Splitsville’s First Spin-off

Brandt Huseman, of Splitsville and The Greenberry Woods fame, has put out a new album with a few friends. The new band name is called The Pale Stars, and they have a slightly more folky sound than Splitsville. Certainly worth a purchase! Support the boys from Splitsville and maybe we'll see them back in California before we die.

Check it out on Not Lame!

Operation Mindcrime 2?

Just read that Queensryche is reeasing a sequel concept album to Operation Mindcrime early next year. The story from the original album is revisited but now it's 20 years later and Nikki is getting out of prison and looking for answers. Can't say that I'm thrilled with the idea of trying to capitalize off of an album I really enjoy but I'm going to give it a chance. Here's an excerpt from the article.

QUEENSRŸCHE returned to the studio this summer to record the long-anticipated sequel to 1988's acclaimed concept album "Operation: Mindcrime". Praised by critics and certified platinum, the original remained on Billboard's album chart for more than a year and its dynamic music and powerful message still resonate today. Rhino Records helps unravel the mysteries of the original with "Operation: Mindcrime II". The album is available March 14 at regular physical and digital retail outlets and at www.rhino.com for a suggested retail price of $18.98.

Click here to read the whole article

Rick Gives Gift

Just went by the Yes website and got a beleted birthday present. Turns out that on my birthday, September 10th, Rick made an official announcment to stop some rumors.

He said, "I am NOT leaving Yes."

Falkner at the Troubadour

Two of us Frequalites (Gordon and me) went to see Jason Falkner on Saturday night at the Troubadour in West Hollywood last Saturday night (Nov. 26th). He played a GREAT show to a full house and debuted (they were new to us anyway) a bunch of new tunes. The only things he played from his LPs were Honey, Holiday, My Lucky Day, Miss Understanding, and Goodnight Sweet Night. He played The Neighbor and They Put Her in the Movies off of his EP Bliss Descending. So that leaves a bunch of songs we'd never heard before. Most of which sounded amazing. New York, Time, and Stephanie Says (not sure o the title of that one) stood out. He played for about an hours and half and did one encore. Closed the show with Miss Understanding. Great stuff!

News of the next album is up in the air still. The way he was talking it sounds like it's done, but he didn't have a label for it. But he said he'd do everyhing he can to get it out next year. From what we heard, I'm buyin.

jasonfalkner.net is a great resource for Jason related news.

Yet Another Power Pop Band

Not like that's a bad thing, mind you. We all know it's not. But Rodney Bingenheimer spun a track the other day from a Bay Area band called The Well Wishers, and it sounded like a lost track off of The Posies "Dear 23" album. Not surprisingly, the group's lone album, "Twenty-Four Seven," has deep influences in such power-pop icons Jellyfish and Matthew Sweet as well as the aforementioned Posies. According to AMG, the band a spinoff of International Pop Overthrow veteran the Spinning Jennies, so some of us have probably seen some of the band in action. Check 'em out!

Possible Genesis Reunion? Update.

It looks like Phil Collins has come to his senses, and has realized what real Genesis fans would want to see. Check this out.

It seems to me that with those comments, Peter Gabriel is the lynchpin to whether or not a Genesis reunion takes place. Come on, Peter. Do it. You wouldn't even have to dress up in the fox head.

The Longest Album Title Ever

Coheed & Cambria caught my ear with the singles on their last album: "Blood Red Summer" and "A Favor House Atlantic." If you haven't heard those songs, go find'em, they're good. But I never did hear the whole album that those came from. Then tonight I picked up their new album "Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV Vol. 1: From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness" which has to be this progressive rock thing you guys keep yammering about. I gave the whole album a listen and I liked it. I don't think I liked the it nearly as much as I liked those two singles from the prior album, but it was a good enough listen for me to tap my toe and nod my head. Tracks 12-15 were especially good, and reminded me of a good album concept jam.

Take a listen at rollingstone.com/coheedandcambria

On a related note: please, don't compare these guys to Rush, or the lead singer to Geddy Lee. Not that it's an insult to either band, but it's just a pet peeve of mine that any male lead vocalist with a high-pitched voice gets the "he sounds just like that guy from Rush" treatment. If anything, this guy from C&C sounds like the dude from Wheatus.

