Pop Geek Heaven

November 2022 REVIEWS by Mike Baron GREG POPE: Rise of the Mythical Creatures (Octoberville) Greg Pope has been a monster on the power pop scene since releasing Popmonster in 2020. A sole proprietor, Greg does it all himself. Rise does not disappoint, continuing his string of melodic, indiosyncratic power pop, beginning with the “Love March” cadence of […]

JANGLE ON! – November 2022 by Eric Sorensen October was no different than the preceding months – with a surfeit of jangly, chiming and melodic tunes.  A number of young indie artists are reshaping a sound that has been catching my ear since the mid-1960s.  I recommend the following CDs, CD EPs and single tracks […]

October 2022 REVIEWS by Mike Baron THE SUN SAWED IN ½ –  Before The Fall (Kool Kat) Sun has been around since 1990, but like the monsters in Alien, Splice, and Life, it keeps evolving, and now it has achieved its ultimate form. Unlike the monsters, it is dazzling, beautiful, irresistible, or as Aaron Kupferburg observed, “They have […]

JANGLE ON! – October 2022 by Eric Sorensen  The past month provided even more evidence that jangly, chiming melodic tunes are growing in popularity with the next generation of indie pop/rock musicians.  In addition, some “veteran” indie artists continue to embrace the jangly folk-rock sound of the 1960s.  I am forced to admit that there […]

JANGLE ON! – September 2022 by Eric Sorensen     This year is going by swiftly, and a wealth of jangly, chiming tunes continued to surface in the past month.  Byrds, Beatles, pseudo-60s and REM references can be heard in many of these CDs and single tracks.  Fellow jangly music enthusiasts should seek out the […]

JANGLE ON! – August 2022 by Eric Sorensen 2022 has truly been a banner year for jangly pop/rock music.  With the assistance of the Bandcamp, Powerpopaholic and Kool Kat Musik sites, I continue to discover some excellent new material and unearth some “nuggets” from prior decades.  Albums and singles that have been getting my attention […]

July 2022 REVIEWS by Mike Baron DAVE SCARBROUGH: Happy Ever After (Futureman) One of those jaw droppers that come along every three or four months offering hope for humanity. Happy Ever After was recorded in Atlanta, Sweden, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota from whence Dave hails. Happy recalls Marshall Crenshaw’s first or Kurt Baker’s debut, one slam dunk after another. Traces of Nick Lowe and Greg […]

JANGLE ON! – July 2022 by Eric Sorensen   The jangly pop music scene is not suffering from any supply chain issues this year; more terrific chiming, jangly tracks rolled off the assembly line in June.  Many of the new albums and individual songs give a pronounced nod to jangle pop predecessors (Beatles, Byrds, REM […]

June 2022 REVIEWS by Mike Baron AMOEBA TEEN – Amoeba Teen (Big Stir) Amoeba Teen’s quartet formed in the nineties, bounced from label to label, released on Kool Kat and were picked up by Big Stir. They produce infections power pop reminiscent of Throwback Suburbia and The Stanleys, and their love for Jellyfish is evident on […]

JANGLE ON! – June 2022 by Eric Sorensen   2022 continues to be a strong year for chiming, jangly music.  It’s nice to know that the sound of a Rickenbacker 12-string guitar still resonates with young musicians and young audiences.  Notable jangly albums and songs from the past month include: Teaspoon of Time – by Kevin […]