The Lemon Twigs’ Retro Pop Syndrome
The Lemon Twigs may suffer from retro pop syndrome, but every nostalgic reference has an unexpected deviation, every familiar melody is twisted and turned into uncharted territory.
power pop
Joy Burklund Crafts Irresistible Power Pop on ‘Songbouquet’
While Joy Burklund’s Songbouquet sounds inspired by many of the classic pop and rock records that preceded it, it also affirms the power of community.
Charlie Kaplan Embraces Melodic, Psychedelic Grooves on ‘Eternal Repeater’
Office Culture’s Charlie Kaplan takes a little from garage rock and folk rock, producing his most satisfying solo release to date. It genuinely mesmerizes.
French Shoegazers Healees Add Deft Power Pop on ‘Coin de l’œil’
Channeling For Against and classic Stone Roses, Healees’ Coin de l’œil fuses jangle, shoegaze, and power pop into something beyond those genres.
Everything Feels Alright: The Promise Ring’s ‘Very Emergency’
The Promise Ring’s Very Emergency succeeds by subverting expectations but delivering ten nuggets of power pop and a rebuke of the emerging emo tropes.
Nada Surf Have a Good Time on ‘Moon Mirror’
Moon Mirror finds long-running power poppers Nada Surf relaxed and having fun with the same strong, catchy songs they’ve written for nearly 30 years.
New Album Takes the Lemon Twigs Into Pop’s Golden Years
The Lemon Twigs’ A Dream Is All We Know displays scholarly mastery of the complex techniques their forbears invented. The sheer musicality is prodigious.
Extra Arms Set Out to Own Summer with ‘Radar’
Detroit’s Extra Arms make power pop look easy on their catchy, energetic new record, Radar. It’s a half-hour of no-skips, life-affirming, and no-frills rock.
I Get So Mean Around This Scene: Joe Jackson’s ‘Look Sharp!’ at 45
With his 1979 debut album Look Sharp!, Joe Jackson joined the league of UK artists who fused sophisticated pop songwriting with a punk snarl.
American 1970s Power Poppers Go ‘Looking For the Magic’
Power pop has to have some punch. This can be manifested in different ways but is frequently through a hook-laden electric guitar line.
Pugwash’s Thomas Walsh Goes Solo in Beatlesque Pop Fashion
Pugwash mastermind Thomas Walsh excels at Beatlesque power pop, sounding like a cross between ELO and baroque-era Trash Can Sinatras.
Little Realities: Flat Mary Road’s Power Pop Breakthrough
Flat Mary Road break through with Little Realities and deliver jangly, hook-laden power-pop with a touch of Harry Chapin thrown in for good measure.