7/22/26.
A few weeks ago Bandcamp's Ben Salmon penned an essay that made my ears perk up: "Why Power Pop is the Sound of Now". There are the requisite listening bars, but probably well over 40 other links to power pop then and now, U.S. and global. Many bands have been covered here, as I too have been on a power pop jag lately (and for more entire life).
I really enjoyed clicking on the bands I'd never heard of, and Red Bank, New Jersey band Beauty is fantastic. They really remind me of a cross of The Grip Weeds, The Smithereens and Marshall Crenshaw. But as Salmon states, their album, "I’d Do Almost Anything For You", is "an album of pure, uncut power pop—no noise, not much jangle, just a bunch of muscular, melodic tunes that would make Cheap Trick proud." Salmon then goes on to say that Mod Lang fits nicely next to Beauty. I can personally attest to that having recently seen Mod Lang open for The Lemon Twigs. Before nearly every song they exclaimed, "This next song is a rock song."
"I'd Do Almost Anything For You" is released by Strange View Records and is available for purchase on their website.
