THE GOODS
In 1979-80 this kind of power pop looked poised to take over the world. The Knack, Beat, Pop, 20/20… I could go on, but it makes me sad that it didn’t. But oh man, the great music.
I can imagine these guys playing a bill with Plimsouls.
The power pop goods are here. Chiming, ringing, crunchy…all the guitar tastes one hopes for. Tight rhythm section. Melody everywhere. Lyrics filled with longing. Great vocals.
JOEL CUSUMANO
A longtime contributor to the Bay Area music scene, CUSUMANO enjoys a resurgence of sorts with this latest full-length, his debut solo venture. This is towering power pop that is still utterly human. While there is architecture of song here, built up high with airy backing vocals and keyboard atmosphere thick like incense in the verse/chorus cathedral, CUSUMANO’s voice is disarmingly earnest. It’s a singular voice, in a sort of warbling baritone that is commanding and fragile at once. The melodies are perfect, and a track like “No Hello” is like one of those puzzle cubes that could only have been put together the way it was. His understanding of what makes a good song sounds second nature. The guitars soar, the delay washes over you, there’s echoes of something like FELT fronted by David Berman, which may have well been written just for me. Beautiful and sticks in deep.
(MRR #514 • March 2026)
R.M.F.C.
R.M.F.C. is the project of multi-instrumentalist Buz Clatworthy. What started as a home studio project has developed into a full-fledged live band and a major player within the global DIY punk underground. With the album ‘Club Hits’ (2023), he grew into one of the standard-bearers of the egg punk scene, but supplemented with influences from post-punk and New Zealand jangle-pop. His sound has a strong DIY ethos and is raw, full of fuzzy guitars and catchy hooks.
