Drenched in fuzz driven guitars and power pop melodies, Mike Krol’s Power Chords echoes with introspective, witty lyrics that deal with the topics of heartbreak and disappointment. Released on Merge Records, Power Chords follows 2015’s Turkey and features eleven songs that also confront feelings of self-doubt that search for meaning and answers within themselves. Krol performs the guitar, drums and vocals on this album, but is accompanied by other musicians for the rest of the instrumentation. The music draws on influences such as Ramones, The Misfits, Jay Reatard, The Strokes, King Tuff and others that combine to create its own intense garage punk sound. All of this mixes in with a Midwestern grit that floats through the atmosphere that is created on Power Chords.
The title track starts off the album. Awash in fuzzy guitars and catchy, power pop melodies “Power Chords” chronicles heartache and a searching that discovers revenge could be better served through song with words such as “When that song begins to play/It brings back some feelings/That I cannot explain/And though it kills me/I wouldn't have it any other way”. “What’s The Rhythm” swings with a fuzzy, lo-fi aesthetic that pulls in a punk infused Strokes-like melody, “An Ambulance”, another strong song found on Power Chords rings with a distress signal that searches inward with lyrics such as “Can somebody call an ambulance/To save me from myself-offence”, while “Little Drama” is rich with primitive punk influences. Released as the first single from Power Chords, it was described by Krol in a short interview with Stereogum as: “Little Drama” summarizes my daily struggles. It has brash, over-the-top aggressive verses with a chorus that reveals all of the confrontation and toughness that was just described in the verses was internal and an imaginary scenario that’ll most likely never be carried out.”
“I Wonder” features vocals from musician Allison Crutchfield, as musically it encases itself in a woozy sound reminiscent of early Supergrass, “Nothing To Yell About” howls with a Ramones-meets-The Strokes groove as lyrically it finds itself in uncertainty, “Arrow In My Heart” slows down into a distorted ballad of sorts that musically finds itself in early King Tuff meets T.Rex territory. “The End” fittingly ends Power Chords in waves of garage punk guitars, organ, feedback and distortion. Throughout this album, Krol stretches his garage rock songwriting approach beyond the limits of 2015’s Turkey, which clocked in at about 18 minutes. A more mature Mike Krol is present here, but one that is balanced out with the humour and wit that presented itself across his previous releases. While the cover of this album shows a bruised and bloodied Krol, Power Chords rises above what may seem like just another garage rock album on the surface. Below the surface of these eleven songs, Mike Krol displays an angst that like many things in life can seem distorted at times. However the heavily distorted guitars and the many lyrical viewpoints merge with the songs creating a clarity that finds all the right chords.
Show 759 Playlist (Originally Aired On January 26th, 2019)(Mike Krol, The 5.6.7.8.'s, Wire, Minutemen, Talking Heads):
1. Mike Krol - Nothing To Yell About
2. Mike Krol - Locker
3. White Lung - Two Seen
4. The C.I.A. - Gutted
5. The 5.6.7.8.'s - Cat Fight Run
6. The 5.6.7.8.'s - I Walk Like Jane Mansfield
7. Tijuana Bibles - Deadly Weapons
8. Cawama - Hot Summer Nights
9. Shoobies - Flat Surf
10. Galaxie 500 - Strange
11. Jeff Tweedy - Bombs Above
12. Leonard Cohen - Story of Isaac
13. The Ding-Dongs - I Don't Care
14. Jon Langford & The Sadies - American Pageant
15. Jon Spencer - Beetle Boots
16. The Futureheads - Man Ray
17. The Leather Uppers - Sexy Wizard
18. The Evaporators - Milkshake Murder
19. The Brmitzvah Brothers - Rodeo Clown
20. Chad VanGaalen - Pine & Clover
21. Mudhoney - Oh Yeah
22. Dinosaur Jr. - Kracked
23. Priests - Puff
24. Flys - Can I Crash Here
25. Wire - It's The Motive (Demo)
26. Wire - Love Ain't Polite (Demo)
27. The Minutemen - The Process
28. Mission of Burma - The Enthusiast
29. Iggy Pop - Time Won't Let Me
30. Teenanger - Just Drop
31. The Psychic Alliance - Crystal Cage
32. Odonis Odonis - Blood Feast
33. The Scientists - Blood Red River
34. The Mahonies - Going Back To Dublin
35. Talking Heads - Paper
36. Talking Heads - The Big Country (Alternate Version)
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 26.
Show 758 Playlist (Originally Aired On January 19th, 2019)(Deerhunter, The Count Five, Teenanger):
1. Ramones - Spiderman
2. MYSTICS - Last Time
3. Actual Water - Floorboard Speculation
4. Big Joanie - Eyes
5. Jock Tears - Neil Young
6. Deerhunter - Futurism
7. Deerhunter - Greenpoint Gothic
8. Phew - Signal
9. Allergy - Joker
10. The Flesh Eaters - Pony Dress
11. Juliana Hatfield - All Right, Yeah
12. Cat Power - You Get
13. The Flaming Lips - Shaved Gorilla
14. Sharon Van Etten - Hands
15. Little Girls - Salt Swimmers
16. The Count Five - Pretty Big Mouth
17. The Roots - It's Been A Long Journey
18. Fever Feel - Who Are You?
19. Blacktop - Searchin'
20. Danny & The Darleans - Why?
21. Bloodshot Bill & The Hick-Ups - The Stranger
22. King Khan - It's Just Begun
23. The Shoobies - All Sunburnt, Lookin' Like A Boiled Lobster
24. PRIORS - Candy Station
25. Bad Sports - Don't Deserve Love
26. The D4 - John Rock
27. Thee Oh Sees - Wait, Let's Go
28. Nirvana - Dive
29. Teenanger - Think About It
30. Teenanger - The Sequel
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 19.
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