Artists I thru L
Artists I thru L
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Similar Artists: Queen, Jellyfish, Star Collector Favorite Tracks: "This Is What You Get", "...Beatle v.02" |
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Jackdaw4--Gramophone Logic (369 Music) So we've been told that Whitsbrain.com was the FIRST place to play the fantastic new release from Jackdaw4...no doubt our biggest premiere ever! From the opening chords of "This Is Your Life", its quite evident that "Gramophone Logic" is something special. Songs like "The Day I Wrote The Book" and "Karaoke Ballet" ring with complex harmonies and carnival sounds that fans of Jellyfish and The Beach Boys will immediately embrace. "King For A Day" and "Everything I See" offer a more modern, harder-edge sound complete with awesome hooks and more killer vocals. For fans of great Power Pop, Jackdaw4 is a must-have! Featured Tracks: "Karaoke Ballet", "Everything I See" |
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Ed James--...In The 21st Century Thrill to the Power Pop sounds of the 21st Century courtesy of Ed James. Ed starts our journey with the effortlessly tuneful "Out Of This Town", a crunchy, chugging power-chorded beast. It's followed by the pretty, Posies-meets-PFR wonder of harmony called "She's The One". "Girl Gone Bad" is a marvel, it's as if Ed hired Andy Sturmer to front Adrian Belew and The Bears. "Miss Polly" is massively catchy with it's doot-doot backing vocals and clever, ultra-fun lyrics. Recollections of the '80s come rushing back to us when we hear the Utopia-flavored pop on display when listening to "And When She Smiles". Now...keep in mind, we've only covered the first five tracks! This is truly a must have release that solidifies Ed James' status as a major Power Pop player. Featured Tracks: "Out Of This Town", "Miss Polly", "Disposable" |
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The Jellydots--Hey You Kids! Featured Tracks: "Bicycle", "Three Is A Magic Number" |
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Jimmy Eat World--Futures (Interscope) With many sharp, catchy songs on display, FUTURES is
another outstanding record from Jimmy Eat World.--Muze/MTS Inc. |
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Jody Shelton Band--Child EP NYC singer-songwriter Jody Shelton and his band offer up a brief preview of future listening pleasures on their new EP, "Child". The title track leads things off and its a winner. Jangly, shiny guitars coax Shelton's vocals into a higher register within a beautifully subdued chorus. The practically bouncy "Driveway" contradicts its upbeat pace by painting a picture of a loner who seems to long for more than his solitary existence. It brings us back to an old Todd Rundgren tune named "Hideaway", which we love it for. Thankfully, more is coming from the Jody Shelton Band as they plan to release their first full-length LP in 2007. Featured Tracks: "Child", "Driveway" |
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The John Does--The John Does The John Does are Jim Roberts, Scott Cresswell and Chris Benelli. They've put together a dynamite demo of tunes which exemplify their skill and experience in recording, performing and production. "Shine" is a delight that sounds like a long lost song by The Grays with a little help on guitar from The Smithereens. Honestly, is Jason Falkner doing the vocals on this one? "Life Is Beautiful" is a breakneck rocker with plenty of distorted Power Pop guitars and some great keyboard fills. We're hoping to have a few more tunes from this super effort soon! Featured Tracks: "Shine", "Life Is Beautiful" |
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The Kicks--Hello Hong Kong (TVT Records) Taking cues from The Cars, Cheap Trick and The Knack, this band combines bright keyboard lines, strong drums and hooks galore to form a thoroughly modern power pop sound. "Mir" has a chorus that will stick in your head for days. Favorite Tracks: "MIR", "Pop Star Radio Crown", "Radar" |
