Early April Roundup.

The Foreign Films-Ocean Moon (New Songs and Hidden Gems). Bill Majoros spent most of the previous decade working on and releasing his 3-disc epic The Record Collector, the proper followup to his brilliant 2007 double-disc debut Distant Star. His latest offering is Ocean Moon, a more modest 9-track disc which starts off with six new tracks then revisits a trio from The Record Collector, recontextualizing them into a loose concept album of sorts about being in love, both with a woman and with the music of the 60s. The six new songs are all quite excellent, from the Zombies-like opener "Dream With Me Tonight" to the "sha-la-la-la-la" chorus of "Katie and the Crystal Hearts" to the latter-day Jeff Lynne stylings of the title track. Will these six new songs end up as part of some multi-disc release in the next few years? Stay tuned, but tune into these new ones now.

iTunes



High on Stress-Hold Me In. Like many, six years ago I was bummed to hear that Minneapolis rockers High on Stress broke up, and like many I'm thrilled that Nick Leet & company have reunited. Hold Me In sounds like they never went away, delivering a dozen tracks in the vein of The Replacements-meets-early Wilco. "Work Release" is a great opener, with "my heart's on work release" a metaphor worthy of some of Westerberg's best. "Dakota" features a country beat, "Never Got That Far" is a great folk-rocker with ex-Billy Pilgrim Andrew Hyra joining on vocals, and speaking of guest stars, Laurie Lindeen (of ZuZu's Petals and Westerberg's ex) duets with Leet on what's perhaps the album's best track, the yearning "Wish This Moment Gone". A return to form, if not an improvement on form.

Bandcamp



Surrender Human-Surrender Human. The Chapel Hill NC music scene might not be what it was in the 90s, but three veterans of that era have teamed up in their best effort to bring them back. Matt McMichaels (vocals, guitar) of the late great Mayflies USA joins Ben Folds Five bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Tony Stiglitz (Jett Rink, Chris Stamey) as Surrender Human, and their debut disc finds them in fine form. It's a mix of 90s slacker-era indie rock with an older and wiser pop sound, and fans of any of the bands these guys played in or with will love it. The bright rocker "Boxcar Reel" lets you know what you're in for, the catchy "Let You Down" could have been a staple on college rock radio stations 25 years ago, and "Girls Not Talking" is some nifty power pop. Surrender to this one.

iTunes

Late May Roundup.

A quick look at some quality new releases:

Ruby Free-Shades. Maple Mars' Rick Hromdaka teams up again with Lisa Cavaliere (his wife) as Ruby Free, and the result is another wonderful laid-back album of 70s-inspired husband & wife pop. Highlights here are the guitar pop of "Take a Ride", the psychedelic shuffle of "Walking Along", the Paul-and-Linda inspired "Say Goodnight" and a note-perfect cover of The Carpenters' "Superstar". An album with great melodies - and charm. One of 2017's best.

iTunes | Kool Kat



The Mike Benign Compulsion-Kid. Our favorite Milwaukee power poppers are back again with a concept album of sorts about childhood and growing up, complete with the Let it Be-styled cover with photos of the band as youngsters. It's another collection of top-notch Squeeze-meets-Elvis Costello pop with standout tracks "Gadfly", "Kid" (with its memorable hook), and the rocking "The Best Years of Our Lives". And keep listening through - the 10th track, "Generations", might be the best here, sounding like a lost early-80s hit.

iTunes



Pasadena 68/Dakota Shakedown-Good Night Air. Ex-High on Stress frontman Nick Leet's Pasadena 68 has once again teamed up with friend and former 90's bandmate Mike Hjelden's Dakota Shakedown for another split album. DS gets the first five tracks, and P68 the last five and despite being a split LP the bands' similar Replacements-rock sensibilities make for a seamless experience. DS' "Hurry Up and Wait", with its Westerbergian mix of yearning and fire, is their standout here, while P68's rootsy, laid-back "Peace Garden State" is a gem as well.

