Weekend Roundup.

Instead of the usual pair of featured albums, today we'll look at 5 discs in quick-hitting fashion:

Happy Ashtray-Seventy Miles. This Chicago band features a melodic, lo-fi style in the vein of Guided by Voices but with a slight touch of Americana and heartland rock. The title track and "I Don't Know What Her Mind is Made Of" also recall Being There-era Wilco.

CD Baby | iTunes



Readymade Breakup-Classic Single. Here's the latest EP from the New Jersey band we've featured here before. If you enjoyed their previous releases, you'll want this 4-track rocking EP. "Convince Me" is the top track here, sounding like it could have been a big hit in the 80s.

Bandcamp

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Ballard-Bucky. Ballard (real name: Darren Riley) is a singer-songwriter from Bolton, England who's been quite prolific of late, releasing several EPs and singles of his fine 60s-style lo-fi guitar pop, and Bucky is the full-length culmination of these releases. There's a Ray Davies/Kinks feel to Ballard's tunes, complete with character sketches and a song about Buckminster Fuller. Good stuff.

Bandcamp



Dan Miraldi-The Freewheelin' Dan Miraldi. The album title and the cover are an obvious homage to the Bob Dylan classic, and here Miraldi goes Dylan-in-reverse by trading in his electric guitar for an acoustic one. Despite the acoustic shift, he retains the rock-and-roll arrangements on these tracks so they still have a bite to them. There are two new tracks here, with 4 acoustic versions of his previous tunes, including my personal favorite "The Holy Roller Stone Revival". A must if you liked his previous releases.

CD Baby | iTunes



David Ellis-The Boy Who Cried Wolf. This UK singer-songwriter has crafted an enjoyable and melodic collection of 10 tracks that recall Elliott Smith at times. Top tracks here are "Smoke", "Down" and the true standout, "Wake Up Smiling", which recalls XO-era Smith.

CD Baby | iTunes

Monday roundup.

To kick off 2011, here are a pair of Northeast bands who aren't into soft pop or Popicana, but good old fashioned guitar-heavy rockin' power pop:

Watts-On the Dial. The boys from Boston named after the legendary Stones drummer are back with another set of kick-ass yet melodically rich tunes. Songs like the title track, "Chaperone" and "Afterburn" are begging to be turned up to 11, and the boogie-rock of "Dancehall Days & Nights" brings to mind a Northern version of Terry Anderson & The OAK Team. You're not going to find any sensitive ballads here, and the closer "Sweethearts of the Radio" is most definitely not a Byrds homage. Instead, to paraphrase their namesake's frontman, it's only rock 'n' roll, and I like it.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Readymade Breakup-Readymade Breakup. It doesn't get more rock 'n' roll than Asbury Park, New Jersey, which is from where Readymade Breakup hails. Their third album is a must for those who loved their first two, and uninitiated will want to check in here. It rocks harder, as opener "Inside All Along" proves, and "Waiting for You" might be radio-friendly enough to grab some market share from the likes of Jimmy Eat World. The kinetic "Good Things" is another standout, and "Not Through With You Yet" is a quiet, fetching ballad. And "Erased" is an excellent Stones/Crowes-type closer with depth.

Buy & Listen at Bandcamp

Thursday Roundup.

Readymade Breakup-Alive on the Vine. New Jersey's Readymade Breakup is back with their followup to last year's Isn't That What It's For? and they're better than ever. This is vintage power pop with a radio-ready sheen that fans of The Jellybricks, The Shazam and The Meadows will enjoy. "One by One" is a scintillating opener, "Surrender" reminds me of The Raspberries, and "Stretch Your Head" incorporates a bit of soul in the mix. These guys know their craft, and will not disappoint.

Not Lame | Kool Kat | MySpace

Private Jets-Jet Sounds. How Swede it is! These Swedish retro power-poppers are back as well, following up their debut EP, and it's a delight. Of course the comparisons to other Swedish poppers like The Merrymakers and The Tangerines are in order, but they also have a more classic, British-sounding 60s vibe (fittingly they played IPO at The Cavern Club this summer). "I Wanna Be a Private Jet" enthusiastically gets things started, while "Speak Up, Speak Out" channels "Ain't That a Shame". Elsewhere, "Starshaped World" is vintage, sunshine-y pop, and "First Division of Love" lays on the sports metaphors to a jaunty love song. Chances are if your hairline's receding like the band members on the cover (like mine), you'll be loving this one.

CD Baby | MySpace

Gigantic-Gigantaphonic Sounds. Well, if Jet Sounds weren't big enough for you, how about Gigantaphonic Sounds? This "big-name" Australian band has finally released this 2006 disc in North America through Zip Records (also home of The Wellingtons, whose new disc arrived in my mailbox yesterday, thanks) and they have a fine guitar pop sound that recalls The Gin Blossoms, Teenage Fanclub, and everyone in between. The jangly "Some Suburban Road" is a real treat, and other standouts include the TF-friendly "Balloon Animals", the rocking "Mr. Sound", and "Lied To", which has hooks that will stick with you.

Not Lame | MySpace