Poplord is the brainchild of Stan Schaffer and Tom Magill, and is an evolutionary product stemming from their Beatles tribute band (The Beetles) back in the early 90s. The most recent recruit, Craig Daniel, also lends his talents to this 2008 release. All three of the guys can be heard taking turns on lead vocals, but a casual listener probably wouldn't even notice. You’ll hear plenty of influence from the Fab Four, in addition to hints of Jellyfish (especially "Where'd He Go"), Brian Wilson, and Tears for Fears.
All of the usual ingredients for a wonderful pop record are present and accounted for on “Full/Filled” – plenty of harmonies, interesting lyrics, a dash of harpsichord - but something is leaving me feel a bit empty. It's not that any of these songs are bad; in fact, most are fairly good. It's just that few are popping out at me as being great. There are several notable exceptions, including the lead off track "Change in Time For Monday", which manages to push all the right power pop buttons from the first to last note. Good momentum continues with "What's Beneath", which is adorned with well placed harmonies wrapped around smooth hooks and terrific organ and guitar solos.
The acoustic driven ballad, "The Gray", is an excellent example of what Poplord can do at their best. However, this tune and several others would benefit from better production on the drums, which sound deadened and muffled to me. "Used To Town" is a sweeping track with a lot of umph...and harmonica...that I found particularly engaging. A lot of retro sunshine pop can be heard in "A Tree Beyond", which is my favorite track on the CD. Instantly likable and cheery, "A Tree Beyond" sounds like Billy Joel jamming with Captain & Tennille .
iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 4, 6, 10
Poplord on MySpace.
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