Weekend Roundup.

Various Artists-A Kool Kat Kristmas Vol. 2. Kool Kat's 2010 A Kool Kat Kristmas was the best power pop Christmas compilation in recent years, so Ray Gianchetti & company decided to greenlight a sequel. And while it may not be as consistently great as the original, Volume 2 is another fine collection of power poppers giving us original holiday-themed tunes. The Pencils' "Christmas is Coming Again" starts things off in majestic fashion, sounding like an outtake from Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift for You, and the Honeymoon Stallions (f/k/a The Goldbergs) follow with the suitably jaunty "Snowbirds". Other standouts include the Tor Guides wishing for "Beatles Vinyl", The Geniune Fakes with the Christmas power ballad "You Always Come Back Home", Shake Some Action's typically jangly "Christmas in the Sun", and Stephen Lawrenson's unmistakeable Jeff Lynne-influenced psych-pop sound on "Glad it's Christmas". As with the first volume, proceeds from the disc will benefit the Susan Giblin Foundation for Animal Wellness and Welfare. Good music for a good cause - you can't beat that.

Listen at Soundcloud | Kool Kat

Secret Powers-Secret Powers 6. Another early Christmas present for power poppers is the return of Secret Powers. I have to admit, I was getting a bit worried about them; after releasing an album a year from 2008 to 2012, Ryan "Schmed" Maynes & the boys from Missoula, Montana had gone dark for 2 1/2 years. But they're back, and what they lacked in imagination in naming the disc they more than made up for with the new tunes. For those joining us in that time frame, what makes Secret Powers great is their heavy ELO/Jellyfish influence and knack for the great melody. The epic ballad "Bitter Sun" serves doubly well as an album opener and a re-introduction, and that leads us into the frantic and hyper-catchy "Palarium" (the most Jellyfish-esque of tracks) and the ELO homage "Spare Parts", which is half "Mr. Blue Sky" and half "Yours Truly, 2095" in its story of an android. Elsewhere, "She's Electrical" glides along on a sweet melody with all the band's attendant bells and whistles, and the closing ballad "Ready to Get Old and Die" evokes McCartney. Great to have these guys back.

CD Baby | iTunes | Listen at Spotify

CD of the Day, 12/7/10: Various Artists-A Kool Kat Kristmas

With Not Lame sadly out of the picture, Kool Kat continues to take the power pop ball and run with it and they've leveraged their impressive stable of artists to come up with what not is only the best power pop Christmas album you've heard, but perhaps one of the best albums of the year.

Each artist contributed an original tune, and they all play to their strengths. Maple Mars' "Christmas Time in the City" celebrates Christmas in LA, the lyrical opposite of "White Christmas"; The Smith Brothers give us their signature breezy pop with "Every Day is Like Christmas", and Mike Giblin and Parallax Project's "All I Want for Christmas is a Chance" might be one of their best tracks ever. Meanwhile, Keith LuBrant's "The Christmas Spirit" is an energetic highlight, The Strands' "The Christmas Gifts" is a Ramones-like ode to finding where your parents hid the gifts, and Frank Royster serves up his usual fine retro-pop with "Christmas is Fun".

The real standouts, though, are a couple of somewhat tongue-in-cheek tracks. The Britannicas go for some old-school country rock with "Chris Hillman Christmas", in which they'd "rather listen to Jesus than to Wilco" and they'd "rather go back to jail than to see the Eagles reform again". And closing out the disc is The Goldbergs' "Channukah Guy", in which Andy Goldberg professes his love for all the trappings of Christmas, and is catchy as anything he's done (which is saying something).

And not only does A Kool Kat Kristmas have the tunes, but its heart is in the right place:

$5 FROM EVERY CD SOLD WILL BE DONATED TO THE SUSAN GIBLIN FOUNDATION: The late wife of Mike Giblin of Parallax Project, Susan Kroah Giblin held degrees both as a Paralegal and as a Certified Veterinary Technician, a degree that she obtained after going back to school at the age of 35. As one of Central PA's greatest friends to cast-off and wayward animals, she was a 17 year volunteer at the Helen O. Krause Animal Foundation, and served as its medical coordinator for nearly a decade. She also maintained a fostering room in her home which was rarely empty, and was well-known for her compassion, empathy, and personal connection with both patients and their owners. The Susan Giblin Foundation for Animal Wellness and Welfare was formed to honor the memory and continue the work of Susan Giblin, a Certified Veterinary Technician and noted animal advocate, who passed away from leukemia at the age of 46. The Foundation's mission is to raise and dispense funds to support animal caregiving organizations, to foster awareness and education of complementary therapies, and to support the continued education of those in the animal medical field

Between the quality power pop and the great cause, this is the one power pop disc to buy this holiday season above all others.

Kool Kat | Kool Kat Kristmas MySpace Page

Latest from Kool Kat.

