Tommy Keene passed away unexpectedly in his sleep this week at the age of 59. The critically acclaimed power pop musician had recorded an album with Robert Pollard, and collaborated with The Goo Goo Dolls, Paul Westerberg, and recently with Matthew Sweet. While he’d never gained a mass following, his tuneful guitar pop gained him a loyal following.
While his mid-1980s work, like Songs From The Film and ‘Places That Are Gone’, is perhaps his best known, I’ve always been partial to the opening track from his 1998 album Isolation Party. ‘Long Time Missing’ is consummate power pop, with its jagged riff and pounding beat sweetened with pretty vocal harmonies.
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I’m not familiar with this chap, but I like this. Is that track typical of his stuff?
It’s a bit punchier than his 1980s stuff, tougher production and guitar sound. I think 1986’s Songs From The Film is a better album though, and there’s a compilation out there too, I haven’t heard it buy sometimes compilations work well for power pop type stuff.
I’ll have a look about on Amazon or Discogs and see what I can see.
What J. said.
I replied to J, but I’ll paste it here too: It’s a bit punchier than his 1980s stuff, tougher production and guitar sound. I think 1986’s Songs From The Film is a better album though, and there’s a compilation out there too, I haven’t heard it buy sometimes compilations work well for power pop type stuff.
Not familiar with him either. I should really give his music a listen given that I’m a big power pop fan.
Real good stuff. Right up my ally.
Weird how it’s tuneful guitar pop, like The Beatles, The Who, The Byrds etc, but it ends up with a cult following, not in the mainstream.
I could hear some Westerberg type vibe in there. Little edge to it.
Yeah, he played in Westerberg’s backing band too, and they started around the same time. I think he’s a little less edgy than Westerberg, but partly because he has a sweeter voice.