Belly, "King," Sire/Reprise. On their second release, Belly focused on refining their quirky style into more accessible three and four minute pop songs. The results were excellent and some of Tonya Donnelly's best songs. Songs like "Puberty," "Now They'll Sleep" and "Lil' Ennio" continued the more pop-oriented sound of the singles from "Star." There were a few slower and more complex songs similar to the first album's weirder moments that work even more effectively like "Red" and "Judas My Heart." Sadly this wonderful album was the band's last due to the lack of a strong radio single and low sales. Try and find this one in a bargain bin, it's a classic.
Ben Folds Five, "Ben Folds Five," Caroline. Ben Fold's Five's indie debut still remains their best album to date. The CD captures the energy of their early live performances and features the best collection of Fold's early pop songs. With their piano, bass and drums lineup, the band hit upon a unique sound. Their musical influences seem to run from show tunes to rock like the Beatles and Elton John. Each musician in the band is great on their instrument and everybody contributes to a wonderful vocal sound. "Philosophy," "Jackson Cannery," "Where's Summer B?" and "Underground" stand as the bands best tracks, even after three subsequent releases. One of the best albums of the decade, this is the one that started the buzz about this band.
5ive Style, "5ive Style," Sub Pop. - Funky, instrumental rock and roll influenced by Led Zeppelin and the Meters. Lead guitarist Bill Dolan is amazing and drummer James Herndon is technically brilliant. Fans of James Brown's instrumental work will enjoy this too. Make sure you catch this band at one of their live shows, because they kick serious ass. All of the tracks are completely engrossing, except for two spacey keyboard tracks that are completely worthless.
Gladhands, "From Here To Obscurity," Big Deal. A solid power pop album from this North Carolina band, released through a great source of power pop, Big Deal Records. The lead vocalist sometimes reminds me of Eric Wolfson, the lead vocalist on several Alan Parsons Project songs, including "Eye In The Sky." This gives some of the songs a sweet vocal sound that is quite appealing. The hooks are fantastic and the guitar work is interesting as well. Highlights include "Do You Have A Reservation," "Memory Box" and "Dig."
Greenberry Woods, "Big Money Item," Sire. A fantastic second album from this Maryland power pop band that turned out to be their last. Their biggest moment of commerical fame was probably the inclusion of this album's single ("Smashup") in an episode of Beverly Hills 90210. Believe me, it was out of place. These guys have an early Beatles sound, not unlike the Knack in their more jangling moments. One of the better power pop albums of the era and definitely worth looking for. Highlights include "Parachute" and "Back Seat Driver."
Juliana Hatfield, "Only Everything," Mammoth. On "Only Everything" Juliana Hatfield continues in the same style she refined on "Become What You Are" and produces another gem. Tight pop-rock with distored guitars and sweet vocals. Juliana was still paying close attention to melody and pop hooks, a habit she would soon disregard. Highly recommended as one of her better albums.
Papas Fritas, "Papas Fritas," Minty Fresh. -Papas Fritas is a three-piece band from Boston that draws influences from 70s adult contemporary pop and the standard Beatles and Beach Boys albums. Their sound is rather unusual, with all three members contributing songs and vocals. Guitarist Tony Goddess writes many of the songs here and plays an interesting style of spastic lead guitar accented by harmonics. Drummer Shikiva plays rather mechanically, but effectively and adds a sweet female voice to the mix. The album was recorded in their home studio, so the sound is rather sparse. However, the songwriting is original enough to draw in any self-respecting pop fan. Songs like "Wild Life" and "Possibilities" are irresistable upbeat pop, while "TV Movies," "Explain" and "My Own Girlfriend" show a more sensitive side. A fantastic debut from a truly original-sounding pop band. Definitely worth seeking out.
PM Dawn, "Jesus Wept," Gee Street. On "Jesus Wept," PM Dawn took their sound in a new direction completely, abandoning rap almost completely in favor of gospel-inspired R&B, not unlike some 70s Steve Wonder albums. On the first single, "Downtown Venus," the band actually ventures into pop-rock with amazing results. A very interesting album from a band that really seemed to be evolving. Unfortunately they haven't released anything since this one.
The Pooh Sticks, "Optimistic Fool," Seed. - The Pooh Sticks continued their road to maturity on "Optimistic Fool." They finally shed most of the cute tendencies and recorded a fairly straightforward pop album. Some of the lyrical themes are still rather trite, but the songs are hard to dislike. "Cool In A Crisis," "A Song For My Demo" and "Miss Me" are fine power pop songs that deserved more recognition than they received. Unfortunately they haven't released anything since.
