Songs Stuck In My Head (Book + D/L) Price: $30.00 Artist: Aaron Kupferberg Description: Aaron Kupferberg, founder of the Powerpaholic blog has written a book! He boldy proclaims “This is the book. Years in the making. Don’t let anyone tell you there’s no good music being made today. With ‘Songs Stuck In My Head’, you get reviews for over 140 albums, plus interviews with some of my favorite artists - Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles), Michael Carpenter, Paul Collins, Mitch Easter, Miles Zuniga (Fastball), Richard X. Heyman, Parthenon Huxley (P. Hux), Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. (Jellyfish), Tommy Keene, Adam Marsland (Cockeyed Ghost), Lisa Mychols, Tim Nordwind (OK Go), Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow (The Posies), Jeff Murphy (Shoes), Jamie Hoover (Spongetones), Matthew Sweet, Dwight Twilley, Mike Viola, and Andy Partridge (XTC).” As a bonus, the book comes bundled with a 20-track digital compilation collection (a free download) of original songs from artists that Aaron’s reviewed over the years on the Powerpopaholic site. Some songs are previously unreleased and exclusive to the compilation. The compilation will never be sold separately – coming only with the purchase of the book! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Untenable Price: $12.00 Artist: Bad Moves Description: Washington, DC has had a rich punk history, documented by the vast array of bands on labels such as Dischord Records and Teen-Beat Records. Although they’re signed to New Jersey’s Don Giovanni Records, Bad Moves are more than capable of kicking as much ass as those that preceded them. Hitting the scene with an EP in 2016, followed their first full-length, “Tell No One”, in 2018, they have proved themselves unafraid of throwing gleeful pop-punches to your head. “They are a wonderfully unpretentious band. Their music and lyrics are by no means simple, but they don’t require any sort of heavy literature or theory to wrap your head around, which is refreshing when some tend to place too much emphasis on complexity. Bad Moves is just a band from DC, with great tunes to play and things to say. They’ve got power, they’ve got pop, and they’ve got punk, and they use it to great advantage. Sometimes, that’s all you really need.” – GetAlternative.com “They have evolved from a D.C. staple to a bona fide phenomenon, creating some of the most incisive, melodic, and downright fun punk music in recent history.” – MixedFrequencies.org “The band's bright, hooky, and emotive power pop has grown some rougher edges in the two years since its debut. Yet, though ‘Untenable’ captures a palpable restlessness and instability, it also keeps the catchy hooks and spunky attitude coming in equal measure, creating an album that is as fun as it is intelligent.” – UnderTheRadarMag.com “These are songs that were written a year ago but sound like they could have been written yesterday. That's because it's an album about everything being totally f*cked, and that's even more true now than it was a year ago. And yet there's so much joy to be found throughout the record. ‘Toward Crescent Par’" is perfect summer power-pop. ‘Night Terrors’ sounds like a house party in full swing.” – Exclaim.ca EXCELLENT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

No Matter What: Revisiting The Hits Price: $15.00 Artist: Badfinger Description: An eclectic line-up of special guest superstars join Joey Molland's Badfinger to create a full-length album of unique twists on the band's all-time favorite hits! Includes performances by Matthew Sweet, Todd Rundgren, Rick Wakeman, The Legendary Pink Dots, Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, Rick Springfield, Terry Reid, Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge), Sonny Landreth, Albert Lee and Carl Giammarese (The Buckingham)! Revamped versions of the Paul McCartney-penned "Come And Get It", "Baby Blue," "No Matter What," "Day After Day”, "Without You", “Love Is Gonna Come At Last”, “Midnight Caller”, “Sweet Tuesday Morning”, Baby Blue”, “I Don’t Mind” and “Suitcase” are all here. “Suffice it to say that any revisit to songs that are so entrenched in the collective consciousness they’re all but indelible is a