James Blunt “Back to Bedlam”

I discovered James Blunt last week on iTunes...he was the "download of the week" (still is, since Apple didn't update the site yet this week).

He's an English singer/songwriter in the vain of a Gavin DeGraw or a Jason Mraz, with an ethereal feel reminiscent of The Verve (who, I would guess, are influences of Coldplay). He also mixes in good use of vintage instruments (Hammond organ and Rhodes electric piano) and a few songs have a classic rock tinge. I can hear Beatles, Doors, CCR...and that's just in one song. I also hear a little Elton John (who I understand he's toured with). He's a multi instrumentalist, handling guitar and keys on several tracks, in addition to vocals.

If you're looking for something to listen to while you're relaxing, taking a casual walk or...either experiencing problems with your significant other or stoned...this is the perfect album for you. So check out his site...check out his music...you'll be glad you did.

(Ed. note; I just saw on his website that he's touring with Jason Mraz, so my earlier JM reference holds true.)

DO THEY KNOW IT’S HALLOWE’EN

Tons of power pop stars and other well known names have come together to do a pretty cool satire song about Halloween in an effort to raise money for UNICEF. The song features the likes of Sloan, Beck, Sum 41, Sonic Youth, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Postal Service, and many more including funny guy David Cross.

The whole thing is produced by Steven McDonald of Redd Kross (kind of a Redd Kross theme lately on my part. Seeing them live finally would be nice.) It's kinda fun to try to identify the people in the song. Certainly worth the listen. Check it out! It'll be in stores on October 11th on CD single and 12" vinyl!

Genesis Reunion Rumors

Rumor has it that there are rumblings going on beneath the surface that may result in a Genesis reunion of some kind. From a Sept. 30 article in the Ottawa Citizen (sorry, registration req'd) about Steve Hackett:

Genesis's management has approached Hackett, knowing that fans would salivate over the idea, especially if original singer Peter Gabriel was involved. But would Hackett be open to it, nearly 30 years after leaving the band because he was uncomfortable with the artistic compromises required for commercial success?

"Yes, I'd be a party to that particular bank raid, of course," he says with a laugh.

Redd Kross Booty!

I think we already mentioned the Redd Kross podcast (which has a great live show from Vancouver, BC on their last episode that's from right after the Show World album was released), but what I hadn't seen before is a couple of songs that Redd Kross did with the near-famous and aforementioned Roger Joseph Manning Jr. They're up on that weed service, right here.

The New Pornographers

Found another Canadian pop band worth checking out (brings the total up to three, I think). Anyway, I read about these guys a while back in Rolling Stone, and meant to check them out, but I could never remember to. Enter Steve Jones on Indie 103.1. "The Sire of Wilshire" spun a song by them on his show the other day (it's so great to be able to say that a DJ turned me onto this-just like radio used to be!), and it was catchy as a cold in December. Their sound is inspired by equal parts Beatles, T Rex, David Bowie, and Todd Rundgren. At the same time, it is forged with the same sensibilities that make the power pop bands of the last 15 years so wonderful (in their case, bits reminiscient of The Posies and fellow Canadians Sloan going on here). Dig 'em today!

The Jessica Fletchers

Rich should edit this post (or leave a comment) with the story of how he discovered "The Jessica Fletchers". I'll just tell you that you should get their album "Less Sophistication". While Rich was telling me about them on the phone, we listened to some of the 30-second song samples on dat der dang ol' innernet. It grabbed me and I quickly jumped over to Amazon where I saw that a seller was selling a new, sealed copy for $7.99. So I ordered it while we were still on the phone. Got it yesterday and I've spun the whole thing three times. It's greatly influenced by late-'60s or early-'70s pop. Just go listen to the samples and then get it.

Jason Falkner

I just found out that Jason Falkner is going to be playing August 27th at the Sunset Junction Street Fair. Tickets are just $10 and it looks like he will be playing a 45-50 minute set.

I'm not going to be able to make it and I'm bummed because he's almost finished recording his latest album and will probably be showing off tracks from it.

