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

Two for Tuesday, 2/14/12

Secret Powers-More Songs About Her. The men from Missoula are back with what has become an annual tradition: a new album. More Songs About Her makes five releases in five years and Shmed Manes & Co. never manage to disappoint. But there are some subtle differences here from the previous releases, although they open as usual with a killer track from Schmed: like last year's strong opener "Generation Ship", "Dragon Slide" is Secret Powers at its ELO/Jellyfish best. The differences kick in with John Brownell taking more of the lead vocal duties starting with the melodically frenetic "Impossible Girl" (complete with timpani and bells) that recalls Bryan Scary, and the Jellyfishesque "Post War". In fact, Schmed drops out for three straight tracks before re-appearing with "Drip Drop Drip", which might be the quintessential Secret Powers track with its driving melody, changing time signatures and on-its-sleeve wit. And his piano ballad "Hard to Be Someone" might be his best slower number. All in all, we see Secret Powers functioning more as a democracy this time around, and the results are just as strong. Here's looking forward to their 2013 release.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

The Riffbrokers-The Green Key Will Let You In EP. While on the topic of prolific bands from the US Northwest, the Riffbrokers are back with a brand new EP on the heels of last year's Every Pilot's Blinded by the Sun. Featuring more of the Petty/Replacements-style rock we've come to know and love over the years, the EP features several strong tracks including the opener "Around Too Long" and the closing rave-up "Re-Entry". But its the contemplative middle that makes this a special release; "An Extra in a Cowboy Film" and the title track show that it's not all loud guitars and heartland rock with these guys. And the best part is that this EP, along with apparently the rest of the Riffbrokers' back catalog, is free for download at Bandcamp.

Free download of all Riffbrokers albums from Bandcamp

CD of the Day, 1/31/11: Secret Powers-What Every Rose Grower Should Know

Usually I post a review after I've listened to an album over a period of a couple of weeks. However, I was so stoked to see Secret Powers was out with a new album that I decided to experiment and live-tweet a review on Twitter while listening to it for the first time. So here are my initial reactions to their fourth album in four years (the verbatim tweets):

* Holy crap, Secret Powers is out with another album (4th in 4 yrs). First 3 were classics, and digging the first track

* It's called "Generation Ship", sounds like a demented outtake from ELO's Time. Maybe I'll just live-tweet my first listen to the album.

* Next up is "Tarantula", a rollicking 2:16 tune about being afraid of them. It's so catchy I almost want to find a tarantula to sing it to.

* "What Every Rose Grower Should Know", the title track, follows. With most bands this would be a metaphor. Not with these guys.

* Track #4 is "Candy". Straight-up power pop, melodic if unremarkable. Still might be the best song on a lot of other bands' albums.

* Next is "The Desert". I knew these Montana boys had a quasi-Morricone Western in them, complete with Jew's harp and portentous whistling.

* "Crocodile" follows. Unlike "Tarantula", this is not a literal title. Instead, it's a pleasing mid-tempo love song.

* Next track: "I'll Be Home". Solid, if unspectacular, followed by "It Should Have Been Me", a classic SP-sounding track w/fun piano backing.

* "Queen of Bizarre" not as bizarre as its title or some of their other stuff, but another quality tune.

* "In The Way" a decent track, "Blue Thing" is classic Schmed, and closer "My Idea" returns to the ELO motif a la Side 3 of Out of the Blue.

* All in all, sounds like a top 10 contender (albeit a bit front-loaded). Thanks for putting up with my first ever live-tweet album review.

Depending on how many Twitter followers I lose, I might do this again in the future for a disc I'm eagerly anticipating and/or surprised to discover. Here are the usual links:

CD Baby | Facebook | iTunes

Two for Thursday, 4/22/10

Secret Powers-Lies and Fairy Tales. If someone told me back in the late summer of 2008 that a new power pop band would emerge and have three great discs out by the spring of 2010, I'd be skeptical. But damned if Shmedley & crew are back with their third disc in about 18 months that's a must-listen. For those unfamiliar, Secret Powers is led by Ryan "Shmedly" Maynes and they serve up high-grade Jellyfish/ELO-influenced pop. Lies and Fairy Tales is no exception. "Orange Trees" was the best track on their previous release, and here things stay in the citrus family with the leadoff track "Tangerine", a hooky number that closes with a "na na na na" refrain and is downright infectious. The hits just keep on coming: "I'm So in Love" is a bouncy Beatlesque bit, "Riding the Shark" (as opposed to jumping it, which these guys are far from doing) is a manic rocker that doesn't quit, while the trippy piano-based "Cows" is udderly delightful. And don't overlook "Opening Band", a wry look at the music biz. I look forward to their next disc, and glad I probably won't have to wait too long. (By the way, they've finally embraced digital distribution, so I can embed from Lala and give you an iTunes link. Now they just need to get the first two available that way.)

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Knit Delicate-Fulton Hill. As anyone who's read this blog for more than a little while knows, I'm a sucker for bands that can mix power pop and alt-country. And this band from Wisconsin sure knows how to weave a pop tune with a slight twang, as they follow up Pressed, their debut and one of 2007's more overlooked gems. Sounding like the Gary Louris-led version of The Jayhawks mixed in with a little Rich McCulley, they even mix in a little Big Star on the opener "Really Shouldn't Say Those Things" and the brilliant "When I See You". Other standouts include "Love is Not Democracy" and the pop sheen of "Had a Chance", in which they channel America. And they love punny references as much as I do, otherwise they wouldn't have a track called "Spin Cycle" on the disc.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Two for Tuesday (Special Monday Night Edition).

The Brilliant Inventions-Have You Changed. This Atlanta duo, comprised of singer-songwriters Josh Lamkin and Eliot Bronson, may have the folk-pop album of the year on their hands. These guys can harmonize with anyone, and have the tunes to go with the harmonies. Fans of Straw Dogs, The Karg Brothers, and The Jayhawks will love this disc. There are plenty of highlights here: the opener "Isn't it Worth it", which sums up their sound in one song; the title track, and its "oh-oh"s in the chorus; "There Goes My Heart", possibly the best track on the album, one which throws some piano and pop beats into the mix; the Rembrandts-esque "Could've Been You", and the shimmering pop of "What About Jennifer". A brilliant invention indeed.

CD Baby | MySpace | iTunes

Secret Powers-Secret Powers and the Electric Family Choir. Last year, this Montana band had one of 2008's left-field pleasant surprises with Explorers of the Polar Eclipse, a kind of ELO/Jellyfish/Bleu melange that made my top 100 but in retrospect should have placed higher. They haven't wasted any time getting out the followup, and the Electric Family Choir is a trippier version of the debut, as the Dharma Initiative-like photo on the cover would indicate. The most brilliant thing here is "Orange Trees", which I can only describe as what The Move might have sounded like if Jeff Lynne was writing songs then like he did while in ELO. Frontman Ryan "Shmedly" Maynes has an agreeably gruff vocal style that makes their stuff sound like the cult classics they could become, but he gives way to another band member (unidentified by the liner notes) on the waltz-like "By the Sea", which quotes the Beatles' "Michelle". Other standouts include the baroque Jackdaw4-like pop of "Lazy Men"; "Misery", a Lynne-like ballad that would make Bleu jealous; and the 80 seconds or so of "Treat Your Mother Nice", which could have fit into Side 2 of Abbey Road without anyone noticing. If these guys want to put out one of these every year, I certainly have no objection. (Actually, I do have an objection: they're apparently so retro that you can't get their music digitally, on iTunes or elsewhere. If they really wanted to be purists, they should have released this vinyl-only.)

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