Three for Thursday, 8/6/09

The Offbeat-To the Rescue EP. The Year of the EP continues as another outstanding one comes down the pike, this time from the Brit popsters The Offbeat, whose self-titled debut last year was a real treat. If you liked that disc, then you'll love this EP as it serves up more of the same Merseyside, early Beatles pop without being too retro. "She Can Make the Sunshine" lives up to its name as glorious sunshine pop, "Someday Somehow" uses the "Bo Diddley" beat to nice effect, and "Blue Sky" is jangly goodness. I don't think there's any doubt this year I'm going to be doing at least a top 20 EP list at year's end rather than usual top 10.

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The Offbeat EP

The Pundits-Echo Chamber. You won't be seeing these pundits on CNN, MSNBC or Fox News; these guys dispense with the hot air and instead just bring you straight ahead power pop and rock with some jazzy elements throw in. Coming across at times like a cross between Elvis Costello and The Replacements with a touch of the New Pornographers, this Minneapolis band delivers quality tunes with crunch. "In Books" demonstrates this aesthetic, while "Locate Me" adds a 70s sheen to their sound. Other standouts include the new-wavy "Surface Tension", the angular rock of "Gold Approach" and the classic sound of "Take Another Look at Your Man". Always nice to see a bit of a twist on the power pop/rock template.

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David England-Little Death. We namechecked Elvis Costello as an influence in the review above, but he definitely comes more to mind here in the sound of this Indiana native's second album. England has a voice and a sound that could be described as the golden mean of Costello, Dave Edmunds and Graham Parker. Fans of those artists will love the Rockpile-like opener "You Don't Have To" as well as "Don't Go Back", which has a bit of a country touch a la Brinsley Schwarz. After those two fine opening tracks, the hits just keep on coming: "Catch Your Breath" sounds like King of America-era Costello, "Out of the Blue" sports a breezy pop melody, and "Not Today" introduces some jangle to the mix. It's a must-have for fans of this classic style of power pop.

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Little Death by David England