Here's a link to the lineup for both days of the festival: http://www.sunsetjunction.org/schedule1.htm

Hit It!

Podcasting seems to be the thing lately, and a new one that has just surfaced is called "Hit It!" hosted by Jeff McDonald. Basically it's a sampling of Red Kross tunes (they play the whole songs) hosted by one of their own. Great stuff if you've never gotten into them, and even if you have, it's very cool to hear the inside scoop on the songs and band members between tunes. Check it out on iTunes, or ODEO, or elsewhere.

Tiny Volcano

Thanks to Dan, I've been enjoying that Coverville show quite a bit. I've downloaded every episode (!) and have been making my way through them. During a show back in November, Brian (host of Coverville) played a song called "Father Nature" by Tiny Volcano. It was a great song, so I followed up on the band checking into various links to hear more song samples. Very much a Jellyfish influence and very cool stuff. If you like any of the Jellyfish and post-Jellyfish "Not Lame" pop, be sure to check out Tiny Volcano.

Steve Howe’s Latest

As some of you know, I've been calling Yes guitarist Steve Howe the most underrated guitarist in rock. The man has some serious chops, and he's as comfortable jamming on an extended rock solo as he is caressing a flamenco styled tune from an acoustic. Well, he has a new album out, called "Spectrum," It's not his best work-the best way I can describe the overall feel of this atmospheric album with slightly jazzy overtones is "pleasant"-but there is still enough of Howe's brilliance peppered throughout to hold your attention. What's most interesting about this album is the backup band. In addition to the legendary bassist Tony Levin of King Crimson (as well as a guy who has played with hundreds of other acts-check out the "worked with" section on his AMG All Music Guide entry if you have a couple of hours to set aside), he not only has his sons, Dylan and Virgil, playing with him, but he has Oliver Wakeman, son of keyboard god Rick Wakeman, playing-what else-keyboards on this thing.

It caused me to do a little search on the Wakeman the younger, and apparently him and Steve Howe put an album out together in 2003. I'm gonna have to check it out...

Coverville

I just found this great podcast site today called Coverville which is just what the title implies...Covers.

I've already listened to 4 of them here at work and they are great fun. The very first show Brian (the shows creator) did in Sept 2004 started with "Hold your head Up/Hello" by you know who. This guy is a big power pop fan and you can tell by the covers he unearths.

Give a listen while idling the day away, it's fun I tell ya.

Abandoned Pools

Though I have had it for a few years now, I was just really giving Abandoned Pools "Humanistic" a good listen yesterday. Now I remember why I got! What a fantastic album. Abandoned Pools is simple Tommy Walter formerly of the Eels. You can check out his latest EP at Abandoned Pools. A full LP to come this fall.

Redwalls

So Heather turned me onto this band named Redwalls a little while ago, and they are pretty good. Their first album, 2003's "Universal Blues" sounds like it would have been at home coming out in the '60s, with its Beatlesque music fused with rootsy blues and Dylanesque folksiness. (Before you Dylan haters scoff, remember some of John Lennon's best stuff was inspired by Dylan's style). Their latest album, this year's "De Nova," has a more sophisticated sound to it, with the addition of such elements as horns and synth, but they do not lose any of their pop sensibilities-critics like to compare these guys to Oasis, but they're probably much more tolerable than the Gallagher brothers. It's at least worth a listen or two.

Anyone See Pink Floyd?

Last night on Channel 7 (ABC) was the Live 8 concert/Africa awareness show. Pink Floyd took the stage with Roger Waters on bass...first time in some 20+ years. Right next to RW was David Gilmour. They didn't seem to look at each other during their set, but they wern't throwing things at each other, so I guess it was a success.

I actually didn't know the concert would be on last night, but by chance my wife turned it on right in the middle of the PF set. Thank you, Ericka. They sounded quite good in my opinion. I would have liked to hear their introduction, and if any words were exchanged on stage. So, did anyone else see it? What did I miss, and what are your thoughts on the performace (and are you pissed that ABC cut off the end of "Money")?

