Pop Geek Heaven

June 2020 REVIEWS by Mike Baron NICK PIUNTI & THE COMPLICATED MEN: Downtime (Jem) Piunti’s sound is as instantly identifiable as Marshall Crenshaw or Gary Ritchie, built around his honeyed tenor that never fades, never falters. Like Ritchie, his songs all feature bridges and hooks. This is just good architecture. If architecture is frozen music, than Piunti’s […]

April 2020 REVIEWS by Mike Baron EMPEROR PENGUIN: Soak Up The Gravy (Kool Kat) A panoply of styles encompassing Supergrass, The Cure, and XTC, incorporating mad pop science and hyperactive guitars, that starts out rocky and gets progressively sweeter as it proceeds. “Go Guitargonauts” has just enough Cure to sound tart, while sounding like the theme to […]

February 2020 REVIEWS by Mike Baron GARY RITCHIE: Head On A Swivel (Fancy Two/Tone) Ritchie’s music is as instantly identifiable as Marshall Crenshaw, due to his unique voice and sure-footed compositions, drawing on everything from Brit Pop to the Raspberries, to Tom Petty. Like fellow Texan Lannie Flowers, this grows on you with each new listen. When […]

JANUARY 2020 REVIEWS by Mike Baron LANNIE FLOWERS: Home (Spyderpop) Career defining collection of songs that grab you by the throat, filled with self-reflection and experience, a full power pop palette, mostly mid-tempo, sucking you in with smart chords and stories, on a level with John Hiatt or John Mellencamp. “Running,” is a series of cascading chords […]

NOVEMBER 2019 REVIEWS by Mike Baron   SCOTT GAGNER: Hummingbird Heart Intricate, multi-layered pop craft brimming with fresh chords, starting with the Tal Bachman-ish “Bella,” with its head-snapping bridge. Ballad “Baby Gets What Baby Wants” is a fully-realized sit-com premise with a great hook, reminiscent of Captain Wilberforce. Gagner is a sharp observer, as in “Other […]

SEPTEMBER 2019 REVIEWS by Mike Baron THE ANDERSON COUNCIL: Worlds Collide (Jem) Elegantly orchestrated hooks and harmonies, somewhat reminiscent of The Posies and the latest Vegas With Randolph, with forays into Jellyfish and ELO territory. “Lord Cornelius” in particular could have come off the latest Vegas, while “Camden Town” radiates Britpop, with the charm of “Penny Lane” […]

MID SUMMER 2019 REVIEWS by Mike Baron IN DEED: Everest (Big Stir) Jangular pop with advanced songcraft. Lead singer Linda Karlsberg will remind some of Lisa Mychols, but this Swedish band charts its own way. “Five Times A Day” has some Explorers Club DNA. “Don’t Need, Don’t Care” is brilliant and mesmerizing, evoking Marmalade Souls and again […]

EARLY SUMMER 2019 REVIEWS by Mike Baron   EYTAN MIRSKY: If Not Now…Later Mirsky’s soulful tenor contains an element of sorrow, which he shares with the late Tommy Keene, which makes his songs resonate more than if he exuded happiness. Pedal steel appears on “Lay Down Your Weapons” and “Tithonius,” which cements Mirsky’s connection with Nashville. If […]

SPRING 2019 REVIEWS by Mike Baron LANE STEINBERG & HIS MAGICAL PONY A founding member of power poppers The Wind, Lane Steinberg has been recording steadily his whole life, covering an astonishing range of styles. His songs often pay tribute to Tin Pan Alley and The Great White Way, especially the masterful “Beautiful Day, Take […]

FEBRUARY REVIEWS by Mike Baron VALLEY LODGE: Fog Machine (Tee Pee) This new Valley Lodge has an epic feel, like the beginning of a great movie, and it does not disappoint, with one whomping, stomping, clanging, chiming song after another, like a carnival train of brightly colored cars. Every song is a standout, but I particularly like […]