make this EP a must for those Halloween party playlists.
Read more
thebishop.bandcamp.com
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PAUL WILLIAMS - So Many People: The Reprise Mono Singles ...
Coveted by many record collectors as one of the essential albums of the “sunshine pop” genre.
There are very few albums that seem to define the genre in which they are created, yet simultaneously defy classification.
Read more
hankypankyrecords.bigcartel...
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September Boys: Uni Boys Deliver Classic Power Pop
(Uni Boys: Arthur Fitch, Noah Nash, Reza Matin, Michael Cipolletti) The road to creating a classic power pop album isn't always a straight line. For SoCal quartet Uni Boys, the journey began in their mid-teens when Noah Nash and Reza Matin...
Read more
bigtakeover.com
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FROM THE ALLMUSIC.COM BLOG:
"What are the greatest rock albums of all-time?" Perhaps one of the more common questions examined between music-loving chums, that has led to many a good-natured debate. But if you really dig deeper into the question…is it from the standpoint of the album's importance in rock history? A classic release that proved significant to an artist's career? Or perhaps merely a personal favorite, that you just can't get enough of?
The set-up is simple – set in chronological order vis-à-vis release date, each entry contains a brief artist history, where the album fits in their history, an analysis of the material, and in most cases, quotes from either the artist or someone associated with the recording, and/or a renowned admirer (as well as chart placements and certifications, where applicable).
Below is the entry for Devo's new wave classic, Freedom of Choice, included in Vol. I.
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FORGOTTEN MASTERPIECES BY MIKE BARON
Power pop is a big tent, encompassing the adrenaline rush of Cheap Trick and the Raspberries, the chamber music of the Left Banke, exquisite har...
Read more
mikebaron.substack.com
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MOVIE MOVIE - NOW PLAYING
ranges from jangly power pop ("Bright Lights"), 80s alternative and classic rock ("No Long Goodbyes," , glam pop and driving rock 'n' roll, unified by strong melodies and hooks, engaging vocals and big harmonies, and solid musicianship.
Read more
moviemovieband.bandcamp.com
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Big Stir Records - Richard Öhrn
Tapping into the folk-rock and pop sounds of The Zombies, The Searchers, and Simon & Garfunkel – and at times fellow Swedish artists ranging from Tages to ABBA to The Cardigans – Richard delivers a record that's truly timeless.
Read more
www.bigstirrecords.com
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THRIFT STORE HERO - 1996 - The First EP
4 songs originally released in 1996 on cassette only. Thus, began the band Thrift Store Hero and the songwriting of its leader, Frank Gradishar, captured for the first time digitally and pretty much heard since anyone used cassettes! ENJOY!
Read more
thriftstorehalo.bandcamp.com
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Beach Boys Unearth Rare Dennis Wilson Song "Carry Me...
Three albums from the vast catalog of The Beach Boys will be the focus of a new box set due out Nov. 18 via Capitol Records/UMe.
Read more
rockcellarmagazine.com
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The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness - The Third Wave Of
"Marries the sounds of jangle pioneers like the Byrds with '90s successors such as Teenage Fanclub and Velvet Crush" - Allmusic "You’d be hard pressed to find a jangly niche in contemporary music that sounds quite as distinctive as this" - AquariumD
Read more
theboyswiththeperpetualnerv...
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15 reasons why
I STILL BUY CDs
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Lions & Ghosts Returns with Power Pop..
The year was 1987. A wide variety of established artists were dominating the Billboard charts, from established solo male artists including Michael
Read more
glidemagazine.com
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