IPO Update

The lineup for the Los Angeles edition of the International Pop Overthrow has been announced. Unfortunately, there is no big name act this year that stood out like Owsley did last year. The biggest name was Orange County's own Scarlet Crush, who had a song put in decent rotation on the old 95.9 FM a few years ago before the station went Spanish. But I know a few of us have already seen them (they opened for Sloan at the Coach House four years ago), and they play on a Wednesday night. So I'll pass. The "controversial" Maple Mars plays on the first Friday of the fesitval (so you know where Dan's going to be), and that's about it. (There is a group called Giant that plays the final Friday, but I'm thinking it's a safe bet to say it's not the same Giant that we all know from the 80's and 90's). I'm not even sure what band Robbie Rist is going to be in this year. Of course, I'll still keep my eyes open for any last minute additions, but it doesn't look too good, with the gigs starting a month ago.

However, Manowar clones Hammerfall is playing in L.A. on August 30th. Who wants to go? :)

Disciple Rocks

Alright folks, it's time to put away the candy shop pop and start bangin' your head...Disciple's back!

I discovered these guys from Tennessee in 1998 when they played at a small hard-core music festival. A year later they released a full length album on their own, "This Might Sting a Little." It's still one of my favorite albums of all time. From start to finish they serve up fast, loud, in-your-face, I-don't-care-if-you-don't-like-it metal, all the while pounding into your head that Christ died for you. Very effective. Then they fell of my radar. I went to every known website for them...nothing. I've searched Google a thousand times...nothing. Then just two days ago a friend gave me an early birthday present: The new Disciple album!


Turns out the guys have been making music all along...they just never told me about it...the downside of being an indy band. Well this time around they got major label backing from S/R/E Records. Disciple still brings the heavy riffs, otherworldly screams courtesy of singer Kevin Young and intelligent writing that gives you something to think about. This time around they show a more radio-friendly, pop side (Effects of a major label? No doubt), but rest assured there's more than enough material to make your neck hurt. If you listen to the short clips that most online retailers give you, it's of the "friendly" parts (another label decision?), but stick around to the end and you'll be rewarded with a snippet of metallic blis.

They give you the energy of the old Metallica, with some of the new sound Metallica, but with one key ingredient missing in that bands latest release...guitar solo's! Brad Noah certainly knows how to get the job done, delivering a guitar smack down you won't believe. He's not Kirk Hammett in the solo department, but he can hang with Hetfield down low. My advice, buy this album...if you don't like it, I'll buy it back from you. With all the power pop fans on this site, you might like it just the way it is. If it's too smily for you (Dave) get "This Might Sting A Little", and you just might find yourself yelling about Jesus too!

FYI, the new album was produced by Travis Wyrick, who's taken care of business for Christian groups like P.O.D, Pillar, and Toby Mac.

RJMJR website

Check it out...http://rogerjosephmanningjr.com

I guess he also has a solo album he put together from over 20 years worth of stuff called Solid State Warrior. Go up to the right hand corner to access it. It's .wma files that allow you to listen to it 3 times before you have to buy the track.

Oh yeah, there's a list of all the work he's done as well as a history of sorts.

OK...I've now poked around the website even more and have found a couple intriguing things. First thing is that Eric Dover has a band he calls Sextus. He uses that as his moniker a la Ziggy Stardust. Dunno if it's any good or not, you can find his crappy website at www.sextus.com

A couple of years ago I was hanging out with the drummer from Imperial Drag, Eric Skodis. I asked him what happened and he basically said the 2nd album was pretty much finished when Sony pulled the plug on them because Dover went off the deep end. They were put into band counseling and everyone went their separate ways. He said Roger had the demos for the second album but he didn't have any copies. Years later, it looks as if Roger is finally has released these demos (which I've heard a couple of, but not all) at http://www.arsdivina.com/ImperialDrag/

Be aware this is a new file download network called "Weed" and after three listens you will have to pay for it.

Pink Floyd to Reunite-ALL of Pink Floyd

Yep. You heard right. The sixth seal has been broken. It has been officially announced that Roger Waters is re-joining the band after 24 years of bitter divorce to play at the Live 8 charity concert for Africa on July 2, the benefit show organized by none other than Bob Geldof, who played Pink in the movie "Pink Floyd: The Wall."