Two new releases from Kool Kat worth checking out:

Blank Pages-Absolute Uncertainty. These Jersey power poppers graced the pages of the site almost three years ago with On My Street, and now they've jumped from one Jersey power pop label (FDR) to another with their latest. There's nothing flashy about these guys (check out the album cover) - instead, this is the kind of straight-ahead, no-frills power pop we all know and love. "Let it All Out" might just be the best unintentional ode to power pop as frontman Greg Potter sings of "A stolen verse, a clever line/a borrowed story, a silly rhyme". "Help Me" is another fun rocker, the midtempo "This Way" knows its way around a hook, and "I've Said All I Can Say" says it all. If you pick this up from Kool Kat, they'll throw in a bonus disc titled "The Early Years" that features unreleased Blank Pages tracks from the 90s.

Kool Kat | CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

The Sterling Loons-March to the Tune. Some of you may be familiar with this Seattle band from their groovy 2004 debut What to Do In Trouble, and six years later they're back with the followup. This is classic 60s Nuggets-styled pop (surprised that Rainbow Quartz didn't nab them) that mixes psychedelia, power pop and garage. Opener "Old Nick" is a good dose of Freakbeat fun, while "Morning Sunshine" channels the sound of what could be a slightly off-kilter Kinks. Elsewhere, the Loons show their variety with the somewhat C&W-sounding "Simple Life", the mod sounds of "Beauty's Eyeing the Beholder" and the Merseyside pop of "All Aboard". A 60s-inspired tour-de-force, this is one tune you'll want to march to. And yes, Kool Kat has a bonus disc for this one too with seven unreleased tracks.

Kool Kat | MySpace

A Kool way to start the week.

The always reliable Kool Kat label has served up a couple of goodies from artists we know and love at Absolute Powerpop:

Maple Mars-Galaxyland. Maple Mars follows up their outstanding 2007 release Beautiful Mess with Galaxyland, a loose concept album about a theme park orbiting the moon. It's kind of fitting since their music has always had a space-age pop element, drawing from Klaatu and ELO as well as the Beatles and Badfinger. There's plenty to like here: "The Excursion" is top-drawer psych pop, "Big Imagination" channels the laid-back 70s SoCal sound, "Transcendental Guidance" is another of those tracks that sounds like its title, and the string-laden "When Bridges Fall" recalls Cloud Eleven. A real highlight is the resurrection of "New Day", a minor early 70s hit for Mark Radice. The CD comes in a gatefold sleeve not unlike a 70s album, and Kool Kat (the store) is offering up an exclusive bonus disc titled Extra Orbits with five bonus tracks. The whole thing is groovy.

Kool Kat (with bonus) | CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Frank Royster-Innocence is Bliss. Also following up a fine 2007 release on Kool Kat, ex-Fire Ape Frank Royster is a bit more earthbound in his sound than Maple Mars and his sophomore solo effort Innocence is Bliss is more of the same old school power pop that made his debut a fun listen. Jamie Hoover produced, and fans of the Spongetones will want to give this a listen, as well as those who enjoy the likes of Marshall Crenshaw and Pat DiNizio (solo and with The Smithereens). "Mr. Wonderful" is a killer opener, a jangly number that could have been a hit in the 60s or 70s; "Life's a Bore" is straight from the more rock-oriented sound of the British Invasion; the country-tinged "Can't Make You Smile" is primo roots rock, and "Brena You" is the piano-based McCartney of "Lady Madonna", "Nineteen Hundred and Eight-Five" and "Flaming Pie". Speaking of McCartney (which happens to be the name of his young son, who shows up at the end with in "Looking for a Twinkle"), Royster covers the underrated Beatles classic "Every Little Thing", a personal favorite. As with the Maple Mars, Kool Kat has an exclusive bonus disc for this one too, a real deal.

Kool Kat (with bonus) | CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Gamilons Freebie

Ray at Kool Kat is making The Gamilons EP which I reviewed the other day free with any purchase. So pick up one of the fine discs I've reviewed recently (or any other of your choice), and get The Gamilons throw in for free. Too bad Billy Mays isn't around to pitch this.

CD of the Day, 11/16/09: Parallax Project-I Hate Girls

Mike Giblin might not be a household name in the power pop community, but his bands certainly should. After being in the great Cherry Twister with Steve Ward and Ross Sackler, Giblin started Parallax Project in the early decade, putting together whoever he happened to be playing with at the time to release albums like Oblivious and Perpetual Limbo, discs power poppers everywhere should have in their collections. (Incidentally, the band is named after this Allegany University astronomy project, from Giblin's home state of Pennsylvania,) Now he's back with album #3 on the Kool Kat imprint, and he enlisted the legendary Don Dixon to produce and The Plimsouls' Eddie Munoz on guitar. The result is a pop gem that's catchy and soulful at the same time.

