ARCHIE POWELL & THE EXPORTS

Great Ideas in Action

archiepowellandtheexports.com

 The big idea on Great Ideasis pairing crisp power-pop hooks with complex lyrics about careening into adulthood. Powell puts this particular notion in motion by spewing nervous words nearly as quickly as he strums his palm-muted chords. Conjuring riffs that somehow recall both the Stray Cats’ “Stray Cat Strut” and Richard Hell’s “Blank Generation”—twins in effect, if not intent—the Chicago foursome bristles with post-collegiate angst, turning uncertainty and doubt into some of the most hummable songs anyone will release this year. “Keep your head above or be subdued/You know you’re halfway dead no matter which you choose,” Powell sings on “Job Fair.” He’s in a tailspin, and he’d like you to sing along.

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