This is huge. Never-thought-it-would-ever-happen-ever huge. Waters and David Gilmour have pretty much hatedeach other for over 2 decades. I'm very intrigued to watch, because there's three things that could happen here: 1.)It's going to be great. 2.)It's going to be horrible. 3.)Waters is going to get ticked off at some point during the show, make a scene, and storm off. As much as option 3 would be fun to see, I'm rooting for option 1.

New Detroit Group - The Raconteurs

What happens when you get Jack White (who after seeing live is a true geetar hero) and Brendan Benson (Mr. I've been overlooked for way too long, it's time to associate myself with Jack White instead of Jason Falkner since one is marrying a model and swimming in gold coin much like Scrooge McDuck does and the other is having people at his live shows scream out for him to play a song from a band he was associated with for only one album), together: The Raconteurs

This Week’s New Releases

Three notable releases for today are Dream Theater's "Octavarium", Coldplay's "X & Y" and The White Stripes' "Get Behind Me Satan".

"Octavarium" has taken me from "casual observer" to "Dream Theater fan"! So, being only loosely familiar with any of their other output, I might sound like I'm talking out of my butt to you other fans out there. But, to me, this album feels like the guys said, "Let's make an album where we just wear all our influences on our sleeves and pay homage to the greats!". You've got keyboard solos a la Yes's Rick Wakeman and a section near the 17-minute mark of a 24-minute song that brings to mind 'Apocalypse 9/8' from Genesis's "Supper's Ready". That song also directly references "Supper's Ready", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Cinema Show" and other classic songs in the lyrics. There's also a 4 minute "sound scape" intro that pays homage to Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" intro. And, dangit, if "Panic Attack" isn't the most kick-ass metal riff-orgasm I've heard in a long time. Highly recommended! I'd order you to get it if I were your dictator. Just one thing... while I think the whole album is great, the last four tracks strike me as stronger than the first four... so don't give up on this too soon without playing tracks 5 - 8.

I've never taken the time to check out Coldplay, although everything I hear about them seems to indicate that I'd like them. I've given the new "X & Y" album a cursory listen while doing other things (like eating dinner, surfing the web, etc.). It's gotten my attention as something I really want to dig into deeper. I think I'm going to enjoy it. Perhaps you Coldplay fans can leave some comments about how this new one fits into the Coldplay discography.

I'm sorry. I haven't jumped on The White Stripes bandwagon. Not yet anyway. A casual listen to their older stuff has not left me wanting much more. I prefer to hear an effort put into making music that sounds good, not just raw garage shenanigans. I can (and do) appreciate the good things about The White Stripes... the spontaneity, the energy, the songwriting, and all that. And just based on that I'd tell you I like them. But, I don't particularly care to listen to their music very often because of the way it sounds. That might sound strange, but that's just how it is with me. But... I'm listening to "Get Behind Me Satan" right now and... I like it! It sounds cleaner and more focused to me. Obviously, I need to give the previous albums another chance. I don't think fans will be let down at all. Rich, chime in and let me know what you think.

What’s Matthew Sweet been doing?

To be honest I haven't been thrilled with a Matthew Sweet album since the 90s. That is until a few weeks ago when Monique brought home a couple that I hadn't seen one day. The gem of the two was called "Kimi Ga Suki" and it was written in one week as a gift to Matthew's fans in Japan. He really returns to his jangly hooky pop songs with this one. Really great writing, and it's amazing he did it in a week. It's all in English, so it's not a Puffy type deal. But it does cater to the poppy tastes of the Japanese audience, but that suits me fine. Highlights include Dead Smile, The Ocean In-Between, I Don't Want to Know, and Wait. But that's just where you should start, as the whole disc is great.

For those of you that use iTunes, go sample Kimi Ga Suki now! If you like what you hear, I'd also recommend checking out the greatest hits CD.

