Old Faces, New Names.

Today it's two releases from artists we've featured before under a different name:

The Buzz-Got Me Runnin' EP. The Buzz is the latest project from Washington DC popper J. Forte, whom we last heard from as The Secret Pop Band a few years back and also has recorded under his own name as well as with Ape House. As The Buzz, Forte gives us an excellent 4-song EP that meshes well with his past work, with the title track a spare yet melodically rocking winner and the "Hey Beatles" finds him calling on the Fab Four for inspiration. And you don't have to be Canadian to enjoy the midtempo "Sweet Manitoba". A release worth buzzing about, and a shoo-in for the top 10 year-end EP list.

CD Baby | iTunes



Hall of Ghosts-A Random Quiet. Hall of Ghosts is the solo debut of the UK's Jim Williams, who is more likely known to you as the frontman of Popicana purveyors Additional Moog, whose Thirty-Three & Third was a real standout several years back. Williams doesn't stray too far from his old sound on this 8-track mini-CD which will appeal to fans of The Jayhawks and Wilco. The opener "Bye Bye, Big Blue", in particular, has a real Gary Louris feel to it, and "Giant Water" recalls Joe Pernice's work in the Scud Mountain Boys. And the upbeat "We Are Finally Happy for Standing Still" has the melodic charm of tracks like "El Guiro" from his Additional Moog days. A definite claimant for the title of melodic Americana album of the year to date.

CD Baby | iTunes

Midweek roundup.

The Seldon Plan-Lost and Found and Lost. These tuneful Baltimore indie poppers are back with their third disc, and it may be their best yet. Calling to mind Nada Surf, The Happies and Matt Pond PA, The Seldon Plan is never short on melody, and "Fire in Day's Field" and the title track will demonstrate that for you right off the bat. Perhaps the track name that best encapsulates their upbeat pop sound is "Run, Go!", but they can also slow things down a bit and still come out with flying colors; the acoustic-based "Philadelphia and a Moment" and the moody "French Cinema" attest to this. Also make sure you check out the catchy "See a Word". Be glad you "found" this one.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Secret Pop Band-Pardon the Solar Interruption. We head down I-95 a short distance for our next band, Washington DC's Secret Pop Band. Given their name, I can't tell you (unless you have a security clearance) whether they've played Dick Cheney's undisclosed location, but I can let you in on the pop goodness of their debut disc, Pardon the Solar Interruption. Secret Pop Band is the newest outlet for the irrepressible J. Forte, whom many of you may know as the frontman of Ape House and who put out a solo disc of his own a couple of years back (titled - what else? - Secret Pop), and as Forte decided to form a band with the backing musicians from that disc, Secret Pop Band was formed. If you liked either of those discs, you'll want this one, and if you never heard of them (or him), you'll probably want it as well as they belt out one catchy number after another. "Your New England Winter", the breezy "Solar Interruption", and the Kinksian "Week Old Beer" are the highlights, but close behind is the rocking "Sunday's Hard Rock Falls" and the amusingly titled "Rachel Harmony". Give it a listen below.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes