The Semantics - Standing Still (1992)

I just posted "Powerbill," the one and only studio album by the short-lived power pop band the Semantics. This band competed the album in 1993, and broke up shortly thereafter when they were unable to get it released on any label. It eventually came out in 1996 in Japan, for a short time only, but that wasn't enough for the band to get back together.

Because of that unfortunate history, I don't think there's any music by the band other than that album, and this. If the band played any concerts, which is uncertain, there are no known live bootlegs. But there is this, which are unreleased demos of songs considered for their album "Powerbill." Luckily, there are enough songs for a 38-minute long album. That's actually a little longer than "Powerbill" is. 

Calling these "demos" undersells them. They sound fully fleshed out to me. Maybe it's better to call them outtakes. Overall, this album isn't as strong as "Powerbill." But I still think it's very good overall. Most power pop bands would be delighted to come up with an album this strong.

The two main singers and songwriters of the band were Owsley and Millard Powers. I'm particularly fond of Owsley, due to his later solo career. Powers, by contrast, joined the popular band the Counting Crows and has been their bassist ever since, so we haven't heard much more from him. Their voices and styles are very similar, but I understand a majority of the songs here are by Powers.

If you're into the power pop genre, I suggest you check out the "Powerbill" album first. Then, if you like that, give this album a try. 

Note that the bootleg I got this from was simply called "Unreleased Demos." I came up with the name "Standing Still" after one of the songs. It also seems fitting, since their music career stood still despite all their musical talents.

01 Avalon (Semantics)
02 Baby It's You (Semantics)
03 This One's for Me (Semantics)
04 Facts of Life (Semantics)
05 Hippy Woman (Semantics)
06 Lonely Girl (Semantics)
07 Standing Still (Semantics)
08 Merry Go Round (Semantics)
09 Wildflower (Semantics)
10 Victim for Somebody Else (Semantics)
11 Maria (Semantics)

https://www.upload.ee/files/15271768/TSmantcs1992_StndingStill_atse.zip.html

The Semantics are such an obscure band that I had a hard time finding any photo of them at all. This photo I've used for the cover came with the "Unreleased Demos" bootleg. It was upside down for some reason, so I flipped it. Then I added the text. It's very low-res, but it's better than nothing.