Sebastian Bach

I know you have all been sitting around wondering what has become of good old Sebastian Bach. Well since attempting a foray into musical theater, Mr. Bach has lent his voice for the latest Frameshift album. The only reason I even found anything on Frameshift is that the first album they put out featured James LaBrie of Dream Theater fame. I have only taken a listen to a couple of samples from progrockrecord.com, but what little I have heard is interesting. You can hear for yourself what the former Skid Row font-man sounds like today here:Frameshift: The Absense of Empathy

Procupine Tree - Deadwing

After a few recommendations, I picked up 2002's In Absentia and was impressed. Now with the release of Porcupine Tree's Deadwing I would really call myself a fan. The album is a creative combination of Dream Theater guitar work, Coldplay style contemplative melody, and lyrical explorations worthy of either of the Anderson's, Ian or Jon. What impresses me the most is the smooth competence with which these various musical sources are folded into each other. Excellent craftsmanship is evident as songs move from the crunch of guitars to moments of tranquil reflection. This is an album and a band that is worth a listen. Pull out you headset sit back and take it all in, there is enough depth to keep you digging for days.

In Absentia (2002)

Super Furry Animals

If you haven't already (how many posts will I start with that phrase?), you gotta check out a band called Super Furry Animals. For many of you guys, I shared a collection of theirs ("Songbook, Vol. 1: The Singles") with you back in November, but I just recently got their first two albums ("Fuzzy Logic" and "Radiator"). Great stuff!



From their bio at allmusic.com:

Super Furry Animals were one of the first post-alternative bands, fusing together a number of disparate musical genres -- including power pop, punk rock, techno, and progressive rock -- creating a shimmering, melodic, irreverent, and willfully artsy rock & roll.

Also from the review of "Fuzzy Logic": "Each song floats by on irresistible, catchy vocal harmonies, while the music alternates between glitzy overdriven guitars and sighing, sweeping keyboard, guitar, and string backdrops." And from the review of "Radiator":

As before, the group displays a gift for catchy, deceptively complex melodic hooks, but now its songwriting and arrangements are mind-bogglingly intricate and eclectic. Songs boast intertwining melodies and countermelodies, with guitars and keyboards swirling around the vocals. Similarly, the production is dense and heavy with detail, borrowing heavily from prog rock and psychedelic pop, but pieced together with the invention of techno and played with the energy of punk.

From the review for "Songbook...":

It could be argued that Super Furry Animals were the great British band of the late '90s, boasting bright, zippy tunes that put Blur to shame while incorporating electronica more seamlessly than Radiohead, but since the Welsh quintet cheerfully traveled outside the mainstream ... they were always a cult band.

I couldn't have said it better myself, thus the quotes. Check these guys out!

Erasure

Erasure is still together and doing concerts! Who knew?!? I thought that they had broken up or one of them died or something (oops... just noticed that Bell has revealed he's been HIV positive since 1998... I don't mean to make light of this, I'm just saying what I had thought happened).

Anyway, if you like pure Pop and you're feeling nostalgic for the synth sound of the '80s, "Erasure Pop!: The First 20 Hits" is an excellent CD to get. Actually, forget the nostalgia, many of these cuts have aged surprisingly well. Great pop songs are timeless in a way, aren't they?

Nick Mason’s Memoirs

Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason has just put out a book chronicling his experiences in the band. Called "Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd," it explores a lot of stuff that is common knowledge of the band-Syd Barrett was loony, Roger Waters was egocentric-but it could be a good read because it's coming from as inside of a source as you can get. Besides, the reviews say that Mason comes across as a regular guy, not some puffed up, pretentious art-rocker who has more wealth than you. Which probably demonstrates that Waters didn't contribute anything to the book.

Sloan Greatest Hits Package & DVD

I'm not a big fan of greatest hits compilations. My long-standing theory about those kinds of albums is that if you like each song on that album, there's an excellent chance that you'd enjoy the songs in their proper context, plus you'd probably discover a song or two that you'd like even more.

That said, I gotta endorse this new greatest hits package by Canadian power-pop band Sloan, called "A Sides Win: Singles 1992-2005." Sure, there's a new track on it-no big deal in this day and age of downloadable music. However, the accompanying DVD is what draws me to this compilation. The DVD has a documentary of the history of the band, plus their music videos on it. So I'll probably be getting it.

For those of you who aren't all that familiar with Sloan, and yet enjoy the power pop, you should check into getting this album for yourself. These guys are moderately successful in their native country, but they just have not been able to scratch the mainstream surface stateside (although they just played at Coachella this year and toured with Jet last summer, so they are not as obscure as they used to be). To me, it's a big ol' mystery. For the last decade, these guys have been putting out some great Beatlesque pop infused with some good ol' butt kicking rock 'n roll (Plus they are tremendous fun live). There's no reason that they shouldn't have had at least one of their tunes trickle down to the radio. But that hasn't happened, and now you have an opportunity to listen to what the wizards at Clear Channel don't want you to hear. Although there are a couple of killer songs left off the compilation (probably because they weren't singles), there's plenty of great songs on there that will give you an idea of how cool this band really is.

Power Pop Book

Was just over at the Not Lame site and came across this!

Looks like they are putting together a book on the history of power pop with an album of rarities and unknowns included. The price seems about right, especially considering this may make a good present for someone who might want a little more education in the roots of power pop. Includes must have lists from artists (Jason Falkner and Robbie Rist included) as well as journalists.

(post written by Joe)

IPO is Coming

Mark your calendars everyone, because the International Pop Overtrhrow is coming back to the Los Angeles area for the 8th consecutive year (have they really been doing this thing for that long?). The dates are set between July 22nd and August 7th. Hopefully, there will be a couple of good artists that will make their way out here. I checked the lineup for the Chicago IPO that happened recently; not a whole lot of huge names on there, but it did feature sets by Enuff Z'nuff (!) and The Elms. Being that this is L.A., the town where this festival originated from, I expect to see one or two pretty good artists hit the stage. The list isn't out yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the bill contain past IPO faves like Jason Falkner, The Rosenbergs, or The Nines (who I think are slated to release their third album this year-I know they recorded a couple of songs with XTC frontman Andy Partridge a little while back). Can't wait to go out to a venue with the rest of your power-pop nuts so we can argue about what bands rule and what bands suck.

(post written by almaniac)

New Weezer album! Wooooooo!

Back in 1994, Weezer put out one of my favorite power pop albums of all time, "Weezer," (aka The Blue Album, since they pulled a Peter Gabriel and named their third album "Weezer" as well). Sure, the radio tried to call it different things, like alternative and emo (at least, they point to this album when emo's roots are hunted down). At its heart, it's good ol' fashion power pop, which describes the band at its best moments.

Their latest album, Make Believe, came out on Tuesday, and from what I've heard so far, it's in many ways a throwback to that first blue record. This time around, they got long time veteran producer Rick Rubin to help craft out there sound, and the result is good time pop with snarling guitars and-get this-sunny, almost positive lyrics, something not necessarily expected from frontman Rivers Cuomo, who almost became the nerdy version of Morrisey on Pinkerton. Plus, this album contains the most fun power pop song that will be released this year. It's a song called "We Are All On Drugs," and it is as catchy and addictive as a big ol' heaping spoon of smack.

(post written by almaniac)

eels - Live at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, CA

Just got back from the show. It was great! I haven't heard the new album, but based on what I heard tonight, I'll be picking it up. After reading Jon's review of the new album, I was a little reluctant about the show, since I really dig the more up-tempo stuff. I'm happy to report that the strings section, or the "eels girls," was a great addition to the band and sounded fantastic. They had their moments rocking out as well. There were 3 encores. The third was with the house lights on and for only one song, a cover which I can't name, but I recognized the song. If it comes to me, I'll post it.

They performed a ton of songs, hitting the stage at about 8:40 and playing until about 10:30. Eels songs are pretty short, so you can imagine how many they played. I can't name all of the songs they played, but among them all were "Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)," "Wooden Nickles," "My Beloved Monster," "Dog Faced Boy," "Daisies of the Galaxy," "Souljacker Pt. 2," "I Like Birds," "Flyswatter," "Railroad Man" and more. they did NOT perform some songs you think they would have, like "Novacaine for the Soul," or "Rags to Rags" or really anything from Electro Shock Blues. But I don't have the whole catalog memorized like I should, so I could have missed some tunes. Honestly, I only really know 3 albums from eels, but it was enough to get me to go to the show, and I'm glad I did. Monique and I both really enjoyed it. We were told my some eels show veterans that were with us that this show with the string section was really unique.

