When Garbage broke out with their self-titled debut album in 1995, their alluring but abrasive sound—dark power-pop melodies topped by Shirley Manson’s alternately growled and whispered vocals—enticed listeners like sweet pink candy with a messy center. Their second album, 1998’s Version 2.0, expands on this recipe of fuzzed-out guitar and distorted vocals with multilayered tracks […]
Tag: power-pop
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Seth Engel makes melancholy sound sweet with his power-pop project, Options
Chicago punk multi-instrumentalist Seth Engel can deliver a sweet, melancholy riff so gracefully that you’d think he lives inside the guitar chords from Jawbreaker’s Dear You. Engel, who records solo material under the name Options, is a busy young man about town. He drums with mathy progressive trio Pyramid Scheme as well as heavy indie-rockers […]
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Flamboyant Chicago rockers Cupcakes reunite to celebrate their debut album 20 years after it arrived
The alternative-rock boom of the 1990s resulted in lots of outre musicians landing major-label deals that would’ve been unthinkable in any decade before or since. Chicago four-piece Cupcakes, who emerged in 1996, both exemplify and transcend that era. On their sole album, 2000’s Cupcakes, released on Dreamworks, they mold arena rock bombast, power-pop hooks, and […]
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Local indie rockers Doleful Lions have long been overlooked, but they’ve never lost their spark
Chicagoan Jonathan Scott founded his indie-rock band Doleful Lions in 1996, and though they’ve been active ever since (albeit with a revolving-door lineup), they’ve mostly gone overlooked. That could be in part because Scott has avoided aggressively promoting his group, but I still wonder why more people haven’t found and fallen for Doleful Lions. Their […]
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Matthew Sweet’s power-pop classic ‘Girlfriend’ hasn’t aged a day
Veteran pop auteur Matthew Sweet, who has a new album on the way, plays Park West on Friday night.
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Toronto slacker-rocker Marvelous Mark releases a new video for the catchy-as-hell ‘I Don’t Mind’
An outstanding track from his latest release for Burger Records.
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Mama previews a power-pop banger from their upcoming EP
The local four-piece is about to release a double seven-inch of Automatic Recordings.
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A new power-poppy jam from Young Guv’s upcoming LP
The hardcore dude channels Big Star and the Mats on his new LP.
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12 O’Clock Track: The power-pop strut of ‘Twilley Don’t Mind’
Today’s 12 O’Clock Track is the title track from the Dwight Twilley Band’s power-pop classic Twilley Don’t Mind.
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The Secret History of Chicago Music: Epicycle
Epicycle’s brief career ended more than 30 years ago, but this North Shore punk band is still inspiring reissues today.
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12 O’Clock Track: Warm Soda’s “When Your Eyes Meet Mine” is pretty power pop from Oakland
A glammy power-pop preview from Warm Soda’s upcoming LP.
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12 O’Clock Track: Julian Leal, “Get Away”
Julian Leal’s 1987 gem “Get Away” is Illinois-bred pop perfection
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12 O’Clock Track: Cotton Mather, “Vegetable Row”
Kontiki, the excellent second album by obscure Austin pop band Cotton Mather, is back in print.