Pop Geek Heaven

March 2022 REVIEWS by Mike Baron LANNIE FLOWERS: Flavor of the Month (Big Stir) Lannie Flowers writes elegant, sophisticated pop with emotional content, combining achingly emotional content with a fat bottom. He has just the right amount of rasp in his voice. His alchemy reminds me of Crowded House and Todd Rundgren, but there’s no mistaking Lannie […]

February 2022 REVIEWS by Mike Baron THE BOOLEVARDS: Real Poptastic The Boolevards are throw-backs, from the early Brit invasion chords with the sunny, care-free music of the Archies or the Knickerbockers, to the K-Tel style cover art. Leader John Nowik has that wipe-out surf drum down cold. You can instantly identify a Boolevards song by his […]

    December 2021 REVIEWS by Mike Baron   THE FOREIGN FILMS: Starlight Serenade Like Michael Brown, John San Juan, or Marshall Crenshaw, Bill Majoros has an instantly identifiable sound, born of rarefied chords and voice. He sings in hushed urgency, with stacked harmonies and lush arrangements that never approach saccharine. Starlight Serenade begins with “The Fortune Teller,” hitting the bullseye with […]

    October 2021 REVIEWS by Mike Baron   SCOTT GAGNER: Blood Moon Blood Moon is a deeply personal tone poem born aloft on diaphanous clouds of synthesized strings, performed mostly by Scott with assists from Ken (Posies) Stringfellow and Jesse Chandler on flute. Reminiscent of Lannie Flowers’ Home, it’s emotional and heartfelt, as on “My Shadow,” whose […]

    August 2021 REVIEWS by Mike Baron SORROWS: Love Too Late (Big Stir) The Sorrows were a popular late seventies/early eighties band in New York who made a splash with their first album. They cut a deal with a major label to record their follow up, Love Too Late, and the producer replaced the […]

    July 2021 REVIEWS by Mike Baron   RICHIE MAYER: The Inn of Temporary Happiness Power pop is a big tent and Richie Mayer visits all the tables in this expansive set. “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” starts like a Rolling Stones song but breaks for daylight in the bridge and chorus. “Love Will […]

    May 2021 REVIEWS by Mike Baron CHRIS CHURCH: Game Dirt (Big Stir) Chris Church’s Backwards Compatible landed last year like a thermonuclear bomb, melding power pop hooks to hard rock to create ear-bending fusion. Church wisely does not go down the same path with Game Dirt, which finds him dipping more into rockabilly, Americana and roots rock, as in the opener, […]

    April 2021 REVIEWS by Mike Baron DOLPH CHANEY – This Is Dolph Chaney (Big Stir) Mostly Dolph Chaney with a few friends, this sprawling pop landscape covers a lot of territory. Dolph sings like Lane Steinberg and some of his songs channel Steinberg’s Broadway-informed sense of melody, but there’s also a lot of […]

    February 2021 REVIEWS by Mike Baron MY LITTLE BROTHER: Howl  (Big Stir) East Cumbria quartet incorporates every Laurel Canyon band that ever lived with a hint of acid, from Jefferson Airplane to Country Joe and the Fish, beginning with “Play Hard.” “Janey” uses the same harmonies favored by the Mamas and the Papas. It’s […]

    November 2020 REVIEWS by Mike Baron     MUCK AND THE MIRES: Take Me Back To Planet Earth (Rum/Bar) Six blasts of adrenaline-pumped rock and roll that will shake you like a kraken’s tentacles, beginning with “Six O’Clock Baby,” and never letting up. The title song should be The Orville’s theme. Slickee Boys swagger by […]