Telethon – Hard Pop

Milwaukee, Wisconsin quintet Telethon has never been hugely on my radar.  I’ve been fortunate enough to receive most of their albums for review, but after loading the tracks on my review playlist they’ve often been overshadowed by higher profile releases or have come up short of meshing with my taste.  But all this has changed with the release of their fourth full length, Hard Pop.  Telethon has broken through some sort of creative barrier because Hard Pop is an absolute joy to listen to.  Channeling a sort of loose Motion City Soundtrack vibe, the band blends power-pop and pop-punk with pleasing results.

Hard Pop opens with the two part “Loser / That Old Private Hell,” a perfect introduction to the album’s range of sugary pop meets surprisingly ambitious compositional structures.  The song opens with a light, wispy melody padded by soft backing vocals and sole guitar strums that play out to instantly lovable underdog lyrics, “The magic of being a loser Is that nobody has to find out… being a loser’s a gift though it don’t seem like it now.”  The track unravels like a story, never repeating a single line or introducing a discernable chorus, and lathering on just the right amount of production in the various chimes, organ and piano notes to keep an upbeat rhythm. The storytelling feels very much like the whimsical attitude projected by Slaughter Beach, Dog or other narrative heavy outfits while the extended instrumental bouts are genuine enough to speak directly to the soul.  The track’s epic six minute runtime carries it through a number of different tempos and emotional states. This is how you open a record.

From there the album takes a hard left, upping the tempo and volume for “(I Guess You Call It) An Undertone.”  The strength and attitude of the guitars puts the “hard” in Hard Pop, bestowing a sort of theatrical, larger than life feel that explores everything from rock n’ roll solos to big blasts of swanky brass. The guitars suddenly up the stakes as lead vocalist Kevin Tully gets edgy. But the album is ripe with variety, meaning that what is unique to one track is often followed by exciting contrast. For example, “Waderparty” and “How Long Do I Let it Go For” glow with synthy soundboard beeps and vocals that glide through octaves with buttery smoothness, while “House of the Future (Parts 1 & 2)” starts with an acoustic vibe while the latter half unfolds into an amped up rock opera. Whatever the style, Telethon gives it their all.

Overall, Hard Pop serve’s as great affirmation of Telethon’s emerging talents. The band may have only been around for a short time, but their commitment has paid off in Hard Pop’s the densely swelling soundscape. It’s not easy to pull off such a vastly enjoyable yet cohesive array of power-pop goodness, but Telethon has done just that. Don’t let this one pass you by – especially with the name-your-price cost of entry over on Bandcamp.