iTunes





Party Battleship-Cake + Flames. The New Pornographers have a new album out, and as always it's worth picking up. However, if you want an American version of them there's another male/female-fronted supergroup of sorts which collects some of the best power poppers of Charlotte, NC. Shalini Morris (Kissyfish, Vinyl Devotion, Mitch Easter), Donnie Merritt (Lodestar, Mark Crozer and the Rels), John Morris (Tyre Fyre, Electrolux, Snagglepuss) and Adam Roth (Bellglide, The Catch Fire, Laburnum) join forces here for a rocking collection of driving pop tunes. The ones here to catch are their opening "Theme Song", "Almost Overton", and the Marshall Crenshaw-esque "The Fifth Season", but they're all pretty good. Party on!

iTunes

Mid-December Roundup.

Zombies of the Stratosphere-In Technicolor. Back with their third album and first since 2010's Ordinary People, NYC's Zombies of the Stratosphere (named after a 50s sci-fi serial) regale us again with another fine collection of Hollies/Kinks/Zombies-styled late-60s Britpop. "Poor Gallahad" is a great opener that you'd believe Ray Davies wrote, "Emily Lies" is first-rate psych-pop, and the title track is jangle heaven. Meanwhile "She's Counting the Days" might be a lost Left Banke track, and "Mr. Fairfax" would fit right in on a Nuggets compilation. So until a real time machine is invented, listening to this album is going to be the closest thing to traveling back to 1969.

iTunes



Andy Reed-Relay Vol. 1. Longtime favorite Andy Reed returns with a new EP released under his own name (after the last few as An American Underdog) and it's full of the quality pop we've come to expect from him. "Dreaming of the West Coast" is a mid-tempo gem that has a dreamy quality, and the same can be said for "Love is Gone". The EP also features "Darlin, Don't You Know", released earlier as a single, and a cover of Sloan's "I Love a Long Goodbye" from their underrated album Pretty Together. Based on the fact the title of the EP says "Volume 1", I'm now looking forward to Volume 2.

Bandcamp | Kool Kat



Pasadena 68/Dakota Shakedown-Pasadena 68/Dakota Shakedown. We were wondering what Nick Leet's next move would be after the breakup of High on Stress, and now we know - a split full-length with his new band Pasadena 68 and his friend and former 90's bandmate Mike Hjelden's Dakota Shakedown, who share the same musical sensibility. In this case, that sensibility is classic Midwestern power pop/rock a la The Replacements and Gin Blossoms. Melodic rockers "This Day is Your Life and "Pardon the Mess" should dispel any concern about no new High on Stress music, and Dakota Shakedown's "Shut Out the Night" and "Slow Burn" are cut from the same cloth. Twice the rock, twice the fun.

iTunes

Memorial Day Weekend Roundup.

The Squires of the Subterrain-S/T. Christopher Earl and friends are back with another trippy release of psych-pop. Unlike their previous release (Sandbox) which applied their psych-pop to Beach Boys-styled tunes, their self-titled latest finds them trading 60s California for 60s London, with Merseypop delights like "History" and "This Charming Place" and the so-goofy-you-know-what-it-sounds-like-by-the-title "Private Gherkin's Psychedelic Silly Mustache Band". Other highlights include the near-jangly (for them) "Attitude and Altitude", and the piano-based, Beatlesque "If Memory Served". But the real treat here is "From Getting High (to a Higher Power)", which manages to encapsulate the pop styles of the big 3 Bs of the era (Beatles, Beach Boys, Byrds) in one track. This just might be their best album to date.

CD Baby | iTunes

High on Stress-Leaving MPLS. We've been following these Minneapolis rockers from almost the beginning in the middle part of the last decade, so it's sad to hear that Leaving MPLS is the last batch of their Replacements-meet-early-Wilco songcraft. But at least Nick Leet & Co. go out on a high note. "Windy City Endings" (with a chorus reminiscent of the 'Mats "I'll Be You") is a great, tuneful rocker, while "Gimme Truth" might be the closest they've come to a classic power ballad. And the wonderful country-folk-rock of the title track captures their spirit perfectly, ensuring we'll miss them down the line.

