Friday Roundup.

The Tor Guides-Lots of the Pops Volume 1: Caught in a Sweet Refrain. After about a 5-year absence, The Tor Guides came back late last year with the wonderful Strawberries & Chocolates. The warm reception to that release must have inspired them to come right back less than a year later with another album, albeit one with a convoluted title. If nothing else, the title does pass the truth-in-advertising test as there's lots of pop here with sweet refrains, and fans of other Swedish popsters like The Merrymakers and The Tangerines will enjoy this collection. Whether it's driving power pop numbers like the 1-2 punch of "Dynamo" and "Things We'll Do Today" to open the disc or the more reflective "If I Didn't Love You" and "Apricot" or breezier pop tracks like "All About the Loving", the Guides find a way for the melody to shine through. And the poptastic "Happy" will make you just that. We're into fall now, but this is a perfect summer album.

CD Baby | iTunes



Prattle on, Rick-Some Quiet Majesty. Another new release that lives up to its title is the latest EP (or at 8 songs, a "mini-album") from Patrick Rickleton and friends. Prattle on, Rick has become perhaps my favorite folk-pop artist these days as Rickleton continues to weave gorgeous acoustic-based melodies which achieve, yes, a kind of quiet majesty. The ethereal "Day 1" sets the mood, followed by "Hope & Promise", a wonderful lived-in track buoyed by strings and a light sax and which sounds like a undiscovered classic. Elsewhere, the upbeat "Jennie" will warm the cackles of the most hardened stoic's heart, and the jaunty "Your Dreams Will Always Follow" could be the long-lost descendant of "I've Just Seen a Face". It's always a treat to come across an artist that gets better with each release, and I hope that Rick keeps prattling on.

CD Baby | iTunes

Two for Tuesday, 2/21/12

Jeff Litman-Outside. After bursting onto the power pop scene three years ago with the excellent Postscript NYC's Jeff Litman is back, and with Outside he's crafted another top-shelf singer-songwriter disc. Litman's style is Petty/Westerberg filtered through, say, Jim Boggia, and the result is one pop gem after another. The first three tracks encapsulate his sound: "Over and Over" recalls Pete Droge and features some fine guitar work from Litman; the driving "Runaway" is a cousin of Petty's "Runnin' Down a Dream"; and the title track is a bouncy pop tune wouldn't sound out of place coming from Jon Brion. Other standouts include the rocking "Chasing My Tail" and the catchy "Girl Down I-95" which almost demands radio play (at least in the Northeast along I-95). It's nice to see there isn't a sophomore jinx at play here, and you can listen to the entire album via the Bandcamp embed below.

CD Baby | Bandcamp | iTunes



Prattle On, Rick-Songs of Our Fathers. Another returning artist to this site following up on a debut is Nashville's Prattle On, Rick. Patrick Rickelton & Co. gave us an impressive debut EP in 2010, and their latest EP is another winner. Like the debut, this is catnip for Elliott Smith lovers and anyone else who likes quality acoustic guitar-based pop. "I'll Start Again" is a deceptively simple track a la "I've Just Seen a Face" that opens the EP in fine fashion; "Song of Our Fathers" is taken to another level with its use of cello; and "If You Would Love Me Too" sounds like a lost folk-pop classic. A definite contender for Top EP of 2012.

CD Baby | Bandcamp | iTunes

Two for TGIF, 1/22/10

Andy Lehman & The Night Moves-Lowcountry. Lehman's 2007 debut Landline was a Butch Walker-styled power pop disc, but on his followup with The Night Moves, he opts for a more atmospheric pop sound that comes down somewhere between Steven Mark and Coldplay. Lowcountry is a loose concept album about a South Carolina boy who falls in love with a girl, can't commit, loses her, stalks her, and then kills her new boyfriend. But despite the Southern Gothic subject matter, the concept is done with a light touch, allowing the songs to stand on their own. Highlights include the midtempo "You Can Leave The Light On", the poppy "Million to One", and the absolutely gorgeous "All Along the Roads We Walked", which takes on added resonance once the album's concept is grasped. A rewarding listen.

MySpace | iTunes

Prattle On, Rick-Communion Bread. This amusingly-titled act consists of Nashville singer-songwriter Patrick Rickelton and whoever happens to be backing him at the moment. His debut EP is a folk-pop delight, evoking Elliott Smith and Simon & Garfunkel in equal parts. "My Holiday" is gracefully tuneful, "Lift Up" does just that, and "Lately" sounds like an instant classic. Prattle on all you'd like, Rick.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes