The year draws to a close, and musically it was a stunning year again.
So - here is the Top 10 of PowerPopSquare for 2018:
1. Marc Martel - Thunderbolt & Lightning
Marc Martel - former member of the band
Downhere - became well-known because of his incredible voice and the similarities to the late great
Freddie Mercury.
In 2011 he put a video on Youtube singing "
Somebody To Love" - and it blew my mind (and about 15 million other viewers). Since then he released a marvelous debut solo album (
Impersonator), as well as a covers EP (
My Way - Volume 1) and three Christmas EPs.
And now there is
Thunderbolt & Lightning:
it consists of eight Queen songs.
Marc Martel hasn't just put out a record
of Queen songs, he altered them and put them to a whole new level.
Buy the CD and digital download directly at the official website:
www.marcmartelmusic.com
Listen to: Somebody To Love, You Take My Breath Away
2. Bird Streets (John Brodeur, Jason Falkner)
Bird Streets is the musical endeavor of songwriter
John Brodeur, who released his first solo recordings nearly two decades ago.
The record is a collaboration between Brodeur and power-pop legend
Jason Falkner, and features guest appearances from Miranda Lee Richards and Luther Russell.
Bird Streets became a mélange of
John Brodeur's solo work and
Jason Falkner's influences.
If you are desperately looking for a new record by Dan Wilson / Semisonic ("
Carry Me Home", "
Last Resort"), PowerPop highlights ("
Betting On The Sun", "
Until The Crown"), Bleu ("
Stop To Breathe") or Jellyfish - this is your record.
Listen to: Stop To Breathe, Betting On The Sun, Carry Me
3. Mike Viola - The American Egypt
A new release by the one and only
Mike Viola is always quite special to me. While
Lurch or
Hang on Mike are PowerPop records in perfection, there were also
Just Before Dark or
Acousto de Perfecto showing his insanely awesome singer-songwriter skills.
So, there is "
The American Egypt". And it's different, quite different.
is multi layered, rich of complex harmonies and lyrics and you will
need some time until it unfolds completely. But it's absolutely worth
it. Just listen to the album from start to finish with good over-ear headphones!
Collins is pure Rock 'n' Roll,
Sunset America will brings you to tears with its lyrics and harmonies,
Snow Face a 9 minute long (!) masterpiece and
Dr. Frankenstein is musically from another world.
You can stream it on
Youtube and
Apple Music or buy it at
Amazon.com (digital) or
grandphony.com (LP, t-shirts - and two exclusive EPs).
Listen to: King Kong Hand, Dr. Frankenstein, Collins, Sunset America
4. Bent Van Looy - Yours Truly
Yours Truly, produced by
Jason Falkner in Los Angeles is the third record of
Bent Van Looy.
Listen to: The Open Road, Never Look Back, Wrong Before
5. David Myhr - Lucky Day
Six years after his solo debut, the Swedish singer/songwriter
David Myhr is back with his new full-length album
Lucky Day. The former
Merrymakers frontman created not just a ten track album, it's more a portfolio of his work as part of a doctorate.
Jealous Sun was a result of recording sessions in the Abbey Road Studios in London, another part of the project was a trip in 2015 to the United States. Myhr states: "I wanted to meet with people I look up to musically, write songs with them, and document the process on audio and video".
Artists include Bleu (Jealous Sun), Linus of Hollywood (Lovebug), Young Hines (My Negative Friend), Bill DeMain (Room To Grow) and Steve Schiltz (Everyday It Rains).
The result of these journey and experiences is excellent. I highly recommend the record (start with Jealous Sun and Room To Grow). Lucky Day is available at Lojinx digital, on CD and LP.
Especially the CD is quite interesting - it includes four bonus tracks!
Listen to: Jealous Sun, Room To Grow
6. Chris Price - Dalmatian
After his critically acclaimed second record
Stop Talking nearly 50 songs were left off from the record because they simply didn't fit in its concept. With the arrival of
Dalmatian, Price’s brand new third
album and second release in only 10 months, that music finds new life.
The 13 tracks found on
Dalmatian are all written, produced,
engineered, arranged and mixed by Price himself (with occasional help
from co-writers Taylor Locke, Fernando Perdomo, and Alex Jules).
Price says, “
This is a collection of fragments, outcasts and ideas from the sessions that produced Stop Talking.
A lot of material that I love was left off of that album for one reason
or another. Whether it was because the songs didn’t fit tonally or
thematically, or the sonics didn’t match up, I found myself sitting on a
pile of stuff that couldn’t find a home. I’m not sure if this is my new
album or a companion piece to the last one (Disc 2, if you will). Maybe
it’s both. I’ll let everyone else decide. All I know is I’m very proud
of this work and I’m so happy to have it out there in the world instead
of buried on a hard drive somewhere.”
So, as it is equally good as his last record (Stop Talking) - which was stellar - you MIGHT have a look at this release! Order the record (CD and digital) at Omnivore and Bandcamp!
Listen to: Fever Dream, Roller Coaster
7. Jeremy Messersmith - Late Stage Capitalism
Jeremy Messersmith is back with his latest album having the excellent and reflecting the current state of the world title
Late Stage Capitalism.
Order
Late Stage Capitalism at:
www.jeremymessersmith.com
Listen to: Purple Hearts, Monday, No Superheroes, Fireflower
8. Paul Steel - Carousel Kites
In 2018 the long wait was finally over. The new record of
Paul Steel - named
Carousel Kites - is out.
Listen to: I See Sadness, Island in the Sky
9. Darren Jessee - The Jane, Room 217
Darren Jessee, widely known as the drummer of
Ben Folds Five continuously released records under the name Hotel Lights, now he is back with new album "The Jane Room 217".
If you like mellow, acoustic music you should definitely give it a chance.
Listen to: Anything You Need, All But A Dream
10. Darwin Deez - 10 Songs That Happened When You Left Me With My Stupid Heart
Darwin Deez may be a quite special kind of artist, but he has a very fine taste for catchy songs. His latest album with the phenomenal title
10 Songs That Happened When You Left Me With My Stupid Heart is highly recommended.
Listen to: The World's Best Kisser, Queen Of Spades