CD Baby

Replacement Replacements.

Today we feature a couple of bands that draw on The Replacements for inspiration.

Teenage Rasputin-Sorry 'Bout the Moon. This Long Island band makes no secret about their Replacements love, having title their debut EP Here Comes Irregular, a pun of a 'Mats classic. They pick up where they left off with the full-length followup, gaining momentum right off the bat with "Wishin'", a melodic rocking number that features hard-driving verses and a sweet chorus. But like Westerberg, songwriter Jim Keegan is just at home with the slower numbers as "Annabella Milbanke" (with strings) and "Three Cheers" will attest. The mid-tempo rocker "Everybody Loves You" finds the band in song noir mode, and "Carpenter's Son" is the kind of catchy, straight-ahead rocker that will have you thinking these guys are from Minneapolis or Des Moines rather than Long Island. An impressive record for the genre.

CD Baby | iTunes

High on Stress-Living is a Dying Art. High on Stress (featured before on this site) comes by their 'Mats-loving cred a little more naturally, being from Minneapolis themselves. They differ a bit from Teenage Rasputin in that they have of a more Americana-influenced sound, perhaps a little more Hootenany than Pleased to Meet Me. They also know how to open an album, and "Bite Your Tongue" is a driving rocker that recalls Westerberg's solo "Knockin' on Mine". Other highlights include the cascading riffs and waltz-like melody of "Figure Eights", the gritty and compelling "Lost My Invitation", and the beguiling country-rock of "Head", which sounds like a lost Gram Parsons tune with its violin and female harmonies. Living is a Dying Art is High on Stress's third full-length, and they're building up quite an impressive body of work.

CD Baby | iTunes

High on Stress - These Days Are Gone from Here Comes The Flood on Vimeo.

Popicana Roundup.

Three Americana-inflected but still poptastic releases:

High on Stress-Cop Light Parade. If Jay Farrar worked with Paul Westerberg in Uncle Tupelo instead of Jeff Tweedy, this is how they would have sounded. In fact, some of frontman/songwriter Nick Leet's song titles recall Westerberg's wit and wordplay ("White Sugar", "My White Pages", "Trample With Care", "We Could Have Been Nobody", "Tomorrow Is Coming at a Bad Time", just to name five). Mixing Americana with pop and rock in a distinctively Minneapolis manner, High on Stress also mix in a Stonesish sound at times (the aforementioned "White Sugar", of course), as well as the roots pop of a Walter Clevenger. There's a real uniformity of quality to all the tracks here, and if your tastes run in this area, you'll definitely want this one.

CD Baby | MySpace

The Karg Bros-What We Do to Ourselves. This Nashville duo (yes, they are actual brothers) compare themselves to a cross between The Everly Brothers and Coldplay, and on leadoff track "Letting Go" (as well as the title track), they pull it off. For the most part though, this is high-quality melodic roots pop that leans more to the Everlys than Coldplay. "Can't Make My Heart Behave" is right up the alley of Bill Lloyd, "Sweetie" is all pedal steel and sweet harmonies, "Livin' Fast, Lovin' Slow" has a Tom Petty vibe, and closer "So Many Ways" recalls the early Eagles. An extremely promising record.

CD Baby | MySpace

The Daylight Titans-Boom & Chime. I don't know if there's such a thing as "hard roots rock", but if there is these Texans fit the description. With a driving power pop undercurrent, they call to mind early REM, The Hoodoo Gurus, The Church, and The Replacements, while lead singer Andy Smith has a similar vocal sound to the previously mentioned Jay Farrar. Highlights include the opener "Bathed In Light", the hard-driving "Between Joy and Faith", and "What Did I Say?", and the disc should hold appeal for those intrigued by the High on Stress disc above. (Note: it's a digital-only download available through CD Baby)

CD Baby | MySpace