One friend that went with us recorded the show and I'm looking forward to hearing how that turned out. Let me know who's interested and if it's any good I'll see that you get a copy.

(post written by Joe)

Advance Warning for Dream Theater Fans

I have been a fan of Dream Theater since their 1992 Images and Words, so I am naturally looking forward to the June 7 release of Octavarium. I will certainly get it and will let you all know if it lives up to their status as pro-metal masters.

Beck’s “Guero” album-the 2nd listening

A few weeks ago, I picked up Beck's "Guero." It was hailed by many critics as a throwback to his 1996 album "Odelay." On my website, I confessed that it was good, but it didn't jump out at me, but it would take me a couple of spins to get into it. Well, I took it for a second spin, and it totally sucked me in.

It's a great album. Like "Odelay," it is peppered with well-conceived samples and stellar production from The Dust Brothers. Unlike "Odelay," he has a wider array of guest musicians helping him out. Not just his normal back-up band (featuring, among others, keyboard whiz Roger Manning, Jr. from Jellyfish), but Jack White of the White Stripes and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Petra Haden (who did an all a capella version of "The Who Sell Out" earlier this year) come in and lend a hand. The results are as sprawling as "Odelay" is, from the catchy pop of "Girl" and the funky electronica of "Hell Yes" to the earthy, late night cool of "Black Tambourine. The strongest cut on the album is "Rental Car," simply because it's a whirling dervish of a song that is more befitting of a listen rather than a spewing of copy here.

That's the odd thing that I've noticed about Beck more than any other artist. Each one of his albums has needed to grow on me, but when they do, they hook into me pretty deeply. Turns out "Guero" is no exception.

New Candlemass album

I thought this site was going to talk about a lot of Power Pop and Indie Rock... and, trust me, it will. But we seem to be on a bit of a metal streak so far. The masters of "epic doom metal", Candlemass have a new self-titled album out. Check the news here. It can be purchased from Amazon (there's a review there, too). I haven't heard it yet... and, while I did consider myself a big fan back in the late '80s, I'm not willing to plunk down the dollars, sound unheard. Doom ain't my thing anymore. I'm more into hope, these days. :-)

New Stryper album

Click this link for news on a new Stryper album.

New Eels album released last week

On April 26, the Eels released a double-disc new album, "Blinking Lights and Other Revelations". You might know the Eels from their first near-hit of 1996 called "Novocaine for the Soul" or maybe from their appearances on the Shrek soundtracks ("My Beloved Monster" and "I Need Some Sleep"). They started out with a promising debut almost 10 years ago, but then singer/song-writer "E" was hit with the suicide of a sister and death of a parent. So their next release "Electro-Shock Blues", was greatly influenced by these personal events and, while being an excellent album, was much darker and personal. The marketing push from the record label seemed to completely disappear.

In the meantime, the Eels have consistently produced fantastic Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock albums to great critical acclaim. If not for the strong language peppered throughout, these discs would be spun often at my house. I highly recommend you checking these guys out, especially their first album.

Back to the new release... it seems to be a dark re-visiting of a diary of dealing with the past seven years since the deaths of "E"'s family members. So, I have to admit... I'd like to hear this first before I buy or recommend it. But at least now you know. If you hear this one, let me know what you think.

Excellent Idea

First thing's first: A couple of deserving shout-outs here.

Mad props to Dave Rueter for coming up with this idea. We were just talking one night about us collective music geeks and our need to share our knowledge, and he just said, "You know, we really should put togehter a website for that."

Which leads to my second set of props: Jon Plechas, for putting this site together. I think this roughly makes the 813th Word Press site that he's created in the last twelve months. Top notch, sir.

Can't wait to share some stuff with y'all.

Welcome to Frequelize This

Welcome to Frequelize This! This site is kind of a repository/news room for a bunch of friends to tell each other about bands and music that ought to be given a listen.

Post info about the band, include any links you might have to other info about them. Let us know what kinds of influences, connections or sound-stylings they might have in common with other bands. I'm guessing that we can use categories to try and assign them to musical genres... but I'm not sure how well that will work. So I haven't set up any categories yet. Let me know what you think about that.