The Rentals, "Return of the Rentals," Maverick/Reprise. Featuring Matt from Weezer, The Rentals were bound to receive some notice. Luckily their first album was worthy of the press, featuring excellent pop songs augmented with cheesy moog keyboard sounds. The retro feel is rather appealing throughout the album, especially on the singles "Friends of P" and "Waiting."
The Sugarplastic, "Radio Jejune," Sugar Fix Recordings. The Sugarplastic hail from Southern California, with a quirky pop sound not unlike XTC and Squeeze in their early days. However, the Sugarplastic have a more American pop sensibility than those bands, blending those English influences with the California New Wave of the late 70s and early 80s. "Radio Jejune" was the band's first full-length (they released a fantastic boxed set of three seven inches a couple years prior that's worth looking for) and it was a promising debut. Their sound is clean with little overdrive on the guitars, combined with complex pop tunes and great vocals. This one is probably out of print, but it's well worth looking for. The Sugarplastic are one of those rare pop bands that don't try too hard to emulate their influences and have developed a unique style.
The Sun Sawed in 1/2, "Mind Flip," Beehive. An independent release from this Minnesota band that features fantastic songwriting and vocals. The production strives to sound like typical 90s bands such as Live or Collective Soul, but their hooks and melodies are far superior. They remind me at times of Better Than Ezra and Dada, or bands that may border on power pop that made into the mainstream. We just happened to stumble upon this one at the college radio station and we were pleasantly surprised. Probably still available from Not Lame Records. It's a lot better than their second release too, so see if you can find it.
Matthew Sweet, "100% Fun," Zoo. Sweet's followup to "Altered Beast" was a lot friendlier, hence it's punny title. The album received great reviews the year it was released, some comparing it to "Rubber Soul." If nothing else, it is certainly more like "Girlfriend" than its predecessor, mixing up the rockers, mid-tempo numbers and acoustic ballads to great effect with a much brighter mood. The album actually flows better than "Girlfriend" because it is a welcomed 45 minutes long. The previous discs drag a bit toward the end, both clocking in at over 60 mins a piece. Sweet tries some new things here, such as the Beach Boys inspired vocal arrangement on "Not When I Need It" and the harpsichord sounds on "Walk Out." However, he generally continues with his proven formula developed on the previous two discs. The Richard Lloyd and Robert Quine solos are used great effect on the great single "Sick of Myself," "Lost My Mind" and "Superbaby." This is a great album ranking right up there with Matthew's best work. Incidently, the b-side of "Sick of Myself" is one of my favorite songs called "Never Said Goodbye," which may be tough to find, but is a must-have for Sweet addicts.
Teenage Fanclub, "Grand Prix," DGC. Somewhere along the line Teenage Fanclub settled down and become a more focused and serious pop band. Grand Prix is an excellent album, but not good enough to keep them on DGC. With slow sales the band moved on shortly thereafter. Not the band's best album ("Songs From Northern Britian" is my favorite,) but worth looking into.
Vandalias, "Mach Five," Big Deal. Great power pop from Minneapolis and another solid release from Big Deal Records. The Vandalias are hardcore power pop fans, drawing their influences from The Raspberries, The Sweet and Badfinger. Their album covers feature 70s retro cartoon characatures of the band members. "Knife," "Hey Now" and "Have You Seen Mine?" are memorable pop songs with great guitar work and perfect vocals. This one is a must-have for any Raspberries or Badfinger fan. They even put in a neat cover of the 70s classic "Sky High" by Jigsaw.
Wilco, "AM," Sire. Some may call this Alt-Country, but it sounds more like this band was inspired by the Rolling Stones and The Beatles. The country-rock influence is definitely at play, especially on the great "I Must Be High." The album is well played and impeccably produced. The guitar sounds alone are worth checking out.
Brian Wilson, "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times," MCA. It's a little sad to see Brian Wilson these days, but at the same time it's inspiring. He'll never be the crazy genius he was during the mid-60s, but at least he's alive and performing agan. During the filming of a black and white documentary film on his life, producer Don Was had Brian perform some of his great songs with a studio backup band. Surprisingly, the CD of those performances is quite satisfying and at times even better than the original versions. The Beach Boys renditions of "This Whole Word" and "Meant For You" sound a little stiff, and this band breathes new life into these great compositions. Wilson turns in welcomed performances of songs from his 1988 solo debut, minus the over-done 80s-style production. This was one of my favorite albums of the year, and a fine moment for Wilson fans as Brian got back on track.