I always think of indie-pop as indie music with a very sophisticated pop brain, whereas power-pop lacks the characteristics that make indie, indie, whatever they may be. It’s hard to explain, but I can always distinguish the two.
For instance, Fountains of Wayne is power-pop. They really aren’t that indie, are simple and direct and if they don’t have any more hits, they should. Same with Weezer - chunky guitars, great melodies, reasonable chance at a hit.
Indie-pop tends to be more idiosyncratic, and usually has no chance at ever approaching the charts. Belle and Sebastian, for instance.
WordMan, have you listened to Ben Kweller’s solo album from a couple of years ago? You may not classify it as power-pop, given that it approaches Weezer at times in its gritty chunkiness, but the guy has a great knack for melody. Check out Commerce, TX, or Wasted and Ready in particular.
Also, I think Ben Folds Five should be mentioned, even if they don’t use guitars. And how about Irish group Ash? I’d recommend their first album 1977, because it’s got Kung Fu and Girl From Mars, and they didn’t take themselves as seriously as they did later on.
**elfkin[/] - afaik, the term Power Pop has been around for at least 30 years, certainly since Big Star and Cheap Trick came on the scene. I don’t have a cite, but can try to find one if needed…
gex - once again, I agree with your distinctions. And no, I haven’t listened to Kweller, but have heard of him and his work with Bens Lee and Folds - he’s Aussie, isn’t he? Also have heard of Ash, but not heard them.
thermalribbon - so many bands, so little time - I have heard Husker Du, but not a lot of Mould’s other work, which is very frustrating. Also, haven’t invested nearly enough time in Frank Black and I want to - I borrowed a copy of Surfer Rosa to listen to, but that was right when I started my band so all of my music time was spent working on songs…
rackensack - I hadn’t thought of the Who being the key to differentiating indie from power pop, but I can see where you are coming from. For me, it is just a question of accessibility - if the song could be catchy to my Mom, who would like it but wishes the guitars weren’t so loud, it’s Power Pop (she loved Beatles songs, but wishes the Beatles wouldn’t sing them - they screamed too much, according to her). If the song is poppy, but just makes my Mom kind of look at me funny, its indie pop…that’s clear, isn’t it?
I dunno, I think you could include the following sequence on a mix tape without jarring your audience too much…
(I’m Stuck in a Pagoda With) Tricia Toyota - The Dickies Letter From An Occupant - The New Pornographers Sick of Myself - Mathew Sweet I’m Looking Through You - The Beatles
WordMan, the Negro Problem is a band fronted by versatile songwriter Stew. Allmusic.com (and I’d link directly, but I don’t think you can) calls them Pop Underground and Alternative Pop/Rock. I think they’re even further towards the Beatley end of the pop scale than the Apples or Dressy Bessy.
That said, my favorite Negro Problem-related album is Stew’s solo The Naked Dutch Painter, which I think is definitively not power pop, but is pretty awesome through and through. The Negro Problem albums I’ve heard – and own – I like, but I burn out on pretty quickly.
Yeah, I suppose one might burn out after a bit. I call that the Burt Bacharach factor. I like Burt Bacharach, but in small doses. And Stew is a fan of Bacharach. The allmusic.com site counts their influences as the Beatles, Bacharach, Sly and the Family Stone, XTC and the Fifth Dimension. I think that is a pretty accurate description. My favorite album is Joys and Concerns, and on that album, Sea of Heat, and Ahmnot Madatcha. I haven’t checked out Stew’s solo stuff yet.
Wordman, I probably could have phrased that post a little better.
I must have missed it mentioned up there somewhere, because I can’t believe no one has mentioned Odds yet. “Someone Who’s Cool” vies for “Leave the Biker” as the catchiest power-pop single of the 90’s.
A side-comment: I agree with the observation that power-pop and New Wave have a lot in common. I see a continuum, with FoW grading into the Odds grading into Squeeze grading into Costello. And with regards to pop catchiness, the only thing that can compare to a good power-pop single is the Records “Starry Eyes.” So sometimes, (with the Odds, especially,) it’s hard to say if something is New Wave or Power Pop.
Actually, I’ve always thought of “Starry Eyes” as a power-pop item rather than new wave. One of the best power-pop singles ever, in fact. Loses a point or two in the best-of-breed competition for not being about love or girls, but otherwise it’s way up there.
–rackensack (who owned a picture-sleeve 45 of “Starry Eyes” way back in the day).
The Griffin - I am on my way out the door, and the SDMB search is notoriously slow this time of day, but when you get a chance, search in Cafe Society for a thread with the words “Music Snobs” in it - lots of related discussion.
both Blink 182 and Good Charlotte are Mall Punk, to my mind. Blink 182 has some good melodic work and is very poppy at its heart, but is more MP than Power Pop, like Sum 41, New Found Glory, etc…Good Charlotte seems to try so hard to be sincere, and if they reach kids with their “hold on” message, that’s a good thing, but I don’t like them.
And if you haven’t checked out musicplasma.com yet - DO IT NOW!! Very cool site and you can see if a certain band is considered close to another band in style…
I love to come into this thread. I find so many albums I need to buy. I agree with pretty much all of the suggestions so far, just thought the dB’s needed another mention. Their first two albums are pure gold though I like the third, Like This, a bit more. It’s not easily available on cd.
-Lil
So the earlier posts in this thread inspired me to get Electric Version. This isn’t what I think of as powerpop. One or two songs come close, and I’m not saying it’s not good music, but it’s only on the very fringe of powerpop. The songs just aren’t singalongable enough. A couple of them come close but…
To me, singalongability is the second important characteristic of powerpop. The first is that feeling that, even if it’s the first time you’ve heard a song, it feels like you’ve known it forever.