Opener "All the Same" sets the bar high, an uptempo treat that channels Squeeze and the Kinks, and built around a "Day Tripper"-style guitar riff. The tongue-in-cheek title track is in the same vein, as Munoz' guitar work on these tracks is a step above the usual power pop fare. Meanwhile, "Half" is a fun tribute of sorts to early Elvis Costello - Dixon provides Steve Nieve-like work on the organ a la "Radio Radio" here. Giblin's effective here when the beats slow down as well - "Watching the World Revolve Around Her" is one of the year's better ballads, and "The Day After Tomorrow" is an earnest yet melodic number. True to the spirit of the proceedings, the disc closes with a cover of the The Velvelettes' "Needle in a Haystack", a Motown chestnut that doesn't sound a bit out of place. And if you like that cover, let it be known that Kool Kat is offering up a bonus disc of covers if you order directly from them, featuring tracks like ELO's "Telephone Line", The Kinks' "Well Respected Man", and possibly my favorite Faces song "Cindy Incidentally".

Kool Kat (w/bonus disc) | CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

CD of the Day, 1/16/07: Cloud Eleven-Sweet Happy Life

With Not Lame sadly discontinuing its own label last summer, Kool Kat stands alone as the top independent power pop label in the USA, and they've done a great job over the past few weeks and months. Their most notable release of late is Cloud Eleven's Sweet Happy Life. Cloud Eleven has quite the impressive track record (2002's Orange and Green and Yellow and Near belongs in a top 20 pop records of the decade list), and Rick Gallego & Co. have turned in another quality disc here.

Sweet Happy Life is one of those records that demands to be listened to the old-fashioned way: straight through. Listening the way I normally do to music, random tracks on the iPod, radio-style, I was a bit underwhelmed at first. But after listening to it as a whole, I came away considerably more impressed. It's quite a mellow, laid-back affair, but if you let it in, its melodic beauty will overcome any thoughts of "when is this going to start to rock a bit?". For me, the highlight of the disc are the middle three tracks of "Innocence", "Sea & Soul" and "Wishing".

You can listen to a couple of tracks at myspace, sample them all at CD Baby, and when you're ready to buy, make sure you go right to the source, as Kool Kat is offering up a free bonus EP of demos with purchase of the disc.

CD of the Day, 1/8/07: Keith LuBrant-Searching For Signal

New Jersey's Keith LuBrant, who burst onto the power pop scene with 2001's Face In The Crowd, is back to give us yet another quality early-year 2007 release with Searching For Signal, due out this week on Kool Kat. Helping Keith out on this disc are Mike Viola and Jim Boggia, which is quite appropriate as his style on Searching For Signal is comparable to a cross between those two. Speaking of the help, Pete Donnelly of The Figgs plays bass on several tracks as well. Throw in the fact that Kool Kat is releasing it on their imprint, and the pedigree of power pop quality is certainly there.

So it's no surprise that say that the tunes come through - from the uptempo title track to the impossibly catchy "Too Late" (perhaps my favorite track of 2007 so far - yeah, I know it's only been 8 days, but the song is really good) to the Michael Carpenter-like "I Survived" to the rocking "Disconnected" to the Neil Finn-esque "February Day" to the wistful "Postcards & Memories", to which Boggia contributes vocals (and which would have fit nicely on Boggia's Safe In Sound), it's one solid track after another.

Intrigued? Then head over to his site, which has samples of all tracks; although they're approximately 30 seconds apiece, they get right to the hooks. And if you're hooked, get it at Kool Kat, where Ray & Co. have a great deal on the disc, complete with a 6-track bonus disc, and the CD itself comes with a code to download nearly 20 additional demos and unreleased tracks from the Searching For Signal recording sessions.

If the first three discs I've featured this year are going to be indicative of the quality of power pop coming down the pike for 2007, I'm going to need to get cracking on a top 200, let alone 100.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just want to wish all my readers a Happy Thanksgiving Day (whether or not you reside in the USA), and want to give thanks for the following (aside from my lovely wife and three wonderful boys):

* All of my readers. With so many sites out there, I appreciate all of you who take the time to visit Absolute Powerpop and who inspire me to continue to post.

* The artists. 99% of the discs I feature on here are from independent artists, many of whom have day jobs and who are releasing music for the love of it, and not under any illusions of fame and fortune. I thank you all for the blood, sweat and tears that go into making your discs and for the hours of listening pleasure that I (and hopefully most of my readers out there) have received.

* Bruce at Not Lame and Ray at Kool Kat. Without these guys, power pop on the internet as we know it doesn't exist, and the work they do to bring us artists and their music that we'd never know about otherwise can't be recognized enough.

* David Bash and International Pop Overthrow. These shows speak for themselves. Although I haven't been able to attend (it's tough to drop the kids, my business and everything else to jet across the country; how about an IPO Tampa someday?), anyone who can get the kind of power pop lineups together for these shows deserves our thanks.

* And to everyone else out there spreading the power pop gospel.

Happy Thanksgiving!