Lolas – All Rise

While their ninth studio album shakes, rattles and rolls with the best, Lolas are hardly a one trick pony. Their latest, All Rise, mines from various power pop related sources including pop punk, British Invasion and even bubblegum to some extent.  In total, it makes for a wonderfully melodic and varied listening experience.

From the outset, Tim Boykin and company embrace the sound of power pop legends like The Who and The Beatles. “Never to Be Mine” has all the energy of the former with all the tunefulness of the latter. If you’re looking for a more recent band, consider The Madd as a comparison.

Along the same vein, “My Thoughts Have Been Replaced” rocks with conviction. The Beatlesque “Pain in My Heart” is an infectious tune that’ll have you humming along. “Louise Michel” is a poppy, sing along number that, upon repeated listens, reads almost as if it were a political campaign anthem.

Additionally, we get a tasty 2 minutes and twelve seconds of punk pop (and an uncharacteristic guitar solo – for punk, anyway) with “If I Don’t Do It (It Won’t Get Done)”.

I’m most fascinated with “All Rise the Sneaky Snakes of Kudzu”. Bizarre lyrics juxtaposed with shiny, 60’s AM radio production make this one a real curiosity piece. On a side note, for those northerners unfamiliar with kudzu, it’s a vine like varmint indigenous to the south. But that’s neither here nor there. The track is gloriously catchy.

Get Lolas All Rise at Kool Kat Musik

While Lolas All Rise was released digitally last year, it’s just been released on CD through Kool Kat Musik. GET YOUR COPY HERE.