tough challenge to take on right at the outset. It’s a no-win situation in most cases. Either you fail to reach the high bar established initially, or, at best, you’re absolutely unable to supplement the original, even when an admirable effort might seem to bring it close. Of course, enlisting a number of marquee names does help, at least in terms of creating added interest, which is why this record at least attracts interest. The part Rick Springfield’s plays on ‘Love Is Gonna Come at Last,’ the role Carl Giammarese of the Buckinghams assumes on ‘I Don’t Mind,’ Matthew Sweet’s singing on ‘Baby Blue,’ and, most notably, Todd Rundgren’s suitably stirring lead on ‘Without You’ do manage to stir some memories and ensure a welcome response. Even the staunchest skeptics will likely agree.” – AmericanSongwriter.com EXCELLENT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Beachwood Deluxe Price: $15.00 Artist: Beachwood Sparks Description: A companion piece to the 20th Anniversary reissue of Beachwood Sparks’s eponymous debut album, “Beachwood Deluxe” is a rare sonic glimpse at where the band was in 1999. Electric 12/6 string jangling guitars, sonic exploration and soft country psychedelia. The tracks are some of the only proper studio recordings to feature original guitarist/singer, the late Josh Schwartz. They were recorded by LP producer Michael Deming in Los Angeles during the group's hometown heyday before signing to Sub Pop Records and Josh leaving the band. Two of the tracks initially appeared on the April 99 Sub Pop Singles Club 7” but the others remained unreleased until now. An extra bonus are 9 rare and remastered live recordings from Green Bay, WI in 2000, unearthed for the first time. “This band epitomized the modern California Country sound that’s surging in popularity today, and laid the groundwork for many blossoming bands aesthetically and sonically. Beyond the sound, they created a world, a scene, a thriving community of artists, friends and fans alike, who were making music and art fundamentally tied to nature and family, desert skies, canyon rides, the stars, the sun, the trees. Each track on the album is sparkling, familiar and fresh. The family tree of Sparks-related and adjacent artistry is long and unfurls across the globe. The Sparks themselves are always expanding and collapsing, realigning and overlapping in various formations, coming together and breaking off in various iterations that form the unique constellations that make up the galaxy known as Los Angeles. Word on the street was pre-pandemic, there were plans to head north to record another album and we’re anxiously awaiting. In the meantime, savor the unreleased and live tracks, spin the shiny remaster, prepare for upcoming releases from Farmer Dave and the Wizard of the West, GospelbeacH and The Tyde; or explore the immense back catalog of related projects. There will always be Beachwood Sparks.:” –PetalMotel.com GREAT(ER)!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Big Stir Magazine – Issue #5 Price: $7.00 Artist: Big Stir Magazine – Issue #5 Description: The long overdue Big Stir Magazine Issue #5 is a whopping 76 full-colo(u)r page, lavishly illustrated affair featuring articles and art from the pop-rock personalities you love! The contributors are: Champniss, Christina Bulbenko, Rex Broome, David Bash, John Borack, KC Bowman, Nelson Bragg, Sumishta Brahm, Ridley Broome, Larysa Bulbenko, Kevin Burke, Carl Cafarelli, Lee Cave-Berry, Dolph Chaney, Chris Church, Charlie Crabtree, Mike DeAngelis, Nadja Dee, Patrick “Pooch” DiPuccio, Patrick Donders, Linus Dotson, Mark English, Victor Erwin, Nick Frater, Ray Gianchetti (hey, that’s me!), Simon Glickman, Alan Haber, Tim Hinely, Edward Huerta, Khoi Huynh, Chris Hyde, Blake Jones, Stephen Kalinich, Karla Kane, Octavia Kane, Jared Lekites, Paul Levinson, Mike Lidskin, Robert Lambert, S.W. Lauden, LMNOP, Peter Marston, Michael McCartney, Freya Maclaine-Jones, Paul Meagher, Joe Normal, Richard Ohrn, Victoria Pearson, Steve Rosenbaum, Matthew Seligman, Michael Simmons, Don Valentine, Adam Waltemire, Rick Warhall, Peter Watts, and Steven Wilson! Contains features on: Marty Rudnick, SpyderPop Records, The Corner Laughers, In Deed, David Crosby, T. Rex, The Armoires, Lemmy, Deep Purple, Michael Quercio, Spygenius, Martin Newell, Anton Barbeau, Glyder, Ian Hunter, Linus of Hollywood, Terry Scott Taylor, Human Switchboard, Emmit Rhodes, the Oklahoma Pop Scene, Spanish Kitchen, Lannie Flowers, Brian Wilson, and Black Flag! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Waiting For A Following Wind Price: $17.00 Artist: Billy Bremner's Rockfiles Description: The followup to “Billy Bremner For President” has just arrived, and like its predecessor, it is another glowing tribute to Billy’s days playing alongside Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds in Rockpile. So, what songs have Billy and his mates tackled this time out? Glad you asked! Here they are – songs either written by Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds, songs that Rockplie featured in their live shows, or songs that Billy played on as a session guitarist - “Almost Saturday Night” (John Fogerty cover), “There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis” (Kirsty MacColl cover), “Teacher Teacher”, “Without Love”, “Little Sister” (Elvis Presley cover), “When I Write The Book”, the title track, “Back To Schooldays” (Graham Parker cover), “Rockin’ Little Angel” (Jimmie Rogers cover), “Cruel To Be Kind”, “Here Comes The Weekend”, “Dear Dad” (Chuck Berry cover), and “I Respect You For That”! And to top things off, and make this release even more special, Billy and the band have autographed the front cover of the CD! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Desperate Days Price: $12.00 Artist: Brian Bringelson Description: WOW!! The second solo outing from Brian Bringelson (a/k/a Paul Starling) is a “must have” melody and harmony-drenched masterpiece! It’s smart pop with big harmonies and even bigger choruses! “Album opener ‘Losing Train of Thought’ is a sweet catchy melody, that sounds much like his early material with slight echoes of early Beach Boys and The Smiths. The jangling guitar of the dream-like title track builds with each verse, the vocal harmonies burst through on the chorus. Bringelson’s music has a very unforced and casual approach, with a ‘Pet Sounds’-styled production aesthetic, best-exemplified by ‘Bone Collector,’ ‘The Deep Dark Truth,’ and ‘Rust and Gold.’ But my favorite here is ‘Letting Go Of Arrows,’ an epic ballad with smooth echoing harmonies and hooks. Not everything attains this level of greatness, but enough does. This is easily Brian’s most accessible and mature album, and it’s definitely highly recommended.” – PowerPopaholic.com Can’t say enough about this pure pop gem!! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Burning Backwards Price: $14.00 Artist: Brian Bringelson Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT MUSIK LABEL!! Brian’s brilliant 2020 release “Desperate Days” has garnered rave reviews, such as – “Smart pop with big harmonies and bigger choruses”, and certainly caught our attention. In the past we’ve sold Brian’s releases as Paul Starling, but had no idea it was him that was the one producing such fine, melodic music. Brian recorded most of the tracks for “Burning Backwards” in 2019 while his band Anchor & Bear was recording their second album “Raincoats and Gold”. Having the good fortune to record tracks with the band and then head home and work on solo material was truly a luxury for him. At the time he didn’t really have the idea of releasing a solo album and mainly had his sights set on the new Anchor & Bear release. But after that was said and done he found himself with a batch of solo songs that seemed like they might make up a cool little album – which they most certainly do. Brian explains “Here’s the part where Paul Starling (my former musical project name) gets laid to rest. Instead of putting out another Paul Starling album I decided to just release it under my own name. If you can believe it, up to that point, I’d never released anything under my real name. I figured now was the time. In addition I didn’t send the album to any labels or management folks because I didn’t really feel like making that big a deal out of it. So I released it digitally and without much attention. Sent it to a few friends, family, and fans I knew would enjoy it and then called it a day.” Flash forward a year and half and Kool Kat, determined that more than a few friends, family and fans should be the only ones to hear it, gives “Burning Backwards” the proper release it deserves - on CD! If you liked “Desperate Days”, you’re gonna like “Burning Backwards“ just as much! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Game Dirt Price: $12.00 Artist: Chris Church Description: Pop vet Chris Church’s recent releases like “Limitations of Source Tape” and 2020's exploration of “Heavy Melody” (“Backwards Compatible”) have topped many “Best Of” lists. Between his vast back catalog, and those, it's easy to hear why his music reaches beyond the boundaries of the power pop form. Undoubtedly, he possesses the requisite command of melody and a powerful, instantly-recognizable vocal presence, but his compositions have an unforced depth and visceral openness that can't be learned. His tunes have what Neil Young – one of an eclectic clutch of keystone influences – would call “the spook”. Chris's new album (and Big Stir label debut) “Game Dirt” is once again something different and new, even by the standards of his exploratory career, reflecting a looser, more straight ahead rock and roll element, adding a pinch of alt-country and 90’s indie styles in with his pop rock sensibilities. As the record unfolds, it’s perfectly clear that, musically, the only rule is that there are no rules. It's thus that the twangy “No Depression” vibes of “Lost” and “Smile” rub shoulders with the epic “Trying”, awash with shifting time changes and bittersweet major-7th chords. There are the crunching riffs and searing solos of “Hang”, and there's “Know” (as in “know your enemy”), which sound like the Brian Jones and Mick Taylor iterations of the Stones playing at the same time. There's the '90s alt-rock march of “Down”, the near-new-wave stutter of “Praise”, and a pair of sparkling Big Star-worthy ballads in “Removed” and the closing “Sunrise”, each draped with hooks and indelible choruses that easily stand with those of their influences. In less subtle hands, the album might play as a virtuoso rock and roll history lesson. But it’s digging at something deeper than that, as the edges are left rough and he’s found favoring truth over polish. Those who know Chris's music have come to expect an attention to pop songwriting craft, but here he reinvents himself to create a record celebrating reinvention. The fact that he plays all the instruments with a hint of abandon and produced/mixed it himself with a distinctly non-modern sonic approach proves again how his disregard for expectations remains intact. So too does his gift for following a song wherever it may lead, and giving it the passionate delivery it deserves. So, perhaps more than ever, does “the spook”. GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

5: A Tribute To The Bee Gees Vol. 2 Price: $14.00 Artist: Coke Belda Description: NEW RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT MUSIK LABEL – APRIL 9 – ACCEPTING ORDERS NOW!! We started discussing the release of “5” on CD last Fall as Coke was preparing to release it digitally. It took a bit of “Coke-sing”, but here it is, now on CD, the followup to his critically acclaimed first Bee Gees tribute effort – “3G’s”- that once again serves as a reminder of how great the brothers Gibb were as songwriters! “Coke Belda’s second dive into the deep, diverse catalog of the Brothers Gibb is a dynamic delight, with Belda-esque versions of tunes both well- and lesser-known. From the beat-driven jangle of ‘Coalman’ to the harmony-stacked beauty of an acoustic ‘Too Much Heaven’ and the tremendous power ballad interpretation of ‘Islands in the Stream,’ originally sung by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton and presented here as a duet between Coke and vocalist Sara Depp, ‘A Tribute to the Bee Gees Vol. 2’ is no mere exercise in nostalgia. Rather, it is a shining reminder of the power of music, no matter when it is created, to affect hearts and minds in the here and now. Coke’s arranging skills, combined with his sincere, interpretive vocals, assure a lovely listening experience for all.” - Alan Haber/Pure Pop Radio YEP!! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none