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King's X--Ogre Tones (Inside Out) Brand new tunes are here from the mighty King's X. They've employed outside producer Michael Wagener this time, and "Ogre Tones" turns out to be their strongest effort since "Ear Candy". Doug Pinnick offers up more proof that he's got the finest voice in Rock, while Ty Tabor and Jerry Gaskill add some of the richest harmonies this side of the Beatles. Ty Tabor's guitar sounds on "Ogre Tones" are a slick mix of classic early King's X and the mid-90s crunch of "Dogman". Even if you are not a fan of heavier rock, do yourself a favor and at least give this ultimately talented band a few good plays. Featured Tracks: "Alone", "Hurricane" |
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Lenny Kravitz--Baptism (Virgin) Mr. Kravitz writes, plays, sings and produces pretty much everything on this release and as usual, conjures up some of the catchiest guitar riffs in rock. Check out the vintage Kiss-like tune "Where Are We Running" for cold hard proof. "Baptism" is a release full of musical styles from straight ahead rock to soul and R&B. Lenny Kravitz is a major label performer that earns every bit of his rock star status. Favorite Tracks: "Where Are We Running", "California" |
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The Lava Province--Strangeway The Lava Province is an ambitious project, almost entirely a solo effort by California musician Laurens Vernot. The music on this release is strongly influenced by '70s AOR, but is most certainly in lockstep with current pop/rock. A super catchy chorus tangles with three-part harmonies on "Can't Keep Me Away", the poppiest song on the disc. "The Sign" rolls along with a Superdrag meets Dinosaur Jr. vibe. This isn't necessarily Power Pop and Melodic Rock as we predominantly feature here, but some very interesting twists and turns with some sweet guitar work make this an entertaining listen. Featured Tracks: "Can't Keep Me Away", "The Sign" |
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Stephen Lawrenson--Every Summer (Paisley Pop) This debut flows with confident melodies loaded with rich harmonies. Lawrenson's vocals are Love Nut-era Andy Bopp backed by early-model Beatles, or even what Andy Partridge may sound like singing something from Teenage Fanclub. The highlights here are "4U", which is a masterfully written piece of 1960's pop and "Harmonee", a pretty Rubber Soul-style ballad. Featured Tracks: "4U", "Harmonee" |
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Lit--Lit (DRT Entertainment) Lit once again lights it up with another rollicking power pop success. This band just keeps delivering hook after hook saturated with guitar crunch and snarling vocals. This CD rocks hard and is their most consistently exciting release to date. This one is entirely self-produced and the mix is music to our ears. Hats off to the Popoffs! Featured Tracks: "Needle and Thread", "Hard To Find", "Throwaway" |
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London Calling--You're So Lucky (Atenzia) London Calling play energetic, loud Rock and Roll influenced without a doubt by bands like Cheap Trick, The Sweet and early Rick Springfield. More contemporary comparisons are Hotsocky, Sugarcult, 40 Ft. Ringo and a bit of Butch Walker. Standouts here are "American Dream", "New Sensation" and "So In Love". Another super release from red-hot Atenzia Records. Featured Tracks: "New Sensation", "American Dream" |
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Low Millions--Ex-Girlfriends Featured Tracks: "Eleanor" |
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Lund Bros.--Tangents The Lund Brothers unleash an all-out attack on our Power Pop senses. The tune "Accident" is loaded with choppy, rapid-fire guitars that front an entirely addicting melody that twists and turns from start to finish. The vocals recall a mix of Bleu and Andy Bopp (Love Nut, Myracle Brah) and the harmonies come complete with all the "ahhs", "sha-la-las" and "bop-bop-shoo-wops" a pop freak will ever need. "Accident" is one of those great tunes that reveal more of itself with each listen. Featured Tracks: "Accident" |
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Lynam--Life In Reverse (EMG) Lynam is a hard-rocking, tight trio from Birmingham, Alabama that rocks along the lines of bands like Waltham, 40 Ft. Ringo and Magna-Fi. Jacob Lynam has got great rock pipes and fantastic musicianship abound here with some flashy guitar solos straight out of the 80's hair metal handbook. This is without a doubt one of the best party albums you'll hear this year. Featured Tracks:
"Tanis", "Everybody's Girl" |