Review: Kurt Baker – “After Party”

Wicked Cool Records, 23 October 2020

Kurt Baker does the power pop thing like a champ.  

Kurt Baker’s been around a while, dropping pop punk and power pop bombs for years.  Having played solo and with The Leftovers, K7s, and The New Trocaderos, amongst many others, his discography runs deep with records dating back to around 2004 or so.  His newest, After Party, sees him working with pretty familiar bandmates (Wyatt Funderbirk, Geoff Palmer, Kris Rodgers, and Craig Sala) and goes in a pretty familiar direction.  But with music like this, it’s about the songs, not about new territories being explored.

On After Party, Baker pulls a bunch of great power pop tricks, reveling in great songcraft.  “New Direction” kicks things off with some fuzzy rock and roll guitar and some great melodic vocals (sort of reminiscent of the guy from Ultimate Fakebook, if that means anything to you) delivering lines like “I used to think I was stuck with you, but now I know there’s so much more to do”.  Bouncy drums and keys join in, coming out the other side like “That Thing You Do” being recorded with 80’s-style production.  It’s also got a character talking bit in the middle that gets me thinking nostalgically of Nada Surf’s fantastic “Popular”.  Another favorite, “Wandering Eyes”, gets into dealing with a dishonest other, with a great melody on the chorus, vocal hooks for days (especially on the “tell me why-e-y, do you lie-e-ie” part), and dueling guitars.  It’s just pristine power pop.  And “Good” gives off a real Elvis Costello vibe with a relatively unassuming verse that gives way to a bright and bouncy chorus, complete with handclaps.  It’s one of the best earworm choruses on here.

And while the stuff above is pretty straightforward power pop, Baker also throws a few curveballs into the mix.  “Over You” has a real The Cars feel to it (I think it reminds me of a personal favorite, “Just What I Needed”) with a pop sugar chorus caffeinated on a stylized guitar riff and keys.  “Keep Dreaming” swims in similar waters, with synth-driven bells.  This one sounds like a great late-night pop song that might show up on a cool radio station in 1984 – it would fit well alongside something like “Take On Me”.  It’s got a wonderful descending chorus melody that is infectious as all get out and some marvelous backing vocals.  Speaking of great backing vocals, “Used To Think” sounds like the Beach Boys are being beamed in from a distant planet.  And again, a different direction is taken with a sort of power pop country feel (complete with harmonica).  It’s also got some great lines like “I spent a lot of money on used records, I spent a lot of money on cheap beer”.  And when Baker puts down his toughest song on After Party, he still keeps the hooks dialed in.  “She Don’t Really Love You, Dude” has a bunch more pace than the rest of the record and pairs that energy with some of the more aggressively fuzzy guitars on here.  But the chorus still pulls off handclaps and harmonies, the bridge has an endearing synth lead, and the key change near the end sticks.  It’s good stuff.

Kurt Baker’s After Party is a fun time.  In fact, fun is probably the best (and simplest) word to describe the record.  Like much that he touches, the hooks are full of pop goodness and the singalongs come from all directions.  Certainly worth a listen for the pop lovers out there.

Favorite song: “Keep Dreaming”

Favorite moment: beamed in Beach Boys-esque backing vocals on “Used To Think”

Favorite whatever else: I love the song title “She Don’t Really Love You, Dude”