I discovered "Slipping Away" back in the mp3 blog days. Dave Edmunds had a lot of really good, overlooked music. And you can’t go wrong with The Cars. They're one of those rare bands everybody can agree on.
To me there is. It doesn’t have to be punk fast but there’s plenty of bands labeled power pop who don’t get faster than mid tempo and who have way too many slow ones. They’re pop, not power pop IMO.
these songs are also some of my favorites, and what i like best about whatever power pop is. my lifelong goal will be to write a song as good as "Little Mascara," or at least capture the feeling i get when i hear it, in one of my own songs. i remember hearing "Love is for Lovers" the first time when Andy Creighton from the brilliant power pop band The World Record, covered it at an acoustic show. check that band out, if you're unfamiliar.
Excellent selections! With your (very reasonable) litmus test of a sense of want, I guess "I Want You to Want Me" is the platonic ideal of a power pop song since it has double the want.
I've never really understood what the term meant. I always associate it with big rock ballads that have a lot of power! A few people mentioned Matthew Sweet. He's also one of my go-to power pop guys but not all of his songs. I'd say his songs "I Almost Forgot" and "Smog Moon" would be considered "power pop."
So, so good. And while I might be the only one on Earth that finds the Liberty Travel reference amusing, I think it also speaks volumes about the bands strengths as songwriters.
Thanks for bringing up the dB’s. I bought ‘Stands for Decibels’ as an import in 1980 or when it was first released. Andy Schwartz of New York Rocker magazine was an early fan. ‘Repercussions’ should have been a huge hit in a just world. The addition of Graham Parker’s Rumor horn section makes it the perfect pop song. This was an import also. ‘Like This’ is another I have on vinyl.
The dB's are incredible, but never got the success they deserved. Hopefully these reissues—and music writers/fans like Kevin singing their praises—will help bring their legacy into the spotlight moving forward.
I appreciate your brevity and selectivity. And how could anyone disagree with these choices for a short list?
But...since you picked Silver Sun, I wonder about your thoughts on Sloan? There are some similarities, but to my ears, Sloan taps more deeply into the primal power pop energy. Sloan also sounds more immediate and insistent, which is I think where Power Pop energy comes from: a lot of it sounds slick (which is where the Pop lives), but it should also sound like the musicians came in and put it down in one take (which is where the Power lives).
As a Power Pop fanatic since I first saw Off Broadway at Chicago Fest in 1980 or whatever it was, I personally I put Sloan on the top shelf, next to the bottles of Cheap Trick, Raspberries, and Nazz. Or...pick a metaphor.
Speaking of Cheap Trick, if you haven't heard Cheap Trick's complete re-recording of "In Color/In Black and White," engineered by Steve Albini, you need to remedy that problem.
and the difference between power and jangle pop is?
Imo, The amount of power chords
my guys! some of my favorite songs are in here
also: every single one of these songs both is and isn’t power pop
👀
Lol. This is the beauty of Power Pop!
Power Pop = Lead Singer + Crunchy Guitars. Think: Matthew Sweet, XTC (Mayor of Simpleton / Earn Earn Enough for Us), The James Gang
I discovered "Slipping Away" back in the mp3 blog days. Dave Edmunds had a lot of really good, overlooked music. And you can’t go wrong with The Cars. They're one of those rare bands everybody can agree on.
IMO, Dave Edmunds is criminally underrated
Facts. Not crazy about the Lynne productions but the Rockpile era stuff is excellent.
This is great! Is there a BPM factor that plays into the Power aspect?
To me there is. It doesn’t have to be punk fast but there’s plenty of bands labeled power pop who don’t get faster than mid tempo and who have way too many slow ones. They’re pop, not power pop IMO.
The "power" part of the equation is often overlooked.
these songs are also some of my favorites, and what i like best about whatever power pop is. my lifelong goal will be to write a song as good as "Little Mascara," or at least capture the feeling i get when i hear it, in one of my own songs. i remember hearing "Love is for Lovers" the first time when Andy Creighton from the brilliant power pop band The World Record, covered it at an acoustic show. check that band out, if you're unfamiliar.
That’s a new band for me. Thanks for the rec!
Nice framing. My defining artist is Matthew Sweet. He absolutely owned the field from late '80s through mid-90s.
Great pick!
Excellent selections! With your (very reasonable) litmus test of a sense of want, I guess "I Want You to Want Me" is the platonic ideal of a power pop song since it has double the want.
100%
The Shazam
Power Pop Perfection
I've never really understood what the term meant. I always associate it with big rock ballads that have a lot of power! A few people mentioned Matthew Sweet. He's also one of my go-to power pop guys but not all of his songs. I'd say his songs "I Almost Forgot" and "Smog Moon" would be considered "power pop."
"Denise" is a perfect poster child for power pop. It's the guitar tone, the "sha-la-la"s in the lyrics, the harmonies, and the guitar solo.
sooooooooo good!
So, so good. And while I might be the only one on Earth that finds the Liberty Travel reference amusing, I think it also speaks volumes about the bands strengths as songwriters.
Quirky, snarky, extremely specific, and somehow totally relatable lyrics.
Really enjoyed that, and lovely to see my best mate Adam Schlesinger in there RIP 🖤
Thanks! Kevin did a great job, as always. Adam was a one-of-a-kind talent, for sure. And he seemed like a very cool dude the few times we connected.
I’m glad you liked it! The world is definitely worse off w/o him in it. 😢
Amen to that 🖤🙏
Thanks for bringing up the dB’s. I bought ‘Stands for Decibels’ as an import in 1980 or when it was first released. Andy Schwartz of New York Rocker magazine was an early fan. ‘Repercussions’ should have been a huge hit in a just world. The addition of Graham Parker’s Rumor horn section makes it the perfect pop song. This was an import also. ‘Like This’ is another I have on vinyl.
The dB's are incredible, but never got the success they deserved. Hopefully these reissues—and music writers/fans like Kevin singing their praises—will help bring their legacy into the spotlight moving forward.
We should be so lucky!
Absolutely agree with all of that. You’re probably way ahead of me here, but if you haven’t heard the reissue of Repercussions, it’s pretty awesome.
“Tiny Spark” by Brendan Benson
I appreciate your brevity and selectivity. And how could anyone disagree with these choices for a short list?
But...since you picked Silver Sun, I wonder about your thoughts on Sloan? There are some similarities, but to my ears, Sloan taps more deeply into the primal power pop energy. Sloan also sounds more immediate and insistent, which is I think where Power Pop energy comes from: a lot of it sounds slick (which is where the Pop lives), but it should also sound like the musicians came in and put it down in one take (which is where the Power lives).
As a Power Pop fanatic since I first saw Off Broadway at Chicago Fest in 1980 or whatever it was, I personally I put Sloan on the top shelf, next to the bottles of Cheap Trick, Raspberries, and Nazz. Or...pick a metaphor.
Speaking of Cheap Trick, if you haven't heard Cheap Trick's complete re-recording of "In Color/In Black and White," engineered by Steve Albini, you need to remedy that problem.
Anyhoo, cool list, thanks for indulging me.
LOVE SLOAN!
I had a crush on Carlene Carter, Nick Lowe's wife, and the real star of the Slipping Away video.